Frameworks and UI: A Look Into Website Basics
08 Oct 2020
When I first started working on websites, I thought that it would be difficult, that it would be a hard undergoing. After all, you must not only learn the language, but you also had to make sure that the website worked and has a visually enticing UI. After all, having the best-looking website or at least a beautifully contoured site is what helps people come in and visit. In this short essay, I will discuss my experience with working on HTML and the Semantic UI Framework.
Before anyone asks, I have had a little bit of experience with manipulating files, specifically .XML files; initially it was difficult, though after a few days of practicing, it was not so bad. When working on websites, however, it was like trying to learn .XML all over again. While both are the same, they are different in several ways. One significant difference is the fact that .XML files are there to describe the data, whereas .HTML files display it. Ultimately, the language is the same.
Like with .XML files, I had to get used to using .HTML. Oddly enough, it did not take as long as I had originally anticipated. Perhaps it was because of my familiarity with its brother file type. However, just because I got familiar with it fast does not mean that I knew how to use it. I visited several forums to gather a better understanding of how .HTML files and .CSS files worked, from my professor’s resources all the way to sites such as GeeksForGeeks or Stack Exchange. Like with .XML, it only took me a few days to get used to using the file types. Little did I know, though, that the fun was only just beginning.
While yes creating a website is awesome, I feel like we were only scratching the surface of what we could really create. I was right. We did a little more than just create basic websites; we outright replicated some websites, making our creation look as close as humanly possible to the original with the help of a framework tool, Semantic UI. Again, we had to learn a new language. However, it did not take as much time as learning say .XML or .HTML, as Semantic used the same language as .HTML did, making it much easier to get used to. It was because of us learning this tool that I had a genuine interest in designing websites. At the time of this essay, I have been looking into further expanding my replication of the Lamborghini homepage to link to other Lamborghini links. I also began preparing for creating a website that I could share with not just my fellow classmates, but also the world.
So the real question; why use frameworks? Why not just stick with raw .HTML and .CSS files? While a skilled programmer could create websites with those with ease, let’s admit; there is no way that we can recreate say the Lamborghini or McDonald’s homepages with just .HTML and .CSS. They serve more like a stepping stone into a much bigger operation, like how a kid can go from riding a bike with training wheels to riding a bike with no training wheels at all. Without frameworks, making a more complex site could prove to be difficult and even a little bit convoluted. Besides, creating your own websites with frameworks like Semantic is fun! It certainly makes life a lot simpler!