Information Competency Gavilan College Spring 2006
Module 7
Contribute Continued
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Contribute Continued

So you've created a basic webpage from scratch in Module 6. Now let's add to our Contribute bag of tricks.

In this module we'll explore

  1. Cloning webpages to be able to set up a style we want to use in a website.
  2. Creating webpages from a starter webpage.
  3. Adding color and borders to our page and tables.
  4. Modifying the alignment of text within a table and the alignment of the table on the page.
  5. Linking pages together to create a website
 

Editing an Existing Webpage

When you create a webpage from scratch like we did in Module 6, you are in the Edit mode right away. If you need to modify an existing webpage, you will need to open that page in Contribute.

To open your webpage.

  • Open Contribute.
  • Select your website from the Contribute Start Page.
  • Select the Choose button.
  • Select your webpage from the Browse box.
  • Click OK

Click the Edit button at the top of the page. This opens and locks your file. Your computer is the only one that can edit this page until you Publish it. So if you are going to work on multiple computers, try to Publish your page before you log off.

Now you can edit your webpage. Remember to Publish your page when you finish.

 

Using an Existing Webpage as a Template

To Clone a webpage.

  • Open Contribute.
  • Select your website from the Contribute Start Page.
  • Enter the url address of the page you want to clone into the address bar. ie: http://www.gavilan.edu/library
  • Click New Page.
    New Page Button.
  • Select Copy of Current Page.
  • You will now see an untitled copy of the page you wish to clone.
  • You are in the Edit mode and can start modifying the page.
When you are ready to Publish the page, click Publish. You will want to remember the naming rules from Module 6. Publish: Module 6.


Creating a New Page from a Starter Web Page

Contribute has provided several styles of starter web pages that you can choose from.

To create a new page from a Contribute starter web page.

  • Open Contribute.
  • Click New Page.
    New Page Button.
  • Select Starter Web Page. Keep selecting directories and web pages until you find one you want to use. You will see what the web pages look like in the Preview box on the right side of the box.
  • You will now see an untitled copy of the page you wish to modify.
  • You are in the Edit mode and can start modifying the page.
When using a Starter Web Page remember you can delete elements you don't want to use. You can also add elements using the toolbar icons. You can substitute images.
Have Fun!
When you are ready to Publish the page, click Publish. You will want to remember the naming rules from Module 6. Publish: Module 6.
Adding Color and Borders

To add a background color to your page.

  • Open your webpage.
  • Click Edit.
  • Select the Page Properties icon from the toolbar
    Page Properties toolbar icon.
  • In the Page Properties dialog box you can select a default font for your page, you can set a default size for your font and you can select a Background color for your page.
    Page Properties Appearance Dialog Box.
  • Click on the box next to Background color.
    Select Color Dialog Box.
  • Select the color you want to use and click Apply to see what it will look like. When you have settled on your background color, click OK.

To set a color border for your table. When using colors in a table you will probably want to set the Border thickness to 3 or 5. Try different settings to see what you like.

  • Place your cursor in the table you want to modify, right click your mouse and select Table Properties.
    OR
  • Select the table
    • Place your cursor near the upper left corner of the table until you see the crossed arrows.
    • Click to select the table.
    • Select Table from the menu.
    • Select Table Properties.
  • Click on the box next to Border color.
    Table Properties Dialog Box.
  • Select the color you want to use and click Apply to see what it will look like. When you have settled on your border color, click OK.
  • It will look like this.
    Table with a Border Color.

To set a background color for a table.

  • Place your cursor in the table you want to modify, right click your mouse and select Table Properties.
    OR
  • Select the table
    • Place your cursor near the upper left corner of the table until you see the crossed arrows.
    • Click to select the table.
    • Select Table from the menu.
    • Select Table Properties.
  • Click on the box next to Background color.
  • Select the color you want to use and click Apply to see what it will look like. When you have settled on your border color, click OK.
  • It will look like this.
    Table with Border Color and Background Color.

You can also set a color for cell or all the cells.

  • Select one or more cells in which you want to set a color.
  • Place your cursor in one of the cells and right click, select Table Cell Properties.
    OR
  • Select Format from the menu, select Table Properties, select Row and Column.
    Table Cell Properties Dialog Box.
  • Click in the box next to Background color.
  • Select the color you want to use and click Apply to see what it will look like. When you have settled on your border color, click OK.
  • It will look like this.
    Table with Border Color, Background Color and Cell Color.

Modifying Tables Using Alignment

To set the alignment of a table.

  • Select the table
    • Place your cursor near the upper left corner of the table until you see the crossed arrows.
    • Click to select the table.
  • Click the Alignment icon you want to use in the toolbar. Try centering the table on the page.
    Alignment toolbar icons.

To modify the text alignment within a table.

  • Select the cell(s) in which you want to modify the alignment of the text.
  • Place your cursor in one of the cells, right click and select Table Cell Properties.
    OR
    Select Format from the menu, select Table Properties, select the Cell tab.
    Table Cell Properties
  • Use the dropdown box next to Horizontal alignment to set the alignment to right, center or left align the text within the cell.
  • Use the dropdown box next to Vertical alignment to set the alignment of the text to top, middle or bottom of the cell.

More About Web Page Links

You did a basic link to an external page in Module 6. You can also add links to your own website or to your  documents.

To add a link to an image.

  • Click the image
  • Select the Link icon from the toolbar.
    Link toolbar icon.
  • Follow the instructions below for the type of link you want to use.

To add a link to text.

  • Highlight the text you want to be the link
  • Select the Link icon from the toolbar.
    Link toolbar icon.
  • Follow the instructions below for the type of link you want to use.

There are three basic kinds of links we use in Contribute.

After you select the Link icon:

  • to link to an external web page, select Browse to Web Page. Enter the url address of the page you want to link in the Web address box. ie: http://www.gavilan.edu/library
    Example of web address box.
  • to link to another page in your website, select Drafts and Recent Pages. Select the page you want to link from the Select a page to link to box OR enter the url address in the HREF box.

  • to link to a document. ie: word document, powerpoint file, or pdf document. Select File on My Computer. Browse to the document to which you want to link. This uploads the document to your website when you publish the webpage.


If you want credit for this module:

Create a webpage with a background color, include a table with at least one color and two types of text alignment. Include links to an external page, at least one page on your website and a document.

 

Address of this page:
http://gavilan.edu/tlc/ic/contribute1.html
For questions or comments, contact Jo Anne Howell at
jhowell@gavilan.edu
Last updated on 09/24/2006

 

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