Publishing Web Pages
Publishing files (including web pages) on the internet
Publishing a web page is easy -- just put a file into your personal web space provided by NCF and that's it -- the file will then be visible to the internet.
Your web space is at http://web.ncf.ca/accountID, where accountID is replaced by your NCF accountID, or, if you have an email alias, you can use it too. For example, if your accountID is ab123 and your email alias is 'fred', then your web space would be at:
http://web.ncf.ca/ab123
or (goes to the same place)
http://web.ncf.ca/fred
The process of transferring a file from your computer to your web space (on NCF's computer) is called uploading.
A file is a 'web page' if it contains text formated in HTML, which is intended to be rendered (displayed) by web browsers. HTML is just plain text, but the text conforms to the rules of HTML. HTML files are named with an extension of '.html' or '.htm' so that browsers know they contain HTML.
Default HTML page
URLs specify directories and, optionally, file names. For example, if a file abc.html were in the web space of ab123, the URL would be:
http://web.ncf.ca/ab123/abc.html
If a file is not specified, eg.,
http://web.ncf.ca/ab123
by default, browsers will look for a file named 'index.html' (or 'index.htm'). If they find such a file, they will load it. If not, they will display a list of the files in the directory.
So typically people create a file 'index.html' to be their main 'home page'.
How to upload files
There are many ways to upload files, including:
NCF's Web File Namager
We suggest using NCF's "Web File Manager" (because it requires no set-up) to upload your files. Go to the StartPage and click on 'Web File Manager' under 'Tools' in teh right column. It's kind of basic, but you'll see simple tools for uploading files. There's an FAQ link on its page that explains how it works.
Web File Manager cannot tranfer files larger than 2MB. For large files, use FTP.
Using FTP
If you are using an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program, use the following settings:
- Host Name/Address: ftp.ncf.ca
- User ID: accountID-1 (that's your NCF account ID followed by 'dash one'), e.g. ab123-1
About HTML files
There are many guides on the internet and in bookstores and libraries the help with learning HTML. A simple way to get started is to use NCF's Web File Manager to create a HTML template file. Do this:
- Start NCF's Web File Manager
- Create a new file called anything.html
- Click the 'edit' link for that file
Because the file is named with an extension of '.hmtl' and is empty, Web File Manager will open with template text of a basic HTML file, which you can modify (or discard).
HTML is just text, so any plain text editor can be used. There are also many software packages to automate the task. If you have a complex web site with many components, these tools can be helpful. Otherwise, a text editor is usually adequate.
Many office tools can produce output in HTML format that aims to produce web pages that appear identical or similar to their native output formats. Thus an easy way to prepare web pages is to simply 'save as HTML' in office tools that support that.
Organziational Accounts at NCF
To transfer files to your organization web space, use the following settings on your FTP program:
- Host Name/Address: ftp.ncf.ca
- User ID: accountID-n ('n' is a letter code assigned to the
organization, usually the first letter of the directory name)
Your web site is at
http://yourOrg.ncf.ca
Tools for web page authors
NCF's "comment-taker" utility provides a way for readers of your web page to send you email without you having to expose your email address to spammers. Have a look at the [/ncf/support/faqMaker.jsp?faq=7 Comment-Taker FAQ] for more information.
How much space do I get?
There is no limit on the size of your web space as long as there is enough space for everybody. If space becomes an issue, we will contact the people who use the most space.