Making a
WEB
Page

General Information

Web pages are written in a fairly simple code called HTML - Hyper Text Mark-up Language. There are numerous web sites which tell you how to write in HTML, some of which are included in the links below. However, you don't need to know any of this, because there are now many useful editors which greatly simplify the writing of Web pages. Most easily accessible are the Editor functions of the more recent versions of the two most commonly used browsers, Netscape and Internet Explorer. Each contains extensive Help facilities which will enable you (if you are a novice) to create your own web pages. Additional HTML editors are available from the links below. For users of Microsoft Word, the more recent versions have built-in HTML converters (at least in the Windows versions), which make it easy to convert a Word document to HTML.

If you are expecting to write many HTML documents, and especially if you will be using options not among those included in the standard browser editors, you will need to invest some time in learning HTML. These pages are a guide to how to do this. You will need to use a text editor (Notepad or Wordpad in Windows are good).

In general, WWW pages are in the public domain, and unless otherwise explicitly indicated, the "information" contained in them is accessible, and open to copying. Browsers like Netscape make it easy to save information from a WWW page.

If you find a page which you like, you can see how the effect is produced by looking at the HTML source. In Netscape, click on View (from the Menu bar), and then Page Source, or rightclick on the page and select View Source. Your Bowser will then open a new window, and display the HTML document.
You can save the document as a whole by using the File menu, and selecting Save as... from the options. You can then edit the document locally using any text editor (eg. Notepad, under Windows).

You can download sections of the document from the window that pops up using View Source, by hilighting the section of interest. In Windows, with the left mouse button depressed, drag the mouse icon through the bit you want, and copy it to the clipboard the page using Ctrl Ins.

An example page

The page accessed through this link shows examples of different options which can be incorporated into a simple WWW page, using HTML 3.0.
You can download the HTML version of this document, and use a text editor to substitute your own text and images at the positions shown, to get a start on a personalized Web page.

Some useful links

A Beginner's Guide to HTML.
This is a useful starting point, and contains most of what you need to get going.

Introduction to HTML. A comprehensive guide to HTML.

HTML Quick Reference to all the gizmos (tags, etc.) used in HTML documents.

A brief set of instructions for setting up a Home Page on a UNIX server.

Full specification of the HTML language.

WWW & HTML Developer's JumpStation. Many other useful links.

Microsoft Word Internet Assistant, a free add-in for Word which allows the program to convert Word documents to HTML documents, which can be edited in WSIWG view. Slow without a Pentium.

Anthony's Images, some useful icons, etc.

Textures, for background images.


Stroud's CWSApps List. A useful site containg Windows software for downloading. This is mostly FreeWare, or ShareWare for which a licensed version can be obtained at modest cost.

Recommended programs:

O'Reilly Software, for setting up your own Web site under Windows 95 or Windows NT.

Hypersnap, a useful program for capturing screen images as GIF files.

GIF Construction Set for Windows , a program for making animated cartoons using GIF files.

Tony Crofts