Web addresses use URLs. A URL ("uniform resource locator") has the following format:
protocol://machine[s].address.domain/or
protocol://machine[s].address.domain/folder[s]/
protocol://machine[s].address.domain:port/folder[s]/filename.extensionor
or
protocol://machine[s].address.domain:port/folder[s]/filename.extension?parameters
protocol://machine[s].address.domain/~username/
or
protocol://machine[s].address.domain:port/or
protocol:addressor
ftp://username:password@machine.address.domain/address/
(See the examples below to make this more clear.)
You must link some anchor text to a Web address by highlighting the anchor text and then use the Insert | Hyperlink command (or Ctrl+K). You must enter the URL (100% accurately) in the URL box, then press OK. You can also type a URL while working on the page in the Page View, and then hit the space bar or the Enter key -- your URL will become a hyperlink automatically. Manage hyperlinks with the appropriate Report in the Reports view.
If you don't know the URL, you can use the Create Hyperlink dialog box's "Use your Web browser to select a page or file" button (a picture of the globe with a magnifying glass), then browse for the URL in your browser. Return to FrontPage (with Alt+Tab), and your URL will be entered for you.
There is no definitive list of all of the protocols, and there's no good rule for when they use the two slashes and when they don't. Here are the common ones (including whether or not they use two slashes).
| Protocol | Meaning and Use |
|---|---|
http:// |
hypertext transfer protocol -- used for Web pages -- you'll use this one 99% of the time. |
ftp:// |
file transfer protocol -- used for FTP, transferring files (only use this if there's an ftp server that's set up for your use) |
mailto: |
mail protocol -- used with e-mail addresses |
news: |
news protocol -- used for pointing to Usenet discussion groups |
gopher:// |
gopher protocol -- the old gopher system that predated the Web and is now mostly extinct |
https:// |
secure hypertext transfer protocol -- used with Secure Socket Layers (SSL) for secure transactions, like credit card information |
telnet: |
telnet ("telephone network") protocol -- used to let you log in to a remote system (rarely used) |
Here are some sample URLs:
The following is a list of the major types of files used on the Web. Every file you include must have the correct extension; otherwise, the file will not be able to viewed correctly by your audience. (A GIF file with an extension of ".gf" or ".jpg" will not be displayed at all.)
| Extension | Meaning |
|---|---|
.html |
Text: Hypertext Markup Language |
.htm |
Text: Hypertext Markup Language (this extension is usually found on Windows machines; some Unix servers won't send this extension properly) |
.txt |
Text: Plain text, no formatting (also known as "ASCII") |
.gif |
Graphics: GIF file (Graphics Interchange Format) |
.jpg |
Graphics: JPEG file (Jury of Photographic Experts Group) |
.png |
Graphics: Portable Network Graphics file (not commonly used) |
.wav |
Sound: Microsoft Wave Sound File |
.au |
Sound: basic audio format sound file |
.aiff or .aif |
Sound: Macintosh format sound file |
.snd |
Sound: UNIX format sound file |
.mpg |
Movie: MPEG movie (or sound) (Motion Picture Experts Group) |
.qt or .mov |
Movie: QuickTime movie |
.avi |
Movie: AudioVideo Interlaced (Microsoft) format movie |