Overview
The goal of this course is to provide you with the fundamental concepts needed to create web pages. You will be provided with the big ideas - ones likely to last even as details change over time - and tips on how to stay up to date.
This first module is designed to give you just enough information about how the web works to allow you to make sense of what you are about to learn. This overview does not claim to be either technical or complete.
In subsequent modules, you will be presented with ideas that are then reinforced with interactive examples and exercises. More information, including the features of the course, can be found on the Help page, accessible by clicking on the word Help at the top right corner of any page.
Components of any web page
If you've used the web even a tiny bit, you are familiar with seeing information displayed in various ways and interacting with pages to request specific information, such as a customized page showing you details of your account or merchandise specific to your interests. We can break this down into three components:
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Content: the text, images, video, sound, and other information on a page.
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Style: the colours, fonts, layout, and other aspects of appearance of a page.
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Action: the behaviour of a page when you click a button, scroll through a menu, or interact with the page in other ways.
Who does what
Another way of looking at the web is by looking at where work is being done: is it being done on your computer (the client) or the website's computer (the server)?
The server provides the web page, which the client then displays. Typically actions such as responding to clicks are handled by the client, whereas the building of dynamic web pages is handled by the server.
Why do client and server look different from other words?
- Terms appearing in burgundy bold letters are being introduced for the first time.
- If you need to look up a term later, you can find it in the glossary, accessible from the Help page.
- To get to the Help page, click on the word Help at the top right corner of any page.
Running example
In teaching you the materials in this course, we will make use of a running example of a web page. It may not be the most beautiful or useful web page you have ever seen, but it contains many of the aspects that you need to understand in order to create your own more beautiful and more useful web pages in the future.
Yes, this image is probably too tiny for you to be able to read the details. You will be provided with close-ups of the various aspects as we cover them, so no need to get out your magnifying glass.
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