In what order should I learn this stuff?

bigdave

bigdave

Well-Known Member
In an attempt to become a bit more of a catch (and to fill the time while things are so quiet) I've decided it's time I got my head round code. What I have read so far about HTML has refreshed what I already knew from Uni and I now feel like I'm getting a grasp of the basics. What I want to know is how much do I need to know for this to be of any use and in what order should I learn it?

From what I gather XHTML is not a giant leap from HTML so it makes sense to lean as much as I can about HTML then go onto XHTML & CSS but what then? HTML5? Javascript? PHP? Would life be easier if I learned my way round Wordpress or Joomla?
 
Is HTML5 much more different than HTML? I've spent the day doing tutorials on that W3schools site (thanks by the way Dave) and it's been very easy to learn - the basics anyway.

I am pretty much starting from scratch here. If HTML5 is the new standard, do I need to get my head around HTML, CSS and everything else before hand, or would I be fine going straight into HTML5?
 
ARRIVALS said:
Is HTML5 much more different than HTML? I've spent the day doing tutorials on that W3schools site (thanks by the way Dave) and it's been very easy to learn - the basics anyway.

I am pretty much starting from scratch here. If HTML5 is the new standard, do I need to get my head around HTML, CSS and everything else before hand, or would I be fine going straight into HTML5?
Click to expand...

No difference, just extra stuff to play with. HTML as a language remains, what HTML5 does is add things like the <video></video> tag that gives you controls etc in a compliant browser. This avoids the need for a Flash Player to display a video in a website.
 
Ah I see. So I'll still need to learn the basics of HTML and CSS and HTML5 will just give me more things to play with afterwards?
 
I think css3 is quite significantly more advanced in the things you can do though. I'm struggling with that a bit at the mo...

also on html there are some basic differences like header and nav tags that just give the browser more information about what parts of your site actually are.

but im pretty sure corrosive know a lot more than me!
 
The really cool thing about CSS3 is that you can create items for a webpage with pure HTML/CSS that would normally have taken images to achieve. Here is a fantastic example; Tree with CSS3, literally

On top of that the selectors available negate the need for adding extra classes to HTML to achieve things like removing a border from the end of a nav bar.

The tricky thing for transition to CSS3 is that you can get away with having an enhanced look to a website for newer/better browsers. Say you have a gradient on a button in Chrome/FF/IE9/Safari but it is a solid colour in IE8 then you can live with that. But selectors you still need to be careful with.

My suggestion, if you see anyone using a cr*p browser, just download Chrome for them whilst their backs are turned :icon_wink:
 
Probably best to start with XHTML so you can get the idea of what the different tags and do and the basic document structure. Then try adding some basic CSS and learn about selectors and the different CSS rules. I wouldn't jump straight into HTML5 and CSS3 because its more likely to be confusing since there are tons of new things. Best to just get you basic XHTML and CSS and get your head around how they both work together to create a web page. No point learning the new things before you get the foundations right. Once you learn these initial concepts everything (including HTML5 and CSS3) should flow together nicely.

CMS systems such as Joomla and Wordpress can be easy to use but difficult to set up. To really understand how they work requires a lot of development knowledge including the above and the addition of other concepts such as databases and server programming such as PHP - so definitely not for the faint hearted.
 
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