As I said on my opening page, I am no HTML Guru. I learnt everything as I went. My intentions are to help those of you who are attempting their first home page. I have put together a few bits and pieces to try and get you off to a quick start.
I have found that the easiest way for me was to download other peoples pages and dissect them to try and establish what makes them tick. I then played around with various settings to see what the adjustments yielded. This works at the start, but it won't be long before you start to get frustrated and want to do more. At this point, you will probably need to invest in some sort of HTML bible, of which there are several readily available in most good book stores. The bible to which I subscribe is the "HTML Web Publishing Unleashed" book. I am not saying it is the best, but it does touch on most aspects of page publishing particularly HTML. (all versions).
HTML Editors
The first thing you will need is an
editor of some sort. In actual fact, you do not need a dedicated HTML editor. It is possible to use a normal asci text editor such as NotePad or
the like. But to do this you must know your HTML tags and code. However, with such a wide variety of both freeware, shareware and commercial
editors about, there is really no need have to go with first option. I have read that a lot of experienced HTML writers prefer using normal text editors.
I have used several different
editors in the past. From HTML Easy Pro to HotDog32. At present I use Hyper Type which is only a 16 bit program, but it has most of the features
I need. It is alsoprobably one of the smallest available (only 129K zipped). The author of this program,
Brent Leimenstoll is currently working on a Windows95 32 bit version which I
am hanging out for. He also has a great Web page, check it out by clicking his name. Anyway, you can download Hyper Type from here right now or
check out one of the editors I have listed below :
Hyper Type
As I said before, this is a little beauty of a program, even in it's 16 bit format. Lots of features and very user friendly.
ANT-HTML
ANT-HTML is a template utility for creating HTML documents that work with MS Word 6 and later versions for Macintosh,
Windows and Windows95/NT. Using the template is as easy as creating a new document using the template. The latest
version supports all HTML tags. You select the tags from one of three tool bars. The template also has lots of other features
worth checking out.
EasyHelp/Web
This is another template for Word 2.0 and Word 6.0. Current versions only support HTML 2.0, an upcoming version should
be available shortly to cover Netscape extensions and HTML 3.0.
HotDog & HotDog Pro
Sausage software has put out some real bonza software. Their most popular programs would have to be the HotDog range
of HTML editors. These are extremely powerful and large editors, probably too many features for my liking. However they are worth
a look. You can download a 30 day evaluation copy from their site. Make sure you read the instructions on how to download
as there are a couple of files that you need to get. If the 30 day limit is not enough time for you to evaluate it, download my
crack from my Cracks page. (I do not encourage software piracy, but
sometimes you need more time to properly evaluate a program).
HoTMetal and HotMetal Pro
Another heavyweight contender in the editor ring. Both these editors are feature rich with the first being freeware and the latter, commercial.
HTML Author
HTML Author is another good template utility for MS Word. The beta version is available free.
HTML Easy Pro
This little editor is quite good and has many useful features. It is the editor I started out with and enjoyed using. To extend the trial period, just set your system clock several years in advance before you install and run it for the first time. When you have done this, close the
program and reset your system date.
HTML Writer
This is a very good stand alone editor. It supports HTML 2.0 and features document style sheets that enable you to quickly create HTML documents. This software is donationware, the author asks for a donation if you like it and continue to use it.
Internet Assistant
This is another template utility directly from Microsoft and is designed to bolt onto Word for Win95 and Word 6.0 for Windows NT. I have tried this template myself but gave up after a while. It is fully featured, but I was too impatient to properly test it.
Live Markup Pro
This editor is an advanced HTML editor for Windows and Windows95/NT. The editor is fully WYSIWYG and has many features.
I have not used this editor, but I will try and get around to it one day. I have yet to find a WYSIWYG editor that is easy to use. Perhaps this is it.
Graphics Stuff
Well now that
you have your editor sorted out it's time to start writing. Presumably you will already have worked out what your page's content
will be. So roughly draft this out on paper before you actually start creating the page. Having done this you will most likely want
to add graphics and special effects to help bring your page to life. Bear in mind though, that the more graphics you have on your
page the longer it will take someone to download and view. Some surfers can be impatient and will move on if there is too much
delay, so I suppose there is a trade off. Vibrant pages (slow load time) versus dull pages (faster load time).
Frames
Frames
are great when you want to split your Web page up into sections, as I have done with mine. Some people like em, some
hate them. They are reasonably difficult to set up and you will probably need some sort of reference book to assist you,
or you can try one of the tutorials I have listed below. I am only aware of one program that will create frames for you and that is,
"Frame Gang" by
Sausage software. You can download an evaluation copy now. I have used this program and it is very cool. It is however only
available on a 14 day trial period and I do not have a crack for it. Yet. Anyway here is a list of some Frame tutorial sites :
KudosNet Frames Tutorial
Netscape
Netscape have some good tutorials and also lists other reference sites.
Java
Java is the greatest
thing since sliced bread according to the Guru's. I am not a programmer but I do intend to try and learn Java soon. You do not need
to have a programming background to liven up you page with Java. There are dozens of Java resources around the NET where you can
download nifty little Java applets usually for free. You can them incorporate them into your own pages. Check out some of the sites below
for tutorials or programs :
The Java Boutique
This is where I started out. There are lots of applets available to download and you can see them in action. This site also lists
heaps of other Java related sites.
Team Java, Java links
This site has an abundance of Java related links.
Gamelan's Java Directory
As the name suggests this site has a huge amount of Java related material.
The Java Machine
This bloke has created a Java Machine where you can create your own fancy titles and text effects. You can control
all aspects of this and view the results before the HTML code is generated. At present you can not download the program
to create your graphics locally but he is working on a downloadable version. Great site, worth a visit.
HTML Tutorial Style Guide for Online Hypertext Jim Massey's HTML Workbook Webspinner's Workshop HTML 3.0 Internet Digest How do they do that with HTML? TableMaker HTML from GNN Links to Learning HTML The Art of HTML Icons and more for WWW programming Randy's Icon and Image Bazaar The Spider's Web-Imagebases Icon Browser Images, Graphics, Icons, Buttons, etc Arrows-Graphic Element Samples The Backgrounds Archives Background Deli Doc Ozone's Images and Backgrounds Invented Worlds Colour Background Brower Russ's Backgrounds George's Web Art Webmaster Magazine Texture Land The Image Server The Web as a learning tool NCSA HTML Primer HTML Quick Reference HTML Validation Service Sun Microsystems Java Boutique Pixelsite Animated GIFs The animated GIF Recipe GIF Animations GIF Animation on the WWW Imagemaps made simple Clickable Images a guide Imagemap Authoring Guide and Tutorial Sites Submit your web page to many catalogs PostMaster Doctor HTML