Authoring Web Pages via Netscape Composer

Goals

Spend about an hour and a half (or more if needed)

• Understanding how to create a web page with Netscape Composer
• Hands-on practicing creating a page

Authoring Tools

Why use a tool?

• Don't have to look at HTML
• WYSIWYG
• Integrated creation and uploading
• Automate routine tasks
• Easy to learn (?)

But ...

• May have to play tricks to accomplish what you want
• Especially for simple pages, (I find it) easier to type the HTML
• Overhead of installing / learning / maintaining tool
• Skill may not carry over to a new environment
• HTML isn't so difficult to learn (but you be the judge!)

Some HTML Tools

We'll be using Netscape Composer (by the way, you can get the Netscape browser on the web if you don't have it at home) here. Other tools include:

• Microsoft Front Page
• TextPad
• Allaire HomeSite
• HotDog Pro

Using Netscape Composer Wizard

• If you do this at home, do it while connected to internet
• File...New...Page from Wizard
• Build your page by following the wizard
• When you're done, click Build button
• Now you can fine tune by File ... Edit Page
  • New window opens - Netscape Composer
  • Try adding ... (you can always Control-Z to undo)
    • Anchors (links)
    • Bulleted list items
    • Colored text (this isn't a class in HTML style!)
    • A column of numbers lined up (use monospaced font)
    • An image (copy and paste this URI if you would like: http://www.cs.unc.edu/~barman/images/froggie.gif); ask to keep the image where it is and experiment with using it as the background
  • When you're done, Save (Control-S or button) - if you would like, take a look at the HTML that was generated
  • Finally, if you had a host to ftp to, click the Publish button
• Close the Composer window (Control-W)
• You can skip the wizard and go straight to the Composer (File ... New ... Blank Page)
• If you have time, try File ... New ... Page from Template

Created September 17, 1998

HTML by Dilip Barman, background courtesy of