Scaffolded Web Project for Beginners

3 min read 1 month ago
Published on Apr 30, 2025 This response is partially generated with the help of AI. It may contain inaccuracies.

Introduction

This tutorial guides you through creating a simple single-page website using modern web development practices. You'll learn how to design a wireframe, set up your project, use VSCode, manage your project with Git and GitHub, and implement a grid layout. By the end, you'll have a fully functional website ready for publishing.

Step 1: Project Design

  • Start by planning your website layout. Create a wireframe to visualize the structure and components of your site.
  • Identify key sections you want to include, such as a hero section, content area, and footer.

Step 2: Download Resources

  • Download the resources needed for the project from the provided link: Download Resources.
  • Extract the files to a folder on your computer.

Step 3: Project Setup

  • Open Visual Studio Code (VSCode).
  • Create a new folder for your project and open it in VSCode.
  • Inside your project folder, create an index.html and a styles.css file.

Step 4: Improve VSCode Usage

  • Familiarize yourself with VSCode features
    • Use extensions like Prettier for code formatting.
    • Enable live server to preview changes in real-time.

Step 5: Create HTML Structure

  • In index.html, set up the basic HTML structure:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
    <title>Your Website Title</title>
</head>
<body>
    <!-- Add your sections here -->
</body>
</html>

Step 6: Set Up Git and GitHub

  • Initialize a Git repository in your project folder:
git init
  • Create a new repository on GitHub and link it to your local repository:
git remote add origin <your-repo-url>

Step 7: Stage, Commit, and Sync

  • Stage your changes:
git add .
  • Commit your changes:
git commit -m "Initial commit"
  • Push to GitHub:
git push -u origin master

Step 8: Add CSS Styles

  • Open styles.css and start styling your page. For example, set a background color:
body {
    background-color: #f0f0f0;
}
  • Remember to save your changes frequently.

Step 9: Create the Hero Section

  • In index.html, add the hero section:
<section class="hero">
    <h1>Welcome to My Website</h1>
    <p>This is a simple web development project.</p>
</section>
  • Style the hero section in styles.css:
.hero {
    background-image: url('path-to-your-image.jpg');
    height: 400px;
    display: flex;
    justify-content: center;
    align-items: center;
    text-align: center;
}

Step 10: Implement a Two-Column Grid Layout

  • Use CSS Grid for layout:
.container {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);
}
  • Add HTML structure for the grid:
<div class="container">
    <div class="column">Content 1</div>
    <div class="column">Content 2</div>
</div>

Step 11: Margin and Centering

  • Add margin and center your sections:
.container {
    margin: 20px auto;
    max-width: 1200px;
}

Step 12: Create a Three-Column Grid

  • Challenge yourself to create a three-column layout:
.container-three {
    display: grid;
    grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr);
}
  • Add the corresponding HTML.

Step 13: Finalize and Publish

  • Review and test your website in different browsers.
  • Once satisfied, commit your final changes:
git commit -m "Final commit"
  • Publish your site using GitHub Pages or another hosting service.

Conclusion

You have now created a simple single-page website from scratch! Key takeaways include mastering Git for version control, using CSS Grid for layouts, and leveraging VSCode for efficient coding. As a next step, consider enhancing your site with more features or exploring JavaScript for interactivity.