Web Site Building PART 2

When designing your website’s main page, instead of trying to cram all of your information into one page, consider creating sections. These sections can contain highlights of your information with a link to further information. You can set your sections up in tables with colored heading sections for information such as news, articles, products or whatever you’d like.It’s much better to keep your main page down to the most essential elements. You can then use links to additional pages to provide the detailed information. A good rule of thumb is “less is more.” In other words, keep your main page as small as possible, while at the same time, include your most important elements.

Web Site Building PART 1

View your website through different browsers and screen resolutions so you can see how your visitors will view your site.

Always be consistent when using font styles and sizes. Avoid using large font sizes, as this looks very unprofessional.

Bring Your Web Site to Life With PHP

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, better known as PHP, is a highly popular, server-side scripting language that can be embedded directly into HTML coding. PHP can do anything that CGI can do, such as process form data and auto generate dynamic content, but PHP can do much more.

<?
phpinfo();
?>

Save the file as phpinfo.php and upload it to your server where you store your HTML files.To run the script, simply point your browser to the script address. It should look something like this: http://www.yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php

You can learn more about PHP and download it at http://www.PHP.net.

If you’d like to try some PHP scripts on your site, here are some great scripts to get you started: PhpAdsNew - Rotating Ads
http://phpadsnew.com/two/If you’d like to have a rotating ad system on your web site, this great script is an open-source ad server that provides a professional ad management and tracking system. Not only can you rotate banner ads, but you can also rotate buttons, pop-ups, text ads, DHTML banners and much more.

If you’re looking for a simple way to display a “Quote of the Day,” this script is for you. It consists of a simple script that’s easy to customize. You simply add any number of quotes, tips or whatever you’d like, into the database and the script will display a new message each day.

Would you like to start your own blog? This script will enable you to do just that. It’s loaded with features, including calendar, file attachments, event display, unlimited categories, IP blocking, referrer tracking, search and much more.

Testing and tracking your marketing strategies is an important part of doing business. Clicks Counter Pro is a PHP script that will enable you to track your clicks, downloads and advertising campaigns with real time statistics. Very reasonably priced.

If you’ve ever wanted an easy way to set up a link indexing system on your site, this script may be your answer. Link Department will enable you to easily create and maintain a link directory. The system is fully manageable and completely template driven, so it will easily blend in with your existing design.

If you would like to enable your visitors to search your site, PhpDig is a web spiderand search engine utility you can install on your web site. This powerful script indexes your pages and builds a glossary of keywords found in the page.

PhpBB is a fast and efficient, highly customizable, open- source bulletin board system. This highly professional looking system will enable you to create an interactive community on your web site and keep your visitors coming back again and again.

To find more PHP scripts, visit the following web sites: http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_and_Programs/index.html
http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/

Transfering Files over the Internet (FTP) PART 2

It is very simple to upload your website or other files to either your webserver or a public ftp server using free software.

SmartFTP is a very easy to use free software for the purpose.

STEPS

1. Download smartftp. See link below.

2. While the program is downloading, gather the files you want to upload in the right directories to make your work easier.

3. Install smartftp following the directions in the install program.

4. Open smartftp and enter your login info into the correct fields. If you do not have a login, but have an open ftp server, check the anonymous box. Then press enter or the connect button. If your info was correct, you should see a directory of folders and/or files. If so, continue to the next step. If not, then contact the site and get info on how to login.

5. Now you can upload. There are two methods. One which is great for uploading files within a single directory, and another which is great for uploading a large folder tree.

6. To use the single method, navagate to the folder you wish to upload to, then right click in the left panel and select upload > direct > select files… From there you can select multiple files, not directories.

7. If you have to upload many directories, select all the folders and files you wish to upload inside Windows explorer. Then, click and drag these files to the right panel of smart ftp. The uploading should begin and all files, folders and subfiles/folders will be uploaded.

8. You are done uploading.

TIPS

• Using the click and drag method is very fast, but can take a long time if you have a lot of files.

• Try getting a faster upload speed by contacting your ISP if your uploads are going very slow. The average upload speed for home DSL is about 30 kbs.

• Ftp can also be used to download a batch of files instead of using a download manager.

Download SmartFTP

Transfering Files over the Internet (FTP) PART 1

What is FTP?
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the simplest and most secure way to exchange files over the Internet. Whether you know it or not, you most likely use FTP all the time.

The most common use for FTP is to download files from the Internet. Because of this, FTP is the backbone of the MP3 music craze, and vital to most online auction and game enthusiasts. In addition, the ability to transfer files back-and-forth makes FTP essential for anyone creating a Web page, amateurs and professionals alike.

When downloading a file from the Internet you’re actually transferring the file to your computer from another computer over the Internet. This is why the T (transfer) is in FTP. You may not know where the computer is that the file is coming from but you most likely know it’s URL or Internet address.

An FTP address looks a lot like a HTTP., or Website, address except it uses the prefix ftp:// instead of http://.

Most often, a computer with an FTP address is dedicated to receive an FTP connection. Just as a computer that is setup to host Web pages is referred to as a Web server or Website, a computer dedicated to receiving an FTP connection is referred to as an FTP server or FTP site.

What is an FTP Site?
An FTP site is like a large filing cabinet. With a traditional filing cabinet, the person who does the filing has the option to label and organize the files how ever they see fit. They also decide which files to keep locked and which remain public. It is the same with an FTP site.

The virtual ‘key’ to get into an FTP site is the UserID and Password. If the creator of the FTP site is willing to give everyone access to the files, the UserID is ‘anonymous’ and the Password is your e-mail address (e.g. [email protected]). If the FTP site is not public, there will be a unique UserID and Password for each person who is granted access.

When connecting to an FTP site that allows anonymous logins, you’re frequently not prompted for a name and password. Hence, when downloading from the Internet, you most likely are using an anonymous FTP login and you don’t even know it.

To make an FTP connection you can use a standard Web browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, etc.) or a dedicated FTP software program, referred to as an FTP ‘Client’.

When using a Web browser for an FTP connection, FTP uploads are difficult, or sometimes impossible, and downloads are not protected (not recommended for uploading or downloading large files).

When connecting with an FTP Client, uploads and downloads couldn’t be easier, and you have added security and additional features. For one, you’re able to to resume a download that did not successfully finish, which is a very nice feature for people using dial-up connections who frequently loose their Internet connection.

What is an FTP Client?
An FTP Client is software that is designed to transfer files back-and-forth between two computers over the Internet. It needs to be installed on your computer and can only be used with a live connection to the Internet.

The classic FTP Client look is a two-pane design. The pane on the left displays the files on your computer and the pane on the right displays the files on the remote computer.

File transfers are as easy as dragging-and-dropping files from one pane to the other or by highlighting a file and clicking one of the direction arrows located between the panes.

Additional features of the FTP Client include: multiple file transfer; the auto re-get or resuming feature; a queuing utility; the scheduling feature; an FTP find utility; a synchronize utility; and for the advanced user, a scripting utility.

All of these features will be explained in later tutorials. First you need to download and install an FTP Client.

Continue in PART 2

Wrapping Text Around an Image within an HTML Web Page

If you’ve ever tried to display an image with your text wrapping around it, you have probably discovered it won’t work with just a plain image tag.

To do so, you must include the ALIGN attribute within your image tag.

Image Displayed on Left:

<IMG BORDER=”0″ ALIGN=”Left” src=”yourimage.jpg” mce_src=”yourimage.jpg”>Your Text

By placing the above code within your HTML, your image will be displayed on the left hand side with your text displayed on the right.As you continue to type your text, it will automatically format itself to wrap around the right side and the bottom of your image. This example has been set up with a table to keep the text neatly aligned within a limited amount of space. The table’s width is set up to span 50% of the page width.

Image Displayed on Right:

<IMG BORDER=”0″ ALIGN=”Right” src=”yourimage.jpg” mce_src=”yourimage.jpg”>Your Text

By placing the above code within your HTML, your image will be displayed on the right hand side with your text displayed on the left.As you continue to type your text, it will automatically format itself to wrap around the left side and the bottom of your image. This example has been set up with a table to keep the text neatly aligned within a limited amount of space. The table’s width is set up to span 50% of the page width.

Adding Audio(sound) to your Web Page

You can add audio (sound) to your web page that will be compatible with both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Add the following code to the HTML of your web page where you would like the control panel to display.

Change the text indicated in red to your sound file.

The “autostart” determines whether or not the music will play when the page loads. “True” specifies that the music will start on load and “False” specifies that music will not start on load.

The “loop” determines how the music should be played. “False” specifies that the music should not loop and will play it through one time. “True” specifies that the music should loop and play continuously. It is highly recommended that you leave this set on false.

The “hidden” specifies whether or not the music’s control panel should be displayed. “True” specifies that the control panel should be hidden. “False” specifies that the control panel should be displayed. It is highly recommended that you leave this set on false. This will enable your visitors to stop the music if they prefer.