Information Technology Services


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Getting Started With Your Own Home Page
UNF-Specific Procedures and Information
Setting Up Your Pages
Correcting Problems
CGI Scripts, Java Programming, and Server-Side Includes

Getting Started With Your Own Home Page

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. (See: Do I have to rename all of my files to end with a .html extension?)
Where are some helpful places on the Web for information on HTML?
BASIC HTML TAGS
- NCSA (at UIUC) Beginner's Guide to HTML
- Dave Kristula's An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners
- Kevin Werbach's The Barebones Guide to HTML
- WC3 HTML Home Page
- HTML 4 Reference
- Sizzling HTML Jalfrezi
- Web Monkey
SYMBOLS

Table of Latin-1 character glyphs Most symbols, like "©" the copyright symbol, or "&" the ampersand symbol, cannot be typed directly but must have codes for them to be reproduced. Codes for the most common symbols are listed in the Special (ISO Latin) HTML Characters .

TABLES
- Joe Barta's Table Tutor
- Sizzling HTML Jalfrezi
How do I get an account on the web server?
Each currently enrolled UNF student will have an Osprey email account automatically generated for them. Students can find out their email account username, change their password, and set forwarding by visiting this link: ITS Self-Service. If you run into any difficulties, you will need to contact the UNF ITS Help Desk at (904) 620-HELP or visit the ITS Help Desk in the General Purpose Computer Lab (building 15, room 2102). Click here for more information on Osprey UNIX accounts.
Are any UNF logos available for me to use on my pages?
UNF IMAGES
The UNF Image Bank contains many different images around campus for use on your web page.
UNF LOGOS
There are UNF-trademarked logos available in the Visual Identity Guidelines, subject to the restrictions and requirements contained in that document. See also Logos.

UNF-Specific Procedures and Information

How does a department get a home page or update an existing page?
Contact the WWW Administrator with the name of the department, and the URL if the page already exists and the osprey Unix 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).
How does a student, faculty member, or staff member get a home page?
Individuals should create a directory in their Osprey account called homepage that contains, at a minimum, a file called index.html. It may also contain image files, sound files, or additional HTML documents.
Your home page can be immediately accessed as http://www.unf.edu/~username/ , where username is your login id. Once you have created your home page, you should send mail to the WWW Administrator if you want it to be linked into the UNF student or faculty/staff page.
How does a club or organization get a home page or updating their existing page?
Contact the WWW Administrator with the name of the organization (the URL if the page already exists) and the Osprey UNIX 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 to you after this information has been processed. Note that the club or organization must be officially recognized by the University of North Florida 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).
Are there any additional policies and procedures that I need to know about?
You should be aware of all of the Computing Services Policies and Procedures and Guidelines. We also recommend that you take a look at the Development and Publishing Web Pages.
Where Do I FTP My Files?
If you maintain web pages for your department or a UNF organization on the Osprey system, you will now find your files under the /var/www/htdocs/... directory on the osprey.unf.edu server. (Prior to January, 2002, files were under either the "usr/local/http/htdocs/..." directory OR "/disk3 ..." directory.) The remaining portion of the address under "/var/www/htdocs/... " will correspond to the web page address.

Examples:
- http://www.unf.edu/groups/aitp -----> /var/www/htdocs/groups/aitp
- http://www.unf.edu/coas ------------> /var/www/htdocs/coas
- http://www.unf.edu/dept/upd --------> /var/www/htdocs/dept/upd
  If you are looking for the full path to your Osprey home page, that is /home/u/~username/ , where u is the first letter of your login id and username is your login id.
  
  Ususally, when you first telnet or FTP into the server, you'll start off in your home directory and will only need to use the cd homepage command to be in the correct working directory.
Who do I contact for more information?
First, make sure that your question or problem is not answered by this FAQ or on the Information Technology home page. If your concern is with a UNF system, contact ITS Help Desk@unf.edu. For general information, use the newsgroups that are listed on the Computing Services home page.
Admissions-related questions may be sent to admissions@unf.edu.

Setting Up Your Pages

What are the basic UNIX commands I will need to set up my home page?
To create the homepage directory, use the mkdir command. For example, type the following:
mkdir ~/homepage
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?).
How do I set the permissions on my pages?
Note: All of these commands should be executed at the telnet (dollar sign) prompt that you see right when you log in to osprey. Type "man chmod" for more information on setting permissions.
In order for the World Wide Web program (called the HTTPD) to access your files, you have to make sure that it has permission to do so. With most accounts, you will probably not have to change anything. But if you've changed the permissions on your account, you might need to do the following:
chmod 755 ~/. chmod 755 ~/homepage
These commands correct the most common sources of "permission denied" errors. If this does not fix the problem, contact the WWW Administrator.
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 UNF can use "WS FTP." Macintosh users can use "Fetch."
You can obtain copies of either WS_FTP or Fetch in the General Purpose Computer Lab in Bldg. 15 Room 2102.

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.
How can more than one person edit a home page?
If you need to have more than one person edit a file, do not share accounts. All of the users can have write access to a file using a UNIX ACL (access control list). If more than one person needs to be able to edit a single page, mail the WWW Administrator with the directory names which need to be available, along with the Osprey id's of the people who need to edit the files.
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. If you write your pages in DOS, your pages will end in .htm. The server used at UNF does not care whether your files end in .html or .htm, but it has to be one of these two. Your index file can similarly be named index.html or index.htm. (See: Can I use Server-Side Includes (SSI) on my home page?)

Correcting Problems

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 (See: How do I set the permissions on my pages?).
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 (See: How do I set the permissions on my pages?).
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.
Why does my browser display a file as a bunch of strange characters when I try to download it?
This problem usually occurs because there is not a MIME type defined for that file. For instance, WordPerfect often saves files with a .wpd extension. If a MIME type is not configured for this extension, Netscape will try to display it on-screen, instead of prompting you to save it as a file. To correct this problem, just send mail to the WWW Administrator with the type of file (e.g., "WordPerfect") and the extension (e.g., ".wpd").

CGI and Java Programming

What CGI scripts are available for me to use on my page?
Locally installed scripts, some of which require special configuration for each user, are available on the list of local scripts. Specifically, guestbook and form mailer information is available.
Can I use my own CGI scripts?
A CGI script can be installed if its use is essential to the university mission. However, due to security considerations, you cannot have them in your own directory. Send mail to the WWW Administrator, and let us know where the source code for the script is located. Any changes in the script will have to be handled in the same manner.
Please debug your scripts thoroughly before mailing the administrator. The scripts you need may already be on the system, although some of them will need special configuration. See the list of local scripts for details.
Instructors needing special CGI scripts for a class should consult the appropriate college-tech and submit these requests through the RFS system.
The recommended way to write and debug your CGI programs is to get an HTTPD for your local computer and use that as the testing area. Once you have the scripts ready, you can move them over to osprey and have the administrator install them. In most cases, if a certain type of program is already available, a different version will not be installed. For example, since a counter is accessible from the UNF web server, another type of counter will not be set up.
How do I set up an access counter on my home page?
See the Counter Information Page for details on how to configure this utility.
Can I use Server-Side Includes (SSI) on my home page?
Server-side includes are enabled on the web server. All of the directives described in the XSSI Documentation and also at this location are available, with the exception of the "exec" command. You will need to either name your file with a .shtml extension (e.g., "index.shtml") or turn on the user executable bit:
chmod u+x filename.html
The latter method is recommended for performance reasons. If you don't do one of these two things to "turn on" SSI, you will see blank spaces where your directives are. Note that you only need to turn on SSI in files that contain directives; your other files can remain as they are.
The following SSI directive will put the standard UNF footer at the bottom of your page:
<P> <HR>  </P>
Do I need special permission to have Java applets on my home page?
No, all you need is a copy of the compiled class file (something.class) and the HTML file that references this class. The process for creating each of these files is described in the JDK documentation. The class file must be located in the appropriate directory, which is also described in the documentation. The entire Java development process should require no intervention on the part of Computing Services. Java questions that do not relate specifically to UNF servers should be directed to the comp.lang.java.* newsgroups.
Is the JDK (Java Developers Kit) available on osprey?
Yes, the JDK 1.3.1 is installed on osprey. Note that you do not need this information to run an applet on your homepage. You will only need this information if you want to compile your classes on osprey, use osprey for networking, or run some other stand-alone application.
The JDK binaries (e.g., java, javac) are located in /usr/bin. You should place any of your classes in a directory in your account entitled "classes." This is automatically included in the Java CLASSPATH variable.

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