Scaffolded Web Project for Beginners

3 min read 16 days 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.