Lessons

While this step seems like it should come at the end, it actually makes sense to set this up in the beginning, so you can create and store your Web Page as you are creating it.  In this way, all of the links that you make to images will be correct, since you will know exactly where you are storing them.  Also, if you are a beginner, using a public storage site, you might opt to create your code right in that sites' provided text editor. 

Additionally, there are many free text editors that color-code your text as you write it.  You may wish to experiment with these.  In the past, I have used CreativePage.  It is Macintosh shareware that can be found on <www.Tucows.com>.  You can download it for free, though it is lacking some of the tools.  There are also ample free IBM text editors available there.

The free web-hosting site that I will be using throughout this tutorial is www.geocities.com.  In order to make use of this service, you will need to set up a free account at www.yahoo.com.  Once you have set up your free “yahoo” account, you will have free Web space. Proceed to <www.geocities.com> and login there.  Once you login, you will see some page wizards and additional hep.  However, go to “File Manager,” so you can write (or paste-in) your HTML directly. 

Since you have yet to create your first web page, you can come back to this tutorial if you would like.  However, it will benefit you to read this entire tutorial now, in order see how items are stored and named.  In this way you can help to ensure that your links will be correct. 

The only file that will exist when you first go to File Manager is the “index.html.”  This is your opening page document and should retain this name.   All subsequent pages you create can be named whatever you wish.  Highlight the “index.html” file and click “Edit.”  You can write your HTML here or you can import it from another program via cut-and-paste method.  Throughout this tutorial, you will likely be doing the latter.  Remember, at any point, you can click “Save and Continue” and then “Preview.”  You should then be able to see the document as it will look on a browser

It is possible to put everything on the first level of your File Manger, this will save you from having to put the location in the reference tags.  However, it will begin to grow rapidly, the more pages you put together and it will be hard to find the files that you are trying to locate. Therefore, it is best to create multiple folders.  There are really two schools of thought here.  One is to put all of the same type of documents together.  For example you would create separate folders for your html files, photos, clip-art, sound files, bit-maps, etc.  If this is your first web page, this method is probably fine.  But when you begin to increase your number of pages, again, the folders will grow very large.  The second method of organization is to keep all of the files for each page together.  For example, if you have a personal page, a resume page, and a favorite team page, you would store all of the files associated with those pages into their respective folder.  Personally, I tend to use both of these methods a bit. While I generally keep all of my images in an "Images" folder, I find it necessary to make sub-folders for different groups of files.

Once you have created your folders, you will need to know how to get the files that are save on your computer up to the geocities server.  If you have huge files (which you should not yet have) or many files to do at once, you can FTP (File Transfer Protocol) them to the server.  This is faster, but it requires another program to allow you to do so.  For your purposes now, you can upload your files by merely clicking on the “Upload Files” link and then browse to find you files and upload them.  The files will be saved into whatever folder you were in when you clicked “Upload Files.”  Keep this point in mind so that you can save them in the correct folder.  However, you can always transfer them if they end up being in an incorrect location.

Remember that the key to effective storage is effective organization.  The more organized you are, the easier it will be for you to correctly write your html code. 

Click HERE to proceed to the Basic HTML Tutorial.

Notes

Shareware:
My take on Shareware is that if you are going to use the program, you should send some money to the designer.  First of all, when you actually send in your money for a shareware program you will get full versions, upgrades, etc.  However, it is also good to send the money to help pay the individual for all of the hours spent on the program.  Most shareware is not more than $25.00, so it's a good idea to send your money and show your thanks.

Browsers:
Browsers can display WebPages differently.  You should look at your site in multiple browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Safri, Firefox, and Netscape Navigator.