Please help me build my website/blog!

[DannyD]

I built a website a few years ago to keep in touch with my family and friends. I will be leaving for a photography school in the summer and I want to build a new site before I go but iWeb just isn't cutting it anymore so I am learning Dreamweaver. I understand the basics of html but I still don't really know how to create my site and which languages to implement. See a mockup here

http://web.mac.com/dprdoran/Practice/NewSite.html

Message wall on the left and blog on the right. Seems simple enough but I am having some trouble...

1. How do I create the layout and formmating of my page? (ex: the banner at the top, the boxes the message wall and blog are in.) Do I make them in photoshop and bring them into Dreamweaver or is there a different/better way. I am also learning CSS, where does this come into play with the layout?

2. How do I make the message wall on the left side of the page? PHP? (My hosting is through godaddy) Javascript? Other? Will I be able to have it on the same page as my blog or does it need its own? Is there a free script I can download from the web and modify it for my site? If yes, how?

3. How should I create the Blog portion on the right? iWeb's blog feature would automatically archive the oldest blog postings after a certain number of posts. Is there a way to do this in Dreamweaver or do I need to do this manually?

I really want to learn web design thoroughly, use all the newest standards such as CSS and build my site the right way. Thanks for any help you guys can give, I know I have a lot to learn.

 

[angelwatt]

One place to get some of the basic for HTML, JavaScript, PHP, etc is the W3 Schools. You're asking quite a lot in your post. Web design takes some time to learn. There's a lot of tutorials out there to get you going and will serve you better than asking for general help on a forum. Though if you get stuck on something specific, then the forums will be handy or if you need clarification on something.

Short answers though:

1. Layouts will be controlled by way of semantic HTML and CSS. There's various tutorials out there. You may look for two-column layouts for your site and horizontal navigation.

2. Can be done with a few different languages. You'll likely find more example code for PHP. It'll also probably need MySQL to store information. You can also take advantage of JavaScript and possibly use AJAX. Someone else has likely built something like what you want already so just do some searching and you'll eventually turn something up.

3. There's plenty of free blog software out there for you to install on the server.

 

[InLikeALion]

3. There's plenty of free blog software out there for you to install on the server.

I would recomend you look into WordPress.org. It is a free blogging cms that is already built for the functionality you're looking for - all the php, mysql, and theming is done. Concentrate on learning how to customize your theme and not on reinventing functionality. Dreamweaver will let you edit all the file types you would need to modify.

Angelwatt is right - you've asked a broad, extensive question, kind of like going to autoenthusiests.com and asking how to build a car. It's something you can teach yourself through info on the web, but it isn't really something that can be answered on a forum thread.

Another good resource is A List Apart