It is possible with many modern word processors to save an existing file as an html page. Since this file will appear on the internet, it is important to use internet naming conventions. Use only lower-case letters. Add the ".html" extension to the file name (for example, index.html). Use no non-alphabetic characters. Use no spaces.

The following screens from Microsoft Word 98 illustrate the process.

Another alternative would be to open the RTF file with a program such as RTFtoHTML which converts RTF files to web format. Again, this program does not do as well as Word 98 on RTF files with pictures.

NOTE: Files converted to web format which contain graphics no longer exist as a single file. Instead, there is an index file which contains the text and a separate file for each graphic and/or multimedia element in the document. All of these files must be moved to the web project folder.

1. When Netscape Communicator runs, the window which opens is the browser window. This window allows access to the internet using an interface common to all web browsers. Note the location bar and the back, forward, home, and search buttons.

2. To create a new web page, choose File>New>Blank Page.

3. At this time the Netscape Composer’s window will appear. Although the tools available in both of Netscape’s windows are quite different, it is easy for novices to confuse the browser and the composer windows. Browsing web pages is only possible in the browser window. Changing them is only possible in the composer window.

4. An essential step at this time is to save the new, empty web page into a project folder. Name the file "index.html". Unless this is done, it will be impossible to correctly add anything but text to the web page.

IMPORTANT: It is necessary to understand something of the anatomy of a web page. A web page consists of an index file (index.html) which contains all text and instructions for displaying graphics and sounds. All graphics and sounds exist as independent files which must be stored in the same folder (or subfolders*) as the index page. (*Same folder for this class!)

5. Adding text to a web page. Netscape Composer’s text editing tools are similar to those found in most word processors. Text may be typed, selected and modified as indicated below.

6. Adding graphics to a web page. Graphics come from a number of sources. They may be downloaded from the internet. They may come from clip-art collections. They may be "electronically photocopied" using a scanner. They may be created using drawing or painting programs. They may include screen shots from notation software. They may be created using a digital camera.

Regardless of how the graphics are created, eventually they are saved to disk in an appropriate file format. The two most common graphic formats on the internet are gif and jpg. The gif or jpg file should be copied to the same folder as the index page. The graphic file may then (only after it is located in the proper folder) be dragged into the composer window. Double click on the graphic in the composer window to set custom options for the picture (alternate name for those browsing with pictures turned off, resize values, html link for the picture, etc.) NOTE: Graphics files are visible in the web page after they are dragged into the composer window.

Again, regardless of their origin, sounds for the internet are eventually saved to disk in an appropriate file format. The two most common types of sound files on the internet are wav and mid. The wav or mid file should be copied to the same folder as the index page. The sound file may then (only after it is located in the proper folder) be dragged into the composer window. A link to the sound file will be automatically created. Using Netscape Composer, the text of the link may be changed as desired.

NOTE: Wave files (.wav) contain digitally recorded audio and may consume thousands of kilobytes per second.  Although it is possible to exercise greater control over the quality of sounds with digital audio, current internet speeds make it impractical to record more than a few seconds. On the other hand, MIDI files (.mid) contain instructions for a sound card or electronic instrument to play music (no recordings of voices). MIDI files of just a few kilobytes can play music for minutes, or conceivably hours. The quality of the playback, however, is determined by the quality of the playback equipment which varies greatly from computer to computer.

NOTE: The link created to a sound file is inactive in Netscape Composer.  To test the link, save the file, switch to the browser (click on the yellow Navigator wheel icon), and then click on the new sound link.

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8. Adding links to existing CDs. The fidelity and size limitations of wave and MIDI files can be overcome through the use of a relatively new and obscure file format: vcd. Vcd files, control the CD player of the user. The significant limitation of this approach is that for the proper effect, the person viewing the site must own the required CD. The significant advantages of vcd files, however, include CD quality sound fidelity, relatively instantaneous playback (compared to downloading a similar wav file), and the avoidance of copyright infringement (since the listener must own a copy of the CD being studied).

VCD files are short text files which contain commands telling the CD player what to play. VCD files are created with a text editor, added to the web folder, and dragged into the composer window as are graphics and sound files. Again, the text of the link to the vcd file may be edited using Netscape Composer.

NOTE: The link created to a vcd file is inactive in Netscape Composer. To test the link, save the file, switch to the browser (click on the yellow Navigator wheel icon), and then click on the link to the vcd file.

NOTE: Web browsers require Voyager’s CD Link helper application to correctly use vcd files. This application may be downloaded from the following internet address:

http://www.worthpublishers.com/kerman/cdlink.html

This has already been done in the Music Education Resource Center.

9. Adding links to other pages on the internet. It is possible to add links within the text of newly created web pages to existing web pages and to other new web pages. The process for both types of links is fundamentally the same.

a. Type the text to serve as a link (Click here to see a page on . . . .)
b. Select the just-typed text.
c. Click the link button from Netscape Composer’s toolbar (looks like a chain link) 
d. Enter the internet address of the information the user should see.

10. Once the web page has been created, it must be uploaded to the internet. This process is again a simple drag and drop operation. First type the following information into the location field of Netscape Navigator: ftp://username:password@ftp.server.com When the computer completes the log in process, drag all of the files from the web folder into the browser window. For greater control over file management (for instance, to delete a file) an FTP program such as Fetch may be used.

11. It is possible to add a horizontal line between sections of a web page by clicking the line tool. 

12. A very useful device for positioning graphics and text on the page is a table. To create a table, click on the table tool. By clicking and holding down on the table (Windows uses - right-click the table), numerous custom options may be selected..

13. To set the title of the web page choose "Page Title" from the "Format" menu. The title entered in the dialog box will display in the title bar of the web page.

14. To select custom colors for the background and text of a page, choose "Page Properties" from the "Format" menu. Click on "Use Custom Colors" and choose the desired colors. It is also possible to select an image to be used on the background of the page. The image can be any internet graphic file (.gif or .jpg). The picture will be repeated in rows and columns until the window is full. If a background image is selected, it will override a selected background color. It is important to choose a background image which does not overpower existing text and images.

Downloading Graphics from the Internet

Downloading Sounds from the Internet

1. Insert the CD into the computer
2. Mac users run "SimpleText". Windows users run an equivalent program.
3. From the File menu, choose open and select the desired track from the Audio CD.
4. Click the "Options" button in the window which appears.
5. Set the sample rate (22K for music on the internet).
6. Set the sample depth (16 bit for music)
7. Set the sample duration/starting and ending times (no more than a few seconds for the internet)
8. Click the convert button.
9. Save the resulting file in the web project folder. The file will be a movie file so it should use the ".mov" extension (for example, filename.mov). Links to ".mov" files are made the same as for ".wav" or ".mid" files.

1. Listen to the CD and write down the starting and ending times of each excerpt.
2. Create a separate text file containing the instructions to play each excerpt (see the handout for details).
3. Save the text files with the ".vcd" extension in the project folder.
4. Link to the vcd file in the same way as to a ".wav" or ".mid" file.