Site Manager User Guide

Step 2: Create Your Navigation System

1. It will help you if you make a site map outline on paper before you begin.
   
   
2. Click on the Add>>> Button on your Menu bar.
   
   
3. Fill in the exact names of the Navigation buttons in the boxes in the order you want them to appear.
   
   
4. To add your sub-buttons, go to the boxes directly beneath your main buttons and insert the name of your first sub-button and hit the Return key on your keyboard. Continue adding sub-buttons and hitting Return after each one until you are finished. When you have inserted all of the buttons and sub-buttons in the order you have chosen, click on the Add Buttons button at the bottom of the page and this will take you to the Edit>>>Button Links table where you can add the finishing touches to your navigation system.
   Note: Each Instant Website Design allows for a different number of characters for its navigation buttons. If you find that the name you have chosen for a particular navigation button is too long, you will need to go to the Edit>>>Button Names page to shorten it.
   
   
5. Default page names - Once you do start writing your pages, they will automatically be named by default. The first page will be called index.html. All subsequent pages will be named according to their button and sub-button names. It will be helpful for you to know at this point that blanks and other symbols are not allowed in your file names. They do exist, however, in your button and sub-button names and are substituted with Underline symbols. Also, all lower case letters are inserted in place of upper case letters. So, for example, if you have created a page for the sub-button "Rates" under the "Services" button, your page will be called "services_rates.html".
   Note: the first page that your visitor will usually come to on your site is the index.html page. The first time that you build your navigation system, however, no HTML files are created. If you were to publish your site up to the web at this early stage and then try to visit your website, you would have a list of files that would look like this:
   
   empty_page_1.html
   empty_page_1_1.html
   empty_page_1_2.html
   empty_page_2.html
   
   
   
6. Editing Your Navigation System:
   • Changing Button Names.
     Once your Navigation System is set up, you may find that you need to make changes to it occasionally. In order to do so,go the the Menu bar and click on the Edit>>>Button Names. This will take you to a table where you can highlight the button name that you desire to edit, delete it, and insert the new name. You can do this with your sub-buttons in the same way.
     
     
   • Changing the Order of Your Buttons and Sub-buttons.
     To rearrange the order of your buttons, we recommend that you write down the new button order on a separate piece of paper. Then delete the buttons that are out of order and replace them by typing in the new button's name.
     
     
   • Linking Your Buttons.
     You will want to make sure that each of your webpages has its own distinct name so that anyone who wants to visit it can click on a link and be assured of finding it. This is what the Edit>>>Button Links page is for. You can get to this page by (1) clicking directly to it on your menu bar, or (2) by updating your button names, you will automatically arrive at the Edit>>>Buttons Llinks page. Here you can select a page for every button on your website. This function is especially useful if you have changed the order of your buttons or have inserted new buttons between the existing ones. Such changes can cause your pages to shift according to the position of your buttons. When you click on the Edit>>>Button Links function, you are taken to a form where you can view your top level buttons and your sub-buttons. They are listed in the same order as they appear on your navigation panel, followed by Hot Buttons.

     There is a drop-down select menu beside each button which contains a list of all of the pages that you have currently created, plus a "blank page" selection. All you need to do is select the page that you want each button linked to. Then, press the Update button to apply your changes. There may be times when you want to link several buttons to the same page. This is possible, but please be aware that if you delete a page under one button, it will also be deleted under other buttons as well.

     If you require more information about how to use the Edit>>>Button Links function, the following will provide you with a more detailed explanation:

     The Edit>>>Button Links page is made up of 4 columns:

     • Button Name
     • Link type - page or URL
     • Link Action
     • N/W
     
     
     • Button Name - this is the name of the page you will be linking to.
       
       
     • Link Type - Links can be either internal or external, depending on their location. Internal Links go to pages created by you within your own website. For these kinds of pages, you need to click the small circle beside the word Page. External Links go to pages that reside outside of your website. For these, you need to click the small circle beside the word URL.
       
       
     • Link Action - these are the actual names of the pages on your Website which can be accessed when someone types them into their Browser's URL Address Bar or clicks on them when they are designated as a link. The internal links (which are adjacent to the Page row) are automatically given names by your Site Manager. Your home page (or About Us page) is the first page of your website and will always be called the index.html page. All other pages will be moved according to the name of the title that you have chosen. You will notice that it is necessary to click in the small circle beside the word Page to activate each particular link. The drop down menu in the third column will always contain a blank page option which you can choose if there has been no information inserted into that page. By clicking on the small arrows on the right side of the drop down menu, all of the pages in your entire website are revealed and you can highlight the one one that you want to be linked to the button in that same row.
       If you are linking to an external address, you will need to click in the small circle next to URL and then type in the complete address that you are linking to.When you are finished and have made sure that each button is named correctly, each page or URL Link has a black dot in the corresponding circle, and each link is pointing toward the specific address you have chosen, then click the UPDATE button and your site manager will automatically return you to your home page with your new navigation system intact.
       Note: If you have come to the Edit>>>Button Links page and have decided not to make any changes, you can click the Exit button at the bottom of the table and it will take you back to your home page.
       
       
     • N/W - New Window. If you choose to link to an external URL, you can also make it open in a new window.
     
     
     
   • Creating More Links to Your Pages
     If you are an experienced webmaster and know HTML, you may want to create links to your pages somewhere within your texts. If so, you should know that all of your HTML pages are located in the main directory of your site and you can link to them by inserting the following: <a href="page_name.html"> visit my "Page Name" page</a>
     
     
   • Changing Your Homepage
     If, at any time, you desire to take another page and turn it into your home page, you can go to Edit>>>Page Names and rename your index page. Then, pick any page that you want to be your home page, and rename it index.html
     Important note! Be sure not to link more than one button to your index.html page. This will cause an error. Your system would not know which button to highlight.