Today’s class included an introduction to HTML and CSS code. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the computer code that web pages are written with, while CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) separates your site’s style information from your content, making it easier to manage large sites. Understanding how HTML and CSS work is essential for anyone who designs websites. Even if you prefer to use WYSIWYG software such as Dreamweaver, or work with someone else who writes code based on your designs, knowing HTML and CSS will greatly contribute to your understanding of how a well-designed website is built. If you want a refresher of the presentation I did in class, there is a great tutorial from css-tricks.com that covers most of the same material.

When writing code, be sure to use a plain-text editor such as TextEdit for Mac, or Notepad for Windows. Rich text editors such as Word are not used for writing code. Of course, there are plenty of programs out there that are intended specifically for writing code, which provide more features such as syntax highlighting and file management. Try Smultron or TextWrangler for Mac, or Aedix Suite for Windows. Some of these programs are no longer updated by their authors, but they are still available to download.

If you would like to learn more about HTML and CSS, YourHTMLSource is a great place to start. The tutorials at Tizag and W3Schools are also very useful.