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Tools of the Trade

IV) Tools of the Trade

Too often, people ask me how to make some tool do a particular thing, and my answer is frequently the same: I have no idea. Personally, I hunt through every menu option, then use the available help, look at on- and off-line manuals and tutorials, and failing all that, switch to another tool and repeat the process. Of course, nothing replaces experience; I've come to know what I can expect from a tool or suite of tools, even if I haven't used it before - I have a general idea of what it's capable of, and that's enough. Still, I start with a picture of what I want to realize, and try everything I can to implement what I intended. Unless I can demonstrate to myself that what I want is technically impossible, or that it can't work effectively with available technology, I stick to the plan. This is an important aspect of design - you should be focused on the design goals, and the design itself, rather than letting a particular tool dictate your work.

By now, you should have created a list of user requirements, and from that, a map of the site you want to create. You should have collected (or be collecting) the actual site content, both text and images, in a project folder. And you're probably antsy to "build your site." That is of course the subject of the next lecture; first you'll need to find or buy the tools you need and become at least passingly familiar with what they do.

To design a web interface (its look and feel), you could use Flash, or Photoshop, or Gimp, or Illustrator, or Quark, or a pencil and paper - they're all good visual design tools. Want to implement a working web site? Try BBEdit. Or Dreamweaver. Or Homesite. Or Word. Or NetObjects. Or Front Page. Or just good old Notepad. Though I've used them all, and quite frankly, they all bug me eventually. That is, I always manage to find something that one tool does badly, and another well. Technology is a hammer. It's a tool for getting things done. Tools wear out, and formats change -- choosing the right tools and technology can help you not only get through today, but can see you through tomorrow as well.

Many people start their education by learning how to use the tools themselves, using manuals and tutorials. They go through each tool one by one, meanwhile having no particular use for any of them. I tend to approach things the opposite way: with something to do and no particular idea of how exactly to do it - just the confidence that there's *some* way to get it done. I'm amazed how often people simply abandon their design when they're stymied by a tool. I believe too much of the web reflects this in its design; it's often easy to see what tool or tools someone used to build a site. The work shows not the hand of the maker, but the constraints of the tool used. People begin to design for their tool of choice, which limits what can be accomplished. Great design instead comes when one ignores the constraints and searches for the boundaries.

In order to build a website, at a minimum, you need 4 tools: 1) a tool that creates web-compatible graphics and images; 2) a tool that allows you to create the HTML for the page, either in textual format, or via a WYSIWIG editor; 3) a means to move files from your computer to wherever your site is/will be hosted; and 4) a browser to see your website in. Most people getting started choose Dreamweaver - you can edit web pages visually, as well as in HTML format; you can create buttons and menus "on the fly"; you can manage your site locally as well as remotely; and you can preview your site without a browser. Also, Dreamweaver is designed to help you create an manage an entire site, rather than a single page. And of course, it has a host of other features as well.

I cannot of course require that you get Dreamweaver; it's relatively expensive. Neither is this a class on how to use Dreamweaver, as Dreamweaver is merely a means to an end. I don't use it myself, because I learned how to build websites before there were any tools to help me, and now I just hand code all my sites. If you like, you can even use Microsoft Word to build a web page - it's not designed for this, and it only allows you to work on a single page, but if you don't have access to other tools, and don't want to write HTML, it will work.

As I've mentioned, I have a number of articles on line already, two of which you should read at this point. The first covers some of the basics of Dreamweaver, and also addresses some basics of project management and file systems that you'll need to know. It's written in the context of another class, but it should give you a sense of how to create a simple page and post it on line.

   /classes/dreamweaver.htm

If you don't have and won't have Dreamweaver to create your site, you'll still need a way to post your page(s) on line eventually, and FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the way to get that done. Note that Dreamweaver simply uses FTP to move pages around the net. Here's an article on FTP; again, it's written for another class, but it contains a lot of good information that you should know, and you should read it as well.

   /classes/ftp.htm

Both of these articles assume you have someplace to put a site, and we're not going to get to that until lecture 6, but you'll still need to have a general understanding of creating a project, and a site, and of how to move files around on the net. You should read both articles before going any further, as they will (hopefully) clarify a number of basic issues about site creation, project management, and file movement and manipulation. Note that there are a number of free or shareware FTP tools available on the 'net - try Tucows (The Ultimate Collection of Windows Software) if you're on a PC:

http://www.tucows.com/

If you're on a PC or a Mac:

http://shareware.cnet.com/

So, for this week, there are three goals - 1) read the 2 articles above; 2) collect and familiarize yourself with the tools you plan to use; and 3) if you're up for it, move a file via FTP (which you can also do through dreamweaver). If you have a dial-up internet account, you probably have a free website (or place for one) from your internet service provider. Double-check their home page and/or call their service department and find out. If not, we'll cover how to get a site home shortly.

As always, questions, problems, issues, please send 'em to the list.