Front-end Web Development/Notes: Difference between revisions

From Noisebridge
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
(11 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
Notes from previous [[Frontend Web Development]] classes.
Notes from previous [[Frontend Web Development]] classes.


==== Class for 2013-03-25: Backend web development ====
==== Class for 2013-06-24: JavaScript ====
This class was all about the seedy underbelly of web development: the backend!
We talked about JavaScript: making web pages interactive through client-side code. We used the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language. This and next week's class can be treated as a general introduction to programming.


I know we already have a [[Backend_web_dev_in_Ruby_on_Rails|backend class here at Noisebridge]], but this one was tailored toward frontend developers wanting to get a taste of how things come together. We spent the first half talking about PHP, then moved onto a Rails, a more complex example.
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfd78FpYPuI Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class8/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


Here are the steps used for class preparation:
==== Class for 2013-06-17: HTTP & SFTP ====
We talked about file transfer: HTTP, which is the method of getting and sending information in the web browser, and SFTP, which is a method of securely uploading files to a web host.


----
We set up free web hosting accounts at [https://www.nearlyfreespeech.net NearlyFreeSpeech.NET], and uploaded to them using [http://filezilla-project.org the FileZilla client].


===== THE EASY WAY: =====
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfJxBeNzbvQ Lecture video]'''
If you would like to follow along and are on Windows or OS X, the easiest option is to run a virtual machine:
* Install [https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads VirtualBox AND the Extension Pack]
* [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class20/Ubuntu.ova Download this preconfigured Ubuntu virtual machine (1.82GB)]
* Double-click the .ova file. You might want to check the "reinitialize the MAC address" step.
* Start the machine after installation and you're all set!
* System username and password are both "frontend". Feel free to change them if that's uncomfortable.


===== THE HARDER WAY: =====
==== Class for 2013-06-03: Working from professional mockups, cont'd ====
If you don't want to use a virtual machine. I haven't tried these myself, so I can't profess as to how easy or hard it is.
We continued putting our professional-looking site together from [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class5/lecture.zip where we left off]. We focused on some fancy CSS3 techniques, and we saw how to make an interactive dropdown menu with no JavaScript.


On Linux, you'll need to follow these steps:
We didn't exactly finish, but I went ahead and put on the finishing touches. [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class6/noiseco The final product can be found here] (but where we left off can be found in the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class6/lecture.zip lecture materials]).
* http://ryanbigg.com/2010/12/ubuntu-ruby-rvm-rails-and-you/
* https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ApacheMySQLPHP


On Windows or Mac OS X:
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMeTFrR1rtA Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class6/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


* Start with RailsInstaller: http://railsinstaller.org/
==== Class for 2013-05-20: Working from professional mockups ====
* And for PHP:
We took the knowledge we gained from looking at the CSS box model, floats, and positioning, and worked off of something given to us by a designer (me).
** Mac: http://www.mamp.info/en/index.html
** Windows: http://www.wampserver.com/en/


===== THE HARDEST WAY: =====
We worked off of [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup.png this mockup] and its [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup_annotations.png annotated version] to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/assets.zip Image assets can be found here].
Install Apache, PHP, RVM, Ruby, and Rails individually. Good luck!
 
==== Class for 2013-03-18: Version control (Git) and the command line ====
This class was a general overview on version control and the command line. I'd taught how to use an FTP client to upload files to the web, but the truth is that most developers don't do that anymore - rather, they collaborate with their peers by using version control systems, which allows them to keep track of their work in a reliable fashion and push it to the web.
 
Again, this class wasn't about web development per se - it was just an important introduction to using the command line to work with Git, one of the most popular version control systems. Everyone created their own repository and checked in their work.
 
We signed up for a free account at [https://github.com/ GitHub] and installed [http://git-scm.com/ Git]. Those on Windows installed [http://msysgit.github.com/ Git for Windows] (all default options are fine).
 
'''No video for this class :('''<br>
'''[https://github.com/JeffreyATW/frontend_example The repository we created]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-03-11: Old vs. new: progressive enhancement and browser testing ====
We talked about progressive enhancement - a practice where websites are created in a layered way that makes them accessible and cross-browser friendly. We looked at [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class19/sites.zip two versions of an example site] and demonstrated how one is outdated, and the other adheres to progressive enhancement principles. We've touched on these concepts throughout the whole class, but in this class we focused on why they're important, and what could happen if you DON'T adhere to them.
 
This segued nicely into a talk about browser testing - how to do it and what to look out for.
 
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vtsFku4ang Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class19/sites.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-03-04: CSS3 ====
We've covered CSS3 before, but in the context of a mockup. We went further into CSS3 with a demonstration of what the new technologies are, how to make the most of them, and how to make sites using them look good in less capable browsers.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP1nxrI_3WU Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class18/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-02-25: Mobile websites ====
We took [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class17/blog.zip this blog] and turned it into a mobile-accessible website via the use of media queries. We also talked about the rest of the world of the mobile web: user agent strings, frameworks like jQuery Mobile and Sencha Touch, and the future of HTML5/CSS3 in mobile website and app development.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjEJrNgrJVw Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class17/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-02-11: HTML5 elements ====
We took an entertaining (in my opinion) look through [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class16/html.zip this page containing every currently valid HTML element]. Many of them are considered "HTML5", but that's just because they're new.
 
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or9Y1facTtc Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class16/html.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-02-04: More useful jQuery plugins ====
Our final jQuery-focused class touched on a number of other common plugins that are found in the wild. We took a closer look at Bootstrap and jQuery UI, and looked at plugins that make your page look super snazzy:
* [http://jqueryui.com/demos/datepicker/ Datepicker (jQuery UI)] - fancy datepickers appearing near your input fields
* [http://jqueryui.com/demos/accordion/ Accordion (jQuery UI)] - collapse and unfold lists of elements
* [http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/javascript.html#scrollspy Scrollspy (Bootstrap)] - change navs to highlight where you are scrolled on a page
* [http://jquery.malsup.com/cycle/ Cycle] - make easy slideshows
* [http://harvesthq.github.com/chosen/ Chosen] - style dropdowns
 
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35CJx9lkGyE Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class15/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2013-01-28: Sign-up forms ====
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y6MxRAPfLs Lecture video]'''<br>
We continued working on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class13/lecture.zip our site] and added a sign-up form, with validation, inside the modal. We used the [http://bassistance.de/jquery-plugins/jquery-plugin-validation/ jQuery Validation plugin]. This is a very common request from clients and it comes in handy to know all the tips and tricks of forms and validation, and what new HTML5 elements can provide.
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class5/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tv6uPMmQNY Lecture video]'''<br>
==== Class for 2013-05-13: CSS positioning ====
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class14/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
In the last few classes, we focused on element measurements and floats. This time, we focused on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, and using absolute, relative, or fixed positioning to put the elements anywhere we want on the whole page.


==== Class for 2013-01-14: Menus and modals ====
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxROKEWIjB8 Lecture video]'''<br>
We went back to the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class13/noiseco.zip "professional" site we'd put together a number of weeks ago] and added more functionality to it with some jQuery plugins. We first made a dialog box - or a "modal" - pop up when you click the sign up buttons. We did this by introducing [http://jqueryui.com/ jQuery UI] to make common web development tasks easier. We also add some dropdown functionality to our menus using pure CSS, but this can be done using jQuery UI or [http://twitter.github.com/bootstrap/ Bootstrap] as well.
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class4/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


'''No video for this class. :('''<br>
==== Class for 2013-05-06: CSS floats ====
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class13/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2013-01-07: AJAX ====
We talked about Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, a technology that allows us to talk to a server without leaving the page. jQuery makes this extremely easy. We added AJAX functionality to [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class10/lecture.zip our app we've been building on]. We used this [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class9/tweet.php.zip PHP file] to test it out.
 
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS-uoDnslh8 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class12/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-12-17: File transfer ====
We talked about file transfer - not only uploading files using FTP, but using the web browser to get and send information via forms and other methods (an overall talk about HTTP GET/POST).
 
We downloaded and installed [http://filezilla-project.org FileZilla] and signed up for a [https://nearlyfreespeech.net NearlyFreeSpeech.NET] hosting account.
 
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohL0FRC9us8 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class11/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-12-10: jQuery, cont'd ====
We continued learning about jQuery by focusing on [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class5/answer%20sheet.zip the example we saw last week]. We're added functionality to it that made it seem more like the real thing.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMKdZ0IlD48 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class10/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-12-03: jQuery ====
We introduced jQuery, a JavaScript library that makes web programming a whole lot easier.
 
'''No video for this class. :('''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class9/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-11-26: JavaScript, cont'd ====
We continued discussed JavaScript basics: arrays, iterators, loops, creating functions, and the debugger.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_4Z33l0lnY Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class8/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-11-12: JavaScript ====
We talked about JavaScript: making webpages interactive through client-side code. We used the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP6_pd25-Ps Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class7/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-11-05: Working from professional mockups, cont'd ====
We continued putting our professional-looking site together from [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class5/lecture.zip where we left off].
 
As a reminder, here is the [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup.png mockup] and its [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup_annotations.png annotated version]. [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/assets.zip Image assets can be found here].
 
[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/class11/index.html Here is the code that the mockup was based off of] - a good way to check your work. It might differ slightly from what we did in class.
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvC4ZLFpbtE Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class6/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-10-22: Working from professional mockups ====
We worked off of [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup.png this mockup] and its [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/mockup_annotations.png annotated version] to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class5/assets.zip Image assets can be found here].
 
'''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to3-VjUPU64 Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class5/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-10-15: CSS floats ====
Floating is the secret sauce behind creating websites with multiple columns, navigation menus, and basically any block element that's aligned to the left or right. We learned about floats by taking a look at some examples, then took a [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class4/mockup.png mockup] and created a site from it.
Floating is the secret sauce behind creating websites with multiple columns, navigation menus, and basically any block element that's aligned to the left or right. We learned about floats by taking a look at some examples, then took a [http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series2/class4/mockup.png mockup] and created a site from it.


'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJeN9P8x1VE Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j6oA4sS99U Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class4/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class3/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
 
==== Class for 2012-10-08: CSS positioning ====
We focused on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, positioning them absolutely on the page, positioning them relatively, fixed and more.
 
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTL_YDz3zmo Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class3/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2012-10-01: CSS selectors and the box model ====
==== Class for 2013-04-22: CSS selectors and the box model ====
CSS selectors are probably the most complex part of the CSS language, so we looked at them further in-depth. We also talked about the box model, the display concept that makes words and containers on the web look like they do.
CSS selectors are probably the most complex part of the CSS language, so we looked at them further in-depth. We also talked about the box model, the display concept that makes words and containers on the web look like they do.


'''No video for this class. :('''<br>
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqQph1vry7A Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class2/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class2/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


==== Class for 2012-09-24: the basics ====
==== Class for 2013-04-15: the basics ====
We covered the very basics:
We covered the very basics:
* Explaining "frontend" vs. "backend"
* Explaining "frontend" vs. "backend"
Line 175: Line 57:
* Explaining the role of frontend web development as a job and career
* Explaining the role of frontend web development as a job and career


'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r87aEOpelzQ Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmDCjhCuNtU Lecture video]'''<br>
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series3/class1/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''
'''[http://jeffreyatw.com/static/frontend/series4/class1/lecture.zip Lecture materials]'''


----
----


[[Frontend_Web_Development/Notes/Archive|Notes archive]]
[[Frontend_Web_Development/Notes/Archive|Notes archive]]

Revision as of 09:01, 26 June 2013

Notes from previous Frontend Web Development classes.

Class for 2013-06-24: JavaScript

We talked about JavaScript: making web pages interactive through client-side code. We used the console, which is part of the browser's developer tools, to demonstrate the basics of the language. This and next week's class can be treated as a general introduction to programming.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-06-17: HTTP & SFTP

We talked about file transfer: HTTP, which is the method of getting and sending information in the web browser, and SFTP, which is a method of securely uploading files to a web host.

We set up free web hosting accounts at NearlyFreeSpeech.NET, and uploaded to them using the FileZilla client.

Lecture video

Class for 2013-06-03: Working from professional mockups, cont'd

We continued putting our professional-looking site together from where we left off. We focused on some fancy CSS3 techniques, and we saw how to make an interactive dropdown menu with no JavaScript.

We didn't exactly finish, but I went ahead and put on the finishing touches. The final product can be found here (but where we left off can be found in the lecture materials).

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-05-20: Working from professional mockups

We took the knowledge we gained from looking at the CSS box model, floats, and positioning, and worked off of something given to us by a designer (me).

We worked off of this mockup and its annotated version to make a site that could pass as a professional design (but don't take my word for it). Image assets can be found here.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-05-13: CSS positioning

In the last few classes, we focused on element measurements and floats. This time, we focused on positioning of elements: spacing them out from other elements using margins, and using absolute, relative, or fixed positioning to put the elements anywhere we want on the whole page.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-05-06: CSS floats

Floating is the secret sauce behind creating websites with multiple columns, navigation menus, and basically any block element that's aligned to the left or right. We learned about floats by taking a look at some examples, then took a mockup and created a site from it.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-04-22: CSS selectors and the box model

CSS selectors are probably the most complex part of the CSS language, so we looked at them further in-depth. We also talked about the box model, the display concept that makes words and containers on the web look like they do.

Lecture video
Lecture materials

Class for 2013-04-15: the basics

We covered the very basics:

  • Explaining "frontend" vs. "backend"
  • Discussing tools of the trade
  • Explaining the separation between structure, presentation, and behavior
  • Writing a basic HTML page
  • Styling the page with basic CSS
  • Explaining the role of frontend web development as a job and career

Lecture video
Lecture materials


Notes archive