Front-end (what the user sees)
Front-end technologies are what the users sees when they access the website via their web browser. Based on the site type and style you have chosen for your website, you will have, to some extent, defined the front-end requirements for your website. There are several of these technologies available to us and each can be used independantly or in unison. Some of these are:
HTML Hyper-Text Markup Language
HTML is the most basic format used to create web pages. HTML pages are static - their appearance and content is fixed. By the use of predefined tags a page is formated and its content laid out. Most modern web browsers recognise these predefined tags and therefore know how to display the page correctly.
XML Extensible Markup Language
XML is similar to HTML to certain extent, the underlying difference being that XML allows a developer to create and define their own tags. Also, while HTML focuses on the presentation of data, XML focuses on the manipulation and dissemination of data.
XHTML Extensible Hyper-Text Markup Language
XHTML is a combination of HTML and XML and provides the best of both in creating excellent forward-compatible websites. Using XHTML, you are really writing XML code, but restricting yourself to a predetermined set of elements.
CSS Cascading Style Sheets
Used in conjunction with HTML or XHTML, CSS gives developers the ability to suggest how their documents are styled. It offers a superior solution to the buggy HTML tags, other proprietary tags and attributes, and adds many other ways to style a document. By separating layout from content, CSS makes it easier to create and maintain websites. One style sheet can even be used to style an entire site. By updating that one file you can instantly update the layout of your whole site.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a client-side scripting language. Functions written in it need to be embedded in or included from a HTML page. Popup ads and the like are usually created using JavaScript, but it can be more appropriately used in other contexts to provide the user with a higher level of interactivity. One new such application of Javascript is known as AJAX and is an excellent example of using JavaScript to increase the functionality of a web site. When used in such a way to increase interactivity, the combination of HTML and JavaScript is sometimes referred to as DHTML (Dynamic HTML).
Flash
Flash is often used to add animation and sound to websites to make them more dynamic and interactive. A website can either be built entirely using Flash or just contain elements of Flash such as animated banners. It can give an otherwise static information page both style and flair, and can be used to present an environments that are not possible when just using HTML. The Flash plug-in does need to be installed into the users browser in order to view your Flash site but this usually comes incorporated into most browsers as default and so is not usually an issue. However, you can choose to provide an alternate non-Flash version of your site for users who do not, or who are unable to, install the Flash plug-in (e.g. blind users with screen readers).
Back-end (what makes the site work)
Back-end technologies allow web developers to create dynamic content that can interact with databases. The code (or script) for such technologies is usually embedded within a Web page along with its HTML code and, before the page is displayed to the user, the Web server interprets and performs the operations called for in the code. There are several of these technologies available to us but a website will usually only use one or the other. Some of these are:
PHP Hypertext Pre-processor
An open source programming language used primarily on Linux Web servers.
ASP Active Server Pages
Pages that contain programming code written in either written in VBScript or JScript, processed on Microsoft Web servers.
Java
An object-oriented programming language from Sun Microsystems.
Database
In order to collect data or to use stored data for a data driven site you will need to use a database. The most common type of database is a relational database. Relational databases consist of tables of data with clearly defined columns. The backend technology you choose will usually determine the type of database you will need. Some of the most commonly used databases are:
MySQL
This type of database is most commonly used when using PHP.
MSSQL Microsoft SQL
This type of database is most commonly used when using ASP.
MSAccess Microsoft Access
This type of database can also be used when using ASP. It cannot usually handle as many simultaneous connections as MSSQL and should only be used on very small scale websites, but is a cheaper alternative.
Oracle
This type of database is most commonly used when using Java.
How can we help you?
As part of our web development service we will make recommendations as to technologies we should use. If you have other preferences however, we will of course work with you to make sure that we produce the most effective final product.
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