The most visually stunning Web site in the world is useless if it doesn't function correctly. With Codin' for the Web you can ensure that yours will. Here to help you create sites that not only work, but work well--and are easy to update and maintain--is a straightforward, visual guide to Web programming basics from best-selling author Charles Wyke-Smith. Just as architects need to understand building materials and their properties, you need to understand the code that serves as the foundation for your sites. You'll learn that all dynamic Web sites consist of three basic components: a browser interface, Web server middleware, and a database. Using diagrams, code snips, and loads of screen shots, the guide covers everything from Web coding concepts and principles to building sites, designing visual interfaces, developing databases, developing middleware, ensuring a good user experience (through good code!), testing and debugging, and more.

Charles Wyke-Smith has been creating Web sites since 1994 and is currently the Director of Production at Nacio, a corporate hosting and development company in Novato, California, that focuses on user experience, information architecture, and interface design. He has worked as a Web design consultant for such companies as Wells Fargo, ESPN Videogames, and University of California, San Francisco. Wyke-Smith has also taught multimedia and interface design and spoken at many industry conferences.