YOU NEED SSI RIGHT NOW!

Written by Bob McElwain


I learned of SSI (Server Side Includes) long before I built my current site. Since it seemedrepparttar only way to go, I checked it out once again forrepparttar 134606 new site to be.

What SSI amounts to is creating a new page for any elements common to all pages on your site. Then askrepparttar 134607 server to include these pages whenever main pages are requested.

For example, build a regular HTML page containing allrepparttar 134608 content, including graphics, as is often used inrepparttar 134609 left column of a page asrepparttar 134610 basis of navigation. Then, instead of adding this content to each page, simply includerepparttar 134611 file. And hey, it's super. If you need to make a change, you make it only once, instead of on every page on your site.

SSI Slows Page Downloads?

What prevented me initially from using SSI were notes I read regards increasing page download time. Each page using included files needs to parsed (read) byrepparttar 134612 server to find any files to be included. Being an absolute fanatic about minimizing page download speed, I passed. Bad mistake.

Updating Multiple Pages Chews Up Time

Six month later, changing a single menu item was taking hours. I decided to ignorerepparttar 134613 page download time and go. But I ran into another snag. Pages with includes needrepparttar 134614 SHTML extension, elserepparttar 134615 server won't parse them. (An S in front of HTML.)

Switching From HTML to SHTML Busts Links

Nuts. I already had lots of incoming links. Since I didn't want to bust them by changing file names, I passed once again.

I had heard people speak of ways in which a server in some cases could be instructed to treat HTML pages as SHTML pages. But I didn't check it out. Another bad mistake.

The Perfect Solution

Many months later I ran acrossrepparttar 134616 following code. Add these lines torepparttar 134617 top of your .htaccess file, and all existing HTML files will be parsed just as if they hadrepparttar 134618 .SHTML extension. Neat. No changes in file names, which means no busted incoming links.

Options Includes AddType text/html .html AddHandler server-parsed .html

.htaccess is a hidden file inrepparttar 134619 root directory on your server. It is helpful in doing many things, and can be located elsewhere as needed, but for now let's focus onrepparttar 134620 above.

In WS_FTP, when you type -al intorepparttar 134621 blank field torepparttar 134622 right, this file name will become visible. The best plan is to downloadrepparttar 134623 file, addrepparttar 134624 above code, then upload and overwriterepparttar 134625 original. (The reason for downloading first is to be certain you hold whateverrepparttar 134626 file may already contain.)

Creating Files

What I did next was create a file, yleftnav.html, containing allrepparttar 134627 content inrepparttar 134628 left column of a page. Then on each page, I replacedrepparttar 134629 content in that column withrepparttar 134630 following.

Givenrepparttar 134631 three lines above inrepparttar 134632 .htaccess file, each .HTML file is parsed forrepparttar 134633 include command. When found,repparttar 134634 content ofrepparttar 134635 file is included inrepparttar 134636 page at that point. You can seerepparttar 134637 results by viewingrepparttar 134638 source for one of my pages. And you can viewrepparttar 134639 file included with ...

A Custom Icon For Your Web Site

Written by Amrit Hallan


WHAT IS FAVICON (Orrepparttar Icon in general)

It isrepparttar 134605 little thing you see on your Location bar (History/Address bar) when you visit a web site, onrepparttar 134606 left of http://. For example, if you view a site through Internet Explorer, you see an e superimposed over a blank white paper sheet. The icon also shows up when you press CTRL+D to saverepparttar 134607 link in your Favorites folder. I thinkrepparttar 134608 icon is showed anywhere you storerepparttar 134609 link, whether onrepparttar 134610 Desktop or some other place.

But some web masters prefer to have their own icon. Apart from being an ego issue, it makesrepparttar 134611 web site memorable, and more prominent inrepparttar 134612 list of hundreds of Favorite links (gosh! do you ever visit them?!), or repulsive if you make an ugly icon

COMPATIBILITY

It only works with IE5 or higher versions. Otherwise browsers like Netscape Navigator and Opera do not support such an indulgence. Well, to be frank I haven't checked withrepparttar 134613 current versions (I have IE5, Netscape 4.7 and Opera 5 on my machine). Butrepparttar 134614 last time I read, more than 75% surfers are using IE5 or plus these days.

MAKING THE ICON

Inrepparttar 134615 following steps, you can create an icon from your web site. This reminds me, a more complex icon can be created by a software like Microsoft Photodraw where you can first enlargerepparttar 134616 view without distortingrepparttar 134617 pixels, createrepparttar 134618 icon, and then reduce torepparttar 134619 normal size and then paste it into an icon editor. Look out for a similar editor if you don't have it.

Take care thatrepparttar 134620 icon you make/draw/scan/steal has a dimension of 16 x 16 pixels. Preferably, in 8-bit color.

Now go somewhere, where there are lots of downloadable programs, and download "Icon Collector Graphics Editor" from http://www.greatowl.com. I mention this software because somehow I have it on my computer, and don't remember when I installed it. Probably I was trying to make a Favicon for myself but then changed my mind. On second look, I didn't change my mind after all. The icon does show up if you load my web site - http://www.bytesworth.com - and maybe in buffer it doesn't show up.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
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