Foundation Website Creation with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript

Foundation Website Creation with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript

Released July 2012
Publisher(s): friends of ED
ISBN: 9781430237891

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Book description

Foundation Website Creation with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript shows the entire process of building a website. This process involves much more than just technical knowledge, and this book provides all the information you'll need to understand the concepts behind designing and developing for the Web, as well as the best means to deliver professional results based on best practices.

Of course, there is far more to building a successful website than knowing a little Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The process starts long before any coding takes place, and this book introduces you to the agile development process, explaining why this method makes so much sense for web projects and how best to implement it. We also make sure you're up to date by using the latest HTML5 features. Planning is vital, so you'll also learn to use techniques such as brainstorming, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to get your project off to the best possible start and help ensure smooth progress as it develops.

An understanding of correct, semantic markup is essential for any web professional; this book explains how HTML5 should be used to structure content so that the markup adheres to current web standards. You'll learn about the wide range of HTML5 elements available to you, and you'll learn how and when to use them through building example web pages.

Without creative use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), websites would all look largely the same. CSS enables you to set your website apart from the rest, while maintaining the integrity of your markup. We'll showcase the new features of CSS3 and how you can use them. You'll learn how CSS3 works and how to apply styles to your pages, allowing you to realize your design ideas in the browser.

JavaScript can be used to make your website easier and more interesting to use. This book provides information on appropriate uses of this technology and introduces the concepts of JavaScript programming. You'll also see how JavaScript works as part of the much-hyped technique Ajax, and in turn, where Ajax fits into the wider Web 2.0 picture.

While a website is being built, it needs to be tested across multiple browsers and platforms to ensure that the site works for all users, regardless of ability or disability, and this book explains how best to accomplish these tasks. Then, it discusses the process of launching and maintaining the site so that it will continue to work for all its users throughout its life cycle.

Foundation Website Creation with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript concludes by covering server-side technologies, acting as a guide to the different options available. With insights from renowned experts such as Jason Fried of 37signals, Daniel Burka of Digg and Pownce, and Chris Messina of Citizen Agency, Foundation Website Creation with CSS, XHTML, and JavaScript provides invaluable information applicable to every web project—regardless of size, scope, or budget.

What you'll learn

  • See how the Web has developed and the role of web standards

  • Learn how to plan and manage the building of a website

  • Learn how to separate content from presentation with HTML5 and CSS3

  • See how JavaScript can be used to enhance your website

  • Learn how best to test, launch, and maintain a website

    • Who this book is for

    Web developers and designers starting out in HTML5 and CSS3.

    Table of contents

    1. Title
    2. Dedication
    3. Contents at a Glance
    4. Contents
    5. About the Authors
    6. About the Technical Reviewer
    7. About the Cover Image Designer
    8. Acknowledgments
    9. Introduction
    10. Chapter 1: Introducing the Past, Present, and Future of the Web
      1. The standard way of doing things
      2. Every journey starts with a single step: the Web past
      3. Then there were standards: the Web now
      4. A crystal ball: the Web future
      5. What’s inside this book?
    11. Chapter 2: Keeping a Project on Track
      1. The traditional approach to project management
      2. Web project management: the power of iteration
      3. Tools available
      4. Summary: the best advice
      5. Profiling professions: Jason Fried
    12. Chapter 3: Planning and High-Level Design
      1. The toolbox
      2. Let’s go to an example
      3. Summary: achieving balance
      4. Profiling professions: Daniel Burka
    13. Chapter 4: Giving Your Pages Structure: HTML5
      1. What are web pages, really?
      2. The basics of markup
      3. Document types
      4. Starting with HTML5
      5. Let’s go to an example!
    14. Chapter 5: Exploring Fundamental Concepts of CSS
      1. The origins and evolution of Cascading Style Sheets
      2. How CSS works
      3. Applying styles to web page elements
      4. CSS inheritance: making the general case work in your favor
      5. Visual rendering: document flow and the CSS box model
      6. Summary
    15. Chapter 6: Developing CSS3 in Practice: From Design to Deployment
      1. The visual source: understanding design documents
      2. Diving into code: advanced CSS concepts applied
      3. CSS media types and creating print style sheets
      4. Designing for other media types and devices
      5. Summary
    16. Chapter 7: Responsive Design
      1. Why bother?
      2. Strategy and Practice
      3. Other considerations
      4. What’s next?
      5. Introducing the @media query
      6. Summary
    17. Chapter 8: JavaScript Primer
      1. What is JavaScript?
      2. A brief history of JavaScript
      3. JavaScript the basics
      4. Summary
    18. Chapter 9: A Deeper Dive Into JavaScript
      1. Philosophy of object-oriented design
      2. Functions
      3. Interacting with the DOM
      4. Summary
    19. Chapter 10: Closing the Loop with JavaScript
      1. Working with data
      2. Tools
      3. Summary
    20. Chapter 11: Using Server-Side Technologies
      1. The server side removes barriers
      2. Web servers: dishing out hypertext
      3. Databases 101
      4. Other data sources
      5. Web application languages
      6. Frameworks
      7. Summary
    21. Chapter 12: Using WordPress to Jumpstart Development
      1. Introducing WordPress
      2. Installing WordPress
      3. Wrapping things up
    22. Chapter 13: Afterword: The Business of the Web
      1. Basic needs of the freelance web professional
      2. Business types
      3. Contracts
      4. Nondisclosure/noncompete
      5. Making money: financial survival
      6. Do you need an accountant?
      7. Advertising and promotion
      8. Finding work to pay the bills
      9. Finding good resources: people
      10. Growing your practice and increasing capacity
      11. Training to stay current and competitive
    23. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Foundation Website Creation with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: July 2012
    • Publisher(s): friends of ED
    • ISBN: 9781430237891