Lindows Fast & Easy (Fast & Easy (Premier Press))

Most Web pages are created in HTML (HyperText Markup Language), the language of the Internet. HTML places codes around areas of your Web page, telling the Web browser how that area should appear. For example, for a word to be bold on a Web page, the corresponding HTML code would be <b>bold</b>. The nice part about Netscape Composer is that you don't have to know even one HTML command to create your Web page. You simply have to create the page how you want it to look, and Composer will create all of the codes (these codes are called tags ) for you.

Launching Composer

Your journey of creating 1,000 Web pages starts with only one click! Well, actually, it'll take two clicks to get Composer up and running.

1. Click on the Web Browser button from the Quick Launch Bar. Netscape Navigator will launch.

2. Click on the Composer button . Netscape Composer will launch.

Setting Up Your Page

To begin with, you should give your Web page a name and decide how you want it to appear. Using Composer, you can change how the text, background, and links will appear.

Naming Your Web Page

Eventually, you are going to want to publish your page so that it can be viewed by others on the Internet. Publishing your page with Composer requires that your page have a name.

1. Click on Format . The Format menu will appear.

2. Click on Page Title and Properties . The Page Properties dialog box will appear.

3. Type in the title of your Web page. Give it a title that best describes the main content of the page.

4. Press Tab to advance to the next box.

5. Type your name in the Author text box.

6. Press Tab to advance to the next box.

7. Type in a brief description of the page that you are creating.

8. Click on OK . The page will be named, and you will return to Composer.

Adding Text

Most of your Web page will typically consist of text. Netscape Composer provides you with an easy-to-use, word processor method for adding text to your Web page. You simply click anywhere on the page and begin typing.

1. Click in any blank area of the page. Your cursor will begin to flash at the top line.

2. Type in the desired text . The text will appear on the screen as you type it.

3. Press Enter to move to the next line. If you don't press Enter, the cursor will automatically move to the next line once it reaches the edge of the page.

Formatting Text

1. Click and drag across the text that you'd like to add a heading to. A heading is a preset format that you can apply to a body of text.

2. Click on the down arrow next to the Body Text list to choose from a list of different heading styles. There are six different heading styles, each with its own formatting.

3. Click on the desired heading style, and the formatting of the selected text will change.

4. Click and drag across the text you want to change. It will become highlighted.

5. Click on Format . The Format menu will appear.

6. Click on Font . A menu with different fonts will appear.

7. Click on the desired font , and the highlighted text will change to that font.

8. Click and drag across the text that you'd like to change color .

9. Click on the Color button . The Text Color dialog box filled with different colors will appear.

10. Click on the desired color .

11. Click on OK , and the highlighted text will change color.

12. Click and drag across the text that you'd like to modify.

13. Click on the Bold , Italic , or Underline buttons to apply those effects to the text.

    Tip	The shortcut keys for bold, italic, and underline are Ctrl+B, Ctrl+I, and Ctrl+U, respectively.

14. Highlight the text that you'd like to change.

15. 1. Click on the Smaller Font Size button to reduce the size of the font. Every time you click this button the text will get smaller and smaller.

       OR

    2. Click on the Larger Font Size button to increase the size of the font. The font will increase in size every time you click the button.

16. Highlight the text that you'd like to add bullets or numbers to.

17. 1. Click on the Bulleted List button . A bullet will be put in front of every item in the list.

       OR

    2. Click on the Numbered List button . Numbers will be placed beside every item in your list in ascending order.

18. Highlight the text that you'd like to align.

19. Click on the desired alignment button. There are four different alignment options to choose from.

    • Left . Aligns the selected text to the left of the page.

    • Center . Aligns the selected text to be centered on the page.

    • Right . Aligns the selected text to the right of the page.

    • Justified . Spreads the text so that it is aligned across the entire width of the page.

Working with Links

One of the most relevant features of a Web page is that you can create links. Links allow you to quickly jump to different parts of your Web page or to different Web sites. You can also create links that will automatically open an e-mail package so that people can contact you from your Web site. You can create links from both text and images. Generally speaking, when you create a link, it will appear blue with an underline when it is viewed on a Web page.

Creating Text Links

To create a text link, you must first type out the text that will represent the link. You can use the actual address of where the link will take you, or you can use any word to represent the link. For example, if I wanted to create a link to the Lindows Web site, I could create a link out of the text www.lindows.com or I could type, "click here to go to Lindows" and make that text string the link.

Linking to Other Web Sites

You can create a link that will jump to a different Web site when clicked.

1. Click and drag across the text that you would like to create a link from. It will appear highlighted.

2. Click on the Link button . The Link Properties dialog box will open.

3. Type in the URL address that you want to link to. An example of a URL address would be www.lindows.com or www.yahoo.com.

4. Click on OK . The text that was highlighted will now be blue with an underline, and your link will be created.

Linking within Your Web Site

To link within your Web site you need an anchor point. This is a point where the link will take you when clicked on. Whenever you apply a heading to text, it becomes an anchor point. You can then have your link jump to any of those points.

1. Click and drag across the text that you would like to create a link from. It will appear highlighted.

2. Click on the Link button . The Link Properties dialog box will open.

3. Click on the down arrow in the Link Location field. A list of anchor points will appear. The anchor points represent any text that you have made into headings.

4. Click on the desired link location . This is where the link will take you when clicked.

5. Click on OK . The link will be applied. A picture of a little anchor will appear beside the selected anchor point.

Creating a Mailto Link

If you want people who visit your Web site to be able to e-mail you, you can create a mailto link. A mailto link, when clicked, will open up their e-mail package and allow them to send you an e-mail. Like other links, it can be created either from text or an image.

1. Click and drag across the text that you would like to create a link from. It will appear highlighted.

2. Click on the Link button . The Link Properties dialog box will open.

3. Type in mailto: < you@email.com .> Replace <"you@e-mail.com"> with your actual e-mail address.

4. Click on OK . The text that was highlighted will appear blue with an underline. When a visitor to your site clicks on this link, they will be able to e-mail you.

Inserting Images

You can spice up the look of your Web page by inserting images. Getting images into your Web page is a relatively easy task. You just have to select an image, choose the size of the image, and then determine how you would like it to react to the text of your page.

1. Position your mouse pointer where you'd like the image to be inserted.

2. Click on the Image button . The Image Properties dialog box will open.

3. Click on the radio button beside Don't use alternate text. Alternate text replaces the image with the specified text if a person viewing your page does not have a browser that supports images.

4. Click on the Choose File button . The Select Image File dialog box will open where you can select the image that you'd like to insert.

5. Click on the desired image . It will be highlighted once you click on it.

6. Click on Open . This will load the image and bring you back to the Image Properties dialog box. The Image Preview area of the dialog box will show your image.

7. Click on the Dimensions tab . Rarely will an image that you import be the exact size that you'd like it to appear on your page. Here you can adjust the size of the image.

8. Click on the radio button beside Custom Size. You will be able to alter the size of the image.

9. Double-click in the Width box . The numbers will be highlighted.

10. Type a number for the new width of the image. Because the Constrain check box is selected by default, if you change the width, the height will also change proportionately and vice versa.

11. Click on the Appearance tab . You will be able to control how text will react to the image.

12. Click on the down arrow under Align Text to Image. A list of options for alignment will appear.

13. Click on the desired alignment option. This will control how text will wrap around the image.

14. Click on the Link tab . If you want, you will be able to make a link out of the image. When someone clicks on the image, they'll be taken to another Web page or a spot within your site.

15. Type in a URL link or select a link from the drop-down list.

16. Click on OK . Your image will be inserted into the Web page.

Creating Tables

Tables are a great way to organize information on your Web page. Each cell of a table can include text, numerical data, or images. Tables also provide a convenient way to align multiple images on the same line of a Web page.

Inserting a Table

Inserting a table into your Web page is as simple as the click of a button. The only thing you have to decide beforehand is how many rows and columns you'd like to have in your table.

1. Position your mouse pointer where you'd like the image to be inserted.

2. Click on the Table button . The Insert Table dialog box will open where you can set up your table.

3. Double - click in the Rows field . The number will be highlighted.

4. Type the number of rows you would like your table to have.

5. Double - click in the Columns field . The number will be highlighted.

6. Type the number of columns you would like your table to have.

7. Double - click in the Width field . The width will determine how much of your page the table will cover.

8. Type a number for the width. This number represents the percentage of the page that will be covered by the table.

9. Double - click in the Border field . The number will be highlighted.

10. Type a number for the width. If you enter 0, your table will have no border. This is a good trick for laying out images on your page without people seeing the table.

11. Click on OK . Your table will be created, and you'll return to the Composer window.

12. View your table . If it appears as you'd like it, you can begin entering data into the cells .

Adding Elements to a Table

You can add either data or images within the cells of a table. The procedure for both is almost the same as adding text or images to any other part of your Web page.

1. Click in the cell that you would like to add data to.

2. Type in the information . The cell border will adjust to fit your information.

3. Format the text as you would in any other part of the Web page.

4. Click in any cell . The cursor will flash in that cell.

5. Click on the Image button . The Image Properties dialog box will open.

6. Click on the radio button beside Don't use alternate text. Alternate text replaces the image with the specified text if a person viewing your page does not have a browser that supports images.

7. Click on the Choose File button . The Select Image File dialog box will open where you can select your image.

8. Click on the desired image . It will be highlighted.

9. Click on Open . The image you selected will be loaded. You can also change the size, add a link, or change the appearance of the image, as was discussed in the "Inserting Images" section of this chapter.

10. Click on OK . The image will be inserted into the selected cell.

Formatting Tables

You can change the look of the table to suit your particular tastes. Composer enables you to change how individual cells appear or how your entire table looks. You are able to change the color of cells, join cells, or even readjust the cells after the table has been created.

Changing the Color of the Table

You can change the color of individual cells, or add a color to the entire cell, from within one dialog box.

1. Right-click on the cell that you would like to format. A menu will appear.

2. Click on Table or Cell Background Color . The Table or Cell Color dialog box will open.

3. Click on the Table or Cell(s) radio button to determine whether you want to change the color of the entire table or just the selected cell.

4. Click on the color you'd like to have as the background.

5. Click on OK . The color you selected will appear as the background of the cell or the entire table, depending on which you chose in Step 3.

Joining Cells

Composer gives you the ability to join together groups of cells that you have selected. This is a particularly useful function for adding a title to your table within the table itself.

1. Click and drag across the cells that you would like to join. They will be highlighted.

2. Right - click on any of the selected cells . A menu will appear.

3. Click on Join Selected Cells . The cells you have highlighted will be joined together.

   Tip	Pressing Ctrl+Z at any time will undo your last action.

Changing Views

As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, when you create a Web page, it is programmed in HTML. Little tags defining how the page should look appear around every element of your page. Although Composer creates these tags for you automatically, you can change the view of your page so that you can see the tags. You can also choose to view the page as it would look in a Web browser.

• Click on the Show All Tags tab at the bottom of the window. This will change the view of your page so that you can see the tags that define each part of your Web site.

• Click on the <HTML> Source tab at the bottom of the window. This will change the view so that you can see the actual HTML programming that Composer has created for you. This is the actual data that your Web browser will read and interpret.

• Click on the Preview tab . This will preview your Web page as it will look on the Internet.

• Click on the Normal tab . This will return you to the normal working view of your document.

Publishing Your Web Page

You can send your Web site directly to the Internet from within Composer. You will, however, first need a Web address. Usually, if you have signed up for Web access, your Internet service provider (ISP) will also give you a Web address where you can create your own Web site. If this isn't the case, there are a variety of free Web hosting services where you can post your site on the Internet. You'll need several pieces of information in order to publish your page to the Internet. This includes the address of your Web site, the ftp address of the Web host, and your user name and password.

1. Click on the Publish button . The Publish Page dialog box will open.

2. Type a name for your site. You can choose any descriptive name.

3. Press the Tab key . Your cursor will advance to the next field.

4. Type in the publishing address . This is the ftp site of your Web host, typically in the form ftp://ftp.yourhost.com. Replace "yourhost.com" with the actual ftp address of your Web host.

5. Press the Tab key . Your cursor will advance to the next field.

6. Type in the Internet address of your Web page. This should be typed in the form http://www.yoursite.com. Replace "yoursite.com" with your actual Web address.

7. Press the Tab key . Your cursor will advance to the next field.

8. Type in your user name for your Web site. This is the user name provided to you by your ISP or Web host that will give you access to your Web site.

9. Press the Tab key . Your cursor will advance to the next field.

10. Type in your password for your Web site. It will appear as a series of asterisks so anyone watching the screen won't be able to see your password.

11. Click on the Publish tab . You'll now have to give a name to your page and the file.

12. Type a name for your Web page in the Page Title field. This can be any name.

13. Type a name for the html file in the Filename field. If this is the first page of your Web site, you should typically name it index.html.

14. Click on the Publish button . Your site will be published to the Internet.