Dr. Wes Leggett Using Microsoft Word to Create Simple Web Pages

Using Microsoft Word to Create Simple Web Pages
Dr. Wes Leggett

Microsoft Word can save any document it creates in web page format (.htm). This is accomplished by using the File > Save As Web Page option from the menu bar. If you do use Word to create a web page, please be aware of some unique quirks and how they will affect your web page:

First, you want to start with a new blank floppy disk, Zip disk, CD-RW, or Flash Drive that you will save your document and ultimately your web page to. Don't save anything to your hard drive. Only use your hard drive as a backup drive where you copy the files from your floppy, Zip, CD, or Flash for safety. When you are creating your web page in Word, save in the regular Word file format (.doc). Only when you have completely finished your web page and have done one final save in Word format do you want to save your file in web format (.htm).

Note: To make submission of your web page you've created in Word the easiest, submit only the regular, single Word file format (.doc) and I'll do the conversion on my end. Do not send me .htm files or .jpg or .gif image files unless you created your web page in something other than Word.

Second, you'll want to switch your view mode from Normal to Web Layout. This is easy to do, from the menu bar select View > Web Layout. In this view you won't have margins or page breaks, which are not used in web pages anyhow.

Third, since Word has a bunch of fancy fonts, it's tempting to use them. Don't! Stick with Times New Roman, which is the default font for HTML documents. If you use a fancy font, the only way a browser can display it is if that font is loaded and available on the computer that is viewing the web page. Use different font sizes of Times New Roman and different font colors to make text stand out. And, hear me now, Never, NEVER, NEVER, use underlining or italics on your web page! Users will get frustrated if they try to click on text that is underlined, since that is how links are shown. Italicized text is sometimes very hard to read on the screen. If you underline or italicize any text on a web page you create, you'll receive a zero for the entire web authoring assignment! Yes, I am serious!

Fourth, when Word converts a document to a web page, all justifications revert to the left. So, don't use any center or right justification. It's just as well, because a good visual design technique in developing web pages is to keep everything to the left (have you noticed that on my web pages?).

Fifth, Word is the only program for web authoring that allows you to insert and use clipart images in their native file format (.wmz). In reality, only .gif and .jpg images will display on web pages so Word uses some elaborate trickery to display clipart images in HTML format (more on that in a minute). If you want to use pictures you see on other web pages, it's an easy process that only takes a few steps:
1. When you find a picture on the web you want to use, position your mouse pointer in the middle of it
2. Click your right mouse button
3. If the picture is not protected from copying (most aren't), a popup menu should appear
4. Select Copy
5. Return to Word and position your cursor where you want the picture to come in
6. Click your right mouse button and when the popup menu appears, select Paste. Your picture should appear!

Sixth, it's very easy to create active links (for the website and web page Resources in your Web Quest) in your Word document. Some of you may have even run across this by accident! If you know the exact address and simply type it in, for example: www.cudenver.edu as soon as you hit the space bar or the Enter key after the last letter, the text will immediately turn underlined and blue, for example: www.cudenver.edu and it is now an active web link, as long as you are connected to the Internet! This is true for any web address that begins with "www". You can make any address a link by starting out with "http://", for example: http://wesleggett.com. There's a super easy way to never make a mistake typing in an address, especially a long one!

Here are the steps to create active website links in Word:
1. You must have your Word document open on a computer that also has an active Internet connection open. Make sure you have your web browser window open and your Word document open. You can switch between the two using the task bar.
2. When you have the website or web page you want to link to in your browser window, click inside the web address display window at the top of the screen (somewhere in the open white space inside the address window just to the right of the last letter in the address), which will highlight the entire address.
3. Do the keyboard shortcut for Copy (hold the Ctrl key down and tap the C key).
4.Click on your Word document button in the task bar to switch back to Word.
5. Position your cursor in the Word document where you want the web address to be inserted.
6. Do the keyboard shortcut for Paste (hold the Ctrl key down and tap the V key).
7. After the web address appears, press the space bar or Enter key to make the address an active link.

You can even type in what you want the link to say, if the web address is long and confusing.
Here are the steps for that procedure:
1. Do steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 above.
6. Type in the link description in your own words and then highlight it by dragging the mouse pointer back across the text you just typed in.
7. Click on the "Hyperlink" button in the button bar at the top of the screen (it looks like the Earth with a chain link). If you cannot locate the button, then from the menu bar, select Insert > Hyperlink...
8. When the Hyperlink dialog box appears, you will see the web address you just copied already in the "Type the file or Web page name:" window.
9. Click "OK"!

After you have submitted your web page to me in Word (.doc) format and you are interested in getting your web page into true HTML format, here's what you can do. From the File menu, select "Save As" and when the dialog box appears, from the "Save as Type" selection choose "Web Page." Word will save the document in HTML (.htm) format and create a folder for all the clipart images and pictures you've used. The folder's name will be the name of your document file with an underscore and the word files. For example, if you named your original Word document "index" (which is the standard name for a default web page), when you save the document as a web page, Word will create a new file called "index.htm" (your original file is still "index.doc") and a folder named "index_files" which will have the image and conversion files necessary to display everything in the proper format for the web.

After you have your files converted to HTML format, including the new folder that stores your images and you would like to create your own FREE website, here are the steps for signing up with freeservers.com:
1. Go to: www.freeservers.com
2. Click on Free to select the free plan.
3. Click sign-up
4. Scroll down to Option 3: Free Domain and type in the name you would like to use for your website.
5. Click Reserve
6. If the name is available, it will appear under the Sub-Domain Available - FREE section. If the name is not available, try another one.
7. Click sign-up
8. Scroll down to 100% Free Hosting Option and click sign-up
9. Type in your personal information in the data entry boxes.
10. Click Next
11. Uncheck any boxes under the Other Deals section.
12. Click Next
13. Click No, Thanks: Continue
14. Under My Member Area, click Build My Site
15. Click Site Builder
16. Click Next
17. Click on any template, it doesn't matter which one, since you'll be replacing it with your own file(s) on step 26.
18. Under Choose Your Site's Pages, click Next
19. Under My Member Area, click File Manager
20. Under Manage Your Files, click File Manager
21. There will be four files listed. Click to put a checkmark in each box in front of the filenames.
22. Click Delete
23. Click OK
24. Click Upload
25. Type the number of files you will be uploading from your disk and click OK
26. Click Browse and use the Choose File dialog box to locate and select each file from your disk to upload.
27. Click Upload!

If you have an images folder to upload as well, do steps 28-34:
28. Click New Folder
29. Type in the name of the folder exactly as it is on your source disk and click OK
30. Click on the new folder name or icon (not the checkbox) that appears in the file listing.
31. Click Upload
32. Type the number of files that are in the images folder on your disk and click OK
33. Click Browse and use the Choose File dialog box to locate and select each file from your disk to upload.
34. Click Upload!

That's all! You've just created your very own website! Congratulations!!!