Creating Web Pages with Mozilla Composer

 

In this section:

Creating a New Page

Saving and Browsing Your New Page

 

Creating a New Page

Mozilla Composer is an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) editor that allows you to create and edit web pages. Composer is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, so you can display how your page will look to the reader as you're creating it. It is not necessary for you to know HTML, since most of the basic HTML functions are available as commands from the toolbars and menus. However, Composer also lets you edit the HTML source if you want.

To create a web page, use one of the methods described below. Once you've started a page, you can add and edit text just as you would in a word processor.

To create a new page:

To edit a page you're currently browsing in Navigator:

To start from an HTML file stored on your local drive:

  1. Open the Tasks menu and choose Composer.
  2. Open the File menu and choose Open File.
  3. On your local drive, locate the file that you want to edit.
  4. Click Open to display the specified file in a Composer window.

Tip: You can also open JavaScript files so that you can edit them in Composer.

To edit a Web page:

  1. Open the File menu and choose Open Web Location.
  2. In the Open Web Location dialog box, type the URL of the page (for example, www.netscape.com).
  3. Select New Composer Window from the "Open in" pop-up menu.
  4. Click Open to view the page in a Composer window.

    Note: Keep in mind that when you save this page, it is saved locally, on your hard drive.

Tip: In the Composer window you can quickly open the most recent file you've been working on by opening the File menu, choosing Recent Pages, and then selecting the file you want from the list.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Saving and Browsing Your New Page

You can save Composer documents in HTML and text-only format. Saving a document in HTML format preserves the document's formatting, such as text styles (for example, bold or italic), tables, links, and images. Saving a document in text-only format removes all the HTML tags but preserves the document's text.

To save a document as an HTML file:

To save a document as a text-only file:

  1. Open the File menu and choose Export to Text.
  2. Enter the filename or specify the location where you want to save the file.

Tip: Choose Revert to Last Saved from the File menu to retrieve the most recently saved copy of the document in which you're working. Keep in mind that your current changes will be lost.

To view your page in a browser window in order to test your links:

Return to beginning of section ]

 


Formatting Your Web Pages

 

In this section:

Formatting Paragraphs, Headings, and Lists

Working with Lists

Changing Text Color, Style, and Font

Removing or Discontinuing Text Styles

Finding and Replacing Text

Inserting Horizontal Lines

Inserting Special Characters

Inserting HTML Elements and Attributes

Checking the Spelling

Choosing the Right Editing Mode

 

Formatting Paragraphs, Headings, and Lists

To apply a format to a paragraph:

  1. Place the insertion point (also known as the caret) where you want the format to begin and click, or select the text you want to format.
  2. Choose a paragraph format using the drop-down menu in the Format toolbar:

To format text as a heading:

  1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the text that you want to format.
  2. Using the drop-down menu in the Format toolbar, choose the level of heading you want, from 1 (largest) to 6 (smallest). For example, choose "Heading 1" for your main heading, "Heading 2" for the next level, and so forth.

To apply a list item format:

  1. Place the insertion point in anywhere the text that you want to format.
  2. Open the Format menu and choose List.
  3. Choose the list style:

Tip: You can quickly apply a list style to text by selecting the text and clicking the Numbered List or Bulleted List buttons on the toolbar.

To change the style of bullets or numbers:

  1. Click to place the insertion point within the text of the list item you want to change, or select one or more items in the list if you want to apply a new style to the entire list.
  2. Open the Format menu and choose List Properties.
  3. Choose a bullet or number style from the pop-up menu. For numbered lists, you can specify a starting number. For bulleted lists, you can change the bullet style.

To align a paragraph or text in your page, for example, centering or aligning to the left or right:

  1. Place the insertion point in the paragraph or line of text you want to align.
  2. Open the Format menu and choose Align; then choose an alignment option. Alternatively, choose the alignment option from the Format toolbar.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Working with Lists

To end a list and continue typing body text:

  1. Place the insertion point at the end of the last list item.
  2. Press Return twice. Each time you press Return, Composer outdents one level.

To change one or more list items to body text:

  1. Place the insertion point in the list item, or select the list items.
  2. Click the numbered list or bulleted list button in the Composition toolbar. The list buttons act as a toggle.

To position indented text below a list item:

  1. Position the insertion point in the list item.
  2. Press Shift-Return to create the hanging indent.
  3. Type the text you want to indent.
  4. Press Shift-Return to create another indented paragraph, or press Return to create the next list item.

To merge two adjacent lists:

  1. Select the two lists that you want to merge. Be sure to select all of the elements in both lists. Note that any text in between the two lists will also become part of the merged list.
  2. Click the bulleted or numbered list button in the Composition toolbar.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Changing Text Color, Style, and Font

To change the style, color, or font of selected text:

  1. Select the text you want to format.
  2. Open the Format menu and choose one of the following:

Tip: To quickly change the color of text to the color last used, select the text, then press Shift + Click on the color picker. This is useful when you want to use one color for seperate lines of text.

You can also change the background color of the page, or use an image as a background. See Setting Page Colors and Backgrounds.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Removing or Discontinuing Text Styles

To remove all text styles (bold, italic, etc.) from selected text:

  1. Select the text.
  2. Open the Format menu and choose Remove All Text Styles.
  3. Continue typing.

To continue typing text with all text styles removed:

  1. Place the insertion point where you want to discontinue the text styles.
  2. Open the Format menu and choose Discontinue Text Styles.
  3. Continue typing.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Finding and Replacing Text

To find text in the page you're currently working on:

  1. Position the insertion point (also known as the caret) where you want to begin your search.
  2. Open the Edit menu and choose Find.
  3. Type the text you want to locate. To narrow the search, check one or more of the following options:
  4. Click Find Next to begin searching. When Composer locates the first occurrence of the text, click Find Next to search for the next occurrence.
  5. Click Close when you are done.

To find and replace text in the page you're currently working on:

  1. Position the insertion point (also known as the caret) where you want to begin your search.
  2. Open the Edit menu and choose Find and Replace.
  3. In the Find and Replace dialog box, type the text you want to find and then type the replacement text.
  4. To narrow the search, check one or more of the following options:
  5. Click Find Next to search for the next occurrence. Composer selects the next occurrence of the text.
  6. Click Replace to replace the selected text with the replacement text. Click Replace All to replace every occurrence in the document with the replacement text.
  7. Click Close when you are done.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Inserting Horizontal Lines

Horizontal lines are typically used to visually separate different sections of a document. To insert a horizontal line (also called a rule) in your page:

  1. Place the insertion point where you want the line to appear.
  2. Click the H. Line button on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Horizontal Line.

Setting Horizontal Line Properties

You can customize a line's height, length, width, alignment, and shading.

  1. Double-click the line to display the Horizontal Line Properties dialog box.
  2. Edit these properties:
  3. Click Save Settings to use these settings as the default the next time you insert a horizontal line.

 

Inserting Special Characters

To insert special characters such as accent marks, copyrights, or currency symbols:

  1. Place the insertion point where you want the special character to appear.
  2. Open the Insert menu and choose Characters and Symbols.
  3. Choose a category of characters.
  4. If you choose Accent Uppercase or Accent Lowercase, then open the Letter pop-up menu and choose the letter you wish to apply an accent to. (Note: not all letters have accented forms.) Choose Common Symbols for special characters such as copyright or fractions.
  5. From the Character pop-up menu, choose the character you want to insert.
  6. Click Insert.

    You can continue typing in your document (or in a mail compose window) while you keep this dialog box open, in case you want to use it again.

  7. Click Close when you are done inserting special characters.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Inserting HTML Elements and Attributes

If you understand how to work with HTML source code, you can insert additional tags, style attributes, and JavaScript into your page. If you are not sure how to work with HTML source code, it's best not to change it. To work with HTML code use one of these methods:

Using the Advanced Property Editor

To add HTML attributes and JavaScript to objects such as tables, images, and horizontal lines, you can use the Advanced Property Editor.

Note: Unless you clearly understand how to add, delete, or modify HTML attributes and their associated values, it's best not to do so.

If you are not already viewing the Advanced Property Editor dialog box, follow these steps:

  1. From the View menu (or the Edit mode toolbar), choose Show All Tags.
  2. Double-click the object that you want to modify to open its Advanced Property Editor dialog box. The Advanced Property Editor dialog box has three tabs, each of which lists the current properties for the selected object:
  3. To edit a property or attribute currently in the list, select the attribute you want to edit. You can then edit the attribute's name or value using the editable Attribute and Value fields at the bottom of the dialog box. To add new attribute, type it in the Attribute field at the bottom of the dialog box. The new attribute is automatically added when you go to the Value field. To remove an attribute, select it in the list, and click Remove Attribute.

    Note: Required attributes are highlighted in the Attribute list.

  4. Click OK to commit your changes to the Advanced Property Editor dialog box.
  5. Click OK again to exit the Properties dialog box.

Composer automatically places quotation marks around any attribute text.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Checking the Spelling

Composer always checks the spelling starting from the beginning of your document, regardless of where you place the insertion point (also known as the caret).

To check the spelling of your page:

  1. Click the Spell button on the toolbar, or open the Edit menu and choose Check Spelling.
  2. Use the Check Spelling dialog box to correct misspellings and to edit or add words to the current spelling User Dictionary. Click Close when you are done.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Choosing the Right Editing Mode

Typically, you won't need to change the editing mode from the default (Normal). However, if you want to work with the document's HTML source code, you may want to change editing modes. Composer allows you to quickly switch between four editing modes or views. Each editing mode allows you to continue working on your document, but displays varying levels of HTML tags (and tag icons).

Before you choose an editing mode:

The Edit Mode toolbar has four tabs:

Note: JavaScript functions, frames, links, and animated GIF files are not active in any of the editing modes. To display these items in their active state, click the Browse toolbar button to load the page into a browser window.

Return to beginning of section ]

 


Adding Tables to Your Web Page

 

In this section:

Inserting a Table

Changing a Table's Properties

Adding and Deleting Rows, Columns, and Cells

Selecting Table Elements

Moving, Copying, and Deleting Tables

Converting Text into a Table

 

Inserting a Table

Tables are useful for organizing text, pictures, and data into formatted rows and columns. To insert a table:

  1. Place the insertion point where you want the table to appear.
  2. Click the Table button on the toolbar, or choose Table from the Insert menu.
  3. Type the number of rows and columns you want.
  4. (Optional) Enter a size for the table width (either in pixels or as a percentage of the window).
  5. Enter a number for the border thickness (in pixels); enter zero for no border.

    Note: Composer uses a red dotted line to indicate tables with a zero border; the dotted line disappears when the page is previewed or browsed.

  6. To apply additional table attributes or JavaScript, click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
  7. Click OK to confirm your settings and view your new table.

To change additional properties for your new table, see Changing a Table's Properties.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Changing a Table's Properties

This section describes how to modify properties that apply to an entire table as well as the rows, columns, or individual cells within a table. If you are not already viewing the Table Properties dialog box, follow these steps:

  1. Select the table, or click anywhere inside it.
  2. Click the Table button on the toolbar, or open the Table menu and choose Table Properties. The Table Properties dialog box contains two tabs: Table and Cell.
  3. Click the Table tab to edit these properties:
  4. To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
  5. Click Apply to preview your changes without closing the dialog box, or click OK to confirm them. (Note that background colors won't appear until you click OK.)

To view, change, or add properties for one or more cells:

  1. Select the row, column, or cell, then open the Table menu and choose Table Properties.
  2. Click the Cells tab to edit the following properties:

    Note: To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor

  3. Click Apply to preview your changes without closing the dialog box, or click OK to confirm them.

Tip: To quickly change the text color or background color of one or more selected cells or the entire table, select the cells or click anywhere in the table and then click the text color or background color icon in the Format toolbar.

Tip: To quickly change the color of cells to the color last used, select the cell, then press Shift + Click on the background color picker. This is useful when you want to use one color for individual cells.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Adding and Deleting Rows, Columns, and Cells

Composer allows you to quickly add or delete one or more cells in your table. In addition, you can set options that allow you to maintain the original rectangular structure or layout of the table while you perform editing tasks.

To add a cell or group of cells (rows and columns) to your table:

  1. Click inside the table where you want to add a cell (or cells).
  2. Open the Table menu and then choose Insert.
  3. Choose one of the cell groupings. You can also insert a new table within a table cell.

To delete a cell, row, or column:

  1. Click a row, column, or cell to place the insertion point. Or, select neighboring cells to delete more than one row at a time. To select neighboring cells, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows and Linux) or the Command key (Macintosh) while dragging over the cells you want to select.
  2. Open the Table menu and choose Delete.
  3. Choose the item you want to delete.

To join (or merge) a cell with the cell on its right:

To join (or merge) adjacent cells:

To split a joined cell back into two or more cells:

Refer to Selecting Table Elements for information on how to select non-adjacent cells, rows, and columns.

Changing the Default Table Editing Behavior

By default, when you delete one or more cells, Composer preserves the table's structure by adding cells at the end of a row, wherever needed. This allows you to delete one or more cells but still maintain the table's original rectangular layout, or structure. Otherwise, deleting cells can result in a table with empty spaces, or whose outline appears irregular due to an uneven number of cells.

To change the default table editing behavior:

  1. Open the Edit menu, choose Preferences and then choose Composer.
  2. Set the preferences you want in the Table Editing section:
  3. Click OK.
See also Setting General Composer Preferences.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Selecting Table Elements

You can use one of two ways to quickly select a table, cell, or group of cells:

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Moving, Copying, and Deleting Tables

 

Moving the Contents of a Cell, Row, or Column

To move the contents of a cell, row, or column within a table:

  1. Select the text that you want to move. For more information, see Selecting Table Elements.
  2. From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
  3. Click to place the insertion point in the new location.
  4. From the Edit menu, choose Paste.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Converting Text into a Table

To convert text into a table:

  1. Select the text that you want to convert into a table. Keep in mind that Composer creates a new table row for each paragraph in the selection.
  2. From the Table menu, choose Create Table from Selection.
  3. Choose the character Composer uses to separate the selection into columns, or specify a different character to use.
  4. Leave "Delete separator character" checked to have Composer remove the separator character when it converts the text into a table. If you don't want Composer to delete the separator character, uncheck this option.
  5. Click OK.

Return to beginning of section ]

 


Adding Pictures (Images) to Your Web Page

 

In this section:

Inserting an Image into Your Page

Editing Image Properties

 

Inserting an Image into Your Page

You can insert GIF, JPEG, and PNG images into your web page. You can also use them to create links. When you insert an image, Composer saves a reference to the image in your page.

  1. Place the insertion point where you want the image to appear.
  2. Click the Image button on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Image.
  3. Type the location and filename of the image file, or click Choose File to search for an image file on your hard drive or network.
  4. Type alternate text that will appear in text-only browsers, and that will appear in other browsers when an image is loading or when image loading is disabled.
  5. If needed, click More Properties so you can adjust the settings in the Image Properties dialog box.

Tip: To quickly insert an image: Drag and drop it onto your page.

Tip: While typing in a paragraph that contains one or more images, if you want to insert a line break after all images in the paragraph, choose Break Below Images from the Insert menu.

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Editing Image Properties

Once you've inserted an image into your page, you can edit its properties and customize the layout in your page, such as the height, width, spacing, and text alignment. If you are not already viewing the Image Properties dialog box, follow these steps:

To edit the properties for a selected image:

  1. Double-click the image, or select it and click the Image button on the toolbar to display the Image Properties dialog box. Click More Properties to expand the list of settings. To collapse the list of settings, click Fewer Properties.
  2. To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
  3. Click OK to confirm your changes.

Return to beginning of section ]

 


Setting Page Properties

 

In this section:

Setting Page Properties and Meta Tags

Setting Page Colors and Backgrounds

 

Setting Page Properties and Meta Tags

Use the Page Properties dialog box to enter properties such as the title, author and description of the document you're currently working on. This information is useful if you plan to use the page on a web site, since search engines use this type of information to index your page. You can view this information from the browser window by choosing Page Info from the View menu.

You can edit these properties:

Return to beginning of section ]

 

Setting Page Colors and Background

You can change the background color or specify a background image for the page you're currently working on. These choices affect the way text and links in your page appear to people viewing the page through a browser.

To set the colors and background for the current page:

You can edit these properties:

  • Note: To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.

    You can also set the default page background and colors for every new page you create in Composer.

    Tip: To quickly change the background color to the color last used, select the cell, then press Shift + Click on the background color picker.

    Return to beginning of section ]

     


    Creating Links

     

    In this section:

    Creating Links Within the Same Page

    Creating Links to Other Pages

    Using Images as Links

    Removing or Discontinuing Links

     

    Creating Links Within the Same Page

    To create a link within the same page, for example a link that the reader can use to jump from one section to another, you must create an anchor (target location), and then create a link that points to the anchor. Anchors are also called named anchors.

    1. Place the insertion point at the beginning of a line where you want to create an anchor, or select some text.
    2. Click the Anchor button on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Named Anchor.
    3. Type a unique name for the anchor in the dialog box (up to 30 characters). If you include spaces, they will be converted to underscores (_).
      If you selected some text in step #1, this box already contains a name.
    4. Click OK.
      An anchor icon appears in your document to mark the anchor's location:

    To create the link that the reader can click to jump to the anchor:

    1. Select the text or image that you want to link to the anchor.
    2. Click the Link button or open the Insert menu and choose Link.
    3. To display a list of all named anchors and headings in the page, click More Properties.
    4. Use the Link Properties dialog box to choose the appropriate anchor name.
      • Select a named anchor: If you're creating a link to a named anchor (target), select from a list of the anchors currently available in the page.
      • Select a Heading: If you're creating a link to a level heading (for example, Heading 1 - Heading 6), select from a list of headings currently available in the page.
    5. Click OK.
    6. To test the link you just created, open the File menu and choose Browse Page, then click the link.
    Tip: If you did not first create named anchors, you can use the Link dialog box to create links to headings that already occur in the page.

    Return to beginning of section ]

     

    Creating Links to Other Pages

    You can create links from your page to local pages on your own computer or on your workplace's network, or to remote pages on the Internet.

    You can quickly create a link by dragging and dropping it from other windows. For example, you can select a link from a web page, bookmark, or mail and news window and drag and drop it onto your page.

    You can also use the Link Properties dialog box to create a link to another page:

    1. Place the insertion point where you want to create a link, or select the text or image that you want to link to the anchor.
    2. Click the Link button.
    3. To display a list of all named anchors and headings in the page, click More Properties.
    4. Use the Link Properties dialog box to define your link.
      • Link text: If you've already selected an image file or text before clicking the link icon, the selected text or file will be entered here. Otherwise, you must enter the text that you want to use as the link.
      • Link Location: Type the local path and filename or remote URL of the page you want to link to. If you're not sure of the path and filename or a local file, click Choose File to look for it on your hard disk or network. For remote URLs, you can copy the URL from the browser location field. Alternatively, you can select a named anchor or a heading in the current page that you want to link to.
    5. To apply additional attributes or JavaScript events, click Advanced Edit to display the Advanced Property Editor.
    6. Click OK.
    7. To test the link you just created, open the File menu and choose Browse Page, then click the link.

    Return to beginning of section ]

     

    Using Images as Links

    You can make images, pictures, and graphic files, such as JPEG, GIF, or PNG files, behave like links in your pages. When the reader clicks a linked image, the browser window displays the page that the image is linked to.

    1. Select an image on your page.
    2. Click the Link button on the toolbar, or open the Insert menu and choose Link.
    3. Use the Link Properties dialog box to link the image to a named anchor or heading within the page, or to a separate local or remote page.

    Tip: Drag and drop a linked image from the Navigator window into a Composer window to copy both the image and the link.

    Return to beginning of section ]

     

    Removing or Discontinuing Links

    To remove a link:

    1. Select the linked text (normally blue and underlined) or image.
    2. Open the Format menu and choose Remove Link.

    To discontinue a link, so that text you type after the link is not included as part of the link:

    1. Place the insertion point after a link.
    2. Open the Format menu and choose Discontinue Link.

    Return to beginning of section ]

     


    Setting Composer Preferences

     

    In this section:

    Setting General Composer Preferences

    Setting Preferences for Colors and Background Images

     

    Setting General Composer Preferences

    This section describes how to set general Composer preferences for saving files and for table editing. These settings apply to every document you create.

    If you are not already viewing the Composer preferences, follow these steps:

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences; then click the Composer category.

    You can set these defaults:

    Return to beginning of section ]

     

    Setting Preferences for Colors and Background Images

    This section describes how to set preferences for colors and background images that apply to every document you create.

    If you are not already viewing the New Page Settings, follow these steps:

    1. Open the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
    2. Open the Composer category and click New Page Settings.

    You can set these defaults:

    To change the author name for an individual page: Open the Format menu and choose Page Title and Properties.

    To change the page colors and background image for an individual page: Open the Format menu and choose Page Colors and Background.

    [ Return to beginning of section ]

     


    20 June, 2001


    Copyright 1998-2001 The Mozilla Organization.