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Hello, welcome to the "Vapor Version" of VR WebStm, why do I
call it the "Vapor Version"? The WebS project plan has been expanded and will be
released as:
IStyletm - The Internet Page Designer
Now for some quick instructions on how WebS works, I said WebS would have
a drag-and-drop interface, well it has a sort of pick-and-place GUI, I
will be expanding this for IStyletm!
Find the info you need below:
Quick Start
When you start WebS, the program loads a default HTML doc that's all ready
for you to "fill in the blanks", so to speak. To start designing your web
page you might want to choose the base colors for links, background, and
text, so pull down the menu with your right mouse button (RMB) and find the
one called "Options", select "Link Colors".
You should now see the base color screen, click in the box next to the
color option you'd like to change and the palette requester pops up so
you can do just that!
After you're done selecting your various base colors you can begin your
page design. Find the line with the TITLE tags in it where it says
"VR WebS - Home Page" or something like that, and enter the text
that you would like to have the viewers see in their browser window.
A fast way to get your page started is to type in all or most of the text
first and then use the function buttons and menus to add the HTML tags!
Also take a look at the example files I've provided with this program.
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Pick-and-Place
Type "Hello" on the screen in the space between the BODY and /BODY tags.
Click on the "Font" button. The req. gives you the FONT choices. To
select a color for your font, click the button near the bottom of the req.
and use the palette requester.
Click on Font Size 7, the largest, you will see a sample of the font in
the "Sample Box" at the bottom of the req. Double-click the selection.
You will notice that your mouse pointer
has a sphere on it now, this tells you that you have an object to place.
Click on the "H" in "Hello" and while holding the mouse button down, drag
the cursor to the "o", now let go and your font tag is in place!
If you don't like where the tags have been placed, press right-Amiga-u,
this is the UNDO/REDO button.
If you are new to HTML, this tag means that any text between FONT and
/FONT will have a FONT SIZE of 7 and the color that you chose.
(Note: If you want to change the COLOR of some text but not the size, just
click on the color req. button, THEN click "Font Color Tag")
Most every option in WebS operates on P-AND-P, so WebS makes it easy to
design elaborate WWW pages quickly!
Further notes on P-AND-P...
Placing HTML tags can be cancelled at any time by pressing the right
mouse button (RMB).
Also, when you press the Undo/Redo hot-key the last object used will be
attached to your mouse pointer. (Can be cancelled with RMB.)
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Handy Hot-Keys
A lot of WebS fuctions can be called from the keyboard by pressing just
two keys:
Right-Amiga
i = Image Requester - Choose your image and if you'd like any links attached.
l = List Requester - Makes lists out of lines of text instantly!
t = Text Requester - Text attributes Req.
p = Palette Requster - Add some color to your page.
f = Font Requester - Change size/color of your text.
c = Cut Mode - Puts you into Text Cut Mode.
n = New line/breck - Puts a BR tag on your pointer.
u = Undo/Redo - This only works on P-AND-P objects!
Left-Amiga
s = Quick Save - Save current work if it has a name.
l = Quick Link Book - Your address book of links!
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Beginner Mode
If you are new to HTML coding, clicking on the radio button next to the
words "Beginner Mode" will let WebS know that you may need some
discriptions of how the tags work. I've tried to keep it as simple as I
could, because I despise the way
people/programs try to confuse the user!
The B-mode will place definitions at the end of your tags so you can see
at a glance which HTML tag does what thing!
I've also included some example HTML files with WebS, take a look at them
if you think you need more help.
(Note: B-Mode is on when button is White.)
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Cut & Paste
To use the Cut/Paste function pull down the "Text" menu and select
"Cut Mode" or press Right-Amiga-c.
Cut Mode is on when the pointer has a pair of scissors attached to it.
While in this mode you can click and drag the cursor in the same
way as you would to use P-AND-P, and the text between the starting point
and the end will be put onto your pointer and into the text buffer instantly!
Your pointer will become an "object" pointer, click the text down
anywhere you'd like. (But be careful not to place text at the
end of a very long line. There is a glich in the interface that may
halt the program and you'd lose you hard work. Save your work before you
paste down a line that may be too long.)
If you need to paste the same thing again just pull down the "Text"
menu and select "Paste Text Buffer" or press the hot-key (Right-Amiga-P).
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Link Address Book
To edit/add your own links in the address book click on the "Edit" button
if it's available. Now you can click on the address you'd like to edit or
add space for a new address by clicking on "Add".
When "Edit" is off you can click on an address to be placed in your web
page code.
You can save/load a book by selecting the perferred function from the
pull-down menu.
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Some Things About TABLES
I've made a NEW requester just for the building
up of tables, and it features
a real-time simulation of your table.
Tables won't be such a pain now, and if you're new to HTML you can
download examples from my web page to help you have an even easier time
getting along with these pesky things.
Or if your into tables and haven't tried nested tables and other tricks,
visit the VR Web Page for more advanced examples!
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Some Problems
I don't like it and you may not like it, but we have to face some problems!
Yes, WebS is not a complete program and you are bound to find some bugs
or unavailable functions, but don't worry, I'm working on it and you will
soon see the fantastic result!
In the time being, here is a small selection of the problems I know about...
WebS sometimes won't load HTML files that have lines that are too large
for it to handle, so don't get upset if you can't load pages you have
gotten off the Internet. (I'm working on this strange phenom.)
I haven't tested how large a document WebS can handle but I'd guess it
will handle anything you can type(?)!
There isn't a search/replace mode yet! (Coming...)
WebS looks for certain external files, if it can't find them it may
halt the program. (It's not exactly a CRASH, it just quits out to the
Workbench screen.)
I've tried my best to trap these kinds of errors but I can't always
predict what will happen if a file is missing, so hold on to those
files!
Stay tuned for an update...(Vapor Version 1.0?)
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Closing Comments
WebS will place a tag at the end of every HTML file saved that tells WWW
browsers to show a WebS logo, if you want this to work correctly, you
must make a public directory on your server called "pics"
and copy the picture named "vr_webs_logo1.gif"
into it. (find it in VR_WebS:pics/")
(Note: ALL LOWERCASED LETTERS if your server is a UNIX machine!)
This program is FREE but is copyright 1997 James Kaylor.
You may distribute this program as long as all the files are included and
NOTHING has been changed!
(You MAY NOT change even the address book text file!!)
You keep your own address book, do not put it
into the archive!
You MAY use the images in "VR_WebS:pics/" for your web pages.
Email VR at: jdk0vr97@imsweb.net
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Amiga. Some People Just won't Conform.
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