Operation Manual
Starting from Scratch 59
We’ll assume that by now, you’ve worked through the Wizard-based
examples in the preceding chapters and have a preliminary knowledge
of WebPlus tools and techniques—although probably not too much
hands-on experience. You’ve seen that there are lots of ways to
customize the Wizard-based publications, and that approach may suit
your needs perfectly.
But don’t forget that besides offering a variety of Web Wizards,
WebPlus gives you the option of starting from scratch and composing
each page just as you want it. You may decide to take a hybrid
approach: study the Wizard layouts, learn from them, and then apply
what you’ve learned to a brand-new site of your own design.
If you’d like to start from scratch, here are the steps:
Y From the Startup Wizard, select the 6WDUWIURP6FUDWFK option.
From within the program, choose 1HZ from the File menu or
click the
1HZ button on the top toolbar. The new publication
will open with a blank page, and you’ll see the Page Setup dialog.
Y Select a page size (either Standard or Wide), or define a custom
size by entering new values for Width and/or Height. Then click
2..
Obviously, there’s no single formula for coming up with a successful
Web site. It may help to have a plan of attack, however, so the
following sections provide a brief outline of the process, along with
some suggestions to guide your efforts.
Step 1: Design
It probably goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that before
starting a site from scratch, you should have mapped out on paper
exactly how many pages you’ll need, what the basic composition will
look like, and how the pages will be linked together.
Unlike a magazine or newsletter, a Web site doesn’t depend on a linear
page sequence. It makes more sense to think of your site in spatial
terms, like a house that people will explore. You can generally assume
that visitors will come in through the front door (the Home page)—but
where they go after that depends on the links you’ve provided. These
are the corridors that connect the various rooms (sections) of the site.
Each room might have a few side doors, but don’t let the visitors get
lost! Graphic aids like a navigation bar, or clear labeling and/or color-
coding for the various sections of the site, can help immeasurably, but
only if you include them in your design scheme.