PhutureNet: Tutorial

Welcome to the PhutureNet tutorial, where we will explain what software programs you will need to use our services, and how to use them.

This tutorial is divided into several sections :

Introduction

The purpose of this tutorial is to provide you the steps necessary to use our services with a minimum of inconvenience.

In order to acheive this goal, you will need to have the following items :

A Web Browser (We assume that's what you are using right now)
FTP Client software
e-mail Client software
HTML Editor (If you want one)

If you do not already have these items, then you may download them from our Resource pages, or follow some of the links on those pages to get your own.

Creating Your Pages

There are many things to consider when presenting your information to the world. We have divided this section up into two smaller sections :

Important Conventions to Use

When creating your pages to be viewed on our server, there are certain conventions that you must follow in order for the server to correctly serve your pages.
1. When someone wishes to access your pages from our server, they will most likely type in your URL something like this :
  
  http://www.the-future.com/joebloe
  
  In order for the server software to pull up your pages, there must be a page in your directory named "index.htm" or "index.html". This is what the server looks for as a default file to bring up as the first page in your set of pages.
2. You must also remember that when you reference your own pages from within your html documents, that the files are CASE SENSITIVE. For example, "mypage.html" is a different file than "MyPage.html".
3. Try not to incorporate spaces into any of the names of your files or folders, as it will just be more complicated for you, and anyone viewing your pages.
General HTML Do's and Dont's

Here are some tips to help the overall quality of your pages.
- DO - Sit down before you create your pages, and brainstorm as to what your goals are for your pages. Try asking yourself some of these questions :
  - What information do you wish to convey, or have available ?
  - What is my target audience ?
  - What type of browsers do I wish to write for ?
- DO - Take time to organize your pages by drawing a storyboard of the progression of your pages. You will be much happier if you take the time in the beginning.
- DON'T - innundate your pages with graphics that are too large. Graphics are an important element to many sites, but if they are used in excess, they tend to make your readers leave. Try using some utilities to make the graphics you scan or create smaller.
- DON'T - make your pages too large in both width, and length. Not everyone has large monitors, and scrolling is something that will also turn off your readers.
- DO - break up your pages into logical sections to make it easier for your reader to find what they are interested in.
- DO - look at the source code of any cool pages that you find to see how the author created their pages.
- DO - obtain texts on the subject for reference. HTML books are everywhere these days, so go to your local bookstore and indulge yourself.

Transferring Your Pages

Once you have created your web site, then you will need to transfer those html documents and graphics files to our server. Follow the steps below...

Obtain FTP Client software.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the way two computers talk to each other in order to exchange files. FTP is universally accepted, so it does not matter what kind of machine you are on, just as long as you have software that speaks the FTP language.

There are a large variety of software packages for all computer platforms that will help you to transfer your files, and we have compiled a small list of them for Macintosh and Windows machines in our Resources Archive. We urge you to visit, as we have direct links to many FTP clients !
Configure your software.

Now that you have your FTP software, you need to configure it to be able to connect to our server. Each of the software clients has its own way of setting up its preferences, but each of them will require the following information to make a connection :
1. The Host or Server Name : ftp.the-future.com
2. Your User Login Name : yourlogin
3. Your SimpleNet Password : yourpassword
You do not need to specify a directory if your software asks for it. When you connect, you will automatically land in your directory, with a view of all of your current files.
Transfer your files.

Once you are connected, you may transfer files to and from your account, make new folders, or delete files. Remember to name your first page "index.html" or "index.htm".
Once your pages are transferred they are automatically ready to be viewed. So just type your URL into your browser, and you will see your pages on the Net !!

Checking Your e-mail

Follow these steps to check your PhutureNet e-mail.

Obtain your e-mail software.

Just like the FTP language, your computer will need special software to converse with our e-mail server.

In our Resources Archive, we have direct downloads to many of the e-mail clients for both Macintosh and Windows environments.
Configure your software.

You will need to set the preferences of your software to correctly connect to our server and download your messages. Here are some of the major settings :
These are the main pieces of information you need to connect and get your mail. There are usually many more preferences in your specific mail program, but the ones listed above are the most important.

When you connect, your e-mail program will most likely prompt you for the password of your account. This will be the same password you use to log in to our server for FTP access.
Checking your mail.

Open your e-mail application and choose to check your mail. The software will then connect to our mail server, and download any new messages that you may have.

Be sure and read all of the documentation that came with your particular e-mail software, as each one has its own interface. Enjoy !!

Viewing Your Pages

Now that you have succesfully transferred your files to our server, you should view them to make sure that all of the links and graphics work. Use your browser, or obtain a current version from our Resources archive, and type in your URL, which will look something like this :

http://yourname.the-future.com/

If you now see your front page, then congratulations ! Your pages are on the net ! If you don't see your page, then you may not have named your page correctly, so check and make sure it is "index.html" or "index.htm".

While looking through your pages, here are some of the things that you may see, that may not be right, and how to fix them.

Your Links aren't going to the right pages, or are bringing up an error message.

This error will occur when the HREF="" portion of your HTML link does not include the correct name, or the file does not exist in your account.

Go back and view your HTML code or your PhutureNet directory, and make sure of these things :
1. The file exists in your directory, and it is in the correct place. (i.e. not in a different sub-directory)
2. The name of the file is the same as the link to the file. Remember, files on our server are CASE SENSITIVE)
3. The link itself has the correct pathname.
Graphics are not loading.

If a graphic is not loading correctly, or at all, check these things :
1. The graphic file exists in your directory, and it is in the correct place. (i.e. not in a different sub-directory)
2. The name of the graphic file is correctly input into the IMG SRC="" tag. Remember, files on our server are CASE SENSITIVE.
3. The graphic link has the correct pathname.
4. The graphic is of the appropriate type. It needs to be in one of two formats : GIF or JPEG. if they are not in these formats, then the browser will attempt to save, or open it with another application.

If you have more complicated problems check our FAQ (frequently asked questions). If that doesn't answer them then send us some e-mail. We want to help you figure it out!