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This page lists only tools that help you write, or "author," a web page. For how to publish your site, see the page on transferring files. Note that I'm
happy to give tutorials in any of these tools.
For additional general web page authoring tips, please visit the following URL:
There are several different ways to create (build, write) a web page. Covered on this page are the options of Hypertext Markup Language, "Save As Web Page" from within a program, Netscape Composer, Dreamweaver, and Microsoft FrontPage.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
To write a page in HTML manually, use any text editor (such as Microsoft Word,
WordPerfect, NoteTab, Notepad, or BBEdit) and save as ASCII text (also "DOS text" or "plain text") with an .html file extension.
Writing a page manually necessarily takes more time, which makes it less useful for
creating high-end web sites with lots of features. It is, however, very easy to get a basic page up and running with manual HTML. It's also good to understand some of the basic concepts
of HTML before using automated programs.
I can give a 2-hour tutorial in HTML, after which you will have a simple web page made to your own specifications. The library also offers 2-hour short courses in HTML, and ITC offers
a 4-hour HTML Introduction and a 4-hour HTML Intermediate class. Helpsheets for writing HTML are available at the following URLs:
"Save as Web Page" from Within a Program
WordPerfect 8 and Microsoft Word 2000, like many programs these days (including
PowerPoint) will allow you to save a document as a web page; the program will automatically generate the code. From within Word, choose File --> Save as Web Page;
from within WordPerfect, choose File --> Internet Publisher.
One problem with this, as with all automatically-generated pages, is that it can be difficult to
change the code if you do not like the way the page looks once it has been generated. This happens frequently. For simple documents with little formatting, however, this may be the
easiest option of all.
Help on this is available at the following URLs:
Netscape Composer
The web browser program Netscape has a feature that will allow you to create a web page.
Choose Communicator --> Composer to launch this feature. Composer has the look and feel of a word-processing program, with handy buttons for web-specific tasks such as
creating links and adding images.
Netscape Composer is widely reviled among web developers; the consensus among
professionals is that web pages created with Netscape Composer are riddled with errors that often cause the page not to work in the way you intend. There are also many more
firghtening stories about the program's tendency to lose data--in other words, you might write a web page only to see it "eaten" by Composer demons. However, it is easy to use, is
available on any computer with Netscape, and may suit a simple web project.
Help on Netscape Composer is available at the following URLs:
Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver is a WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") web page generation
program. It is installed on the computers in the Digital Media Lab and is a well-liked industry standard for web page creation.
Dreamweaver allows you to create sophisticated-looking web pages with minimal
effort--once you've been trained to use the program. ITC offers a one-day class in Dreamweaver Fundamentals and a one-day class in Dreamweaver Advanced.
See also the following URL:
Microsoft FrontPage
This is another WYSIWYG web page builder, similar to Dreamweaver, that has received
good reviews. It is not installed on any of the public computers at UVa, but many departments use it to maintain their web site. ITC offers a one-day class in FrontPage Fundamentals and a one-day class in FrontPage Advanced.
See also the following URLs:
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