How to Start a Web Development Project
I think that one of the biggest problems that I still have with web development is getting started. As time changes there is always a different way to do things and usually I have forgotten what I have done with a previous project. I am writing this to be able to keep all my thoughts in one place and allow me to come back here and make changes if I find a better way of setting something up.
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Get a Naming Scheme Down
In order to keep yourself from second guess if it's a good idea to name something what you're going to name it stick with some sort of rules. This will allow you to development your application but have consistency with it across the board.
Below are the ones that I li
Files / Folders
Application
Microsoft
Database
Setup and Use Version Control
By using some sort of version control system you can save your butt. A Version control system allows you keep a history of your code so that you can go back in time and recall something that was there. Also if multiple people are working on a project it gives you the tools needed to merge changes each user has made to the same file.
- SVN
Setup your Development Environment
Certain platforms require that you need to have some sort of special application server running as well as a database of some sort. Whatever the needs of your project make sure that the environment that you are going to be working in meets those needs.
IDE
Depending on the IDE you use you'll probably want to make sure the way you integrate your files in it is going to work properly
With visual studio I like to keep most of my projects in the root of the solution folder. If I generate a DAL like .netTeirs I will let that stay in it's own folder because of all the projects that it consists of. Just keep organization in mind when setting up your solution. Also don't forget that you can setup virtual Solution files in Visual Studio
Web Server
In most situations I like to use the built in Visual Studio web server if I can. It doesn't require any setup time and only runs when I want it to. Keep in mind with the virtual server you can make the virtual path "/" instead of the name of the website like VS defaults to. This make setting up your path references much easier because the app is running in the root of the site like it would in your live environment.
Depending on the nature of the project you might need to setup a virtual folder/application in IIS using the local host if you're need to merge two applications together from your solution.
Database Server
The SQL EXPRESS is great for running your mdf files but sometimes setting up a local sql server instance is going to work out better for you. It just depends on what you need to do and how you need to get it done.
