(n.b.: this guide was written for a faculty workshop in August 1994)
Steps for the creation of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) documents
1. Have your Liberty account 'enabled' for html workshop. What's required
is a change of file-access permissions, done by Bob Williams of University
Computing. Send him an e-mail request [rbw@wlu.edu].)
2. From the Liberty $ prompt:
a. type mkdir public_html (this creates a (sub)directory in your
Liberty home directory)
b. type cd public_html ('change directory' to public_html)
c. type pico somefilename.html (e.g., first.html or starthere.html)
(this provides the workspace to create the file. You can import
other files from your Liberty directories into the workspace using
<control><r> ['read file']).
d. <control><x> will save your file and exit to the $ prompt.
3. To run your xxx.html file as a web document:
At the $ prompt type
lynx http://liberty.uc.wlu.edu/~yourusername/somefilename.html
(if you will be calling up the file repeatedly it is VERY handy to
minimize the repetitive typing by:
a. at $, type pico someshortfilename [viz: runme or look]
b. type the whole formula
lynx http://...etc.../somefilename.html
c. <control><x> to save
d. type set someshortfilename [viz: set look]
e. type chmod 700 someshortfilename [viz: chmod 700 look]
Thereafter, whenever you type the short file name the lynx
http://... command will execute).
4. To check the permissions settings for your file(s):
At the $ prompt type ls -l ['list directory in long form']. On the
left of each line you'll see a 10-space field that looks
something like -rw-r--r-- or drwx------ [etc.]
Once your document is stable you'll probably want others to be able
to read it. If you DON'T see -r--r--r-- [with r's in the indicated
places, whatever else there is], at the $ prompt you can type
chmod 644 filename to make it possible for others to read but
only yourself to write to the file.
5. To have your HTML document added to W&L's webserver ('Campus Information
System') once it's stabilized, send its URL to me (blackmer.h@wlu.edu),
together with instructions for what you'd like the anchor to say and where
you'd like it placed in the appropriate Department menu. You can continue
to edit and add to it (it's yours, continues to reside in your Liberty
directory, can't be changed by anybody else unless you change the
permissions to permit others write access [NOT a good idea]).
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HTML Essentials (there are other features, but these are the basics)
TO SHOW THE URL of a highlighted link in a web document, hit =
TO SHOW HTML CODE of a web document or return to formatted text, hit \
ANCHOR defines a link (to a document or a site, file, etc.)
<a href="xxxx">linklabel</a>
<a href="http://liberty.uc.wlu.edu/~hblackme/newhome/howdoi.html">...</a>
<a href="somefilename.thisdirectory.html">...</a>
LISTS (ordered and unordered) organize items or choices
<ol> <li>first <li>second <li>third </ol>
<ul> <li>first <li>another <li>last </ul>
HEADINGS are centered labels for sections
<h1>some text here [h2, h3... h5 for different type sizes in
Mosaic]
PREFORMATTED TEXT
<pre> ..... </pre> [can imbed anchors, etc. in
preformatted text]
EMPHASIS
<em> ..... </em> [underlined or highlighted,
according to browser]
SKIP A SPACE
<br> ['line break']
DRAW A LINE
<hr> ['hard return']
& to make & in text
< to make < in text
> to make > in text
You can see more details and find links to several HTML guides via the
Liberty Guide in the W&L Campus Information System, but the BEST way to
learn more is to look at the HTML code for web documents that you like
the look of (use the \ to see the HTML codes).