<CSS/HTML> are programming languages?
So, should someone call himself a programmer when only using HTML & CSS?
Answer is no! It’s not correct to call someone as “programmer/developer†when they only know or uses the CSS or HTML.
HTML & CSS aren’t programming languages in the traditional sense they lack the basic concepts of programming i.e. loops, conditions, variables etc...
Few facts about it;
- HTML and CSS don’t compile anything.
- HTML and CSS describe presentation, whereas programming languages describe function.
- There are no if-then statements inside HTML
- HTML and CSS are rules and describe rules for styling and structuring content
- HTML is a markup language (as its name suggests)
Further, the programming languages have the ability to perform algorithms to calculate equations or perform low level machine based operating instructions and tasks.
People who say they program in HTML are generally mistaken about programming.
As HTML is designed to store content hierarchically and CSS is designed to customize how the content is displayed. HTML and CSS are meant to express presentation, whereas code typically is written to do something, that is, to have some sort of function.
Further, these languages are two essential building blocks of the internet. HTML is a markup language used for developing web pages, while CSS is a style sheet language, as mentioned it is used for describing the presentation of a document written in mark-up languages like HTML. Together, they form many of the webpages we browse every day.
What is the right sense of HTML/CSS?
Today in fast pace world, the static mockups are becoming outdated and less useful in communicating the workflows of the system.
If you want to make a career in web designing, you probably want to learn a lot on how to use Photoshop or Sketch or other more traditional design tools. That is absolutely fine.
However, web design doesn’t end-up with a pixel-perfect Photoshop draft. It’s just the beginning of the design journey.
No matter if you’re a designer trying to get into web development or a developer starting out, learning the basics of HTML & CSS is an absolute must-have.
One of the biggest advantage of designing in the browser, is the interactiveness of its medium. With Photoshop you can only produce static files, whereas HTML and CSS enable you to create real prototypes and mockups which make it easy for team members to actually grasp the user stories.
In future, you may be working with other web developers on new websites or may be on some web applications, knowing how to use CSS and HTML as a designer will give you an easy time, collaborating with your developer colleagues.
It will not only strengthen your position within those project teams, but also enables you to get deeply involved in the development stage of a project. Adjusting styles or customizing a prototype is an easy game if you know CSS and HTML.