Instructions for maintaining web pages on SnowCrest for Windows

When you sign up for a www home page you will be given our standard user home page. This page is located in the SnowCrest's home page under "Snowcrest users' home pages" and then under "your name." You can view your page by using Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. This page contains sample links to sound, pictures, mpeg movie clips, and other home pages.

You should take a look at the sample home page links as they will answer many of your questions about the web, HTML(the language that home pages are written in), and home pages. One of the links will also allow you to get HTML editors for programming your home page.

In Windows 95, use Windows Explorer. You can get to this program by opening the "Start" menu, choosing "Programs", and choosing "Windows Explorer". Try creating the directory C:\homepage.

Just connect like you normally do when you log in to Snowcrest. Once you are logged in, you should minimize the windows you opened to connect.

To exit your FTP session, go to the FTP menu and choose "Disconnect" Then close CuteFTP. At this point you have your choice in which editor you use. Some popular editors include Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Frontpage. You can find several different HTML editors in the sample page under HTML editors. You can also write HTML with a text editor such as Notepad(comes with Win 95).

First off we tried to include a few things in the sample page that people might want to use in their own page. This allows you to see how the lines are created and then imitate them with your own information.

• Example one -- text for people to read

  <DL>

  <DT> Write what you want to say here, it will appear in black.

  Example two -- Link for someone to click on

  <A HREF="http://www.snowcrest.net">SnowCrest's home page.</A>

  the (http://www.snowcrest.net) is the URL or address of the link

  the (SnowCrest's home page) is the part people will see and be able to click.

  Example three -- Links your ftp site for others to download files

  <A HREF="ftp://ftp.snowcrest.net/pub/users/(your account name)">files</ A>

  Example four -- Show them a movie(mpg)

  <A HREF="http://www.snowcrest.net/(account name)/(mpg file)">movie</A&g t;

  Example five -- Sound and pictures ( .snd, .wav, .voc, .gif, .jpg)

  exactly the same as movie except put the sound or picture file in place of the mpg file.

  Example six -- innumerable other possibilities

  You can either find a faq on the net to give you more ideas or if you come across someone else's www page that has something interesting you can go the the "view" menu and then click on "source". This will allow you to see the HTML of that page. Write down the manner in which it was done and use it for your page.

  Step 7 -- Uploading your HTML document

  Close out your editor and reconnect to the Internet. Now enter FTP once again. Connect to SnowcrestWWW again. Click on the "www" folder in the right window. Again change to your homepage directory in the left window. Drag your newly edited homepage document from the left window to the right window. This is how to upload any file from your computer to your website. Your home page now looks like the new edited index.html document!!!

  Step 8 -- Uploading the sound, picture, movie files

  This is just like uploading the index.html document. You put the files in by using CuteFTP. Connect to www.snowcrest.net. Click on "www". Any files you wish to upload to your site can be uploaded by dragging them from the right window to the left window.

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  ADDITION 1 - Facts and Tips

  1. Our system in case sensitive! Always remember that if you name a file in all caps or with the first letter a capital then you must call for that file as EXACTLY that. For example, if you call a graphic file "BigLogo.gif", then try to put that graphic on your page with a line like this: <IMG SRC="biglogo.gif"> then your picture won't show up.

     Also, when naming your files don't use ANY SPACES or special characters (besides periods, dashes "-", and underscores "_"). Spaces and other special characters are interpreted as the end of a name or are special commands reserved for UNIX.

  2. You have 100 MB of space in your www folder. The server will not let you upload any more than you have space. If you need additional space you can get an additional 100 MB. Call SnowCrest or email to support@snowcrest.net for current information on pricing.

  3. You can always view your web pages on your own computer, even if you aren't connected to the Internet. If you keep copies of all your webpage files on your own computer you can view them through your web browser simply by going to File and choosing Open File or Open Local File, depending on your web browser. Then go into your Web Page folder and open your index.html document or any other file.

  4. If you have problems seeing changes you just made to any of your pages here are some things to try:
     1. Push the Reload or Refresh button
     2. Try saving or uploading your document again
     3. Clear you browsers' cache file (or even set it to zero)
     4. Close your web browser and open it again

     Web browsers save copies of pages that you visit in their cache. That way when you push the Back button it loads the page in a couple seconds rather than redownloading it from the Internet. Sometimes this can work against you when designing web pages when you make a change and you can't get it to register when you view the page. Try the above tips before pulling your hair out.

  5. Not all web browsers are the same. The most popular web browsers are the Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. People will be viewing your page with both of these so you will want to test you page with both browsers to make sure things look OK. Also, remember that people have different versions of these browsers and that could even change the way your page looks to them. One major difference is that Internet Explorer 2.0 can't view frames or java. If you get into adding either of these features to your page you might want to consider having a secondary page for those whose web browsers don't support these features.

  ADDITION 2 - About adding forms to your home page:

  Forms ADDITION 3 - Using CGI scripts

  Click Here for information about adding forms to your website.

  If you're up for a challenge, you can try adding one of the CGI scripts which SnowCrest has made available to you to your page. CGI scripts allow your page to do much more than simple HTML commands allow. They do require a little more effort to get them to work, though. Instructions for the CGI scripts SnowCrest has available can be accessed at http://www.snowcrest.net/cgi/index.html.

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