Andy Haskins
Well-Known Member
Just a heads up for anyone here who does code their own landing pages and websites, if you don't already it pays to learn how to code SMART and get more done. A few little tips below that I utilize every day.
NOTE: These resources won't be of any assistance to anyone who isn't used to coding and use WYSIWYG editors.
1) Use a good code editor.
Using a good code editor and not a piece of software that will bloat your code (Dreamweaver) will do you a world of favours when it comes to building landing pages. My weapon of choice, Aptana. Why do I choose Aptana?
- It's free
- It's customizable
- It has GIT support
- It has auto completing tags (i.e. you open one and it automatically generates the closing tag)
- It has built in templates for different coding languages saving you time
- There is a Zen coding extension (read below)
- Clean and clear interface
Find out more about Aptana here.
2) Consider Zen Coding
It's well worth considering a nifty little piece of kit called Zen coding if you are writing a lot of code. Quite simply, you write a short form line of code and press an action key (I use the tab button) and it generates the full code for you. Example:
You write:
ul.navigation>li*5
and press your action button, it spits out:
<ul class="navigation">
<li></li>
<li></li>
<li></li>
<li></li>
<li></li>
</ul>
It's literally that easy. Once you know the expressions to use you can build a page in no time.
More info - Zen Coding on Google Code
3. Use a framework or prototyping system
You may have heard of these already but to put it simply, they take the laborious task of creating resets, re-writing meta descriptions etc. The base code is all there for you. A couple of good examples are listed below:
Frameworks
- HTML5 Boilerplate
- Baseline
Frameworks/Prototyping
- Twitter Bootstrap
- Zurb Foundation
Just take a look at the Foundation Docs to get an idea of what you can achieve with these frameworks
4. Use SCSS or Less
Now this is not my forte and is next on my list to learn so I won't write too much, however, I am aware that it is an incredible way to remove repeat coding when working with CSS so definitely look in to it.
Once I know more I'll look at posting up a tutorial or something similar.
Find out more here
Let us know more
I'm always looking to improve my turnaround time when developing so if you have any resources you can recommend just list them below!
NOTE: These resources won't be of any assistance to anyone who isn't used to coding and use WYSIWYG editors.
1) Use a good code editor.
Using a good code editor and not a piece of software that will bloat your code (Dreamweaver) will do you a world of favours when it comes to building landing pages. My weapon of choice, Aptana. Why do I choose Aptana?
- It's free
- It's customizable
- It has GIT support
- It has auto completing tags (i.e. you open one and it automatically generates the closing tag)
- It has built in templates for different coding languages saving you time
- There is a Zen coding extension (read below)
- Clean and clear interface
Find out more about Aptana here.
2) Consider Zen Coding
It's well worth considering a nifty little piece of kit called Zen coding if you are writing a lot of code. Quite simply, you write a short form line of code and press an action key (I use the tab button) and it generates the full code for you. Example:
You write:
ul.navigation>li*5
and press your action button, it spits out:
<ul class="navigation">
<li></li>
<li></li>
<li></li>
<li></li>
<li></li>
</ul>
It's literally that easy. Once you know the expressions to use you can build a page in no time.
More info - Zen Coding on Google Code
3. Use a framework or prototyping system
You may have heard of these already but to put it simply, they take the laborious task of creating resets, re-writing meta descriptions etc. The base code is all there for you. A couple of good examples are listed below:
Frameworks
- HTML5 Boilerplate
- Baseline
Frameworks/Prototyping
- Twitter Bootstrap
- Zurb Foundation
Just take a look at the Foundation Docs to get an idea of what you can achieve with these frameworks
4. Use SCSS or Less
Now this is not my forte and is next on my list to learn so I won't write too much, however, I am aware that it is an incredible way to remove repeat coding when working with CSS so definitely look in to it.
Once I know more I'll look at posting up a tutorial or something similar.
Find out more here
Let us know more
I'm always looking to improve my turnaround time when developing so if you have any resources you can recommend just list them below!