Editor Assignment Explained

This week we settle in and learn about HTML editors.

Preparation:

Text: No reading required, but you may want to review topics that you had trouble with in the A class.

CD: View lesson 1 (optional)

For Credit:

1. Check in - 10 points

   Go to check in part 1
   DO NOT COMPLETE THIS FORM IF YOU WERE ENROLLED IN SECTION 6698 or if you have another class with me this semester.
   (use your old username and password to complete check in part 2)
   
   The purpose of this assignment is to create a unique username and password, which you will use every time you check on your grade or post a homework assignment. Write these values down so you will remember them all semester.

2. Go to check in part 2
   

   EVERYONE COMPLETES THIS FORM.

   By completing the greetings and gradebook assignment, you accomplish three goals: (1) You register yourself in the online gradebook. (2) You add your email address to the class mailing list so you can receive email from your instructor each week. (3) You introduce yourself to your classmates so we can all get to know each other.

3. Establish your account on the student server
   Most students have done this already, so you can skip this step.
   
   For any students who do not have a student account, the name of the server to which we will be uploading our web sites is "student". You must upload the pages that you will be creating in this class to this server. In order to establish your account, go to http://www.santarosa.edu/cis/student/ftp/index.html, and follow the instructions.
   
   Tip: The most common problem students have with this task is entering their birthdate incorrectly. Please note carefully that the system requires you to enter your birthdate in an order that is probably not the most intuitive: year first, then month, then day.
   
   Note on Usernames and Passwords:
   1. You will be told what your username is when your account is created. Normally your username is your first initial and last name, lower case, up to a total of eight characters. If you have a common last name, you may get a slightly different username.
   2. Your password is your first and last initials, capitalized, and the last five digits of your Social Security number.
   3. These are your student server username and password. You will use them when logging in to the student server.
      
      
4. Create a homework page.
   The homework page is a table of contents for all the work you will do in the class. Ech week you will activate the links for the curret lesson. This means you will not longer need to fill out an online form each week. I will make a "student work" page which contains a link to everyones homework page, and use that page to grade your work each week.
   
   Here is an example of how that page will look at this stage of the class. homework page example
5. Download and use an HTML Editor - 10 points
   When you began learning HTML, you were asked to use a text editor to write your web pages because you needed to become familiar with the code and begin to understand how HTML and CSS syntax works. Now that you have at least eight weeks of experience under your belt, you can begin using a tool that you may decide makes your life a lot easier.
   1. Definition of HTML Editor: This is a software application that uses menu items and tools bars to place HTML code into a text document. Most HTML editors display the code in one view and the resulting webpage in another view. In addition, most HTML editors have a feature (sometimes a separate plug-in) that will help you write CSS. Examples of HTML Editors are HomeSite, BBEdit, Hot Metal, Hot Dog, etc.
      
      
   2. HTML Editors are NOT the same as WYSIWYG editors, which create web pages while hiding the HTML code from you. You are not allowed to use a WYSIWYG editor, since the purpose of this class is to learn how to use HTML and CSS code. The more you see the code the more you learn. Examples of WYSIWYG editors are FrontPage, Dreamweaver, PageMill, etc.
      
      
   3. Benefits of HTML Editors: These tools can save you time and make you more accurate and efficient. Using an HTML editor reduces typing errors in your code. You no longer have to type angle brackets or remember to include the ending tag of a pair. I predict that you will get many more green bars from the validator on your first try! Many editors also have powerful find and replace features, which saves time and ensures that you catch every instance of the text you want to change.
      
      
   4. There are many editors on the market - some freeware, some shareware, some full commercial products. See the Resources page for some links or use your favorite search engine to find some and download one that looks good to you. Make sure you feel comfortable with the source before you download anything! A virus-scrambled hard drive is not the best way to start your day.
      
      
   5. After you have downloaded the software, you need to install it, then start playing around with it. Many of them have tutorials or other help devices that will speed up the process of learning how to use it. Most students are really happy to have software that makes it easier to develop code, but you may decide to stick with a basic text editor -- the choice is yours.
      
      
   6. Create a Web page review of the editor which includes this information
      * Name of the editor
      * Location of a place where editor can be downloaded for preview
      *. Price
      * 3-5 paragraphs describing the strengths and weaknesses of the program (your opinion)
      * links to 2 web sites which are resources for this product (tutorial, tips and tricks, or review of product)
      
      Save the file as "editor.html" and upload it to your student account. Create a link from the homework page to the editor review page.
      
      
6. Download required ftp/ssh software
   Again, most students will have completed this task already, so the following information is only for those students who have not.
   
   You'll need to download two applications onto your computer in order to be able to accomplish two important tasks: (1) you'll need an "ssh" application so that you'll be able to configure your account on the student server so that it can serve as your website, and (2) you'll need "ftp" software so that you'll be able to move your webpages from your local computer over to the student server. Note that task 1 will only need to be performed once at the beginning of the class, whereas task 2 will be done each time you want to make a change to your website.
   
   Windows Users:Both of these applications will be downloaded to your computer in a single download. To perform the download, click on https://cf.wm.edu/it/software/public/ssh/sshsecureshellclient-3.2.9.exe. If you are asked whether to open or save the file, choose "save", and choose a location to save the file (probably your desktop). After this, double click on the icon that was downloaded to install the two applications. (The icon will be labeled "SSHSecureShellClient-3.2.9".) This will take you to an installation wizard that will guide you through the process of installing the 2 applications. Unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise, you should just click on the "next" or "yes" button at each step. When the wizard finishes, you will see 2 new icons, one labelled "SSH Secure Shell Client" and one labeled "SSH Secure File Transfer". You're done.
   
   Mac Users:You do not need to download an ssh application because you can use the application named "Terminal" that is already on your computer (more about this in lesson 2). For ftp we will be using an application named "Fugu". To download this application, go to http://rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/fugu/download.html, and then click on the link "Fugu-1.2.0-English.dmg". If you are asked whether to open or save the file, choose "save". After this, you may have to double click on the icon that was downloaded, or it may open automatically, depending on how your computer is configured. In either case, you'll have to select "agree", and then the icon for Fugu will appear on your desktop. You should probably move it to your Applications folder, and also to your dock.
   
   Note: if you already have FTP software that you use and are comfortable with, you may use that software instead. However, note that the student server accepts only secure connections. If you aren't sure if your FTP software is secure, you should download the recommended software. Also, if you use your own software I won't be able to support you if something goes wrong.

Register your Homework page

Fill out this online form to submit the URL of your homework page. homework page submission form. I will use that page to connect to your editor review page and assign points for that assignment.

Website Project

Your web site: Start thinking about a theme that you can develop for your website project. Most students want to continue the site they were working on in the first eight weeks, but if you want to start over you have that option.