How To Develop a Web Page

Downloading Backgrounds
and Graphics
 Go to any number of websites and find a background or graphic that you like.  A key thing to remember is that "simple is good."  Too much detail in a background makes reading text difficult.  There are several websites listed on the previous web page that allow you to download backgrounds and graphics.
To do this:
1.  Go to the web site from which you are going download your graphic or background.
2.  Choose the background or graphic you want to use.  If you are using the Animation Factory web site, you will want to go to the "Show all sizes and backgrounds" link.  This MAY let you select a clear background.  Other sites may not have this option.  If you want to use this site, check with Mrs. Johnsen or Mrs. Banzhaf to get the login and password to obtain full access.
3.  Click and hold on the chosen graphic until a menu box appears.
4.  Choose "Save image as..."  NEVER rename the graphic.  By default, your downloads will save either on your desktop or  in your documents folder.
5.  Choose a location for the graphics.  It is advisable to keep all of your graphics organized.  You might put all of your backgrounds in one folder, your graphics in another, or make a folder that has backgrounds and graphics for one web page.  You will want to put them in your "Sites" folder, and then as you use them, you will need to drag them to the "(Name) Alias" folder inside of your "Sites" folder.
Starting a New Web Page
 1.  Open Netscape.
2.  Select File--New--Composer Page.
3.  Select Format--Page Title and Properties--Give your web page a name.
4.  Select Format--Page Colors and Backgrounds.  Choose the colors you want to use for the text and select your background.  You can download backgrounds from many sites on the web.  Save them in a folder so they are all together in one place.  When you select "Use custom colors" for your text, click ONE TIME in the box to have a crayon palette drop down to choose from.
Adding Text 1.  When adding text to your web page, you can type it in, and then select the font, size, and style from the format menu.  You can also highlight the font, and increase or decrease the size by using the button bar at the top of the composer page.
Inserting a Graphic
 NOTE:  You do not want to make the links to your background or your graphics until you have moved everything to your "(Name) Alias" folder.  Once you have your page, background, and graphics there, you can follow these steps.
1.  Select Insert--Image (or click on the Image button on the button bar at the top of the page).
2.  Select the "Choose File"  button and navigate to the location where you have stored your graphics.  You will want your graphics/images in your "(Name) Alias" folder BEFORE you make your links.
3.   Use the button bar to format the location of your graphic (left, center, right)
Inserting a Table
 Tables are useful for organizing information on your web page.  In fact, a table was used to develop this web page.  The Alumni page and the 2003-2004 Quiz Bowl page also show different types of tables.  You can even insert a table within a table if that is what you want to do.  In order to add a table to your web page, follow these steps:
1.  Select Insert--Table (or click on the Table button on the button bar at the top of the page).
2.  Choose the number of rows and columns that you think you might want to use.  You can always add more or remove some later, so don't think you are locked into this size of a table right now.  You can add rows simply by using the Tab Key when you are ready to add another row.
3.  You can format the appearance of your table by going to the Format menu and selecting "Table Cell Properties."  Here you can choose between formating a single cell or formating the entire table.  You can set the alignment of the table, select the padding between cells, etc.  You just need to play with it for awhile to see what you like.  Change the cell padding, for example to see how your table changes.  You can let the background of your web page show through (as on the Alumni page) or you can set a particular color (as on the Quiz Bowl page for 2003-2004.)  You can also get this "Table Cell Properties" box to open by double-clicking anywhere on the table you are working with.
4.  If you need to add or delete a column or row, Select Table, and then select Insert or Delete.  This is helpful if you need to add a row between rows in your table, not simply at the end. 
Adding a Link to a Web Page
 How you add a link to a web page depends on the kind of link you are adding. 
To add a link to a different website:
1.  Type the text identifying what you are linking too.  For example, you might want to add a link to the Nebraska Department of Education. 
2.  Once you have the text typed, highlight it.
3.  Select Insert--Link (or click the "Link" button on the button bar at the top of the page) and click in the Link Location box.  Type the address of the page you want to link to.  For example, if you want to link to NDE, type "http://www.nde.state.ne.us."

To add a link to another webpage you design:
1.  Type the text identifying what you are linking too.  For example, you might want to link to a homework page on which you can list assignments for your classes. To do this, you type in the text indicating where the link is taking you (for example, "Homework").  Then select Insert--Link--and then click the choose file box.  Find the page you want to connect with and choose "Open."  
2.  Be sure the web page you are linking to is in your "(Name) Alias" folder before you make the link.
Saving Your Page to the Medicine Valley Web Site
 When you are done with your page, you need to do the following:
1.  Save it with an html tag at the end.  For example, this page is "webpages.html."  Do NOT put any spaces in the name of the page.  By default, it will save to the desktop or to your documents folder.
2.  Drag the page from the desktop to the "(Name) Alias" folder in your sites folder (you have to click on your home to have your sites folder appear).  Be sure to also drag your background and graphics or pictures to the "(Name) Alias" folder as well.
3.  Check to see if the links you have created work.  You will need to re-do the links for your graphics and backgrounds if they were not in the "(Name) Alias" folder when you originally made the link.  If you need help with this, don't hesitate to ask.