00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page i Building a Web Site FOR DUMmIES‰ 2ND EDITION by David A. Crowder 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page iv 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page i Building a Web Site FOR DUMmIES‰ 2ND EDITION by David A. Crowder 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page ii Building a Web Site For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Copyright © 2004 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permis- sion of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, e-mail: [email protected]. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Copyright © 1995-2003. Macromedia, Inc. 600 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 USA. All Rights Reserved. Macromedia, FreeHand, ColdFusion, Flash, Fireworks, and Dreamweaver are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macromedia, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004102595 ISBN: 0-7645-7144-3 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2O/ST/QX/QU/IN 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page iii About the Author David A. Crowder has authored or coauthored more than 20 books on sub- jects ranging from computers to historical mysteries, including popular best- sellers such as Building a Web Site For Dummies and CliffsNotes Getting on the Internet. He was selling hypertext systems back in the days when you had to explain to people what the word meant. He has been involved in the online community since its inception and is the recipient of several awards for his work, including NetGuide Magazine’s Gold Site Award. He is the son of a teacher and a college president, and his dedication to spreading knowledge, especially about the computer revolution, goes beyond his writing. He also founded three Internet mailing lists (discussion groups), JavaScript Talk, Java Talk, and Delphi Talk, all of which were sold to Ziff-Davis. One of his most treasured memories is the message he received from an old- timer on one of those lists who said that he had never seen such a free and open exchange of information since the days when computers were built by hobbyists in home workshops. When he is not writing, he spends his time with his wife Angela, wandering through villages in the Andes or frolicking in the Caribbean surf. 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page iv 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page v Dedication For Angela. Eres mi sol, nena, eres mi luna. Author’s Acknowledgments Thanks are due to Steven Hayes, Kevin Kirschner, Kim Darosett, and Jim Kelly, my fine editors, who were there for me every step of the way. Sometimes the relationship between writers and editors is smooth as silk, and sometimes it’s tempestuous, but it always results in a better book through the give-and- take of the writing/editing process, and I am grateful for the critiques and contributions of all the members of the Wiley team. I also leaned heavily on the expertise of Laura Moss, my permissions editor, who helped me put together all the marvelous material on the CD-ROM that accompanies this book. All helped to make this the best book we could all put together for you. And they’re just the tip of the iceberg: About a zillion people work their tails off anonymously and behind the scenes at Wiley to bring you the finest books they can possibly produce. My hat is off to all of them, from the top editors to the humblest laborer on the loading dock. Last, but by no means least, I’d like to say how much I appreciate all the hard work done by my literary agent, Robert G. Diforio, without whose help I would be lost in the intricacies of the publishing world. 00a_571443ffirs.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Production Media Development Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez Project Editor: Kevin Kirschner Layout and Graphics: Amanda Carter, Acquisitions Editor: Steve Hayes Andrea Dahl, Lauren Goddard, Senior Copy Editor: Kim Darosett Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper, Lynsey Osborn, Heather Ryan, Technical Editor: Jim Kelly Julie Trippetti Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner Proofreaders: Andy Hollandbeck, Carl Pierce, Permissions Editor: Laura Moss Brian H. Walls, TECHBOOKS Production Services Media Development Specialist: Angela Denny Indexer: TECHBOOKS Production Services Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle Media Development Supervisor: Richard Graves Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Editorial Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 00b_571443ftoc.qxd 7/1/04 8:27 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Introduction .................................................................1 Part I: Moving from Web Page to Web Site......................7 Chapter 1: The Zen of Sites ................................................................................................9 Chapter 2: Pouring the Foundation.................................................................................15 Chapter 3: Web Page Construction 101 ..........................................................................23 Chapter 4: Designing for Site Navigation........................................................................51 Part II: Adding Sparkle to Your Site..............................73 Chapter 5: Making Your Site Look Great.........................................................................75 Chapter 6: Plugging In Scripts and Applets....................................................................93 Chapter 7: Web Sights and Sounds................................................................................107 Chapter 8: Web Aerobics: Tuning Up Your Site ...........................................................121 Part III: Good Content Makes Contented Visitors..........133 Chapter 9: Letting ’Em Have Their Say .........................................................................135 Chapter 10: Just Plain Fun ..............................................................................................155 Chapter 11: Using Content Providers............................................................................179