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Electronic Publishing with IntranetWare: Just Another Branch on Your NDS Tree

Articles and Tips:

Terry L. Jeffress

01 Mar 1997


The last issue ofNetWare Connectionexplained how to set up anintranet on your company's IntranetWare network, providing the foundationfor implementing Internet technologies such as a World-Wide Web (WWW) server.(See "IntranetWare: Transforming Your IPX Network Into an Intranet," Feb. 1997, pp. 6[shy ]18.) After you set up this intranet, you can install Novell Web Server, a componentof IntranetWare, and have a fully functional WWW server within minutes.

IntranetWare shipped with Novell Web Server 2.5, but you will want totake advantage of the new features included in Novell Web Server 3.0, thefree, upgraded version discussed in this article. (You can download NovellWeb Server 3.0 from Novell's WWW site at http://www.novell.com/intranetware/webserver.) Like other WWW servers, Novell Web Server 3.0 enables you to publish documentson your intranet, making all of these documents available to your intranetusers. With Novell Web Server 3.0, you can also use Novell Directory Services(NDS) to control access to your intranet documents.

Using Novell Web Server 3.0 to publish and control access to documentson your intranet is basically a three-step process:

  1. Format the documents you want to publish using HyperText Markup Language (HTML).

  2. Publish HTML documents by copying them to a directory on Novell Web Server 3.0 or by configuring Novell Web Server 3.0 to access these documents from their original directory.

  3. Configure Novell Web Server 3.0 to control access to HTML documents based on a user's IP address or NDS rights.

HTML: THE LANGUAGE OF ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING

Before you can publish documents with Novell Web Server 3.0, you mustformat these documents using HTML, a platform-independent language. HTMLuses codes, or tags, to define how a WWW browser such as Netscape Navigatorshould display a document on a workstation. The WWW browser requests a documentfrom a WWW server, the server sends the document, and the browser formatsthe document according to the HTML codes.

You can use a number of tools to create HTML documents. For example,you can use a word-processing or text application to manually insert eachHTML code. In the early days of the WWW, using a word-processing or textapplication was the only way to create an HTML document.

Manually inserting HTML codes is not an easy process since you must know HTML extremely well. Also, imagining how a WWW browser will display a documentbased only on the HTML codes can be difficult--similar to picturing howa WordPerfect document appears by viewing the Reveal Codes window. (Figure 1 shows a document with HTML codes and thenshows how Netscape Navigator displays this document.)

Figure 1: Comparing actual HTML codes with the image displayed by a WWW browser

Fortunately, new HTML authoring tools such as Claris Home Page and CorelWeb.Designer enable you to create HTML documents using a WYSIWYG interface.(For more information about authoring tools, see "HTML Authoring Tools.") With these authoring tools, you can create anHTML document in much the same way that you create a document using a word-processingor page-layout application. Authoring tools insert the necessary HTML codes,creating the final HTML document for you. With authoring tools, you maynot need to know much about HTML to create an HTML document.

If you want to use the latest HTML technologies, however, you still needto learn HTML because the most sophisticated WWW-page features are oftenunavailable in commercial HTML authoring tools. HTML technologies changeso quickly that the manufacturers of authoring tools have a difficult timekeeping up with the features offered by popular WWW browsers. For example,suppose that you wanted to create a document that used style sheets, a newHTML feature that gives you more control over the document's final appearance.You would probably have to enter the style sheet definitions manually becausemost authoring tools do not yet support style sheets. (For more informationabout HTML, see "Resources for Learning HTML.")

Publishing HTML documents is as easy as copying them (and supportingfiles such as graphics files) to a directory on an IntranetWare server.Before you decide how and where to publish HTML documents on your intranet,however, you should understand the directory structure of Novell Web Server3.0.

THE DIRECTORY STRUCTURE OF NOVELL WEB SERVER 3.0

When you install Novell Web Server 2.5, the installation program createsa WEB directory on the SYS: volume that holds the Novell Web Server softwareand your HTML documents. Because Novell Web Server 3.0 supports multihoming,however, the Novell Web Server software is no longer stored in one directory.Multihoming enables you to create multiple virtual WWW servers on one computerrunning Novell Web Server 3.0. For example, suppose you wanted to set uptwo WWW servers--one server to support users in the central office and oneserver to support users in the sales offices. With Novell Web Server 3.0,both WWW servers could reside on one computer.

From a user's perspective, these servers are completely independent anduse separate Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). Each virtual server alsohas its own set of HTML documents that users can access.

To support multihoming, the Novell Web Server 3.0 installation programcreates two directories on the server's SYS: volume:

  • INW_WEB, a product root directory

  • WEB, a server root directory

The code below shows the default directory structurecreated by the Novell Web Server 3.0 installation program. The product rootdirectory contains HTML documents that will be shared by all of the virtualservers located on this Novell Web Server. In other words, a user can accessthe HTML documents that you publish in the product root directory, regardlessof which virtual server the user is visiting.

Novell Web Server Configuration File

 sys:/etc/web.cfg
 Product Root Directory
 sys:/inw_web/shared/docs/icons
                   /lcgi/ndsobj
                          /netbasic
                          /perl5
                          /qfsearch
                   /online
                          /lcgi/monitor
                          /ndsobj
                          /netbasic
                          /perl5
                          /qfsearch
                  /template
  
 Server Root Directory
 sys:/web/config/access.cfg
              /httpd.cfg
              /mime.typ
              /srm.cfg
              /ssl.cfg
        /docs/index.htm
              /images
        /logs/access.log
              /error.log
        /maps
        /samples/cgiapp
              /config
        /scripts/perl

The server root directory contains files that are associated with a particularvirtual server, including configuration files, WWW server logs, HTML documents,and graphics files. The Novell Web Server 3.0 installation program createsonly one server root directory. You must create another server root directoryfor each additional virtual server you want to create on this Novell WebServer.

When you install Novell Web Server 3.0, the installation program createsa DOCS directory in the server root directory. The DOCS directory holdsthe HTML documents and supporting files that you want a particular virtualserver to make available to users.

The DOCS directory is also called thedocument root directorybecause from a user's perspective, this directory is the root directoryof the virtual server. The directory structure of the document root directoryis called thedocument tree. (You can change the name and locationof the document root directory; see "Changing Novell Web Server 3.0 Default Values.")

By default, the document tree con-tains the Novell Web Server 3.0 documentation.Because you will publish your own HTML documents in the document tree, youwill probably want to copy the Novell Web Server 3.0 documentation to anotherdirectory. (Novell Web Server 3.0 does not in-clude printed manuals.)

PUBLISHING HTML DOCUMENTS IN THE DOCUMENT TREE

To publish HTML documents with Novell Web Server 3.0, you copy the appropriateHTML documents and supporting files to the document tree. As soon as youcopy these documents and files to the document tree, users can access themwith a WWW browser. For example, if you copied the NEWS.HTM file to thedocument root directory, a user could access this file by typing the URLhttp://www.sitename.com/news.htm. (The virtual server's domain name is www.sitename.com.)

When Novell Web Server 3.0 received this file request, it would findthe NEWS.HTM file in the document root directory and send this file to theuser. If the NEWS.HTM file did not exist, Novell Web Server 3.0 would sendan error message to the user. (Unlike UNIX WWW servers, Novell Web Server3.0 is not case sensitive.)

You will probably want to organize your HTML documents and supportingfiles into subdirectories. For example, you might want to create specificsubdirectories for HTML documents and files relating to the Sales, HumanResources, and Product Development departments. In the document root directory,you can create any directory structure that meets the needs of your company.Users can access documents and files stored in subdirectories by includingthe name of the subdirectory in their file request. For example, if a usertyped http://www.sitename.com/news/hdlines.htm, Novell Web Server 3.0 wouldlook in the document root directory for the NEWS subdirectory and then forthe HDLINES.HTM file in this subdirectory.

Although users can immediately access HTML documents stored in the subdirectoriesyou create in the document root directory, these subdirectories are notautomatically added to the virtual server's configuration files. NovellWeb Server 3.0 uses these configuration files to implement certain features,including security. If you want to restrict users' access to particularsubdirectories, you must add the subdirectories to the configuration files.

Novell Web Server 3.0 includes the Web Manager (WEBMGR) utility, whichyou can use to configure most Novell Web Server 3.0 options and configurationfiles. To add a subdirectory to these configuration files, complete thefollowing steps:

  1. Start the WEBMGR utility. (The WEBMGR.EXE file is located in the SYS:\PUBLIC directory of the server on which you installed Novell Web Server 3.0.)

  2. Choose the Select Server option from the File menu.

  3. Select the directory that contains the WEB.CFG file. (By default, this file is located in the SYS:\ETC directory.)

  4. Select the appropriate server from the Virtual Server list, and click OK.

  5. Select the Directories tab. (See Figure 2.)

    Figure 2: Adding a subdirectory to the Novell Web Server 3.0 configuration file

  6. Type the path to the new subdirectory in the Directory Path field, or browse for the path by clicking Browse.

  7. Indicate what type of files the new subdirectory contains by selecting a file type (such as Documents, Scripts, or Image Maps) from the Contains pull-down menu.

  8. Click Add.

  9. Click OK.

  10. Click Save and Restart.

  11. Type the Novell Web Server 3.0 password (which you set when you installed the Novell Web Server software), and click OK.

Default HTML Documents and Document Names

Each directory within your document tree, including the document rootdirectory, can have a default HTML document--a document that loads if usersdo not specify by name which document they want to view. The default documentin the document root directory appears as the virtual server's home page,which serves as a table of contents for the document tree. From this homepage, users should be able to determine the type of information containedin the document tree.

By default, the name of the default document is INDEX.HTM. (You can changethe default document name; see "Changing NovellWeb Server 3.0 Default Values.") For example, if a user typed http://www.sitename.comwithout a document reference, Novell Web Server 3.0 would look for an INDEX.HTMfile in the document root directory. If the file existed, Novell Web Server3.0 would send this file to the user.

To make an HTML document the default document, you change the document'sname to INDEX.HTM. You can name a virtual server's home page document anythingyou want, but if you do not give it the default document name, users mustinclude the home page document's filename in the URL. For example, if younamed a home page document HOME.HTM and stored it in the document root directory,users would need to type http://www.sitename.com/home.htm to view the homepage. However, if you named the home page document INDEX.HTM, users couldtype http://www.sitename.com to view the home page.

If you do not provide a default document for a directory, one of twothings will happen when a user types the directory's URL:

  • If the Enable Indexes option is not set in the Novell Web Server 3.0 configuration files, the user receives an error message.

  • If the Enable Indexes option is set in the configuration files, Novell Web Server 3.0 displays a directory listing for the requested directory. For example, if a user typed http://www.sitename.com/ news and the NEWS directory did not contain an INDEX.HTM file, Novell Web Server 3.0 would display a list of files contained in the NEWS directory. To view a file, the user could click the corresponding filename.

To configure the Enable Indexes option for a directory, complete thefollowing steps:

  1. Start the WEBMGR utility.

  2. Choose the Select Server option from the File menu.

  3. Select the directory that contains the WEB.CFG file. (By default, this file is located in the SYS:\ETC directory.)

  4. Select a virtual server from the Virtual Server list, and click OK.

  5. Select the Directories tab. (See Figure 2.)

  6. Select the directory for which you want to configure indexing in the Existing Directories list.

  7. To enable indexing, check the Enable Indexes box. (To disable indexing, uncheck the Enable Indexes box.)

  8. Click Change.

  9. Click OK.

  10. Click Save and Restart.

  11. Type the Novell Web Server 3.0 password, and click OK.

PUBLISHING HTML DOCUMENTS OUTSIDE THE DOCUMENT TREE

By default, users can use a WWW browser to access only the HTML documentsstored in a virtual server's docu-ment tree. With Novell Web Server 3.0,however, users can access HTML documents that are stored in the followingdirectories or subdirectories on your IntranetWare network:

  • WWW publishing subdirectories that users create in their home directory

  • Directories outside the document tree for which you create aliases

  • Directories or HTML documents on other virtual servers to which you redirect local URLs

  • Shared document subdirectories located in the server root directory

Publishing HTML Documents in Users' Home Directories

With Novell Web Server 3.0, individual users can set up their own homepage by creating a WWW publishing subdirectory in their home directory.The default name for this publishing subdirectory is PUBLIC.WWW. For example,suppose that Ricardo created a PUBLIC.WWW subdirectory in his home directory,SALES\SYS:\HOME\RICARDO. Ricardo could then store HTML documents in SALES\SYS:\HOME\RICARDO\PUBLIC.WWW,and other users could access these documents by typing a URL similar tothe following: http://www.sitename.com/~ricardo. The tilde character (~)notifies Novell Web Server 3.0 that the URL points to a user's private publishingsubdirectory and not to a subdirectory in the document tree.

Users' home directories can be located on any volume on any network server.These directories do not have to be located on the same volume or serveras the Novell Web Server software. If the User object that represents theuser who creates the WWW publishing subdirectory is not in the same contextas the Server object that represents the server running Novell Web Server3.0, you should add the user's context to the SET BINDERY CONTEXT command.

For example, suppose the SALES server, on which Ricardo set up his publishingsubdirectory, were in the ou=Sales.o= ACME container and Novell Web Server3.0 were in the ou=Marketing.o=ACME container. In this case, you would addthe following SET BINDERY CONTEXT command to your Novell Web Server 3.0'sAUTOEXEC.NCF file:

SET BINDERY CONTEXT = OU=SALES.O =ACME

You can add as many contexts as you need to the SET BINDERY CONTEXT commandif you separate the contexts with a semicolon.

If you do not use the SET BINDERY CONTEXT command, users who want toaccess HTML documents stored in another user's WWW publishing subdirectorymust specify the user's context in the URL. For example, if you did notadd the SALES server's context to the SET BINDERY CONTEXT command, userswho wanted to access Ricardo's publishing subdirectory would need to typehttp:// www.sitename.com/~ricardo.sales.

To enable users to create WWW publishing subdirectories in their homedirectory, complete the following steps:

  1. Start the WEBMGR utility.

  2. Choose the Select Server option from the File menu.

  3. Select the directory that contains the WEB.CFG file. (By default, this file is located in the SYS:\ETC directory.)

  4. Select a virtual server from the Virtual Server list, and click OK.

  5. Select the Server tab, and then check the Enable User Documents box. (See Figure 3.)

    Figure 3: Adding a subdirectory to the Novell Web Server 3.0 configuration file

  6. In the User Subdirectory field, type the name of the subdirectory in which the users' HTML documents and supporting files will be stored. The default directory name is PUBLIC.WWW.

  7. Click OK.

  8. Click Save and Restart.

  9. Type the Novell Web Server 3.0 password, and click OK.

Creating Aliases for Directories Outside the Document Tree

In some cases, it may be more practical to leave HTML documents and supportingfiles in their original directory, rather than copying them to a virtualserver's document tree. For example, suppose that the Sales department maintainedgraphics files that illustrated current sales statistics, which were updatedmonthly. If you copied these files to the document tree, you would haveto recopy them to this tree each time the files were updated--in other words,monthly.

Instead of copying and recopying a frequently updated file to a virtualserver's document tree, you can create an alias in the document tree thatpoints to the location of the actual file--even if this file is stored ona different volume or server than the document tree is stored on. You cancreate an alias for an individual file or for an entire directory. Then,when a user requests the alias, Novell Web Server 3.0 accesses the actualfile or directory and sends it to the user, just as if this file or directorywere located in the document tree.

To create an alias, you edit the server resources map file (SRM.CFG),which is stored in the CONFIG directory of each virtual server. The SRM.CFGfile tells Novell Web Server 3.0 where to find server resources, such asHTML documents, scripts, and applications. Each line in the SRM.CFG fileis called adirective. To create an alias, you add an Alias directiveto the SRM.CFG file. For example, you could add the following Alias directive:

Alias /graphics SALES\VOL1:\GRAPHICS

This directive tells Novell Web Ser-ver 3.0 to search the SALES\VOL1:\GRAPHICS directory whenever a user types a URL requesting a file from theGRAPHICS directory. For example, suppose that a user entered http://www.sitename.com/img/sales_stats.gif. Because the SRM.CFG file containedan Alias directive for the GRAPHICS directory, Novell Web Server 3.0 wouldlook for the SALES_STATS.GIF file on the SALES server in the VOL1:\GRAPHICSdirectory. From the user's perspective, however, Novell Web Server 3.0 sentthe file from a directory in the document tree.

You can add as many Alias directives to an SRM.CFG file as you need.However, if Novell Web Server 3.0 is running when you change the SRM.CFGfile, you must restart Novell Web Server 3.0 to make the changes take effect.(To restart Novell Web Server 3.0, see "Changing Novell Web Server 3.0 Default Values.")

Redirecting URLs to Other Servers

As your company grows, more departments may want to set up their ownWWW server. For example, suppose that the Customer Service department decidedit could better serve customers if it had its own WWW server.

With Novell Web Server 3.0, creating a virtual server specifically forthe Customer Service department would be easy. However, informing customersof the new virtual server's URL could be a problem. For months after youcreated the virtual server and attempted to inform customers of the newURL, many customers might still try to access customer service informationby typing the old URL.

Novell Web Server 3.0 addresses this problem by enabling you to redirectold URLs to new URLs. For example, to prevent customers who used the oldURL for the Customer Service department from receiving an error message,you could add a Redirect directive to the SRM.CFG file. Then, when a usertyped the old URL, Novell Web Server 3.0 would automatically point the user'sWWW browser to the new URL. This browser would then access and load therequested document from the new URL.

To redirect Novell Web Server 3.0 to the new URL for the Customer Servicedepartment, you would add the following Redirect directive to the SRM.CFGfile:

Redirect /service http://www.service. sitename.com

You can add as many Redirect directives to an SRM.CFG file as you need.If Novell Web Server 3.0 is running when you change the SRM.CFG file, youmust restart Novell Web Server 3.0 to make the change take effect. (See "Changing Novell Web Server 3.0 Default Values.")

Publishing HTML Documents in Shared Document Subdirectories

Novell Web Server 3.0 can access documents that are not stored in a virtualserver's document tree if you publish these documents in an alternativedocument root directory. After checking the primary document tree, NovellWeb Server 3.0 looks for documents in the alternative document root directory.By default, this directory is the SHARED\DOCS directory, which is locatedin the server root directory. However, you can make any directory on yournetwork the alternative document root directory.

When a user requests a file such as http://www.sitename.com/news/hdlin.htm,Novell Web Server 3.0 first looks in the NEWS directory of the primary documenttree. If Novell Web Server 3.0 does not find the file in the NEWS directoryof the primary document tree or if the NEWS directory does not exist inthe primary document tree, Novell Web Server 3.0 looks for the file in theNEWS directory in the alternative document root directory.

To set the location of the alternative document root directory, you addan AltDocRoot directive to the SRM.CFG file. For example, to make SERVICE\VOL2:\ALTROOT\DOCS the alternative document root directory, you would addthe following to the SRM.CFG file:

AltDocRoot service\vol2:\altroot\docs

A virtual server will search for documents in the alternative documentroot directory if the AltDocEnable directive in the server's SRM.CFG fileis active, as it is by default. You can change this default value by disablingthe AltDocEnable directive. If this directive is disabled, the virtual servercannot search for documents in the alternative document root directory.

When you set an alternative document root directory other than the SHARED\DOCSdirectory in the server root directory, users can no longer access documentsstored in the server root directory's DOCS subdirectory. Unlike the Aliasand Redirect directives, which can be used as many times as needed, theAltDocRoot directive can be used only once in an SRM.CFG file.

CONTROLLING ACCESS TO DIRECTORIES

By default, any intranet user who can access Novell Web Server 3.0 canaccess every HTML document stored in every virtual server's document tree.However, you can configure Novell Web Server 3.0 to restrict users' accessto directories based on the following:

  • IP address or domain name

  • NDS authentication

Controlling Access Based on IP Address or Domain Name

You can grant or restrict access to every directory in the document treebased on a user's IP address or on a user's domain name. When you controlaccess to a directory based on IP addresses, only the users to which youexplicitly grant access can open the documents in that directory. For example,you could grant the IP address 137.190.143.12 access to the SECRET directory.In this case, only the user whose computer uses this IP address could accessthe HTML documents in the SECRET directory.

You can also grant access to a specific subnet of IP addresses. To grantaccess to a directory in this way, you would specify only one, two, or threeoctets of an IP address. For example, if you specified 137.190.143, onlyusers whose computers were part of the 137.190.143.0 subnet would be ableto access the directory.

In addition, you can control access based on the domain name or hostname from which users are requesting HTML documents. For example, you couldgrant the bluesuede.elvis.com host access to a directory. In this case,only users from this host would be able to access the documents in thisdirectory.

Alternatively, you could grant an entire domain access to the directory.For example, you could grant access to the elvis.com domain. In this case,users from every host in the elvis.com domain would be able to access thisdirectory.

To restrict access to a directory by IP address or by domain or hostname, complete the following steps:

  1. Start the WEBMGR utility.

  2. Choose the Select Server option from the File menu.

  3. Select the directory that contains the WEB.CFG file. (By default, this file is located in the SYS:\ETC directory.)

  4. Select a virtual server from the Virtual Server list, and click OK.

  5. Select the System Access tab.

  6. Select the directory to which you want to control access from the Directory pull-down menu.

  7. Type one of the following in the IP Address or Domain Name field to specify an authorized system: full IP address, partial IP address, or domain or host name.

  8. Click Add to Authorized Systems.

  9. Repeat steps 6, 7, and 8 for each authorized system or group of systems.

  10. Click OK.

  11. Click Save and Restart.

  12. Type the Novell Web Server 3.0 password, and click OK.

You can create multiple access controls for each directory on NovellWeb Server 3.0. For example, you could grant access to the IP address 137.25.36.12and to the elvis.com domain.

The access controls you create with the WEBMGR utility are stored inthe ACCESS.CFG file, which is located in each server root directory's CONFIGdirectory. You can also create access controls by manually editing thisfile.

Controlling Access Based on NDS Authentication

In addition to controlling access to directories based on IP addressesand domain names, you can control access to directories based on authenticatedNDS users or groups. When you restrict access to a directory based on NDSauthentication, the first time a user requests a document from this directory,Novell Web Server 3.0 prompts the user for a username and password. NovellWeb Server 3.0 then uses NDS to authenticate this user.

If the user is authenticated, Novell Web Server 3.0 checks the settingsin the virtual server's ACCESS.CFG file to determine if this user shouldbe allowed to access the directory. The user's request will be granted onlyif the user is authenticated to NDS and Novell Web Server 3.0 verifies thatthe user is authorized to access the directory. On subsequent requests,Novell Web Server 3.0 verifies only that the user is authorized to accessthe directory since the user has already been authenticated to NDS.

Novell Web Server 3.0 uses NDS to authenticate users who request documentsthrough a WWW browser. To check a user's rights to the documents in yourdocument tree, Novell Web Server 3.0 uses its own configuration files. Asa result, only users who maintain documents on Novell Web Server 3.0 shouldhave NDS rights to the document tree. (Because management tasks are notperformed through a WWW browser, you must have the appropriate NDS rightsto manage a document tree.)

To restrict access to a directory based on NDS authentication, completethe following steps:

  1. Start the WEBMGR utility.

  2. Choose the Select Server option from the File menu.

  3. Select the directory that contains the WEB.CFG file. (By default, this file is located in the SYS:\ETC directory.)

  4. Select a virtual server from the Virtual Server list, and click OK.

  5. Select the User Access tab.

  6. Select the directory to which you want to restrict access from the Directory pull-down menu.

  7. Select Directory Services from the Authentication Method pull-down menu.

  8. In the Browse Network Users field, type the NDS context that contains the User or Group object that you want to access the directory.

  9. Select an authorized user or group from the Network Users pull-down menu.

  10. Click Add to Authorized Users List.

  11. Repeat steps 8, 9, and 10 for each authorized user or group.

  12. Click OK.

  13. Click Save and Restart.

  14. Type the Novell Web Server 3.0 password, and click OK.

CONCLUSION

This article explained how to publish HTML documents using Novell WebServer 3.0 and how to control access to these documents. Of course, theways you can use Novell Web Server 3.0 and the types of information youcan publish are limitless, as you can see by browsing through some of themillions of WWW pages available on the Internet. In fact, browsing the Internetis one of the best ways to get ideas for your own WWW site. For example,if you found a WWW page that intrigued you, you could find out how the documentworks by viewing the document's HTML codes with your WWW browser. (To viewHTML codes with Netscape Navigator, choose the Document Source option fromthe View menu.)

Terry L. Jeffress works for Niche Associates, an agency that specializesin writing and editing technical documents.

HTML Authoring Tools

Although the World-Wide Web (WWW) has existed only for a short time, literally hundreds of tools are available that can help you create and edit HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents. Because there are so many tools to choose from, you should be able to find a tool that meets your needs, whether or not you are already familiar with HTML.

NOT ALL TOOLS ARE CREATED EQUAL

HTML authoring tools typically fall into one of five categories, each of which offers a unique set of capabilities:

  • Text editor

  • HTML tag editor

  • WYSIWYG editor

  • Document converter

  • Wizard-based document creator

Text Editor

A text editor is any application that allows you to create and edit text documents. Some common text editors include the DOS EDIT utility, the EDIT NetWare Loadable Module (NLM) that comes with NetWare and IntranetWare, the Notepad application that comes with all versions of Windows, and most word-processing applications. Since all HTML documents are text files, you can edit HTML documents from any application that allows you to save documents in a text format.

Unfortunately, most text editors do not include features that help you create HTML documents, such as features that add hypertext links to your HTML documents or check the syntax of your HTML codes, or tags. As a result, you must know HTML and have some experience creating HTML documents to use a text editor.

HTML Tag Editor

An HTML tag editor is similar to a text editor, but an HTML tag editor includes features that help you insert and manipulate HTML tags. For example, most HTML tag editors provide a dialog box that helps you create hypertext links and formats HTML tags for you. In addition, some HTML tag editors color HTML tags so they are easier to see and include an HTML code-checking feature, which checks your HTML documents to ensure that all of the HTML tags are correctly formatted. The latest versions of some HTML tag editors also include a spell-checking feature.

Many HTML tag editors offer a preview mode or a built-in WWW browser that enables you to view an HTML document while you are creating it. However, most HTML tag editors do not allow you to edit the HTML document in preview mode. HTML tag editors are similar to software development tools: You must know the language to create a document, but the tool does much of the work for you.

WYSIWYG Editor

A WYSIWYG editor is a specialized desktop-publishing application that helps you create HTML documents. With a WYSIWYG editor, you can create an HTML document by dragging text and graphics objects to various places on your monitor. When you view the HTML document with a WWW browser, this document looks similar to the way it is displayed by the WYSIWYG editor.

The purpose of a WYSIWYG editor is to allow you to create HTML documents without having to learn HTML. Although this type of application is useful if you are an HTML novice, as you become more experienced with HTML, you might want to customize your HTML documents by manually editing some of the HTML tags generated by the WYSIWYG editor. Thus, you should use a WYSIWYG editor that allows you to edit the HTML tags it generates.

Document Converter

A document converter converts a document from one format to an HTML document. For example, Corel WordPerfect 7 includes a document converter that allows you to save a WordPerfect document as an HTML document. The document converter converts the original document's WordPerfect codes into HTML tags that produce similar results. If you want to publish many word-processing documents on your WWW site, you might want to use a document converter. Unfortunately, because most document converters do not perform a completely accurate conversion, you might have to manually edit your HTML documents to get the results you want.

Wizard-based Document Creator

A Wizard-based document creator allows you to create HTML documents without having to learn HTML or do much work at all. A Wizard-based document creator displays a series of dialog boxes that prompt you to enter information about how you want your HTML documents to look. After you have answered all of the questions presented in these dialog boxes, the Wizard-based document creator generates your HTML documents based on the information you entered.

Although you can create professional-looking HTML documents in only a few minutes with a Wizard-based document creator, you are limited to creating documents that adhere to the templates the Wizard-based document creator includes. For example, if you were a dentist, you might want to create HTML documents with a tooth theme for your WWW site. However, if you wanted to create these HTML documents using a Wizard-based document creator, you would have to find one that included a template based on this theme.

THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

After you have decided which category of HTML authoring tools best meets your needs, you must select a tool from this category. To select the appropriate tool for your needs and your skill level, you should not only consider the type of tool, but you should also consider additional features that might help you maintain your WWW site. For example, some HTML authoring tools include a publishing utility that allows you to copy your HTML documents from a development directory on your WWW server to the server's document root directory, or document tree.

To give you an idea of the kinds of features that are available, I have reviewed a few popular HTML authoring tools. Because I have not conducted exhaustive testing, I am not endorsing these tools; rather, I am simply describing them to illustrate the range of features offered by today's HTML authoring tools.

BBEdit 4.0.2

Although BBEdit 4.0.2 from Bare Bones Software Inc. is only a text editor, it is one of today's most popular HTML authoring tools. One of the reasons BBEdit 4.0.2 is so popular is that you can use it to automatically search and replace text in multiple HTML documents. For example, suppose that you had to make changes to a copyright statement that appeared in all of the HTML documents on your WWW site. Manually changing the statement in every HTML document could take hours. However, using BBEdit 4.0.2, you could change the statement in every HTML document with a single command.

Unlike other text editors such as the Notepad application, BBEdit 4.0.2 includes some additional features to help you create HTML documents. For example, BBEdit 4.0.2 offers an HTML syntax-checking feature, an HTML-aware spell-checking feature, and a floating tool palette that allows you to mark up an HTML document with just a click of the mouse.

BBEdit 4.0.2 supports Macintosh and Power Macintosh. For more information about BBEdit 4.0.2, visit Bare Bones Software's WWW site (http://www.barebones.com). You can also call 1-617-778-3100.

HotDog Professional 3.0

HotDog Professional 3.0 from Sausage Software is an HTML tag editor with lots of bells and whistles, yet this application is fast and easy to use. HotDog Professional 3.0 offers many features that appeal to both novice and experienced HTML users, including a full HTML reference file available from the Help menu and support for all of the latest HTML specifications, such as style sheets. Also, the interface for HotDog Professional 3.0 provides floating toolbars that you can customize, shortcut keys, a preview window (similar to a WWW browser), auto-saving and drag-and-drop capabilities, and support for both graphics and audio files.

With HotDog Professional 3.0, you can easily include frames, marquees, image maps, animated images, moving text, Java applets, and ActiveX-enabled features in your HTML documents. In addition, you can use the Project Manager feature to manage all of the HTML documents on your WWW site and open groups of supporting files, such as graphics files. And you can use the Page Sniffer feature to view your WWW server's document tree and quickly locate broken hypertext links on your WWW site.

HotDog Professional 3.0 supports Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. For more information about HotDog Professional 3.0, visit Sausage Software's WWW site (http://www.sausage.com). You can also send a fax to +613-9855-9800. (In the United States, Sausage Software's products are distributed by Anawave Software Inc. You can visit Anawave Software's WWW site at http://www.anawave.com, or you can call 1-800 711-6030 or 1-714-250-7262.)

MyInternetBusinessPage

If you don't want to learn HTML, you might want to try MyInternetBusinessPage from MySoftware Company. MyInternetBusinessPage includes a word-processing-style WYSIWYG interface that you can use to create HTML documents. You can enter text, lists, and graphics directly into your HTML document, and you can also create online forms, such as surveys and order forms. The WYSIWYG interface, however, contains some unexpected oddities. For example, you cannot separate text into HTML paragraphs using the Enter key, as you can with most other HTML authoring tools. Instead, you must create a new text box for each paragraph using either a menu item or toolbar button.

MyInternetBusinessPage's simplicity leads to several shortcomings. For example, you can change the font size only for an entire paragraph, rather than for a single word or phrase. Also, you can use the Undo command only to restore deleted text or graphics boxes; you cannot undo any changes you make while entering text.

MyInternetBusinessPage supports Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. For more information about MyInternetBusinessPage, visit MySoftware's WWW site (http://www.mybusinesspage.com). You can also call 1-800-325-3508 or 1-415-473-3600.

Web.Graphics Suite

Web.Graphics Suite from Corel Corporation is a set of six tools designed to provide all of the capabilities you need to create both HTML documents and related graphics files. Web.Graphics Suite includes the following tools:

  • Web.Designer, a WYSIWYG editor

  • Web.Transit, a document converter

  • Web.Gallery, a tool that allows you to access the 7,500 graphics files that come with Web.Graphics Suite

  • Web.Move, a tool that allows you to create animated graphics

  • Web.World, a tool that allows you to create 3D worlds using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)

  • Web.Draw, an illustration tool similar to Corel Draw

Web.Designer's WYSIWYG interface is easy to use, and it is much more robust and intuitive than the interface provided by MyInternetBusinessPage. However, the Web.Designer interface does have some limitations. For example, this interface cannot display nested tables or other complex elements, such as lists, within table cells. Fortunately, you can manually enter these elements in Web.Designer's HTML tag window, and although the elements do not appear in the WYSIWYG window, they are still part of your HTML document and can be viewed with a WWW browser.

With Web.Transit, you can convert existing word-processing documents to HTML documents. Web.Transit supports most word-processing formats, such as Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, and Lotus Ami Pro. Also, Web.Transit includes a thorough tutorial that guides you through the steps of setting up the document conversion process and fine tuning the document conversion parameters to customize your HTML documents. However, even after you have fine tuned these parameters, you might need to manually edit the HTML documents produced by Web.Transit.

The other tools included in the Web.Graphics suite allow you to create or manipulate graphics files rather than HTML documents. Although these tools can be useful if you need to make a few quick changes to the graphics files on your WWW site, you should use a high-end, specialized graphics application, such as Adobe Photoshop, if you need to edit many graphics files.

Web.Graphics Suite supports Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, and Windows NT 4.0. For more information about Web.Graphics Suite, visit Corel's Web.Graphics WWW site (http://www.corel.com/corelweb). You can also call 1-800-772-6735 or 1-613-728 0826.

Home Page 2.0

Home Page 2.0 from Claris Corporation is a more powerful WYSIWYG editor than either MyInternetBusinessPage or Web.Designer. For example, although Home Page 2.0 supports all of the same features that Web.Designer does, Home Page 2.0 does not have any of Web.Designer's limitations. Not only can you view nested tables with Home Page 2.0, but you can also change the dimensions of a table's cell by dragging the cell's border to make the cell larger or smaller. In addition, you can edit your HTML documents in a text window similar to that of HotDog Professional 3.0, and you can color-code your HTML tags for easy identification, which you cannot do with HotDog Professional 3.0.

Home Page 2.0 supports advanced HTML features, such as frames and client- and server side image maps. Home Page 2.0 also supports object libraries, which allow you to drag frequently used HTML tags and graphics objects directly into an HTML document that you are creating.

Unlike the other tools I have mentioned, Home Page 2.0 is the only tool that is available both for the Macintosh platform and for Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, and Windows NT 4.0. For more information about Home Page 2.0, visit Claris's WWW site (http://www.claris.com). You can also call 1-800-544-8554 or 1-408-727-8227.

WebPublisher 1.1

WebPublisher 1.1 from Asymetrix Corporation is a Wizard-based document creator that guides you through a series of six dialog boxes. These dialog boxes prompt you to enter information about how you want your HTML documents to look, requiring you to answer questions such as which template you want to use and what text you want to include in the documents. After you have answered the questions presented in the dialog boxes, WebPublisher 1.1 generates one or more HTML documents and some attractive title graphics. Asymetrix even offers a money-back guarantee that you can create a ready-to publish HTML document in just 10 minutes with WebPublisher 1.1. And after you have created your HTML documents, WebPublisher 1.1 will help you publish these documents on your WWW site. The result of this process is a professional-looking WWW site created with a minimum amount of time and effort.

WebPublisher 1.1 is a great application for HTML novices and for users who have no desire to learn HTML and who do not need to build a complex WWW site. However, because WebPublisher 1.1 is so simple, it does have many limitations. For example, although you can select the font size and the format (Roman, bold, or italic) of the text you enter, you cannot select the text's color, which is predefined in the template you are using.

WebPublisher 1.1 supports Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51, and Windows NT 4.0. For more information about WebPublisher 1.1, visit Asymetrix's WWW site (http://www.asymetrix.com). You can also call 1-800-448-6543 or 1-206-462-0501.

Resources for Learning HTML

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is the official source of information about HyperText Markup Language (HTML). W3C develops the HTML standard as well as other standards used on the World-Wide Web (WWW). From the W3C home page, you can download the HTML standard, which lists and describes all of the HTML codes. (You can access the W3C home page at http://www.w3.org/pub/WWW.) HTML 2.0 is the current version of the standard, but W3C recently issued a recommendation for HTML 3.2, which enhances the capabilities of HTML 2.0. HTML 3.2 includes features, such as frames and support for applets, that are already supported by most WWW browsers.

Although the HTML standard describes every valid HTML code, you might find an HTML tutorial helpful. You can download a list of HTML tutorials from the Yahoo search engine at http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Software/Data_Formats/HTML/Guides_and_Tutorials. This list includes HTML tutorials for all skill levels and tutorials written for specific audiences, such as tutorials for librarians and tutorials in Spanish and French.

If you have never created an HTML document, you might want to read "A Beginner's Guide to HTML" at http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/Internet/WWW/HTMLPrimer.html. This guide, which is published by the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (developer of the NCSA Mosaic WWW browser), explains how to build an HTML document from scratch.

HTML: The Definitive Guide is a good resource for both novice and experienced HTML users. This book starts with a basic description of HTML and a Quick Start chapter that helps even a novice HTML user start writing HTML documents almost immediately. The book's remaining chapters cover every aspect of HTML, including forms, tables, frames, and advanced features that are supported by Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer but are not yet included in the HTML standard. HTML: The Definitive Guide was written by Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy and is published by O'Reilly & Associates (http://www.ora.com).

Changing Novell Web Server 3.0 Default Values

You can customize most of the default values used by Novell Web Server 3.0 by changing various configuration files. Each virtual server hosted by Novell Web Server 3.0 has its own configuration files, which are stored in its own CONFIG directory. For example, the configuration files for the first virtual server you install on Novell Web Server 3.0 are stored in the SYS:\WEB\CONFIG directory. The changes you make to one virtual server do not affect any other virtual servers running on Novell Web Server 3.0.

You can change configuration files manually or by using the Novell Web Server 3.0 Web Manager (WEBMGR) utility.

USING THE WEBMGR UTILITY

The WEBMGR utility is located in the SYS:\PUBLIC directory of the server on which you installed Novell Web Server 3.0. You can use the WEBMGR utility to change default values such as the location of a virtual server's document root directory. The changes you make are stored in the appropriate virtual server's configuration file.

For example, suppose the SYS: volume were full and you did not want to keep your document root directory on this volume. You could move the document root directory to another volume and configure the virtual server to access the document root directory from its new location. To make this change, complete the following:

  1. Copy the document root directory to its new location.

  2. Start the WEBMGR utility.

  3. Choose the Select Server option from the File menu.

  4. Select the directory that contains the WEB.CFG file. (By default, this file is located in the SYS:\ETC directory.)

  5. Select a virtual server from the Virtual Server list, and click OK.

  6. In the Directory Containing HTML Documents field, enter the new path to the document root directory, or use the Browse button to locate this path.

  7. Click OK.

  8. Click the Save and Restart button.

  9. Type the password that you set when you installed the Novell Web Server software, and click OK.

MANUALLY CHANGING CONFIGURATION FILES

Although you can use the WEBMGR utility to change some of the Novell Web Server 3.0 configuration options, you must manually edit the appropriate configuration file to change other configuration options. For example, if you wanted to change the name of a default HTML document from INDEX.HTM to HOME.HTM, you would edit the server resources map file (SRM.CFG), which is located in the CONFIG directory of each virtual server. The SRM.CFG file tells Novell Web Server 3.0 where to find server resources, such as HTML documents, scripts, and applications. Each line in the SRM.CFG file is called a directive. To change the default document name to HOME.HTM, you would edit the Directory Index directive as follows:

DirectoryIndex HOME.HTM
RESTARTING NOVELL WEB SERVER 3.0

If Novell Web Server 3.0 is running when you manually change a configuration file, you must restart Novell Web Server 3.0 to make the changes take effect. To restart Novell Web Server 3.0, type the following two commands at the server console:

WEBSTOP

 WEBSTART

You can also use the WEBMGR utility to restart Novell Web Server 3.0. To do so, complete the following steps:

  1. Start the WEBMGR utility.

  2. Choose the Restart HTTP option from the Options menu.

  3. Type the Novell Web Server 3.0 password, and click OK.

* Originally published in Novell Connection Magazine

Disclaimer

The origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. While Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information, Novell does not make explicit or implied claims to its validity.

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