Which technologies for optimum site?

[cath120]

Hi Webbies

I know some HTML and a little Flash and CSS and have put together a simple site www.davidhurn.co.uk using Dreamweaver. But now I'm confused as to what technologies are the most helpful for the optimum website.

If you look at Warren Prasek's portfolio on http://www.wprasek.com/web_design/index.htm you will see that for most of his sites he has used DHTML/CSS/FLASH/ASP//PHP. I don't know if any are all Flash sites but if they are doesn't that mean they won't have optimum search engine capacity? On one of his earlier sites 'Pure Mystic' he outlines the technologies used: HTML-4 table layout with CSS formatting and DHTML elements. Flash 5 and MX interactive applications. PHP/MySQL backend integration for seach results.

So my question is: What technologies as a fledgling website designer/developer should I conctrate on learning and in what order, to enable myself to put together the optimum, in appearance and capacity, website? (Eg: PHP, ASP, Javascript, Flash, CSS, etc)

Regards

Catherine

[djr33]

PHP/ASP/etc allow you to control your content server side. Helpful, but only one is needed. This allows programmable webpages and content such as forms and databases.

Javascript allows for direct interaction with the user, but is client side, so it is limited from certain things that PHP can do and also relies on the user's browser to support (and have enabled) javascript.

Flash is mostly just annoying. The only time you should use it is when you NEED it. Generally, the time when you should is if you want direct, complex interaction with the user, especially with graphics (or at times audio, or even video). It can certainly have it's uses, but know why you are before you do. Just using flash to look... well... flashy, is just silly.

CSS is quite helpful in formatting. It's also not that hard to learn. Certainly more about memorizing the various names/terminology, rather than syntax. In fact, here's your simple CSS tutorial:
property: value;
...and that's it. But you need to fill those in with working properties/values, so they are useful to you.


To add to your list, here are a few more things to consider--


A clear understanding of HTML, BEYOND just what a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get, aka preview-based) editor outputs. Understanding that code is a good first step and writing it yourself, or at least being able to, is good. You may still use the WYSIWYG editor to help, but if you don't know what it's doing, the troubleshooting will be a big pain.

MySQL-- mentioned above, this is a database language. It is very commonly used with PHP to allow interaction with a database to store anything from the contents of a forum (such as this one) including posts, users and passwords, and forum settings, to a simple database with numbers corresponding to the price of an item, or a database used to store the results of a poll or check how many people are online at one time. MySQL is not the only language, but it is likely the "best" in that it is the most popular, free, and will have a lot of support available, unlike some others (which might be just as capable as MySQL).


Overall, I'd suggest PHP, MySQL, CSS, Javascript, and HTML. There's no particular order there, though you must know HTML to do much, so start with that. Then use the next one you need. Do you want content that changes on screen? Use javascript. A database? Use php/mysql. Etc.
I wouldn't worry about flash (yet, at least) unless that is the look you desire, but be careful not to just become another annoying graphics-heavy site.