Creating Web Pages

 
Creating a web page is not much different from creating a normal text document, as you would using any word processing program.  All web pages are written in a standard format known as hypertext markup language, or HTML.  HTML utilizes "tags" which tell your web browser how to interpret information.  'Java,' another method of programming, works to enhance web pages written in HTML.  When a Java applet, a small program, is stored on a user's machine, a web browser can instruct the applet to open and to perform a desired function.  Instead of writing the entire function into the HTML document, the author inserts a script which tells the user's computer what to do. 

In order to create a web page, you first write an HTML document using a text editor, and then you transfer that document to a server with Internet access. Once the file is transferred it is freely accessible to anyone on the Internet who knows its address, or URL.  The document can be accessed from the server to which it was transferred, and it is interpreted by a web browser which displays it on the user's screen.

Even if a user does not know the URL of your page, he might find the page in one of several ways.  He may come across a hyperlink to the page.  A hyperlink is an HTML tag which contains a URL.  A hyperlink may lead to another page, or it may lead to another section of the page being viewed.  Hyperlinks normally appear on your web browser as underlined terms in a different color than the text surrounding them.  Clicking on a hyperlink will transport you to the URL contained in the tag.  Links may also be inserted into graphics, as they are in this page.  A user may also find your web page by using a search engine.  If the page contains the term or terms contained in a user's search query, then he may receive a link to your page among his results.

Webmasters use a variety of techniques to improve their chances of having their page end up at the top of a search query result list.  One common method is the insertion of "metatags" which contain some of the most commonly used search terms.  Metatags are written into the HTML document, but they do not appear on the user's screen.  However, not all search engines will recognize metatags in classifying documents.  It is up to the individual search engine administrator to determine if he wants to include metatag usage in his classifying scheme.

Sometimes a web page will become "cached" in your hard drive.  This means that your browser preferences are set to store a copy of the web site on your hard drive for a specified amount of time.  When that time expires, the copy will be removed.  Caching is useful because there is no need to wait for a previously visited page to reload, as it has already been saved on your computer.  The drawback of caching is that some web site administrators update their content frequently, and such changes are not visible from a cached page.  You will not see the changes made to a cached page until the page has expired, or until you have manually reloaded it onto your web browser.

Framing is a method of splitting one window into two or more screens. A web page can be inserted into a frame, and that portion of the screen will remain static as a user moves through other web pages.  This method is called "framing," because it allows a webmaster to send an individual through numerous web pages while retaining the appearance and the utility of the frame inserted.  Most of the "Intellectual Property in Cyberspace" pages utilize frames.  The pages in this technical primer have been set to open outside of the frames.

This section will introduce you to the tools utilized by web authors in creating a typical web page.   Please review the articles and key terms which follow:

Created by Jocelyn R. Dabeau
Feedback?  Mail to: jdabeau
Last modified 2-15-99