Thursday, January 25, 2007

Selecting the Best Web Design Language for Your Project

If you'd like to create and publish your own web site on the
Internet, your first step should be to decide what type of
web site you would like to create and what web design
language you would like to use.

Although there are several web design languages to choose
from, make sure you take some time to research your options
to ensure you're making the best choice for your project.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

The easiest and most popular web design language is
Hypertext Markup Language, better known as HTML. This
language is so simple you can type the syntax into a text
editor, such as Notepad, save it with an .html extension and
instantly have a web page.

You can learn more about HTML here:
http://www.w3schools.com/html/

Although HTML will enable you to create simple web sites, if
you want something more dynamic, you'll need to look into
using other languages:

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, better known as PHP, is a
highly popular, server-side scripting language that can be
embedded directly into HTML coding.

PHP can do anything that CGI (Common Gateway Interface) can
do, such as process form data and auto generate dynamic
content. However, PHP can do much more. It can be used on
all major operating systems and supports most web servers.

PHP's main focus is development for the web, so it has a
quick development time and can solve scenarios much quicker
than some of the other web design languages.

You can learn more about PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor here:
http://www.php.net/

ColdFusion

ColdFusion, developed by Macromedia, is used to build and
serve web pages. It consists of ColdFusion Studio, which is
used to create web pages, and ColdFusion Server, which is
used to display the web pages.

One of the best features of ColdFusion is the ability to
create web pages 'on the fly' from content stored within a
database.

For example, a variety of content can be placed within a
database as 'pieces of content.' When a user types in the
web address to retrieve the web page, ColdFusion dynamically
develops the pages, from the 'pieces of content,' as they
are served.

Although it is very reliable, ColdFusion may be better
suited for larger companies rather than individuals, as it
is fairly expensive.

You can learn more about ColdFusion here:
http://macromedia.com/support/coldfusion/tutorial_index.html

Java Server Pages (JSP)

Java Server Pages, also known as JSP, is a web design
language developed by Sun Microsystems. It is used to
control web page content via servlets, which are little
programs that run on a web server. These servlets modify the
web page on the server prior to it being displayed within a
web browser.

The JSP technology enables you to combine regular, static
HTML with dynamically generated HTML.

You can learn more about Java Server Pages here:
http://java.sun.com/products/jsp/docs.html

Active Server Pages (ASP)

Active Server Pages, also known as ASP, is Microsoft's
solution to dynamic, interactive web pages.

Active Server Pages are web pages that contain scripts in
addition to the standard HTML tags. These scripts are
processed prior to a web page being displayed within a web
browser.

Unlike standard HTML pages that have an .html or .htm
extension, Active Server Pages have an .asp extension.

An advantage of ASP is that it is language-independent and
therefore is easy to use across all platforms and
applications. It is very flexible and powerful, yet some
people don't like it merely because it is a Microsoft
product.

You can learn more about Active Server Pages here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnasp/html/asptutorial.asp

Conclusion

With so many different web design languages to choose from,
which is the best language for your project? That will
depend on your web site needs and how much time and/or money
you're willing to invest.

If you want a simple web site with text and images, HTML is
definitely the way to go. Not only is it easy to learn, but
there are also many HTML editors available online that will
write the code for you.

Although HTML is usually the right choice for most, if you'd
like your web site to be dynamic, you will need to research
some of the other languages until you find the best solution
for your project.

Take your time and do your homework before you begin. If you
don't feel confident in your ability to create your own web
site, hire a professional. It will save you a lot of time
and trouble in the long run.


http://choosetoprosper.com/web-design-languages.html