Web Programming with Python and JavaScript - Lecture 1

Jul 18, 2024

Lecture Notes: Web Programming with Python and JavaScript

Instructor: Brian Yu

Course Overview

  • Key Focus: Design and implementation of web applications using Python and JavaScript.
  • Components:
    • Lectures discussing ideas, tools, and languages in web programming.
    • Hands-on projects for practical application, culminating in a final project.

Topics Covered:

1. Introduction to HTML5 and CSS3

  • HTML (HyperText Markup Language): Describes the structure of a web page.
  • CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Describes the style (colors, fonts, layouts) of a web page.
  • Example of HTML:
    • <!DOCTYPE html>: Declaration indicating HTML5.
    • Tags like <html>, <head>, <title> for the page title, and <body> for content.
    • DOM (Document Object Model): Tree-like structure representing HTML elements.

2. Git for Version Control

  • Used for tracking changes, version control, and collaborative work.

3. Python Programming

  • Framework: Django.
  • Use: Designing web applications that interact with data via models and migrations.

4. SQL for Database Interaction

  • Usage: Managing databases and interacting with data through Django models.

5. JavaScript for Interactivity

  • Enhances user interfaces by running in users' web browsers.

6. Testing and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

  • Ensures code efficiency and prevents breaking existing functionality.

7. Scalability and Security

  • Handling growing user bases and ensuring web application security.

Detailed HTML and CSS Discussion

First HTML Example

  • Structure:
    • <!DOCTYPE html> for HTML5.
    • <html lang="en">, <head>, <title> for metadata.
    • <body> for main content.
  • Tags: {<h1>}, {<p>}, {<a>} for hyperlinks, {<img>} for images.

Lists in HTML

  • Ordered Lists (ol) and Unordered Lists (ul).
  • List items marked by <li>.

Tables in HTML

  • Tags: <table> for table, <thead> for table head, <tbody> for table body, and <td> for table data cells.
  • Styled using CSS properties like border, padding, and margin.

Forms in HTML

  • Tags: <form>, <input>, <label>, <button>.
  • Types of Inputs: text, password, submit, radio, checkbox, datalist.

Advanced CSS Techniques

Inline vs. Internal vs. External CSS

  • Inline Styling: Directly within HTML tags.
  • Internal Styling: Within a <style> tag in the HTML document's <head>.
  • External Styling: Using an external .css file linked in the HTML document.

CSS Selectors

  • Element Selectors: Applying styles to all occurrences of an element.
  • Class Selectors: Using . to apply styles to all elements with a specific class.
  • ID Selectors: Using # for styling unique elements with a specific ID.
  • Descendant Selectors: Target elements nested within specified elements.

Responsive Design

  • Viewports: Control visible area of a web page on different device screens.
  • Media Queries: Apply styles based on device characteristics like width.
  • Flexbox and Grid Layout: Flexible box and grid systems for dynamic layouts.
  • Bootstrap: CSS framework for responsive, mobile-first web design.
    • Components: Alerts, buttons, forms, navbars.
    • Grid System: 12-column layout mechanism for responsive design.

Using Sass (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets)

  • Variables: Store reusable values (e.g., colors, fonts).
  • Nesting: Nest CSS selectors for clearer hierarchy and scope.
  • Inheritance: Extend selectors to share common properties.
  • Compilation: Convert .scss files to .css files for browser compatibility.
    • Use tools like Sass --watch for automatic compilation.

Conclusion

  • HTML for structure.
  • CSS for styling.
  • Advanced tools like Sass and frameworks like Bootstrap for improved development efficiency.
  • Upcoming: Integrating these technologies with Python and JavaScript for full web applications.

Resources