Tell a Friend About Our Cool Software
Chapter 1: What Exactly is a Web Page?
I am sure that you've seen lots of Web pages from the perspective of a user, viewing them in your browser. But what about the perspective of your new role as a Web designer? Beneath the surface a Web page is quite different from what you see in a browser, and when you are creating Web pages it's this "beneath the surface" aspect that you will be working with. This is the source code that makes a Web page work.
Every Web page is basically a text file. You can see this text, the
"source", behind any Web page by going to the page in your browser and
then selecting View > Source from the browsers menu (this is the
command in Internet Explorer; other browsers such as Firefox and
Netscape have similar commands). An easier way to do this is to Right-
Click your mouse and select "View Source".. This way you can look at
the source for any page on the Internet. This will be an instrumental tool
for you to learn the in's and out's of Web design. Figure 1.?? shows the
CoffeeCup Software homepage in a browser and Figure 1.?? you can see
its source (or at least part of it) displayed in Notepad.
Figure 1-1. The CoffeeCup home page displayed in a browser.
Figure 1-2. The source code for the CoffeeCup Website displayed in Notepad.
Don't worry about the details of the source code yet,you'll be learning about that throughout this book. The point I am trying to make is that as a Web designer it is the source that you must know best because it is this source that determines how pages look and behave. Web pages are all written using a language called HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Fundamentally, all HTML code in a Web page serves two functions:
- Tell the browser what text and images to show the visitor.
- Tell the browser how to format and display those text and images.
CoffeeCup Software started in a real Coffee House 1996. Our first program was the HTML Editor. Over the last 10 years we have created a lot more Web Design & Flash Software. Our philosophy has always been to create software and services so you can make better Websites. We are dedicated to helping you by offering extraordinary support so we can succeed together. Consider us a partner and a friend, because we really are about Fresh Software and Warm People.
