Exporting HTML from PageMaker

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HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is a standard notation to describe the structure of documents. The software (called browser) used to view these documents will assign a distinctive typographical appearance to each part of their structure (e.g., level 1 headings will be set large and bold, list items will be bulleted and indented, etc.) The appearance of the text you are currently reading is determined by the HTML tags used in its composition.

HTML documents may be distributed in a number of ways (e.g., on a floppy disk or CD-ROM), but their most popular use in on the World-Wide Web service of the Internet. When accessed through the Web, each HTML document can be linked to an unlimited variety of other HTML documents on computers throughout the world. A link is a word or words highlighted in the browser (usually by underlining and changing color). When the user clicks on a link another document, or another part of the same document, is displayed.

PageMaker creates HTML pages from the text in a publication by matching standard HTML tags to the styles used in formatting the text. It will also allow establishing links within the documents and leading to other documents.

Basic operation:

  1. Use PageMaker to re-open the document containing the text you formatted with styles in the previous session. Check that all the type for the web page is in a single text block, and that the styles you used are only the ones with names starting with "HTML".
  2. Use the command Utilities-->PageMaker Plug-ins-->HTML Author to display the HTML Author dialog box. Click on the tab labeled Contents, then click New:
    click New in the HTML Author dialog
  3. Click to select Stories (this means that you will choose the text to be turned into HTML on the basis of the block it's in rather than its page). Enter your first and last name as the Document Title (this will appear as the window title in the browser). Click Next.
    enter document title
  4. In the Unassigned box, click on the story you want to export to the HTML page (if all is proceeding according to plan, you should only see one item in this list). Click Add to transfer the story to the Assigned box. Click Next.
    assign PM stories to the HTML document
  5. You are now ready to tell PageMaker how to name your HTML file. This name must follow whatever rules are set up for the web site, so that other documents can be linked successfully to your document. For this project, the name of the document must be your first name's initial, followed by an underscore (that's shift-hyphen), followed by your last name, followed by a period, followed by html, all lowercase (e.g., Sam Sample's HTML file is called s_sample.html). Leave "Export HTML Now" unchecked (we are just getting set up now, the actual file will be created later). Find your folder on the desktop, enter the name of the document and click OK to indicate where the document should be saved.
    choose disk location for HTML document
  6. You will be returned to the Contents card. Review the settings to make sure they are correct, then click OK to return to your publication.
  7. You can now create links between different parts of your page (e.g., from a list of your skills to portfolio samples which demonstrate those skills). First use the text tool to select the destination of the link (this is the word or words that viewers will jump to after they activate the link)
    select text for link destination
  8. Use the Utilities-->PageMaker Plug-ins-->HTML Author to display the HTML Author dialog box. Click on the tab labeled Create Links. Choose Anchor from the Create pop-up menu. Enter the name of the anchor (a single word), then click Create. Click OK to exit the dialog.
    create a link anchor
  9. Now use the text tool to select the origin of the link (this is the word or words that viewers will click on to activate the link):
    select text for link origin
  10. Use the Utilities-->PageMaker Plug-ins-->HTML Author to display the HTML Author dialog box. Click on the tab labeled Create Links. Choose Hyperlink from the Create pop-up menu. Choose Link To Anchor from the Link Type pop-up menu. In the Choose Anchor box, click on the name of the anchor you created previously, then click Create. Click OK to exit the dialog.
    create a hyperlink
  11. You should now see your hyperlink displayed as underlined blue text (anchors are not highlighted in any way). Repeat the process to add any additional links you deem necessary.
    links are displayed as underlined blue text
  12. When you are done adding links, proceed to the actual creation of the HTML file. Use Utilities-->PageMaker Plug-ins-->HTML Author to display the HTML Author dialog box. Click on the tab labeled Contents. Click on your document title (in the box on the left), then click Export HTML. PageMaker will notify you of the progress of the operation. Click OK when completed.
    export HTML from HTML Author dialog
  13. Don't forget to save often as you go. When you are all done, use File-->Quit to exit PageMaker.
  14. To test your web page, find the HTML file exported from PageMaker and drag its icon on the icon of Netscape Navigator. The browser will open and display a formatted view of your page: click on the links to check that they work as intended.

Additional Info

Last modified 16JUN96 by Sandro Corsi