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Helpful things to know when posting content to the site

The most important things to remember when creating content with MS Word to be posted on the web.
	The entire document should consist of tables with columns used to provide horizontal spacing and alignment. Tables when translated to HTML hold their formatting almost perfectly.
	When the number of columns needed to organize the data needs to be different than previously, a new table with the appropriate number of columns should be used as opposed to using the same table with the rows split into additional columns. The reason for this is that Word will allow any number of columns within the same table to have different widths. HTML forces all the column edges to line up. For example all rows that have three columns will align with all other rows that have three columns no matter where they are located in the same table. Four with four, but the third with the other thirds, etc.
	The use of spaces and tabs for formatting in the Word document should NOT be used. The use of columns and multiple tables will, when properly done eliminate the need for spaces and tabs. HTML will sometimes eliminate spaces and tabs may not be rendered the same on every machine.

Posting an event flyer that has an entry form as part of the flyer.
	One of the major factors we must consider when posting content is that the people who access our site may not be of the technological sophistication level that we would hope for. With this in mind we must try to always design for the lowest common denominator or lowest level of expectations. Over time, the "bar is raised" but it is a very slow process usually taking years.
	One of the most common problems in printing out a page from the web is that most people have probably never changed the default margin settings for printing out a page. Many browsers and revisions of the same browser seem to set their default margins to half an inch all the way around. That is, top, bottom, left and right.
	With half inch margins, it is often difficult to make a visually pleasant flyer. It is even more difficult to make an entry form that will both print out and have enough space for the user or the recipient of the form to read.
	The problem lies with the fact that for a printed flyer, the format of the entry area is most efficiently done with multiple items on a line. This does not work well at all for a page printed out from the web that also has 1/2 inch margins all the way around.
	The more practical approach is to make an entry form that is Vertical in nature with only one item of importance per line.
	For the MACA Adult events on the site, usually a generic form can be made. This generic form has the user print the name of the event at the top of the form as one of the items to fill in.
	For Scholastics, a generic form would not work quite as well because of the confusion factor of multiple events going on at the same site. It would be too easy for someone to be confused and enter the wrong event or possibly forget to enter anything, leaving the registrar to figure out what the intent was.
	A better approach for Scholastics is a common template form that is cloned and slightly customized on a per event basis. Change could be easily limited to the top area of the form leaving all the formatting designed to guarantee that it prints out with 1/2 inch margins all around, intact.
	If a separate Web printable form is to be created and used, the following are the generic steps that would be done every time a flyer is to be posted up.
		The .HTM version of the file is imported along with any relevant sub folders. (see section on content originating from MS Word)
		The flyer file is opened up in FP for editing
		The registration form portion of the flyer is deleted.
		A link is put in place of the removed registration form. The wording on the link can be as simple as "Entry Form". Preferably in large font, bold and Red or Blue.
		For adult events, the link will generally go to the generic entry form, no edits needed on that form
		For Scholastic events, you will generally copy a previously done entry form and save it with the other files for the event.
		For Scholastics you will then edit the entry form and make the following changes:
			Change the Title area information: Name, date, etc
			Change the sections information as needed. You should always keep the ask for current grade line.
		Be careful not to adjust the width of the columns on the entry form page. With 1/2 inch margins all the way around, a maximum Table width property of 720 pixels will usually insure that the lines will not wrap or be cut off when printed out.
		As a web master or creator of content for the web, you should ALWAYS test the final result as a user would. Set your margins to 1/2 inch all the way around for your browser print settings and Navigate to the actual page and print it out from your browser.

When content comes from an original file done in MS Word.
	Only link to .HTM files. Do not link to Word or .RTF files
	You may offer PDF files as an alternative to an existing HTM but alway note with the link it is a PDF. We don't want people to panic if odd things happen when the click on the PDF. At least we will have warned them that it was something different.
	If the .HTM file was made from MS Word you should be aware of the following.
		If there are any Graphics on the page, Word will make a sub-folder and put all graphics in the folder.
		If you have any headers or footers, you will also get a sub-folder
		If there is a sub-folder you should ALWAYS post the sub-folder too, even if you don't have graphics or other things.
		Currently, Word always mistakenly makes a reference to a file in the sub-folder with the extension .MSO but doesn't put a file in there with that extension. This will always cause Link Check programs to flag the page you posted as having a broken link.
		If you want to try and post a page that came from Word so that it will not have any link problems, you may take the following steps. These are the steps that the Web members who try to clear link errors take to cure the Word problems
			The steps are for FP 2002. FP200 may be slightly different bt the ideas are the same
			Open the .HTM file you posted.
			Right click on the page and go to Page Properties.
			Go to the Custom Tab
			Find the user defined variables
			Delete the variable that says something like "MicroSoft Word x". This step does several things. In particular, if you didn't have graphics it will eliminate the reference to the sub-folder file that ends with .xml and allow you not to have the sub-folder, since it is empty. This is less clutter.
			To eliminate broken links to the .MSO file, go into the HTML view on the page being edited.
			Go to the top of the page. Near the top you will find some html code that looks similar to the following. <link rel=Edit-Time-Data href="./The_name_of_the_file_were_working_on_files/editdata.mso">
			Remove this line of code starting with the <link and ending with the > as shown above. Note, the above may span more than one line on your screen.

Background Themes
	Unless there is a strong reason to do so, DO NOT use custom background images or a theme that is different from that of the entire web or sub-web you are in.
	By using the web theme, the color system, headings and formating are made consistant for all pages. Every page that is not using the default theme, will have to be edited by hand later to allow them to pick up the web theme, even if they are set to be the same as the web theme. Once the default is changed, it can only be restored by manually editing the pages.
	To restore a page to use the default theme, the following steps must be taken
		The steps are for FP 2002. FP200 may be slightly different bt the ideas are the same
		Open the .HTM file you posted.
		Right click on the page and go to Page Properties.
		Go to the Custom Tab
		Find the user defined variables
		Delete the variable that has any mention of a "Theme"
	Over time, custom backgrounds, unless kept in close proximity with the file, are likely to be removed from the site as supposedly unused files. This will cause pages that used the theme to be rendered with a white background, probably, and it will certainly cause Link Check programs to flag the pages as having broken pages. Each page would then have to be manually edited to remove the bad links.

Navigation Buttons or other common elements
	One of the significant benefits of using Front Page and part of the reason we pay more to find a provider that supports Front Page is the ability of FP to use "include" files.
	An included file, also sometimes called included pages, is that items such as navigation buttons can be put onto one page on the site. That page can then be "included" on any number of other pages on the site. The beauty of this is that when a change needs to be made to something on the include page, you edit that one page and the change becomes instantly available everywhere the page was "included".
	Using include pages allow a uniform appearance throughout the web site.
	You should use Included pages whenever you can.