HTML Write a Website on Your Computer with Free Tools
Write a Website on Your Computer with Notepad
Here’s some help with HTML, using tools that most of us already have.
Notepad is found in all Windows. Look for it under Start, All Programs, Accessories. It is a simple text editor that works exactly the way that HTML pages like. Now, you probably know that Microsoft’s FrontPage is my favorite HTML editor. But Notepad (along a little help that I am going to give you) will make you able to create a website on your own computer in just minutes.
Adjust the size of the Notepad window, if necessary to about half the screen, so that you can open a browser at less than full screen which will allow you to see both of them at once.
The other tool that you probably have already is Internet Explorer. On my computer, it is found at Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Internet Explorer. It will display the HTML pages that you create. Notepad creates and edits pages and IE displays them. Now you are going to use it to surf your own website, as it exists right on your own computer.
Work in Two Windows
So you open Notepad in one Window or open it by clicking it again and you can have two (or more) windows open, with each having it’s own page. Then after you create the first page and save it to someplace easy to get to, like C:\mysite\index.html. Open My Computer and navigate to that directory. Double-click on the file name. That should open index.html in Internet Explorer.
Another way to accomplish the same thing is to open IE, and type in the address box c:\mysite\index.html.
Edit the page in the Notepad window, then View the page in Internet Explorer.
How to Open HTML files in Notepad
Notepad wants to save everything as a text (with a .txt file extension). But, if you type index.html as the file name to save as, it will save it that way for you. The problem comes when you want to open an HTML file. If you choose file open, the list will, only show .txt files. At the bottom of that window are 3 text boxes. In the one labeled Files of Type, click the down arrow and choose All Files and it will show both .txt and .html and any other extension.
Edit the HTML File
Now, go back to the Notepad window and just type something in between the <body> and the </body> “tags”, as they are called. Most HTML elements have matching start and ending tags. The slash indicates the ending tag.
View the Changed Page
Go back to the Internet Explorer window. From the Menu bar, choose View – Refresh. (Or, just press the F5 key or, click the Refresh Button ). This will cause Internet Explorer to get a new copy of the file.
Get HTML Starter Pages
Download this zip file to get an Example Website that will help you see how simple it is to create one. It has HTML that you can copy and use to create your own personal website on your computer. Just click the link below.
http://dollarware.us/mysite.zip
View it on the web from this link:
http://dollarware.us/html-starter-pages/
To get HTML tips, instructions and explanations, bit by bit, for free, send a blank e-mail to: websitetips@dollarware.us You will get an e-mail asking you to confirm your subscription. Just click on the link in the e-mail to confirm.
Get the textbook my course at DeKalb Tech used and you can teach yourself. The textbook has full-color screen shots of what your pages should look like when finished so you can tell if you are doing it correctly.
You do not need hosting, you can work only from your own computer. Of course,
in the long run, you will want to see it actually work on a webserver.
http://www.qksrv.net/click-1444150-5029466?ISBN=0-7638-1653-1