Web Design Software

[W8JI]

I'm wasting time looking at new web design and mainatenece software. I currently use FrontPage 2003 and it is easy and intuitive and has many valuable tools.

I downloaded two types of CoffeeCup web stuff because it was top rated in reviews, but I have to say it is not easy, has poor documentation, and very limited utility for working on existing sites. I tried DreamWeaver and it was OK but a bit difficult for me. Now I'm on Microsoft Expressions,  which appears pretty good.

When I look at my website in FrontPage, there is a site view called "Navigation". This is a map of top, same, and child level pages. It allows me to drag pages around so the link bars sort pages in branches. Even though the folders are all together, link bars at the page top are arranged in parent, sibling, or child form.

I'm having trouble learning how to do that, and insert link bars in that manner, in Expressions. Anyone use Expressions?

[KE4DRN]

hi Tom,

not sure if you have seen these how to videos,
including transitioning from FrontPage to Expression

http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/cc197140

73 james

[W8JI]

hi Tom,

not sure if you have seen these how to videos,
including transitioning from FrontPage to Expression

http://expression.microsoft.com/en-us/cc197140

73 james

Thanks James, I'll look at them.

[LU2DFM]

Hi.
I don't use either product but a friend of mine does, and suggest this:
http://www.pixelmill.com/support/support_article.aspx?ArticleID=kb101770


Web site design these days has lots to do with good css template design. The html
is trivial. That can be done with anything but a text editor and a web browser.
The most difficult thing to do is the site template and the css. Once you have them,
adding or modifying  content ("pages") is only a matter of writing the text and
inserting the images, tables and similar objects.
Presentation and content should be well apart.

I'll be glad to help you in your site,  contact me at lu2dfm gmail if you want me to prototype
over the existing content as an example.

73 de Fer

[VE3FMC]

I use Microsoft Word to do my web pages. Simple and easy.
Here is my site
http://www.execulink.com/~ve3fmc/

[W8JI]

Hi.
I don't use either product but a friend of mine does, and suggest this:
http://www.pixelmill.com/support/support_article.aspx?ArticleID=kb101770

Great. Thank you much Fer.

Web site design these days has lots to do with good css template design. The html
is trivial. That can be done with anything but a text editor and a web browser.
The most difficult thing to do is the site template and the css. Once you have them,
adding or modifying  content ("pages") is only a matter of writing the text and
inserting the images, tables and similar objects.
Presentation and content should be well apart.

I'll be glad to help you in your site,  contact me at lu2dfm gmail if you want me to prototype
over the existing content as an example.

73 de Fer

Thank you again!

Tom

[W8JI]

I use Microsoft Word to do my web pages. Simple and easy.
Here is my site
http://www.execulink.com/~ve3fmc/

I'll have to try that!! You must save it as an HTML file?

[VE3FMC]

I use Microsoft Word to do my web pages. Simple and easy.
Here is my site
http://www.execulink.com/~ve3fmc/

I'll have to try that!! You must save it as an HTML file?

When you open Word you will see File at the top left. When you left click that you will see NEW. Click NEW and on the right side of the screen you will see your options. One will be Blank Webpage.

Use that, then you can change the color back ground, insert your text and pictures if you want those on the page.

When you want to save them you simply save them as a webpage. It will then open up in a browser.

When I do my opening page I put my text for my other pages then save the main page. As I create each new page (as you see on my website) I save them and give them a name.

Then I go back to the main page, highlight the text for the first save page and insert the hyperlink. Do that for each page you create.

It is easy enough to do once you get the basics down. As I said I created my entire website using Microsoft Word. I tried HTML software but I found Word a lot easier to work with.

I use CUTE FTP PRO to upload my webpages to my server.

Any other questions feel free to email me.

Have fun, I enjoyed doing my site and update it once in awhile. Once golfing season is over and I am home more I will do some updates on the station photos etc.

Rick VE3FMC

[K2QB]

Check out Wordpress. There are tons of sites built using this software and it is free with a huge support group.

[AK4KZ]

Check out Wordpress. There are tons of sites built using this software and it is free with a huge support group.

Gosh there are some incredibly ugly ham sites out there. Perhaps that's another indication of the average age of the ham. I've been tempted to go around offering to redo sites for clubs but decided not. For starters, it's kinda presumptuous to think they might want their site revamped. And.. I want to ham.. I don't want to program and support and all that. (Heck, sometimes I want to not use a computer at all)

Wordpress is, indeed, very cool. There are enough themes that everyone should be able to find something that suits them. Sometimes, that hardest part to Wordpress is figuring out which plugin you want to do what you want. You know.. if you want a photo gallery and there's many of them... that's a good problem to have, of course.

The other big thing that I think Wordpress offers is the ability to dole out responsibility for  maintaining the site. People who are going to manage it don't really need to know HTML or worry about layout (not to the extent that you do if you're actually coding). From a maintenance standpoint, I think it's much easier than Frontpage (which I loved for years) or the others.

73,
Chris
AK4KZ