Build a Web Site with SimpleSite

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SimpleSite is a Web application that allows you to create, edit, and publish template-based Web pages. All you need is an Internet connection and a Web browser. You can choose from a set of page templates, and then either add your content as plain text, or use HTML tags to create the desired appearance.

Before you create your Web site, we recommend that you think about how you want to organize it. Thinking through the organization of your site before you start building it will save you time and effort later. Most importantly, the result will be a more effective and usable Web site.

Learn about the Universal Resource Locator (URL)

Understanding the structure of a URL (Web address) will help you as you create and organize your Web site. A URL, or uniform resource locator, includes the protocol used to access the resource ( http:// for Web pages), the domain name of the Web server (for example http://faculty.washington.edu/), and the location of the resource on that server. For example http://students.washington.edu/jdow/essay.html/ .

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The elements are separated by a forward slash (/). Keep in mind that the names you give to your folders and files will become the URLs for your Web pages.

Learn about your UW Web site

Students, faculty and staff with a UW NetID or supplemental account have access to Web publishing. Your Web site domain depends on the role you have at the UW. If you are a faculty member, your Web site will have the URL http://faculty.washington.edu/youruwnetid/, where youruwnetid is replaced with your UW NetID. If you are a student, your Web site will have the URL http://students.washington.edu/youruwnetid/. Graduate assistants often have two Web sites available to them, the student site, and one for their role as a TA or RA with the URL http://staff.washington.edu/youruwnetid/. If you have a supplemental account you have additional Web sites available to you.

When planning a course Web site, you can either use your faculty Web site by creating a folder for each course, or request a supplemental account for each course Web site. If you decide to use your faculty Web site, you should create a folder for each course. You will also need to create a home page (called index.html) for each course inside each respective course folder. You can use this page to link to the other pages with information about the course, such as a syllabus or schedule, all contained within the same course folder.

If you choose to request a supplemental account for a course, the URL will be http://courses.washington.edu/loginname/ where loginname is replaced with the account login. If you teach several courses, you may want to consider obtaining a supplemental course account for each one.

Advantages of using your personal Web site with folders for each course:

  • Each folder will contain information pertinent only to that course.
  • All your files will be located in one account with just one login.
  • You can easily restrict access to each course Web site to the students in the course by applying security to the folder.

Advantages of requesting a supplement account for each course Web site:

  • The URLs are shorter and easier for students to remember.
  • There is more security if you have assistants helping you create or maintain the Web site.
  • It is easy to restrict access to the course Web site to the students in the course.

Organize your Web site

You should gather all the content you want to include on your Web site before you start creating pages. Make a list of all that needs to be included in it - documents, images, links, resources, contact information, and so on. Start dividing the content into sections, and then decide how you want to link them. Try drawing a map of your site with a box or circle for each page. Then draw lines between pages to indicate how they will link together.

Security also affects the organization of your Web site. Determine whether you need to restrict access to certain parts of your Web site. You might want only your current students to view some pages of your course Web site. Security can be applied at the folder level, so if you need to keep individual pages private you will need to save them in a folder. Learn more about restricting access to your Web site.

Name your Web pages

Correctly naming files and folders is very important for the functionality of Web sites. The names of files and the folders containing them become part of the Web address or URL of your Web pages. Here are some rules to follow when naming Web files and folders:

  • Names should be short, yet descriptive enough for you and your audience to identify the contents.
  • Use only letters and numbers. Because URLs are case sensitive, consider using only lowercase. Symbols such as semicolons, colons, question marks, and asterisks should be avoided. Underscores should be avoided as they may confuse users.
  • Do not use spaces. Pages will not be displayed if they are given names containing spaces.

The index page

Your home page should always be named "index.html" or "index.htm." The index page serves two functions: it is the cover page for your site and it keeps the other files on your site hidden. Having an index (home) page allows you to only allow access to the files that you want people to see, by linking to them from the home page. It is also a good idea to create an index.html page inside of each folder on your Web site.