Build Your Own Website: Introduction to Web Design

An adept knowledge of different programming languages, codes, and the program you will use to create a website are required if you want to build your own website. The advantage of creating your website from scratch is that it gives you flexibility in terms of designing your webpage. Creating a website is a complicated process. But if you’re really into this, you will at least need knowledge and skill in HTML; an HTML editor; image editing software; and web hosting provider. Four programming languages are most commonly used in creating websites. These languages are HTML, Javascript, Java, PHP, and CSS. Ruby on Rails, ASP.net, and Perl languages have also been developed alongside the introduction of Web 2.0.

Among the other languages, the hypertext markup language or HTML is the most commonly used language by programmers. Basically comprising all types of web pages are HTML codes. It was developed by physicist Tim Bernes Lee in 1980, as a tool to create a program that will allow the researchers to share and use documents within their company, CERN. Before it is transformed into a viewable webpage, HTML consists of hypertext and tags which are read by web browsers. It enables other components such as attributes, character and entity references. Over the years, tech experts have modified the language, making it compatible with all other languages used to create websites.

Web developers and programmers would probably recommend you to build your own website using the Javascript and the Java. Not only used to create web pages, the language also creates dynamic applications and programs. Supporting advanced programming styles, Java is a multi-paradigm language compared to HTML. Netscape’s Brendan Eich was responsible for the introduction of the language. Meanwhile, the Java programming language is a general programming language used by client-server applications in the web, and is by far the most popularly used programming language nowadays. Developers James Gosling, Patrick Naughton, and Mike Sheridan, introduced this to provide an interactive television in 1995. Almost every system platform is compatible with a Java-run program. The language is used in graphics and networking.

Another popular tool you can use to build your own website is the CSS, or the Cascading Style Sheets. CSS makes it possible to format HTML, XHTML, and XML-based documents. It separates the text (content) from the style (colors, fonts, layout). A webpage can be modified through CSS. CSS is a much simpler form which uses only a few keywords.

Meanwhile, the scripting language mainly used for creating advanced and functional web pages is the PHP or Hypertext Processor. Designed as a standalone interpreter which works with almost all platforms and operating system, it was developed by Rasmus Ledorf. It is free software, and can be used in database management software and GUI applications.

A single programming language is not easy to learn. A professional web designer is always preferred over learning the codes manually.

For you to build your own website, you will need the following: knowledge and skill in HTML; an HTML editor; image editing software; and web hosting provider. You won’t be able to pursue a step forward unless you have a mastery of the basic programming languages such as HTML, Java, CSS, and PHP. Among the four, HTML serves as the base language.

- Tem Balanco

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