Last updated: 10/28/99
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Update for eCommerce Class #4
October 27, 1999

The main agenda for eCommerce class #4 is below. This update covers what actually happened during the class.

The class pretty much went according to the agenda. We did not cover item VII, More on iHTML. The two topics below were either added (topic I) or covered in more detail than is on the Agenda (topics II and III)

1. How to get graphics files from other web sites into your web pages
   1. Warning: web content is copyrighted. You could be breaking the law if the graphic is not in the public domain, or you do not have permission to copy it. Web art galleries are a good source of graphics. Here is a URL that has links to many galleries for web art (web art = GIF and JPEG/JPG files)
      http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Design_Arts/Graphic_Design/Web_Page_Design_and_Layout/Graphics/
   2. This is a two-step process.
      1. Download the graphic file to the computer you are working on. How to do this:
         1. Using a web browser, open the web page containing the grapic so that the graphic is on the screen. Opening the graphic file in this way already brings the graphic to the computer you are working on. All that remains is to save it.
         2. To save the graphic file, right-click on it (I think it is <Apple>-click on the Mac). On the local menu that pops up, choose the item Save Image As... (Netscape) or Save Picture As... (Internet Explorer). This brings up the normal Save As... dialog. Select the drive and folder and save.
         3. You can change the name of the file, but do not change its extension. You can change the jpeg extension to jpg for the CLL web server
      2. Upload the graphic file to the web server
         1. For the CLL web server, use the file upload web page. There is a link to this on the course web page.
         2. Another common technique that you may have available on other web servers is FTP (File Transfer Protocol). First, the system administrator on for the web server would have to give you file access permissions, along with a User Name and Password. Then, using an FTP program on the computer you are working on (FTP client), and a matching program on the web server (FTP server), you can navigate folders and drives, transfer files both ways, create and delete folders, delete files, view remote files as text, and view the directory of files in any folder that you have permission for.
         3. A third possible technique that you may have available on other web servers is "publish". With a web publishing facility, you can upload an entire web site with a single click on a "Publish" button.
      3. In all of these cases, you would assemble all of the files on the computer you are working on. It is important that the arrangement of folders and sub-folders, the folder names, the file names, and which folders given files are stored in, match exactly the way things will be on the web server. One the files are assembled on the computer you are working on, make and check all of the links, both for graphics ("img" tags) and HTML files. Then do the uploading by whichever method in step 2 above that you are using.
2. In the Agenda, Item III (FrontPage: what menu items will not work on the CLL web server)
   1. These are items from FrontPage Editor. FrontPage Explorer will not work at all with the CLL seb server.
      Please Note; These features will appear to work on the computer you are wokring on. When you upload the files to the CLL web server, these features will not work.
   2. The non-working features require that the "FrontPage Server Extensions" The CLL web server does not have the FrontPage Server Extensions installed because of a detail in how the CLL web sever is configured. If, outside of this class, you have access to the FrontPage Server Extensions on another web server, they are nice.
3. In the Agenda, Item VII (Working with MS Access database files), in class we added the following detail for item F (Table)
   1. Datasheet view - this shows a table as an array (rows or records, and columns or fields) of cells, with the field names at the top, running from left to right
      1. To open a table in Datasheet view, click on the table you want, to select it, and then click on the "Open" button
      2. To insert a new field in Datasheet view, chhose the menu item Insert / Column
      3. To change a field name in Datasheet view, double-click on the name (highlights the field name), type the new name, and tap <Enter>
   2. Design view - this shows the list of field names only, running from top to bottom
      1. To open a table in Design view, click on the table you want, to select it, and then click on the "Design" button
      2. To insert a new field in Design view, click in the next empty space and type a name for the field. Toaccept this, leave the space by clicking or arrow-keying to another space, or by tapping <Enter>
      3. To change a field name in Datasheet view, click in the space and edit the name, using the normal editing keys
      4. To change the data type for a field, click near the right edge of the "Data Type column for that field. A drop-down arrow pops up - click on it. Select the data type from the drop-down list. The following data types are available:
         1. Text
         2. Number
         3. Date/Time
         4. Currency
         5. Auto Number
         6. Yes/No

Agenda for eCommerce Class #4
October 27, 1999

1. Notes
   1. Leroy Eaddy - please fill in the online information form
   2. Lakeesha Collins - please contact me as soon as possible
   3. Joe Horvath and Bill Snellings - I have used your nicknames on the links to personal web pages. If you want your full name instead, let me know. If I don't hear a complaint, I will change to nicknames for your pictures also.
2. Reminder of what you should be doing online on a regular basis -- these are part of the grade
   1. Signin, from the lab, only on days for the class(es) you are taking
   2. Weekly course report (if you are taking both classes, a single report will do)
   3. Conference postings (one for eCommerce, two for Computers, the Internet, and Society, three if you are taking both)
   4. Not required, but do it anyway - check your email on at least a weekly basis. Don't have email: use hotmail - it's easy and free. See me if you need help.
3. FrontPage: what menu items will not work on the CLL web server
   1. Insert / Timestamp, Table of Contents, Active Elements, FrontPage Component, Database, Advanced
   2. Format / Animation, Theme, Page Transition
   3. Why these will not work: The above menu items require that the "ForntPage Server Extensions" be loaded onto the web server. Because of the way our web server is set up, I cannot load these on.
4. Graphics.
   1. The "graphics guru" for the eCommerce web teams is NOT the only one supposed to be working on graphics. As will all things that teams need to do, this is a team effort!
   2. I have trouble getting FrontPage Image Editor to work (to be frank, I haven't figured it out yet). I suggest MS Word. Here, we will go into making drawings with MS Word, that you can then put in your web page.
      1. Please note: all MS Word graphics are apparently 2" high by 3" wide (depending on monitor resolution). So, fill them up! I have succeeded once in reducing the size of an MS Word graphic, but I haven't been able to repeat it.
   3. Reminder about the requirements for putting graphics on a web page
      1. Each graphic must be a separate file
      2. The file type must be gif or jpeg/jpg (jpg on CLL web server), and the extension must match the file type
      3. The graphic file must be on the web server (or at least on a web server)
      4. There must be a link on the web page to the graphic file (<img source="filename">)
         1. Both MS Word and FrontPage will create these links for pictures that you insert.
         2. If you want to include a picture in a conference posting, see the online help, or ask me
   4. MS Word can be used easily to create graphics for web pages that have
      1. Regular shapes (straight lines, circles or ovals, squares or rectangles, etc.)
      2. Solid colors (no gradients)
   5. To use MS Word for creating graphics for web pages,
      1. Make the drawing in a regular Word "doc" file. For a doc file, graphics are part of the file, not a separate file. Do not delete this doc file -- you will need it if you ever want to edit the graphic again. On the other hand, do not load the doc file onto the web server, or try to copy it or the graphic into a conference posting. Nothing will get broken - it just won't work.
      2. When the graphic looks the way you want it to, save the document as HTML (File / Save as HTML or File / Save As setting the file format to HTML). You will not need the HTML file; usually you can delete it.
      3. The graphic will also be saved as a gif file with a number included, like "img0001.gif"). You will probably want to change the name to something that means something to you. If you doc file had several graphics, you will have several graphics files, with different numbers.
      4. Note that this is the opposite of my advice for creating HTML files using Word.
   6. To create the graphic
      1. Start with the menu item Insert / Object / Microsoft Word Picture. Any other method will result in the graphic being ignored when you Save As HTML
         1. This will result in what looks like a new document being opened, but note that the title bar reads "Picture in window name", where window name is the name of the document you are putting the picture in.
      2. Choose the menu item View / Toolbar / Drawing (make sure that Drawing is checked)
      3. Also choose the menu item Draw / Grid / Snap to Grid, unless you are an expert.
      4. Draw using the drawing tools:
         1. Straight lines, optionally with arrow heads
         2. Circle and oval
         3. Square and rectangle
         4. Text box
         5. Freehand (if you are good!)
         6. etc.
         7. The arrow selects an object by clicking on it or dragging over it
         8. For selected objects, you can change line, text or fill (interiror) color, line style (solid, dashed, etc), and line weight (light, heavy, etc.) using the toolbar
      5. Choose the menu item File / Update periodically to save the graphic in your main Word window
      6. When you are done with the graphic, choose the menu item File / Close & Return to window name
      7. Save the document as a Word doc file
      8. Save as HTML
5. Reminder of other graphics methods from second class
   1. Digital camera -- best for "real life" objects. Will also, in effect, scan in a photograph.
      1. Bowen will save the picture and convert it (usually to JPG)
   2. Simple drawings can be picked off of the web. Actually, they all can, but picking off and using something that took a lot of effort might get you sued. And, everything on the web is copyrighted automatically.
      1. In Windows, right-click, pick "Save Image As..."
      2. Navigate to drive and folder to save.
      3. Do not change the file type or extension. You can change the name.
   3. There is a picture gallery on the CLL web, with a link from the course home page. There are also free picture galleries on other web sites.
   4. If there are people that want to do more with web graphics, we can have a special session. Let me know. The time and location depends on the number of people who are interested.
   5. You can insert clip art from the MS collection included with FrontPage. If you have access to clip art collections, you may be able to use them also, depending on the file formats.
6. Managing your eCommerce files
   1. Keep all of your eCommerce web files in a single folder. Actually, you can several copies of this folder -- one for each member, and perhaps one for the team. Each folder should have all of the files, however.
   2. Make all links and insert all graphics only within this folder (relative URLs only)
   3. All files get uploaded to the eCommerce web site using the file upload page. To get the files to the right location, you will need the team's User Name and Password. If you use your own, the files will not get to the right place -- they will go to the place for your personal web page
   4. Test all graphics and links before you upload with a web Browser -- it's much faster and easier. For Netscape Navigator, use File / Open File in Browser. For Internet explorer, use File / Open. Note that you will not be able to test your iht page(s) this way - that requires the web server
   5. Keep track of which files (and what versions) you have uploaded to the web server. If you lose track, I can find out for you - get in touch with me
   6. To change or edit a file
      1. For the database, download it from the web server (see below)
      2. For all other files, either use your own copy or download from the web server. With several people working on the web site, be careful. You can end up destroying someone else's work
   7. To download a file
      1. For HTML and graphics files, open the file in your web browser, via the web server
      2. For iht files, use your own copy
      3. For database (mdb) files, put the full URL in your browser's URL text line and tap<Enter> - the web browser will ask you where you want to save it
7. Working with MS Access database files
   1. In eCommerce you will always be working with an existing database, so we in this course we will not go into creating a database
   2. File / Open works the same as with MS Word
   3. There is usually no File / Save or even File / Save As
      1. Databases are so important that changes to a databse are usually saved as you make them
      2. Formatting or labeling changes may require saving
   4. Databases have several types of objects
      1. Tables
      2. Queries
      3. Reports
   5. For each type of object, MS access has Open / Design / New
   6. Table
      1. Datasheet view (Open) - add fields, change field name, enter data into records
         
      2. Design View - add fields, name fields, choose field data type
         
      3. Data types - choosing data types and subtypes
         
      4. Adding table - Table / New
8. More on iHTML - handout
9. Setting up team web sites
   1. Pages and links
   2. Creating
   3. Uploading
   4. Testing