| This page contains some notes and recommendations for faculty and graduate students just starting to put together a lab website. If you have questions, contact the Biology Webmaster. Other useful resources are:
(updated 13 August 2008)
Accounts | Templates | Programs | Keep in Mind
Accounts
Recommended option:
- Request a lab account on the User volume of Mendel's Mac by emailing the Biology Webmaster. With rare exceptions, the account will be of the formula "lastnamelab" (e.g. stromelab, palmerlab, etc.)
Alternatives:
Considerations:
- Mendel provides easy access to a mac system over the local network. Also, if you're on campus and using Dreamweaver, you can transfer files from within the program, rather than using a third-party client. Addresses will take the form: http://www.bio.indiana.edu/~account.
- Webserve is run by the IU Webmasters, rather than the department. It is UNIX-based. There is very good documentation available online for webserve accounts, as well as good support from the IU Webmasters by email. Addresses will take the form: http://www.indiana.edu/~account.
Templates:
Templates are posted at http://www.bio.indiana.edu/resources/labweb/ and include a main page example (index.html) and a subordinate page example (content.html), with three IU gifs in an image directory.
Templates are provided as a resource--you don't have to use them if you don't want to. They can be modified to meet the needs of specific labs. This is primarily the responsibility of individual labs, although the webmaster is happy to provide pointers or help create templates with other formats by request. ( Also, these templates are automatically included as the default files when a lab web account is created on Mendel's Mac.)
Programs for Making a Website
- We favor Macromedia Dreamweaver, which is available for individual purchases on CD at the IU bookstore, or through IU purchasing for departmental purchases. This program allows you to compose visually using menus, and also with actual html code. It will keep track of all the links and pages in your site, and can update, for example, all links to a page when you change the page's file name, and then post the changes directly to your web account from a local file you've been editing. Eva has most experience with this program, and is happy to offer help. Also, there are several helpful Dreamweaver workshops offered at the Union by the UITS IT education program (free to students, $30 for faculty and staff, sign up at: http://ittraining.iu.edu/iub.
- Mac computers now come standard with iWeb, which is a farily intuitive, easy to use program. It allows you to choose among preset templates, and will automatically keep track of adding links as you add pages.
- For basic sites, Microsoft Explorer and Netscape Communicator (free downloads) both have the capacity to compose pages visually. They are a bit cumbersome for editing, don't seem to allow editing of the html directly, and offer only simple composing menu options. You would have to post files you make in these programs to your web account using a separate program.
- For die-hards, and those who are really interested in learning the nitty-gritty of html, TextWrangler (previosuly BBEdit Lite) allows you to compose pages entirely in html, and access files on the server via sftp. It is available online as a free download from BareBones.
Things to keep in mind:
- The webmaster does not maintain lab websites; someone in your lab needs to be assigned this responsibility. However, Eva will gladly help you get started designing and creating your site, and she's always available as a resource if you run into problems or questions.
- If someone other than the faculty member is actually creating and maintaining the lab website, be sure that you have a record of the username and password used for access to the lab account, so that when the student leaves, someone else can easily take over.
- Don't forget to let the webmaster know that you have a lab website, so that it can be linked to your faculty research page.
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