Exporting HTML from PageMaker

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HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the standard for the creation of web pages. Its name underscores its two most important characteristics:

PageMaker creates HTML pages from the contents of a publication by matching standard HTML tags to the style sheets used to format the type. It also allows establishing links within and between documents. In this session, we will:


Step-by-step operation:

  1. Use PageMaker to re-open the document containing the text you formatted with styles in the previous session. Check that everything conforms to the previous handouts. In particular, verify that:
  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 Pages (this means that you will choose the text to be turned into HTML on the basis of the page it's in rather than its text block). Enter a Document Title (this will appear as the window title in most web browsers): it's helpful to include your first and last name to identify your page immediately. Click Next.
    enter document title
  4. In the Unassigned box, click on the PageMaker page you want to export to the web page (if all is proceeding according to plan, you should only see one item in this list). Click Add to transfer the page to the Assigned box. Click Next.
    assign PM pages 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 last name, followed by an underscore (that's shift-hyphen), followed by your first name's initial, followed by a period, followed by html--all lowercase (e.g., Sam Sample's HTML file is called sample_s.html).
  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 line in the table of contents to the corresponding section of the page). First use the text tool to select the destination of the link (the word or words that viewers will jump to after they activate the link): this should be in the first line of one of the text blocks created in the previous session.
    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 (any 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 needed to complete your table of contents.
    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.
  15. Once you are satisfied with your web page, copy it to the file server, where the instructor will find it and post it to the web server:
  16. Before leaving, make sure to copy both the PageMaker publication and the HTML document back to your floppy disks, so you can continue your work in the following session.


Additional Info


Copyright 1997 by Sandro Corsi. Last modified 9 Sep 97.