Re: Dreamweaver trouble

----- Original Message -----
From: <Reywob(at)aol.com>
To: <hwg-basics(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Monday, August 16, 1999 12:49 PM
Subject: Dreamweaver trouble



> I'm using a 30 day trial of dreamweaver and have run into a few problems.
> Firstly, whenever I insert an image which is not in the same folder as the
> document it gives it the following address:
>
> [Unable to display image]

***** All HTML editors I know of--and the web servers that dish up your
page--expect to find the graphics in the same directory as the HTML document
which calls them. Same is true for scripts, styles, etc.,  <<UNLESS>>  you
give the editor/server an <explicit, exact, correct> path to another
location. If you do not tell the editor/server to look elsewhere it isn't
smart enough to know TO look, much less know WHERE to look. For the <IMG>
tag, the path goes after the "SRC=" attribute, like this:

<IMG SRC="C:\AA WEB DESIGN\html-public\graphics\buttons\vh40(1).gif">

( This is the complete path on my computer to the directory where the W3C
validated code button is stored.)

***********
******One thing a web page author should do is to create a directory
structure for the contents of a document before the document is coded. Each
graphic, stylesheet, script, etc. should be moved/copied/downloaded to the
correct directory as soon as it is complete and ready to use.

The site I am currently working on has a folder, "C:\AA PROJECT NAME\" in
which I store a complete design project. This project folder contains a
folder, ("html-public") corresponding in name to the top-level folder on my
web host where my site will reside. Naming this top-level folder with the
same name as my "top-level" folder on the host enables me to make
corrections/updates/changes with a single FTP transfer of the "html-public"
folder. Even items which don't change are reloaded along with those that do,
but one FTP makes ALL the changes. (The name of your top-level folder is
probably supplied by your ISP.) Having two copies on different computers
provides a mutual back-up should one copy be degraded or deleted

The second level of my directory tree contains seperate folders for scripts,
stylesheets, individual pages, graphics, etc. This also is where my
"./" document lives. The server expects the index document to be in
the top folder, so I put it there.

My graphics folder, for instance, may contain seperate folders for sounds,
buttons, icons, photos, or computer graphics (maybe even seperated again
into .gif and .jpeg subfolders).

Before I code my page I put all these parts into the correct folder, using
dummies with the correct name if necessary. Then, when I code the HTML and
come to an insertion point, all I need to do is use the proper wizard or
manually code the correct path FROM MY "TOP-LEVEL" FILE. This establishes a
correct, understandable relative path to all the contents in the document.
This relative path is exportable--it does not need updating when the content
of a component changes

Using this proceedure, things don't get lost, either. I can put my "trials"
folder next to my "top-level" folder, can store incomplete items there, etc.
( I even have a folder under my Project Folder entitled Original Graphics
where I store the original .eps graphics created for the project..)

Dumping everything into the same folder works, too, but the effort to
maintain the site is directly proportional to the number of components in
the site. Leaving components scattered on your hard drive means having to
hunt and transfer them individually, and then correcting links manually.
UGHH!

*****
<snip> Someone else please deal with number 2 </snip>
*****

> Finally, is there a way to make the default fonts on the page be Arial,
> Helvetica, sans-serif?  I'm getting fed up having to highlight the text
every
> time I want a document to have those fonts.

***** I assume you mean "I want a document's code, as displayed in the
editors code window, to be displayed in a sans-serif font such as Arial or
Helvetica."  The editor should have "Options" or "Preferences", perhaps
under the "Tools" menu or the "View" menu.There you should be able to see a
font-picker with the fonts available to your editor. Pick away, then refresh
your code window.

The above suggestions regarding editors are general recommendations. You
will probably get DreamWeaver-specific instructions here, too.
*****
I need to apologize for the long-winded post. I just need to be more
concise, don't I? I used to swear, now I just carry on...and on...and on....

Mike Hopkins
ironmike(at)ia.net
Father of the Scholar....
and Damn Proud of it!!

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