I need a Photo Slideshow

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Hi.
I can only write HTML4/5 and CSS2/3 and that at an intermediate level… no JS or PHP/MYSQL.

A client wants a slideshow on his site. If possible he would like one that can scroll through a horizontal line of thumbs, and when any thumb is clicked upon it zooms to the whole size of the browser window.

OK, every wish isn’t alway available but as a tattooist it is important to him that people can get a real close look at his work (Tattoos).

I write with Tach HTML Edit… it has a few components that you can insert into a page including slideshows but currently they only zoom to about 6-70% of the viewport, others in the beta version additionally break my layout, though as it is a beta I’m sure they are working on it.

I have three questions…

1). The most pressing is… are there any free or comercial slideshows out there that I can insert into a web page? And additionally wont require me to understand JS or AJAX or something?

2). What do you professional coders do… do you write your own or are you using a program such as DreamWeaver to insert such content.

3). Lastly I’m after a bit of advice… I’m no spring chicken at 48 so I don’t have years to spend learning something that’ll probably all change as soon as I’ve learned it anyway.
I write raw code and have been thinking of learning JavaScript as it appears to be an all round tool for web-design.
However, people keep telling me that I shouldn’t be writing raw code but should be using either ‘Word Press’ or something like DreamWeaver as people just want something fast that does the job. Additionally, there is a widget for just about anything… including slideshows.

I’m thinking that if I learn JS and also get my hands on Dreamweaver that I might get the best of both worlds. Will there really be a place for RAW coders in the next 5-10 year?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Regards, Karl.

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You could try something like Supersized3. ([URL=“http://buildinternet.com/project/supersized/slideshow/3.2/demo.html”]Demo here)

There are lots of free slideshows out there, like this one, that use JavaScript (or a kind of JavaScript, called a library, such as jQuery).

You don’t need to know this language to use scripts like this. They are pretty easy to paste into your page as is.

What do you professional coders do… do you write your own or are you using a program such as DreamWeaver to insert such content.

Most commonly, web designers write HTML and CSS, and use JavaScript libraries like jQuery (for which there are a lot of pre-made, free scripts, like the one above) which they plug into their sites. Ideally, its worth spending some time at least learning the basics of JavaScript and jQuery so that you can write your own, or at least modify the scripts that others write a bit. To start to use DreamWeaver to insert code for you would be a terrible step backwards.

I write raw code and have been thinking of learning JavaScript as it appears to be an all round tool for web-design.

Yes, good idea. Even a little bit of it puts you in a powerful position as a web designer.

people keep telling me that I shouldn’t be writing raw code but should be using either ‘Word Press’ or something like DreamWeaver

Don’t listen to them. People who take that approach produce rubbish websites, especially those using something like DreamWeaver in ‘design view’. It’s important to know what’s happening in the code, at least to some extent.

there is a widget for just about anything… including slideshows.

True, such as what i linked to above. But you are in a much better position at least to have some idea how they work. You will usually find you need to modify them in some way, and if you mess with them without knowing what you are doing, you produce a mess.

I’m thinking that if I … get my hands on Dreamweaver that I might get the best of both worlds.

No, abandon that idea. You would be going backwards, big time. Such programs, to get the desired result, use bloated, inefficient code that makes for terribly unprofessional websites.

Will there really be a place for RAW coders in the next 5-10 year?

They will take over, as people realize that those who don’t know this stuff are incompetent.

Hiring someone who doesn’t know code is like hiring someone to fix your car who doesn’t know how it works, or getting someone with no structural training to design and build you a house, or with no medical training to operate on you. Web design is still young, but people will sooner or later learn to recognize good from bad web design. Bad design is inaccessible, inefficient, not adaptable to a range of devices, hard to update etc.

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Dreamweaver is a powerful tool with tons of perks that can help code and develop web sites. It’s not as terrible as the previous poster makes it out to be, however, don’t expect to be able to construct an entire website by working solely in dreamweaver’s design view!

The design view is there to give designers an ‘IDEA’ of what the end result of their code might look like and it is very helpful when I code a website because it shows me block borders without me having to test the contents. Not to mention all files that are linked to the current file are immediately available for edit (like stylesheets, javascripts, XML docs, and PHP includes).

All of that being said, do yourself a favor and learn javascript or jquery. If you’re an intermediate html/css coder then dreamweaver could help. But in the end your ability to code and your understanding of the code will determine how well you will be able to use the tools that are available.

To answer your questions:

1). The most pressing is… are there any free or comercial slideshows out there that I can insert into a web page? And additionally wont require me to understand JS or AJAX or something?

  1. Here is a tutorial on a jQuery slideshow that will get you on your way to learning something that will help you. It’s a good tut and I used this awhile back to get me into jQuery. The code is pretty solid and is open to lots of tweaking.

2). What do you professional coders do… do you write your own or are you using a program such as DreamWeaver to insert such content.

2)Being professional only means one thing: experience. If someone has the experience to know what is needed to be done and immediately knows several way to accomplish that task then I would say they were professional. Let’s face it there are lots of ways to code a slideshow! If you’re savvy(experienced) enough you might be able to code an HTML/CSS slideshow without JS or any other programming. But one could code almost an entire slideshow using only jquery. But in the end pros will use all of their available skills and knowledge to create what is needed to fit the occasion, this could include prewritten code and plugins from other developers.

So while I might be able to code a slideshow from the ground up it might also be easier to use a plugin for jquery or use a prewritten construct and tweak it to tailor it to my needs. It all boils down to experience. :goof:

3). Lastly I’m after a bit of advice… I’m no spring chicken at 48 so I don’t have years to spend learning something that’ll probably all change as soon as I’ve learned it anyway.

3)Those who can code without seeing a visual representation of their code will be better off in the end because they have a firmer grasp of what is actually going on when something is coded. HTML/CSS/JS all have been around for awhile, and while they are upgraded from time to time with new features and deprecations the basic structure of how to write the code and how it is read by screen readers will remain similar. It will only help you to continue learning raw code such as javascript, PHP, ASP.net, jQuery, etc.

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ralph.m thank you so much for the info on the Slide-show, I’ve modified it and forwarded it to my client for his inspection… very appreciated.

Angrypoonani… you’ve convinced me I need to learn some more code, I’ll never learn everything so I wont even try but JS or JQ is looking the way to go but which one? I had thought to learn PHP/MSQL first as I’d heard JS would be much easier then to learn JS but I can’t see me learning all of them, I’ve got to narrow it down… so I think I’ll go for JS or JQ.

Ref DreamWeaver… at my lever although DW may earn me some quick cash I think it could cause me to lean towards falling away from code… mind you if a copy falls into my lap, I’d probably use it! :wink:

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Sure, I use it too, but only as a code editor. It’s a good program for that, although I admit I’m starting to move away from it.

I’m also in a bit of a dilemma over whether to focus on JS or jQuery. Learning JS is the best way to go, as then you really understand how it works, but you can do a lot with jQuery (a lot of the hard, messy stuff is done for you) and it’s quicker to learn. So probably the ideal is to learn both, if you can. SitePoint recently put out a really nice book on jQuery that’s worth a look.

jQuery: Novice to Ninja by Earle Castledine and Craig Sharkie

In a short amount of time you can be doing amazing things with jQuery.

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Thanks ralph.m.
I use Tach HTML Edit because you can, if you so please see an instant preview of your work as you code (in a WebKit driven preview). I find that invaluable, saving and then opening/refreshing a browser each time was a real bind.

I think I may well push the boat out and go for JS, then hopefully JQ should come naturally. Learning things is one thing but experience and keeping your hand is another… and that is where you guys really excel.

My worst habit, which I’m sure will cause shouts of alarm, boos and hissing is not always bothering to discover why something isn’t rendering as it should unless it is obvious, but writing inline styles to ‘resolve’ the issue :shifty:. I really must take the time to learn to use Firebug or whatever everyone is using now-a-days to locate these issues and stop blaming the browser!

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Yes, it’s really important, and Firebug is still the best tool. Testing in multiple browsers is really important too.

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I run XP via Parallels on my MBP… within XP I have a program that allows me to run IE6-8. I need to see if it will update and allow me to run IE9 but I doubt it as IE9 doesn’t run in XP. Maybe it’s time to add another Windows OS but disk space is getting tight. I’ve basically stopped supporting IE6 unless it is insisted upon.

I seem to spend almost as much time writing style-sheets to support IE as writing the original HTML4/5 page. Still… I guess IE is here to stay so it is just part of the job.

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I tend to test mainly IE8 and up now. IE8 runs on XP, so I figure if XP users are using earlier versions of IE, it’s their tough luck. Likewise, using a version of Windoze earler that XP is also asking for trouble. Unless a client is hung up about those older versions, in which case they can pay more. :smiley:

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My worry is that I’m not supporting Mobile devices, all I have to test them is the ‘iPhone Simulator’. That is great for the iPhone and the iPad but am i supporting other tablets? I think allot of the small new phones just override everything and display as they wish to. But I can’t afford to go out and purchase every new device just to see how it is rendering my page, how do you go about this Ralph… mobile devices are a big big issue and I’m not at all sure I have a handle on it.

You advised me some time ago to first build for phones, add styles then to pick-up more and more devices etc… it works well but with mobiles changing so fast… it is hard to know if you are losing mass viewers.

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Yes, testing mobiles is a tricky area, one I haven’t found the ideal solution for. Heck, I don’t even have a smart phone, so the simulator is my only guide. I do find the Opera simulator handy too, but don’t know how accurate it is. I haven’t found any others that seem much use.

I did read a good suggestion recently that I’m tempted to try. It was to strike up a relationship with a local phone dealer, and in exchange for doing some web design or similar services they will let you test your sites on their phones. Seems a good idea in theory, anyhow.

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Search in google for Jquery tools and java script applets from yahoo. You will get a lot of slideshows and many other applets that you can use in the webpages of your websites. You can customize those applets easily because you have knowledge of css and HTML and that is all required for it.

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It’s very easy,you should search it on google and also learn the procedure of it’s implementation on youtube…
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I have no idea what you are talking about.