09 May, 2009
Web Development Tips and Advice
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During the summer of 2008 I began work on the Web site for a mobile phone games company, and I thought it was about time I’d share some of the basic tips and advice that I picked up during the development process.
I use a PC with Windows XP, so some of the below information may not be relevant to users of other operating systems.
Programs
Starting out, I had little idea that there were many programs around that could help me in any way, but I came across a few that turned out to be extremely useful.
XAMPP is a free Web package containing a bundle of Apache, MySQL and PHP (among other things). Using this software means you don’t have to spend hours of your life installing some of the files needed to power your Web site.
Programmer’s Notepad is an easy to use, advanced version of the standard Notepad found in Windows. It is fast loading, colour-coordinated and free.
SQLyog is a user-friendly GUI that manages MySQL. It provides options to all of the features of SQL, and can display the contents of a database at the click of a button. Free to trial.
Firefox Extensions
I have used Firefox for years, but it was only last summer that I discovered how helpful the extensions could be.
The Web Developer extension adds a toolbar menu to Firefox that contains various Web development tools. I found it particularly useful for disabling images on a page, and quickly editing source code.
The MeasureIt add-on provides a simple ruler that can be adjusted to determine measurements in pixels. It is a quick tool that instantly pops up once it has been clicked, and is currently in the process of being further improved.
HTML Validator adds instant HTML validation of a page in Firefox. This extension shows a small icon in the browser tray that states whether the page is valid, and can be extended to show the specific errors and warnings that need editing.
Web Sites
Developing a complete Web site for the first time meant that I needed to get a bit of help along the way, and this was mainly achieved on the following Web sites.
I used PHP Builder during times of struggle while coding in PHP. The people are on there are very quick to respond, friendly and will help as best they can to solve your problem (for free!).
Smashing Magazine is a great source of design inspiration, and has constantly updating content that provide people with Web design tips. Not only is it a good source of knowledge, they provide lots of freebies such as icons and WordPress themes (which is where I got this one).
Hope This Helps
There’s no doubt thousands of posts have been done like this in the past, but all of this information helped me as a beginner so I’m sure it could be of use to others who are just starting out in Web development.
If you have any suggestions or comments then please leave a message on this article, or contact me.
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