Step Twelve: Proof Your Page
So now you've created a page and saved it in a file. But how does it look in a Web browser? There's a simple way to find out!
- Start your Web browser. You don't have to go online—you'll be using it to view the file on your local hard disk.
- Drag your text file icon into the browser window. The browser opens and displays your page.
If you're happy with your page, then you're ready to publish it to the Web. But if you're like most people, you'll want to make some changes. To make changes:
- Open your text file, the file that contains your HTML page.
- Make the changes you want
- Save the file. Remember, if you don't save the file you won't see your changes.
- Go to your Web browser, which is still open to your page, and click on the Reload button. The browser displays the page again, with the changes you've made.
- Repeat this process of editing your HTML text file and viewing it in your browser until you are happy with the results. Then, you're ready to publish it!
Step Thirteen: Publish Your Page
You've created a page and saved it and tested it. Now you want the world to see it. To do this, you have to place the file on a public Web server, where other people can visit it.
The exact process for doing this will depend upon your ISP or IPP. Typically, you'll receive the name of a directory on your ISP's server. Then, you'll use an FTP program to put the file in place. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocal and is the way you move files to or from a Web server. Your ISP/IPP can tell you which program is best for you to use.
Once you've placed the file on the public Web server, anyone, anywhere, can type in your URL and read your words. Which is, well, pretty cool.