1 . 5 Authoring
"Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain." Lily Tomlin
Using a Web browser is easy. Authoring documents for Web publishing is relatively easy. However, sometimes it is a little tricky.
The variety and capability of Web authoring tools are exploding. Web documents must be in the HTML format. HTML is a specific application of SGML so you can purchase commercial off-the-shelf SGML products to help in the writing and analysis of Web documents. The SGML products are not necessarily the best HTML authoring tools, however.
In fact, the traditional SGML vendor community is jumping on the Web as a new market. Vendors are releasing SGML products specifically to support and aid the writing of HTML documents. The decision by the original Web developers to use SGML as the foundation for Web documents is one of the Web's great strengths.
SoftQuad's HoTMetaL HTML editor
HoTMetaL(12) runs on PCs, Macs, and UNIX workstations. In addition several free-ware packages are available for PCs and the Macintosh. SimpleHTML(13) is a HyperCardbased editor for the Mac.
On UNIX workstations there is also tkWWW, an authoring tool based on the tk toolkit for X windows.
One of the most common HTML authoring methods is simply to use a text editor to write HTML directly. This "Iron Man HTML" technique can be aided by some editors, for example emacs, which provides an HTML mode to take some of the tedium away. HTML documents are readable and editable; they just require a little learning.
An HTML fragment
An interesting authoring issue concerns the conformance of HTML files with the HTML DTD. Some authoring packages help force conformance, while others let you get away with sloppy HTML. Most browsers do not bother to check for compliant HTML and simply do the best they can with the display. If you are concerned with interoperability and the longevity of your document, it will pay in the long run to be in conformance.
An alternative to native HTML authoring is to write documents using your favorite text-editor, word process or publishing system and then convert to HTML. A large number of conversion programs exist for just this purpose. For example the rtf2html program on UNIX platforms will convert documents in the RTF format into HTML. Similarly, there are converters for latex and FrameMaker(14). All of these conversion mechanisms depend on a properly written original document. For example, documents written in WordPerfect must use the style feature to convert successfully. Conversion mechanisms often require some hand editing to touch up conversion errors.
Following this conversion type of authoring, Microsoft is introducing an add-on module for MS Word which will output HTML. Interleaf is producing Cyberleaf, a higher-end HTML authoring tool that can read in WordPerfect, Word RTF, FrameMaker MIF, Interleaf, and ASCII formats.
Actually Microsoft's Internet Assistant is much more than a simple converter. It is a very credible attempt to take an existing wellknown product, MS Word, and extend it to fullfledged Web authoring.
Some control buttons from Netscape's Navigator Gold and HTML authoring package
Netscape Navigator Gold WYSIWYG HTML editor has several dialogs to help adjust various tag attributes such as image alignment and manipulation as shown in this figure.
One recent development in Web authoring is the effort to codify Style Sheets. The W3O is leading an effort called Cascading Style Sheets. The idea is to specify a template document in which attributes will cascade down through a hierarchy of styles, to be "inherited" by other style sheets. For example a business letter style sheet would inherit most of its attributes from a generic letter style sheet. As the Feb. 20, 1996 draft proposal on Cascading HTML style sheets by Hakon W Lie and Bert Bos puts it:
This document specifies level 1 of the Cascading Style Sheet mechanism (CSS1). CSS1 is a simple style sheet mechanism that allows authors and readers to attach style (e.g., fonts, colors and spacing) to HTML documents. The CSS1 language is human readable and writable, and expresses style in common desktop publishing terminology.
One of the fundamental features of CSS is that style sheets cascade; authors can attach a preferred style sheet, while the reader may have a personal style sheet to adjust for human or technological limitations. The specification defines rules for resolving conflicts between different style sheets.
Cascading Style Sheet Editor from W3O
Again from the Cascading Style Sheet level 1 document:
Designing simple style sheets is easy. One only needs to know a little HTML and some basic desktop publishing terminology. For example, to set the text color of "H1" elements to blue, one can say:
H1 {color: blue}
The example consists of two main parts: selector ('H1') and declaration ('color: blue'). The declaration has two parts: property ('color') and value ('blue'). While the example above only tries to influence one of the properties needed for rendering an HTML document, it qualifies as a style sheet on its own. Combined with other style sheets (one of the fundamental features of CSS is that style sheets are combined) it will determine the final presentation of the document.
The selector is the link between the HTML document and the style, and all HTML tags are possible selectors. HTML tags are defined in the HTML specification [2], and the CSS1 specification defines a syntax for how to address them.
The 'color' property is one of around 40 properties that determine the presentation of an HTML document.
It's always important to keep the user in mind. Different users require different tools. WYSIWYG tools are generally easiest to use and best for beginners. Converters and language oriented authoring tools will help the moderately experienced author cope with conversion headaches and large quantities of text. You might want to keep in mind the following types of Web authors as characterized by Michael Haynes and reprinted with his permission:
The 9 Types of Web Page Creators
Joe/Jane Average College Student
Traits: Owner of a new university-supplied computer account with httpd access. Complete lack of originality. Multiple references to beer/Disney movies. Several photos of Student with college buddies (high school, if freshman Student).
The Good News: They don't know how to get their page linked to the outside world, so only they and their friends download their 16.7-million- color pictures from the last party.
The Bad News: They, their friends and their 16.7-million-color pictures might be on your server.
Mr. "Enhanced For Netscape"
Traits: The second thing you see on his page is a Netscape logo and a link to an ftp site where you can download Netscape <BLINK>NOW!</BLINK>. The first thing you see is about 80 different <TITLE>s scrolling back and forth across your screen.
The Good News: You won't have to look at their pages for long, because there won't be much there to see.
The Bad News: Half of the rest of the people who look at their pages are going to think "Hey, that's cool!" and copy the source.
The Old-Timer
Traits: Pages compatible with HTML 1.0, no graphics and very few attribute tags. Normal-text-size message at top says "This page not enhanced for Netscape. Cope, whipper-snapper."
The Good News: He's likely there because he has something of importance to say.
The Bad News: Whatever it is will likely be boring or far too technical for you.
The 5-Year-Old
Traits: Pictures of their parents, the family pet, etc. More data about the daily life of a kindergartner than you thought possible. Cute "kiddy-talk" dialect to the text. <ADDRESS> contains the note "such-and-such's mother helped her build this page."
The Good News: The first few of these you see give you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
The Bad News: The last few dozen of these you see all look the same.
The Computer Science Major
Traits: Links to the linux FAQ, the Geek Code, Star Wars theme music and DOOM .wad files. Cautious use of Netscape enhancements. Picture of Darth Vader instead of personal pictures. HTML 3.0 (Beta) compliant seal-of-approval at bottom of her page.
The Good News: If you're a geek, you'll find what you're looking for here. Even if you're not, you'll like the page design.
The Bad News: Complete lack of socially redeeming qualities. Unfortunate tendency to upload specs of their home PC.
The Businessman
Traits: Pages without fancy backgrounds and with only one nice, clean, imagemap. Unfortunately, there are no text-links for those using Lynx.
The Good News: You won't go blind staring at his pages.
The Bad News: You might wish you had once you see the prices of the goods/services he's offering.
The Newbie
Traits: Very little created text on their pages, it's almost all links to other people's pages. Missing right brackets in <A HREF>s kill whole lines of information. Several image files are not able to be loaded. <CENTER>.
The Good News: They'll almost have to get better.
The Bad News: They just might not.
The Egotist
Traits: Large image of themself greets you when page is loading. 1/2 Meg .au file of him chatting with his dog. Access counts shown for every page. Several lengthy pages devoted to his compact disk/Magic card/beer bottle collection. More personal details than you'd ever want to know.
The Good News: There isn't any.
The Bad News: Frequently friendly with Mr. "Enhanced for Netscape."
The Maniac
Traits: Last counted 1267 .html files in his public_html directory and 100+ CGI scripts in his cgi-bin directory. Is known as a "Close Personal Friend of Bob [Allison]." Thinks the people at Yahoo! "don't keep up with the Web fast enough." Will be the first on his block to have an ethernet cable hardwired into his brain.
The Good News: You could go through all his pages and never find an error.
The Bad News: You'd never make it through all his pages.
mhaynes@pizza.bgsu.edu
For more information on Web authoring see Section 5.4 HTML in Chapter 5 Document Standards.
Once you have authored your documents and placed them on a Web site, your attention will often turn to security. If you are trying to sell a product or service, security quickly becomes the major concern.
