How to Create Web Pages Using a Mac Computer

iWeb is one of the programs included with the iLife package. iLife comes standard on every Apple computer.

Apple computers include two native tools that make building web pages fast and easy. iWeb, Apple’s user-friendly website creation tool, is included with all Apple computers as part of the iLife series. iWeb allows you to easily drag and drop pictures, manipulate text and create new pages, using one of the many pre-designed templates available. You can also embed web widgets using HTML code and upload the site to your server straight from the program. Additionally, for those looking to build straight HTML sites, TextEdit can be used to enter all of your HTML code by hand. For intermediate and advanced programmers, there are many other HTML and web editors compatible with Apple computers such as Rapidweaver, Dreamweaver, Netbeans and Seamonkey.

Instructions

1. Open iWeb, which is located in the "Applications" folder. The "Applications" folder can be accessed through "Finder" or from your dock.

2. Choose a theme from the theme browser and then select the page from the theme that you would like to begin with. After the page is selected, click “Choose” to begin building your website.

3. Double-click on any of the text boxes in the page to manipulate and change the text. The template will automatically be filled with placeholder text and pictures. Add photos to the web page by clicking on the “Photos” tab in the media browser on the right side of the screen. Select your photo and drag it on top of the placeholder photo. iWeb will automatically resize the photos when they are dragged and dropped. Any item in the website can be moved by clicking on it, and then dragging it to the desired location. Items can also be resized by dragging the circles on the outside of the frame when selected. To delete an item, click on it and then press the delete key on your keyboard.

4. Click “Add Page” at the bottom of the window to create a new page. The page selector will appear, just as it did when the website was created. Select the template for the new page and then click “Choose.” The page will automatically be added to the navigation bar of the website.

5. Select your site in the left sidebar when you are ready to publish the site. If using MobileMe, enter your MobileMe account information. If you have a private server, select “FTP Server” from the “Publish To” dropdown menu. To publish to an FTP server, you will need to enter your server address, username and password, directory to store the website and the website URL. These items will differ between websites and hosting companies, so contact your web host for assistance.

6. Click “Publish Site” once your site is complete and ready to be posted to the web. iWeb will automatically upload the website to the server, and it will be live as soon as the upload completes.

Tips & Warnings

• Font size and color as well as other properties for each item can be adjusted by selecting the item and then clicking "Inspector" at the bottom of the window.

• If using TextEdit as an HTML editor, click "File" and then "Save as," then change the file format to ".html" to save the document as a webpage.

References

• Apple: Getting Started with iWeb