[bintom]

I have learnt HTML and Javascript online. In what sequence should I do the following:

a) XHTML
DHTML
c) CSS

Briefly, what would each of them teach me?

Thanks,

[Lemur]

XHTML is just a standard of html that denotes stricter markup.

DHTML is just the combination of HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

CSS is the way you need to go, look into http://www.w3schools.com

This post has been edited by Lemur: 01 March 2010 - 07:41 AM

[sbell1099]

I would go for XHTML as its a stricter html.

Then CSS as html is really only a layout language and you should load all styles through CSS, thats the standard of web nowadays.

And DHTML is more of thing i do, VML was interesting too. But this is not important you can use other things to create these effects.

[vernak]

XHTML is just a stricter version of HTML, so there is only a couple things that you might need to change in order to be pretty good at it.

For me CSS would be the next thing to do. Since everything is moving away from using tables to layout sites, CSS is the next big thing, especially with CSS3 on the way.

After that, I would start to learn a scripting language. DHTML is not used that often, and has many replacements. I would either go the way of PHP or ASP or ASP .NET. They are all a little hard to understand at first. PHP has a really easy learning curve, and ASP basically the same. ASP .NET is by far the most advanced one and is a little harder to learn (its what im learning now).

That's what I think.

Good Luck

[WhiteFang]

CSS definately, XHTML isn't really a whole new language so you'll likely pick it up as you go along and you'll find every browser has different standards anyway, go with the flowww.

[calebjonasson]

After html and javascript I would learn css then php. After that you will be able to do all kinds of things.

[Nykc]

CSS first then Javascript.

Then you can consider touching on server side languages like php

[Craig328]

I'd think it would have more to do with what you're wanting to do with what you've learned. If you're wanting to do boutique websites then CSS and some design topics would serve you well. If you're considering application construction then T-SQL and a scripting language like PHP or ASP.

One's more for pretty, the other's more for productive.

[Lemur]

@Craig - No... You need to learn CSS PERIOD. Design you still need to read up on, it's not either or, it's which you focus more on, you need to know both otherwise you have a gorgeous site with no functionality or a rickity comic sans website with rich user interface and powerful engines.

[Craig328]

@Lemur As a web designer I can see how you'd hold that opinion. However, as I said, if your intent is to build applications you may find you're not even building GUIs and so, therefore, CSS would be less than useless whereas a strong grasp of SQL and a scripting language that uses it would be essential. Applications can look ugly (and believe me, I code an app that has some customers that use browsers so old that a CSS driven look would be a riveting visual education in the history of web development).

That said, it's never a bad idea to learn all of the above. However, as the original poster asked for a sequence, it implies a ranking of importance and therefore a necessity to know your the intended use for the to-be-learned skills is in order.

[Lemur]

A knowledge of design is good for a developer as is a knowledge of development good for a designer, check this article:

http://www.webdesign...rs-should-code/

The same can be said in reverse.

[Craig328]

Quote

That said, it's never a bad idea to learn all of the above.

While a link to a webdesign site I'm sure, supports your opinion, as an example, I was just today asked to start planning an entire site devoted to nothing but providing a series of web service stubs to distribute syndicated and/or proprietary content. Not a CSS file or even a front facing web page in sight.

While being a developer may mean creating a pretty, charming and well laid out GUI, it also oftentimes means building the code to figure and manage financial transactions, create and expand a social network, accept, keep track of and disburse online documentation and all sort of other "heavy lifting" tasks that don't have a single atom of CSS to them. If you're familiar with MVC (model, view, controller) software architecture, only the "view" part of that typically involves "the look" and typically it's also the smallest part of the overall application.

Hence, why I said what he needs to discover next has more to do with what his intended path is. And, of course, knowing CSS would never necessarily be a burden regardless of his direction.