Building Websites All-in-One For Dummies E-Book

David Karlins

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 1128

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Ten minibooks in one! The perfect reference for beginning web builders This hefty, 800+ page book is your start-to-finish roadmap for building a web site for personal or professional use. Even if you're completely new to the process, this book is packed with everything you need to know to build an attractive, usable, and working site. In addition to being a thorough reference on the basics, this updated new edition also covers the very latest trends and tools, such as HTML5, mobile site planning for smartphones and tablets, connecting with social media, and more. * Packs ten minibooks into one hefty reference: Preparation, Site Design, Site Construction, Web Graphics, Multimedia, Interactive Elements, Form Management, Social Media Integration, Site Management, and Case Studies * Covers the newest trends and tools, including HTML5, the new Adobe Create Suite, and connecting with social media * Offers in-depth reviews and case studies of existing sites created for a variety of purposes and audiences, such as blog sites and non-profit sites * Walks you through essential technologies, including Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and more Plan, build, and maintain a site that does exactly what you need, with Building Web Sites All-In-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition.

Leseprobe

Building Websites All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/buildingwebsitesaio to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Conventions Used in This Book

What You Don’t Have to Read

How This Book Is Organized

Book I: Getting Ready

Book II: Designing the Site

Book III: Building Pages with HTML

Book IV: Designing Pages with CSS

Book V: Incorporating Web Graphics and Multimedia

Book VI: Creating Interactive Pages with JavaScript

Book VII: Managing Forms with PHP

Book VIII: Social Media and Interactive Add-Ons

Book IX: Deploying and Managing the Site

Book X: Case Studies

The companion website

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Book I: Getting Ready

Book I: Chapter 1: The First Step in Your Web-Building Journey

Getting Inspired

Setting Goals

Defining the Scope of the Site

Preparing to Get Started

Defining why you’re doing the project

Brainstorming and evaluating your ideas

Creating a niche website

Looking at budget and timelines

Considering collaborations

Revising Your Original Plans: Using Feedback to Improve

Receiving feedback

Giving feedback

Preparing to Redesign an Existing Site

Book I: Chapter 2: Assessing Your Resources

Choosing an HTML Editor

Choosing a Graphics Application

Flying Solo: Skills You Need to Go It Alone

Managing the project

Serving your customer

Dealing with HTML, CSS, and other scripting

Using Photoshop, Fireworks, and other graphics applications

Developing content

Considering basic computer and Internet skills

Incorporating multimedia in your project

Handling a solo project

Getting Some Help

Project manager

Web designer/new media designer

Web developer/programmer

Content developer/writer

Webmaster/host

Other professionals

Building a Web Team

Managing the team

Giving feedback that helps

Keeping the team on track

Book I: Chapter 3: Working for The Man

Defining the Client’s Expectations

Convincing the Client

Selling the idea

Holding a kick-off meeting

Pleasing Everybody from Internal Stakeholders to the Website’s Target Audience

Determining the needs of internal stakeholders

Determining the needs of external stakeholders

Handing Off a Project to a Client

Book I: Chapter 4: Securing a Domain Name and Web-Hosting Service

Understanding Domain Name Best Practices

Researching and Registering a Domain Name

Researching the availability of the domain name you want

Registering your domain name

Choosing a Web-Hosting Service

Determining web-hosting needs

Choosing the right web host for your site

Book II: Designing the Site

Book II: Chapter 1: Wireframing and Storyboarding Content

Planning a Website

Wireframes, designs, site maps, and flowcharts

Planning for accessibility

Understanding the Constraints of Web Page Design

Harnessing the Power of the 960 Grid

Designing pages in columns

How a 960 grid puts the pieces together

Designing Globally Unified or Asymmetrical Pages That Look Good

Creating a unified global design

Applying unevenness to page design

Developing a Navigation Structure

Book II: Chapter 2: Preparing Content

Getting Text Ready

Sources for Text

Saving word-processor documents as HTML files

Copying and pasting document content into HTML pages

Getting Images and Media Ready

Comparing a Website with a Web Presence

Your web presence beyond your site

Don’t reinvent the wheel

Integrating Online Resources

Book II: Chapter 3: Defining a Color Scheme

Finding Colors for a Color Scheme

Understanding Web Color Basics

Print color versus web color

Colors and accessibility

Generating and Applying a Web Color Scheme

Book II: Chapter 4: Organizing a Site in Dreamweaver CS6

Seeing the Critical Role of a Dreamweaver Site

Defining a Dreamweaver site

Managing files with Dreamweaver sites

Organizing Content for Your Site

Files that do belong in your site

Using subfolders for your site folder

Creating a Site in Dreamweaver

Creating a remote server connection

Troubleshooting

Managing Sites

Managing files in the Files panel

Editing and moving Dreamweaver sites

Book II: Chapter 5: Building Mobile-Friendly Sites

Design and Technical Challenges for Mobile Content

Addressing the Challenges for Mobile Content

Book III: Building Pages with HTML

Book III: Chapter 1: HTML: What It Is, Why You Need It, and How to Get It

Exploring the Role of HTML in Web Pages

The dynamic role of links in HTML

HTML, PHP, and ASP pages

The nature of a markup language

Evaluating Tools for Creating HTML

Code editors

Dreamweaver

The “rest”

Finding Free HTML Templates Online

Building a Basic HTML Page

HTML elements and tags

Why do people say “tag” when they mean “element?”

Starting Your HTML Document

Defining titles and links in the head element

Page content is in the body element

CSS is used for style

Book III: Chapter 2: Building Web Pages with HTML5

Why Use HTML5? And What Does That Mean?

Filling Out Body Content

Adding headings

Coding paragraphs

Defining lists

Vertical spacing in HTML

Defining links

Embedding Images

Saving and Testing Web Pages

Naming HTML files

Previewing web pages

The Expanding and Evolving Set of HTML Tags

Helpful Development Practices

Use comments in your code

Use version-control protocols

Organize your supporting files

Book III: Chapter 3: Structuring Content with HTML5

Understanding the Big New Things in HTML5

The wild world of native video

HTML5’s stylish cousin: CSS3

HTML5: Standardizing content organization and page layout

Introducing Key HTML5 Elements

Integrating Traditional HTML Tags

Building a Page with HTML5

Defining a header

Adding nav elements

Organizing header content with hgroup

Defining articles, sections, and asides

Creating a footer

An instant HTML5 starter page

Looking at HTML5 Metadata Tags

Assigning figures and captions

Tagging date and time

Using the address element

Deploying HTML5 in Non-HTML5 Environments

Applying HTML5 to Page Layout

Book III: Chapter 4: Creating HTML5 with Dreamweaver CS6

Dreamweaver CS6: An Overview

The Welcome screen

The Document window

Dreamweaver’s omnipotent panels

The Properties Inspector

The Insert menu

Setting preferences

Creating an HTML Document

New Document options

Saving pages

Working with Text and Image Tags

Adding and editing text

Inserting and editing images

Applying HTML tags with the Properties Inspector

Generating HTML

From the Insert panel

From the Insert menu

In Code view

In Design view

Working in Split view

Different Way to View Pages

Examining associated files

Previewing with Live view

Finding code with Live Code

Visual aids

Defining Head Content

Setting page properties

Defining a document title

Testing Pages and Validating Code

Preview in Browser

The Validation panel

Clean-up tools

Book IV: Designing Pages with CSS

Book IV: Chapter 1: Styling Text with CSS

Understanding How Modern Websites Use CSS

Inline styles

Styles embedded in the head of the document

External style sheets

Creating a CSS Document

Defining styles

Defining basic styles

Commenting CSS

Defining Web Colors

Setting CSS Properties for Text

Stylish headings

Spacing paragraphs

Creating Styles for Link States

Styling Lists and Menus

Grouping and Compound Styles

Grouping styles

Compound styles

Working with Borrowed Styles

Using templates

Learning from examining other people’s CSS files

Book IV: Chapter 2: Designing Pages

CSS for Page Layout Elements

Setting width and height

Defining padding and margins

Creating custom borders

Figuring out float

Special Layout Elements: ID and Class Selectors

Creating boxes with ID styles

Using class styles for layout

Using class styles for formatting spans

Designing in a Multimedia World with Media Queries

CSS3 media queries

Media query techniques

Book IV: Chapter 3: Effects and Transforms with CSS3

New Design Tools, New Styles

The Wild World of CSS3 Browser Support

Applying CSS3 Effects

Border-radius

Shadows

Opacity

Scaling, Moving, Rotating, and Skewing with Transforms

The scale transform

Move with translate

Rotating

Twisting with skew

Experimenting with @font and 3D Transforms

@font

3D transforms

Implementing Interactivity with Hover States

Book IV: Chapter 4: CSS in Dreamweaver

The Insert Layout Objects Set of Tools

CSS Code Hinting

Creating and Editing CSS with the CSS Styles Panel

Editing styles in the CSS Styles panel

Linking a style sheet from the CSS Styles panel

Creating a new style sheet in the CSS Styles panel

Dreamweaver’s CSS Rule Definition Dialog Box

Defining properties for CSS styles

Defining transitions

Applying CSS3 Effects and Transforms in Dreamweaver

Previewing HTML Documents on a Cellphone, Tablet, or Laptop in Dreamweaver

Creating a Media Query in Dreamweaver

Book V: Incorporating Web Graphics and Multimedia

Book V: Chapter 1: Web Media 101

Getting Inspired

Respecting the Copyrights of Others

Enforcing Your Own Copyrights

Working with Colors (Web-Safe versus Not–Web-Safe)

Exploiting Creativity Tools — Color Charts and More

Using Web-Friendly Fonts

Print to Web: Making Your Website Work with Existing Materials

Understanding Image Formats for Web Design

Using the GIF image file format

Using the JPEG image file format

Using the PNG image file format

Book V: Chapter 2: Introducing Fireworks and Photoshop

Using a Color Palette

Introducing Fireworks CS6

Understanding Vector and Raster Graphics

Creating Fast-Loading and Pretty Graphics

The PNG file format

Fireworks interface mini-tour

Creating Art with Photoshop

Adding Photoshop CS6 to your graphics toolbox

Getting images ready for the web with Photoshop

Book V: Chapter 3: Creating Buttons and Banners

Creating Buttons in Fireworks

Creating a simple two-state button

Creating buttons with pizzazz

Creating a Navigation Menu

Creating a Popup Menu

Recycling: Reuse Everything

Making a reusable graphic template

Creating slices

Organizing a site

Creating a Client Mockup

Optimizing Artwork in Fireworks

Optimizing GIF artwork

Optimizing JPEG artwork

Optimizing PNG Artwork in Fireworks

Exporting Artwork from Fireworks

Creating Banner Graphics

Using Photoshop to create a banner

Including all the important information

Working with an existing logo

Complement your style

Creating Fast-Loading, Beautiful Photos

Resizing your photos for the web

Using professional optimization techniques

Using the Photoshop Save for Web and Devices command

Book V: Chapter 4: Creating Audio and Video Content

Exploring Audio Formats for the Web

Embedding Audio Files in an HTML5 Document

Adding Flash Audio to a Page

Creating Flash audio

Adding Flash sound to a web page

Delivering Your Message

Exploring Web Video Formats

Adding Video to a Web Page

Working with Digital Video

Capturing video

Encoding video

Creating and Encoding Flash Video

Adding Flash Video to a Web Page

Avoiding Digital Video Pitfalls

Streaming Video on a Budget

Embedding a Video in a Web Page

Book V: Chapter 5: Creating Content with Flash

Introducing Flash CS6

Touring the interface

Exploring the Tools panel

Someone told me it’s all happening on the Timeline

Panels not cast from wood

Inspecting the Properties Inspector

Getting comfortable with Flash

Creating a Flash document

Creating an object

Creating your first animation

Setting up your workspace

Setting Flash preferences

Modifying the workspace

Building Flashy Navigation

Creating the navigation menu document

Creating buttons in Flash

Assembling your menu

Adding functionality to the buttons

Publishing your file and adding it to your page

Using Flash as an Animation Tool

Book VI: Creating Interactive Pages with JavaScript

Book VI: Chapter 1: JavaScript for Animation and Interactivity

Understanding the Role of JavaScript

JavaScript and Flash

The special role of JavaScript in mobile pages

Understanding That JavaScript Is a Programming Language

HTML and CSS and JavaScript

The role of DIY JavaScript

Seeing That JavaScript Is Client-Side Scripting

Seeing How JavaScript Works

Simple lines of JavaScript code

JavaScript plus CSS

JavaScript’s offspring: AJAX, jQuery, and jQuery Mobile

Discovering Where to Get JavaScript

The enhanced value of Dreamweaver

Open source and other JavaScript options

“Borrowing” JavaScript

Book VI: Chapter 2: DIY JavaScript

Adding JavaScript to an HTML Page

Defining a script

Objects, properties, and methods

Using JavaScript Date Functions

Applying JavaScript: Inline, Embedded, or Linked

Looking at Useful DIY JavaScripts

Not using or disabling JavaScript

Creating an alert popup

Using JavaScript for navigation

Embedding an updatable variable in pages

Using JavaScript Partners: HTML and CSS

The basics of complex JavaScript

Meshing CSS styles with JavaScript data

Creating a JavaScript-based Select Menu

HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in a select menu

HTML for a jump menu form

JavaScript for a jump menu form

Touching up a form with CSS

Book VI: Chapter 3: Generating JavaScript

Overviewing Online JavaScript Resources

Copying and editing JavaScript

Finding generated scripts

Buying professional apps for generating JavaScript

Case Studies: Copying, Pasting, and Editing Code

Horizontal menu bar from JavaScript Kit

Zoomable image from Magic Toolbox

Using Online and Downloadable Apps

Presenting images with the WOW Slider

Slideshows with Highslide

Using jQuery Mobile

The challenges of mobile design

How jQuery Mobile solves challenges

Mobile pages and apps

How jQuery Mobile works

Using data-roles

Customizing jQuery Mobile data-themes

Scripts to divert mobile users to your mobile page

Book VI: Chapter 4: JavaScript with Dreamweaver

Seeing How Adobe, Dreamweaver, and JavaScript Relate

Adobe, JavaScript, and the Spry toolset

How Dreamweaver generates and edits JavaScript

Creating Spry widgets

Examining the Four Best Spry Widgets

Creating a Spry Tooltip

Defining a Spry menu bar

Simulating multiple pages with tabbed panels

Embedding live data

Managing Mobile Pages and Apps in Dreamweaver CS6

Creating a mobile-ready page in Dreamweaver

Editing themes

Saving jQuery Mobile pages

Book VII: Managing Forms with PHP

Book VII: Chapter 1: Collecting Information with Forms

Forms as the Basic Tool for Visitor Interaction

Three forms that almost any site needs

DIY forms

Examining Server-Side versus Client-Side Data

Dissecting the Anatomy of an HTML Form

Creating a Simple Signup Form

Developing More Complex Form Fields

More you can do with text fields

Adding a select menu

Adding check boxes to a form

Using radio button groups

Tweaking buttons

Making Forms Friendlier with HTML5

Defining placeholder values

HTML5 validation

Stylin’ Forms

Crafting Form Fields for Mobile Devices

Mobile-friendly forms

Creating a slider

Book VII: Chapter 2: DIY PHP Solutions

Looking at Live Data — An Overview

Live data options

Live data you can manage yourself

Mixing PHP and Live Data

Making PHP work

The world of PHP

PHP and MySQL

Creating a PHP-Ready Form

Combining Form Actions and PHP

Defining a PHP-based form action

Creating a form for PHP-destined data

Taking a Short Course in PHP Form Scripting

Defining PHP code blocks

Working with string variables

Collecting string values with $POST

The PHP mail() function

The PHP script to collect form data

Testing a Form Action Linked to a PHP Script

Managing Commercial-Level Mail Lists

Building Pages with Live Data

Building includable content

Coding SSIs

Testing PHP in a Server

Book VII: Chapter 3: Gathering and Embedding Live Data

Making a Two-Way Connection with Visitors

Behind the Curtain: Embedding Live Data Resources

Their server plus your style and content

Mail lists, blogs, and searches: How they do what they do

Managing a Mail List

Embed a MailChimp signup form

What you can and cannot customize in MailChimp

A Full-Featured Do-It-Yourself Mail Form PHP Script

Embedding External Blogs with iFrame

Setting Up a Search Box

Embedding a Google search box

Creating a FreeFind search box

Having Even More Fun with Embedded Content

Embed a Google map with iFrame

Embed the weather

Embed an RSS feed

Book VII: Chapter 4: Working with Forms and Data in Dreamweaver

Scripting PHP in Dreamweaver

Color coding and code hints in Dreamweaver

PHP document types in Dreamweaver

Creating Forms in Dreamweaver

Create a form in Dreamweaver

Adding Submit (and Reset) buttons

Defining form fields in Dreamweaver

Field IDs and labels in Dreamweaver

Adding Form Input Validation with JavaScript

Adding JavaScript Validation in Dreamweaver

Validating text form field input

Validating and confirming passwords

Creating jQuery Mobile Form Fields

Creating jQuery mobile form fields

Adding a slider

Adding a toggle switch

Generating button links

Book VIII: Social Media and Interactive Add-ons

Book VIII: Chapter 1: Adding a WordPress Blog

Adding a WordPress Blog to Your Site

About WordPress

Installing WordPress

Modifying a WordPress blog

Using a WordPress Blog

Creating a WordPress blog post

Managing a WordPress blog

Creating Search Engine–Friendly Blog Posts

Adding Multimedia Content to Blog Posts

Adding an image to a blog post

Editing a post image

Adding an audio file to a blog post

Adding a YouTube-hosted video to a blog post

Book VIII: Chapter 2: Integrating Social Media with Your Blog

Integrating a WordPress Blog with a Website

Creating an RSS Feed

Using FeedBurner

Getting your feed going

Integrating Social Media with your Blog

Other Ways to Draw Visitors to Your Blog

Managing Spam

Book VIII: Chapter 3: Adding E-Commerce to Your Site

Choosing an E-Commerce–Friendly Server

To share or not to share

Getting the best deal

Planning a user-friendly site

Brainstorming the site

Adding Basic E-Commerce with PayPal

Using PayPal Website Payments Pro

Integrating with Credit Card Authorization Packages

Solving the online payment maze

Internet fraud: An e-commerce merchant’s worst nightmare

SSL — What Is It?

Using a secure server

Sharing an SSL certificate

Overviewing E-Commerce Do’s and Don’ts

Selling Items with a PayPal Account

Using a Shopping Cart App

Security concerns

Following through on every sale

Book IX: Deploying and Managing the Site

Book IX: Chapter 1: Optimizing and Testing the Site

Look Before You Leap: What to Do Before Launch

Develop a checklist

Get opinions

Search Engine Optimization and Marketing

Using the Google Keyword Tool

Book IX: Chapter 2: Uploading the Site

Going Live

Uploading the site with Dreamweaver

Uploading pages with an FTP client

What Next? The Launch Is Not the End of the Project

Submitting the site to search engines

Submitting your site to specific search engines

Using a service to submit your site

Determining Whether Your SEO Is Working

Accessing your web stats

Understanding web stats

Adjusting the site and driving traffic

Using Google Webmaster tools

Book IX: Chapter 3: Maintaining and Marketing the Site

Backing Up the Site

Adding New Content

Editing New Pages with Dreamweaver

Marketing the Site by Boosting Its Visibility

Using reciprocal linking and link exchanges

Using a pay per click promotion

Other marketing techniques

Promoting a Site with Social Media

Book IX: Chapter 4: Redesigning or Expanding the Site

Deciding to Redesign or Add On

Redesigning the site

Adding on to a site

Planning the Redesign

Consultation

Review

Analysis

Planning

Implementation

Testing

Adding On without All the Trauma

After Launching the Expanded Site

Keeping Them Coming Back

Ongoing content development

Keeping content fresh

Book X: Case Studies

Book X: Chapter 1: Photographer’s Portfolio

Deciding What a Photographer Needs

Knowing When Less Is More

Fleshing Out the Site

Creating the Gallery

Finishing the Site

Book X: Chapter 2: E-Commerce Site

Assessing Needs

Designing the Site

Integrating E-Commerce

Book X: Chapter 3: Blog Site

Creating the Main Blog Site

Modifying the Blog Template

Using Widgets

Modifying the Blog Header

Creating the 365 Project Blogs

Book X: Chapter 4: Online Newsletter

Why Send a Newsletter?

Choosing a Newsletter Provider

Creating a Newsletter

Analyzing Campaign Results

Adding an Opt-in Form to Your Website

Cheat Sheet

Building Websites All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

by Doug Sahlin and David Karlins

Building Websites All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

For technical support, please visitwww.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012942059

ISBN 978-1-118-27003-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-28348-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-28482-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-28725-5 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Authors

Doug Sahlin is an author and photographer living in Venice, Florida. He is a professional photographer specializing in fine art photography. He also photographs weddings and events and writes books about computer applications like Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Photoshop. Doug’s latest books have been about digital photography. In the past years, he’s written Digital Photography Workbook For Dummies, Digital Portrait Photography For Dummies, and Canon EOS 7D For Dummies. To find out more about Doug and see some of his work, check out www.dasdesigns.net.

David Karlins is a web design consultant, author, and teacher, addressing contemporary challenges in digital graphic and interactive design. Visit him at davidkarlins.net.

Dedication

From Doug: For my soul mate Roxanne and Niki, “The Queen of the Universe”

Authors’ Acknowledgments

From Doug Sahlin: Two authors wrote this book, but a cast of thousands — okay, maybe hundreds — are responsible for the finished product you hold in your hands. Many thanks to Executive Editor Steve Hayes for making the 3rd Edition of this book possible. Kudos to Senior Project Editor Nicole Sholly for making sure the authors did what they were supposed to do when they were supposed to do it. Thanks to Senior Copy Editor Teresa Artman for peppering the text with insightful comments designed to amuse and otherwise keep the authors on their toes. Thanks to the staff at Wiley for creating an awesome series of books. Thanks to Technical Editor John Chastain for making sure everything was technically accurate. Thanks to Margot Hutchison for ironing out the contractual issues and other such delights.

Thanks to my friends, fellow authors, and family for their continued encouragement and support. Special thanks to Ted, Colin, Karen, Niki the Cat, and her brother Micah.

From Dave Karlins: Bringing this book to life was a collaborative project, with the coauthors; Executive Editor Steven Hayes; Senior Project Editor Nicole Sholly; and literary agent Margot Mailey Hutchinson at the core. In addition, my “pieces of the puzzle” were enhanced by the contributions of a wide range of helpful designers, experts, and reviewers.

A number of creative content developers allowed me to use their inspiring material as models in the book, including: composer Inhyun Kim and Ear to Mind (http://eartomind.com/); graphic designer Emily Strand (http://cargocollective.com/emstranded); and photographer Gary Wahl (www.garywahlphotography.com). I did my best to minimize distorting their content while using it to illustrate techniques in the book, and appreciate their generosity in lending content for that purpose.

Presenting JavaScript and PHP in this comprehensive book posed particular challenges. I was determined to make that material accurate, accessible, and useful while fitting within the constraints and parameters of this book. To that end, I got great assistance from some of the most dynamic innovators in the worlds of JavaScript and PHP. Those who unselfishly shared expertise and advice include Bryn Austin Bellomy (http://signals.io); Jake Brumby (www.MagicToolbox.com); Mary D. (www.WOWslider.com); Alan Douglas (www.freefind.com); Jonathan Grover (jonathangrover.com); Christopher Heng (www.thesitewizard.com); Torstein Hønsi (highsoft.com); and Orfeo Morello (www.localstreamer.com). None of these experts is responsible for whatever shortcomings there might be in the coverage of JavaScript and PHP in this book, but in different ways they made that coverage much better.

I also appreciate the substantial and detailed responses to questions I posed to the PR and technical staffs at Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and Omni relating to their applications and online tools. It was clear to all involved that no quid pro quo was implied in their supplying software and technical support. One of the exciting things about this book is that the content here relating web-design applications is not “sponsored,” endorsed, edited, or framed by the providing software publishers.

Last, and far from least, several of my live and online web-design students reviewed the minibooks I wrote for this book, including Yvonne Strassmann, Ernie Crawford, Casey R. Mitchell, and Dawn Andersen. Their detailed, thoughtful, and refreshingly candid insights were always welcome and contributed greatly to my ability to know and speak to our audience. They will recognize their input in the final content.

Thanks, everyone!

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial

Senior Project Editor: Nicole Sholly

Executive Editor: Steven Hayes

Senior Copy Editor: Teresa Artman

Technical Editor: John Chastain

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Editorial Assistant: Leslie Saxman

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cover Photo: iStock 11716379 © iStock / Marcello Bortolino

Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Sheree Montgomery

Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Creasey

Proofreaders: John Greenough, Jessica Kramer, Christine Sabooni

Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

Special Help: Blair Pottenger, Jennifer Riggs, Rebecca Senninger, Heidi Unger

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Introduction

Websites can be very complex or very simple. When you’re building a site, you have many decisions to make, all dependent upon the needs of a particular project. Don’t become overwhelmed or fret, though, because you have Building Websites All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition, to help you. This book is so comprehensive and so flexible that it will help you in all aspects of web design, from the initial planning phases to testing and publishing your masterpiece.

This book can help you take on the role of project manager, graphic designer, developer, or multimedia designer, and offers information about interacting with different specialists on larger or more complex projects. So whether you’re undertaking your first web design project or are a veteran taking on a web design team, this book is for you.