Word as Web Editor

 

There are two key issues when using Microsoft Word as a Web Editor.

  1. Before beginning your project, create a folder on your hard drive and store EVERYTHING (pictures, sounds, files, clips, background textures--EVERYTHING) in that folder. If you do this, when you move your web pages, all the necessary information to be moved will be in a single file folder.  Word will create folders each time it saves as a web page.  These folders will also be in the folder you created.  So you will transport everything when you zip your folder to upload it to a server.
  2. When you begin your web page, open a new document in Word and immediately save it as a web page.  If it is your homepage, save it as index.htm.  Every time you start a new document, first save it as a webpage and name it with the .htm extension.  File | Save as Web Page

 

If you follow these two key tips, you will be successful in creating web ready pages using Microsoft Word

 

Word has a Web Wizard to help you.  It will help you to quickly create pages ready for the Internet with preset layouts and graphics.  Simply run the Wizard and your pages are done.

 

If you want more control over the page you can start from scratch and avoid the wizard.  This way you create the page and add only those elements you want, not those that comprise a total theme.  When working on a web format document, view the page in web layout by selecting View | Web Layout from the menu bar.  Enter text and insert graphics just as you would in a normal Word document.

 

Hyperlinks

A hyperlink connects two web pages on the Internet, two files, or a bookmarked location further down the page.  Hyperlinks can be produced from text or graphics but they must have some anchor from which the linked page is activated.  To create links to other web sites and to pages within your website, follow these directions:

 

 

Periodically select the File | Save as Web Page from the menu bar to avoid loosing your work.  Remember this was the first thing you wanted to do when you started so that your page already has a name and is located in the folder we created.  You are simply saving periodically to avoid disasters. 

 

Creating a Web Page from a Template

 

Word features several layout templates that you can add to your content.  To create from a template

 

Web Page Themes

You can use the themes from the wizard in creating any web page.  To add a theme to a blank page or existing page, select Format | Theme…from the menu bar.  Highlight the theme name to preview the look of the page.

Choose a theme from the list and click OK

The page content will remain blank unless a background image is part of the theme selected.  The style listings, default font, and bullet images have been changed to reflect the new theme.  To change the theme of the page, simply select Format | Theme and select some other theme.

 

Be sure that you Preview your page before uploading to the web.  Select File | Web Page Preview.  This opens the page in a browser so that you can actually see what it would look like on the web.

 

If you want a totally unique background, you can use any of the background textures found on the web.  Once you save the texture that you want in your folder follow the steps below:

 

IF you want to take a picture and make it into a background you can by following these steps.

 

Microsoft Word will work as an HTML Editor.  Of course, as you become familiar with HTML, you can then add new elements by entering the source code tags into the document.  In the mean time, this alternative will create web pages that look great with little or no knowledge of HTML code.