Beginner? That's OK!

While much has been written about Server Side Includes (SSIs -also known as Virtual Includes) much of this information is designed for intermediate to advanced webmasters. This article is aimed at beginners. It is assumed that reader has no prior knowledge of scripting languages, servers, or any other advanced computer skills. This article will introduce reader to SSIs and explain how they are used in web site development. SSIs are guaranteed to save you time as your web site develops and changes over time.

Servers: just a place for your stuff?

It is important to understand that all code for your website is stored remotely on a computer called a server. On a very basic level, server (remote computer) is just a place where you can store files on "net." These files would typically contain your web site's HTML code and possibly some files containing pictures or graphics. For example, a very simple web site might consist of 5 web pages with five corresponding files that are stored on server. One file is named index.html and we will have four additional files. These files might be named about-me.html , education.html , resume.html , and portfolio.html. We'll say that this simple 5 page web site is run by a freelancer who uses this site as a kind of virtual advertisement.

Servers Part 2: more than storage?

We have established that server functions as a storage place for our files, but it is important to recognize servers can also do things. Similar to operating systems software on our personal computers, servers have software that allows them to access and organize files. Servers can also carry out more advanced functions. Take, for example, what server does when someone visits root directory of your site; server automatically loads your index page (e.g., index.html, index.php, index.asp). This is a very simple example of something that happens on "server side."

Why do I need includes?

Before doing anything on technical side, you need some kind of basic idea to work with. I suggest first getting some paper and a pencil. Start by sketching a layout of how you would like your web page to appear. For example, a simple title at top, area in which you would like any content, pictures and so on. Now its time to do some programing!

Don't let word programing scare you. Anyone can learn and there are several sites that offer free tutorials. One such site is http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp. Although it is not necessary to be a top notch programer to build and operate your web site, you should learn basics of html. I recommend that you thoroughly learn about tables. They are widely used and with them, you can create a professional looking layout (even as a beginner).

You can use any basic text editor, like notepad, to write, edit, and save your code (html). When saving your work for first time, choose Text Document for type of file, then save with extension htm (for example index.htm). Your home page (the first page people usually see) is normally saved as index.htm. To see how your page looks, double click on file and it should automatically open up in your browser.