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Building Web Pages

A Brief Introduction to Netscape Composer
Open Composer
Change text format (font, font size, style,color)
Download an image from the web to your H-drive
Insert an Image into your composer file
Save your composer file to your H-drive
Save your composer fiile to your 3 1/2" floppy
Open your composer file from your H-drive
Open your composer file from your 3 1/2" floppy

To Open Composer

  1. open communicator
  2. pull down the "Communicator" menu from the menubar
  3. select "Composer.

 
 
 
 

Composer toolbar and menu_bar—very helpful


 
 

To change the color, size, font, or style of any text that you have already typed:

  1. Highlight the text to be changed.

    2. (Click and drag the mouse pointer through the text to be changed.)
  2. Pull down the "format" menu [or hit the appropriate button in the toolbar]
  3. Point to the option you wish to choose (eg, size, font or style) a menu will pull out to the side.
  4. Select the desired format change option from the side menu by pointing and clicking.
If you wish to change the color of your text, click on "color"
select the color from the table given to you.
 

Images

To save an image from an existing page on the world wide web

  1. Navigate to the page which has the graphic you want. (Look around for any indications of Copyright protection—if protected, you may not pilfer the image without permission.)

    2.  

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    PC users

  2. right click on the image. A menu should appear.
  3. Select the "Save image as…" option.
  4. "Save in" your H-drive. (if you do not see your H-drive, click on the "savein:" field, a list of locations and devices should appear—select your H-drive)
  5. Click on the "Save" button.
    Mac Users
     
  1. Point to the image and hold down the mouse button for a few seconds. A menu should appear.
  2. Select the "Save image as…" option.
  3. "Save in" your macfiles folder. (if you do not see your macfiles folder, click on the "desktop" button, scroll until you see "macfiles"—double click on your macfiles folder.
  4. Click on the "Save" button.


To place (INSERT) an image onto your web page in composer

  1. Click on the location where you wish to place the graphic.
  2. Select the "Insert" menu from your menubar.
  3. Select "Image"—a dialog box will appear.
  4. Click on the "Choose File.." button. The contents of your H-drive should appear. (If they do not, then click on the "Look In: " field and select your H-drive.
  5. Click on the image_file you wish to insert in your webpage.
  6. Click on the "Open" button. (Note that you may change the size of your image while in this window.)
  7. Click on the "Okay" button. Your image should now appear on your page.

 
 

To place (INSERT) a link onto your web page in composer

  1. Determine the location of the web page you wish to link to. You may need to go into navigator and surf to this site. (I recommend using the copy function to transfer the URL to to the clipboard for later retrieval.)
  2. Return to the web page you’re constructing.
  3. When linking to the site, it is SOP to type a name for the site being linked to on your webpage—you don’t usually display the whole URL. (eg., type "Woodrow Wilson Foundation" and not www.woodrow.org . Type in a suitable name for your link.
  4. Highlight the name you’ve just entered.
  5. Select the "Insert" menu from your menubar.
  6. Select "Link"—a dialog box will appear.
  7. Place (type or paste if you earlier saved the URL to the clipboard) the URL into the "Link to a location or local file .." field.
  8. Click the "OK" button.
The text you highlighted should now be underlined and in the color designated as the active link color by your Netscape preferences—this is usually royal blue by default.
 
 

To save your webpage to your H-drive

  1. Select the file menu.
  2. Select "Save as". A dialog box should appear.
  3. Make certain your H-drive appears in the "Save in:" field—otherwise change to your H-drive.
  4. Click on the "save" button.
To save your webpage to a 3 ½ inch floppy disk
  1. Select the file menu.
  2. Select "Save as". A dialog box should appear.
  3. Change the "Save in:" field to indicate the "3 ½ floppy [A:] " drive. (click on the "save in: " field. Scroll up until the A-drive icon is visible. Click on the A-drive icon.)
  4. Click on the "save" button. If you have your floppy in the drive, you’ll hear the clicks and whirs of a contented drive happily saving to your disk.


To Open your (previously saved) webpage from your H-drive
 

  1. Select the "file" menu.
  2. Select "Open Page..." A dialog box should appear.
  3. Click on the "Composer" button if it is not already selected.
  4. Click on the "Choose file" button.  Another dialog box will appear.
  5. Change the entry in the "Look in: " field to your H-drive. (Click on the "Look in:" field, a list of drives will drop down.,  Click on to your H-drive.)
  6. Click the file you wish to open. It will highlight.
  7. Click on the "Open" button.
To Open your (previously saved) webpage from a 3 ½ inch floppy disk
  1. Select the "file" menu.
  2. Select "Open Page...". A dialog box should appear.
  3. Click on the "Composer" button if it is not already selected.
  4. Click on the "Choose file" button.  Another dialog box will appear.
  5. Change the "Look in:" field to indicate the "3 ½ floppy [A:] " drive. (click on the "Look in: " field. Scroll up until the A-drive icon is visible. Click on the A-drive icon.)
  6. Click on the "save" button. If you have your floppy in the drive, you’ll hear the clicks and whirs of a contented drive happily saving to your disk.


Written for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Teachers' Institute by Chris Davis,  10 July 99

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Technical contact: lpt@woodrow.org