Creating Web Pages with Composer
Creating a New Page
Composer is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) editor that allows
you to create and edit web pages. Composer is a WYSIWYG (What You
See Is What You Get) editor, so you can display how your page will look
to the reader as you're creating it. It is not necessary for you to know
HTML, since most of the basic HTML functions are available as commands
from the toolbars and menus. However, Composer also lets you edit the
HTML source if you want.
To create a web page, use one of the methods described below. Once you've
started a page, you can add and edit text just as you would in a word
processor.
To create a new page from the Navigator browser:
- Open the File menu, choose New, and then choose Blank Page to Edit.
A Composer window containing a blank page opens.
To edit a page you're currently browsing in Navigator:
- In the Navigator window of the page you're viewing, open the File
menu and choose Edit Page. You see a Composer window that contains the
page you're viewing.
To create a new page in Composer:
- Click the New button in Composer's toolbar.
To start from an HTML file stored on your local drive:
- Open the Tasks menu and choose Composer. You see the Composer window.
- Open the File menu and choose Open File. You see the Open HTML File
dialogue box.
- On your local drive, locate the file that you want to edit.
- Click Open to display the specified file in a Composer window.
Tip: You can also open JavaScript files so that you can edit them
in Composer.
To edit a web page:
- Open the Tasks menu and choose Navigator.
- Go to a web page by typing the URL of the page (for example, www.netscape.com)
in the Location Bar and pressing Enter (Return on Macintosh OS).
- Open the File menu and choose Edit Page.
Note: Keep in mind that when you save this page, the HTML part
of the page is saved locally, on your hard drive. Other files, such
as images and sound files, are not saved. If an image location is
static (starts with "http://") and you are connected to the Internet,
you will still see that image in the document in Composer and Navigator.
Tip: In the Composer window you can quickly open the most recent
file you've been working on by opening the File menu, choosing Recent
Pages, and then selecting the file you want from the list.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Saving and Browsing Your New Page
You can save Composer documents in HTML and text-only format. Saving a
document in HTML format preserves the document's formatting, such as text
styles (for example, bold or italic), tables, links, and images. Saving
a document in text-only format removes all the HTML tags but preserves
the document's text.
To save a document as an HTML file:
To change the filename or location of an existing HTML file:
- Choose Save As and select a different filename or location.
To save a document as a text-only file:
- Open the File menu and choose Export to Text.
- Enter the filename and specify the location where you want to save
the file.
Tip: You can choose Revert to Last Saved from the File menu to
retrieve the most recently saved copy of the document in which you're
working. Keep in mind that your current changes will be lost.
Note: Images do not show in documents saved in the text-only format.
To view your page in a browser window in order to test your links:
- Open the File menu and choose Browse Page (or click Browse in the
Composition toolbar). If you have not yet saved your document, Composer
prompts you to enter a page title, filename, and location. The Composer
window remains open behind the new Navigator window.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Formatting Your Web Pages
Formatting Paragraphs, Headings, and Lists
To apply a format to a paragraph, begin from the Composer window:
- Click to place the insertion point (also known as the caret) where
you want the format to begin, or select the text you want to format.
- Choose a paragraph format using the drop-down list in the Format toolbar:
- Body Text: Applies the application default font and style
for regular text, without affecting the spacing before or after
the text.
- Heading 1 - Heading 6: Formats the paragraph as a
heading. Heading 1 is a top-level heading, while Heading 6 is the
lowest-level heading.
- Paragraph: Inserts a paragraph tag (use this to begin a
new paragraph). The paragraph includes top and bottom margins.
- Address: Can be used for a web page "signature" that indicates
the author of the page and the person to contact for more information,
for example:
user@example.com
You might want to include the date and a copyright notice. This
format usually appears at the bottom of the web page under a horizontal
line. Navigator displays the address format in italics.
- Preformat: This is useful for elements such as code examples,
column data, and mail messages that you want displayed in a fixed-width
font. In normal text, most browsers remove extra spaces, tabs, and
paragraph returns. However, text that uses the Preformatted style
is displayed with the white space intact, preserving the layout
of the original text.
- Blockquote: Choose this format to indent quoted text on
both the left and right.
To format text as a heading:
- Click to place the insertion point anywhere within the text that you
want to format.
- Using the drop-down list in the Format toolbar, choose the level of
heading you want, from 1 (largest) to 6 (smallest). For example, choose
"Heading 1" for your main heading, "Heading 2" for the next level, and
so forth.
To apply a list item format:
- Click to place the insertion point within the line of text that you
want to format.
- Open the Format menu and choose List.
- Choose the list style:
- Bulleted: Each item has a bullet (dot) next to it (as in
this list).
- Numbered: Items are numbered.
- Term and Definition: These two styles work together,
creating a glossary-style appearance. Use the Term tag for the word
being defined, and the Definition tag for the definition. The Term
text appears flush left, and the Definition text appears indented.
Tip: You can quickly apply a list style to a block of text by selecting
the text and clicking the Numbered List
or Bulleted List
buttons on the Format toolbar.
To change the style of bullets or numbers:
- Click to place the insertion point within the text of the list item
you want to change, or select one or more items in the list if you want
to apply a new style to the entire list.
- Open the Format menu and choose List Properties.
- Select a bullet or number style from the drop-down list. For numbered
lists, you can specify a starting number. For bulleted lists, you can
change the bullet style.
To align a paragraph or text in your page, for example, centring or aligning
to the left or right:
- Click to place the insertion point within the paragraph or line of
text you want to align.
- Open the Format menu and choose Align; then choose an alignment option.
Note: You can also use the Format toolbar to align text.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Working with Lists
To end a list and continue typing body text:
- Click to place the insertion point at the end of the last list item
and press Enter (Return on Macintosh OS).
- Press Enter again. Each time you press Enter, Composer outdents one
level.
To change one or more list items to body text:
- Click to place the insertion point within the list item, or select
the list items.
- In a numbered list, click the numbered list button (or in a bulleted
list, click the bulleted list button) in the Format toolbar. The list
buttons act as a toggle.
To position indented text below a list item:
- Click to place the insertion point within the list item.
- Press Shift-Enter to create the hanging indent.
- Type the text you want to indent.
- Press Shift-Enter to create another indented paragraph, or press Return
to create the next list item.
To merge two adjacent lists:
- Select the two lists that you want to merge. Be sure to select all
of the elements in both lists. Note that any text in between the two
lists will also become part of the merged list.
- Double-click the bulleted or numbered list button in the Format toolbar.
Tip: You can increase or decrease the indentation of list items,
by clicking on the Indent or Outdent button on the Format toolbar.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Changing Text Colour, Style, and Font
To change the style, colour, or font of selected text:
- Select the text you want to format.
- Open the Format menu and choose one of the following:
- Font: Use this to choose a font. If you prefer to use fonts
specified by the reader's browser, select Variable Width or Fixed
Width.
Note: Not all fonts installed on your computer appear. Instead
of specifying a font that may not be available to all who view your
web page, it's generally best to select one of the fonts provided
in the menu since these fonts work on every computer. For example,
the fonts Helvetica, Arial, Times, and Courier generally look the
same when viewed on different computers. If you select a different
font, it may not look the same when viewed using a different computer.
- Size: Use this to choose a relative font size or select
an option to increase or decrease text size (relative to the surrounding
text).
- Text Style: Use this to select a style, such as italic, bold,
or underline, or to apply a structured style, for example, Code.
- Text Colour: Use this to choose a colour from the colour picker.
If you are familiar with HTML colour codes, you can type a specific
code or you can just type a colour name (for example, "blue").
Tip: To quickly change the colour of text to the colour last used,
select the text, then press Shift + Click on the colour picker. This is
useful when you want to use one colour for separate lines of text.
You can also change the background colour of the page, or use an image
as a background. See Setting
Page Colours and Backgrounds.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Removing or Discontinuing Text Styles
To remove all text styles (bold, italic, and so on) from selected text:
- Select the text.
- Open the Format menu and choose Remove All Text Styles.
- Continue typing.
To continue typing text with all text styles removed:
- Place the insertion point where you want to discontinue the text styles.
- Open the Format menu and choose Discontinue Text Styles.
- Continue typing.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Finding and Replacing Text
To find text in the page you're currently working on:
- Click to place the insertion point (also known as the caret) where
you want to begin your search.
- Open the Edit menu and choose Find and Replace. You see the Find and
Replace dialogue box.
- Type the text you want to locate in the "Find what" field. To narrow
the search, check one or more of the following options:
- Match upper/lower case: Use this to specify whether the
search is for case-sensitive text. For exact matches, leave this
option unchecked.
- Wrap around: Use this to search to the end of the page and
then start again from the top or bottom, depending on whether you
are searching forward or backwards.
- Search backwards: Use this to search back from the insertion
point to the beginning of the page.
- Click Find Next to begin searching. When Composer locates the first
occurrence of the text, click Find Next to search for the next occurrence.
- Click Close when you are done.
To find and replace text in the page you're currently working on:
- Click to place the insertion point (also known as the caret) where
you want to begin your search.
- Open the Edit menu and choose Find and Replace. You see the Find and
Replace dialogue box.
- Type the text you want to find and then type the replacement text.
- To narrow the search, check one or more of the following options:
- Match upper/lower case: Use this to specify whether the
search is for case-sensitive text. If you don't select this option,
the search will find matching text in both upper and lower case.
- Wrap around: Use this to search to the end of the page and
then start again from the top.
- Search backwards: Use this to search from the end to the
beginning of the page.
- Click Find Next to search for the next occurrence. Composer selects
the next occurrence of the text.
- Click Replace to replace the selected text with the replacement text.
Click Replace All to replace every occurrence in the document with the
replacement text.
- Click Close when you are done.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Inserting Horizontal Lines
Horizontal lines are typically used to visually separate different sections
of a document. To insert a horizontal line (also called a rule)
in your page, begin from the Composer window:
- Click to place the insertion point where you want the line to appear.
- Click the H. Line button
on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Horizontal Line.
Setting Horizontal Line Properties
You can customise a line's height, length, width, alignment, and shading.
- Double-click the line to display the Horizontal Line Properties dialogue
box.
- Edit any of these properties:
- Width: Choose a measurement unit (pixels or percentage)
and type a number for the width.
- Height: Type a number for the line's height (in pixels).
- 3-D Shading: Select this to add depth to the line by adding
a bevel shading.
- Alignment: Specify where you want to place the line (left,
centre, or right).
- Click Use as Default to use these settings as the default the next
time you insert a horizontal line.
- To manually edit the properties of a horizontal line, click Advanced
Edit. See the section, Advanced Property
Editor, for details.
Tip: You can select "Show All Tags" from the View menu to show
all the HTML elements in yellow boxes. You can double-click any yellow
box to display the Advanced Property Editor
dialogue box.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Inserting Special Characters
To insert special characters such as accent marks, copyrights, or currency
symbols:
- Click to place the insertion point where you want the special character
to appear.
- Open the Insert menu and choose Characters and Symbols. You see the
Insert Character dialogue box.
- Select a category of characters.
- If you choose Accent Uppercase or Accent Lowercase, then open the
Letter drop-down list and select the letter you wish to apply an accent
to. (Note: not all letters have accented forms.) Select Common Symbols
to insert special characters such as copyright symbols or fractions.
- From the Character drop-down list, select the character you want to
insert.
- Click Insert.
You can continue typing in your document (or in a mail compose window)
while you keep this dialogue box open, in case you want to use it again.
- Click Close when you are done inserting special characters.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Inserting HTML Elements and Attributes
If you understand how to work with HTML source code, you can insert additional
tags, style attributes, and JavaScript into your page. If you are not
sure how to work with HTML source code, it's best not to change it. To
work with HTML code, use one of these methods:
- Place the insertion point where you want to insert the HTML code,
then open the Insert menu and choose HTML. In the Insert HTML dialogue
box, enter HTML tags and text, and then click Insert.
- Select an element such as a table, named anchor, image, link, or horizontal
line. Double-click the element to open the associated properties dialogue
for that item. Click Advanced Edit to open the Advanced Property Editor.
You can use the Advanced Property Editor to add HTML attributes and
JavaScript to objects.
- Open the View menu, and choose HTML Source, or click the <HTML>
Source tab in the Edit Mode toolbar at the bottom of the Composer window.
(If you don't see the Edit Mode toolbar, open the View menu and choose
Toolbars; then make sure the Edit Mode Toolbar is checked.)
Using the Advanced Property Editor
To add HTML attributes and JavaScript to objects such as tables, images,
and horizontal lines, you can use the Advanced Property Editor.
Note: Unless you clearly understand how to add, delete, or modify
HTML attributes and their associated values, it's best not to do so.
If you are not currently viewing the Advanced Property Editor dialogue box,
follow these steps:
- From the View menu (or the Edit Mode toolbar), choose Show All Tags.
- Double-click the object that you want to modify to open its Advanced
Property Editor. The Advanced Property Editor has three tabs, each
of which lists the current properties for the selected object:
- HTML Attributes: Click this tab to view or enter additional
HTML attributes.
- Inline Style: Click this tab to view or enter additional
CSS (cascading style sheet) properties through the <style>
attribute.
- JavaScript Events: Click this tab to view or enter JavaScript
events.
- To edit a property or attribute any of the three lists, select the
attribute you want to edit. You can then edit the attribute's name or
value using the editable Attribute and Value fields at the bottom of
the dialogue box. To add new attribute, type it in the Attribute field
at the bottom of the dialogue box. The new attribute is automatically
added when you click in the Value field. To remove an attribute, select
it in the list, and click Remove Attribute.
Note: Required attributes are highlighted in the Attribute
list.
- Click OK to apply your changes to the Advanced Property Editor dialogue
box.
- Click OK again to exit the Properties dialogue box.
Composer automatically places quotation marks around any attribute text.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Checking the Spelling
Unlike Netscape, Mozilla does not come with a spell checker. Since the
spell checker that is bundled with Netscape is from another company, and
is a closed source project, it cannot be included with Mozilla.
You can, however, add a spell checker to Mozilla easily, by installing
an open-source spell checker at Mozdev.org.
This project provides an "XPI" (cross platform
installable) file. Several versions of the XPI are available, depending
on which Mozilla version they work with. First determine which Mozilla version
you are using (by going to Help| About Mozilla), and then click on the appropriate
XPI link. You will be asked to confirm that you want to install a piece of
software. Click OK to proceed. Once it has been successfully downloaded and
installed, restart Mozilla. Open Composer, and you should see the Spell button
added to the toolbar:
When you click on the "Spell" button, you should see the following box
pop up:
Make sure you select your language before you begin. Then click Recheck
Page.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Validating the HTML
Before you put your document on a web server so that others can see it,
you should first check the document's HTML formatting to make sure it conforms
to web standards. Documents containing validated HTML are less likely to cause
problems when viewed by different browsers. Just visually checking your web
pages in Navigator doesn't ensure that your document will appear correctly
when viewed in other web browsers.
Composer provides a convenient way for you to check that your document
conforms to W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) HTML standards. Composer uses
the W3C HTML Validation Service, which checks your document's HTML syntax
for correctness and provides information on how to correct errors.
Note: You must be connected to the Internet to use this feature.
To validate your document's HTML syntax:
- Open the Edit menu, and choose Validate HTML. If you have unsaved changes,
Composer asks you to save them before proceeding.
- When the W3C HTML Validation Service page appears, click "Validate this
document".
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Choosing the Right Editing Mode
Typically, you won't need to change the editing mode from the default
(Normal). However, if you want to work with the document's HTML source
code, you may want to change editing modes. Composer allows you to quickly
switch between four "editing modes" or views. Each editing mode allows
you to continue working on your document, but displays varying levels
of HTML tags (and tag icons).
Before you choose an editing mode:
- Open the View menu, choose Show/Hide, and then make sure there is
a checkmark next to Edit Mode Toolbar.
The Edit Mode toolbar has four tabs:
- Normal: This is the WYSIWYG editing mode, so you can display
how the document will look as you are creating it. Choose this mode
to show table borders and named anchor icons. All other HTML tag icons
are hidden.
- Show All Tags: Choose this mode to show table borders and all
HTML tag icons.
- <HTML> Source: Choose this mode to view and edit the document
as unformatted HTML source code. When you save the document, the Normal
mode reappears.
- Preview: Choose this mode to display and edit the document exactly
as it would appear in a browser window, except that links and JavaScript
functions will not be active.
Note: JavaScript functions, frames, links, and animated GIF files
are not active in any of the editing modes. To display these items in
their active state, click the Browse button on the Composition toolbar
to load the page into a browser window.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Adding Tables to Your Web Page
Inserting a Table
Tables are useful for organising text, pictures, and data into formatted
rows and columns. To insert a table:
- Click to place the insertion point where you want the table to appear.
- Click the Table button
on the Composition toolbar. The Insert Table dialogue box appears.
- Type the number of rows and columns you want.
- (Optional) Enter a size for the table width, and select either
pixel or percentage of the window.
- Enter a number for the border thickness (in pixels); enter zero for
no border.
Note: Composer uses a red dotted line to indicate tables with
a zero border; the dotted line disappears when the page is viewed
in a browser.
- To apply additional table attributes or JavaScript, click Advanced
Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
- Click OK to confirm your settings and view your new table.
To change additional properties for your new table, see Changing a Table's Properties.
Tip: To insert a table within a table, open the Insert
menu and choose Table.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Changing a Table's Properties
This section describes how to modify properties that apply to an entire
table as well as the rows, columns, or individual cells within a table.
If you are not currently viewing the Table Properties dialogue box, follow
these steps:
- Select the table, or click anywhere inside it.
- Click the Table button
on the toolbar, or open the Table menu and choose Table Properties.
The Table Properties dialogue box contains two tabs: Table and Cells.
- Click the Table tab to edit these properties:
- To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced
Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
- Click Apply to preview your changes without closing the dialogue box,
or click OK to confirm them.
To view, change, or add properties for one or more cells:
- Select the row, column, or cell, then open the Table menu and choose
Table Properties. The Table Properties dialogue box appears.
- Click the Cells tab to edit the following properties:
- Selection: Choose Cell, Row, or Column from the drop-down
list. Click Previous or Next to move through rows, columns, or cells.
- Size: Type a number for Height and Width, and then choose
"% of table" or "pixels."
- Content Alignment: Select a vertical and horizontal alignment
type for the text or data inside each cell.
- Cell Style: Select Header from the drop-down list for column
or row headers (which centres and bolds the text in the cell); otherwise
choose Normal.
- Text Wrap: Select "Don't wrap" from the drop-down list to
keep text from wrapping to the next line unless you insert a paragraph
break. Otherwise, choose Wrap.
- Background Colour: Select a colour for the cell background
or leave it as transparent.
Note: To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events,
click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced
Property Editor
- Click Apply to preview your changes without closing the dialogue box,
or click OK to confirm them.
Tip: To change the text colour or background colour of one or
more selected cells or the entire table, select the cells or click anywhere
in the table and then click the text colour or background colour icon
in the Format toolbar.
Tip: To change the colour of cells to the colour last used, select
the cell, then press Shift + Click on the background colour picker. This
is useful when you want to use one colour for individual cells.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Adding and Deleting Rows, Columns, and Cells
Composer allows you to quickly add or delete one or more cells in your
table. In addition, you can set options that allow you to maintain the
original rectangular structure or layout of the table while you perform
editing tasks.
To add a cell, row, or column to your table:
- Click inside the table where you want to add a cell (or cells).
- Open the Table menu and then choose Insert.
- Choose one of the cell groupings. (You can also insert a new table
within a table cell.)
To delete a cell, row, or column:
- Click a row, column, or cell to place the insertion point. Or, select
neighbouring cells to delete more than one row at a time. To select
neighbouring cells, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows and Linux) or the
Command key (Macintosh OS) while dragging over the cells you want to
select. To select individual cells in a table, hold down the Ctrl key
and click on the cells you want to select.
- Open the Table menu and choose Delete.
- Choose the item you want to delete.
To join (or merge) a cell with the cell on its right:
- Click inside the cell on the left, open the Table menu, and choose
Join with Cell to the Right.
To join (or merge) adjacent cells:
- Select adjacent cells by holding down the Ctrl key (Windows and Linux)
or the Command key (Macintosh OS), and then dragging over the adjacent
cells that you want to join.
- Open the Table menu, and choose Join Selected Cells.
To split a joined cell back into two or more cells:
- Click inside the cell, open the Table menu, and then choose Split
Cell. The contents of the cell will be in one cell.
Refer to Selecting Table Elements for
information on how to select non-adjacent cells, rows, and columns.
Changing the Default Table Editing Behaviour
By default, when you delete one or more cells, Composer preserves the
table's structure by adding cells at the end of a row, wherever needed.
This allows you to delete one or more cells but still maintain the table's
original rectangular layout, or structure. Otherwise, deleting cells can
result in a table with empty spaces, or whose outline appears irregular
due to an uneven number of cells.
To change the default table editing behaviour, begin from the Composer
window:
- Open the Edit menu, choose Preferences, and then choose Composer.
- Under Table Editing, set the following preferences:
- Make sure that "Maintain table layout when inserting or deleting
cells" is checked to ensure that you don't get an irregularly-shaped
table.
- Choose the way the Delete key will behave (remove an entire cell
or just remove the cell's contents).
- Click OK.
See also Setting General Composer
Preferences.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Selecting Table Elements
You can use one of two ways to quickly select a table, cell, or group
of cells:
- Click in the table, open the Table menu, choose Select, and then choose
an item from the submenu. For example, to select a table, click anywhere
inside the table, open the Table menu, and then choose Select Table.
- Or, you can use the mouse as a selection tool:
- To select the content inside one or more cells, click inside the
cell and drag to select the number of cells you want. You can apply
a text format (for example, text style or colour) to the selected
content.
- To select a group of adjacent cells: click in a cell, then press
Ctrl (Windows or Linux) or Command (Macintosh OS) and drag to select
the number of cells you want. Drag the mouse left or right to select
a row; up or down to select a column.
- To select non-adjacent cells: press Ctrl (Windows or Linux) or
Command (Macintosh OS) and then click inside a cell. Keep pressing
Ctrl (Windows or Linux) or Command (Macintosh OS) as you click to
select additional cells.
- To extend a selection to include adjacent cells: press Ctrl (Windows
or Linux) or Command (Macintosh OS) and then click inside a cell.
Then press Shift as you click additional cells to extend the selection.
Repeat this procedure to select multiple, non-adjacent blocks of
cells.
- To select one or more adjacent columns or rows: press Ctrl-Shift
(Windows or Linux) or Command-Shift (Macintosh OS) and drag up or
down to select the first column or row. Drag left or right to select
additional adjacent columns or rows.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Moving, Copying, and Deleting Tables
To move table:
- Click inside the table.
- Open the Table menu, choose Select, and then choose Table.
- To copy or move the table: Use the Edit menu's cut, copy, and paste
options.
- To delete the table: Open the Table menu again, choose Delete, and
then choose Table.
Moving the Contents of a Cell, Row, or Column
To move the contents of a cell, row, or column within a table:
- Select the text that you want to move. For more information, see
Selecting Table Elements.
- Open the Edit menu, and choose Cut.
- Click to place the insertion point in the new location.
- Open the Edit menu, and choose Paste.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Converting Text into a Table
To convert text into a table:
- Select the text that you want to convert into a table. Keep in mind
that Composer creates a new table row for each paragraph in the selection.
- Open the Table menu and choose Create Table from Selection. You see
the Convert to Table dialogue box.
- Choose the character Composer uses to separate the selection into columns,
or specify a different character to use. If you choose Space as the
separator for columns, choose whether or not you want Composer to ignore
multiple space and treat them as one space.
- Leave "Delete separator character" checked to have Composer remove
the separator character when it converts the text into a table. If you
don't want Composer to delete the separator character, uncheck this
option.
- Click OK.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Adding Pictures (Images) to Your Web Page
Inserting an Image into Your Page
You can insert GIF, JPEG, and PNG images into your web page. You can also
use them to create links. When you insert
an image, Composer saves a reference to the image in your page.
To insert an image:
- Click to place the insertion point where you want the image to appear.
- Click the Image button
on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Image. You see the
Image Properties dialogue box.
- Type the location and filename of the image file, or click Choose
File to search for an image file on your hard drive or network.
- Type alternate text that will appear in text-only browsers, and that
will appear in other browsers when an image is loading or when image
loading is disabled.
- If needed, click More Properties so you can adjust the settings in
the Image Properties dialogue box.
Tip: To quickly insert an image: Drag and drop it onto your page.
Tip: While typing in a paragraph that contains one or more images,
if you want to insert a line break after all images in the paragraph,
choose Break Below Images from the Insert menu.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Editing Image Properties
Once you've inserted an image into your page, you can edit its properties
and customise the layout in your page, such as the height, width, spacing,
and text alignment. If you are not currently viewing the Image Properties
dialogue box, follow these steps:
To edit the properties for a selected image:
- Double-click the image, or select it and click the Image button
on the toolbar to display the Image Properties dialogue box. Click More
Properties to expand the list of settings. To collapse the list of settings,
click Fewer Properties.
- Image URL: Type the filename and location of the image
file. Click Choose File to search for an image file on your hard
drive or network.
- URL is relative to page location: If checked, Composer converts
the URL to be relative to the page's location. This is especially useful
if you plan to copy your pages to a web server so that others can view them.
Using relative URLs allows you to keep all your linked files in the same
place relative to each other, regardless of their location on your hard disk
or a web server. Unchecking this box causes Composer to convert the URL to
a full (absolute) URL. You typically use absolute URLs when linking to images
on other web servers (not stored locally on your hard disk). If you have
unsaved changes, you must first save the page in order to enable this checkbox.
- Alternate Text: Enter text that will display in place of
the original image; for example, a caption or a brief description
of the image. It's a good practice to specify alternate text for
readers who use text-only web browsers or who have image loading
turned off.
- Don't use alternate text: Choose this option if
the image does not require alternate text.
- Dimensions: Select Custom Size, then specify the new height
and width, in pixels. This setting doesn't affect the original image
file, just the image inserted in your page. Click Actual Size to
undo any changes you've made to the dimensions.
- Constrain: If you change the image size, it's a good idea
to check this in order to maintain the image's aspect ratio (so
that it doesn't appear distorted). If you choose this option, then
you only need to change the height or width, but not both.
- Align Text to Image: If you've placed your image next to
any text, select an alignment icon to indicate how you want text
positioned relative to the image.
- Spacing: Specify the amount of space surrounding the image;
between the image and adjoining text. You can also put a solid black
border around the image and specify its width in pixels. Specify
zero for no border.
- Image Map: Click Remove to remove any image map settings.
- To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced
Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
- Click OK to confirm your changes.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Setting Page Properties
Setting Page Properties and Meta Tags
Use the Page Properties dialogue box to enter properties such as the title,
author, and description of the document you're currently working on. This
information is useful if you plan to use the page on a web site, since
search engines use this type of information to index your page. You can
view this information from the browser window by choosing the View menu
and choosing Page Info.
- Open the Format menu and choose Page Title and Properties.
- Edit any of the following properties:
- Title: Type the text you want to appear as the window title
when someone views the page through a browser. This is how most web
search tools locate web pages, so choose a title that conveys what your
page is about.
- Author: Type the name of the person who created the document.
This information is helpful to readers who find your document by using
a web search tool to search for your name.
Tip: If you enter the Author name in Composer's preferences, then you won't have
to enter it each time you create a new page.
- Description: Enter a brief description of the document's
contents. You can also enter search keywords to help others find your
page when it is posted on a network.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Setting Page Colours and Background
You can change the background colour or specify a background image for
the page you're currently working on. These choices affect the way text
and links in your page appear to people viewing the page through a browser.
To set the colours and background for the current page, begin from the
Composer window:
- Open the Format menu and choose Page Colours and Background.
- Edit any of the following properties:
Note: To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click
Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property
Editor.
You can also set the default page background
and colours for every new page you create in Composer.
Tip: To quickly change the background colour to the colour last
used, select the cell, then press Shift + Click on the background colour
picker.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Creating Links
Creating Links Within the Same Page
To create a link within the same page, for example a link that the reader
can use to jump from one section to another, you must create an anchor
(target location), and then create a link that points to the anchor.
Anchors are also called named anchors.
- Click to place the insertion point at the beginning of a line where
you want to create an anchor, or select some text.
- Click the Anchor button
on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Named Anchor.
You see the Named Anchor Properties dialogue box.
- Type a unique name for the anchor in the Anchor Name field (up to
30 characters). If you include spaces, they will be converted to underscores
(_). If you selected some text in step #1, this box already contains
a name.
- Click OK. An anchor icon appears in your document to mark
the anchor's location:
To create the link that the reader can click to jump to the anchor:
- Select the text or image that you want to link to the anchor.
- Click the Link button or open the Insert menu and choose Link. You
see the Link Properties dialogue box.
- If you're creating a link to an HTML file on your computer, click
Choose File to locate it.
- If you're creating a link to a named anchor (target),
select it from the list of the anchors currently available in
the page.
- If you're creating a link to a level heading (for example,
Heading 1 - Heading 6), select it from the list of headings currently
available in the page.
- Click OK.
Note: To test the link you just created, open the File menu and
choose Browse Page, then click the link.
Tip: If you did not first create named anchors, you can use the
Link dialogue box to create links to headings that already occur in the
page.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Creating Links to Other Pages
You can create links from your page to local pages on your own computer
or on your workplace's network, or to remote pages on the Internet.
You can quickly create a link by dragging and dropping links and bookmarks
from other windows. For example, you can select a link from a web page,
bookmark, or Mail window and drag and drop it onto your page.
To create a link to another page:
- Click to place the insertion point where you want to create a link,
or select the text or image that you want to link to the anchor.
- Click the Link button. You see the Link Properties dialogue box.
- Define your link:
- Link text: If you've already selected an image file or
text before clicking the link icon, the selected text or file
will be entered here. Otherwise, you must enter the text that
you want to use as the link.
- Link Location: Type the local path and filename or remote
URL of the page you want to link to. If you're not sure of the
path and filename for a local file, click Choose File to look
for it on your hard disk or network. For remote URLs, you can
copy the URL from the browser location field. Alternatively, you
can select a named anchor or a heading in the current page that
you want to link to.
- URL is relative to page location: If checked, Composer converts
the URL to be relative to the page's location. This is especially useful
if you plan to copy your pages to a web server so that others can view them.
Using relative URLs allows you to keep all your linked files in the same
place relative to each other, regardless of their location on your hard disk
or a web server. Deselecting this option causes Composer to convert the URL
to a full (absolute) URL. You typically use absolute URLs when linking to
pages on other web servers (not stored locally on your hard disk). If you
have unsaved changes, you must first save the page in order to enable this
checkbox.
Hint: To copy a link on a web page, you can also right-click
(Control + Click on Macintosh OS) a link on a web page and choose
Copy Link Location.
- To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced
Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
- Click OK.
- To test the link you just created, open the File menu, choose Browse
Page, and then click the link.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Using Images as Links
You can make images, such as JPEG, GIF, or PNG files, behave like links
in your pages. When the reader clicks a linked image, the browser window
displays the page that the image is linked to.
- Select an image on your page.
- Click the Link button
on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Link.
- Use the Link Properties dialogue box to link the image to a named anchor or heading within the page,
or to a separate local or remote page.
Tip: Drag and drop a linked image from the Navigator window into
a Composer window to copy both the image and the link.
Note: To remove the blue border on images used as links, open the
Link Properties dialogue box and enter 0 in the Solid Border field.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Removing or Discontinuing Links
To remove a link:
- Select the linked text (normally blue and underlined) or image.
- Open the Format menu and choose Remove Links.
To discontinue a link, so that text you type after the link is not included
as part of the link:
- Click to place the insertion point where you want the link to end.
- Open the Format menu and choose Discontinue Link.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Publishing Your Pages on the Web
If your pages exists only on your local hard disk, you can browse your
pages, but no one else can. Composer lets you publish your pages to a remote
computer called a web server. When you publish your pages to a web server,
Composer copies (uploads) your pages to a computer that lets others browse
your pages. To find a web server where you can publish your pages, ask your
ISP or system administrator.
Publishing a Document
To publish a document on a web server:
- Open the HTML document that you want to publish, or create a new Composer
document.
- Open the File menu and choose Publish. If you have previously defined
a default publishing location for this document, Composer uploads the document
to the specified location.
- If you have not defined a publishing location for this document, Composer
displays the Settings tab in the Publish Page dialogue box so you can enter
this information. See Publish Page - Settings
for more information.
- If you have never saved the document, Composer displays the Publish
tab in the Publish Page dialogue box, so you can enter the document's file
name. See Publish Page - Publish for more information.
- To view your page, enter the page's HTTP address in Navigator's Location
Bar. Test the page's links and make sure there are no missing images.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Tips for Avoiding Broken Links or Missing Images
- Make sure your Composer file names end with the .HTML file extension.
Make sure your image file names end with the .JPG, .GIF, or .PNG file extension.
Don't use spaces or other special symbols in your file names. Keep your file
names short and use only lowercase letters and numbers.
- If your images appear as broken links when you browse your pages on
the web server, open the Image Properties dialogue box for each image (by double-clicking
each image in the page) and make sure you've removed the file:/// part of
the URL. Once you're done correcting the links, publish your pages again.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Updating a Published Document
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Changing the File Name or Publishing Location
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Creating a New Publishing Site
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Changing the Default Publishing Site
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Deleting a Publishing Site
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Publishing Settings
Also include link to global Publishing prefs.
Publish Page - Publish
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Publish Page - Settings
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Publish Settings
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Composer Preferences
This section describes the settings in the Composer preferences panel.
If you are not currently viewing the panel, follow these steps:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Double-click the Composer category to expand the list.
Composer Preferences - Composer
Composer preferences allow you to specify settings for saving files
and for table editing. These settings apply to every document you create.
If you are not already viewing the Composer preferences, follow these
steps:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Click the Composer category.
- Recent Pages Menu: Specify the maximum number of pages
that are listed under Recent Pages in the File menu.
- When Saving Files:
- Retain original source formatting: This option preserves line
breaks and the page's original formatting for the HTML source
code. Select this if you want to preserve white space (extra lines,
tabs, etc.) that makes the HTML source code more readable. This
preference does not affect how your pages appear in a browser
window.
- Reformat HTML source: This option reformats the HTML
source code to make it more readable, by inserting line breaks
and indentation. This preference does not affect how your pages
appear in a browser window.
- Table Editing:
- Maintain table layout when inserting or deleting cells:
Select this if you want Composer to always preserve the table's
layout (that is, keep it in a rectangular shape) by adding cells
where needed. If you deselect this option, when you delete one or
more cells, Composer removes the cell border as well, which can
result in a table with empty spaces, or an outline that appears
irregular due to an uneven number of cells.
- Delete key: Select the action you want the Delete key to
perform on selected cells in tables.
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Editing:
Use CSS styles instead of HTML elements and attributes:
to be supplied.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Composer Preferences - New Page Settings
New page preferences allow you to specify settings for colours and background
images that apply to every document you create.
If you are not already viewing the New Page Settings, follow these steps:
- Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- Open the Composer category and click New Page Settings.
To change the author name for an individual page: Open the Format menu
and choose Page Title and Properties.
To change the page colours and background image for an individual page:
Open the Format menu and choose Page Colours and Background.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
Composer Preferences - Publishing
text to come.
[ Return to beginning of section ]
27 February 2002