REALLY Getting Started!

---

STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3

---

You will need the software items listed on the welcome page to continue.

We have provided you with a 10 page sample web-site. It is a good place to start because the only REAL way to learn about computer code is to look at someone else's. My HTML is not perfect but these pages were designed to give you a head start so they are a little better than my normal work.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, PLEASE do something more creative with this web site. Don't be afraid to throw away the entire page and start over. Its dull, boring and ugly! However, I have set up an underlying structure that should be maintainable. Look at that closely before you scrap it.

STEP 1 Is to download the sample site onto your computer. Put it in a directory or folder named the same as your chapter initials OR if you already have one of those put it in there under www. The easiest way to do this is with WS-FTP. You will need to set it up first. Use the default settings anywhere you have questions.

• Launch WS-FTP and select NEW.
• Name the Site-Name using your chapter name.
• Enter the Host Name/Address as www.abana-chapter.com
• Enter your login name and password.
• Check "save password"
• If you are connected to the Internet click on "connect". Otherwise, make a connection, then click on "connect" in WS-FTP.

The server will put you in the correct directory via your login. It and directory or folders below that are the only ones you have access to. When connected you should see a list of files Select your 'local' directory in the left hand window of WS-FTP. This is where all the files are going to go. Highlight the files in the 'remote' directory (all at once if you want) and then click on the <- arrow (pointing the direction you want the files to move). All the files will be copied from the server to your PC.

Highlight a directory (images) and click on the <- arrow. You will be prompted about making a new directory and copying all the files (say yes). The images files will take a while. Copy all the directories.

WARNING! WS-FTP will prompt you about old files but immediately copy any newer files over the ones on your computer. Be sure you are copying where you think you are!

The Last Step to copying the sample site to your computer is to grab the "index" file. INDEX.HTM is the key file that launches your site and may contain a major portion of it. We generate this file using a template and a database. The copy that you just copied from the server is full of flags that tell the server where to put your data. YOU want the file with the data. This file must be captured from your browser.

Capturing the INDEX:

• First, rename the file on your PC, INDEX.OLD (you may need it later)
• Launch your browser (Netscape, IE) and go to your new ABANA-Chapter web page.
• 'Right' click on the main window (not the banner bar).
  • In IE Select 'View Source'
  • You should see <TITLE>ABANA-Chapter web page for. . . your chapter name.
  • Click on that window's FILE, SAVE AS, then save it as INDEX.HTM in your chapter directory.

  • In Netscape Select 'Open Frame in New Window'
  • You should see your page without the banner bar.
  • Click on that window's FILE, SAVE AS, then save it as INDEX.HTM in your chapter directory.

• All DONE!

You may have noticed some strange spacing and broken lines of code in the file (word wrap in the middle of a long line). This is a result of the way the page is generated from a database and the capture process. Its a mess but it still works. It will give you something to edit right away. You have also just learned how easy it is to capture almost any web-page of the Internet! Just remember, you only captured the HTML. Graphics must be captured separately.

STEP 2 Launch your HTML Editor.

• Load the INDEX.HTM file into your editor.
• Delete out that big chunk of space between the HTML tag and the meta tag with my name.
• Add your name OR replace mine if you want.
• Now go to the bottom of the page and find the e-mail link. Its one of those broken lines and starts with, <A HREF. . . Pull the HREF up on the same line. See where my e-mail address starts after 'mailto:'? Delete mine and replace it with yours.
• Just below that there is another broken code line starting with <IMG SRC. . . The SRC and the rest needs to be pulled up on one line. Everything between < and > should be on one line.

  NOTE: There is a space between IMG and SRC. This is your page counter.
  DO NOT EDIT IT!
  We will provide different fonts and directions for the counter later. IF you are building your page from scratch or using an existing page copy and paste the counter line exactly as is. You may change its location to anywhere on the INDEX page that you wish. We would appreciate your using our counter as it helps us keep up with all the chapter sites.

• Save the file!
• If you are using Hippie with the CSE Validator run it now. You should get that sweet 'everything's OK' chime. If not, look for the red balloons in the Validator window and click on one. They will tell you where the error is and what it is (a big help). When its fixed, test again and then save again.

STEP 3 Uploading to the server.

• Launch WS-FTP and click on 'Properties'. Select 'Startup', 'Local Folder'. If you haven't already set it up enter the path to your chapter directory. Note that DOS and Windows separators are the "\". In HTML and on the server it is "/". Your FTP utility is one of the few places you will see both.
• Click on connect! When you are there, highlight the INDEX.HTM file on the 'local' side and click on the -> arrow. A combination of sound effects and the session log should tell you that the file was copied.
• Click on 'Close' and 'Exit'.
• Done! The edited file is now on the web and serving your e-mail address.

Congratulations! You are now the WEBMASTER!

After every FTP session you should launch your browser and check what you did. We ALL make mistakes and its worse when you make them in public. Check that new e-mail address you just edited. Click on it and send yourself a piece of mail!

---

NOW you are ready to make the page what YOU want. The entire page should run locally. If you make a change and get a 'file not found' error check the leading slash "/". Sometimes you need the double periods "../" to indicate that the directory or folder is one level UP from the current page.

Try to be careful and use all lower case letters in file names. Our server runs on UNIX and file names are CASE sensitive. "Cat" is not equal to "cat"

This is the beginning of a very short tutorial. The balance will be tricks of the trade and the things they don't tell you. If you paid close attention so far then you know about as much as I did when I launched anvilfire!

Jock Dempsey

---