Transcript The Gateway

UIUC Library Web
Orientation
The do’s and don’ts of Web
editing in the Library
So What’s The Point?
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The purpose of this orientation is to
familiarize students and staff with the
protocol for creating and developing
Library Web pages.
Provided throughout the presentation
are links to relevant resources that
will help guide you through the Web
development process.
What this orientation will cover.
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What is the Systems Office and what do
they do?
Accessing your Library’s Web pages.
The Library Gateway.
The Proxy Server and Electronic
Resources.
Library requirements for Web pages.
University requirements for Web pages.
ADA Compliance.
Design Tips
Web Editors (WSYWIGs)
Training and other resources.
What this orientation is NOT.
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This orientation is NOT a class on
Web design. Rather its purpose is to
familiarize Library personnel with the
systems and issues they will
encounter while creating and
updating Library Web pages. The
specifics of Web programming and
the use of certain Web applications
will not be addressed. However,
resources pertaining to training,
policy, and protocol will be
discussed.
The Library Systems
Office
What we do and how we can help
The role of the Systems Office.
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The Systems office is
responsible for coordinating and
developing Library systems
including Web resources.
The Systems Office is the
Library Webmaster and receives
problem reports pertaining to all
Library Web resources and
Library Web pages.
When you should contact the Library
Systems Office regarding Web issues
Some examples :
 OOPS! You just erased your site and do not have a
backup. (Retrieving files is a lengthy process which
is why YOU SHOULD ALWAYS MAKE BACKUPS!)
 You just entered a new resource into ErEdit and you
need to have it entered in the proxy server. Also,
you have checked the proxy url and it returned a
specific error.
 Your site is down and you do not know why and you
have exhausted the possibilities.
 You need to grant permissions to users so that they
can access the Web servers.
 You have special scripting or database needs.
What the Library Systems Office
does not do.
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Our primary function is the
development and implementation
and upkeep of Library wide systems.
We do not consult or program for
individual libraries except in special
instances.
We do not provide training for Web
editors (see the section on training).
Contact Information
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If you have questions about the Library web site,
send an email to [email protected]. You
may also call the Library Systems Office at 2444688.
Note: Library web pages that do not begin with the
URL: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ ;
http://web.library.uiuc.edu ; or
http://door.library.uiuc.edu are not on the library
webserver and are not controlled by the Library
Systems Office. For example, the Africana Library
web pages are on the server:
http://wsi.cso.uiuc.edu/ We will try to answer
questions about these pages, but policies differ from
webserver to webserver. We will be happy to
forward your questions and comments about nonlibrary pages to the appropriate library staff member.
LIBWEB Listserv for help
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The library has an electronic discussion list
(listserv) called libweb-l for library web
contacts. The purpose of this list is to
facilitate communications between the
webmaster and web contacts. It can also
be a great forum for asking questions of
your peers and sharing interesting things
you have found.
People who work on UIUC Library web
pages are encouraged to join this listserv.
For more information about LIBWEB-L,
please send email to [email protected]
Accessing your Library’s
Web pages
Finding your Library's directory
on the Webserver
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Login to UIUC Library
When you log in to your computer (enter your username and
password), make sure the domain in the bottom box reads
"UIUCLIBRARY". If it does not, use the drop down menu
provided to select the UIUCLIBRARY domain name and press
<Enter> to log in.
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On the Start Menu, locate the "Windows NT Explorer". It will
probably be under Programs/Windows NT Explorer.
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Double click on "Network Neighborhood" or "My Network Places"
on Windows 2000, to begin searching for networked computers.
You may have to first choose Entire Network, then
UIUCLIBRARY, then Find Libgrenlil>[your library directory].
Some units have already been moved to cooper.library.uiuc.edu.
If your unit has pages with url http://door.library.uiuc.edu, then
you will be editing on cooper.
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Your library's Web pages will be in this folder. Example:
webpages for Library and Information Sciences are in a folder
called lsxweb and for Chemistry it is chxWeb.
Moving Files
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The only means by which you can move
files from your local directory to the
Webserver is to place them directly using
Windows Explorer or negotiating the
Library’s directory structure.
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The Library does not support FTP access
to the Webserver. This means that all Web
editing must be done from a machine on
the Library’s domain with access to the
appropriate directories.
Quick access to Web space
by mapping a drive.
To map a network drive:
 Open Windows NT Explorer
 At the top of the page click on Tools>Map Network Drive
 Select the default drive letter that is given.
 Click on the "Browse" button to locate the folder for which
you want to create a shortcut. Using the same path as
above (libgrenlil>[your library directory])
 Click on "Ok"
 Be sure to click on "Reconnect at logon".
 You will be asked if you want to restart the computer. Until
you restart, the network drive will not show up in Windows
Explorer.
To access your "new" drive:
 Open Windows Explorer.
 Your drive will appear in the left pane and all drives are
listed in alphabetical order.
The Gateway
Navigation Bar
The Library’s Online Identity
What is the Library Gateway
Navigation Bar?
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The Gateway Navigation Bar is a
navigational tool that provides easy access
to critical Library resources while serving
as the Library’s “icon”.
The Gateway helps users identify official
Library Web pages and to negotiate the
extensive Library Web.
*While the Gateway Navigational Bar is
REQUIRED on all Library home pages, we
strongly urge you to include it on all other
pages in your library Web.
How does it get on Library pages?
From where does it come?
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The Library Gateway navigation bar is referred to as
an “include”. Essentially this means that the
Gateway navigation bar “lives” outside the code on
your page. By inserting a few simple lines in your
code, the browser will “pull” the Gateway navigation
include and insert it automatically in your page. This
means that you will NOT see the Gateway
navigation bar if you are using a WSIWYG Web
editor. (If you do see the Gateway navigation bar
in your editor, you are probably in violation of
Library protocol regarding the Gateway, more
on this later). You can find instruction on inserting
the appropriate code at:
https://wwws1.library.uiuc.edu/webguide/navbarinst.htm
What you may do with the Gateway.
You may choose the “design” that
best fits your Library’s page.
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The Library Gateway Navigation Bar
comes in two “flavors”, horizontal
and vertical.
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Code for including each of these can
be found at:
https://wwws1.library.uiuc.edu/webguide/navbarinst.htm
What you may NOT do with the Library Gateway.
You may not manipulate the Gateway Navigation Bar in
any way!
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The Gateway Navigation Bar MUST be added to your home
page using the “include code”. You should not pull the Gateway
Navigation Bar code (for example from a browser window) and
manipulate it and/or add insert it into your pages. (Remember
that the purpose of the Gateway Navigation Bar is to provide
consistency and to make Library pages easily identifiable.)
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You should not add to or change the Gateway Navigation Bar
code in any way. Doing so may cause the Gateway to distort
when viewed in certain browsers.
Note: The Systems Office does check for compliance and since
most Web problems are reported directly to us, we may
make the necessary corrections to your pages.
Library Web page
requirements
What no page can do with out.
The Footer
All Library Web pages should contain:
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a textual link to the UIUC Library Home Page
http://www.library.uiuc.edu
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a textual link to the UIUC Home Page http://www.uiuc.edu
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a local email contact in YOUR library. Do not use "Library
Webmaster" or any Library Systems Staff's contact information.
All libraries should now have a form with which users can contact
the library. Please contact the Webmaster if you have any
questions about the form or how to link it from your site.
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a "Last updated" date with the initials of the person who last
updated the page.
For .html and .htm files you can use this line of code
<!--#echo var="LAST_MODIFIED" -->
to insert the last modified date from the web server.
Remember, if in doubt, simply peek at other Library’s pages. All
Library pages should be compliant with these guidelines.
University Web page
requirements
What no page can do with out.
Official University Web pages
http://www.uiuc.edu/help/recommend.html
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Campus Logo
Contact Information
Navigational Links
Avoid Duplication of Content
Text Only Sites
Date Stamp
Keep Main Navigation Pages Small
Follow Campus Policy and Procedures
http://www.admin.uiuc.edu/cam/cam/iii/iii-1.html
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Don't Advertise
Obey Copyright Laws
Use Meta Tags
Web Searches
http://ljordal.cso.uiuc.edu/compass/talk/
Maintain a Quality Site
Users With Disabilities
Web page requirements
Making pages accessible to everyone.
ADA Complicity
http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/access/
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As a public institution, UIUC is required to comply
with ADA regulations. These requisites govern how
we approach our Web development and provide
guidelines for making Web pages accessible to
everyone.
Quick Tips for Making
Accessible Web Sites
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For Complete Guidelines & Checklist: www.w3.org/WAI
Images & animations. Use the alt attribute to describe the
function of each visual.
Image maps. Use the client-side map and text for hotspots.
Multimedia. Provide captioning and transcripts of audio, and
descriptions of video.
Hypertext links. Use text that makes sense when read out of
context. For example, avoid "click here."
Page organization. Use headings, lists, and consistent
structure. Use CSS for layout and style where possible.
Graphs & charts. Summarize or use the longdesc attribute.
Scripts, applets, & plug-ins. Provide alternative content in case
active features are inaccessible or unsupported.
Frames. Use the noframes element and meaningful titles.
Tables. Make line-by-line reading sensible. Summarize.
Check your work. Validate. Use tools, checklist, and guidelines
at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
(c) W3C (MIT, INRIA, Keio) 2001/01
Where to test your pages for accessibility.
The following links are accessibility “checkers” and
resources.
W3 –
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG
Bobby http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp
Accessibility extensions can also be added to
DreamWeaver and other WYSIWYG editors that will
test your code for accessibility according to W3
guidelines.
Accessing Electronic
Resources
The Proxy Server and Eredit
The Proxy Server
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What is the Proxy Server?
The Proxy Server is a intermediate machine that
connects off-campus users to databases that
are restricted to on-campus users. An offcampus users Web browser contacts the
Proxy Server which, in-turn, communicates
with the database’s Web site. This makes the
off-campus user “appear” to be on-campus.
More Information can be found at:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/proxy
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How do Library’s route their patrons
through the Proxy Server?
Patrons are routed through the proxy server when
certain Online Resource URL’s are altered to
contain the address of the proxy server. – See
next slide
The Proxy Prefix
In order for URL’s to route users through the
Proxy Server, the URL must contain a
Proxy Prefix. The UIUC Library Proxy
Prefix is:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/proxy/go.asp?url=
A typical proxied URL would look like this:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/proxy/go.asp?url=
http://www.nameofresource.com/science/jo
urnal/12345
A resource must be listed in the
Proxy Server!
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A resource must be listed in the Proxy Server in order to be
proxied using the Proxy Prefix.
If you check your proxy URL in the System’s Office provided
checker (http://www.library.uiuc.edu/proxy/test/test.asp) and
receive an error, you should report this error to the Systems
Office as the Proxy Server needs to be updated with the new
resource information.
To check that a resource is appropriately entered in our
database and servers you should:
Search for the resource using ErSearch
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ersearch
If the resource can be located and NEEDS to be proxied you can
copy the URL from the search pages onto your Library’s page.
Search for the resource using ErEdit
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/eredit
If the resource can not be found in ErEdit, it must be added.
For help adding resources in ErEdit see:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/eredit/help.html
Important reminders regarding the
addition of new resources in ErEdit.
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In order for new resources to be
proxied, there are two requisites
that must be satisfied in ErEdit.
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The resource must have a
complete URL (including the proxy
prefix) in the URL field.
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The “Access Type” must be set to
“UIUC - UIUC people (off-campus
access using NetID or barcode)”.
How can you tell if the Proxy URL will
work? Is the resource configured at
the Proxy Server?
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The problem with checking a proxy URL from your
respective Library is that you will be doing so from
an “on-campus” machine and therefore have access
to most resources by default. Therefore, to check
your proxy URL you must be considered “offcampus”.
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To circumvent this problem the Systems Office has
provided a proxy URL checker at
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/proxy/test/test.asp
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If you check your proxy URL in the System’s Office
provided checker and receive an error, you should
report this error to the Systems Office as the Proxy
Server needs to be updated with the new resource
information.
Adding and Editing
Electronic Resources
Protocol and Courtesy with ErEdit
What is ErEdit?
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ErEdit is a Web form that allows users to
enter and update certain electronic
resources in our databases.
Without the appropriate resource entries
the Library Search engines will NOT find
your electronic resource and the proxy
server will not grant access to the resource
URL.
It is imperative that entries in ErEdit be
accurate in order to work with other Library
Systems.
ErEdit Courtesy
see: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/eredit/help.html
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The Systems Office has made ErEdit open and
available to anyone with the appropriate Web
editing permissions in the UIUCLibrary domain.
This means that anyone can edit, delete, or add
resources in our databases.
Resources are typically the responsibility of the
sponsoring Library.
You should notify the resource contact (Listed in the
Contact field of the ErEdit page) if you suspect
errors with their entry.
Any changes made to a resource entry will be
recorded as being made by you (see the footer of
the ErEdit page). You are responsible for notifying
the contact regarding your changes. The contact
should ALWAYS be informed when changes to their
resource are made.
ErEdit Protocol
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/eredit/help.html
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You should be intimately familiar with
how ErEdit operates and what it
does BEFORE attempting to edit
resources.
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/eredit/help.html
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You should let the Systems Office
know immediately if you have a
resource that returns an error in the
Proxy Test.
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/proxy/test/test.asp
(Remember, when a patron in Chile can not access
a resource they call us, not you!)
Designing for the Web
Function vs. Form
Web Concepts
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Function before Form. While we do
not wish to squash the creative
process, we must first consider our
audience and meet the Library and
University our obligations.
Make sure that any additions you
make to your pages are ADA
compliant and that they are
absolutely necessary to your Library
mission.
Considerations for Design
You should consider the following when designing for the Web:
Avoid duplication. Often Libraries provide several links to the
same resource. Links should be thoughtfully placed to provide
the greatest usability. Duplication not only wastes space, it
serves to confuse your users.
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Content should be considered above aesthetics. Avoid letting
imagery supercede content. Patrons want the facts and should
not have to scroll around your Library’s icon in order to reach the
content.
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Images are nice, just make certain they load quickly (compress
them). Remember we are “above average” when it comes to
network speed. Most users off-campus are at a disadvantage
when downloading Web content.
http://www.widearea.co.uk/designer/compress.html
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Be certain of your needs before adding “flash”.
We will not allow you to run custom scripts on our servers.
Are you compliant?
Web editors and
WYSIWYGs
What to use to edit your code
Web editors
The Library Systems Office does NOT
support ANY proprietary Web editor.
 Web editors can be had for a licensing fee
(charged to the ordering library) and the
Library Systems Office will install the
software on your Library computer.
 The most common Web editors
(WYSIWYG) in use around the Library are
Dreamweaver and Frontpage.
 A complete listing of available Web editors
can be found at:
https://wwws1.library.uiuc.edu/webguide/edito
rcomp.html
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Training
Sharpening skills
Where to find Web help.
The University provides free training in Web
development to both Staff and Students.
XtremeLearning provides online or downloadable
courses on everything from authoring a resume to
C++ programming. You can register for training at:
http://www.uillinois.edu/xtremelearning/
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For a fee training:
 The best source for instructor led training that we've
found on campus is through the FAST-3 courses.
These courses are offered by the Office of
Instructional Resources. Recent course offerings
include: Web & HTML Workshop, Web Page Design
using HTML, Front Page, and Dreamweaver. These
courses are open to anyone, but the individual is
responsible for registering and the department must
cover any course fees.
Other HTML Resources
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HTML goodies - http://www.htmlgoodies.com/
This is an excellent site that provides HTML primers and tutorials for both
basic and complex HTML. The guide is straightforward and in plain
English.
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A Beginner's Guide to HTML http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html
Brought to you by NCSA, this is a very good tutorial for those just starting
to learn how to create web pages.
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W3C's HTML Home Page - http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/
The World Wide Web consortium (W3C) is an international consortium of
companies involved with the Internet and the Web. The organization's
purpose is to develop open standards so that the Web evolves in a single
direction rather than being splintered among competing factions. The W3C
is the chief standards body for HTTP and HTML. This site is best used if
you want to know more of the nitty-gritty details behind HTML.
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HTML Pocket Reference by Jennifer Neiderst. Published by O'Reilly in
December, 1999. This pocket reference delivers a concise guide to every
HTML 4.0 tag. It also contains detailed information on the tag's attributes
as well as browser support information. Please note: this is designed as a
reference tool and will not tell you everything about HTML.
Website Structure and
Maintenance
Common questions answered
Where can I test my HTML
code / identify errors?
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The W3 provides an HTML validation
service at:
http://validator.w3.org/
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You should remember to choose “HTML
4.01 Transitional” before submitting your
URL.
The returned statement will tell you exactly
in the code (by line number) where your
HTML code is erroneous.
You should always check your code before
calling the Systems Office for help.
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Is it possible to find out how many people have access my
Web pages?
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Currently, the best way to get statistics on your library's pages is
to go to the transacts.asp page in your library's web directory and
follow the instructions provided on the page. The Webserver no
longer supports counters because they can consume significant
Webserver resources, particularly when used to excess. As a
result, the transaction logs are the only available method for
ascertaining the number of hits to your pages.
Please keep in mind the following:
The transaction logs do not record what users do on any
particular page, they only note that the page has been visited.
Frequently library staff (i.e. Systems Office or Reference) will
have the need to access your pages, so the number of hits you
receive for any particular page might be skewed.
Please link to the following URL. https://wwws1.library.uiuc.edu/transacts/transacts.asp
On this page there is a field to enter the URL route you want to
check. Be sure to enter your units directory name in that field.
Example: To check the Chemistry Library transactions you would
enter the /chx in the box so it would read:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/chx
What is the difference between a default.asp and
index.html page?
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The "home", "default", or "main" page in your directory is the one
that the user will get if he or she just types in the directory name
and does not specify a filename. For example, if she typed:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/ then that would retrieve the page:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ahx/default.asp
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Why default.asp? Our webserver has made extensive use of
.asp (active server pages) and we therefore chose the
default.asp as the main default page for our system.
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Different systems will have different names for the "home" page.
Our old Webserver used the name "default.htm" and then
"default.asp" to retrieve this page. But recently, June 2002, we
changed our design and the default can now be index.html or
index.htm and it will still look for default.asp. This also works on
subdirectories. If the user types in:
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/mdx/books/ then she will retrieve the
"default" page in that subdirectory (assuming that there is one).
What is an ASP page? How does it differ from an
HTML page?
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An ASP page can be edited almost like any other HTML file. While the file
extension for an HTML page is either .html or .htm, the extension for an
ASP page is .asp Basically, the "asp" extension tells the Webserver that
there is a combination of HTML code and scripting code in the file. ("ASP"
stands either for "Active Server Page" or "Active Server Platform,"
depending upon the source consulted.) If you "View Document Source,"
only the HTML code will be displayed. If you open up the same web page
from your web share directory using Notepad, you will see both the
scripting code and the HTML code. For this reason, if you use Netscape or
FrontPage to grab the web page directly from the Web (rather working
from a backup copy on your hard drive) and then press the Edit button,
you will not be editing the original ASP page, the one containing both types
of code.
What are the options for editing an ASP page?
FrontPage generally preserves the ASP code when you edit although it
has difficulty with certain local database pages, provided you opened the
page in the Editor by specifying a filename, rather than a URL. If you save
your web page temporarily as an html document and then edit in
Netscape, it will convert all the ASP code into plain text on the screen. This
code will be visible to everyone, rather than being hidden. When editing
ASP pages, it is best to use Notepad or another plain text editor.
Otherwise, you will need to copy and paste all the ASP code back into your
file after editing in Netscape.
How often should I check the links on my web
pages?
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You really should check for dead links on
your web pages at least a couple of times
every semester. This can be done by hand
or by using link checking software. While
such software is not usually available for
free, a search on http://www.yahoo.com for
"link checking software" yielded over 2100
hits. Some of these pages provide a demo
version of their software that you can use
to check your site. Additionally, the library's
Webserver has the capability to check links
and we do this for all units twice a year. We
would recommend checking them yourself
more often to expedite matters.
How can I make my pages better indexed?
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Use an informative, descriptive title.
Almost any search on http://www.library.uiuc.edu/sitesearchg.asp will bring
up web pages with the title "Untitled" or "test.htm" These titles do not give
the user any useful information. The title that appears between the
<TITLE></TITLE> tags will appear at the top of the browser. In Netscape,
the title appears in white lettering in the blue bar at the top of the screen.
The title is different from the filename or from the header. For example,
look at the web page: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/announce/resource.htm
The title of this page is: New Resources at the UIUC Library. The filename
is resource.htm. The header which appears between two <H2></H2> tags
is: New Resources.
Use meta tags. The search engine uses <META> tags to present
information. Specifically, it uses these four tags:
<META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT="Use this form to search the
International ALA Archives.">
<META NAME="AUTHOR" CONTENT="T. W. Cole">
<META NAME="KEYWORDS" CONTENT="query, search, ALA, American
Library Association, archives">
<META NAME="SUBJECT" CONTENT="search form for International ALA
Archives">
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It will use the description as the entire abstract in the results listing. It
doesn't actually show the user the other <META> tags, though there is
probably a way around this. If you don't use the <META> tags, then it gets
interesting. It lists the title in between the <TITLE></TITLE> tags, any
information in the "alt" tag part of <IMG SRC...>, and regular text, all pretty
much in the order it appears on the page.
Should I remove outdated pages from the
Webserver? Why?
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It is important to remember when designing web
pages that users will find your pages in a number of
ways. Some users may start at your home page and
work their way carefully through the other pages in
the orderly fashion that you intended. However,
other users will be using search engines to access
your pages. This is especially likely with the search
feature available from the main Library web page
[http://www.library.uiuc.edu/sitesearch.htm]. We do
receive email from users wondering about broken
links or outdated information on web pages that are
not linked from any other web pages at UIUC.
Remember - if a page is on the Webserver, it is
accessible to the world.
Special Projects
Advanced Topics
Special Scripts (CGI, Perl)
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All CGI scripts must be approved by the
Library Webmaster and the Network
Analyst or appropriate System
Administrator. You may write your own CGI
scripts or we may be able to modify an
existing script to meet your needs. Most
CGI scripts used at the Library are written
in Perl, though other languages are
possible. You may also want to explore
alternate methods of making active content
on your web pages, such as PHP or ASP
instead of CGI.
Database creation and access
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At the moment, the Library Systems Office cannot provide
widespread support for creating databases and access to them
via the Web. However, the Systems Office must be informed of
any such projects that are to be mounted on the Library
Webserver.
Some questions to consider:
What format is the data currently in? Plain text (ASCII)?
Microsoft Access?
Who will be the primary user? Staff? Undergraduate students?
Graduate students?
Who will update the database? How often?
Do you need to allow access for simultaneous users?
What fields need to be searched?
How will searchers enter information? Entering free text? Or
selecting items from menus?
What should the search results page look like? Should it display
one record at a time? All matching records?
How will help be accessed?
If a person retrieves no records, what should the error message
say?
What is the projected size of the database?
Creating a form for an email account and generic
email accounts

Currently, all libraries should have a generic email
account and email form for their use. These forms
allow users to contact the library without providing
the library contact's personal email address. Since
forms tend to rely heavily on the use of a mouse, be
sure to provide an email address or alternate
contact method for users.

If you have any questions about these forms please
contact the library webmaster. If you have a special
need for a form, you can design one then contact
the Library Webmaster so that a CGI script can be
modified to work with your form.
CD-Rom accessibility

If your library purchased a CD-ROM there are two
options for sharing the contents of the disk. The first
is to mount it locally on a PC in your library, but
keep in mind that this will restrict use to users who
are physically in your library. Alternately, the
resource can be placed on the CD-ROM server for
wider access. Before you contact the systems
office, please find out if a Web-accessible version is
available. Many vendors are now providing this
service and it is generally much easier to implement
than the CD-ROM version. Please investigate any
licensing (single- or multi-user) or access (restricted
by IP, global, etc.) issues before contacting
Systems.
NOTE: not all CDs can be mounted successfully.