If you're new to Web page design, the following will give you a brief overview of what you need to know to get started.

How the Web works

In the most basic sense, the World Wide Web is a very large collection of pages stored on computers, or Web servers, around the world. Hypertext links make it possible for viewers to move freely among these pages in any order they choose. It's this ability to link one Web page to other related pages that gives the Web its web-like quality.

Here are some definitions of the basic parts that make up the World Wide Web:

The following feature is only available in the complete version of Claris Home Page 2.0. When you're ready to upgrade, choose How To Upgrade from the Help menu.

Using HTML

Web pages are written in Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML. HTML allows you to add tags to your Web page to indicate special characteristics. Some tags affect the look of a Web page, others affect how it functions. HTML includes tags for:

Claris Home Page makes it possible for you to add structural, graphical, and formatting tags to a Web page quickly and easily, without a prior understanding of HTML. When you add an element or change its attributes, Claris Home Page inserts the appropriate tags for you. If you are an experienced HTML user, you can also add tags directly to the HTML code.

Using browsers to read Web pages

Every Web page has a unique address. This address is called a Uniform Resource Locator, or URL. When a viewer types your page's URL or clicks on a link, a browser locates the page, interprets the HTML tags, and displays the contents of that page.

There is a variety of browser programs to view Web pages on different platforms, including Mac OS, Windows, and UNIX. Some browsers may interpret an HTML tag one way, while others interpret it differently, and some may ignore it completely. For example, some browsers don't support tables or frames, and a few browsers don't support images. As you're designing your Web page, it's important to keep this in mind, and become familiar with the capabilities of the browsers your viewers are most likely to use.

Putting your pages on the World Wide Web

To put your pages on the World Wide Web, you need:

Internet connection

There are several ways to connect to the Internet. Many universities and large businesses maintain a permanent connection to the Internet for students and employees. Small businesses and individuals often use an Internet Service Provider (ISP). If you do not yet have access to the World Wide Web, you can find a list of some Internet Service Providers at the Claris Home Page Web site.

Web browsers

There are a number of Web browsers available, such as Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, NetCruiser, Mosaic, and the America Online (AOL) browser. Some Web browsers are commercial programs and other are available free of charge. Information about browsers are listed at the Claris Home Page Web site.

Web servers

A Web server is a computer that accepts connections from Web browser software. You don't need your own Web server-you just need access to one. Most universities and large businesses have a Web server and sometimes allow students and employees to place their own Web pages on the server. If your company has a Web server, ask your management information service (MIS) department for information about using the Web server. Most Internet Service Providers also run Web servers and allow subscribers to place their own Web pages on a server. The Internet Service Provider document, available at the Claris Home Page Web site, provides a checklist of information to get from your Internet Service Provider before choosing a Web server.

Deciding what to include in your Web page

Claris Home Page provides several ways to display information, including images, tables, forms, and frames. The options you use depend on the type of information you want to include.

Be aware of other factors that can affect the appearance and performance of your Web pages. For example, viewers view Web pages on many kinds of monitors. A page designed for a 20-inch screen may not display as effectively on a laptop computer. It's a good idea to test how your Web page appears on different browsers and monitors.

Using images

You can use images such as color photographs or simple line art to display information such as logos or products. You can also include interactive images, which become a submit button or a link to another Web site when clicked. Some browsers do not support images, and viewers may turn off image loading. Keep this in mind when deciding where to include images on your Web page, and plan to include alternative labels as image placeholders.

Large image files can slow the download time of your Web pages to your viewers' computers, especially when they're using a modem. Most viewers are connected to the Internet via a modem. Some may have very fast lines, others will use 28800 bps, 14400 bps, or 9600 bps modems. While you are developing your Web pages, you can check the download time of your images at different connection speeds using the Document Statistics window. For more information, see Using the Document Statistics window.

Claris Home Page comes with a library of clip art to use on your Web pages. You can also create your own library of images. For more information, see Libraries and clip art.

Using tables

Tables are a convenient way to organize and display information on your Web page. Tables consist of rows and columns. Each single block of information is called a cell and can contain text, images, lists, form elements, and other tables.

Tables are a relatively new part of HTML, and not all browsers support them. Before you decide to use tables an your Web page, find out what browsers your viewers use. If most of your viewers use browsers that don't support tables, you might want to use preformatted text to lay out your information. For information on using preformatted text, see Using paragraph styles.

The following feature is only available in the complete version of Claris Home Page 2.0. When you're ready to upgrade, choose How To Upgrade from the Help menu.

Using forms

You can create a form that contains text, images, tables, and other information. For example, you can use forms for questionnaires or to take orders. You can organize the information using bullets or lists. Forms include text areas, text fields, pop-up menus, buttons, and checkboxes. You can also include password fields, hidden entries, and buttons for resetting the viewer's input that can be used to collect data from viewers when used with proper CGI scripts on a Web browser.

You change form elements the same way you change other Web page elements. For more information, see Cutting, copying, and pasting.

The following feature is only available in the complete version of Claris Home Page 2.0. When you're ready to upgrade, choose How To Upgrade from the Help menu.

Using frames

Frames are containers that you use to display Web pages. You can display two Web pages side by side in one frame layout document that is divided into rectangular frame sections. You can place as many frames in a frame layout document as you like, and you can resize the frames and change their orientation. You cannot add text, images, links, or make changes to the documents in the frames.

Frames are a new feature of the Netscape extensions to HTML 3.0 and are not supported on many browsers. Claris Home Page automatically adds an explanatory message to frame layout documents for viewers who use browsers that don't support frames, that can be edited to include information, including a link to a non-frame version of the page.

Designing the structure of your Web site

Before you create your Web site in Claris Home Page, spend some time planning what the purpose of the site will be, what content it will contain, and how you want to structure it. Planning before you begin helps you create a Web site that has a unified look and a well-designed structure.

Your Web page's appearance in Claris Home Page is based on the default preferences settings in Netscape Navigator 2.0. However, Web pages display differently depending on the browser and monitor used to view them.

Using a flowchart

A simple flowchart is a useful way of diagramming how your pages will link to each other. Using a flowchart lets you resolve any design issues before you create your actual pages in Claris Home Page. For example, if you diagram your links on paper before creating them, you can change the overall structure of the site without recreating all of the links.

When you're creating your flowchart, make sure your pages are linked in a way that makes it easy for your viewers to navigate through the site. Many viewers will arrive at your home page first, so make sure that it presents a general idea of what's on your site. You can do this by creating a table of contents or navigation buttons.

Some viewers may arrive at another page in your site first. For example, viewers using a search engine such as Yahoo or Alta Vista may search for a keyword that appears somewhere within your site, but not on the home page. For this reason, it's a good idea to make it easy to return to your home page from other pages in your site, by including links to the home page.

Organizing your files

When you set up all your Web pages and image files in one location on your computer, you can ensure that they're all working together properly and that the process of uploading the Web site to the server goes more quickly and easily.

Here are some general guidelines:

Claris Home Page allows you to create a site definition file to manage and upload your site. For more information, see Uploading to a server.

Using relative or absolute paths

When you create a link or insert an image in your Web page, Claris Home Page stores the path to the file you are linking to. Claris Home Page uses relative paths by default, but you can change the default setting to use absolute paths if you want. A relative path is a location defined in relation to the page from which the link originates. It also defines the relationship between a page and any images appearing on that page. An absolute path always defines the location relative to the root level of your computer- the pathname does not change when a file is moved to a different location.

For example, let's say your Web page files that compose your Web site are in a folder called Pages. When you create links between these files, the relative path is simply the filename. The absolute path would be macintoshhd\pages\filename.html (for Macintosh) or c:\pages\filename.htm (for Windows).

In most cases, you will want to use relative paths. By using relative paths you can easily move your files to a different machine without having to re-specify all of your links for the new location.