PSD to 100% XHTML code...

JavaScript and client side scripting.

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matthijs
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Post by matthijs »

As others have mentioned, if you already have a layout design in ps, half the work is done. Making html/xhtml pages from the mockups isn't too difficult.
Never done a CSS layout, but is the whole point to reduce time in both development and download?
Never done a table layout myself. But I've had to clean up some nasty table-based layouts before and that wasn't funny :(
For starters, its two different jobs, and it requires two different tools. Using photoshop and imageready, converting images into workable html is one job. Taking html and making it compliant is another - a much easier one
I agree. The challenge is to design the html in a way that it is the most logical, semantic and lean. So that even without css the pages "work". That's good for users, search engines and ease of maintainance (future layout changes etc). I am just redesigning one of my sites and after changing maybe 10-20 lines in the main stylesheet the basic changes were done. Not having to touch the html-templates makes the job so much easier.

About the xhtml vs html difference: I don't think there's an advantage of using one above the other. as long as you use a strict doctype and validate the pages you're fine. It will take IE years and years to support xhtml, so as long as the majority of people use IE there's no point in using xhtml (but that's a whole different discussion..)

So I think the most important thing is is to find someone who can really convert your designs to solid, lean and meaningfull html. It might cost some more in the beginning (compared to a quick and dirty job in frontpage/dreamweaver hacking together some images and layers), but in the end you'll have pages that work better, are cheaper in maintainance and are good seo wise.

To try to answer your questions:
The cost will depend on the complexity of the design. A basic 2 col layout is much easier then a complex grid of block different sizes etc. But as I said, a good job will save money in the future, while a quick hack might cost more in the end.

I don't think it would be cheaper to first write the html yourself and let it be converted to xhtml. In contrast, for me it would only make it more difficult. Starting from scratch is easier.

Making sure the pages validate should not be difficult for anyone claiming to be an expert/having experience. Validating is just a usefull tool to find some silly mistakes I made writing the code (forgetting some end tag f.e.).

Hourly rates: that's difficult to say. Here in the Netherlands it will be somewere between 20-100 euro. Depending on who you pick, the neighbours friend's 14 yr nephew or some corporation's front-developer.

As for the next question: changing a single html file to xhtml? Maybe 10 minutes. Maybe a few hours. I would have to see some code before I could know that. Nested tables aren't the problem. It's how well hidden the real content is and finding that :)

And the biggest advantage of changing it to a css based layout is that maybe the first and second page and the css will take more time, but after that it's way faster and easier.
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Oren
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Post by Oren »

Hockey wrote:Do you have a portfolio? How do I know you can convert any design I throw at you into xhtml/css compliant code? Will it render in both FF and IE identically, etc???
Talked to you on MSN already (just to let everybody else know).
matthijs wrote:As others have mentioned, if you already have a layout design in ps, half the work is done. Making html/xhtml pages from the mockups isn't too difficult.
Easy to say - not so easy to do. If you can do it that easy and fast then you aren't professional at all - that's my personal opinion, and the professionals will agree.
To get a solid and professional web site done you need to have a lot of experience and you also need to make the right decisions before doing anything - this dude, takes time.
matthijs
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Post by matthijs »

Easy to say - not so easy to do. If you can do it that easy and fast then you aren't professional at all - that's my personal opinion, and the professionals will agree.
To get a solid and professional web site done you need to have a lot of experience and you also need to make the right decisions before doing anything - this dude, takes time.
Hmm, don't know how I should take this.

Of course there's a lot of work to be done before even opening up a text editor. Thinking about the information architecture, usability, researching a lot, etc.

I am not saying building a website is like opening up my html editor and hacking something together in an hour or two. If that's what you understand from my post I've clearly not explained it well.

The only thing I wanted to point out is that after:
- all the prepatory work has been done (researching the goals of the site, the target audience, maybe even doing some testing on potential users, etc etc)
- the design is made (ps mockups, wireframes, etc)
to build that into html is relatively not that much work. I'm not saying it's a 10 min job. It's just that most of the work has been done. If you have a solid understanding of designing with html/css it's not that hard.

Of course, there will be exceptions. Sometimes a website will have a very complicated layout. Or IE keeps doing strange stuff to your layouts. But in general, generating the (x)html/css isn't too much work.
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Oren
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Post by Oren »

In most cases it's not hard at all - just takes time. You don't need to be a professor to know (X)HTML :wink:
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

If there is any time consuming feature to XHTML it is trying to keep your desing presentation totally separate from your markup while at the same time remembering the rules for XHTML compliance while at the same time keeping in mind the content that the client plans on putting into your design.

Coding XHTML is really not that different from coding HTML except some of the smaller nuances of the XHTML spec. For many designs, a similar design has already been made somewhere and can easily be duplicated/modified to suit your needs.
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