To get your website up live on the internet there is a few programming languages that are useful to know.
Designer Programs:
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
Basic Web Languages:
- XHTML
- CSS
Web Programming Languages:
- PHP
- ASP
- JavaScript
Web Databases:
- MySQL
Designer Programs
Photoshop
Photoshop is a Design tool that is mainly used for photo manipulation. It is also a useful tool for constructing the layout of what you want your website to look like. As you can do photo manipulation and use the layering tools within the software it makes it easy and quick to use when putting together a design for a website. The problem with Photoshop is that it cannot deal with vector images very well.
Illustrator
Illustrator is another great design program from our friends at adobe. What is different from this to Photoshop is that you can create and manipulate vector images very easily. Illustrator is mainly used for print design but can also be used for website design. Due to the new versions of Photoshop and Illustrator it is easier to copy and paste designs from one another.
Basic Web Languages
XHTML
To be able to build any type of website you need to know how to do some XHTML coding. The XHTML is the general structure of the website and it is put together after breaking the design down from your design program. This is the code that the Search Engines look at, so it help to keep this code as clean and clear as possible.
CSS
CSS is used for tableless website design. The CSS can position everything within your website to where you want it and can colour and style your Fonts. CSS help pull out all the styling information from your HTML code and place it within the Style sheet so that all your styling code is in the one place. Which is handy for quick editing.
Web Programming Languages
PHP
PHP is a backend programming language what that means is that it stays on the server and loads information from the server when you go onto each page. PHP needs a Linux server for it to run properly. If you are using a Content Management System then there is a Good chance that it will be built using either PHP or ASP.
ASP
ASP works in a similar to PHP but it is a Microsoft version and needs a Windows server to run the program.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a front end programming language. This means that it is more dynamic than PHP or ASP but not quite as powerful and can also be switched off. Because it is front end you can update the code as the user is looking at the screen without the user needing to refresh the page.
Web Databases
MySQL
MySQL is the main database language for the internet all the main programming languages are able to connect with it and pull out the information or manipulate the information within the database. Databases are very useful for CMS website as they hold all the information for the website and it also makes it easy to update the website for any user without having to go to their Website Designer to ask for the website to be updated.
Useful Links
Ikon Digital – Web Design
