Frequently Asked Questions: Netscape Composer
- Limited technical support for Netscape's Composer is available exclusively on these Web pages, or via e-mail. Telephone technical support for Netscape Composer is not provided.
- Questions about Composer can be e-mailed to homepage@pacbell.net.
- You must have a Pacific Bell Internet Services dial-up account to subscribe to Personal Home Pages.
| Netscape Composer FAQ: |
What is Netscape Composer?
How do I access Composer? How do I create a new web page using Composer? What aspects of HTML creation does Netscape Composer support? Where can I get general help on creating and editing files with Composer? I specified no border on the image file, but it still displays in the browser. Is there another way to stop it from displaying when viewed with a browser? Can I add my own HTML formatting to an existing Composer document? Can I add my own HTML to a page that was created with Composer? Can I publish my own Web pages using Netscape Composer? How can I set my Publishing preferences so I don't have to retype them each time? Why will Composer publish to my Pacific Bell Internet Services Personal Home Page location and not to another location? Does Netscape Composer include a spelling checker? I don't see any tools to work with Composer. Where can I find them? Can I use Netscape Composer to create links and tables? How do I add images to my page? How do I change the color of my background? Can I use an image as my background? How do I activate the Auto Save feature? When I try to edit a page that I uploaded, I don't see the images. Instead I see a generic square. How can I correct this? How do I insert a MIDI or music file with composer? How do I add a counter to my Home Page? |
- What is Netscape Composer?
- Composer is the component of Netscape Communicator 4.0 that is used for creating, editing and uploading HTML (web pages) and related files to your web site.
- How do I access Composer?
- Composer can be accessed from the Communicator toolbar via the
icon. It can also be accessed from the Navigator menu by choosing Communicator | Page Composer (Ctrl+4).
- How do I create a new web page using Composer?
- From within Navigator or Composer, choose New and then one of the following: Blank Page, Page From Template, or Page From Wizard. The Template and Wizard tools will assist you in creating your web page. To create the page from scratch, choose Blank Page.
- What aspects of HTML creation does Netscape Composer support?
- Composer allows you to create and edit web pages in a WYSIWYG ("What you see is what you get") environment. You can place and manipulate text, image files, backgrounds, tables, and other HTML commands.
- Where can I get general help on creating and editing files with Composer?
- Communicator includes basic information and troubleshooting tools in its Help file. From within Communicator, choose Help | Help Contents | Composing and Editing Web pages.
- I specified no border on the image file, but it still displays in the browser. Is there another way to stop it from displaying when viewed with a browser?
- This is a bug within Composer. The default border is 0 but it is actually displaying a border width of 1. To fix the page you will need to edit the page with any text program (such as Notepad) and add the HTML tag for that image:
BORDER=0- Can I add my own HTML formatting to an existing Composer document?
- Other web tools and languages, such as JavaScript, can be added manually to a Composer document if you have a basic understanding of HTML. While Composer does not display these components on your page while editing, they are represented by HTML "tag" icons.
To add your own HTML to a Composer document, choose Insert | HTML. Type your code in the field, then click "Verify" to have Composer check the HTML you've typed. You can edit these tags in Composer at any time by double-clicking the tag icon on the page.
- Can I add my own HTML to a page that was created with Composer?
- Composer converts all documents to HTML code. With a basic understanding of HTML, you can save a document in Composer and then reopen it in a text editing program to add and change your own HTML tags and scripting language commands. Please note that Pacific Bell Internet Services does not provide help with learning or using HTML and other languages. For more information, click here for a list of helpful links.
- Can I publish my own Web pages using Netscape Composer?
- Yes. Once your page is completed and saved, choose File | Publish. In the Publish window, specify your directory in the "HTTP or FTP Location to Publish to" field:
ftp://home.pacbell.net/upload/usernameSpecify your Username and Password in the corresponding fields, then click OK. You will receive confirmation that your files were successfully uploaded.- How can I set my Publishing preferences so I don't have to retype them each time?
- From within Communicator, choose Edit | Preferences | Composer | Publishing. In the "Default publishing location" field, specify the following FTP site address to publish to:
ftp://home.pacbell.net/upload/usernameIn the next field, enter the following as the HTTP address to browse to:
http://home.pacbell.net/usernameThen click OK.- Why will Composer publish to my Pacific Bell Internet Services Personal Home Page location and not to another location?
- Each server that hosts web pages requires its own settings. The settings provided for your Personal Home Page account may not work with other services. In these cases, you will need to contact the administrator for that service to inquire about their web page publishing settings.
- Does Netscape Composer include a spelling checker?
- Yes. To use it, click the "Check Spelling" button on the Composition toolbar. You may also check spelling by selecting "Check Spelling" from the Tools menu.
- I don't see any tools to work with Composer. Where can I find them?
- Choose View | Show Composition Toolbar.
- Can I use Netscape Composer to create links and tables?
- Yes. The table and link icons are on the Composition tool bar. Click on the
icon to create a table and click on the
icon to create a link.
- How do I add images to my page?
- Set the cursor to where you want the image to appear, click on the
icon, select the image file and then click OK.
- How do I change the color of my background? Can I use an image as my background?
- Choose Format | Page Colors and Properties. Then click on the background button to change the color or select "Use Image" and then click on Browse to select the file to use.
- How do I activate the Auto Save feature?
- Choose Edit | Preferences | Composer | Publishing | "Automatically save page every ...". Designate a time in minutes that you would like to use, then click OK.
- When I try to edit a page that I uploaded, I don't see the images. Instead I see a generic square. How can I correct this?
- This is occurring because the images are not kept within your page. To correct this, click on Edit | Preferences | Composer | Publishing | "Keep Images with Page".
- How do I insert a MIDI or music file with composer?
- These must be added manually using HTML. See the above section entitled "Can I add my own HTML to a page that was created with Composer?" for more information.
- How do I add a counter to my Home Page?
- Set the cursor to the location where you want to add the counter. Choose Insert | HTML Tag and copy the following text into the field:
<IMG SRC="/cgi-bin/Count.cgi?df=index.dat&dd=C" ALT="Page Counter" ALIGN=ABSCENTER HEIGHT=20>
Then click on OK.