Understanding the Portable HTML Standard Edition Template

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Customizing the HTML files

Although you can customize the paragraphs, characters, and other information that is displayed in the HTML files, some settings need to be set for the overall file. These include items such as the background color and information that is repeated at the top and bottom of each page. This formatting is controlled by page styles.

The Portable HTML Standard Edition template supplies several default page styles. They are:

For each of these page styles, the Support directory includes a corresponding template file: Single.asp, TOC.asp, Normal.asp, and Index.asp.

By default, a multifile project is automapped so that the first file uses TOC, the last file uses Index, and all the other files use Normal. Here's how the files are automapped in Publisher:

Understanding the basic page template

All of the page styles have the same basic structure. The most important component of the page definition is the $DATA; macro, which occurs in the middle of the file. This is where the content of the page is inserted. 

 <html>
 	.
 <blockquote>
 <!--BeginHiddenExpansion
   $DATA;
   $NOTES;
 EndHiddenExpansion-->
 </blockquote>
 	.
 </html>


 




  Note:  
  The text lines: "<!--BeginHiddenExpansion" and "EndHiddenExpansion-->" are used to hide the system macros from the browser or HTML editor. They are removed when you generate the final output HTML file.

You can customize the various ASP template pages, but do not delete $DATA; or $NOTES; (which picks up any footnotes).

Changing the corporate logo

By default, the Publisher logo is displayed in the top left corner of the files generated by TOC.asp, Normal.asp, Single.asp, and Index.asp. To change it, open the ASP file and locate the code that inserts the logo: 

 <p><img src="images/wwplogo.gif" width="122" height="63" 
align="left" 
alt="Put your logo here!">

Change the SRC attribute to point to your logo and change the ALT attribute to something meaningful, like "logo." Make sure your logo is in the images directory.

Changing the company information

By default, Quadralay's contact information is displayed in the bottom right corner of the output HTML files. This information is set up in an HTML table so that it can be right justified. You can remove the table or replace the information with your company information. 

 <hr>
 
 <table align="right" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
   <tr>
     <td align="right"><font size="1">
     <a href="http://www.webworks.com"><img src="images/webworks.gif"
    width="150" height="20" border="0"></a><br>
     Quadralay Corporation<br>
     http://www.webworks.com<br>
     Voice: (512) 719-3399<br>
     Fax: (512) 719-3606<br>
     <a href="mailto:sales@webworks.com">sales@webworks.com</a><br>
     </font></td>
   </tr>
 </table>

TOC.asp

WebWorks Publisher Standard Edition uses the TOC.asp file to generate the first output HTML file that occurs in the project. A navigation bar along with a corporate logo is at the top of the file. The middle of the file displays the table of contents, and at the bottom, there is another navigation bar and the company contact information.

By default, the Top and Previous buttons are grayed out (not linked) in the TOC output because you are already at the top of the list of files and no previous file is available.

Normal.asp

All output HTML files other than the first and last HTML files use the Normal.asp file as their page template. As with the TOC.asp file, Normal.asp contains a navigation bar on both the top and bottom, the corporate logo at the top left corner, and the contact information at the bottom right corner.

Index.asp

The last file in the project is generated using the Index.asp file. As with the Normal.asp file, this file contains two navigation bars (top and bottom), a corporate logo, and company contact information. It also creates a lettered bar that allows users to quickly jump to the correct letter of the index.

In the index navigation bar, the next and index buttons are not linked.

Frameset.asp

If you map the first generated page of the document to the FramesTOC page style instead of the TOC page style, then this file creates a frameset file. The frameset file contains a left frame, which displays the table of contents, and a right frame, which displays each HTML page.

FramesTOC.asp

If you map the first generated page of the document to the FramesTOC page style instead of the TOC page style, then this file will be used to create the table of contents file.

Editing the template files with an HTML editor

You can open the ASP template files in any HTML editor and modify them there. You may find this easier than working in a text editor (although that works, too).

WARNING: If you are using Microsoft FrontPage, be careful. FrontPage may attempt to relocate the images that are contained in the template files. (Other HTML editors also occasionally insert extraneous tags.)

Adding a separate frame for the table of contents

It is easy to create a frameset so that your table of contents file appears in an adjacent navigation frame alongside the rest of your files. Instead of using the TOC page style, you change the mapping of your TOC file, and Publisher does the rest.

To create a frameset, follow these steps:

  1. Select the first document (your TOC document) in the project.
  2. Select Project » Properties (or right-click and select Properties from the pop-up menu).
This displays the Properties window.
  1. Click the Output tab.
This displays the mappings for your output file.
  1. Map the listed file to the FramesTOC page style.

  1. Click the OK button.
  2. Regenerate the project.
The new frameset file is generated and appears at the bottom of your project in a Frameset File folder.
  1. Double-click the frameset file to see your documents in multiple frames.

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Quadralay Corporation
http://www.webworks.com
Voice: (512) 719-3399
Fax: (512) 719-3606
sales@webworks.com