How to build a Professional Web Site - a comprehensive distance learning course

HOW TO BUILD A PROFESSIONAL WEB SITE

View now how the Course Lessons are structured. Click here.

How to build a Professional Web Site is a very comprehensive, step-by-step Web Design/WebMaster "distance-learning" course. It is structured and offered to the wider Internet audience by Carlo Scodanibbio, international consultant and trainer, and replicates - identical in its content - the "real-world" program he presents regularly at the University of Cape Town.

Download the first 5 Lessons of the Course, free for you to keep. Click here.


support and faq area

Prospective and enrolled participants in this Course will find here most of the answers to their queries.
This page is updated frequently - check it regularly.

If the answer to your query is not here, please fill out an enquiry form


administrative queries

technical queries

answers to administrative queries

Q. Why the Traditional Format is much more expensive than the DIY Format ?
A. Because of the time factor involved. My time is my most valuable resource, and marking exercises, answering your queries, and guiding you up in the learning process takes time. Since I like to do things properly, and answer your queries extensively, and assist you personally (one-to-one basis) and in a personalised way to master the various topics of the Course, this takes lots of my time - and obviously costs more.       Carlo

Q. What are the main differences between the Traditional Format and the DIY Format ?
A. If you choose the Traditional Format you can rely on a very high level of assistance and guidance on a one-to-one basis - this is very limited, instead, in the DIY Format. Because of that, the Traditional Format costs more than the DIY Format (the double, to be more specific).       Carlo

Q. Why is your Registration Form so complex ? Do I have to fill in all those details ?
A. It's long (but not so complex, after all) because the more details you give me about your computer and yourself, the better I will be able to assist you if the need arises. In other words, if I ask you about your Computer, your Operating System, your Screen, your Browser, your computer literacy, and so on, it's because when I receive your queries (Course Traditional Format) I know immediately what originates them, as well as the answer to possible problems you are experiencing.
This is also true in the case of the DIY course: if you have any problem (hopefully not), I will know how to help you in solving it.
So, spare 5 minutes and let me know all those details: maybe one day you won't regret it !       Carlo

Q. I have registered for one Module only - do I get a discount if I take the other 2 ?
A. I am afraid not. You get a discount only when you register for the 3 available Modules (and pay the associated fees) in one go (all at once).       Carlo

Q. Can I start this Course in one Format and then switch over to another one ?
A. Yes, you may, but on a "per Module" basis - i.e. you may take Module 1 in Traditional Format, for instance, and then decide to enrol for Module 2 on a DIY basis.... or vice-versa. It is not possible to change Format "during" a Module.       Carlo

Q. Traditional Course - how many e-mails can I send to Carlo ?
A. As many as you need and wish. BUT, I would prefer you stick to the golden rule of sending to me an e-mail per week, containing your exercise/s for marking and your queries of the week. If you have some serious problem, I will be glad to answer 100 e-mails, if necessary.       Carlo

Q. Traditional Course - must I submit Exercises for marking before I see the corresponding solution ?
A. Preferable, but not necessary. You may submit exercises for marking at any time. BUT, I trust you will make your own exercising, without snooping into the solution/s contained in the next Lesson ! In any case, I have my own methods to detect if you produce by yourself the wanted results, or if you are just copying unashamedly. Moreover, if you have gone for the Traditional format, I do not see any point in skipping your own, hard exercising..... Anyhow, if you have any good reason to delay the submission of your exercises, that's no problem at all: take your time.       Carlo

Q. DIY Course - can I download all Lessons of a Module in one go ?
A. YES, if you wish - and it is also recommended. Once you enrol for a DIY Module, I send you by e-mail instructions for downloading all 10 Lessons of that Module. It's up to you to decide when to download the 10 Lessons: the best solution is to download all of them in one go, store them in your computer, and then study the 10 Lessons at the pace that most suits you.       Carlo

Q. DIY Course - can I download all 30 Lessons in one go ?
A. YES, and it is also recommended. If you enrol for the 3 Modules of the DIY Course, I send you by e-mail instructions for downloading the 30 Lessons of the Course. It's up to you to decide when to download the 30 Lessons: the best solution is to download all of them in one go, store them in your computer, and then study the 30 Lessons at the pace that most suits you.       Carlo

Q. DIY Course - am I allowed to send some e-mail to Carlo ?
A. YES, but to a very limited extent. Please send me mail only if you have considerable problems, or if you wish to let me know you have done a great web design job. Example of problems: you cannot download your Lessons files - you can download them but you cannot install them in your computer - your Browser does not display Lessons - you are really stuck with some topic you don't understand - etc. Please do send mail if you have suggestions to make to improve my course or if you have discovered some technical problem in my Lessons.       Carlo

Q. DIY Course - I have a problem, why am I not allowed to contact you by e-mail ?
A. If you have a problem, you ARE ALLOWED AND INVITED to send me mail. But, please read also the answer to the previous question.       Carlo

Q. DIY Course - can I take a break between one Module and another ?
A. Of course you may. The DIY Course has been designed also for that. So, you can take one Module every year, if you wish.       Carlo

Q. DIY Course - can I download zipped files instead of executable files (or vice-versa) ?
A. Yes, the choice is yours - provided you know what to do with Zipped files. When you enrol for a Module, I send you instructions for downloading the 10 Lessons of that Module. You may then choose, at downloading stage, in which format (Executable or Zipped) you download them.       Carlo

back to administrative queries


answers to technical queries

Q. How do you guarantee I won't get a virus with your Lessons ?
A. Well, nowadays it's impossible to give 100% guarantee - virus producers are becoming more and more sophisticated..... However, what I can tell you is that all Lessons Files and the entire system are scanned daily for known-viruses both with Norton and Grisoft Anti-Virus facilities, in their most up-to-date version.
Furthermore, I can also tell you that, so far, NO participant has got any virus through my Lessons (both by e-mail despatch and by download).      Carlo

Q. What is a Zipped File ?
A. Zipped means compressed. Certain files are compressed because they are normally of a considerable size in KiloBytes (Kb). Compressing a File makes the File Size "lower" in Kilobytes, and as such downloadable much faster. So, after you download a Zipped file you need to unzip it, which means decompressing it. How ? You require a special SW Program that does just that: zipping and unzipping. You will only use the unzipping feature for decompressing my Lessons files. The most famous Zipping/Unzipping Program is WinZip (for Windows people).       Carlo

Q. What is an Executable File ?
A. An Executable File is a Program - simply put, it self executes (it runs by itself). My Lessons Files are first compressed (to lower their Kb size) then made executable. Double-clicking on an Executable Files launches the "self-extracting" feature, which runs by itself - it only needs a few clicks of mouse here and there (as per instructions provided). Eventually (very fast) the Lesson File will install itself in your computer.       Carlo

Q. Why do you have Executable Files AND Zipped Files for your Lessons ? Why not Zipped Files for everybody ?
A. Because not everybody knows how to unzip properly a Zipped File, and what to do with it after unzipping. Whereas an Executable File has a simple guiding feature built-in, that makes it easy for everybody to install my Lessons in a computer. In conclusion, all Windows participants get Executable Files as standard - if they prefer and if they know what to do, they can download Zipped Lessons files instead. Mac people, generally, can do very little with Executable Files - that's why for them Zipped Lessons Files are the standard (download only).       Carlo

Q. I have received my first Lesson attached to your e-mail as an Executable File - I am lost - what must I do with it ?
A. READ AGAIN THE INSTRUCTIONS CONTAINED IN MY E-MAIL !!!!! A summary is here:
Yahoo, Hotmail, and similar WebMail users: follow your e-mail provider's instructions to open or save attachments.
All other users - you can do one of three things:
1) Launch the File by double-clicking on its icon, like this:


image

First you might get a Dialogue Box asking you if you want to "Open this File" or "Save this File to Disk". Choose "Open File" - click on OK. Ignore the possible subsequent message "Authenticode signature not found" - just click on "yes".
You will be displayed my Alert Message, stating that all my stuff will be installed in your Hard Drive C (in a Folder, that will be created automatically, called PWSB Lessons). Click on OK, like this:
 
image

A Dialogue Box will appear. It shows the full "extraction path" C:\PWSB Lessons.
Make sure you leave "ticked" the button "Overwrite (don't ask)" - then click on "Extract".
 
image

After clicking on "Extract" the extraction process is very fast. At the end you will see an Alert Message "All Files have been extracted" - click on OK.
NB: Should anything go wrong, you may re-do the above process all over again, until you get it right ! So, don't panic, everything will be just fine !
Eventually, in your Hard Drive C there should be a new Folder called "PWSB Lessons". Find it with Windows Explorer. Open it by double-clicking on it.
Inside it you will find 3 items:
# another Folder called "les01acc": this contains all my accessories. Leave it alone (if you are very curious and you know what you are doing obviously you may snoop inside - I forgive you - pat, pat.....).
# a Document called "lesson01.html" - this is your Lesson N. 1
# a Document called "welcome.html" - this is a Welcome message
I suggest you open first "welcome.html" by double-clicking on its icon and read my stories - from "Welcome" you may then easily navigate to your "Lesson 01".
Or, if you are impatient, you may open immediately "lesson01.html" - from here you may go back to the Welcome document at a later stage if you wish.
That's it. Your pre-installed Browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) will display the document you have opened. Study it and have nice time !
2) As above, but instead of "Open this File" choose "Save this File to Disk".
Save the Executable file "somewhere" in your Hard Drive (for instance in My Documents) - then double-click on it and follow the same procedure as above.
3) Some e-mail programs (for instance Outlook and Outlook Express) allow you to "drag and drop" the attachment somewhere into your Desktop or into a Folder in your Computer.
 
image

After dragging and dropping the Executable file anywhere, just double-click on its icon and follow the same procedure as in 1) above.
OKKKKKK ?       Carlo

Q. I got my second Lesson attached to your e-mail - if I install it in my Computer, won't it delete the first Lesson ?
A. No, it won't. Each Lesson consists of different files that simply add in the PWSB Lessons Folder without deleting any of the pre-existing content.      Carlo

Q. Why do I have to install all Lessons in the same Folder ?
A. Actually, you don't have to. But it is much better to have ALL your Lessons installed in the same Folder, be it C:\PWSB Lessons or any other one of your choice. If all Lessons are installed in the same Folder, you can then navigate from Lesson to Lesson with the browsing facility that is inserted at the bottom of every Lesson. Eventually, when you have 30 Lessons in the same Folder, you can easily jump from the one to the other at will.       Carlo

Q. Can I install your Lessons in "My Documents" ?
A. Yes, why not. All you have to do is to select a different path during the Lesson installation process. So, after double-clicking on the Lesson Executable File icon, and after clicking OK in my Alert message, you will be presented a Dialogue Box: it shows the full "extraction path" C:\PWSB Lessons.


image

To change it to MyDocuments you can enter the new path manually: C:\MyDocuments\PWSB Lessons or simply C:\MyDocuments. BUT, the result is different: in the first case, you will find all your Lessons in a Folder PWSB Lessons contained inside MyDocuments - in the second case, all your Lessons and their accessories will flood MyDocuments. So, careful with your choice of a new path.
Or you can "browse" to MyDocuments by clicking on the button containing some "dots" (.....) on the right side of the proposed path. This will allow you to choose a completely different path and even a new Installation Folder name if you wish - just make sure you know what you are doing !!
Also, make sure you will install ALL Lessons in the same path/Folder, if you want to maintain the browsing feature between Lessons.....       Carlo

Q. Can I install your Lessons in my computer's Desktop ?
A. Yes, why not. Just follow a procedure very similar to the one illustrated in the previous answer. BUT, careful: the path to your Desktop, if you enter it manually, is different for different Windows Operating Systems.
For Windows 95 and 98 users, the path to Desktop is: C:\Windows\Desktop\PWSB Lessons.
For Windows 2000 and XP users, the path to Desktop is (most probably, since it may vary): C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop\PWSB Lessons
Definitely, the best method to install your Lessons in your Desktop is to "browse" to it (.....) as explained in the answer to the previous question.
I can also give you another suggestion: why don't you just install all Lessons in C:\PWSB Lessons, as per default, and then create a shortcut in your Desktop to this Folder ?
Saludos       Carlo

Q. I have downloaded a Zipped Lesson - after unzipping it, my Browser displays your Lesson but not the Lesson's Enclosures nor the Images - why ?
A. Most probably because you have not used the WIZARD facility of your Unzipping Program - this happens very often with WinZip, for instance. The fact is that each of my Lesson Zipped File contains the Lesson's document AND many ancillary files contained in a Folder. When you unzip my Zipped File you must maintain the original structure: Lesson Document plus Folder containing ancillary files. If the structure is not maintained, all files end up in the same place, and the Lesson's links don't work properly. This is one of the main reasons why I prefer to despatch Lessons Files as Executable Files rather than Zipped Files.
However, if you can only go for a Zipped choice (for instance if your Operating System is Mac) and you experience this problem, all you have to do is to play with your Zipping Program settings, and make sure you go for a "Wizard decompression": this will maintain the correct structure.       Carlo

Q. Must I use WinZip only to unzip your Zipped Lessons ?
A. No, WinZip is just the most popular Zipping/Unzipping utility (for Windows). If you don't have WinZip installed in your computer, any other Unzipping SW will do just the same. If you have no Program of this sort, you will have to install one. Your best bet is to visit Tucows (http://www.tucows.com), and navigate to "Compression Utilities" (or something like that - it may change). You will find a number of Zipping/Unzipping programs there, including WinZip (now "shareware" = pay for) and several "freeware" ones. Or you may download EnZip (freeware, suitable for Windows) from http://www.cpam.freeserve.co.uk. Good luck       Carlo

Q. Why all this HTML typing - is it not better to use Frontpage ?
A. No, and it is not even easier nor faster. Let me explain. 99% of professional Web authors agree in saying that a good, professional web site can only be made in pure HTML. Why ? Because WYSIWYG Editors, such as MS Frontpage, are not accurate enough: they attempt to write HTML Code for you, but their HTML Code is not very "clean" and it's also redundant, sometimes full of useless strings of code. Moreover, you don't know what happens behind the Frontpage screen - it becomes very difficult to have "control" over what you are doing. More: Frontpage code works normally very well with Explorer, but may look a mess with Netscape. Finally, to learn to use well Frontpage or a similar wizard will take you nothing less than 100 hours of solid studying. In that time you learn well HTML and some good WebMaster tricks on top (this Course of mine - 30 Lessons - require no more than 90 hours of solid study....).
To cut a long story short, there is no advantage in using a wizard over pure HTML. But, make no mistakes: I have nothing against Frontpage ! All I am saying is that, if you wish to use it, you should ALSO learn some good HTML to avoid typical mistakes and incorrect coding (very likely to occur if you use "blindly" these wizards.....).
With regard to typing HTML Code: you will type HTML Code by yourself only initially, so that you will learn it "the hard way". Eventually (Lesson 09) I will equip you with a very disciplined servant (by the name of Arachnophilia) that will do the hard work for you, without you loosing even a bit of control over what you are doing.....       Carlo

Q. Why do I have to learn HTML and XHTML ?
A. You don't have to.... HTML is enough to make very good web pages. BUT, the rules of the game are changing. The W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium - the Web regulating body) is very categorical: the NET MUST BECOME A CLEANER PLACE - cleaner in terms of correct, valid code, readable by all "appliances", including mobile appliances (cellular phones, palm-pilot computers, etc.).
XHTML (is already and) will be the future, Standard Language of the Net. Sooner or later the 99% invalid pages of the Web will have to be re-written in XHTML. So, the choice is yours: you may learn XHTML now or you may have to go for it later.....       Carlo

Q. I just want to make my Home Page - do I need to take the 3 Modules for that ?
A. No ! The first, Basic Module is enough to design and publish your fully functional Web Site with very good navigation features !       Carlo

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