In this essay we will be comparing and contrasting three different methods of web page creation: database, hand coding, and HTML WYSIWYG. All three of these methods have their pros and cons, but which one is right for you?
The most common and traditional method is hand coding. Before the HTML WYSIWYG application and database web pages, HTML hand coding was the language that allowed web pages to exist. Hand coding a webpage can be very simple or it can be very complex. If you want to make a simple webpage that is mostly text, then hand coding it will be fairly easy. If you want complex interactivity then hand coding will become more advanced. Another good aspect about hand coding is you don’t need an expensive program to do it. All you need is a free program like notepad (standard on all PCs) to be the hand coding application. Now there are some downsides to hand coding a web page. The number one downside that most people would probably agree to would be learning the HTML language. To hand code a web page you have to know the HTML language, which can be very complicated for some people to learn. A simple text website requires you to know the basics of HTML language, but if you do want a very complex page, a person will have to study the language a bit harder. To add on to this, HTML language is the code to a webpage, one typing error and that portion of the web page will not work.
A popular way of making web pages in today’s world is using a HTML WYSIWYG application, which stands for “what you see is what you get”. This application allows a person to look at a web page more so of the design aspect of it. Instead of just entering a bunch of code that really makes no sense, in a WYSIWYG application you can literally click and type to add text, click and insert a picture, and add layout features without entering a single bit of code. This may sound great and it is to a certain extent. Even though it may be as simple a click here or a click there you still have to have knowledge of the HTML language. When creating a web page in a WYSIWYG application it still is producing HTML code to create the web page. The problem with this is that these applications use complex code that can be very difficult to understand. And even using these applications you will still have to do some hand coding and with the complex code the applications create, hand coding can become more difficult.
Database driven web pages are becoming more and more popular in today’s society. Websites such as wordpress, facebook, myspace, etc are all database driven web pages. These types of web pages are actually really cool. Forums and blogs are the most common types of database web pages that allow people to publish their material for all to see. The Shopping Cart that you find on retail websites is a database web page. Database web pages also have their downsides. Users can face security and privacy risks. When shopping on the internet people can be vulnerable to credit card and identity theft. Also, during upgrades, these web pages will be brought down for the duration. Lastly, everything is instantaneous. If you post a message on a forum that you didn’t exactly mean to, it’s too late to take it back. Once you click the submit button that message is automatically posted for the whole world to see.
Like everything, these three methods have their ups and downs. One thing that is clear though, you need to have a basic understanding of the HTML language no matter what method you choose to create your web pages.
