readings
textbook
The textbook for COMP 1850 is Web Development & Design Foundations with HTML5 (8th edition) by Terry Felke-Morris.
The book has a supporting website at Pearson, as well as an author-sponsored support site. Be sure to sign up for access.
» When is the BCIT Bookstore open?
You can also purchase an electronic version of the book.
first class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- None
- The World Wide Web for the Clueless
- An oldy-but-a-goody by Eri Izawa. Updated in 2004 and a good primer.
Further Information:
- Hobbes' Internet Timeline
- A classic treatment of the Internet's history.
- World Wide Web Consortium
- Defining standards for the web. Even though not everyone adheres to them.
- The Web Standards Project
- Working for a better web.
- A Brief History of the Internet
- Want to know a bit more about where and how the whole "Interweb" thing started?
- HTML code tutorial
- Basic tutorials on various HTML elements.
second class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapters 1 and 2
Further Information:
- 10 Principles Of Effective Web Design
- By Vitaly Friedman at Smashingmagazine
- The Web Style Guide: Chapter 1: Process
- This is a great resource, even if it does lean towards larger projects. You'll see future reading recommendations drawn from here, so feel free to read ahead.
third class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapter 3
Further Information:
- How we really use the web
- A sample chapter from Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to build web sites for fun or profit.
- The Web Style Guide: Chapter 2: Interface Design
- I warned you you'd see this site again!
- Optimal Web Design: Designing for Usability
- A series of fascinating academic articles by Michael L. Bernard on what makes a web site usable and why.
fourth class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapters 4 and 8
Appendix A - HTML5 Quick Reference
Further Information:
- W3Schools CSS Resources
- Tutorials and examples.
- TypeTester
- An excellent tool that let's you compare screen type styles for your CSS use.
fifth class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapters 6 and 7
Further Information:
- house of style
- From westciv software, an extensive CSS resource centre. They also make some CSS software and provide training services.
- CSS Zen Garden
- The same page content. Multiple designers. No tables. See what's possible when you know your CSS tricks.
- Fear of Style Sheets
- An older article, but informative.
- CSS Positioning
- Mike Hall explains how CSS layout boxes should work.
sixth class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapter 10
Further Information:
- Navigation Design
- From Chapter Seven of "The Non-Designer's Web Book, 2nd Ed." by Robin Williams and John Tollett.
- Information Architecture Tutorial
- An introduction to IA brought to you by Webmonkey.
- boxes and arrows
- A peer-written journal dedicated to discussing, improving and promoting the work of the information architecture community.
- CSS Navigation Techniques
- A gallery of Navigation techniques created using CSS. Dropdown menus, image replacement and other advanced methods for giving your navigation some character while still keeping it semantic.
seventh class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapter 5
Further Information:
- Adobe Photoshop Basics - Lessons 1 and 2
- A comprehensive online course teaching the basics of Adobe Photoshop. Lessons 1 and 2 are an overview of the workspace and working with documents. If you don't have a copy of PHotoshop, you can do the course from our lab at BCIT.
- Getting Started with Photoshop Tutorial
- A great "getting started" tutorial starting with the interface and leading to more advanced and fun stuff.
eighth class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- None
Further Information:
- CSS Slicing Guide
- Learn how to turn a Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or Fireworks template into a fully sliced, coded and XHTML and CSS valid web page.
- Web 2.0 Design Kit
- This tutorial will show you how to create some of the more popular "Web 2.0" design effects using Photoshop.
- good-tutorials
- A great resource for tutorial on all kinds of design techniques for Photoshop, CSS, Flash and more.
ninth class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapter 9
Further Information:
- Read me file for formmail.php
- This is the configuration notes for the php script we will use in class in week nine.
- Usability and HTML Forms
- In-depth article by Andrew Starling that makes some great points regarding complex form design issues.
- Forms That Work
- Support site for the book written by Caroline Jarrett and Gerry Gaffney. Multiple resources here, but hasn't been updated for a while.
tenth class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapter 14
Further Information:
eleventh class
Required:
- Web Development & Design Foundations
- Chapter 11
Further Information:
- free-php.net
- Several free PHP scripts and other useful PHP Resources.
- php.dinsol.com
- A web directory that compiles and distributes PHP programming-related resources. Lots of free and almost-free scripts for use on your web site.
- Other PHP Resources:
-
The PHP Site
Learn PHP at W3Schools.com
Good PHP Tutorials
PHP Categories at HotScripts.com
Complete PHP Scripts