Advice on How to Properly Setup an Expandable Website? (Designing Phase)

[jamesmusslewhite]

Well I have been working on the website coding, written work for the forum and voice-over scripts for three remaining YouTube videos of a 6-part lobster 101 training series. With the foul weather, brown-outs and internet-outages it has made it difficult making updates on this forum thread. So I will add some new posts over the next few days, in an attempt to bring any members interested current on this project. I had earlier designed a template that I wanted to build as I felt it would be unique, serve all my current needs and would be easily expandable to accommodate for future growth as those needs increase. This is an image of that template.

   First I muddled my way through the newer HTML5 basic code, and CSS Grid which would be necessary to design a working prototype of the template. CSS Grid is perfect for compartmentalizing a website allowing ease to design a website to be interactive, but is at the same time a bit of a pain as you are actually writing three codes at the same time. As the website must compress and expand; so it can be viewed properly on extended screen, website, laptop, tablet and cell phone. Still a bit confusing but I am figuring out the bulk of the coding. I will eventually may find myself having to locate a decent web-tech to iron-out a few snags in my own coding, but I will have 95% of site code completed. All the coding will be well documented and thoroughly backed up, so later if I find myself facing a catastrophic failure or desiring to change hosting services, it will not be such an issue.

   My CSS Grid layout template is as follows.

   The website consist of 15 individual main grid compartments. The Header, Nav Bar and Footer run the full length of their Grid Track and each will compress within their individual designated Grid Cell or Grid-Area. This is determined solely on what device demand in which being viewed. The third Grid-Track of Main, actually consist of three individual Grid-Cells, each being an independent .jpeg Image Viewer. Grid-Track 4, Grid-Track 5 and Grid-Track 6 each are three individual Grid-Cells. This action is similar to an accordion effect, as compartments expand and contracts. This Interactive feature is due to the effects of the layering of three individual coding, and it is a pain leaning how it all fits together. But I love a puzzle.

[Gandang Smile]

2 hours ago, jamesmusslewhite said:

Well I have been working on the website coding, written work for the forum and voice-over scripts for three remaining YouTube videos of a 6-part lobster 101 training series. With the foul weather, brown-outs and internet-outages it has made it difficult making updates on this forum thread. So I will add some new posts over the next few days, in an attempt to bring any members interested current on this project. I had earlier designed a template that I wanted to build as I felt it would be unique, serve all my current needs and would be easily expandable to accommodate for future growth as those needs increase. This is an image of that template.

   First I muddled my way through the newer HTML5 basic code, and CSS Grid which would be necessary to design a working prototype of the template. CSS Grid is perfect for compartmentalizing a website allowing ease to design a website to be interactive, but is at the same time a bit of a pain as you are actually writing three codes at the same time. As the website must compress and expand; so it can be viewed properly on extended screen, website, laptop, tablet and cell phone. Still a bit confusing but I am figuring out the bulk of the coding. I will eventually may find myself having to locate a decent web-tech to iron-out a few snags in my own coding, but I will have 95% of site code completed. All the coding will be well documented and thoroughly backed up, so later if I find myself facing a catastrophic failure or desiring to change hosting services, it will not be such an issue.

   My CSS Grid layout template is as follows.

   The website consist of 15 individual main grid compartments. The Header, Nav Bar and Footer run the full length of their Grid Track and each will compress within their individual designated Grid Cell or Grid-Area. This is determined solely on what device demand in which being viewed. The third Grid-Track of Main, actually consist of three individual Grid-Cells, each being an independent .jpeg Image Viewer. Grid-Track 4, Grid-Track 5 and Grid-Track 6 each are three individual Grid-Cells. This action is similar to an accordion effect, as compartments expand and contracts. This Interactive feature is due to the effects of the layering of three individual coding, and it is a pain leaning how it all fits together. But I love a puzzle.

Hi @jamesmusslewhite,

I might be a bit late in the thread and missing some context. I am wondering whether it might be easier to use a no-code (or lo-code) approach to building your website, by using WordPress and one of the many "super themes" out there, like Divi (google "Elegant Themes Divi"). I called them "super themes" because the theme is effectively a plug-in that incorporates a very sophisticated "visual builder" that allows you to create a layout like the above very easily, and fill each cell with static or dynamic contents.

I may be wrong, from what I understand you are familiar with HTML5 and CSS, which is great to set up the static part of the site. As soon as you will want to respond to user interaction or source contents dynamically, you will have to start using one of the popular libraries based on JavaScript, PHP, Python, C# etc. That's where, IMHO, the learning curve steepens quite a bit.

Again I might be missing some context but, from what I read, you might be better served by WordPress and one of the plugins, like Divi, that offer a no/lo-code approach.

Good luck!

P.S. I am not paid by Elegant Themes to recommend Divi. I have just used it for the websites of the two companies I am running and it's really working great.

Edited December 22, 2020 by Gandang Smile

[jamesmusslewhite]

  I have not started building building the Header for the site yet, as I am working on the various components (bells & whistles) which will be incorporated into the Header. I have already designed and completed my site Logo and collected the codes for the Search-Bar,  Time & Date,  5-day Weather app and an ad banner. Each has the appeal I have been seeking, without being gaudy or tacky. Those are all projects I really need to be figured out and fully-functional before I build-out the Header. Then I can appropriately determine the heights and widths of all items within the Header, this so it will be fully Interactive.

   The white-out areas in the template below are areas that will still need to be worked on in future projects. Some of the Header items are presently being worked-out. So is the .jpeg Image Player project. The rest of the white-out areas of the template are the easiest portions which will be completed after all the most difficult portions have been tacked. I have always worked on the toughest projects first, just the way the good Lord wired me to be.      

   My Nav Bar is both completed and fully fictional. I really like the look of both the Nav Bar and the Footer. The footer is 95% completed and both are fully Interactive. The only issue with the Footer is that I have a message box I have yet figured out now to fix yet, but I will get it sorted out eventually. 

Edited December 23, 2020 by jamesmusslewhite

[jamesmusslewhite]

  The software used to build to build the website does not allow the ability to copy and paste images of the projects, so I decided to take two short clips so I could show both the Nav Bar and the Footer project. It is far easier to show you than snow you, and this way you can actually see the two features

 

030.avi

   The advantage of building the website primarily in HTML5, CSS and Java is that it is totally comparable to older systems and websites. The design is simplistic yet had appeal and not out-dated. When completed I will have the ability to fully understand the codes, have it well documented and fully backed-up on harddrive. Non-dependent of proprietary modular software systems, companies flourish and fail just as policies can suddenly change without notice. This will be a depository of my artistic and written proprietary works, and as such I wish total control over that property. Not dependent on the whelms of others. Take a forum site for an example. I posted volumes of written forks much now archived (not my control), totally removed (not my control), and on several which simply shutdown with little or no notice (again not my control). I completed the A+, MCSE and Novell CNE course years ago, much well forgotten over time. But I remember the importance of offsite database backup. It is really quite easy to setup simple secured home servers capable of daily redundant data backups. In fact Novell can actually be uploaded as a secondary operation on a computer, where both a Windows and a Novell are on a computer together. One merely logs out of one and then logs into the other operating system. So both creditcard databases of the website and forum site can be primary maintained offsite of the hosting site, free of hackers. 

028(1).avi

   This short video clip is of the Footer which shows the desired features I wanted. It also shows the small glitch I encounters which should be easily resolved with a little more research and time to fiddle with the code a bit. So my primary focus is finish the .jpeg image player, and then figuring out how to get three such players on a single Grid-Track. And finish the gadgets for the Header so I can finally start that project. I will start focusing on the third Grid-Track (titled "Main") which contains the Grid-Cells (Main-1, Main-2 and Main-3), which is a titled Left-Sidebar, Main Video Feature and Right-Sidebar with should be a challenging puzzle.        

Edited December 23, 2020 by jamesmusslewhite

[jamesmusslewhite]

Well I am sorry about how the two videos loaded. I actually thought they would link much like a YouTube video. I apologize for the data excessive usage and I will never attempt that again. Please delete those two videos if you wish. I can try another way to link the two videos if you wish.

[jamesmusslewhite]

On 12/22/2020 at 8:26 PM, Gandang Smile said:

Hi @jamesmusslewhite,

I might be a bit late in the thread and missing some context. I am wondering whether it might be easier to use a no-code (or lo-code) approach to building your website, by using WordPress and one of the many "super themes" out there, like Divi (google "Elegant Themes Divi"). I called them "super themes" because the theme is effectively a plug-in that incorporates a very sophisticated "visual builder" that allows you to create a layout like the above very easily, and fill each cell with static or dynamic contents.

I may be wrong, from what I understand you are familiar with HTML5 and CSS, which is great to set up the static part of the site. As soon as you will want to respond to user interaction or source contents dynamically, you will have to start using one of the popular libraries based on JavaScript, PHP, Python, C# etc. That's where, IMHO, the learning curve steepens quite a bit.

Again I might be missing some context but, from what I read, you might be better served by WordPress and one of the plugins, like Divi, that offer a no/lo-code approach.

Good luck!

P.S. I am not paid by Elegant Themes to recommend Divi. I have just used it for the websites of the two companies I am running and it's really working great.

   I spent a couple of years looking at different websites layouts, web hosting sites and more templates than I can count. And like automobiles there are more brands and varieties than most can recount. Such is human nature in reference to 'preference' and 'diversity', and everyone naturally has their own favorites. My issue is that in all time looking I never once, came across anything resembling that which I envisioned building.

   I wish there was. It would be easiest to simply laydown a few hundred bucks, as I would already have it built and operational. Much easier for a hard-headed anal-retentive unyielding non-conforming prick, such as myself. When I had wealth the descriptive-modifier used was 'eccentric', now on a modest income it is referred to as 'crazy'. Same mind, just different tax-bracket, amazing what a couple of less zeros does to other's perceptions make.

    But not 'bat-shit' half a bubble off-plumb crazy, at least not as of yet anyways. There is always a well-plotted method to my madness reasoning, even though others may not understand either my method or reasoning. To me it is quite simple, I design that which I need most. And if it means that I must take the hardest path to obtain that goal, then I am more than willing to go that extra mile or few. The extra effort is worth avoiding future regret of having foolishly compromised due to needless intellectual-laziness. Yielding to false-simplicity rarely conquers over needed-complexity. This why I doggedly adhere to 'Meskimen's Law'. Which states: There's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over. 

   So until I encounter that proverbial insurmountably impasse, than I am naturally driven to tackle (any-and-all) reasonable hurdles. Now if that impasse proves to be an unquestionable-fact, than my inherent internal hard-wiring (though damaged as it may be). Then my convoluted degrading grey-matter will regretfully accept that reality and then adjust accordingly. I simply was not wired for unnecessary compromises, as long as the objective goal still seems obtainable. Blessing or curse it has gotten me thus far.

    I decided to retire at age fifty and chose to move here with the wife and kid. We had previously purchased a 6-hector Dinagat Island farm, here in the Northern-most area of Surugao, Mindanao. Our goal was to really enjoy life while both of us were relatively still young. Well after a decade of leisurely raising coconuts and lobsters we realized 'Retirement-Sucks', and neither actually wired for retirement. I myself have a (45+year) obsession with the Aqua-horti-farm&ag industries, (30+ years) of which were actually commercial. My wife worked by my side in more than a few of our business ventures, so to say we are business oriented is an understatement. We will be happily slaving away until the good Lord retires us both.

    Collectively we possess a deep-well of first-hand knowledge, within a multitude of different commercial industries. We at the same time are beginning several startup ventures. We certainly do not intend building large businesses, rather multiple small ventures where it all remains enjoyable. No one will make big money, but collectively enough to allow uscomfort well enough. A few aguaculture projects, several farm&ad products, the production of a line of various gormet coconut oils and vinegars. Here on this little island where we are living presently we built a small day-rental resort with a small sari-sari. All the ventures (fish aquaculture, day resort/sari-sari, lobster pueruli transport and lobster aquaculture) are only an hour boat's ride from our farm. Though small it is still requires an in-depth understanding of the complexity of the business model, as relating to both the website and the forum site. To even understand who each correlates with the website design. This has not even mentioned the 'YouTube training videos, written articles and social multi media.

   So I fully understand why members prehaps do not understand my reasoning behind the website design, and why I chose to decide to build the HTML5, CSS and Java coding myself; so the endproduct will be eactually what I want. Yes I am anal, but sometimes a little eccentric is a good thing. Providing I get all the code to work as I hope.

[Jollygoodfellow]

On 12/4/2020 at 7:52 PM, jamesmusslewhite said:

I will gladly refrain from using those two terms as descriptive-modifiers again in future postings, and if you prefer to simply black-out or totally remove them all together, please do so, I will not feel offended in any way. Sorry. 

To me, it's a self serving topic

Meaning it's not about much other than to get free publicity to your website. 

So therefore I will consider if to allow it to remain active or close. 

Thank You for your understanding  

 

[Gandang Smile]

16 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

To me, it's a self serving topic

Meaning it's not about much other than to get free publicity to your website. 

So therefore I will consider if to allow it to remain active or close. 

Thank You for your understanding  

 

Considering he has been mostly talking about the design of the website layout, rather than contents (aquaculture), I would say OP is more of a diary of his thinking process as he creates the site from scratch. My 2 cents...

 

 

[Gandang Smile]

20 hours ago, jamesmusslewhite said:

   I spent a couple of years looking at different websites layouts, web hosting sites and more templates than I can count. And like automobiles there are more brands and varieties than most can recount. Such is human nature in reference to 'preference' and 'diversity', and everyone naturally has their own favorites. My issue is that in all time looking I never once, came across anything resembling that which I envisioned building.

   I wish there was. It would be easiest to simply laydown a few hundred bucks, as I would already have it built and operational. Much easier for a hard-headed anal-retentive unyielding non-conforming prick, such as myself. When I had wealth the descriptive-modifier used was 'eccentric', now on a modest income it is referred to as 'crazy'. Same mind, just different tax-bracket, amazing what a couple of less zeros does to other's perceptions make.

    But not 'bat-shit' half a bubble off-plumb crazy, at least not as of yet anyways. There is always a well-plotted method to my madness reasoning, even though others may not understand either my method or reasoning. To me it is quite simple, I design that which I need most. And if it means that I must take the hardest path to obtain that goal, then I am more than willing to go that extra mile or few. The extra effort is worth avoiding future regret of having foolishly compromised due to needless intellectual-laziness. Yielding to false-simplicity rarely conquers over needed-complexity. This why I doggedly adhere to 'Meskimen's Law'. Which states: There's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over. 

   So until I encounter that proverbial insurmountably impasse, than I am naturally driven to tackle (any-and-all) reasonable hurdles. Now if that impasse proves to be an unquestionable-fact, than my inherent internal hard-wiring (though damaged as it may be). Then my convoluted degrading grey-matter will regretfully accept that reality and then adjust accordingly. I simply was not wired for unnecessary compromises, as long as the objective goal still seems obtainable. Blessing or curse it has gotten me thus far.

    I decided to retire at age fifty and chose to move here with the wife and kid. We had previously purchased a 6-hector Dinagat Island farm, here in the Northern-most area of Surugao, Mindanao. Our goal was to really enjoy life while both of us were relatively still young. Well after a decade of leisurely raising coconuts and lobsters we realized 'Retirement-Sucks', and neither actually wired for retirement. I myself have a (45+year) obsession with the Aqua-horti-farm&ag industries, (30+ years) of which were actually commercial. My wife worked by my side in more than a few of our business ventures, so to say we are business oriented is an understatement. We will be happily slaving away until the good Lord retires us both.

    Collectively we possess a deep-well of first-hand knowledge, within a multitude of different commercial industries. We at the same time are beginning several startup ventures. We certainly do not intend building large businesses, rather multiple small ventures where it all remains enjoyable. No one will make big money, but collectively enough to allow uscomfort well enough. A few aguaculture projects, several farm&ad products, the production of a line of various gormet coconut oils and vinegars. Here on this little island where we are living presently we built a small day-rental resort with a small sari-sari. All the ventures (fish aquaculture, day resort/sari-sari, lobster pueruli transport and lobster aquaculture) are only an hour boat's ride from our farm. Though small it is still requires an in-depth understanding of the complexity of the business model, as relating to both the website and the forum site. To even understand who each correlates with the website design. This has not even mentioned the 'YouTube training videos, written articles and social multi media.

   So I fully understand why members prehaps do not understand my reasoning behind the website design, and why I chose to decide to build the HTML5, CSS and Java coding myself; so the endproduct will be eactually what I want. Yes I am anal, but sometimes a little eccentric is a good thing. Providing I get all the code to work as I hope.

Fully understand your reasoning, too @jamesmusslewhite, and thanks for going to great and entertaining detail to explain your reason to build the site the way you are. Since you have no strict deadline and nobody is paying you to build the site, there is absolutely nothing wrong with an opportunity to learn something new and have some fun.

Good luck! 

[jamesmusslewhite]

19 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

To me, it's a self serving topic

Meaning it's not about much other than to get free publicity to your website. 

So therefore I will consider if to allow it to remain active or close. 

Thank You for your understanding  

 

   I will graciously spare you of such an unnecessary annoyance. I have neither need nor desire to pluck low-hanging fruit off another man's fruit tree. I have no desire to post on that thread further. Best instead a self-impose refrainment policy, to insure non-plausible inadvertent self-promotion issues arising in the future. Only usual dry-toast postings here out.