Topic awaiting preservation: Learning a new Application Blues

Being inspired by the Asylum and the excellent work produced by various inmates, I have been determined to learn how to create a good web site. (amonst other things). I was delighted when I managed to upload my first pages a couple of weeks ago, using FrontPage. This application does not seem to have many, if any, devotees here, and I have been advised to try using Dreamweaver instead. (I am also learning HTML, and would like to be able to hand code, but untill then I need to use a WYSIWYG).
I am finding it really difficult finding my way around DreamWeaver, the tutorials mindboggling and verbose.
Here is an example, at the very beginning (which is where I am) we are instructed to set up a site. OK, oh and a remote site or is that the same thing? Then in the next sentence I find
"To set up a site to create a web application, you would need to choose a dynamic document type?such as Macromedia ColdFusion, Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP), Microsoft ASP.NET, Sun JavaServer Pages (JSP), or PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)?and then supply information about your application server".

,,,,,er,,,,,,um. May as well be written in Klingonese, for a beginner to grasp that.
By the time it has taken me to set and name a site, remote or otherwise in DW I had made three pages in FP and uploaded them!
I am still sticking with DW now that I have got it, but this experience has given me a new appreciation for those inmates out there who can write a good clear tutorial. Thank you all.
I am still nowhere near the stage where I can upload anything from DW, so I am going to update my pages using FP for now.
There is no need, my trusted fellow inmates, to reply to any of the above questions, I'm sure I will find a way through all the jargon in the end. I just wanted you to know what the screams of anguish comming from my cell were all about.
Good tutorials are a treasure, they make learning an adventure. Bad tutorials, like septic tanks, should not be seen or smelt by anybody.

quote:

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oh and a remote site or is that the same thing?

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Nope.

You need to create a local site ( e.g. c:\my site ) and this should mirror you remote site (the site on your web-server) e.g. http://your_domain.com/.

[Mini-Tutorial]
The dreamweaver site builder requires the following information:

a: Local Folder details (where is your local site (the opne you work on first))


b: Remote Folder Details (where will the rest of the world visit?)

You'll need to add your ftp address (without the ftp:// prefix)
Username and Password are also required.

c: Server Application Details (Do you intend to use .asp? etc... if not (i.e. you're just using html / javascript) then you can ignore this section entirely.


SO:
You need a local folder and a web folder - that's all Dreamweaver requires.
Once it has this info, you can work locally, and when you're happy with your site, go to the 'Site' window, and click >Site >Synchronise and it'll ftp the files up there for you.

[End of tutorial]

Good luck

[edited by Dufty]
Serves me right for replying as Jalen earlier! Stoopid!
_Dufty_
[/edit]

[This message has been edited by Jalen (edited 05-25-2003).]

Thanks Jalen and Dufty Nice to see father and son out together. I got that now methinks....As with most things, it's easy when you know.
I really just felt like a good RANT, but your help has proved most useful.
tao

No worries

Normally, I would expect someone to say RTFM, but in this case it's fairly obvious that you have.

Hope all goes well, and welcome to the world of web-design.
It's a long, slippery, uphill trek from here on in, but you're in the perfect place to ask for advice!

Learning a new application does indeed suck doesn't it. It's like learning a new programming language with a syntax you've never used before. One frustration after another... But I'll never get used to that feeling you get when everything starts to fall into place. It's almost euphoric.

Man Dracusis, I couldn't agree more! I hate that feeling really. I remember when I first started doing anything really with computers, it was when I would do VB4 programs. Then I wanted to venture straight into Java. Wooo! Man was that mindblowing at first.

Taobaybee: I couldn't urge you more to learn HTML like you said that you were. Then you can use mr.maX's HTML Beauty

Good luck to you and remember, there is a great section here at Stupid HTML. Try your hand at it and when you get stuck ask a question. Great way to learn.

And yeah, FrontPage sucks

Later,

C:\


~Binary is best~

Ahhh that feels better
Thanx for the good thoughts Dracusis, CPrompt and Dufty, oh yes not forgetting Jalen too.
I agree about the euphoric feeling of beginning to grasp a problem and solving it. Before I got my "tastefully padded cell" here I thought I had PS pretty much nailed.
How wrong I was! Still, with your help and a little application (heh) I WILL weave dreams.
Being a bear of very little brain, it has taken me a while to work out what RTFM means..
I think I will search the faq's for more abbreviations just in case!
OMG (heh) I just discovered Extensions on the DW MX site.
See you later
tao



[This message has been edited by Taobaybee (edited 05-26-2003).]

Taobaybee: I think that you would kind of benefit with Notepad and this site: http://www.w3schools.com/ Then work with dreamweaver.



The programmer's national anthem is 'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH''

Wolfen's Sig Site

Have to agree with that.
DW is great for learning site design (unlike FP, which is just plain sucky), but when your page goes wrong, and don't look as you'd hoped (it will happenn sooner or later, trust me), there's nothing quite like a solid understanding of raw code to put things right.