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This document outlines some important points about creating and installing Worldwide Web (WWW) pages using the services provided by CIRT and the EPS department at UNM. It does not tell you everything you need to know to make or install a page; these items are covered elsewhere. Items covered include:
Important Note from Jim Connolly: This document provides information and links to resources which will help individuals or groups create their own detailed WWW pages. Creation of these pages is the responsibility of those who want them. For pages connected with the department in an official manner, the Department Network manager (Connolly) will create the appropriate links on the Department WWW pages and set up the server so that the person(s) creating the pages have full (read, write, delete) access to those pages on the server to modify and update them. It is not the responsibility of the Department network manager to create detailed personal web pages for everyone who works or studies in the EPS department, but I will be available as time allows for those department users who need help in installing their pages onto CIRT's system.
All that is really needed to create WWW pages is a text editor and a book to help you with the HTML code. Macs come with SimpleText and Windows systems come with Notepad. I have found a very good "hands-on" book for Web page construction to be "HTML Visual Quick Reference" by Dean Scharf (Pub by QUE). (Available online at Amazon.com) It is well organized, well indexed and uses a "look it up", "see it done", "do it yourself" approach to everything which works well. Another execllent HTML introduction is "HTML for the World Wide Web" by Elizabeth Castro.
There are a number of what-you-see-is-what-you-get Web Page design tools for which you can pay anything from zero to a few hundred dollars. Front Page Express (free limited version of Front Page) comes with Windows 98 and NT Workstation. Some available for purchase are Microsoft's Front Page (Windows), Adobe Page Mill and GoLive (Windows or Macintosh) and Macromedia's Dreamweaver (Windows and Macintosh). Netscape's Communicator (Windows and Mac -- both free) includes Composer which is a decent WYSIWYG web page editor. Dreamweaver is excellent, and is the primary tool used to create the E&PS department website. All of these provide editing without any need to do HTML code, although you still need to know something about links and formatting to get things to work right.
I prefer editing tools which require that you understand the basics of HTML document construction, but take some of the work out of the process by providing automatic tagging to format selected text and dialog boxes to add links and graphics tags. Most of these editors are shareware (try before you buy). You still find good free editors if you look for them. Check out the links on my "Research Page" under the "Shareware Resources Online" heading for some excellent sources. I would recommend either Tucows or Winfiles.com as excellent sources.
Some Windows HTML Editors:
HotMeTaL Pro, Hot Dog, Homesite
A good Macintosh HTML Editor:
BBEdit and BBEdit Lite
Web design technology is basically moving at hyperspeed and any links which I might provide here probably would not be valid for very long. I would suggest plugging into any search engine (click here for a decent list of links) and search using the phrase "Web Design" or something like that and see what you find. When designing web pages, keep in mind that UNM's and the our department's web server provide very limited support for "Server-side" tools like CGI scripts and Microsoft Front Page extensions because they tend to overwork servers and sometimes create security risks. In general, you will be best off using client-side automation tools like javascript to create automation on your web pages.
Some of the freeware and shareware web design tools (mostly older ones which I still use) may be found at the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department FTP site, in the HTMLEDIT or Macintosh Shareware folders. The INDEX.TXT file contains a listing of everything on the site for PCs and another readme.txt file contains a list of the Mac programs.
In order for a page to be listed on (and linked to) the EPS Department Web page, it must contain a link to return to the home page. In HTML the preferred text-based way to do that is:
<p> To return to the Earth & Planetary Sciences Homepage click <a href="http://epswww.unm.edu"> here </a></p>
To provide a direct link to UNM's home page, the following may be used:
<p> To return to the UNM Homepage click <a href="http://www.unm.edu"> here </a></p>
A "template" file is available for use in designing official pages for the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences which provides a "standard" format including: A "hot" graphic link to the EPS homepage; Department name, address and telephone; Webmaster (connolly) and EPS Department mail links; and return links to EPS and UNM home pages. This file is available at: http://epswww.unm.edu/template.htm.
UNM provides a library of graphics which may be incorporated into users pages as URLs (which makes it unnecessary to duplicate these graphics in your personal directory). The location of these graphics (which are all in gif format and may be browsed and viewed in your web browser) is: http://www.unm.edu/graphics. A partial list with samples of the available graphics is as http://www.unm.edu/inline.html To incorporate these in your web page, the links on your page will be to: http://www.unm.edu/graphics/filename.gif, substituting the filename of the graphic you want to use.
On the EPS web site, there is an index of graphics available for use. Just connect to http://EPS.unm.edu/graphics to view the index page. As with the CIRT graphics, it is most efficient to just use the URL for the graphic you want to use on the page so you do not need to have your own copy taking up space in your directory.
A note about Graphics file formats: Two graphics file formats are universally supported by almost all Web browsers. These are the Compuserve Graphics Interchange Format (or GIF) and the JPEG (usually JPG file extension) format. The GIF format tends to be slightly larger, can be made transparent (so the background does not show on your page), includes a standard for making animated graphics and is limited to 256 colors. The JPG format can support 32K or 64K colors, generally compresses to smaller file size (for faster downloading) and is much better for photographs. GIF used to be the standard for Web graphics but is being rapidly overtaken by JPG. My suggestion if you are making graphics for the web is: unless you need the animation or transparency, use JPG images -- you will be happier with how they look to your viewers.
If your page is the result of something you do as an official part of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, it may be hosted on the Department's Web server. This includes all official department information, Faculty and Staff pages which are directly related to teaching, research, community service, or other activities done in direct connection with the department. When designing "official" pages, it is suggested that the EPS template page (located at http://epswww.unm.edu/template.htm) be used as a starting point.
If your page is a personal page (i.e., has material which is not directly related to your department work) is should be hosted somewhere else. This may be UNM's WWW services or any other Internet service provider which you choose. The main requirement for linking to your personal page from the EPS Department is that it contain a direct return link (anywhere on the page) to the EPS web server (http://epswww.unm.edu) as discussed in the previous section.
Most people will design their WWW pages on their desktop computer, either Windows or Macintosh, and install them on another system for public access. To do this successfully, make sure that all your files are in one folder (directory). You may have subfolders as long as this exact structure is preserved on the system you are installing to, and you have used relative rather than absolute path names when linking between your own pages.
To move your files to your account, you will need an FTP client program which will allow you to transfer files from your desktop computer to your CIRT account. Effective early in 2003, you need to use a Secure Shell (SSH) FTP program. This is available on the Mirada CD (CIRT's suite of Internet programs) or can be downloaded and installed from http://www.unm.edu/cirt/encryption; follow the links to the installer for secure FTP and telnet. Although it is not clear, the installer installs both a secure FTP and Telnet client. The Telnet client is required to initially activate your web page. Both programs are on all of the department workstations as "Secure FTP" and "Secure Telnet" in the Internet tools folder.
All UNM users with a Net ID have a maximum of 40 MB available in their "personal" UNIX folder. This includes the space allowed for your web site.
In order to make your page available you first need to run CIRT's "webupdate" program while logged into your CIRT account with Telnet. You then use your FTP client to transfer all your page and graphic files to your CIRT account's newly created "public_html" directory.
CIRT has some resources available to assist in the creation of your web page, mostly concerned with the proper UNIX Telnet and FTP commands to get your folders set up correctly. As with many CIRT things, their pages are a little dated, but has useful information. http://www.unm.edu/cirt/web/index.html, particularly scripts and special programs available for creating web counters, forms, and other advanced stuff. What is missing is any real discussion of non-UNIX web authoring tools.
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