This project has taught me a lot about how I learn best when working independently. To stay focused, I broke each task into smaller goals which helped me stay focused and motivated to carry on even when things didn't seem to work. Since I have no previous experience with HTML or CSS, I found that gradually building up my knowledge on HTML and CSS and working on the website at the same time, while integrating new things I was learning, helped with staying engaged with the task. I found that the website www.w3schools.com, provided to us in the study materials, incredibly useful when first learning the basics of HTML and CSS and then eventually building on that knowledge through the additional tutorials. This whole project has given me a more in-depth insight into what university-style learning will be like where a higher level of independence and self-discipline are essential. Through this project, I learned how to take initiative without needing constant guidance. I set my own schedule for completing each stage of the project, working at my own pace. When I faced challenged such as formatting issues or unexpected errors, I had to troubleshoot them independently. This process strengthened my research skills and taught me how to learn new things quickly and apply them effectively.
For the overall theme of the website, I wanted it to match the cultural heritage entry so I chose two green colours which represents the grass where the castle sits. When designing the website, I needed the two pages to be consistent in design this is why the external CSS was needed so that both pages could use formatting from the external CSS file rather than both having separate internal CSS. I used basic semantic HTML tags such as <header>, <footer>, <nav>, while also using <div> tags with specific classes to separate the different sections of the website. With these classes that are defined in the CSS file, I can easily add new sections to both pages using the same formatting from the external CSS file which improves consistency between the two pages. I learned a lot about how to write clean and readable code by ensuring I had consistent spacing and featuring many comments about what each part of the code does. A challenging part at first was getting the different parts of the website such as text boxes and images to be arranged nicely. This is when I discovered the Flexible Box Layout (or Flexbox). Flexbox allowed me to align elements horizontally or vertically with much greater control and responsiveness. For example, I was able to place two text boxes or a text box and an image side by side, while maintaining consistent spacing, alignment, and sizing across various screen sizes. Mastering Flexbox helped me achieve a cleaner, more organized design with higher visual consistency throughout the website.
One of the most valuable lessons I've learned is the importance of the correct syntax. Just like HTML and CSS require careful attention to tags, brackets, and formatting. Both Python and C demand precision. This practice has helped me develop the habit of constantly reading and writing code carefully as to avoid small errors that could help break the program. I also gained experience in structuring code logically as designing a website involved organising content into reusable content which saves time stopping me from having to repeat code and keeps the design constant. Another important skill that I've developed is debugging. When my layout was first not working or elements weren't displaying properly, I had to continuously inspect the code and double check each little change that was made to ensure it works as intended. A feature of VSCode that aided with this was the live server feature which hosts the website on a local server where you can view how the website will end up looking and view the real time changes as the files would be saved. This also helped with viewing the website on other platforms such as my phone so I could ensure that the formatting worked and the website was compatible no matter the size of the device. This project has also trained me to think logically and solve problems creatively. When making my navigation bar responsive there were challenges that each required reasoning and experimenting which are skills that are at the core of programming.