What Web Pages "Cannot" Do
(and how to do it anyhow!)

There are many limits placed on web design because of the history of the Internet and the evolution of the Web. Below, you will find some problems and then solutions suggested. Please look at these considerations before you get too far in web page construction. See the DSISD Checklist for other issues.

This page will be updated soon but this is important information as you begin to work on web pages. Please email me your additions and suggestions (and corrections!)

PROBLEM/ISSUE OPTIONS/SOLUTIONS

It looks good on the screen- but it's not the same when I see it on the Web Web pages are based on an earlier method of sending text and picture files around the world. Use the ideas below to get around the limits of these earlier standards.

There are no fonts on the Web You can't use just any font on your computer. If you write a web page in a font other than one or two basic fonts, it is unlikely that your text will appear as you expect.
To get around this, create your specialized fonts in a graphics "world." Then insert the graphics where you want that specialized text.

You can't use the spacebar or Tabs to place text on a web page where you want it. On the Web, there is only one space allowed. More than one space becomes one space. Most problems can be solved by using Tables and removing the lines between columns.
To indent information, use the Indent icons or create Lists.

Files that don't end in .html or .gif or .jpeg work fine on my computer but don't work on the web. The same thing with spaces and other characters in my file names. Macintoshes and PC computers are much more forgiving than most web servers. You must name files correctly for them to work when placed on a Web server.

My pictures don't show up on the web but look fine on my computer. Graphics files not only must be named properly, but must be saved in certain formats. GIF and JPEG formats are acceptable.

My images keep disappearing Some programs you use to create web pages often save another copy of the image where you don't want it (or expect it). Or, image files may not be stored in the folder.
To fix this, always place images in your "local" web folder before ever placing them . Then be sure to look for a place to tell Composer to "Leave the image where you placed it". This is done by checking the "Leave Image..." box in the "Insert Image" dialog box.

EVERYTHING your web pages need should be contained in a folder that we call the "local" folder. When you move that folder to the web, all "supporting" materials go together, in the same relationship.

My page takes forever to download Don't overuse animated graphics. Also be sure you have shrunk the ACTUAL size of images to what you will use on the web page. This means, if you scan an image that is 11X14 inches, you need to reduce it and make the reduced image "full size." Otherwise, you are having people download the full size image but shrinking the VISIBLE image. Only use JPEG files when necessary.

I get "weird" things in my web pages and I can't tell where they came from. You probably Copied and Pasted text from Word or ClarisWorks into a Composer page. There are some characters that are not legal on the Web, at least not directly. Examples include "smart quotes" or apostrophes. Here is the line to the left as pasted in from ClarisWorks, using smart quotes:
I get “weird” things in my web pages and I can’t tell where they came from.

You can fix this manually by deleting the characters and re-typing them in Composer. Or, some special characters can be inserted by some of the programs. With Composer, you can find this under the TOOLS menu, Character Tools>Insert Special Character

PROBLEM/ISSUE	OPTIONS/SOLUTIONS
It looks good on the screen- but it's not the same when I see it on the Web	Web pages are based on an earlier method of sending text and picture files around the world. Use the ideas below to get around the limits of these earlier standards.
There are no fonts on the Web	You can't use just any font on your computer. If you write a web page in a font other than one or two basic fonts, it is unlikely that your text will appear as you expect. To get around this, create your specialized fonts in a graphics "world." Then insert the graphics where you want that specialized text.
You can't use the spacebar or Tabs to place text on a web page where you want it.	On the Web, there is only one space allowed. More than one space becomes one space. Most problems can be solved by using Tables and removing the lines between columns. To indent information, use the Indent icons or create Lists.
Files that don't end in .html or .gif or .jpeg work fine on my computer but don't work on the web. The same thing with spaces and other characters in my file names.	Macintoshes and PC computers are much more forgiving than most web servers. You must name files correctly for them to work when placed on a Web server.
My pictures don't show up on the web but look fine on my computer.	Graphics files not only must be named properly, but must be saved in certain formats. GIF and JPEG formats are acceptable.
My images keep disappearing	Some programs you use to create web pages often save another copy of the image where you don't want it (or expect it). Or, image files may not be stored in the folder. To fix this, always place images in your "local" web folder before ever placing them . Then be sure to look for a place to tell Composer to "Leave the image where you placed it". This is done by checking the "Leave Image..." box in the "Insert Image" dialog box. EVERYTHING your web pages need should be contained in a folder that we call the "local" folder. When you move that folder to the web, all "supporting" materials go together, in the same relationship.
My page takes forever to download	Don't overuse animated graphics. Also be sure you have shrunk the ACTUAL size of images to what you will use on the web page. This means, if you scan an image that is 11X14 inches, you need to reduce it and make the reduced image "full size." Otherwise, you are having people download the full size image but shrinking the VISIBLE image. Only use JPEG files when necessary.
I get "weird" things in my web pages and I can't tell where they came from.	You probably Copied and Pasted text from Word or ClarisWorks into a Composer page. There are some characters that are not legal on the Web, at least not directly. Examples include "smart quotes" or apostrophes. Here is the line to the left as pasted in from ClarisWorks, using smart quotes: I get “weird” things in my web pages and I can’t tell where they came from. You can fix this manually by deleting the characters and re-typing them in Composer. Or, some special characters can be inserted by some of the programs. With Composer, you can find this under the TOOLS menu, Character Tools>Insert Special Character

What Web Pages "Cannot" Do (and how to do it anyhow!)

What Web Pages "Cannot" Do
(and how to do it anyhow!)