I want to have an expert knowledge in Web design/development.so help me out. I need an expert advice.?

Question

I am new in the field of Web Design/Development i.e. I have a basic knowledge in XHTML/CSS, Javascript,PHP, ASP.Net, JSP etc & also have a basic knowledge to work in Dreamweaver, Visual Studio, Photoshop, Illustrator etc.

But I want to have some expert knowledge on this softwares & languages but these are a lot for me in such a short time. I am confused what to study, what not to study?? & how to study??

I need an expert view.

So, help me out.

Answer 1

No trivial answer here. I have previously replied to related questions. Here's one that seems pertinent, related to what to learn, depending on what web role you pick...



https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20100709002048AA26YdD



As for "how" - that's kind of personal. I've never had difficulty reading textbooks...well, good ones, like the O'Reilly texts I mention on my richarduie "client-side programming resources" site (http://home.comcast.net/~richarduie/). I get the basic understanding of the general principles and then apply them - always been that way for me. I know people that prefer lots of examples with less formalism - not less effective in my experience, just slower. During the course of applying general principles, I make mistakes, try to figure them out, research things online, read examples, etc. I read a lot of articles on the sites listed on my resources page.



I've been professionally programming web stuff for about 12 years after programming for food in other areas for about 14 years before that...I'm getting good at it - finally. In general, be patient with yourself, take note of what works best for you and repeat, but remain willing to try new approaches.



I don't use DreamWeaver and keep trying to seduce the other developers at my shop away from it. I use Eclipse on Linux, but have also used it as well as IntelliJ IDEA on Windows in large, corporate settings. However, I'm currently in a small shop, and everyone is free to pick the tools they prefer (note that my present shop also has Mac with other tools as well...we're VERY eclectic). If DW's your IDE, you're stuck using Windows too - if you just love Windows, no worries, maybe. Using a platform-neutral IDE such as Eclipse may give you more employment opportunities in the long run, if you hope to work for larger companies. Whether you stick with DW or pick another IDE, learn to use it inside and out. Learn to make it hook up to version control repositories like CVS or (better) svn (Subversion). Final Note: out of the 100+ developers in the biggest two corporate web-dev units I've worked, only 4 (of whom I'm aware) have used DW - it MAY be suitable, if you plan to remain in small and relatively independent shops.



If you pick the developer or UIE role, learn more about how to program...not how to write a particular language, but how to think about programming. Learn about procedural programming, functional programming, object oriented programming (concentrate on OOP first) - methodologies. Learn about data design and databases. Learn XML data representations. Study Design Patterns.



To summarize, figure out the role you want to play, e.g., designer, user interface engineer, (server-side) developer, and focus on the languages, techniques, and development tools best suited to that role. Recognize that you can't be professionally competitive in all areas related to web design and development, at least not in a hurry...25+ years and I'm excellent as a developer on the server and a UIE on the client-side - I will likely never be a design wizard when it comes to graphics. There's WAY too much to learn ever to get done learning; make a good start on a subset that lets you become sufficiently expert to fill one role, and plan to explore other areas of interest as time goes by. The requirements of different jobs (freelance or corporate) may lead you to learn things in orders you wouldn't have predicted - be flexible.

Answer 2

You just need to focus on a few things at a time instead of everything. Once you master one area you can move on to another. The best place to start is with PHP. This is because the tools and everything you need for it is free and there are a lot of tutorials and sample code on the internet.



The problem with web development is that it is a combination of disciplines combined together. You need to know a server-side programming language such as PHP, then you need to know HTML and CSS to make it look nice. If you want to be able to search, sort, and otherwise dynamically use data then you need to learn about how to build and use databases. If you want to add interactivity to your website then you need to learn JavaScript and how to setup AJAX interfaces.



This is just not a simple thing to do. It takes lots of practice and experience. At a minimum you should learn PHP, SQL, HTML, and CSS. The PHP and SQL will help you build dynamic websites. I recommend using a MySQL database which can be found on any shared server.



To start learning PHP and some SQL i would check out PHPFreaks.com. For HTML and CSS I would recommend W3Schools.com and SmashingMagazine.com.

Answer 3

Most what you need to know will come with experience and practice.



The software you've got all come with lots of help and examples. Learning how to use the help systems will go a long way.



There are two methods that i've found work best, for me anyway. One is to learn as you develop whatever program you're working on - there's plenty of help available online so you can just type in whatever language you're using followed by whatever you're having problems with eg.



Javascript arrays

PHP connecting to database



The other method is to look at a website's code that you find interesting. It won't help you much with server side languages like ASP or PHP, but will help with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.



If you're completely new to programming hen look up one of the beginners guides eg



PHP beginners guide

Answer 4

Before I would focus on scripting languages (which really just make the site work more efficiently) I would become best friends with basic HTML. Since you have a basic knowledge in almost every web development language but aren't great in any of them I would use this online tutorial. This is how I learned HTML. http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/



After you learn this language try making your own site using what you learned. Once you feel comfortable move onto scripting languages. I would go Javascript, CSS, then PHP.

Answer 5

PHP is open source and a lot of reference information is available on the "net".. ASP is from the cloistered Microsoft, you would need a subscription to TechNet.



PHP is not just for database connectivity although it is one of it's strengths. ASP can be used for database access as well, but tends to be a bit more costly in terms of network overhead.



HTML/XHTML/XML/CSS are open standards, the above use them in codification. a good deal of reference material can be found on w3.org