FAQ

Getting Started with Your Own Homepage

  1. What is a home page?

    A home page is just a text file with some formatting information (called HTML for HyperText Markup Language) added. Your home page allows you to electronically publish information for others to read. Using HTML, you can include text, graphics, sound and even animation and video. A simple text editor can be used to edit HTML files, but there are also programs specifically created to help you make HTML documents. (See: Where are some helpful places on the Web for information on HTML?)

    HTML files should have a .html filename extension (i.e., they should all be named something.html) to be properly interpreted by the WWW server.

  2. Where are some helpful places on the Web for information on HTML?

    BASIC HTML TAGS

    http://www.w3schools.com/tags/default.asp

    SYMBOLS

    Many of the symbols you use are located on your keyboard, but most symbols, like "©" the copyright symbol, or "™" symbol, cannot be typed directly but must have codes for them to be reproduced. To see the table of special character symbols see:

  3. How do I get an account on the web server?

    The general-purpose web server at CSUB is CSUB.edu. You may already have an account on this system because of a class you've taken or a previous request. If you do not have an account, you will need to fill out the .

  4. Are any CSUB logos available for me to use on my pages?

    The Visual Identity Guide contains many different images around campus for use on your web page.

    There are CSUB-trademarked logos available from the Trademarks & Licensing website, subject to the restrictions and requirements contained in the site.

CSUB-Specific Procedures and Information

  1. How does a department get a home page or update an existing page?

    Contact Web Services with the name of the department, and the URL if the page already exists and the user id's of anyone who will need to be able to change the pages (please limit to three or four). Further instructions will be given after this information has been processed. This request should come from someone who represents the department or college (e.g., dean, department chair).

  2. How does a student, faculty member, or staff member get a home page?

    Individuals should create a file in their account called index.html. The directory may also contain image files, sound files, or additional HTML documents.

    Your home page can be immediately accessed as http://www.CSUB.edu/~username/ , where username is your login id. Once you have created your home page, you should send mail to the if you want it to be linked into the CSUB home page.

  3. How does a club or organization get a home page or updating their existing page?

    Contact Web Services with the name of the organization (the URL if the page already exists) and the user id's of anyone who will need to be able to change the pages (please limit to three or four). Further instructions will be given after this information has been processed. Note that the club or organization must be officially recognized in order to be listed on the Clubs and Organizations page. This request should come from someone who represents the organization (e.g., faculty sponsor, president).

  4. Are there any additional policies and procedures that I need to know about?

    You should be aware of all of the as well as Information Resource Technology Support Guidelines.

  5. Who do I contact for more information?

    First, make sure that your question or problem is not answered by this FAQ or on the Web Services pages. If your concern is with a CSUB system, contact helpdesk@csub.edu. For general information, use the newsgroups that are listed on the Computing Services home page.

    Admissions-related questions may be sent to admissions@csub.edu.

Setting Up Your Pages

  1. What are the basic UNIX commands I will need to set up my home page?

    To create the files directory, use the mkdir command. For example, type the following:

    mkdir ~/files

    Typing cd (which stands for "change directory") by itself will take you to your home directory. But if you need to get to a specific directory, type CD <directory>, and replace directory with the directory name you want to change into. For example, to change into your homepage directory, type:

    CD

    CD homepage

    You can use the mv command to move, or rename, a file:

    mv homepage.htm index.html

    The only other thing that you will have to do is to make sure that your files and directories have the correct permissions on them. (See How do I set the permissions on my pages?).

  2. How do I get my HTML files on the WWW server?

    The most common (and easiest) method will use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program to transfer the files. Windows users at CSUB can use "FileZilla." Macintosh users can use "Fetch."

    You can obtain copies of either FileZilla or Fetch in the General Purpose Computer Lab

    Many HTML editors (like Macromedia's Dreamweaver, for example) have an FTP function built right into the application -- so you don't have to invoke a separate piece of software to transfer your files.
  3. How can more than one person edit a home page?

    If you need to have more than one person edit a file or directory, do not share accounts. All of the users can have write access to the file or directory authorized by the network administrator. If more than one person needs to be able to edit a web page, mail the directory name and the names of the persons who need access to the network administrator.

  4. Do I have to rename all of my files to end with a .html extension?

    Having files end in .html is a widely-accepted convention. The server used at CSUB does not care whether your files end in .html, .htm, or .htx, but it has to be one of these. Your index file can similarly be named index.html, index.htm, or index.shtml. (.shtml extensions are used for files that have server-side includes, i.e. the CSUB quicklink box at the top of new webpages.)

Correcting Problems

  1. Why do I get a "404 Not Found...The requested URL /??? was not found on this server" error?

    There are a number of possible reasons for this message. Double-check the filename after the "URL" in the error message. If this appears correct, you may need to adjust your file permissions to make your home page available to others.

  2. When I click on my home page link, why does it list my files instead of displaying my home page?

    This problem is most likely caused by the lack of an index.shtml, index.html, or index.htm file in your homepage directory. Your main HTML file might be named homepage.html, or something similar. One of the three files listed above must be present in order for your home page link to work correctly. If one of these files is present, it is possible that your permissions are not set correctly, which makes the file invisible to the web server.

  3. I've updated my page, so why is my browser still displaying the old version?

    Note: These instructions apply only to Netscape, because this problem seems to be common with that package. If you have this problem with another browser, you may be able to use the following information in a modified form.

    The usual method of updating the display is to hit the "Reload" button. However, some versions of Netscape seem to have a problem determining when a page has changed. This problem is related to Netscape's "cache" feature.

    First try this. In Netscape, go to "Options->Network Preferences" and make sure that the "Verify Documents" option is set to "Every Time." Now click on "Reload." Once you are finished editing your pages, you may wish to set this back to "Once per Session" for slightly increased performance.

    If that doesn't work, there is one more thing you can try. Go to "Options->Network Preferences" and click on "Clear Memory Cache Now," then on "OK." Next, click on "Clear Disk Cache Now," and then "OK." The exact wording of these buttons may differ slightly from version to version. When you click on "OK" in the "Network Preferences" box, you will return to Netscape, and it should reload the current page you are on.