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Being a web designer, the job is just not easy when you are creating or else you are coming up with the fresh page design, here what is there with the fancy background images and all the things that are flashing and are moving around. The HTML codes are the ones that are the delicate matters to deal with and it is too tough to handle them when revising. The HTML comparison tool is one of the great partners for the web designers who will not stop changing and also trying out some new things each time with the help of their source codes.

With the help of simple manipulation on the popular profile or else on the home page just like tagged, blogger, friendster and much more, even the ordinary users are learning on how the HTML source codes will work. At times, we do forget lots of things that we would have don while we’re working on something else and especially when we’re too much committed with the goal to achieve something new or else to change the old designs. As per the fact that all of will make changes in codes and later realize that we want the code back that we have altered so in order to achieve this task, a comparison tool will make the task easier. Honestly, the HTML codes are not so easy to revise because if you miss out one detail, then your page will crash and then it could be difficult to retrieve it back.

You will not have to fear if you do have the HTML comparison tool in order to compare the source codes. Currently in the market there are many brands or types of HTML comparison tools that are made for the Windows 2000, NP, XP and even Vista as well. By using the tool you will be able to analyze the alterations between the two HTML files and that to especially the revisions. All these type of files will be uploaded directly from the hard drive or else can be directly generated from the Internet. This tool will specifically tell you about the variation of source code of the particular program, the entire content of the text and also the visual aspects of web pages as well. The HTML comparison tool will enable you to view the entire disparity and even in the individual characters via one window view or by a side by side as well.

Basically the programmers will look out for the modifications that will be made in HTML source codes in the page that will usually be offered by several HTML tools for the sake of comparison. There are certain HTML tools that can be used for only one purpose but there are others as well that will cater to various requirements by various professionals.

By using the HTML comparison tool, the programmers will be able to see the results that are compared.

If you want to decide what kind of Web developer you would like to be, this question is very tricky. There are several options where you can choose from.

Design:
It includes “Layouts” and “CSS” as well as “Graphic Designing”

Programming:
Writing “Flash Applications” or “Ajax Web2.0 Applications or “CGIs”

Content:
In this there will be creation of images and also writing the text that will be displayed on Websites.

Databases:
“Database Administration”, “Working with XML” and “Connecting Sites to Database”.

Information Architecture:
“Setting up of informatics behind Websites” and also “making the Websites easier to navigate and use”.

Metrics:
In this it is only to watch the page views and to track in order to validate the efficiency of “Web design work”.
There are many more options where you can choose from

If you want to be a Web Programmer, some of the languages like Perl. C++, JSP, ASP, Java or PHP will be heavily featured in your works daily. But, usually content writers and Web designers do not use these languages at all. C++ is one language you may use to write scripts and CGIs in order to make your WebPages more interactive and to have dynamic look.

In the field of Web, there are several other jobs that will not require any kind of programming and these jobs will be having the titles like program manager, designer, content co-ordinator, information architect and several other titles. Here you can choose either programming or non-programming route. Here you will be working with designers who will know programming and also with designers who will not know programming.

Money and job prospects in this Web Programming

It may or may not be true that only Web programmers are the ones who could make more money than Web designers and other than these both DBA would make more money. If you do Web programming only for the sake of money, you will not be able to do it and if you do it also, you will not be good at it. Here you will not be making money like the people who really loves doing Web programming and also the person who is really good at Web programming. This is also true with Web designing and with DBA as well. Before taking up any job, you have to be interested first.

When you take up a particular job, you have to even work on all the segments like content, code and design where you have to do some part of the equation as well. If you work with designers who do not know code writing, they will come up with the design the way that you might work and also the designs that they want to look. Then you might work on building some of the codes (JSP or CGI or other languages) that will be used to make the design work.

You have to focus on some parts of the job and have to enjoy working and you will get better.

What is a portfolio?

When people start to think about Portfolio, their attention will on an artist carrying documents and samples in that documents. But for a Web designer, Portfolio is little different and the basic portion of this Web Portfolio’s are:

It contains some of the screen shots of the best work you have done.
Complete descriptions of the work done on a particular project.
Links that will connect to live copies or documents
Colour printout of the particular project, this is very rare.

Make use of your Web Portfolio for best work only

This Web Portfolio is intended to show your talents and skills to your potential employers. This is the reason; you don’t want to give them the samples of low quality work. Quality can’t be quantity. If you have at least 4 sites that you might be proud of, then your portfolio ought to contain only 4 sample sites.

Having a Portfolio is an opportunity to show off. Don’t be reserved in the case of Portfolio and do not lie. If you have designed your design concept with the team of designers, then do not include this into your Portfolio. It’s better to use your Web projects and that should have been done only by you and ensure to clarify the work you have done.

It’s better to know your audience and prepare many Portfolios

Web developers and designers very often have to “put on various hats” to get wok done. This could be very much perplexing in a portfolio. There are many Portfolios’ that you can divide upon the work that you are going to present
Web Design
Web Programming
Content Management
Writing and Content Creation
By parting them out in to this type of category, you can direct the prospect to the Portfolio that how best your skills match their particular needs. So, if you are applying for a writing job or else some other programming, do point at your Web Programming.

What are the things that are to included in your Portfolio

One of the advantages of your Web Portfolio is that, you can include anything that you can include in your WebPages and some of the elements are:

A screen that contains your design:

Even if you highlight the code written by you, it’s important have screen shots to engage interest and ensure that the screen shot that you are carrying must be excellent. If the design is not too good then don’t worry, audience will see the codes

A link that links to the working page or documents
This could be the page which is live on the site’s that is still on or a copy of that site on your server. If you are highlighting some elements which are dynamic and its important to have a working copy. If you link this to your Website and when ever your site goes down or changes, your portfolio won’t get ruined.

The complete description of your work and your role in it
It’s important to have a detailed description in your portfolio and your role in it.

The most important element in your Portfolio is your best work. If you are unable to know at which you are good, ask your friends so that they can help you.

To understand graceful degradation, it is very important to understand first Tag Degradation. Tag degradation is a phenomenon which describes the incompatibilities which could be either deliberate or accidental, in the web documents. All the web browsers follow one simple rule with respect to HTML tags which states that, “If you do not understand a tag, just ignore it.” Whenever a web browser encounters any tag and it fails to understand and display it, the result is degradation. This is where the concept of graceful degradation comes in. Graceful degradation is a simple but a powerful technique which ensures that a web page should be coded in such a way that just in case if the browser is not able to cope up with any of its effect or feature the page should yet be displayed in a simplified form.

When the degradation takes place, the content of your page will be either lost to the web browser or the content of your page will still be completely accessible, which will depend solely on whether the degradation is graceful or not. As we all know that HTML is continuously changing and different browser have different characteristics and each one supports different elements, therefore graceful degradation is the main element which ensures that all the pages are readable and accessible in all the browsers. The standards for HTML have been written keeping this important key i.e. graceful degradation in mind.

Graceful degradation has two basic rules. Firstly any browser should be able to view the content of the site and secondly any browser should be able to navigate the site. This simply indicates that the website should still be able to operate even when it is being viewed with less optimal software which does not support any kind of advanced features. You can add as many special effects as desired but always ensure that the site is very much operative and usable without them as well. The essence of quality web programming is ensuring graceful degradation. By definition, we all know that no HTML will run on all the browsers, errors are inevitable. Although a page might appear different in an older version of the browser in comparison to the latest ones but what is important is the fact that information should always be available to the user.

There are various good examples which can successfully describe graceful degradation, such as the use ALT attribute in IMG tags. By using alt, we are providing a text alternative to the browser. In case the browser is not able to display the image it can provide the relevant text information. Another example can be if CSS is used to describe the text color, and in case if the web browser does not support the style sheets the text will return to its default color which is black and thereby making the text readable by the user. Graceful degradation is only possible if the HTML used in the web pages should be valid which means that it should be grammatically correct. Browser should have something to fall back on. When the HTML is written badly, it would mean that when the browser tries to ignore certain parts which are not understandable, atleast the content can be displayed. And finally the tag should be closed at the end. If the tag is left open, it would completely fail.

One of the most basic elements of the HTML document is the frame. A frame is basically a device which allows you to open two or more pages in the same window. Mostly the frame concept is used in cases where you wish to split the window. As is the case with many websites, the left hand side is like a navigation strip, a separate page which is a tabulated list of the topics with the relevant links, while the right hand side shows the content related to those topics.

Reading this you might be misled into believing that there are two pages in the window but there are in fact three pages. One tends to forget there is one page which is holding both the pages. This page is called the ‘container’ page, which contains both the pages. All we need to do is open this page and both the other pages automatically open in this page. The format of this page is similar to any other pages.

The HTML frames concept is generally regarded as quite complicated and very hard for new users to grasp. There is an on-going debate among the champions and critics of frames. The critics feel that frames are associated with a few problems, which is why they wish new users to avoid them.

One popular opinion is that they interfere with the basic concept of the web. The web is ideally supposed to be a group of pages, each page with a separate URL and these pages are simply interlinked. On the other hand, frames allow number of pages to have the same URL and when one bookmarks any of these pages, they end up with the URL of the container page.

A second problem with the frameset pages is that they are not browser friendly. Although not a problem now but a bunch of earlier browsers could not access the framed pages. Even now, when such pages are opened on devices other than computers, like palmtops or phones, they do not allow the browser to resize them which makes page viewing cumbersome. Similar to the resizing issue is the printing problem. Browsers find it hard to print such pages and the prints are never satisfactory. There is also the general overall feel that such pages are hard to code especially be novice coders.

Arguably the biggest problem with frames is that they are not search engine friendly. Even search engines like Google do not go through the content of the internal pages and only read the content of the container page.

The champions of frames on the other hand feel the benefits they create are worth a few hassles and they mostly cite the example of inline frames. Inline frames are special frames which circumvent most of the aforementioned problems. Inline frames are also called floating frames. The basic difference between these and the conventional frames is that these pages open in your container page like images or tables would. The coding for these is also quite easy and they present no obvious problems.

As discussed earlier, the HTML editors are those software applications which are used to design, create and manage high end web sites without writing HTML code. With HTML editors like Microsoft FrontPage and Adobe Dreamweaver, anyone can make web pages. From novice to professionals to web experts, everyone is using these editors to effectively mange their web sites. But as every technology has its own merits and demerits, the HTML editors also have its own virtues and vices. Let’s have a look at both the positives and negatives of the editors, as it will lead to better understanding of these kinds of applications.

Advantages of HTML Editors:

1. HTML editors allow you to draft web pages quickly. The most impressive aspect of these editors is that you don’t have to know about HTML codes at all in order to design your web site.
2. HTML editors not only help in creating the web pages, but it also maintains the site map and global structure of the whole web site. Thus, if in future the web site becomes complex you don’t have to face any type of issues while updating and maintaining it.
3. HTML editors help in maintaining consistency throughout the whole web site. If your web site contains large number of pages and if you want a particular element to be displayed on the top of each web page (for example your company logo), then instead of putting the element one by one on each of the HTML document you can simply put it one any one page and the editor will update it on the remaining ones.
4. HTML editors let you to insert complex elements into the web page with ease. For example: you can quickly insert flash animations, fireworks file etc. into your web site.
5. Forms, tables, frames and other important elements can be easily managed via HTML editors.
6. Not only in web designing, but the HTML editor also helps in generating the scripts for the web sites.
7. HTML editors also let you to easily embed DHTML effects into your web page.
8. With the help of HTML editor library, you can easily manage and access the frequently used resources.
9. HTML editors are WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) applications. So, you can easily know how your web page will finally look like on the web browser.

Disadvantages of HTML Editors:

1. No doubt that HTML editor makes it easy to create and maintain web sites but they are overloaded with lots of features. So, it is difficult for a newbie to first of all understand the working of the editor properly.
2. HTML editors are poor in error reporting. It may not very much effective in telling you about the bugs in the code.
3. The programming style (style of writing the HTML code) of a HTML editor is entirely different than your style. The editors write the code in a complex and professional manner. So, it would be difficult for an amateur web developer to understand it.
4. Due to lots of features, the HTML editors have become overcrowded. It is very difficult to know about all the available features and their usage.
5. No HTML editor is complete in itself. As the web standards are updated, these editors start getting obsolete.

Scripting is used to make the web pages capable of processing the data in real time. HTML documents support client side scripting. The scripts can be developed in separate files or it can be directly embedded in HTML documents. Scripts are very necessary for a web page. Scripts invoke life into the static HTML pages. With the help of scripts HTML pages get power to process the information supplied by the user in real time and produce output for the same. HTML pages are static in nature. Scripts make them dynamic and intelligent so that they can respond to the user queries. With the help of scripts, the HTML pages can be tailored more precisely to perform special tasks. The web pages can work with different plug-ins to perform better.

By using scripts, HTML can communicate with the QuickTime browser plug-in or with the ActiveX control when displaying QuickTime-compatible content or related components in the web browser. It will let the user to control the attributes of the object being displayed such as image scaling, audio volume, auto play, looping, linking a series of movies, launching media player, opening a specified URL when the user clicks the movie etc. Various types of dynamic objects and elements can be integrated and modified in the HTML documents by writing the appropriate script. The web authors can create compelling and powerful web content once they know how to write an appropriate script. The client-side script is like a program which gets executed on the client’s machine when a web document gets loaded or when a link is activated. One of the major advantages of HTML is that it supports scripts independent of their languages. Thus, the web developer can design the scripts in the language he knows. Via scripting the web authors can extend HTML documents in highly active and interactive ways. Some of the prominent benefits of using scripts in HTML are:

1) Scripts can be run as soon as the web document is loaded to change its contents dynamically.
2) Scripts are used to process the input in the forms provided by the user. Scripts are also used to verify whether the inputs of the form are correct or not. Developers also use the scripts to automatically and dynamically fill out some data in the form according to the inputs provided by the user.
3) Scripts are often linked to the graphical objects on a web page such as buttons, check boxes, option buttons, drop down lists etc. in order to control them and optimally the Graphical User Interface (GUI).
4) To make the web page more interesting and exciting, scripts are written to influence the behavior of the scrolling, mouse cursor movements, marquee and static text and a lot of other elements.

Two types of scripts can be used by the developers. One which are executed only one time when the web page gets loaded. The other type of scripts are those which get executed every time an event occurs such as a mouse click, a scroll etc. As per the requirements, either or them or both types of scripts can be used in order to make the web page full of fun and excitement.

As discussed earlier URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) are the addresses of all the links and resources which are globally hosted on the World Wide Web. A web page address like http://www.yahoo.com is a URL. It shows you the home page of Yahoo. In other words, it redirects you to a new URL. URL is one of the most vital elements of HTML. Without URL we cannot access any website. Every URL on the world wide web is unique and different from other to avoid confusion and clashing between the web pages of different companies. The URL consists of all the necessary information required to find out a particular web page on the internet. In HTML whenever we create a hyperlink, we associate a URL with it so that whenever a person clicks on that link, he can be redirected to the intended web page. The URLs are inserted in the HTML codes with the help of anchor tag. We can either specify an Absolute URL or a Relative URL depending upon the circumstances. Let’s have a look on how these two types of URL differ form each other.

Absolute URLs: Absolute URLs are those URLs which do not depend on any kind of relationship. These URLs directly point towards the directory of a file. It represents the whole path to a filename. Thus, there is no confusion about the location of that file on the server. For example:

http://www.contentmantra.com/design/ urls.php3

is an absolute URL which specifies the whole path to the urls.php3 file which is stored in design directory. The main disadvantage of these URLs is if you move the urls.php3 file to another location, then this URL will not show you that file. Thus, the flexibility to change the structure of the web pages diminishes. Absolute URLs are used when we want to link two files which reside in different root directories.

Relative URLs: These URLs point towards a file or directory in relation to the current file and directory. The relative URLs don’t tell us about the full path to a file name. These URLs simply redirects you to the another web page which is in relation to the previous one. Thus, they are called relative URLs. These types of URLs can be used to link different files which are in the same root directory. In other words these URLs are used with those links of a web page which redirects you to another web page of the same website. If all the files are stored under the same parent directory, then both absolute and relative URLs can be used but conventionally relative URLs are used because they are short and reduce the chances of typographic errors. Apart from this, relative URLs are easy to remember and save time while designing the HTML page.

For example; suppose there is a parent directory in c:\my folders\HTML which contains two files named as Summer.html and Winter.html respectively. Now in order to link these two files we don’t have to give the full path. We can simply write as:

<a href=”winter.html”> go to Winter Page</a>

Instead of:

<a href=” c:\my folders\HTML\winter.html”>got to winter page</a>