Contribute Tutorial

Create New Pages

All pages on your site are based on the same template that defines the colors, layout, and format of all the information on your site. Using Contribute, you can create a new page based on the same template so that it is consistant with other pages on the USF St. Petersburg web site.

Web Design Hint: Consistancy is important because it makes navigating a site easier for visitors.

To create a new page:

1. From the "File" menu, select "New Page"
2. In the new window that opens, on the left side there will be a list of files and directories. Find the directory called "Templates"
3. In the Templates directory you will find a list of all the templates used to create your site. Clicking on each file name will show a preview in the box to the right of the file list.
4. Click on the template you wish to use. (NOTE: If there is more than one template listed, you will most likely be using the templated labelled "filename" where "filename" is a word representing your department.)
5. Below the preview box is a textbox labelled "Page Title" in which you will use the following format:
   Page Title That Describes Your Page - Make it Short.
   where "Page Title" is the name of the page you're creating. This is a user friendly descriptive title. (do not confuse the title with a file name which is very short and has a three letter extension such as: index.htm)
6. When you are done, click "OK" to create the new page.
7. You can now edit the page as you would any other page already on the site.
8. When you are done with your new page, click on "Publish"
9. If you haven't yet created a link to the new page, a dialog box will warn you that the page is not accessible. Click "Yes" for now as we will worry about linking to the page later.
10. You are now asked to create a filename for the page. You should choose a word that describes the content on the page. For example, the filename of this page is:
    yourpage.htm
    because it describes how to create new pages. In your filenames, do not use any capital letters or punctuation and try to keep it as short as possible. Do not use spaces - the server will insert a "%20" into any space in a file name. Also, do not forget the three letter extension ".htm" at the end.
11. Before publishing your new page, remember to Edit the Breadcrumbs, Edit the Keywords & Description and check to make sure your Headings are correct.
12. Click on "Publish" when your new page is ready to be accessed.
13. You can now link to the page you've created. To find out how, read the tutorial on Creating Links.

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