1. Managing Files
2. Design Problems
3. LineOne Problems
4. Jargon Buster
5. More Information
How do I transfer my web site from my hard drive to my LineOne web space?
LineOne have provided a file uploader for you to use. This let's you transfer your web site files from your hard drive to your web space.
The LineOne uploader, however, is a bit restrictive. FTP is the best way to upload your web site because you get a better view of what's on your webspace, you can upload multiple files at once and it's quicker.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a way of transferring files from your hard drive to an internet server and vise versa.
To use FTP you will need an FTP program. If you go to download.com and search for FTP, you will see lots results.
LeechFTP is a particularly good FTP program, because it's a free, small, easy to use and effective program.
Find it at www.frogman.org.uk
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 can also be used as an FTP program, providing you chose to install the FTP components when you installed it.
What is the LineOne FTP host address?
Your FTP program will need to know the following login information:
The host address is: 'website.lineone.net' Sometimes you may also need to specify that you want to use FTP protocol by adding 'ftp://' to the start of the address, ie: 'ftp://website.lineone.net'
Your username and password are just your normal lineone account username and password.
The port should be '21'
And the login type should be 'normal', 'personal' or words to that effect.
You will also need to make sure that you are connected to the internet with LineOne's dial up connection.
Take a look at FourPart's Beginners Guide to FTP for more help.
What is my web site's address?
The full address or URL is: 'http://website.lineone.net/~username'
When I go to my site all I see is a list of files, why?
If you want a page to automatically load when your site is visited you should name that page exactly: 'index.htm' or 'index.html' all lower case.
How can I delete everything on my web space and start again?
You can try and delete each file on your web space by using the LineOne file manager, but this can be unreliable and tedious.
The best way to delete everything on your web space is to use an FTP program. This will give you much more versatile control over your web space, you'll be able to view all your files, select them all and press the delete key.
To find out where you can get an FTP program, have a look at How do I transfer my web site from my hard drive to my LineOne web space?
I've uploaded my site, but none of my pictures display, why not?
Firstly check that your image's source isn't pointing to your hard drive.
'file://C:\Website\picture.jpg' should just be 'picture.jpg'.
This problem commonly occurs when you insert a picture which is not in your local web site directory.
Files on your webspace are also case sensitive. If your image is called 'picture.jpg' and your source points to 'Picture.jpg' it will not work. It is always good practice to keep everything lowercase and avoid spaces, use underscores(_) instead.
Make sure that you have actually uploaded your images to your remote web space.
Some of the links in my web site do not work, why not?
Make sure that the link isn't pointing to a file on your hard drive
'file://C:\Website\hello.htm' should just be 'hello.htm'
Files are usually case sensitive. Make sure you have used exactly the same case as the file or web site you are linking to.
If you are linking to a different web site, you should link to the full address.
'www.lineone.net' should be 'http://www.lineone.net'
How do I make a form which can be emailed to me?
This is traditionally done using a CGI program which runs on the server.
However LineOne does not allow the use of server side scripts or programs so you'll need to use just HTML.
To do this your form should look like this:
<FORM method="post" action="mailto:mander@lineone.net?subject=websiteform" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<INPUT FIELDS>
<INPUT type="submit" name="Submit" value="Send">
</FORM>
Click here to see a working sample of this code
The tag <INPUT FIELDS>, is not a real tag. It's just there to represent the HTML code for the particular text boxes, lists etc you may have. If you are not familiar with HTML your WYSIWYG editor should be able to create these for you.
How do I have downloadable files on my web site?
You just need to make a link to a file, like you would another page on your web site.
If you edit the HTML,
<A href="download1.zip">Download this file</A>
Will let a user download a zip file called download1.
I uploaded an executable (*.exe) file to my web space, but I cannot download it, what's wrong?
You can't download executable files from LineOne space, you'll have to zip your exe if you it to be downloadable.
Zipping is a way of compressing a file, or packaging together and compressing multiple files. Winzip is a popular shareware application for zipping and unzipping files. Go to winzip.com to download it, or search for 'zip' at download.com for more zipping utilities.
Should I resize images using HTML?
If your reducing the size of an image to use it as a thumbnail using the height and width attributes of an image tag, then no you shouldn't.
Reducing the dimensions in HTML will not reduce the file size, so your thumbnails will take ages to load.
You should resize and create new images for thumbnails in a graphics program such as Paint Shop Pro.
If your increasing the size of an image using HTML, then there's no problem as long as your not worried about the image distorting.
My pictures load really slowly, how can I speed them up?
Firstly you should not reduce the size of an image using HTML, reducing the dimensions of an image will not reduce the file size.
You should never use a bitmap (*.bmp) file for the web. Use JPEG's (*.jpg) for photos and *.gif and *.png for graphics. *.gif files are 256 colour and *.png files are true colour, but can be reduced to lower colour depths.
When working with large images, you can fiddle with them in a graphics program. Try reducing the colour depth or increasing the compression factor of your JPEG's. Of course, doing these things will reduce image quality with file size. You have to find the right balance between quality and file size.
How do incorporate sound into my web site?
I'm not going to tell, you. But check out www.webnotes.co.uk for an exellent answer!
A little word of warning, although you might be very pleased with yourself for adding some background music, your visitors might not be too happy. Background music often irritates the person listening to it and gives your site a tacky feel. If you insist on having background music, give the user the option to turn it off, or even better, the option to turn it on in the first place.
Why is my web site not listed in the LineOne members's directory?
Just be patient. Try sending an email to LineOne support
Can I use FrontPage Extensions on my LineOne web space?
No, Frontpage Extensions are not enabled on LineOne web space servers.
Can I use CGI on my web site with LineOne space?
No, CGI or any other server-side programs or scripts are not allowed and will not run on LineOne web space.
What are http and ftp?
When you connect a remote internet server you need to specify which TCP (Transmissions Control Protocol) you wish to use, so you connect to right port and get the right service from the server. This may sound complicated, but usually your internet software does this for you.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a way of transferring files from your computer to an internet server or vise versa
If you want to connect to the server to use FTP, you will need to connect to port 21. This can be done by typing 'ftp://' before the server's domain name. You don't usually need to bother with the 'ftp://' bit if you are using a program specifically for FTP.
'ftp://website.lineone.net' is an example of an FTP address
If you want to connect to a server just to view a web page, then you need to use HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol). This can be done by typing 'http://' before ther server's domain name. You don't usually need to bother with the 'http://' bit if you are using a program specifically for HTTP, Microsoft Internet Explorer for example.
What is an IP address?
Every internet server has its own unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. This a string of numbers (a 32bit integer, if you want to get technical!).
Because we find names alot easier to remember than numbers, an internet server's address is often known to us as a domain name. When you type in an internet address in your web browser, your web browser will use a DNS (Domain Name Server) to convert this into an IP address. Your browser will then take this IP address and connect to the server.
What is HTML
Just about every web page is held together with HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)
Even if you have never looked at HTML in your life, your web page will be made using it, your WYSIWYG editor will have created the HTML for you. If you want to look at some HTML, right click a web page and click 'view source'.
HTML is fairly easy to learn, it's alot simpler than most languages because it's a markup language rather than a programming language. It just uses tags to display the different elements of a web page such as text, images and tables. Each Tag can have attributes which specifies a bit more detail about the object
'<IMG src="picture.gif" height="50" width="40"> ' for example will display a 50 * 40 image called picture.gif.
What is JavaScript
JavaScript, not to be confused with Java, is a programming language originally invented by Netscape for the web. It is called JavaScript, because it uses a similar syntax to Java and Java has strong links with the internet.
JavaScript code runs in your web browser and is usually embeded within the HTML of a web page, using <SCRIPT> tags. It can do all sorts of things to make boring old HTML come alive.
To write Java Scripts you'll need a text editor and a web browser to run your JavaScript in. The basics are fairly easy to get to grips with, but it can get a bit complicated. As with any computer language, the best way to learn is to invest in a big heavy book, althought there are loads of on-line tutorials out there.
What is Java
Java is a super duper fully blown programming language. It is one of the most versatile languages ever and can be used to do just about anything computerery.
In the world of the internet, Java is commonly used to create Java Applets, small programs which run in your browser. These are popular because they have no access to your hard drive, imagine the chaos if a web page could delete files on your computer!
Java can also be used on a web servers to do similar things to CGI.
To write programs in Java you'll need a text editor and the Java Development Kit, from Javasoft.com, to compile and run your Java programs.
Java was invented by Sun Microsystems. See The Sun's Java web site for more information.
What is CGI?
CGI programs run on the server, they can generate web pages on the fly, based on the information which is passed to them. For example, you may want to use a search engine to find something. You type what you want to find in a text box and click a submit button. This information is then passed to a CGI program on the server which searches a database and creates a web page for you, based on the results it finds.
CGI is also commonly used to make simpler things, such as visit counters and guestbooks
CGI is not a programming language, but a set of standards which you comply to when you write your program. CGI programs can be written using a number of programming languages, such as Java, C and Visual Basic, but is most commonly written using Perl.
ASP, PHP, Servlets and JSP!?!
Here are even more terms to get your head round!
To briefly sum it up ASP (Active Server Pages) and PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) do similar things to CGI, but rather than have the code compiled into a separate file, like CGI, the code is written within the HTML of a web page and processed before you view the page.
Java Servlets are Java's answer to CGI. They are like applets which you never see, because they run on the server. Java Servlets are generally better than CGI because they're quicker and allow the programmer to utilise the power of the Java programming language.
JSP (Java Server Pages) are like a cross between ASP and Servlets. They let you write Java code within the HTML of a web page. This code is run on the server before you view the page.
I have kept these explanations brief because I couldn't be bothered to write alot and the technical details of JSP is not a FAQ. If you'd need more help please ask at Lineone webhelp or coding forum.
Accessing the LineOne Webhelp forum
You can view the Webhelp, Websites or any other LineOne forum in your web browser or newsreader.
To view the LineOne forums in a web browser, go to www.lineone.net/community/forums.html
To view the LineOne forums in your default newsreader (Outlook Express can be used as a newsreader), go to bbs.lineone.net
Check out Lear's LineOne Links for more help with Outlook Express and the LineOne forums.
Rules of the Webhelp forum
Apart from whatever's written in the LineOne Terms and Conditions there are no set rules but please don't:
- SPAM the newsgroup with rubbish,
- Submit posts to advertise your business,
- Use bad language,
Please don't write in UPPERCASE, it is bad netiquette and annoys people.
Picking your nose, spitting and violence is also not welcome in the Webhelp forum.
About this Page
I wrote this page to help the Webhelp forum run a bit more smoothly. Although this page is labelled the Webhelp FAQ, it can be also applied to the Websites forum and possibly the Coding, Graphics and Internet forums.
This page is not LineOne's official FAQ (they don't have one). It is just my version, I am only linked to LineOne by being a member.
If you would like to contact me, send an email to mander@lineone.net
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