CreateaFreeWebsite

  for the Beginner

Create a Web Page with Easy Flexbox

As Promised Easy Flexbox

Easy Flexbox tutorial is finally HERE.

7 easy copy and paste lessons. You'll also learn how to use the clamp function and the art of nesting in style sheets for more manageable CSS.
Start Lesson #1

Note: Nesting in style sheets is new and a lot of HTML editors don't support it yet. One that does: Geany (cross platform).

Working Examples

They're copy and paste. Flexbox can be as confusing as you want to make it. Start simple with these working examples.

Flexbox Templates

We're in the process of converting all our Free Templates to Flexbox. The single page single column designs are ready. They are complete with plugin navigation devices from our Navbar Collection.

Click Me to Take one for a Spin

The Old Way

This 9 Step tutorial will teach you to create Responsive HTML5 web pages using a simple hands on approach.

You will copy and paste HTML5 code into NotePad or Linux based text editor, then enhance its appearance using CSS (cascading style sheets).

You'll actually see how HTML and CSS work together and the importance of Responsive Web Design.

Complete all 9 lessons and you'll have enough information to grab a couple of our free template kits which provide working examples of creating columns, swapping images, using media queries and break points and even scrolling columns without the ugly scrollbars.

Responsive Web Design?

This web page when finished won't just be liquid. It will be mobile ready.

Responsive Web Design means if some one pulls the page up on any size device will display like one of the two pictures shown here.

 

FIRST TIMERS!!

Things you'll need to know:
How to create new folders
How to Copy and Paste
How to find and use your Text Editor
How to use a browser offline
If you don't know how to do any of these things, start with:
How to Use This Tutorial.

On a Tablet
Viewed at 912 pixels

The website you will create.

On a SmartPhone
Viewed at 412 pixels

It's mobile ready.

 

All GOOD? You should be able to complete the tutorial in about an hour.

🛟 Need Help? Send me your question and I'll post the answer in Tutor Comments.

Get Organized!!!

①Important!!!! Create a special folder to store your HTML and CSS pages in.

Name it htdocs.

Make it easy to find.

Windows Users: Learn to use File Explorer. Find your personal folder. In Windows 11 it's Name-Personal. Create htdocs there. See: Create New Folder

Linux Users: Create it right on your Parent drive on home/parent/htdocs See: Create New Folder

②Create another folder INSIDE the /htdocs/ folder.

Name it images.

This will help you to start out in an organized fashion and find the page with your browser when previewing.

You will save pictures that we provide in Exercise 6 in the /htdocs/images/ folder.

 

Tutorial Set Up

Tutor and Text Editor

①Open your text editor and place it on the right.

②Open the tutor in your browser and place the tutor on the left.

③Open 2 tabs in the browser, one for the tutor and one to view the saved changes to myfirstpage.html. Or you can use a second browser for viewing your web pages.

Paste your HTML code and CSS in the Text editor on the right. We'll use an embedded stylesheet to simplify the process.
(That just means it's all one page)

 

💥Ready to work? Start the first Exercise!

First Exercise

You're going to create an html document in this exercise and Save it in your \htdocs folder

Copy and Paste the entire block of code into your Text Editor

This is the HTML code:
See Explanation Below



<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>I Love Responsive Web Design</title>
<meta name="description" content="">
<meta name="keywords" content="">
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
<style>
* {
margin:0 0 0 0;
padding:0 0 0 0}
body{
max-width:48rem; /*768px*/
margin:0 auto;
font-family: Arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif;
font-size: 1.25rem;  /*20px*/
font-style:normal;
font-weight:100;
color: #444;
background-color: #ffffff
}

</style>
</head>
<body>

</body>
</html>

 

🔴 Save the web page as myfirstpage.html in the htdocs folder.

The .html extension is crucial.

👀 Once you save the HTML page you can look at the page with a browser. Right now you'll get a blank white page.

Style Sheet Design

We used an embedded stylesheet (located in head section of document) to simplify the process for now.

The 6 page #402 Kit uses a linked style sheet.

 

👇

 

📦Think you can use the Explanation Button Tool on your site. Download the Explanation Kit and try it for yourself. It's plug in ready.

The Result

Future Web page builders will see an empty white colored browser window.

Were you successful? If you were, congratulations!!

If you see code in your browser you may have errors or you saved your page with a txt extension.

Check the extension of your saved file. It should be .html

Go back and read the information again. Don't skip any steps.

If you are using an HTML editor that doesn't support HTML5, get rid of it. It will probably trash your code.

For best results copy and paste the HTML code and CSS for now.

The HTML code and CSS must be exactly as shown.

 

Windows User Tips
Create a Website with HTLM5 and CSS

When using Notepad, be sure to use the All files filter when saving your html documents.

Notepad may save your page as myfirstpage.html.txt. You can avoid this by setting the All files filter.

I ran through the tutorial twice once using Notepad and then again using NoteTab Light.

I really think Notepad was easier with the exception of having to use File Explorer to navigate to the htdocs folder to right click on the HTML documents you will create and choosing Open with to bring them up in Microsoft Edge.

You'll also need to use File Explorer to open the images folder when you add the image to the page in Lesson 6.

I advise making sure you set the cursor in the Notepad window by tapping twice on the left mouse button until you see the cursor placed at the proper position in the code for pasting.

Toggling back and forth in Edge between tabs was no problem when the tutor and myfirstpage.html were loaded in separate tabs. Just remember to Refresh when viewing myfirstpage after saved changes.

 

 

WinTips Popup

WinTips demonstrates another and much simpler method of adding popups to your web pages. Uses Simple HTML and CSS with no iframes and a lot less code. It even provides an easier way to hide the scrollbars. The actual code for the demo in our button gallery.

 

W3C Validator

Using W3C Validator: It isn't that hard to create error free code if you start out right. Get into the habit of using the W3C Validator to check your web pages before uploading them. We prefer the Direct Input option. If you need a quick tutorial get it here.

Test Your Comprehension

💡Take a quiz on the information presented so far.

 

Ready to Proceed

Are you comfortable with your tutor set up? Make adjustments now.

When you're comfortable and get everything working with the desired result in your browser, you are ready to proceed to the next exercise.

Don't go on unless you have a basic understanding of the copy, paste, save and preview procedures presented so far.

 

 

Helps

If you missed the tutor on previewing HTML pages with a browser and are having problems, Visit that tutor now.

 

 

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