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HTML Assistant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
================================================
Prepared by Howard Harawitz (harawitz@fox.nstn.ns.ca)
Revised August 17, 1994
This FAQ can be obtained
via anonymous FTP at:
ftp.cs.dal.ca /htmlasst/htmlafaq.txt
This FAQ is also available as a WWW page with links for
downloading the HTML Assistant software.
The URL is:
http://cs.dal.ca/ftp/htmlasst/htmlafaq.html
Note: This document is under development
========================================================
What is HTML Assistant?
HTML Assistant is a hypertext editor for creating and
editing documents used on the World Wide Web.
In addition to its editing facilities, HTML Assistant incorporates
features which can help you to organize and keep track of the
Internet resources that you use.
It runs under MS Windows so you need to have Windows on your
system in order to use it.
The HTML documents created with HTML Assistant can be displayed on
any computer for which browser software exists including IBM PC
compatibles, Apple Macintosh, UNIX and simple terminal based
systems.
===============================================================
How can I get a copy of HTML Assistant?
HTML Assistant is available via anonymous FTP as freeware. No fees
or registration of any kind are required. The author holds the
copyright, but the software may be freely used and distributed.
Distribution must include all the files in the program file set
(htmlasst.zip).
The current release is version 1.0A.
A beta release of a forthcoming version may also be available
(check the 'readme.1st' file at our site).
The FTP site for HTML Assistant is:
ftp.cs.dal.ca
The directory containing the files is /htmlasst/
Look at the short readme.1st file to see what files you need.
========================================================
How can I learn more about HTML and the World Wide Web?
As with all things related to the WWW you can find what you need
on the Web.
This is the URL for the "HTML Assistant Newsletter" page on
learning about the Web and HTML:
"http://cs.dal.ca/ftp/htmlasst/lernhtml.html"
The HTML is:
<a href="http://cs.dal.ca/ftp/htmlasst/lernhtml.html"> Click here
to learn more about HTML and the WWW</a>
Copy the HTML to a text Window in HTML Assistant, save the text as
a '.htm' file, and 'Test' it with Cello, Mosaic or any other
browser.
Once the document is displayed, simply point and click to bring up
the information you want.
One of the best sources of information about HTML is the 'Help'
file that comes with the MS Windows browser, "Cello" (see below
for Cello's FTP site).
The commercial version of HTML Assistant includes a "Beginners
Guide to HTML."
==================================================================
How is HTML Assistant supported?
The primary support for HTML Assistant will be by means of an
electronic publication called "HTML Assistant Newsletter". This
will be forwarded, "semi-irregularly", to subscribers by Email.
The introductory issue was distributed in June, 1994.
To subscribe send Email to harawitz@fox.nstn.ns.ca. In the
'SUBJECT:' field include the words "subscribe HTML assistant news"
(quotes are not necessary). Optionally, you may include comments
or suggestions in the text part of the message.
If you have questions about or problems with the HTML Assistant
software you can send Email to the author, Howard Harawitz, at the
same address.
==================================================================
Why is it called HTML Assistant?
World Wide Web browsers (Cello and Mosaic are examples of browsers
that work with MS Windows) use hypertext to access and display
information available on the World Wide Web. Hypertext is text
that incorporates pointers to additional information. Microsoft
Windows "Help" files are examples of hypertext documents.
The hypertext documents used by World Wide Web browsers are
ordinary text files that include special markings that tell the
browser software something about how the text should appear to the
user, as well as how to retrieve information when the user
requests it.
The language, or code, used for these special markings is
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).
While HTML markings could be added to any text file using a simple
editor like "Notepad" which comes with MS Windows, the process is
tedious and time consuming. Also, it is difficult to see how the
documents you create will actually look when displayed by a
browser.
HTML Assistant provides, along with a text editor, special tools
and functions that 'assist' in the process of creating HTML text
files by letting the computer handle most of the repetitive and
time consuming tasks.
HTML Assistant also permits you to use WWW browsers to view your
documents, while you are working on them, without leaving the
editor.
HTML Assistant incorporates the following features to make the
work of creating HTML text documents easier:
1) Point and click creation of HTML Hypertext markings
2) Ability to test your work with a WWW browser at the click of a
button. You can quickly and easily view the documents you are
working on to see how they will look when actually displayed by
browsers. Both Cello and Mosaic (V 2.1 and later) work with HTML
Assistant. HTML assistant can take advantage of Cello's DDE
(Dynamic Data Exchange) capability so that testing your work with
Cello is almost seamless. 'Point and click' selection makes it
easy to switch between browsers. As other browsers become
available they can be used as well.
3) A user defined toolbox enables you easily to include new markup
text as more features are added to HTML. You can also create your
own markings for special editing tasks.
4) Facilities for extracting, organizing and combining URLs
(pointers to information -- see below) from different sources.
5) A multiple document interface (more than one file may be opened
at one time) so you can easily cut and paste between documents.
6) Context sensitive 'Help'
==============================================================
What are URLs?
URLs, or Uniform Resource Locators, are the pointers to
information that can be accessed by browsers. URLs enable a
single browser program to incorporate many of the functions that
normally require several other software packages including FTP,
news, Email and gopher.
For example, the URL "ftp://ftp.cs.dal.ca/htmlasst/htmlasst.zip"
could be used in an HTML document to enable a browser to retrieve
the 'HTML Assistant' program files from an FTP site.
Continuing with the example, the HTML text that would permit a
user to retrieve the HTML Assistant files might look something
like this:
<a href = "ftp://ftp.cs.dal.ca/htmlasst/htmlasst.zip">Retrieve
HTML Assistant program files</a>
When the HTML was displayed by a browser, the user would see only
the text "Retrieve HTML Assistant program files". The text would
be highlighted in some way (i.e., underlined, boxed, or in a
different color than normal text) to indicate that it was 'linked'
to the URL and that the user could 'click' on it to download the
binary file "htmlasst.zip".
===============================================================
How does HTML Assistant make it easier to work with URLs?
HTML Assistant minimizes typing and makes it easy to
systematically collect and organize URLs.
URLs can be somewhat laborious to type. It requires even more
typing to add the HTML code that makes the information pointed to
by the URL accessible to a user.
With HTML Assistant, URLs need to be typed only once and sometimes
not at all. URLs created in HTML Assistant can be saved to files
and can be quickly retrieved for point and click insertion into
any document.
URLs saved by browsers such as Cello (in Bookmark files) or Mosaic
(in its menus and its 'Hotlist') can be automatically copied and
converted to HTML Assistant URL files for easy insertion into your
own documents.
HTML Assistant simplifies the task of organizing information you
collect. Files of collected URLs can be automatically converted
to HTML text with a few mouse clicks. This enables you to quickly
create your own browser pages of links organized by subject, date
or in whatever way suits you. You can build your own information
system based on a hierarchy of menus kept on WWW browser pages
stored on your hard drive or on an HTML server.
==================================================================
Where can I find MS Windows browsers for viewing HTML files?
"Cello" is available at ftp.law.cornell.edu in the directory
/pub/LII/Cello/.
"Mosaic" is available at ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in the directory
/pc/mosaic/.
==================================================================
What is "HTML Assistant Pro"?
Two versions of HTML Assistant are available. The free version,
called "HTML Assistant" is described in this document. It is a
full working version with all the features described above. It
will continue to be freely available and new versions will be
released from time to time.
"HTML Assistant Pro" is a commercially available version of HTML
Assistant.
It has additional features including an automatic HTML page
creator (pages can be created quickly with minimal knowledge of
HTML).
The "Pro" version provides formatting filters that make it easy to
create readable documents from HTML files.
"HTML Assistant Pro" has timesaving html, url and general file search features.
It comes with a printed manual, our "Beginners' Guide to HTML", and a step-by-step tutorial for creating an HTML page.
"HTML Assistant Pro" is fully supported and will keep up with
changes in Windows versions, HTML, browsers, etc.
For more information, Email to harawitz@fox.nstn.ns.ca.
=================================================================