HTML Forum

**meloncrack** · 09-04-2008, 02:57 AM

Hi I have this www.pokerhungry.com website and on the left hand side. I have 11 links on the left hand side. I have a couple of questions.

I have 11 links all .html links. And 11 pages all .html

I notice that if I wanted to add one more link I have to change ALL pages
home.html, introduction.html, advice&mistakes.html, flop-play.html, etc., and put the new links there on EACH page as well. Is there another way to do this? Is there a more effective way to do this? I'm pretty sure there is.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

**Angelosanto** · 09-04-2008, 04:06 AM

Not without doing some scripting which usually isn't worth the hassle. The easiest way to do it (best if you're working in dreamweaver) is to use find and replace

**angele803** · 09-04-2008, 09:56 AM

The best and easiest way is to use server side includes. I don't think SSIs are too much hassle. They make your life a lot easier in the long run.

Here is a good intro on SSIs: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/we...le.php/3473341

SSIs won't work on .html pages without some tweaking. If you can, it would be good to change the extensions of your pages. You will need to know what kind of server side language your server supports (ie. PHP, ASP, etc.).

It really isn't as hard as it first sounds!

**alex021** · 09-04-2008, 07:38 PM

You do this using a frames or iframe. You can put an iframe into the cell of your table create and menu page with all your links and then just load the menu page into iframe. So when you add a link you will only will have to change the menu page see example below
<table style="width:750px; height:100%;">
<tr>
<td style="width:100%; height:100%;">
<iframe style="width: 750px; height:100%;" src="menu.html">
</iframe>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

**LadynRed** · 09-04-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

You do this using a frames or iframe.

Noooooooooooooooooo.... frames and iframes are both bad. They're ok if you're in a time warp stuck in 1997!

Tables for layout is pretty ugly too.... learn to use CSS for layouts.

**wayfarer07** · 09-05-2008, 08:29 AM

I guess y'all don't need to hear how WONDERFUL I think frames are!!! They are the best invention EVER! Think about it, you can show a whole OTHER website inside of your website! Server-side includes are so 2002!

**meloncrack** · 09-05-2008, 03:19 PM

hAHAHA WAYFARER IS SO FUNNY. So what is the standard now a days in web development? SSI or Frame?

**chrishirst** · 09-05-2008, 03:37 PM

Server side code + javascript

**meloncrack** · 09-05-2008, 03:47 PM

Yeah thanks for your response, I was thinking about using javascript but the website viewers have to enable it on their browser don't they for it to work?

**wayfarer07** · 09-05-2008, 04:25 PM

In almost every browser, JavaScript is enabled by default. In fact, it is very difficult to disable in IE, and only those who know what they are doing ever really do it. It is easier to do in Opera and Firefox, but it is still enabled by default, and those users tend to be more advanced anyway, and would probably know when to turn it back on in case they had it turned off.

**meloncrack** · 09-05-2008, 09:53 PM

Hi I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with appservnetwork but it is a package that allows you do look at php, apache, and mysql on your local machine.

I added some ssi code into a notepad file and put it in the www root, and it doesn't show. I saved it as a .html, and a .shtml.
<HTML>
<TITLE>Test File</TITLE>

 

</HTML>

**peter250** · 09-06-2008, 10:13 PM

It is a pain. I have had that problem many times with some of my sites.

My advice, wait till you have some free time and just do it manually.

**meloncrack** · 09-06-2008, 10:26 PM

What is the standard now-a-days though?

**wayfarer07** · 09-06-2008, 10:34 PM

Definately SSI.

**meloncrack** · 09-08-2008, 01:38 AM

Ok one of the guys posted that I should use CSS and JavaScript. I went through all the tutorials on the w3school website, and it did not teach me anything about making links dynamic.

I also am half way through JavaScript on the w3school website and it isn't teaching me anything but basic concepts like when I studied C++. It's just teaching me about the language. Operators assigning values to variables like textd="dumb" stuff like that. Any other suggestions?

Also I tried doing SSI but I installed APPServ on my computer and basically apache is on and everything, saved the SSI file to my www folder on my machine and the SSI codes don't work so I think SSI is garbage, it's too hard to even set up I think.

Any other suggestions please?

**chrishirst** · 09-08-2008, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Also I tried doing SSI but I installed APPServ on my computer and basically apache is on and everything, saved the SSI file to my www folder on my machine and the SSI codes don't work so I think SSI is garbage, it's too hard to even set up I think.

Ok then you're right, hundreds of thousands are wrong, lets all stop using SSI!

**bakerc** · 04:25 AM

I'm still learning all this stuff and it can seem a little confusing but it isn't that difficult.

A a server side include (SSI) is effectively a link to a file that contains the code.

For you it could look something like

Code:

<? include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/assets/links.js); ?>

Rather than having the code on each page (which would mean updating each page manualy) you only update the file the SSI links to, one file instead of 11 or 12.

You dont have to change all your file extensions from .html to .php if you dont want (as this would probably impact on your SE results) - ask your host to set up your hosting to parse .html as php

this is probably a better example for you

Code:

<!--#include virtual="/links.html"-->

Hope this helps a little

**webdesignernew** · 09-08-2008, 06:01 AM

Server side includes is the way to go, easier to up date and maintain and also you don't have to change each page each time you make a change.

**meloncrack** · 09-09-2008, 12:00 PM

Can someone help me break down the SSI code I am having difficulty understanding. Baker C your code looks like half javascript and half php, is this true?

**wayfarer07** · 05:40 PM

There is nothing to it, really. Say you are using PHP (this is on most web-servers these days, so it's an easy example). Now, lets make a super-simple HTML page with a server-side include in it:

PHP Code:


			
<html>
<head>
<title>SSI</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Hello World</p>
<?php include "includes/goodbye.html";?>
</body>
</html>

Now, lets say the file at includes/goodbye.html is this:

HTML Code:

<p>Goodbye World!</p>

Now, the HTML that is outputted to the browser from your original file would be this:

HTML Code:

<html>
<head>
<title>SSI</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Hello World</p>
<p>Goodbye World!</p>
</body>
</html>

Of course, you could put as much stuff inside of includes/goodbye.html as you like, and it would all take the place of <p>Goodbye World!</p> in the example above.

Hope this helps.

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