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=== Series 3 ===
==== Class for 2013-04-01: Preprocessors ====
This class expanded upon the topic of backend web apps by talking about preprocessor languages - languages which compile into HTML, CSS, or JS. We'd taken a look at PHP and ERB, but we also walked through languages that look nothing like HTML (HAML), and languages that compile into CSS (Less, Sass + Compass) and JS (CoffeeScript). These languages can make your life much easier as they help keep you from repeating yourself (DRY!).
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVjD2JEoMPo Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class21/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-03-25: Backend web development ====
This class was all about the seedy underbelly of web development: the backend!
I know we already have a [[Backend_web_dev_in_Ruby_on_Rails|backend class here at Noisebridge]], but this one was tailored toward frontend developers wanting to get a taste of how things come together. We spent the first half talking about PHP, then moved onto a Rails, a more complex example.
Here are the steps used for class preparation:
----
===== THE EASY WAY: =====
If you would like to follow along and are on Windows or OS X, the easiest option is to run a virtual machine:
* Install [https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads VirtualBox AND the Extension Pack]
* [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class20/Ubuntu.ova Download this preconfigured Ubuntu virtual machine (1.82GB)]
* Double-click the .ova file. You might want to check the "reinitialize the MAC address" step.
* Start the machine after installation and you're all set!
* System username and password are both "frontend". Feel free to change them if that's uncomfortable.
===== THE HARDER WAY: =====
If you don't want to use a virtual machine. I haven't tried these myself, so I can't profess as to how easy or hard it is.
On Linux, you'll need to follow these steps:
* http://ryanbigg.com/2010/12/ubuntu-ruby-rvm-rails-and-you/
* https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ApacheMySQLPHP
On Windows or Mac OS X:
* Start with RailsInstaller: http://railsinstaller.org/
* And for PHP:
** Mac: http://www.mamp.info/en/index.html
** Windows: http://www.wampserver.com/en/
===== THE HARDEST WAY: =====
Install Apache, PHP, RVM, Ruby, and Rails individually. Good luck!
----
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR7O8r8vU-c Lecture video]'''
==== Class for 2013-03-18: Version control (Git) and the command line ====
This class was a general overview on version control and the command line. I'd 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 wasn't about web development per se - it was just an important introduction to using the command line to work with Git, one of the most popular version control systems. Everyone created their own repository and checked in their work.
We signed up for a free account at [https://github.com/ GitHub] and installed [http://git-scm.com/ Git]. Those on Windows installed [http://msysgit.github.com/ Git for Windows] (all default options are fine).
'''No video for this class :('''<br>
'''[https://github.com/JeffreyATW/frontend_example The repository we created]'''
==== Class for 2013-03-11: Old vs. new: progressive enhancement and browser testing ====
We talked about progressive enhancement - a practice where websites are created in a layered way that makes them accessible and cross-browser friendly. We looked at [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class19/sites.zip two versions of an example site] and demonstrated how one is outdated, and the other adheres to progressive enhancement principles. We've touched on these concepts throughout the whole class, but in this class we focused on why they're important, and what could happen if you DON'T adhere to them.
This segued nicely into a talk about browser testing - how to do it and what to look out for.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vtsFku4ang Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class19/sites.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-03-04: CSS3 ====
We've covered CSS3 before, but in the context of a mockup. We went 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 them look good in less capable browsers.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP1nxrI_3WU Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class18/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-02-25: Mobile websites ====
We took [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class17/blog.zip this blog] and turned it into a mobile-accessible website via the use of media queries. We also talked about the rest of the world of the mobile web: user agent strings, frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch, and the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website and app development.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjEJrNgrJVw Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class17/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-02-11: HTML5 elements ====
We took an entertaining (in my opinion) look through [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class16/html.zip this page containing every currently valid HTML element]. Many of them are considered "HTML5", but that's just because they're new.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or9Y1facTtc Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class16/html.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-02-04: More useful jQuery plugins ====
Our final jQuery-focused class touched on a number of other common plugins that are found in the wild. We took a closer look at Bootstrap and jQuery UI, and looked at plugins that make your page look super snazzy:
* [http://jqueryui.com/demos/datepicker/ Datepicker (jQuery UI)] - fancy datepickers appearing near your input fields
* [http://jqueryui.com/demos/accordion/ Accordion (jQuery UI)] - collapse and unfold lists of elements
* [http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/javascript.html#scrollspy Scrollspy (Bootstrap)] - change navs to highlight where you are scrolled on a page
* [http://jquery.malsup.com/cycle/ Cycle] - make easy slideshows
* [http://harvesthq.github.com/chosen/ Chosen] - style dropdowns
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35CJx9lkGyE Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class15/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-01-28: Sign-up forms ====
We continued working on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class13/lecture.zip our site] and added a sign-up form, with validation, inside the modal. We used the [http://bassistance.de/jquery-plugins/jquery-plugin-validation/ jQuery Validation plugin]. This is a very common request from clients and it comes in handy to know all the tips and tricks of forms and validation, and what new HTML5 elements can provide.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tv6uPMmQNY Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class14/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-01-14: Menus and modals ====
We went back to the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class13/noiseco.zip "professional" site we'd put together a number of weeks ago] and added more functionality to it with some jQuery plugins. We first made a dialog box - or a "modal" - pop up when you click the sign up buttons. We did this by introducing [http://jqueryui.com/ jQuery UI] to make common web development tasks easier. We also add some dropdown functionality to our menus using pure CSS, but this can be done using jQuery UI or [http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/ Bootstrap] as well.
'''No video for this class. :('''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class13/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2013-01-07: AJAX ====
We talked 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 added AJAX functionality to [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class10/lecture.zip our app we've been building on]. We used this [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class9/tweet.php.zip PHP file] to test it out.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-uoDnslh8 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class12/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-12-17: File transfer ====
We talked about file transfer - not only uploading files using FTP, but using the web browser to get and send information via forms and other methods (an overall talk about HTTP GET/POST).
We downloaded and installed [http://filezilla-project.org FileZilla] and signed up for a [https://nearlyfreespeech.net NearlyFreeSpeech.NET] hosting account.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohL0FRC9us8 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class11/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-12-10: jQuery, cont'd ====
We continued learning about jQuery by focusing on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class5/answer%20sheet.zip the example we saw last week]. We're added functionality to it that made it seem more like the real thing.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMKdZ0IlD48 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class10/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-12-03: jQuery ====
We introduced jQuery, a JavaScript library that makes web programming a whole lot easier.
'''No video for this class. :('''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class9/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-11-26: JavaScript, cont'd ====
We continued discussed JavaScript basics: arrays, iterators, loops, creating functions, and the debugger.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_4Z33l0lnY Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class8/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-11-12: JavaScript ====
We talked about JavaScript: making webpages interactive through client-side code. We used the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP6_pd25-Ps Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class7/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-11-05: Working from professional mockups, cont'd ====
We continued putting our professional-looking site together from [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class5/lecture.zip where we left off].
As a reminder, here is the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup.png mockup] and its [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup_annotations.png annotated version]. [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/assets.zip Image assets can be found here].
[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class11/index.html Here is the code that the mockup was based off of] - a good way to check your work. It might differ slightly from what we did in class.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvC4ZLFpbtE Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class6/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-10-22: Working from professional mockups ====
We worked 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].
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to3-VjUPU64 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class5/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-10-15: 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 learned about floats by taking a look at some examples, then took a [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class4/mockup.png mockup] and created a site from it.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJeN9P8x1VE Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class4/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-10-08: CSS positioning ====
We focused on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, positioning them absolutely on the page, positioning them relatively, fixed and more.
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTL_YDz3zmo Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class3/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-10-01: CSS selectors and the box model ====
CSS selectors are probably the most complex part of the CSS language, so we looked at them further in-depth. We also talked about the box model, the display concept that makes words and containers on the web look like they do.
'''No video for this class. :('''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class2/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
==== Class for 2012-09-24: the basics ====
We covered the very basics:
* Explaining "frontend" vs. "backend"
* 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 frontend web development as a job and career
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r87aEOpelzQ Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class1/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
=== Series 2 ===
=== Series 2 ===
==== Class for 2012-09-10: Preprocessors ====
==== Class for 2012-09-10: Preprocessors ====

Revision as of 22:30, 20 April 2013

Series 3

Class for 2013-04-01: Preprocessors

This class expanded upon the topic of backend web apps by talking about preprocessor languages - languages which compile into HTML, CSS, or JS. We'd taken a look at PHP and ERB, but we also walked through languages that look nothing like HTML (HAML), and languages that compile into CSS (Less, Sass + Compass) and JS (CoffeeScript). These languages can make your life much easier as they help keep you from repeating yourself (DRY!).

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-03-25: Backend web development

This class was all about the seedy underbelly of web development: the backend!

I know we already have a backend class here at Noisebridge, but this one was tailored toward frontend developers wanting to get a taste of how things come together. We spent the first half talking about PHP, then moved onto a Rails, a more complex example.

Here are the steps used for class preparation:


THE EASY WAY:

If you would like to follow along and are on Windows or OS X, the easiest option is to run a virtual machine:

THE HARDER WAY:

If you don't want to use a virtual machine. I haven't tried these myself, so I can't profess as to how easy or hard it is.

On Linux, you'll need to follow these steps:

On Windows or Mac OS X:

THE HARDEST WAY:

Install Apache, PHP, RVM, Ruby, and Rails individually. Good luck!


Lecture video

Class for 2013-03-18: Version control (Git) and the command line

This class was a general overview on version control and the command line. I'd 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 wasn't about web development per se - it was just an important introduction to using the command line to work with Git, one of the most popular version control systems. Everyone created their own repository and checked in their work.

We signed up for a free account at GitHub and installed Git. Those on Windows installed Git for Windows (all default options are fine).

No video for this class :(
The repository we created

Class for 2013-03-11: Old vs. new: progressive enhancement and browser testing

We talked about progressive enhancement - a practice where websites are created in a layered way that makes them accessible and cross-browser friendly. We looked at two versions of an example site and demonstrated how one is outdated, and the other adheres to progressive enhancement principles. We've touched on these concepts throughout the whole class, but in this class we focused on why they're important, and what could happen if you DON'T adhere to them.

This segued nicely into a talk about browser testing - how to do it and what to look out for.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-03-04: CSS3

We've covered CSS3 before, but in the context of a mockup. We went 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 them look good in less capable browsers.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-02-25: Mobile websites

We took this blog and turned it into a mobile-accessible website via the use of media queries. We also talked about the rest of the world of the mobile web: user agent strings, frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch, and the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website and app development.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-02-11: HTML5 elements

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

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-02-04: More useful jQuery plugins

Our final jQuery-focused class touched on a number of other common plugins that are found in the wild. We took a closer look at Bootstrap and jQuery UI, and looked at plugins that make your page look super snazzy:

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-01-28: Sign-up forms

We continued working on our site and added a sign-up form, with validation, inside the modal. We used the jQuery Validation plugin. This is a very common request from clients and it comes in handy to know all the tips and tricks of forms and validation, and what new HTML5 elements can provide.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-01-14: Menus and modals

We went back to the "professional" site we'd put together a number of weeks ago and added more functionality to it with some jQuery plugins. We first made a dialog box - or a "modal" - pop up when you click the sign up buttons. We did this by introducing jQuery UI to make common web development tasks easier. We also add some dropdown functionality to our menus using pure CSS, but this can be done using jQuery UI or Bootstrap as well.

No video for this class. :(
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-01-07: AJAX

We talked 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 added AJAX functionality to our app we've been building on. We used this PHP file to test it out.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-12-17: File transfer

We talked about file transfer - not only uploading files using FTP, but using the web browser to get and send information via forms and other methods (an overall talk about HTTP GET/POST).

We downloaded and installed FileZilla and signed up for a NearlyFreeSpeech.NET hosting account.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-12-10: jQuery, cont'd

We continued learning about jQuery by focusing on the example we saw last week. We're added functionality to it that made it seem more like the real thing.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-12-03: jQuery

We introduced jQuery, a JavaScript library that makes web programming a whole lot easier.

No video for this class. :(
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-11-26: JavaScript, cont'd

We continued discussed JavaScript basics: arrays, iterators, loops, creating functions, and the debugger.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-11-12: JavaScript

We talked about JavaScript: making webpages interactive through client-side code. We used the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-11-05: Working from professional mockups, cont'd

We continued putting our professional-looking site together from where we left off.

As a reminder, here is the mockup and its annotated version. Image assets can be found here.

Here is the code that the mockup was based off of - a good way to check your work. It might differ slightly from what we did in class.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-10-22: Working from professional mockups

We worked 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.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-10-15: 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 learned about floats by taking a look at some examples, then took a mockup and created a site from it.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-10-08: CSS positioning

We focused on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, positioning them absolutely on the page, positioning them relatively, fixed and more.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-10-01: CSS selectors and the box model

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

No video for this class. :(
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-09-24: the basics

We covered the very basics:

  • Explaining "frontend" vs. "backend"
  • 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 frontend web development as a job and career

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Series 2

Class for 2012-09-10: Preprocessors

This class expanded upon the topic of web frameworks by talking about preprocessor languages - languages which compile into HTML, CSS, or JS. We'd taken a look at PHP and ERB, but we also walked through languages that look nothing like HTML (HAML), and languages that compile into CSS (Less, Sass + Compass) and JS (CoffeeScript). These languages can make your life much easier as they help keep you from repeating yourself (DRY!).

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-08-27: Backend web development

This class was all about the seedy underbelly of web development: the backend! We talked about HTTP, web servers (like Apache), preprocessor languages (like PHP and ERB), web frameworks (like Rails), and databases (like SQLite). Sound daunting? Well, it kind of is, but this 2-hour session might have alleviated a small portion of your fears!

To prepare for this class, you could either set up a PHP-powered web server on your laptop (Mac instructions), or get an account at NearlyFreeSpeech.NET.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-08-20: Progressive enhancement

We talked about progressive enhancement - a practice where websites are created in a layered way that makes them accessible and cross-browser friendly. We looked at an example site and demonstrated how it adheres to these principles. We've touched on these concepts throughout the whole class, but in this class we focused on why they're important, and what could happen if you DON'T adhere to them.

As part of the class, we used a Chrome extension called ChromeVox, which is a free screen reader for the web. We also used virtual machines to run older versions of Internet Explorer on my Mac.

Lecture video

Class for 2012-08-13: CSS3 and CSS4

We've covered CSS3 before, but in the context of a mockup. We went further into CSS3 and CSS4 with a demonstration of what the new technologies are, how to make the most of them, and how to make sites using them look good in less capable browsers.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2012-08-06: Mobile websites

We worked on this blog and turn it into a mobile-accessible website. We also talked about user agent strings, frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch, and the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website development.

Class for 2012-07-30: HTML5 elements

We took a look through this page containing every currently valid HTML element. Many of them are considered "HTML5", but that's just because they're new.

Class for 2012-07-23: Other jQuery plugins

Our final jQuery-focused class touched on a number of other common plugins that are found in the wild:

We created this page that uses all of the plugins.

Class for 2012-07-16: Sign-up forms

We continued working on our site, and added a sign-up form, with validation, inside the modal. We used the jQuery Validation plugin. This is a very common request from clients and it comes in handy to know all the tips and tricks of forms and validation, and what new HTML5 elements can provide.

Class for 2012-07-09: Modals and menus using Twitter Bootstrap

We went back to the "professional" site we'd put together a number of weeks ago and added more functionality to it with some JavaScript. We first made a dialog box - or a "modal" - pop up when you click the sign up buttons. We did this by introducing Bootstrap, a suite of code developed by Twitter to make common web development tasks easier. We also add some dropdown functionality to our menus using pure CSS, but this can be done using Bootstrap as well.

This class was not an exhaustive look at Bootstrap - there is a lot to cover. Look for a more comprehensive talk on Bootstrap later down the line.

Class for 2012-07-02: Guest speaker - HTML5

John Freddy Vega of Cristalab and Mejorando.la delivered a presentation on the basics of HTML5, CSS3, and new JavaScript developments. It's a great talk for those starting out on new web technologies, or just wondering what the big difference is from HTML 4.01 and below.

Class for 2012-06-25: AJAX

We talked 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 added AJAX functionality to our app we've been building on and uploaded a PHP file to a web host to test it out.

Class for 2012-06-18: jQuery, cont'd

We built upon the existing Noisetwitter app, using jQuery functions to add the UI for retweeting, favoriting, and replying, and here was our result.

Class for 2012-06-11: jQuery

We included jQuery into a file and took a look at some of the functions that are available to us, as well as attempting to explain how an object can call a function with itself as the scope (this). We used the Noisetwitter client as an example of simple but powerful things you can do with jQuery.

Class for 2012-06-04: JavaScript

We talked about JavaScript: making webpages interactive through client-side code. We used the console to demonstrate the basics of the language, and we created a file and include it on an existing HTML page, downloadable here.

Class for 2012-05-21: File transfer

We talked about file transfer - not only uploading files using FTP, but using the web browser to get and send information via forms and other methods (an overall talk about HTTP GET/POST).

We downloaded and installed FileZilla and signed up for a NearlyFreeSpeech.NET hosting account - some had to use my personal hosting due to timing reasons.

Class for 2012-05-14: Working from mockups (CSS3 edition)

We worked on last week's site, talking about inline versus block, and applied CSS3 features such as shadows, rounded corners, gradients, and semi-transparency. We didn't have time to talk about CSS3 more in-depth, so we'll have another class on it in the future.

Class for 2012-05-07: Working from mockups

We worked off of this mockup and the annotated version. Assets were found here.

We took all of this and turned it into this work-in-progress site. We'll be completing it next week.

Class for 2012-04-30: 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 learned about floats by taking a look at some examples (inspect the page). We then took a mockup and created a site from it.

Class for 2012-04-23: CSS positioning

We focused on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, positioning them absolutely on the page, positioning them relatively, fixed and more. Lecture materials can be downloaded here.

Class for 2012-04-16: CSS selectors and the box model

We expanded on last week's site to make this site, which added complex selectors and margin rules.

Class for 2012-04-09: the basics

We created this simple site to demonstrate HTML and CSS basics.

Series 1

Class for 2012-03-26

Download the 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.

Class for 2012-03-12

Verbatim notes for my personal use:

What to do:

  • Always start with HTML
  • Add presentation and behavior next
  • Assume nothing about your audience
  • Be as semantic as possible
  • Use www.html5please.com

What not to do:

  • Use inline style tags
  • 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:

  • Starting with the basics makes cross-browser testing easier
  • Makes your site more modular - can switch stylesheets or remove behavior on-the-fly
  • Makes development in teams easier

Drawbacks:

  • App- or game-like sites might be hard to support
  • Supporting all browsers off-the-bat might slow down productivity
  • Can't use cool new CSS3/HTML5 stuff in production yet

Schedule:

  • Create a simple site with an HTML5 sectioning elements
  • 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 HTML5 Boilerplate

Class for 2012-03-05

Download the CSS3 examples I created in-class.

Other great resources:

Class for 2012-02-27

We worked on this blog and turned it into a 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.

Class for 2012-02-20

We took a look at a page containing every currently valid HTML element. Many of them are considered "HTML5", but that's just because they're new.

Class for 2012-02-13

We added to the site from last class and added a sign-up form with validation to it.

Class for 2012-02-06

We added to the site from last class and added modals/submenus to it.

Class for 2012-01-30

We worked off of this mockup and the annotated version. Assets were found here.

We took all of this and turned it into this site.

Class for 2012-01-23

I made accounts on my web hosting, but I suggested students get web hosting space at 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.

Here is the source for the previous class's Twitter client, and a PHP file to respond to AJAX requests.

Class for 2012-01-16

Highly-commented source for the slideshow and Twitter client we worked on.

Class for 2011-12-19

We modified this document to become an interactive web application: download the full web application here.

Class for 2011-12-12

Consider downloading FileZilla for a head start.

Here's a simpler mockup we used for the 7:30 recap:

Frontend Web Mockup 2.png

Class for 2011-12-05

We turned a mockup into HTML and CSS. This is the mockup we used:

Frontend Web Mockup 1.png

Please consider downloading the 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.

Here is the "answer sheet" for the above mockup.

Class for 2011-11-22

Two articles worth reading for a thorough understanding of CSS positioning: