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Management Class for Learners is a free self-directed study support resource along with Chat Lines, Discussion Forums and Wikis and Learner Support units, designed for business, management, IT, English Language, and Research students and instructors intending to enhance their managerial or professional knowledge, understanding, skills and competence by open learning.
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Web Page Design
Rationale
Web Design is a process of conceptualization, planning, modelling, and execution of electronic media content delivery via Internet in the form of Markup language suitable for interpretation by a web browser and displayed as a Graphical user interface (GUI).
The intent of web design is to create a web site -- a collection of electronic files that reside on a web server /servers and present content and interactive features/interfaces to the end user in form of web pages once requested. Such elements as text, bit-mapped images ( GIFs , JPEGs , PNGs ), forms can be placed on the page using HTML / XHTML / XML tags. Displaying more complex media ( vector graphics , animations, videos, sounds) requires plug-ins such as Flash , QuickTime , Java run-time environment , etc. Plug-ins are also embedded into web page by using HTML/XHTML tags. Improvements in browsers' compliance with W3C standards prompted a widespread acceptance and usage of XHTML/XML in conjunction with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to position and manipulate web page elements and objects. Latest standards and proposals aim at leading to browsers' ability to deliver a wide variety of media and accessibility options to the client possibly without employing plug-ins. |
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Typically web pages are classified as static or dynamic.
Static pages don't change content and layout with every request unless a human ( web master / programmer ) manually updates the page.
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Dynamic pages adapt their content and/or appearance depending on end-user's input/interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) Content can be changed on the client side (end-user's computer) by using client-side scripting languages ( JavaScript , JScript , Actionscript , etc.) to alter DOM elements ( DHTML ). Dynamic content is often compiled on the server utilizing server-side scripting languages ( Coldfusion , ASP , JSP , Perl , PHP , Python , etc.). Both approaches are usually used in complex applications. With growing specialization within communication design and information technology fields, there is a strong tendency to draw a clear line between web design specifically for web pages and web development for the overall logistics of all web-based services.
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Learning Objectives and Outcomes
This is a non-taught unit designed for self-directed study by those intending to enhance their professional or managerial competence, knowledge, understanding, and skills in web programming and design.
Knowledge
After completing the course, student will understand
1. how the internet works
2. the purpose of websites and principles of web design, web ethics and guidelines
3. website development, contents and applications
4. the basics of databases for web developers
5. the principles of web programming
6. web page contents, layouts and navigation structures
7. the principles of static and dynamic web pages
8. the concepts and principles of graphic design
Skills
After completing the course, student will be able to
1. apply principles of visual and media literacy in the development and production of web resources
2. apply legal and ethical guidelines to the design of web resources
3. design and publish a website using HTML
Today's Videos
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Teaching and Learning Resources
Introduction to Internet
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Introduction to Web Design
Tutorials
Readings
Intro to the Web Application Development Environment
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HTML - Website Format
Tutorials
- Introduction to HTML
- Introduction to HTML
- Introduction to HTML
- Introducing XHTML
- HTML to XHTML
- Web Developer's Boot Camp
Readings
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is the main markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of web pages.
HTML is written in the form of HTML elements consisting of tags enclosed in angle brackets (like <html>), within the web page content. HTML tags most commonly come in pairs like <h1> and </h1>, although some tags, known as empty elements, are unpaired, for example <img>. The first tag in a pair is the start tag, the second tag is the end tag (they are also called opening tags and closing tags). In between these tags web designers can add text, tags, comments and other types of text-based content.
The purpose of a web browser is to read HTML documents and compose them into visible or audible web pages. The browser does not display the HTML tags, but uses the tags to interpret the content of the page.
HTML elements form the building blocks of all websites. HTML allows images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms. It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists, links, quotes and other items. It can embed scripts in languages such as JavaScript which affect the behaviour of HTML web pages.
Web browsers can also refer to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to define the appearance and layout of text and other material. The W3C, maintainer of both the HTML and the CSS standards, encourages the use of CSS over explicitly presentational HTML markup.[1]
- History
- Markup
- Semantic HTML
- Delivery
- Current variations
- Hypertext features not in HTML
- WYSIWYG editors
- HTML5
- Breadcrumb (navigation)
- CSS
- Dynamic web page
- HTML decimal character rendering
- HTTP
- List of document markup languages
- Microformat
- SGML
- XML
- References
- HTML 4.01, the most recent finished specification (1999)
- HTML5, the upcoming version of HTML
- Dave Raggett's Introduction to HTML
- Empty elements in SGML, HTML, XML and XHTML
- Tim Berners-Lee Gives the Web a New Definition
- Comparison Matrix of HTML5-oriented Software
- Breadcrumb (navigation)
- CSS
- Dynamic web page
- HTML decimal character rendering
- HTTP
- List of document markup languages
- Microformat
- SGML
- XML
Tutorials
An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners
- HTML Quick List A complete list of all tags and attributes, with links to pages about each of them.
- Introduction to XML for web developers
- Introduction to Microsoft DNA
- Popup Window Tutorial A complete tutorial on creating "popup windows", including working examples and ready-to-use scripts.
- Web Design Tips - Useful Tips for Effective Web Design
Forum
An HTML editor is a software application for creating web pages. Although the HTML markup of a web page can be written with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality. For example, many HTML editors work not only with HTML, but also with related technologies such as CSS, XML and JavaScript or ECMAScript. In some cases they also manage communication with remote web servers via FTP and WebDAV, and version management systems such as CVS or Subversion.
External links
Web Programming
Tutorials
Readings
Web development is a broad term for the work involved in developing a web site for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). This can include web design, web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce development. However, among web professionals, "web development" usually refers to the main non-design aspects of building web sites: writing markup and coding. Web development can range from developing the simplest static single page of plain text to the most complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, or social network services.
For larger organizations and businesses, web development teams can consist of hundreds of people (web developers). Smaller organizations may only require a single permanent or contracting webmaster, or secondary assignment to related job positions such as a graphic designer and/or information systems technician. Web development may be a collaborative effort between departments rather than the domain of a designated department.
External links |
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Perl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language. Though Perl is not officially an acronym,[4] there are various backronyms in usage, such as: Practical Extraction and Reporting Language.[5] Perl was originally developed by Larry Wall in 1987 as a general-purpose Unix scripting language to make report processing easier.[6] Since then, it has undergone many changes and revisions and become widely popular amongst programmers. Larry Wall continues to oversee development of the core language, and its upcoming version, Perl 6. Perl borrows features from other programming languages including C, shell scripting (sh), AWK, and sed.[7] The language provides powerful text processing facilities without the arbitrary data length limits of many contemporary Unix tools,[8] facilitating easy manipulation of text files. Perl gained widespread popularity in the late 1990s as a CGI scripting language, in part due to its parsing abilities.[9]
In addition to CGI, Perl is used for graphics programming, system administration, network programming, finance, bioinformatics, and other applications. Perl is nicknamed "the Swiss Army chainsaw of programming languages" because of its flexibility and power.[10] It is also referred to as the "duct tape that holds the Internet together", in reference to its ubiquity and perceived inelegance.[11]
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- Official website Perl.org
- Comprehensive Perl Archive Network The canonical location for Perl code and modules
- The Perl Foundation
- PerlMonks A community committed to sharing Perl knowledge and coding tips
- Perl Programming Free books
Introduction to JavaScript / Programming
Tutorials
Readings
- JavaScript Guide
- Introduction to JavaScript / Programming
- Introduction to Cross-Browser Java
- Options for Connecting Java Applets to Sybase
Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun's Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities. Java applications are typically compiled to bytecode which can run on any Java virtual machine (JVM) regardless of computer architecture.
The original and reference implementation Java compilers, virtual machines, and class libraries were developed by Sun from 1995. As of May 2007, in compliance with the specifications of the Java Community Process, Sun made available most of their Java technologies as free software under the GNU General Public License. Others have also developed alternative implementations of these Sun technologies, such as the GNU Compiler for Java and GNU Classpath.
Navigation Structure
Tutorials
Readings
Web navigation refers to the process of navigating a network of web resources, and the user interface that is used to do so. A central theme in web design is the development of a web navigation interface that maximizes usability.
- Design pattern (computer science)
- Efficiency
- Human–computer interaction
- Interaction technique
- Mind map
- Pattern language
- Web traffic
- Traffic engineering (transportation)
External links
- The Basics if Navigation
- Web site Navigation Tips
- What are Web Site Maps?
- Sites about usability at UsableWeb
A web site map, like a road map, provides an overview to help visitors or designers understand the site's structure and navigation.
Web Page Layout
Tutorials
Readings
Most websites have put their content in multiple columns (formatted like a magazine or newspaper).
Multiple columns are created by using <table> or <div> tags. Some CSS are normally also added to position elements, or to create backgrounds or colourful look for the pages.
HTML Layouts - Using Tables
The simplest way of creating layouts is by using the HTML <table> tag.
Read More ...
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Page layout
Laying out Web pages involves a bit of wizardry. HTML was designed by engineers and scientists who never envisioned it as a page layout tool. Their aim was to provide a way to describe structural information about a document, not a tool to determine a document's appearance. Once the real world started to work on the Web, graphic designers began adapting the primitive tools of HTML to produce documents that looked more like their print counterparts. The point was not to produce "jazzier" or "prettier" pages. The layout conventions of print documents have evolved over hundreds of years for concrete and practical reasons, and they offer many functional advantages over the simplistic, single-column page layout envisioned by the original designers of the World Wide Web. |
Website Contents
Web content is the textual, visual or aural content that is encountered as part of the user experience on websites . It may include, among other things: text, images , sounds , videos and animations .
In " Information Architecture for the World Wide Web " (second edition, page 219), Lou Rosenfeld and Peter Morville write, "We define content broadly as 'the stuff in your Web site.' This may include documents, data, applications, e-services, images, audio and video files, personal Web pages, archived e-mail messages, and more. And we include future stuff as well as present stuff."
A Content Management System ( CMS ) is a program used to create a framework for the content of a Web site. [1] CMSes are deployed primarily for interactive use by a potentially large number of contributors. For example, the software for the website Wikipedia is based on a wiki , which is a particular type of content management system. As used in this article, Content Management means Web Content Management . Other related forms of content management are listed below.
The content managed includes computer files , image media, audio files , electronic documents and web content . The idea behind a CMS is to make these files available inter-office, as well as over the web. A CMS would most often be used as an archive as well. Many companies use a CMS to store files in a non-proprietary form. Companies use a CMS to share files with ease, as most systems use server-based software, even further broadening file availability. As shown below, many CMSs include a feature for Web Content, and some have a feature for a "workflow process".
" Workflow" is the idea of moving an electronic document along for either approval, or for adding content. Some CMSs will easily facilitate this process with email notification, and automated routing. This is ideally a collaborative creation of documents. A CMS facilitates the organization, control, and publication of a large body of documents and other content, such as images and multimedia resources.
A Web content
management system is a CMS with additional features
to ease the tasks required to publish web
content to
web
sites.
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Web content management systems
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Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or " algorithmic ") search results for targeted keywords . Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search , local search , and industry-specific vertical search engines.
As a marketing strategy for increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and what people search for. SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering a site. Other, more noticeable efforts may include adding unique content to a site, ensuring that content is easily indexed by search engine robots, and making the site more appealing to users. Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or spamdexing , use methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing that tend to harm search engine user experience. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques and may remove them from their indexes.
The initialism "SEO" can also refer to "search engine optimizers", a term adopted by an industry of consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design . The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe web site designs, menus , content management systems , URLs , and shopping carts that are easy to optimise.
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Website
Management |
| Drop registrar · Overselling · Viewable With Any Browser · Web document · Web content · Web content management system · Web hosting service · Web server · Webmaster |
| List of content management systems · CPanel · DirectAdmin · Domain Technologie Control · H-Sphere · ISPConfig · ISPmanager · Lxadmin · Plesk · Usermin · Webmin |
| AusRegistry · CZ.NIC · CIRA · CNNIC · DENIC · DNS Belgium · Domainz · DreamHost · ENom · Go Daddy · Melbourne IT · Museum Domain Management Association · Network Solutions · NeuStar · OLM.net · Register.com · Tucows · Web.com |
Graphic Design
Tutorials
- Creating Image Maps
- Free Website Templates and PowerPoint Templates
- CSS Basics
- CSS Structure
- Adding Sound
Readings
Graphic design is a creative process—most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, signmakers, etc.)—undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.
Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers, and books), advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.
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Web design is a broad term covering many different skills and disciplines that are used in the production and maintenance of websites.[1]The different areas of web design include; web graphic design, interface design, authoring; including standardised code and proprietary software, user experience design and search engine optimisation. Often many individuals will work in teams covering different aspects of the design process, although some designers will cover them all.[2] The term web design is normally used to describe the design process relating to the front-end (client side) design of a website including writing mark up, but this is a grey area as this is also covered by web development. Web designers are expected to have an awareness of usability and if their role involves creating mark up then they are also expected to be up to date with web accessibility guidelines.
Introduction to Databases for Web Developers
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Tutorials
Readings |
A database is an organized collection of data, today typically in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality (for example, the availability of rooms in hotels), in a way that supports processes requiring this information (for example, finding a hotel with vacancies).
The term database is correctly applied to the data and their supporting data structures, and not to the database management system (DBMS). The database data collection with DBMS is called a database system.
The term database system implies that the data is managed to some level of quality (measured in terms of accuracy, availability, usability, and resilience) and this in turn often implies the use of a general-purpose database management system (DBMS).[1] A general-purpose DBMS is typically a complex software system that meets many usage requirements, and the databases that it maintains are often large and complex. The utilization of databases is now spread to such a wide degree that virtually every technology and product relies on databases and DBMSs for its development and commercialization, or even may have such embedded in it. Also, organizations and companies, from small to large, heavily depend on databases for their operations.
Well known DBMSs include Oracle, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Access, PostgreSQL, MySQL, WebDNA and SQLite. A database is not generally portable across different DBMS, but different DBMSs can inter-operate to some degree by using standards like SQL and ODBC to support together a single application. A DBMS also needs to provide effective run-time execution to properly support (e.g., in terms of performance, availability, and security) as many end-users as needed.
A way to classify databases involves the type of their contents, for example: bibliographic, document-text, statistical, or multimedia objects. Another way is by their application area, for example: accounting, music compositions, movies, banking, manufacturing, or insurance.
The term database may be narrowed to specify particular aspects of organized collection of data and may refer to the logical database, to physical database as data content in computer data storage or to many other database sub-definitions.
- Basic technical terms
- History
- Database type examples
- Major database usage requirements
- Major database functional areas
- Implementation: Database management systems
- Comparison of relational database management systems
- Comparison of database tools
- Data hierarchy
- Data store
- Database-centric architecture
- Database testing
- Glass database, a collection of glass compositions and related properties
- References
- Further reading
- Database at the Open Directory Project
Web Applications
Tutorials
Readings
A web application is an application that is accessed over a network such as the Internet or an intranet [1]. The term may also mean a computer software application that is coded in a browser-supported language (such as JavaScript, combined with a browser-rendered markup language like HTML) and reliant on a common web browser to render the application executable.
Web applications are popular due to the ubiquity of web browsers, and the convenience of using a web browser as a client, sometimes called a thin client. The ability to update and maintain web applications without distributing and installing software on potentially thousands of client computers is a key reason for their popularity, as is the inherent support for cross-platform compatibility. Common web applications include webmail, online retail sales, online auctions, wikis and many other functions.
- HTML5 Draft recommendation, changes to HTML and related APIs to ease authoring of web-based applications.
- The Other Road Ahead — An article arguing that the future lies on the server, not rich interfaces on the client
- Web Applications at the Open Directory Project
- Web Applications Working Group at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Activities
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Recommended Texts
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ISBN13:
9780072844511,
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Resources
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