Web Site Cookbook

This latest entry in our acclaimed Cookbook series covers the essentials that every web designer and developer should know about websites. It offers a variety of recipes that teach routine (but often tricky) setup tasks, from registering domains and ensuring that hostnames work, to managing the directory and maintaining and troubleshooting a website. The Website Cookbook also includes clear and professional instruction on page design including: choosing a template system, setting up a colour scheme, and dealing with variable browsers and screen ratios. This cookbook is an essential learning book for budding developers and designers set on advancing their skills and making better websites.

Doug Addison has more than 10 years of web development and content management experience and has worked professionally with numerous web technologies, including HTML, JavaScript/DHTML, CSS, Apache, PHP, MySQL, and Dreamweaver. Doug worked on the Hoover's Online site and the StarDate and Weatherwise magazine web sites before starting his own web consultancy. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Preface

xi

Web Server Setup

1

(30)

Introduction

1

(1)

Registering a Domain Name

1

(4)

Managing and Protecting a Domain Name

5

(4)

Choosing a Server Platform and Hosting Plan

9

(3)

Enabling Server-Side Includes

12

(2)

Setting the Default Filename for a Directory or Entire Site

14

(1)

Making Sure Your Web Site Loads With and Without the ``www'' Prefix

15

(2)

Creating and Accessing Directories Outside the Web Site Root Directory

17

(2)

Automating Routine Tasks

19

(3)

Restarting Your Web Server

22

(1)

Monitoring Web Server Activity

23

(3)

Building an Easy-to-Maintain Web Site With Free Tools

26

(5)

Site Planning and Setup

31

(25)

Introduction

31

(1)

Writing a Functional Specification for Your Site

31

(7)

Assessing Available Materials for a Site

38

(2)

Organizing Your Files in Directories

40

(2)

Establishing a Naming Convention for Your Files

42

(2)

Establishing a Naming Convention for Page Titles

44

(3)

Establishing a Naming Convention for Your Variables

47

(2)

Downloading All Files from a Site

49

(2)

Making URLs Easy to Find and Remember

51

(2)

Creating a Flowchart for Complex Site Functionality

53

(3)

Page Design and Navigation

56

(23)

Introduction

56

(1)

Choosing Between a Flexible and Fixed Layout

56

(4)

Creating a Color Scheme

60

(3)

Making Room for All Your Navigation

63

(2)

Designing Pages for Advertisements

65

(3)

Expanding Your Web Site

68

(2)

Adding Background Images

70

(2)

Creating Breadcrumb Links

72

(2)

Creating a Link Menu to Other Pages

74

(2)

Creating Navigation That Does Not Link to Itself

76

(3)

Formatting Text and Code

79

(29)

Introduction

79

(1)

Writing Standards-Compliant Web Pages

79

(4)

Displaying Foreign and Special Characters

83

(3)

Choosing Type Sizes for Display and Body Text

86

(4)

Including Dynamic Content in Static Pages

90

(2)

Adding a Discretionary Hyphen to Long Words

92

(2)

Dividing a Text Block into Multiple Pages

94

(6)

Reformatting Database Content as HTML

100

(3)

Optimizing Web Page Code

103

(5)

Formatting Graphics

108

(18)

Introduction

108

(1)

Optimizing Your Images

108

(3)

Creating a Web-Friendly Logo

111

(3)

Slicing and Recombining Complex Images

114

(2)

Choosing Clip Art and Stock Photos

116

(2)

Disabling Image Download

118

(5)

Creating Watermarked Images on the Fly

123

(3)

Displaying and Delivering Information

126

(35)

Introduction

126

(1)

Explaining Who's Responsible for Your Site

126

(2)

Writing Meaningful Link Text

128

(3)

Adding Preview Information to Links

131

(2)

Creating Effective Pop-up Windows

133

(3)

Randomizing Text or Images

136

(1)

Highlighting the Search Term

137

(3)

Embedding RSS Feeds on Your Site

140

(1)

Creating an RSS Feed from Database Content

141

(6)

Adding a Poster Frame to a QuickTime Movie

147

(2)

Creating a Printer-Friendly Version of Your Site

149

(3)

Generating Downloadable Files Dynamically

152

(6)

Offering Your Site on Mobile Devices

158

(3)

Interacting with Visitors

161

(36)

Introduction

161

(1)

Preventing Blank Form Fields

161

(2)

Duplicating Form Field Data

163

(2)

Using Sample Input to Reduce Errors

165

(3)

Formatting User-Entered Information

168

(5)

Generating Form Menu Choices from a Database

173

(4)

Storing Multiple Values in One Database Field

177

(2)

Using a Graphical Character String for Form Authentication

179

(5)

Putting Additional Information in mailto Links

184

(1)

Send Visitor Messages to Your Mobile Phone

185

(3)

Using Cookies to Remember Visitor Choices

188

(3)

Internationalizing Your Web Site

191

(2)

Creating an Email Newsletter

193

(4)

Promotion and E-Commerce

197

(29)

Introduction

197

(1)

Turning Site Traffic into Loyal Visitors and Customers

197

(3)

Creating an Effective Landing Page

200

(2)

Creating a Favicon

202

(2)

Forcing a Secure Connection

204

(2)

Creating a Self-Signed SSL Certificate

206

(6)

Disabling a Form Submit Button After the First Click

212

(2)

Creating Complex Select Menus with optgroup

214

(2)

Protecting Your Site from Fraud

216

(2)

Generating Income from Traffic and Content

218

(4)

Tracking and Blocking Visitors Based on Their IP Numbers

222

(1)

Soliciting Donations and Contributions

223

(3)

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

226

(31)

Introduction

226

(1)

Handling Requests for Missing or Relocated Pages

226

(5)

Adding the Referring Page to a Form

231

(1)

Improving Site Performance

232

(3)

Tracking and Documenting Site Changes

235

(2)

Modifying an Auto-Indexed File List to Match Your Site's Design

237

(2)

Converting Source Documents to Web Pages

239

(2)

Coordinating Site Updates and Testing

241

(4)

Taking Care of Your Database

245

(1)

Evaluating Your Site with Metrics

246

(3)

Developing Test Procedures for Your Site

249

(4)

Preventing Email Address Harvesting

253

(4)

Index

257

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

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Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

Web Site Cookbook

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Digital License