Did you ever wonder how to do something using a computer? I have. There are a lot of different sites out there that have bits and pieces of the huge puzzle that is computers. I've decided to create an all-inclusive reference for doing just about anything. I am only one person and I am starting today, 3/11/05. As I solve the mysteries of software, I shall document them in a direct and simple manner.

Find out more about me and why I would do something this crazy. You can take a peek at my website and learn all my tricks by clicking on View->View Source. Click here to go to my website. As I learn how to do things, I will document them here.

How do I write a webpage?

There are only 3 things you need to do webpages, and you already have 2 of them.

• Text Editor (such as notepad)
• Web Browser (such as firefox, netscape, or ie)
• ftp software (I used IPSwitch WSFTP Home)

You will need to work with your ISP to get a spot on their webserver dedicated to you. Most ISP's provide this, but with some very low cost ISP's it is extra. For $20 a month, you should be able to get dial-up, 2 emails and 10mb of webspace. If not, look for a different provider

Connect to your website.

Your ISP should have given you a sheet of paper with a bunch of userids and passwords. You will have a network access id/password and an e-mail password. If you are going to do webpages, you will also have an FTP userid and pass, which will be the same as your network access password.

1. Start up your ftp program.
2. enter your site information. Say for example, my username for this site is shanniec. The site address is upload.att.net (get this from your service provider's website) If there is sufficient interest, I will gather this info from all the major providers.
3. Try to connect and enter the password.
4. once you have connected, you will see a list of files on both sides.
5. create a directory on your C: drive called www. This is where you will keep the local copy of your website.
6. open notepad from start->programs->accessories->notepad

type in:

<h1>My Website</h1>

and you will get

My Website

Save the file to the c:\www directory as "index.html"

Now we can transfer this file to your web server

Upload the File

Go to the FTP software of your choice, and click on the file you just created. There should be some arrows pointing back and forth. Generally your computer is on the left and the web server is on the right. Now click on the right-pointing arrow. You should see some stuff happen and after a bit, the file should be on both sides of the screen. Congratulations, your page is now on the web.

View the Results

Open your web browser. In the address box, enter the address of your web site. Generally, it will consist of 3 parts all jammed together:

1. http://
2. provider name, such as "worldnet.att.net" or "alaska.net"
3. username with a tilde(~) in front, for example: "~shanniec", or "~chazmo"

Other servers may create the address differently, depending upon the server software they are using and how they have it set up. Check with your ISP, they usually have a support page. Another method is:

1. http://
2. username ie: "shanniec", or "chazmo"
3. provider name, such as "home.att.net" or "alaska.net"

Type this all in with no spaces, then tap the enter key. You should see your web page appear saying "My Website" in big letters. Congratulations, now you are able to test what you have entered.

Add Content

The next step is to start adding content. The most basic type of content is text.

<p>body text</p>

<ul>

<li>list item</li>

<li>list item</li>

<li>list item</li>

<li>list item</li>
</ul>