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Teacher's Net

Lesson 8: The Virtual Classroom, Part Two

Selecting a Host and Uploading Your Site

Step One: Select a Host

Originally, I had considered offering a discussion of the different types of hosts that are available... but, sincerely, it goes far beyond the scope of this course. To dig into the difference between FTP transfer and FrontPage loading, or online upload... it would take a full lesson, which we don't have.

What I've decided on is a brief discussion of one type of host, which you're likely to find useful in your first stages of website building, and which generally offer good free services. This type of host offers online upload, which is basically a form that allows you to select the files you're going to upload right from your web browser and then... you're online.

Of this type of host, I can personally recommend one strongly: Dazzled.com offers completely free web hosting of 100 MB. It also offers a very easy-to-use interface for uploading your pages, and is the one that I'm going to be using in all of my examples from here on out. If you choose a different host, such as tripod.com or lycos.com, the same steps apply but you may have to search for where those steps are located.

Whatever your decision, you need to set up an account and receive the account password before you can continue with this lesson; do so now. The URL for dazzled is http://www.dazzled.com/ - and, just to forestall any questions along this vein, I do not receive anything from recommending this site other than the reassurance that there will be fewer problems for you, and thus fewer questions for me to investigate as you begin uploading.

Step Two: Defining Site Structure

If you have left all of the folders alone within the html folder, meaning that you have a bunch of html documents and the one img folder, this step is going to be much easier.

What you need to do is jot down the names - spelled exactly as they are in the html folder - of every folder that resides inside your html folder. Use this list to define the site structure within the dazzled.com interface, as follows:

When you log in to your account, you will hit a page that is headed by the cell "File Manager", which contains information on how much space you're using on your account and offers you a jump menu for "directory to enter". Leave this menu at its default, "Base Directory" and hit the "Go" button.
You should now have a page that lists several options, including a view of your (now empty) contents of the base directory. The Base Directory works the same way that your html folder does - it holds all of the contents that the html folder holds. So your first step is to create all of the contents, right? Right, continue.
The first section in your list is headed "Account Name [ Name here ] Current Directory: Base Directory". The second option in this section is headed "Create a new folder in the current directory". This is where your list comes in. Within the text field in this option, type the name of one of your folders. So, if the only folder you have inside the html folder is the img folder, just type "img" (without the quotes) and hit "Create New". Since you don't have any other folders inside the html folder, in this case, you're done. If you do have other folders inside the html folder, though, go down your list and create each of the folders you have in the same fashion that you just did.

Step Three: Upload Your Files

OK - we're nearly done! Beginning in your Base Directory, remembering that this is the same as your html folder, begin uploading files.

The last section in your list is headed "File Uploads- Upload files from your hard drive to the current directory". There are five fields listed below this. Click the browse button and go to the html folder of your website. Find the first html file (probably contact.html) and choose "Open". Follow this same process, going down the line of html files, until you've filled all five fields. Then click "Upload these Files".
Depending on the speed of your internet connection, this can take a little while. Don't worry about the time it takes, just wait.
When the files are done uploading, you will receive a confirmation page which lists the success of each file uploaded, and asks if you want to "Upload More Files" or "Return to Base Directory". If you still have more files in the main html folder, not the folders inside it, then click "Upload More Files" and follow the same process we just did -clicking Browse, etc.- to upload the rest of your files. Otherwise, choose "Return to Base Directory" and go to the next step.
The second section in your Base Directory list is headed "Folders residing in the directory: Base Directory". Beneath this is a list of the folders you've created - img, for instance. We now get to upload all of our images! Click the radio button beside the img folder, and click the button "Go to dir.". Within this new page, you'll see the same five upload fields with the "Browse" button. Once again, go through the process of selecting and uploading all of the files, this time the files that are inside your img folder.
If you have folders other than the img folder, go back to the Base Directory and follow this process to upload the files inside those folders.

Step Four: Preview Your Site

When you've uploaded all of your files, it's time to preview your site and make sure that everything is there and working. To do this, locate the "Home" link at the top of your page - it's on every page of your directory - and click it. You will return to the page you receive after log-in.

Under "File Manager" is the text "Your Url:" and the link to your url. This is the web address to your wesbite, which you will want to give to students and parents for using the site. Click this link and take a look at what amazing work you've done!

Step Five: Fixing Things

If you receive any boxes with little red "x"s in them, this is a sign that you have not uploaded one of your graphics needed. Try to locate which graphic is missing and upload it in the img folder.

If any links are broken or simply not working, open your html document in Word and right-click the link, choose "Edit Link". Make sure that the link is directed properly, beginning with "http://". Then upload that html document in your Base Directory again.

*Note*: This is the same process that you will use every time that you update your website. Any new graphics that you add need to be uploaded via the interface to your img folder, and every time that you update a page, you need to upload that page via the interface to your Base Directory. You do not need to upload anything that isn't new - if you haven't changed a page, don't upload it. If you already have a graphic uploaded, you don't need to upload it again unless you change it.