How to program a website with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Tailwinds.

Creating a website can seem daunting at first, but with the right tools and knowledge, it’s a manageable and rewarding process. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a website, along with a detailed explanation of the provided HTML code.

sutton

Published in

CodeX

4 min readJul 4, 2024

Step 1: Define the Purpose and Structure of the Website

Before you start coding, it’s essential to define your website’s purpose and plan its structure. Consider the following:

Website Objective: Will it be a portfolio, a blog, an online store, or a combination of several types?
Content: What type of content do you plan to include? (text, images, videos, etc.)
Website Structure: How many pages do you need and how will they be interconnected?

Step 2: Set Up the Development Environment

To create a website, you need a text editor (such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or Atom) and a web browser to test your site. Optionally, you can set up a local development environment with tools like XAMPP or WAMP to run a local server.

Step 3: Write the HTML Code

HTML code forms the foundation of your website. Here’s an example of a simple website, followed by a detailed explanation.

1. DOCTYPE and Basic HTML Structure:

HTML<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    ...
</head>
<body>
    ...
</body>
</html>

<!DOCTYPE html>: Declares the document type and version of HTML.
<html lang="en">: Defines the language of the content.
<head>: Contains metadata, document title, and links to external resources.
<body>: Contains the visible content of the webpage.

2. Metadata and Resources:

<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Orca</title>
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="rock.png">
<script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com"></script>

<meta charset="UTF-8">: Sets the character encoding.
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">: Ensures the website is responsive.
<title>Orca</title>: Sets the title of the document.
<link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="rock.png">: Sets the favicon.
<script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com"></script>: Includes the Tailwind CSS library for styling.

3. CSS Styles:

<style>
.model-card { ... }
.model-card:hover .model-card-title { ... }
.model-card-title { ... }
.model-card-description { ... }
.model-card-tags { ... }
.model-card-tags span { ... }
.model-card-stats { ... }
footer { ... }
.reduce-margin { ... }
.gallery { ... }
.gallery-item { ... }
.gallery-item img { ... }
.gallery-item-title { ... }
main { ... }
.model-card:last-child { ... }
</style>

Defines styles for various elements such as .model-card, .model-card-title, .model-card-description, and more. The styles control the appearance of elements, including borders, padding, font weight, and gallery layout.

4. JavaScript Functions

<script>
function toggleMenu() { ... }
function redirectToHref(href) { ... }
</script>

<script>
function toggleMenu() { ... }
function redirectToHref(href) { ... }
</script>

5. Body Content

<body class="bg-white text-gray-900 font-sans">
    <header class="bg-white py-4 px-6 lg:px-32 xl:px-64"> ... </header>
    <main class="px-6 lg:px-32 xl:px-64 mt-4"> ... </main>
    <footer class="bg-white shadow-md py-4 px-6 lg:px-32 xl:px-64"> ... </footer>
</body>

header: Contains the navigation bar and site logo.
main: Contains the main content of the website, including the introduction and AI model cards.
footer: Contains the footer with contact information and legal links.

Step 4: Style with CSS

Using Tailwind CSS in this example makes styling straightforward. You can further customize your website by writing your own CSS styles in the <style> section.

Step 5: Add Interactivity with JavaScript

The JavaScript functions in this example add basic interactivity, such as toggling the navigation menu on mobile devices and redirecting to new pages when clicking on AI model cards.

Step 6: Test and Deploy

Test your website in different browsers and devices to ensure it looks and works correctly. Once you are satisfied with the result, you can deploy your website on a web server. Popular options include GitHub Pages, Netlify, and Vercel.

Conclusion

Creating a website involves several steps, from initial planning and writing HTML code to styling with CSS and adding interactivity with JavaScript. With practice and patience, you can develop a professional and functional website.

If you send the phrase “Orca source code” to my email, sutton3201@gmail.com, I will send you a free website similar to the one in the example. If you are interested in hiring web programming services, send the phrase “web job offer” to the same email.

If you’re interested in learning how to automatically “scrape websites” check out this post.