TechLadies

in KL 🇲🇾

By Chen Hui Jing / @hj_chen

About web development

What is web development?

The process of building websites

How to get started?

Your computer

This image is pure CSS.

Modified from this brilliant codepen by Will Paige

A clear mind

HTML and CSS are the foundation of the web

Basic technology stack

Tools we'll be using

GitHub - Git repository hosting service
Cloud9 - Online development environment
Azure - Application hosting service

In most circumstances, we do development on our local machines, but given that setting up for development deserves its own workshop, we'll be using online tools instead.

Internet basics

What is the internet?

The entire network of networks that connect all the world's devices to each other

Global Submarine Cable Map

From TeleGeography

Global Internet Exchange Map

From TeleGeography

Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)

Set up in 1958 for R&D to expand the frontiers of technology and science
Computers used to be monoliths which couldn't communicate with each other
Best and brightest minds in the country came up with the concept of computer networking

World Wide Web

Invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989
Created the 3 essential technologies that power the World Wide Web:
1. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for retrieving text from other documents via hypertext links
2. Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) which is the unique identifier for every resource on the web
3. Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for structuring and presenting content on the web

If you like reading books...

Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet

Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet

Introduction to Networking: How the Internet Works

Weaving the Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web

Clients and Servers

From server to your browser

Enter a URL in the address bar

Browser sends request to server and server locates the requested file

Server returns the file to the browser which displays it

Everything is connected by links

A link on a web page is a pre-entered URL. Clicking the link sends a request to the server.

The server sends the requested file back to the browser, which replaces the current page with the new file.

Absolute vs. Relative links

Absolute paths ask for a file from a specific location, which includes the protocol and server.

<a href="http://www.unicorn.com/gallery.html">Gallery<a>

Relative paths ask for a file without specifying a server.

<a href="gallery.html">Gallery<a>

The browser will hence assume you're referring to the same server as the page you're on.

Hands-on Practice

Guess The Number

Fork the repository on Github
Follow the instructions here
.erb files behave in exactly the same way as HTML
Gemfile handles ruby gem dependencies

Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML)

Structures the document and tells browsers what a certain element's function is
Content is "marked-up" using tags

Tags usually (but not always) come in pairs,

<p>This is an example of a paragraph element</p>

The opening tag, closing tag and everything in between is a HTML element

Structure of HTML document

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Example page</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Hello world</h1>
  </body>
</html>

Document type element

<!DOCTYPE html>

Appears just above the <html> tag
Tells the browser to render the HTML in standards mode
Let's validation software know which version of HTML to validate against
Advised to use the HTML5 doctype

`<html>` element

<html lang="en">
// HTML code for web page
</html>

Represents the root of an HTML document
Encouraged to specify a language attribute
Language attribute aids speech synthesis (screen readers), translation tools and other language-related functionality

`<head>` element

<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>Your site title</title>
  <meta name="description" content="A short description of your website">
  <meta name="author" content="Your name">
  
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/styles.css?v=1.0">
</head>

Contains instructions for the browser and meta data for the website
Title and description are what shows up on search engine results
Stylesheets are also declared here

`<body>` element

<body>
  <header>
    <img src="img/logo.png" alt="Site logo">
    <nav>
      <ul>
        <li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">About</a></li>
        <li><a href="#">Contact</a></li>
      </ul>
    </nav>
  </header>
  <main>
    <h1>Page header</h1>
    <p>Some content in a paragraph. Brownie tiramisu toffee sweet roll sesame snaps halvah. Fruitcake donut pie ice cream jujubes danish dragée. Bear claw jelly dessert lemon drops bonbon donut. Sugar plum sugar plum candy canes ice cream powder tootsie roll sweet. Sugar plum biscuit macaroon fruitcake cookie cupcake jelly-o cupcake. </p>
  <main>
</body>

Represents the main content of the document
Should only be one <body> element on a web page

Formatting your web page

<address>
<article>
<footer>
<header>
<h1>
<h2>
<h3>
<h4>
<h5>
<h6>
<hgroup>
<nav>
<section>
<dd>
<div>
<dl>
<dt>
<figcaption>
<figure>
<hr>
<li>
<main>
<ol>
<p>
<pre>
<ul>
<caption>
<col>
<colgroup>
<table>
<tbody>
<td>
<tfoot>
<th>
<thead>
<tr>
<button>
<datalist>
<fieldset>
<form>
<input>
<keygen>
<label>
<legend>
<meter>
<optgroup>
<option>
<output>
<progress>
<select>
<details>
<dialog>
<menu>
<menuitem>
<summary>
<abbr>
<b>
<bdi>
<bdo>
<br>
<cite>
<code>
<data>
<dfn>
<em>
<i>
<kbd>
<mark>
<q>
<rp>
<rt>
<rtc>
<ruby>
<s>
<samp>
<small>
<span>
<strong>
<sub>
<sup>
<time>
<u>
<var>
<wbr>
<area>
<audio>
<map>
<track>
<video>
<embed>
<object>
<param>
<source>
<canvas>
<noscript>
<script>
<del>
<ins>

Basic HTML5 template

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8">
    <title>title</title>
    <meta name="description" content="A short description of your website">
    <meta name="author" content="Your name">
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
  </head>
  <body>
    <!-- page content -->
    <script src="script.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

Top to bottom, left to right

Web pages are made up of rectangular boxes
These boxes are placed from top to bottom, left to right

Block-level elements

Block-level elements take up the entire width of the container.

Rainbows

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.

Colours

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet

The block-level tags shown in this example are h1, h2, p, ul and li.

You can refer to the full list of block-level elements here.

Inline-level elements

If an element is NOT block-level, it is inline.

Accordingly, the Munsell colour system (a 20th-century system for numerically describing colours, based on equal steps for human visual perception) distinguishes 100 hues.

<p class="tl-example-4">Accordingly, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munsell_color_system">the Munsell colour system</a> (a 20th-century system for numerically describing colours, based on equal steps for human visual perception) distinguishes 100 hues.</p>

Commonly used inline-level tags include a, input, label, img and so on.

Full list of inline-level elements available here.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Tells the browser how to display a certain element
Follows the general ruleset:

Select the HTML element to be styled
Specify the properties of the element to be styled
Give the values we want each property to have

Structure of a CSS rule

selector {
  property1: value;
  property2: value;
  property3: value;
}

The selector identifies which HTML elements the rule will be applied to
The curly braces contain the property-value pairs, separated with semi-colons
The properties define the style of the selected element
The values are dependent on the property, and indicate the value of the properties to be set

Types of CSS selectors

Element: matches all the elements of that name on the page
```
p {}
```
Class: matches all the elements with the specified class attribute, e.g. <div class="example">
```
.example {}
```
ID: matches the element with the specified id attribute, e.g. <div id="example">
```
#example {}
```

Descendent selectors

Used to select tags that are children of other tags

<ul>
    <li>4 large eggs</li>
    <li>1/4 cup milk</li>
    <li>2 tsp. butter</li>
  </ul>
  <ol>
    <li>BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended.</li>
    <li>HEAT butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. POUR IN egg mixture. As eggs begin to set, GENTLY PULL the eggs across the pan with a spatula, forming large soft curds.</li>
    <li>CONTINUE cooking – pulling, lifting and folding eggs – until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly. REMOVE from heat. SERVE immediately.</li>
  </ol>

ul li {
    color: green;
  }

4 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. butter

BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended.
HEAT butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. POUR IN egg mixture. As eggs begin to set, GENTLY PULL the eggs across the pan with a spatula, forming large soft curds.
CONTINUE cooking – pulling, lifting and folding eggs – until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly. REMOVE from heat. SERVE immediately.

Selector list is read from right-to-left, with the left-most being the parent.

Pseudo-selectors

Applies to selectors when certain conditions occur

a {
    /* removes underlines from 
       all text links */
    text-decoration: none;
  }
  a:hover {
   /* adds an underline and makes
      the font green when hovered */
    text-decoration: underline;
    color: green;
  }

There are many other pseudo-selectors you can use as well. The full list is available here.

The box model

The model is made up of four boxes, from inside to outside:

The box model, visualised

Content
Padding
Border
Margin

When to use margin

Margin controls the space between elements.

h2 {
    margin: 5px 0 5px 0;
  }

Rainbows

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light.

Colours

Red
Orange
Yellow

h2 {
    margin: 20px 0 20px 0;
  }

Rainbows

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light.

Colours

Red
Orange
Yellow

When to use padding

Padding controls the size of the box without adjusting the size of the content within it.

h2 {
    padding: 0;
  }

Rainbows

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light.

Colours

Red
Orange
Yellow

h2 {
    padding: 20px 0 20px 0;
  }

Rainbows

A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light.

Colours

Red
Orange
Yellow

Where to write your styles

Browsers will pick up your CSS if they are between a <style> tags which is a child of the <head> tag.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <style type="text/css">
      h1 {
        font-size: 2rem;
      }
      a {
        text-decoration: none;
      }
      a:hover {
        text-decoration: underline;
        color: darkred;
      }
    </style>
  </head>

Use a separate CSS file

As your site grows, you'll have many more styles, so it's better to move them all into a separate file.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="main.css">
  </head>

In this example, we are using main.css but you can name the file anything. This file will hold all your CSS and be linked in the <head> of every page.

CSS Specificity

0-∞

Inline styles

0-∞

IDs

0-∞

Classes, attributes and pseudo-classes

0-∞

Elements and pseudo-elements

ul {
  // CSS properties
}

0, 0, 0, 1

.class-1 .class-2 p {
  // CSS properties
}

0, 0, 2, 1

#id-1 .class-3 div {
  // CSS properties
}

0, 1, 1, 1

General guidelines for writing CSS

Declare your styles from lowest specificity then move up
Keep your specificity as low as possible
Name your classes sensibly
Never style IDs
Don't write inline styles

Using Images

Types of images

Content images
- contain relevant information
- help the user understand the content
Background images
- decorative in nature
- contribute to the overall look and feel of the site

Content images

Content images are created using the <img> tag

<img src="path/to/image" alt="Description of the image">

Doesn't need a closing tag.
Requires a <src> attribute to tell the browser where to find the image file
Requires an <alt> attribute which describes the image or its purpose

Background images

Background images are set via CSS

There are several properties related to backgrounds:

background-image: none
background-position: 0% 0%
background-size: auto auto
background-repeat: repeat
background-origin: padding-box
background-clip: border-box
background-attachment: scroll
background-color: transparent

background is one of many CSS properties that can be written in shorthand.

Setting background images

background-image can use relative or absolute paths

div {
    background-color: #170104;
    background-image: url('img/background.jpg');
  }

It's advisable to set a background-color as a fallback for the background image

This is a div with a background image

background-position

This is used to set the position of the image

div {
    background-color: #170104;
    background-image: url('img/background.jpg');
    background-position: center center;
  }

Position has been set to center center

div {
    background-color: #170104;
    background-image: url('img/background.jpg');
    background-position: left bottom;
  }

Position has been set to left bottom

Background-repeat

Used for tiling patterned backgrounds

Takes the following values:

repeat-x: tiles the image horizontally
repeat-y: tiles the image vertically
no-repeat: don't tile or repeat anything

div {
  background-color: #EBEBEB;
  background-image: url('img/sativa.jpg');
  background-repeat: repeat;
}

Web typography

Typography terminology

Typography is, quite simply, the art and technique of arranging type.

General guidelines

Default font-size is 16px. Don't go smaller than that for body copy.
Adjust the measure to around 45-75 characters per line.
Have a line-height of around 140%.
Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and the background.
Create a visual hierarchy, through size or text styles.

Web fonts

Don't go crazy with the number of fonts used. Usually 2 is enough.

Serve the font files yourself using @font-face or use a hosted service, like Google Fonts, using @import

@import url(https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Fjalla+One|Average);

body {
  font-family: "Average", serif;
}

h1 {
  font-family: "Fjalla One", sans-serif;
}

Browser developer tools

What are devtools?

Every modern browser has a powerful suite of developer tools.

Inspect currently loaded HTML, CSS and Javascript
Check which assets were loaded
See how long it took for your assets to load
Provides details for each HTTP request/response
And a lot more...

How to use devtools?

Keyboard shortcut
- Windows: Ctrl + Shift + I
- Mac: Option + Command + I
Menu bar
- Firefox: Tools > Web Developer > Toggle Tools
- Chrome: View > Developer > Developer Tools
- Safari: Develop > Show Web Inspector
- Opera: Developer > Web Inspector
Context menu
- Right-click on an element in the browser and select Inspect

Responsive web design

The web is fluid

Image by Stephanie Walter

Browsers are responsive by default

Our problems with websites are self-created

Satirical but true example

"The control which designers know in the print medium, and often desire in the web medium, is simply a function of the limitation of the printed page."
- John Allsop, A Dao of Web Design (2000)

Media queries

Tell the browser to display the site’s content in a particular way when certain conditions are true.

Basic syntax as follows:

@media <media-type> (<media-feature>);

media-type: e.g. screen, print
media-feature: e.g. width, height

Mobile-first media queries

.o-flex3__item {
  flex: 0 0 100%
}

@media all and (min-width: 30em) and (max-width: 47.9375em) {
  .o-flex3__item {
    flex: 0 0 49.15254%
  }
}

@media all and (min-width: 48em) {
  .o-flex3__item {
    flex: 0 0 32.20339%
  }
}

Default styles are for small screen sizes
Add styles as the screen size gets bigger
Can chain additional media features

Web accessibility

Semantics and accessibility

To make the web easier to use and access, and available to everyone
Encompasses all disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive and neurological disabilities
Benefits people without disabilities as well
Accessible websites benefit from search engine optimisation (SEO)

Basic accessibility checklist (1/2)

Page title: To adequately and briefly describe the content of the page
Image text alternatives: To make visual information accessible
Headings: To provide meaningful hierarchy for facilitation of navigation
Contrast ratio: To have sufficient luminance contrast ratio, for people with different requirements
Resize text: To ensure visibility and usability as text size increases

Basic accessibility checklist (2/2)

Keyboard access & visual focus: To provide full functionality through a keyboard, and visible focus with logical order
Forms, labels & errors: To have proper labels, keyboard access, clear instructions, and effective error handling
Multimedia alternatives: To have alternative formats for audio and visual impaired

Visit Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) to understand more about this important aspect of the web

Deploying your website

Web hosting

Renting server space for your website

Shared hosting, Dedicated hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server)

Managed vs Unmanaged

Domain name registration

Domain names map to your server's IP address

Provides a human-readable name for ypur site

Top-level domains, e.g. .com, .io, .org, .edu

Getting your site online

Upload the files onto your server, Git or FTP

Servers usually run on Linux

Type of hosting determines level of control

Must be running a HTTP server, common ones are Apache or Nginx

Basic Git Terminology

Git is a version control system

Repository: A place that stores all your project files

Commit: Used to take a "snapshot" of the state of your project

Branch: Used to develop features without disrupting the main code base

Commit your work

Make sure you're in your project directory, otherwise the following commands will not work.

Stage the files you've been working on

git add .

Write a sensible commit message

git commit -m "Add styling to Guess the Number app"

Push your changes to the remote repository

git push origin master

Resources

To find out more...

HTML & CSS is hard (but it doesn't have to be) (online course)
Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) (website)
HTML & CSS: Design and Build Web Sites by Jon Duckett (book)
Designing with Web Standards by Jeffrey Zeldman (book)

THE END

https://www.chenhuijing.com

@hj_chen

@huijing

TechLadies

in KL 🇲🇾

About web development

What is web development?

How to get started?

HTML and CSS are the foundation of the web

Basic technology stack

Tools we'll be using

Internet basics

What is the internet?

Global Submarine Cable Map

Global Internet Exchange Map

Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)

World Wide Web

If you like reading books...

Clients and Servers

From server to your browser

Everything is connected by links

Absolute vs. Relative links

Hands-on Practice

Guess The Number

Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML)

Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML)

Structure of HTML document

Document type element

<html> element

<head> element

<body> element

Formatting your web page

Basic HTML5 template

Top to bottom, left to right

Block-level elements

Rainbows

Colours

Inline-level elements

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Structure of a CSS rule

Types of CSS selectors

Descendent selectors

Pseudo-selectors

The box model

When to use margin

Rainbows

Colours

Rainbows

Colours

When to use padding

Rainbows

Colours

Rainbows

Colours

Where to write your styles

Use a separate CSS file

CSS Specificity

General guidelines for writing CSS

Using Images

Types of images

Content images

Background images

Setting background images

background-position

Background-repeat

Web typography

Typography terminology

General guidelines

Web fonts

Browser developer tools

What are devtools?

How to use devtools?

Responsive web design

The web is fluid

Browsers are responsive by default

Media queries

Mobile-first media queries

Web accessibility

Semantics and accessibility

Basic accessibility checklist (1/2)

Basic accessibility checklist (2/2)

Deploying your website

`<html>` element

`<head>` element

`<body>` element