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Notes from previous [[Frontend Web Development]] classes.
Notes from previous [[Front-end Web Development]] classes.


=== Series 2 ===
==== Class for 2014-04-14: version control (Git) and the command line ====
This class is a general overview on version control and the command line. I've taught how to use an FTP client to upload files to the web, but the truth is that most developers don't do that anymore - rather, they collaborate with their peers by using version control systems, which allows them to keep track of their work in a reliable fashion and push it to the web.


==== Class for 2012-04-16 ====
Again, this class isn't about web development per se - it's just an important introduction to using the command line to work with Git, one of the most popular version control systems. Everyone will create their own fork of a repository and check in their work.
We expanded on last week's site to make [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class2/lecture.zip this site], which added complex selectors and margin rules.


==== Class for 2012-04-09 ====
There is no recap period for this class.
We created [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class1/lecture.zip this simple site] to demonstrate HTML and CSS basics.


=== Series 1 ===
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gyokfBklfI Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class18/shell-cheatsheet.txt Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2012-03-26 ====
==== Class for 2014-04-07: The mobile web ====
Download the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class18/class18.zip site we walked through]. It's a responsive site with slight jQuery magic and a bunch of semantic HTML and CSS trickery. A good rollup of all the stuff we've learned in the class.
We'll take [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class17/blog.zip this blog] and turn it into a mobile-accessible website via the use of media queries. We'll also talk about the rest of the world of the mobile web: user agent strings (and why you shouldn't trust them), frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch (and why they're not perfect), and the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website and app development.


==== Class for 2012-03-12 ====
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-jU1ALAayA Lecture video]'''<br>
Verbatim notes for my personal use:
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class17/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


What to do:
==== Class for 2014-03-31: CSS3 ====
* Always start with HTML
We've covered CSS3 before, but in the context of a mockup. We'll look further into CSS3 with a demonstration of what the new technologies are, how to make the most of them, and how to make sites using CSS3 look good in less capable browsers.
* Add presentation and behavior next
* Assume nothing about your audience
* Be as semantic as possible
* Use [http://www.html5please.com www.html5please.com]


What not to do:
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZx1h-9YYXA Lecture video]'''<br>
* Use inline style tags
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class16/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
* Implement security on the frontend
* Expect links to work only with JS - modals, AJAX, etc.
* Tell users to upgrade
* Start with a rich site and then work backward


Benefits:
==== Class for 2014-03-24: HTML5 elements ====
* Starting with the basics makes cross-browser testing easier
We'll take an entertaining (in my opinion) look through [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class15/html.zip this page containing every currently valid HTML element]. Many of them are considered "HTML5" elements, but that's just because they're relatively new.
* Makes your site more modular - can switch stylesheets or remove behavior on-the-fly
* Makes development in teams easier


Drawbacks:
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjtkKkZEAbQ Lecture video]'''<br>
* App- or game-like sites might be hard to support
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class15/html.zip Lecture materials]'''
* Supporting all browsers off-the-bat might slow down productivity
* Can't use cool new CSS3/HTML5 stuff in production yet


Schedule:
==== Class for 2014-03-17: Sign-up forms ====
* Create a simple site with an HTML5 sectioning elements
We'll continue working on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class13/lecture.zip our site] and add a sign-up form, with validation, inside the modal. We'll learn about built-in HTML5 validation, but also use the [http://jqueryvalidation.org/ jQuery Validation plugin] to help us where browser support is necessary.
* Add CSS
* Add JS
* Show site without CSS and JS added on
* Show site in IE6
* Install ChromeVox and read through site
* Explain browser "hacks"
* Explain JS feature testing (modernizr)
* Show what not to do
* Show [http://html5boilerplate.com/ HTML5 Boilerplate]


==== Class for 2012-03-05 ====
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSHmOcayp24 Lecture video]'''<br>
[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class15/examples.zip Download the CSS3 examples I created in-class.]
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class14/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


Other great resources:
==== Class for 2014-03-10: Modals and menus ====
* [http://simurai.com/tagged/lab Simurai's lab]
We'll go back to the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class6/noiseco.zip "professional" site we put together a number of weeks ago] and add more functionality to it with some jQuery plugins. We'll first make a dialog box - or a "modal" - pop up when you click the sign up buttons. We'll do this by introducing [http://jqueryui.com/ jQuery UI] to make common user controls easier to create. We'll also compare our CSS-only menu with one made with the help of jQuery, explaining the differences between the two.
* [http://css3please.com/ CSS3 Please!]
* [http://caniuse.com/ When can I use...]
* [http://jeffreyatw.com/portfolio Jeffrey's portfolio - see Menorah and Draggy under HTML5 Toys]


==== Class for 2012-02-27 ====
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqqCLlciWtc Lecture video]'''<br>
We worked on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class14/blog.zip this blog] and turned it into a [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class14/answersheet.zip mobile-accessible website]. We also talked about user agent strings, frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch, and talked about the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website development.
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class13/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2012-02-20 ====
==== Class for 2014-03-03: AJAX ====
We took a look at a [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class13/html5_elements.zip page containing every currently valid HTML element]. Many of them are considered "HTML5", but that's just because they're new.
We'll talk about Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, a technology that allows us to talk to a server without leaving the page. jQuery makes this extremely easy. We'll add AJAX functionality to [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class11/lecture.zip our app we've been building on]. We'll use this [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class12/tweet.php.zip PHP file] to test it out.


==== Class for 2012-02-13 ====
If you don't already have web hosting, please sign up for some at [https://www.nearlyfreespeech.net/ NearlyFreeSpeech.NET] for free (or very cheap). Also, install the [https://filezilla-project.org/ FileZilla Client].
We added to the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class11/answersheet.zip site from last class] and [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class12/answersheet.zip added a sign-up form with validation to it].


==== Class for 2012-02-06 ====
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmwfupfKztk Lecture video]'''<br>
We added to the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class10/answersheet.zip site from last class] and [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class11/answersheet.zip added modals/submenus to it].
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class12/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2012-01-30 ====
==== Class for 2014-02-24: jQuery, cont'd ====
We worked off of [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class10/mockup.png this mockup] and the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class10/mockup_annotations.png annotated version]. [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class10/assets.zip Assets were found here].
We'll continue learning about jQuery by focusing on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class10/lecture.zip the example we saw last class]. We'll add functionality to it that made it seem more like the real thing.


We took all of this and turned it into [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class10/answersheet.zip this site].
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eikIkAlVNlM Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class11/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2012-01-23 ====
==== Class for 2014-02-10: jQuery ====
I made accounts on my web hosting, but I suggested students get web hosting space at [https://www.nearlyfreespeech.net/ NearlyFreeSpeech.Net], which will set you up with a pay-as-you-go site. It's free until you start getting a significant amount of traffic.
We'll introduce jQuery, a JavaScript library that makes web programming a whole lot easier. jQuery is the most popular of many libraries that allow us to interact with the document easily, while also providing us with a few tools that are missing from the base language.


Here is the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class8/jQuery.zip source for the previous class's Twitter client], and [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class9/tweet.php.zip a PHP file to respond to AJAX requests].
To learn what jQuery can do, we'll add some scripting to [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class10/assets.zip this sample web app].


==== Class for 2012-01-16 ====
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvNAepROnes Lecture video]'''<br>
[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class8/jQuery.zip Highly-commented source for the slideshow and Twitter client we worked on.]
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class10/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2011-12-19 ====
==== Class for 2014-02-03: JavaScript, cont'd ====
We modified [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class5/noisetwitter.zip this document] to become an interactive web application: [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class5/answer%20sheet.zip download the full web application here].
We'll continue discussing JavaScript basics: arrays, objects, creating functions, and scopes.


==== Class for 2011-12-12 ====
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHcmLkhMkhA Lecture video]'''<br>
Consider downloading [http://filezilla-project.org/ FileZilla] for a head start.
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class9/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


Here's a simpler mockup we used for the 7:30 recap:
==== Class for 2014-01-27: JavaScript ====
[[File:Frontend_Web_Mockup_2.png|thumb|none]]
We'll talk about JavaScript: making web pages interactive through client-side code. We'll use the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language. This and next week's class can be treated as a general introduction to programming.


==== Class for 2011-12-05 ====
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNqTmmhEj8k Lecture video]'''<br>
We turned a mockup into HTML and CSS. This is the mockup we used:
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class8/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
[[File:Frontend_Web_Mockup_1.png|thumb|none]]


Please consider downloading the [http://www.gimp.org/ GNU Image Manipulation Tool (GIMP)], as we might be opening it up to work with this mockup. Photoshop or Fireworks will work swimmingly if you have them, though.
==== Class for 2014-01-20: HTTP & SFTP ====
We'll talk about file transfer: HTTP, which is the method of getting and sending information in the web browser, and SFTP, which is a method of securely uploading files to a web host.


[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/Frontend%20Mockup%20class%20December%202011.zip Here is the "answer sheet" for the above mockup.]
We'll set up free web hosting accounts at [https://www.nearlyfreespeech.net NearlyFreeSpeech.NET], and upload to them using [http://filezilla-project.org the FileZilla client].


==== Class for 2011-11-22 ====
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8rpnf_BHxE Lecture video]'''<br>
Two articles worth reading for a thorough understanding of CSS positioning:
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class7/lecture.txt Lecture materials]'''
* http://www.alistapart.com/articles/css-positioning-101/
 
* http://www.alistapart.com/articles/css-floats-101/
==== Class for 2014-01-13: Working from professional mockups, cont'd ====
We'll take the knowledge we gained from looking at the CSS box model, floats, and positioning, and work off of [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup.png this mockup] and its [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup_annotations.png annotated version] to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/assets.zip Image assets can be found here].
 
We didn't exactly finish, but I went ahead and put on the finishing touches. [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class6/noiseco The final product can be found here] (but where we left off can be found in the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class6/lecture.zip lecture materials]).
 
'''No video for this class. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMeTFrR1rtA Try last series's video.]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class6/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2014-01-06: Working from professional mockups ====
We'll take the knowledge we gained from looking at the CSS box model, floats, and positioning, and work off of [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup.png this mockup] and its [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup_annotations.png annotated version] to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/assets.zip Image assets can be found here].
 
'''No video for this class. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y6MxRAPfLs Try last series's video.]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class5/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-12-09: CSS positioning ====
In the last few classes, we've focused on element measurements and floats. This time, we'll focus on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, and using absolute, relative, or fixed positioning to put the elements anywhere we want on the whole page.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q453KMiCC2s Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class4/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-12-02: CSS floats ====
Floating is the secret sauce behind creating websites with multiple columns, navigation menus, and basically any block element that's aligned to the left or right. We'll learn about floats by taking a look at some examples, then take a [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class4/mockup.png mockup] and create a site from it.
 
[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class3/answersheet.zip The site's final code (not finished in class) is here.]
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw_U7YZzbW0 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class3/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-11-18: CSS selectors and the box model ====
CSS selectors are probably the most complex part of the CSS language, so we'll look at them further in-depth. We'll also talk about the box model, the display concept that makes words and containers on the web look like they do.
 
'''No video for this class. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqQph1vry7A Try last series's video.]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class2/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-11-11: the basics ====
<span style="color:green">'''THIS is the class to attend if you are a complete beginner!'''</span> We are starting the curriculum of this class from square one. We'll cover the very basics:
* Explaining "front-end" vs. "back-end"
* Discussing tools of the trade
* Explaining the separation between structure, presentation, and behavior
* Writing a basic HTML page
* Styling the page with basic CSS
* Explaining the role of front-end web development as a job and career
 
No recap session for this class. Please show up '''promptly''' at or before 8pm, as physical space is limited. Bring a laptop!
 
P.S. This might be the last series I teach for a while. I might take a longer break after the end of the series (in about 6 months). We'll see. But if you've been meaning to attend, this is your chance!
 
'''No video for this class. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmDCjhCuNtU Try last series's video.]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series5/class1/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
----
 
[[Frontend_Web_Development/Notes/Archive|Notes archive]]

Revision as of 10:34, 16 April 2014

Notes from previous Front-end Web Development classes.

Class for 2014-04-14: version control (Git) and the command line

This class is a general overview on version control and the command line. I've taught how to use an FTP client to upload files to the web, but the truth is that most developers don't do that anymore - rather, they collaborate with their peers by using version control systems, which allows them to keep track of their work in a reliable fashion and push it to the web.

Again, this class isn't about web development per se - it's just an important introduction to using the command line to work with Git, one of the most popular version control systems. Everyone will create their own fork of a repository and check in their work.

There is no recap period for this class.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-04-07: The mobile web

We'll take this blog and turn it into a mobile-accessible website via the use of media queries. We'll also talk about the rest of the world of the mobile web: user agent strings (and why you shouldn't trust them), frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch (and why they're not perfect), and the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website and app development.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-03-31: CSS3

We've covered CSS3 before, but in the context of a mockup. We'll look further into CSS3 with a demonstration of what the new technologies are, how to make the most of them, and how to make sites using CSS3 look good in less capable browsers.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-03-24: HTML5 elements

We'll take an entertaining (in my opinion) look through this page containing every currently valid HTML element. Many of them are considered "HTML5" elements, but that's just because they're relatively new.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-03-17: Sign-up forms

We'll continue working on our site and add a sign-up form, with validation, inside the modal. We'll learn about built-in HTML5 validation, but also use the jQuery Validation plugin to help us where browser support is necessary.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-03-10: Modals and menus

We'll go back to the "professional" site we put together a number of weeks ago and add more functionality to it with some jQuery plugins. We'll first make a dialog box - or a "modal" - pop up when you click the sign up buttons. We'll do this by introducing jQuery UI to make common user controls easier to create. We'll also compare our CSS-only menu with one made with the help of jQuery, explaining the differences between the two.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-03-03: AJAX

We'll talk about Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, a technology that allows us to talk to a server without leaving the page. jQuery makes this extremely easy. We'll add AJAX functionality to our app we've been building on. We'll use this PHP file to test it out.

If you don't already have web hosting, please sign up for some at NearlyFreeSpeech.NET for free (or very cheap). Also, install the FileZilla Client.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-02-24: jQuery, cont'd

We'll continue learning about jQuery by focusing on the example we saw last class. We'll add functionality to it that made it seem more like the real thing.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-02-10: jQuery

We'll introduce jQuery, a JavaScript library that makes web programming a whole lot easier. jQuery is the most popular of many libraries that allow us to interact with the document easily, while also providing us with a few tools that are missing from the base language.

To learn what jQuery can do, we'll add some scripting to this sample web app.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-02-03: JavaScript, cont'd

We'll continue discussing JavaScript basics: arrays, objects, creating functions, and scopes.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-01-27: JavaScript

We'll talk about JavaScript: making web pages interactive through client-side code. We'll use the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language. This and next week's class can be treated as a general introduction to programming.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-01-20: HTTP & SFTP

We'll talk about file transfer: HTTP, which is the method of getting and sending information in the web browser, and SFTP, which is a method of securely uploading files to a web host.

We'll set up free web hosting accounts at NearlyFreeSpeech.NET, and upload to them using the FileZilla client.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-01-13: Working from professional mockups, cont'd

We'll take the knowledge we gained from looking at the CSS box model, floats, and positioning, and work off of this mockup and its annotated version to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). Image assets can be found here.

We didn't exactly finish, but I went ahead and put on the finishing touches. The final product can be found here (but where we left off can be found in the lecture materials).

No video for this class. Try last series's video.
Lecture materials

Class for 2014-01-06: Working from professional mockups

We'll take the knowledge we gained from looking at the CSS box model, floats, and positioning, and work off of this mockup and its annotated version to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). Image assets can be found here.

No video for this class. Try last series's video.
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-12-09: CSS positioning

In the last few classes, we've focused on element measurements and floats. This time, we'll focus on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, and using absolute, relative, or fixed positioning to put the elements anywhere we want on the whole page.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-12-02: CSS floats

Floating is the secret sauce behind creating websites with multiple columns, navigation menus, and basically any block element that's aligned to the left or right. We'll learn about floats by taking a look at some examples, then take a mockup and create a site from it.

The site's final code (not finished in class) is here.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-11-18: CSS selectors and the box model

CSS selectors are probably the most complex part of the CSS language, so we'll look at them further in-depth. We'll also talk about the box model, the display concept that makes words and containers on the web look like they do.

No video for this class. Try last series's video.
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-11-11: the basics

THIS is the class to attend if you are a complete beginner! We are starting the curriculum of this class from square one. We'll cover the very basics:

  • Explaining "front-end" vs. "back-end"
  • Discussing tools of the trade
  • Explaining the separation between structure, presentation, and behavior
  • Writing a basic HTML page
  • Styling the page with basic CSS
  • Explaining the role of front-end web development as a job and career

No recap session for this class. Please show up promptly at or before 8pm, as physical space is limited. Bring a laptop!

P.S. This might be the last series I teach for a while. I might take a longer break after the end of the series (in about 6 months). We'll see. But if you've been meaning to attend, this is your chance!

No video for this class. Try last series's video.
Lecture materials


Notes archive