OK, so Netscape Composer can't do forms. So
what do you do if you want to use a form? You have several options.
First, you can do forms the old-fashioned way--code them yourself.
If you want to learn how to code forms from scratch, you can take a look
at my forms tutorial.
Or, you can switch to an editor that does do forms. You might want
to take a look at
HTML Assistant Pro
97 (which you can download from the web for a trial period) or Microsoft
Front Page (retail price is about $100). If you are doing surveys
or practice quizzes, my all-time favorite is QuizCenter.
At this site, you can create your own surveys and quizzes automatically.
Your quizzes will reside on a server at the University of Hawaii (free
of charge!). This is a great site -- we'll take a look at it soon.
HTML Source Code
Although Netscape Composer can handle all the basics,
some people will want to add more advanced features such as forms or javascript
applets. In order to add such features, you will have to get into
the source code of your page and add the HTML at the code level.
You can always access your source code from within Composer by clicking
on "EDIT" then "HTML Source." The first time you do this, a dialogue
box will pop up asking you what program you want to use to edit your source
code. Choose "Notepad," the application you started out with.
Notepad is a simple text editor that will allow you to make any changes
you wish to your source code.
Gee, how'd they do that?
As you are surfing the Net, you will undoubtedly
see things other people have done on their web pages and you may wonder,
"Gee, how'd they do that?" It's easy to find out -- you can read
their source code! To view the source code of any page, from within
Navigator, click on "VIEW" then "Page Source." The entire source
code for the page will pop up. You can copy and paste any code you
need. If you are viewing a page that has frames, instead of clicking
on "View" then "Page Source," position your cursor in the frame that has
the feature you want to learn about, then click the RIGHT mouse button
and select "VIEW FRAME SOURCE."
Goodies and Freebies
Ok, you've got a basic web page. But you want
more. For example, you might want to add a webcounter (my personal
favorite is WebTracker - see
example
on the home page for MFL 195) to your page to watch how many hits you get.
Or, you may want to add a free chat room (my personal favorite is ParaChat
- see example here).
Or, for an advanced class, you may want a threaded discussion group.
For all these and more, Free Index
lists all kinds of freebies and goodies for your web page.
Almost all of these are free and few require much technical expertise.
Where do I go from here?
You have now learned the basics of web page development.
But there's still a lot more to learn. For example, you may want
to use frames on your web page. I have a personal aversion to frames,
but not everyone does. You may want to know how to do them.
My all-time favorite source of web page tutorials is HTML
Goodies. When you get to this page, click on the "Master List"
to see the complete selection of tutorials available. Whenever I
want to learn how to do something, this is where I go. The tutorials
are short, sweet, and to the point. They are clearly written and
easy to follow. I recommend them highly.
Netscape
Composer: An Introduction
