How should you start? What are the best and easiest ways to create a website, and what is each of these languages people talk about?
HTML, CSS & PHP.
ASP & C#.
So you want to learn programming? Interested in those shiny websited, applications you use at your job, or maybe the huge amounts involved with about each and every ICT project?
In this article i will give you some advice as how to start, and a short explanation about every language. I will try to put it in understandable language with only good to know information for a starting programmer.
To start. There are a lot of languages and manners as to how to program. Even a website can be programmed in a lot of ways. I will tell you about three.
1. HTML, CSS and PHP.
HTML is the language you need to build up the structure of your webpage. You create colums, descide where images and text will be placed, and design the structure. However, this will be combined with CSS. CSS is kindof the definition about how the HTML looks. To explain: If you create a column with HTML, you can use CSS to define the size, color, etc.
PHP is the language/script used for calculations. If you have a page, and have a button on it, you can look at it like this: The button is made with HTML. CSS is used to edit the button. and PHP is the function from the button. Meaning if you click on it, PHP will be used to do whatever the button is supposed to do.
2. ASP.net and C#.
ASP.net is from Microsoft, and often used by people with a bit more then no experience. Where some people think PHP is a unprofessional, both of these ‘languages’ have their pro’s and cons. For example hosting is cheaper when using PHP, but ASP is easier to use. Why? Because there are a lot of boundaries. Where in PHP you can program anything, with ASP you are limited to C#. C# is object oriented, making it a lot more organised and easier to use. Especially large applications are easier in C#, because PHP doesnt give immediate feedback when you type a weird or bad piece of code.
To give a bit more explanation about ASP and C# rather then PHP: ASP is the front of the website. You can use HTML and CSS in combination with ASP. To give you and example: If you create a column, you do that with HTML. If you want to give it certain sizes or a different color, you use CSS. But instead of using an HTML button, you use an ASP button. This ASP button is immediatly combined with a C# method. I prefer this method, because when used right, it gives you a lot of control over your applications.
SO: When someone clicks on the ASP button, a method from C# will be called. And in that method you can define what should happen. Another good difference is that each HTML/ASP page has just one C# code page. Making everything even more clear and preventing unknown effects in your code.
Known to some, and not to other people. But its also possible to build websites just by searching online. There are plenty of webbuilders that just allow you to drag and drop your content. This is a good option if you are not going to use your site for anything with money or advertising. Because you dont write your own code, you also cant add certain tricks in your code to make them show up on google a couple of spots higher. If you just want to show information or have a forum, its THE option that takes little time. If you want to build a webshop or a site that uses advertisements to earn you ‘big money’ you should consider building it.
SO: If you are new, and just want to try some stuff: Go start with HTML and CSS. Just get a development kit like HTML KIT or dreamweaver. When you have a bit more experience, consider adding PHP to actually create a webshop or something. After you did that, its a lot of fun to try a programming language like JAVA or C#. I will create another article where i talk about real programming languages. But if you dont want that/did that, its a good idea to start with ASP and C# applications. Its hard to learn without experience, but when you have that experience its easy to use.
Your choice, and have fun! Feel free to ask any question!