How to doWeb Page Stuff

Editors

Frontpage (FPg)

• - To start it: At home, I have an icon to start it. At FIU, Start/Programs/MSFpg. The 2 FPgs are a bit different; UTS installed the FIU one about 12/15/01. It's easy to open an old page from C:, but is it the latest version? You may have to FTP the latest from solix first.
• - to save a revised page: File/SaveAs/AsFile, then browse and click. On pop-up, Click YES to overwrite. If there's no pop-up, you screwed up. Be very careful not to over-write and destroy the wrong file.[back-up the pages often, as I did 1/1/02 on home/c:] For a new page, erase the "http" stuff and just enter "name.htm".
• - Colors are easier to create on my home FPg, but - - my FIU PC/monitor (or Netscape?) distorts them. Some designers use gif's for backgrounds and get good colors that way. I could try Castor's index (html book) of colors.
• - Use Shift/Enter instead of Enter, to make a new line w/o double space.

Notepad - - This is auto-invoked at home when I choose View Source on a page, but not so at FIU (netscape). Always "SaveAs" + browse, to avoid chaos. View later using Explorer (then FTP etc). See SW's email about this topic and Netscape. Also consider using solix/pico instead to avoid the ftp step.

When making a java file, be sure to save as "file.java" including quotes, or notepad will add an invisible ".txt" to the name.

TeX - I got the latest installed with help from George K and Jose M. See winedt.com? CTAN?

If you want TeX to look good, you can 1) screen grab it (about two per page), save as *.gif's (or *.jpg, but these seem blurred) and add to a page as picture(s). Magstep 2 works well here. Or you can 2) convert the whole thing to pdf [easy with newest winedt/miktek package at work, but not so easy/good with solix's ps2pdf]. You can 3) convert it to html using tth [free download after asking permission] via:

• create the formulas in a temp.tex file [in the same directory as tth]
• go to DOS and run "tth file.tex" which creates file.html
• cut and paste from this file to your page.

Other - - You can save Word Doc's as html's, including pictures from MathGV, or whatever. (at home, see tangent.htm(l) in /images). You can view a page (home) using Explorer + Browse + Click, which opens AOL (no sign on required), tho the links won't always work, and FPg does OK at this (it's WYSIWYG).

FTP's

• Before start, make sure the files to move have the content they are supposed to (else, you can overwrite good stuff). FTP from solix to pc before editting to get latest version.
• At home, you must start AOL before starting up WS-FTP. Must enter username/password. It dies often, so you must repeat this. Browse LHS/RHS's, to highlight the file(s) to send, and to open up the dir to recieve. Click the arrow in the middle. Wait until messages stop. I'm not sure when "Refresh" is needed. Note: FTP sometimes seems to need a few hours to take effect, with no error message. You can also rename a file here, but it's awkward to make a copy like index2.htm.
• At FIU, there are two boxes. You drag and drop (or could cut/paste I guess).
• Use FTP to move pages to solix for the public to see. Also, move them back if C: is old [or, at home can View Source].
• It is probably most efficient to ftp files en masse.

Directory Trees

• At home, it's mostly in C/webpages [including /images, /MathGV, and /Backup]. Also check C/My Directories/MyPix, and AOL/Downloads (under C/Windows?).
• At FIU, it's C/webpages
• On Solix, it's (?)/hudsons/www.

Graphics

Stills

• Equations show up better as gif's than jpg's.
• Can get *.gif's from the Net, or *jpg's from my JamCam, or a scanner. Maybe from programs like PhotoDeluxe, Paintbrush, MathGV, etc (try it). Save them in /images on C and/or Solix.
• MWSnap can SaveAs screen grabs as gif's (but the cut/paste default is jpg? - avoid this).
• 1/2/02: Scanned pants, hair, etc (at home) for gif backgrounds. Use Start/Programs/Accessories/Imaging to get to scanner. Then SaveAs /webpgs/*.bmp. Then use PhotoE'r to convert to *.gif (get photo, export, gif). I cropped the scan very small, and am not sure how to resize it later. Used as wallpaper (in frontpage, click format/background). Could try using MWSnap instead.
• HTML allows you to resize pix, but it seems easier/better to use original size, if poss. [but I've had trouble with scanned exams - the jpg's are too big for screen/KB's].
• Can insert them easily with a click using FPg. The position of "ALIGN" determines how much text will wrap (?), but using tables to place stuff seems simple and forceful. Some animations stop early on Netscape. But you can make images into links (eg to start an animation) easily too. See also "Event Handling" (in the Castro book) for more options.
• Today (1/2/01) I inserted a MathGV graph into a Word Doc and saved it all as *.htm(l). It looked fine, but I haven't tried to do much with this. Can save as *.pdf. too? Also good as wallpaper. (1/13/02) MathGV works better with MWSnap (so does Paintbrush and WinEdt/Yap).
• No luck yet w Customized Banners from Net (they save as *.ART's ? is this an AOL quirk?)

Animations MS Gif Animator is the only freeware I could find, tho some "gif constructor" has a good rep and is about 20 bucks. I rely on MWSnap a lot too.

Create about 6-10 images using Paintbrush or MathGV. Snap them carefully using the cursor and zoom on the corners. In Snap, choose File/SaveAs (Not Edit/Copy) and make them a1.gif, a2.gif, etc. in a new folder.

In MSGA, open a6.gif. Then insert a5.gif etc down to a1.gif. (I don't know how to re-order them once they are in and it's confusing to try anyway). Test using the triangle icon. Correct the delays (eg 15/100 sec) and looping options if necessary. Then SelectAll and SaveAs "a.gif" (or etc). It's ready for a webpage.

Math GV - a fat line under a thin line looks cool. Enter fatty first. The 3D was less easy to work with. Cluttered.

Paintbrush - use the crop/copy/paste option! Start in a blank area. Also, insert text and slide it into place. Can animate just a small vertical/horizontal strip, for min files. Maybe even a box? Maybe use one gif as a background and another as a sprite? Try

Blender creates jpg/targa/avi, but not gif's. I think I have to send blender's file(s) thru IrfanView [to make them gif's] . Animations must also go thru MSoftGifA for packaging. I transfered the 150 rollercoaster frames one-at-a-time (ughh!) - is there a fast way to import them? Maybe I should aim for shorter anim's!

IrfanView I don't know exactly what this program is meant for, but you CAN select a transparency color for gif's pretty easily. Reduce the number of colors in the palette if nec'y. Choose Edit Palette to find the code for your color (probably black or white). Then start to save-as your picture, but choose the gif option and make sure the transparency box is (un)checked with the right code number filled in. Warning: black shadows may become transparent this way. I can't remember if all this can be done to an animation easily.

Solix trix

• ps2pdf [oldname.ps] [newname.pdf] seems to work OK (?) Not tried since I got tex2pdf.
• chmod u+x [filename] allows me to run a program [this is explained better on the Net than on Solix Help - search on ChMod or Unix (?)]. "a+r" means "all can now read" I think (etc). But I can't get many programs to work yet. BSBasic will run something like avgs.bas, but awkwardly, and not on web.
• can use pico to edit a page if you want.
• webmaster (not helpful) says they don't do counters anymore. But Dave does - see paper copy of email for instructions on replacing usual link-to-page by link-to-[counter+data file]. The data file begins as just a URL. A new page is created to view the results.
• Look at www.fiu.edu/help for (partial) instructions on misc web page stuff.

Links

• I should explore CTAN and WinEdt.com
• Learn your room number from FIU-Classes
• I should check out SW's links and George suggests pacifict.com for "nucalc?"
• Someday (Maple, Mathematica, WebCT, Acrobat5).

Math Symbols See also "TeX" in theEditors section above

• - - Rubin got Mencio to scan/post some stuff, but Alina + I were not so successful. The pdf was dark, but the jpg was OK (1/13/02 - but 2nd try worked, see c2e1.pdf in Help).
• - - The ps2pdf try gave fuzzy look on screen, but looked OK when printed out.
• - - I tried scanning an exam at home, saved as jpg, but couldn't get the size right for a page.
  
• - - (1/13/02) I've been saving eqns as gif's, using MWSnap.
• - - maybe easier w LaTex? Try the new PDF icons on FIU PC.
• - - can put small amts [abbreviation list, etc] on paper, on my door, etc
• - - Tom /Mike inserted spreadsheets (how?) Try <pre> for this.
• - - Have had most success with TeX2pdf (in miktek) and with TtH, 3/16/02.

Misc Problems

• Netscape and pop-ups; it seems to ignore pop-ups unless theres'an href present. I tried href"" w screwy results. Maybe try href to current page?
• FIU PC and colors - the Monitor or the video card ???
• Inconsistent results w Acrobat/PDF's - still a mystery. But no problem since using TeX2pdf.

WebCT

Has a good reputation via Aladro and Zahedi. My Calc II students were mixed/negative about it because of major login problems. But some liked being able to "answer until they get it right" (an online hw/exam?), so that their work was easy. Sam McCool noted the chat room and the secure areas (places to post "free-use" materials, like excerpts from other books) but not the exam ability (not so secure). It sounds like a lot of work.

Goals/Content

The most popular pages are the required ones (syllabus, HW) and the old exams. My tutorials are still experimental and not organized well-enough to be very useful/attractive.

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Updated 3/16/02.