Web Page Concepts

Module W20c

Contents
Wherever you see this separator line in the document,clicking on it will return you to the Contents.

Why the Web?
When an organization considers putting information on the Web, we need to think about all the reasons why - or why not - to do this. What makes the World Wide Web different from other media? What are its strong and weak points? How does it compare with other media, including both electronic and non-electronic?

What Makes the Web Special?
  • Computer based
  • Active participation
  • Colorful
  • Can be interactive
  • Can include sound and motion
  • Inexpensive
  • Requires relatively little expertise
  • Can link to other Web pages

Strong and Weak Points of the Web:

Advantages:

  • Relatively intelligent and prosperous audience
  • Audience is active
  • Audience has (usually) chosen to see a page
  • Colorful, attractive
  • Potentially lively (action and sounds)
  • Easy for your audience to send you feedback, including orders

Disadvantages

  • Relatively limited audience
  • Audience can easily "escape"
  • Audience must usually seek you out
 

Comparing the Web with Other Media:

Electronic communications media

Such as... 
  • electronic mail
  • Internet news groups
  • Internet chat programs
  • television
  • radio
  • phone/telemarketing
  • fax

Non-electronic communications media 

Such as... 
  • newspapers
  • magazines
  • outdoor advertising
  • fliers
  • face to face communication

Creating a Web Page

HTML - What a Web Page is Made Of:

What is HTML?

  • HyperText Markup Language
  • A code of instructions for:
    • Formatting the document
    • Locating pictures, sounds, and other "extras"
    • Linking one page to another
    • Providing background information such as author, keywords, authoring software,and other facts
    • Incorporating action scripts (e.g. JavaScript, ASP, Flash...)
  • The browser program reads and tries to interpret the HTML

Where did it come from?

  • HTML was derived from SGML, the Standard Graphics Markup Language
  • Its development in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee was a key to the development of the World Wide Web
  • HTML has undergone a great deal of expansion since its development, but the original HTML code still works. Purpose of the expansion: to allow more colorful and complex Web pages.

How does it work?

  • HTML is a system of "tags" embedded in the text of a Web page.
  • Some example tags (not intended to teach you HTML!):
    • <HEAD> signals the beginning of the Web page
    • <H1> tells the browser to put following text in a large font
    • <TABLE> gets the browser to create a table
    • <a href="http://www.wccnet.org/">WCC Home</a> creates a link to the WCC home page that looks like this: WCC Home
    • Most tags are paired, and enclose text that the browser should handle in a particular way - for example, </H1> signals the end of the large font; </TABLE> marks the end of a table.
  • The browser (usually Netscape or Explorer) tries to interpret each tag and do what it says to do. If it doesn't understand a tag (because it is new or spelled wrong) a browser will usually just ignore the tag.
  • To see the HTML code for a file, use the browser's View menu and choose Page Source

Ways of Creating a Web Page:

Write HTML code yourself

  • Web pages are plain ASCII text files - the simplest kind of file there is
  • If you learn HTML you can either create or modify a Web page yourself
  • All you need is a simple text editor, such as:
    • Windows Notepad
    • Windows Write
    • Macintosh SimpleText
    • Any word processor, as long as you save the file as text rather than the normal word processor document

Use an HTML editor

  • There are many programs that let you create HTML Web pages without knowing HTML. They work like word processors.
  • HTML editors come in many flavors: 
    • Simple aids to help your write HTML
    • Web processors that do all the common things most people want
    • High-end authoring tools that create stunning effects

Use standard office software

  • Most newer office software allows you to save files as HTML Web pages.
  • This includes word processors, spreadsheets, presentation programs, and database management software.
  • The code produced by office software is often very bulky, and me be slow to download compared to code produced by an HTML editor.
For more details, see module W21c, Overview of Web Tools.

The Process of Web Publishing

Overview:

Once you have an HTML file, how do you get it onto the World Wide Web? Here's a summary; we'll go into the details shortly: 
  1. Find a Web server
  2. Get your account and directory set up
  3. Copy your page(s) to the server
  4. Make the page public

Finding a Server:

What is a Web server?

  • A server is a computer: It can be large or small. Many Web servers run on humble microcomputers, but the more traffic a Web site has, the more powerful the server needs to be.
  • To be a server, it needs to be attached to the Internet. This must be a permanent connection - not a dial-up phone line connection.
  • Being a server means taking requests and filling them by providing what is asked for.
  • Being a Web server means taking requests for Web files. 
    • The requests come in a "language" called the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), so the server needs to be set up with software that understands HTTP. 
    • That's why the addresses of Web pages usually begin with http:// meaning the request for a file should be made using the HTTP language.

Do you already have access to a Web server?

  • If you are a student at WCC, you can set up a Web site on the College's student server, gala.wccnet.org. Please note that College policy does not permit its facilities to be used for commercial purposes, but class projects which form the nucleus of a commercial site can be set up with instructor approval.
  • Many colleges and universities provide server access to their students. 
  • You may work for an organization that already has a Web server, and you are being asked to establish or expand a Web site.
  • If you have America Online, Compuserve, or any of a number of other service providers, you may already have a server available to you. 

If not, find an Internet Service Provider

A large number of service providers are available locally, nationally, and world-wide.

Get information about how to access your Web space

Your Web site will need to have files maintained, including: 
  • Uploading new files
  • Replacing files you have modified
  • Listing and sorting files on the site
  • Removing outdated files 
  • Renaming files as necessary
In order to do that, you'll have to get information from the owner of the server as to how those jobs can be accomplished. The next section briefly outlines some of the standard tools for doing this, and the process is detailed in Modules W54cand W55h. 
 

Copy your Page to the Server:

How you copy the page to the server depends on how your computer is connected to the server. This gives you an overview, and the details are in Modules W54cand W55h. 
Is your server part of your local area network, and is your server mapped to a drive on your computer? Even if you have access to servers, they aren't necessarily Web servers: you'll still have to ask your local area network system administrator whether one is, and if so, what its name is. 
Once you're logged in to your local area networked Web server, copy your Web page file using your normal copy process - usually, drag-and-drop works fine, or you can simply save your file to the Web server disk. (However, this may not necessarily be wise, because it will expose your imperfect draft Web pages to the public!) 
Do you dial up to the server, or use cable TV or satellite connection? 
  • If so, dial or connect.
  • Run a program to transfer to Web page file to the right directory. These programs are discussed in more detail in Module W54c.
Is your server accessible through your local area network, but not mapped as a disk drive? 
  • If so, make sure you're logged in.
  • Run a program to transfer to Web page file to the right directory. Again,these programs are discussed in more detail in Module W54c.

Making the Page Public:
Both the directory and the individual files must be set so "outsiders" can read them (but not write to them!). Many Web directories are set that way by default, but you may need to change the attributes of the files using the operating system (Windows NT, Macintosh,or Unix). 
You will know there's a problem if, when you're not logged in, you get the error message, 
402 Access Denied
How to fix this depends on the type of server your Web site is on. We'll discuss the details in modules W54c and W55h. 
 

 About this document...
Audience:
 This module is for people who have a general knowledge of what the World Wide Web is, as provided in module W01c, and would like an overview of what Web pages are useful for, how they communicate, how they are organized, and how to publish them.
Objectives:
 When you successfully complete this lesson, you will be able to... 
  1. Explain the unique features of a Web page as a communication medium;
  2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Web in relation to other communications media;
  3. Discuss the concept of HTML;
  4. List types of tools available for creating Web pages;
  5. Explain the process of publishing a Web page on a server.
Module W20c:
Web Page Concepts
 This document is part of a modular instruction series in Computer Instruction. For more information, see the overview or the list of modules in this series, W: WorldWide Web. This document has been used in the following classes: CIS260, INP140.
Author:
 Laurence J. Krieg
Institution:
Department of Computer Information Systems, Washtenaw Community College 
History: Original: 29 Nov 1998 
 Last modification:  Thursday, 09-Sep-2004 10:33:44 EDT 
Copyright: Copyright © 1998-2004, Laurence J. Krieg. 
Instructors: You may point to this file in your Web-based materials. 
Students: you may make a copy for your personal use. 
All other uses: contact the author, Laurence J. Krieg for permission. Email krieg@wccnet.edu