It's kind of like using templates. When you use templates you are using code that someone else created. You just fill in the blanks and, poof, you have a Web page. The fun thing about templates is that you are free to change the code it you want to. You can make the page look however you want to.

When you do this you are learning how the code works and what you can do to make it work better for you.


You might change the background color or image. You might change the order that things appear in. You might make some major changes to the code and make it look completely different. Whatever you do to the code you are doing it because it's easier than creating the whole page from scratch.

Using the code from someone elses page is the same way. It's easier to use someone else's code than to try to figure it out and do it yourself. Don't worry, lots of people do it. As long as you don't steal a code that has a copyright on it you should be alright.

I'm sure there's been many times when you have gone to a Web page and really liked the layout or the design and wondered how they did that. I know I have. Finding out how they do it and using the code, or part of the code, for yourself is really easy.

In most browsers just need to follow these two simple steps:

1. Click on "View" at the top of your browser.
2. Scroll down and click on "Source" or "Page Source".
3. A new window will pop up with the code for the page in it.

Once you have the code you will still need to hunt down the part of the code that you need. If it was the color of a group of words then you need to find those words. If it was a table then you need to find that table. If it was the whole layout of the page then you will need to weed out the stuff you don't need to make it easier for you to use.

Next Page: What To Do With The Code