Making A Web Site Using Free Software

Posted by Lucas Heijn

August 5, 2008

Making a website is not as difficult as many people think. Today you are able to download free software that makes it possible for anyone that wants to, to create a Web Site.

There was a time that you would need to know HTML to build a web site. Today you don?t need to have any knowledge of HTML and you will still be able to build a great looking site. Having some knowledge of HTML can be an advantage, but without it you will still be able to create that site.

You don?t even need to get expensive software to do it. There is open source software available. Open source software is created by programmers all around the world who work together to produce software that anyone can use. Is software often rivals the paid versions of similar software. In other words. Because it is free does not mean it is cheap rubbish.

This free software is called NVU (Pronounced N-View) Just search Google for NVU and choose which download you need. Linux, Windows, or Mac.

Using NVU

NVU like all easy to use HTML editors is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). When you first open the program it looks much like any word processor program. But there are significant differences.

One of the main problems you face is how to place text and images where you want them. Like all things they are easy once you know how. In this article we are going to concentrate on how to put things where you want them to appear.

Even though the screen looks much the same as a word processor, and many of the tools have the same or similar functions. There are differences. The main one is how to place objects where you want them to appear.

How do you place text and images just where you want them to be? The key to this is tables. The use of tables allows you to put anything just where you want them. If you need to place text next to an image, all you need to do is create a table with 2 columns. In one column you place the image and in the other you place the text.

You can also create tables inside tables. You are able to specify the width of the table in pixels or in percent. You can then center the table or have it locked to the right or the left. Creating a table inside a table will allow you have a box with its own content. Each table can have its own background color.

You can look at tables as the building blocks of the web page. These building blocks will allow you to set out your page to look as you want it to. Many of these blocks need to be invisible so that only the objects are seen and not what holds them there. You can do this by specifying the border as zero. This will mean that you table will not be seen.

Once you understand how tables work in a HTML program the rest will fall into place as you experiment with it.

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