Web Design
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Blogging from my iPhone
Testing a new setup: blogging via text to my blog, which is posted in eCampus as ANNOUNCEMENTS on the course page.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Problems uploading Major Project files (updated 5/4)
Several students are having problems uploading their files to HostGator. I have found there are two common reasons.
First, capital letters and spaces. Because Hostgator is Linux-based, it can be quirky with capital letters and spaces. So, the first thing you need to do is check your folder and file names and make sure that they do not have spaces and capital letters in them. THIS INCLUDES THE EXTENSIONS (.JPG, .GIF, etc.) Don't change them in Hostgator! Change your original files and re-upload them.
For example, if your folder is called Project or my project, these are unacceptable names, in that they contain a capital letter or a space. Likewise, a doc called banner.GIF won't work, whereas a file called banner.gif will work.
Second, one problem I've seen is that some students waited too long to get started, and thought, "Hey, I'll just use Dreamweaver for my project!" Bad choice. Dreamweaver is as complicated as PhotoShop. You can't just pick it up and start using it. In fact, we have an entire semester course here at Blinn devoted to Dreamweaver alone. Dreamweaver has a tendency to mess up your links unless you know exactly how to set it up. So if that is your situation, I recommend that you stop using Dreamweaver, open your files in Notepad++ and check your links.
Third, you could try validating your site, using the techniques you learned in Chapter 9. The validation page gives you options as to which version of HTML you're using.
If you've tried these other solutions, and all else fails, use the C-Panel in HostGator to create a new folder, then upload each file individually into that new folder.
First, capital letters and spaces. Because Hostgator is Linux-based, it can be quirky with capital letters and spaces. So, the first thing you need to do is check your folder and file names and make sure that they do not have spaces and capital letters in them. THIS INCLUDES THE EXTENSIONS (.JPG, .GIF, etc.) Don't change them in Hostgator! Change your original files and re-upload them.
For example, if your folder is called Project or my project, these are unacceptable names, in that they contain a capital letter or a space. Likewise, a doc called banner.GIF won't work, whereas a file called banner.gif will work.
Second, one problem I've seen is that some students waited too long to get started, and thought, "Hey, I'll just use Dreamweaver for my project!" Bad choice. Dreamweaver is as complicated as PhotoShop. You can't just pick it up and start using it. In fact, we have an entire semester course here at Blinn devoted to Dreamweaver alone. Dreamweaver has a tendency to mess up your links unless you know exactly how to set it up. So if that is your situation, I recommend that you stop using Dreamweaver, open your files in Notepad++ and check your links.
Third, you could try validating your site, using the techniques you learned in Chapter 9. The validation page gives you options as to which version of HTML you're using.
If you've tried these other solutions, and all else fails, use the C-Panel in HostGator to create a new folder, then upload each file individually into that new folder.
I recommend Paint Shop Pro for digital image editing
A student asks: "Do
you know of a good program to take multiple photographs and make a collage out
of them? I was told it is a long and complicated process in
Photoshop. I'm a beginner on Photoshop, so I don't think I want to try to
tackle it that way.
My answer: I’ve used Paint Shop Pro at home since 1997. There’s a free trial download, so you can see
if it works for you. Also, there are
multiple videos on the web to help you learn the various techniques.
Start here for the trial: Paint Shop Pro
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
IMED 1316 Final Exam
The final exam includes two parts: the multiple choice or matching post-test, which is based on your pre-test , and the practicum. The practicum is exactly like the midterm: you will be assigned a case that we have not done, and you will be expected to do as much as possible in two hours. You may bring your flash drive and your textbook, nothing else. Test dates are in your course calendar.
Online students must test in their Learning Center. When you check in at the Testing Center counter, you will be given the password for the test.
Careers in Web Design - Become a Professional Web Designer
If you're going to make Web design or Web development your career, there are many things you'll want to think about. It's important to know what you're getting into before you decide on a job including how much it pays, what the hours are, and what will be expected of you. If you then decide to freelance as a Web developer, you'll have to learn how to manage your business and your finances. -- Read more here.
By Jennifer Kyrnin, About.com Guide
"20 Things I Learned About the Web"
Now that you're an expert, skim through this article to the parts that interest you...
http://www.20thingsilearned.com/en-US/threed/1
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Banner Generators
If you don't want to do the Photoshop Tutorial, then you can still create a banner using an automatic banner generator. Simply google the phrase "free banner generator." Here is a sample site (I haven't tried it, myself.)
Monday, April 9, 2012
Getting Started with Photoshop CS5
Photoshop CS5 is available on your computers in the lab here at Blinn. Take a couple of hours to study it, and you might be able to use it to create the banner for your website project. Here's the link to the first video; after you watch it, look around the site for the ones that apply to your needs.
How to break the Youtube time barrier
The default time limit for videos you post to youtube is 15 minutes. Watch this video to see how to post videos longer than 15 minutes to Youtube. It will ask you for a phone number, so you'll want to make sure you have a Google voice number before you sign up.
How to get a fake phone number
Everyone needs a fake phone number nowadays. But wouldn't it be nice if you had a REAL fake phone number? And what if you could actually see who's calling without answering? While we're fantasizing about such convenience, let's throw in that you can READ your voice mail messages!
Well, my friends, it's here. Google Voice. Watch this video to learn about it, and to get started. Then use it for free goodies that require a phone number, such as extended http://www.youtube.com airtime.
Well, my friends, it's here. Google Voice. Watch this video to learn about it, and to get started. Then use it for free goodies that require a phone number, such as extended http://www.youtube.com airtime.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Q Day
Friday is Q day. Check your grades. If you are hopelessly failing, and you drop the course by Friday, you will get a W instead of an F.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Use a CSS reset style sheet
Because the internal style sheets of various browsers have small—and sometimes not-so-small— differences, many designers create reset style sheet to define their own default styles.
Resetting the styles allows the designer to start from a known baseline, confident that no unwanted styles will creep in from any browser’s internal style sheet.
If you were working in Dreamweaver, and you chose a template, then the style sheet that accompanies your new project would be written as a reset style sheet. Since in this class we are coding from scratch, I'd like you to have some uniform guidelines to follow.
You could copy one of the style sheets from the textbook, but to be honest, you'll actually need snippets from several chapters in order to include all of the facets of the project.
You could use a site like freecsstemplates.org, but that's a little more complicated than some of you need, since I require you to change the colors, fonts, and layout somewhat if you use one of those.
So, if you choose not to use a template from elsewhere (and Dreamweaver is not allowed), then begin not with a blank page, but with a reset style sheet. Here are a few for you to look at; pick one and enjoy.
Yahoo! Developer Network
Blueprint
HTML5 Reset
Resetting the styles allows the designer to start from a known baseline, confident that no unwanted styles will creep in from any browser’s internal style sheet.
If you were working in Dreamweaver, and you chose a template, then the style sheet that accompanies your new project would be written as a reset style sheet. Since in this class we are coding from scratch, I'd like you to have some uniform guidelines to follow.
You could copy one of the style sheets from the textbook, but to be honest, you'll actually need snippets from several chapters in order to include all of the facets of the project.
You could use a site like freecsstemplates.org, but that's a little more complicated than some of you need, since I require you to change the colors, fonts, and layout somewhat if you use one of those.
So, if you choose not to use a template from elsewhere (and Dreamweaver is not allowed), then begin not with a blank page, but with a reset style sheet. Here are a few for you to look at; pick one and enjoy.
Yahoo! Developer Network
Blueprint
HTML5 Reset
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