HTML - is there a way to ...

[768768]

I know basic HTML... just getting to CSS.

I want to place a number of text links on several pages of a website. I would like to have these text links in one place where I can update them and have it updated on all pages. So I don't have to manually make the changes on all pages. I don't know if I explained myself very well but is this possible?

Thank you.

[prodigyair]

I know basic HTML... just getting to CSS.

I want to place a number of text links on several pages of a website. I would like to have these text links in one place where I can update them and have it updated on all pages. So I don't have to manually make the changes on all pages. I don't know if I explained myself very well but is this possible?

Thank you.

I think you have to use PHP for that

<? include../(file)?> or something like that I'm not to sure.

[768768]

Not what I wanted to hear but thanks for the response.

[katherine]

So what did you expect ?
Using include files is the way to go

[sjaguar13]

Create a file that has all your links in it and name it something like links.html. Then on your pages, use <!--#include file="links.txt" --> where you want the links to go.

You can set up the links.html file any way you want, so you could use an unordered list, table, ect. Where ever <!--#include file="links.txt" --> appears, the contents of links.html will be printed. The files have to end in .shtml, though, instead of .html.

[namestrands]

If you use the software Dreamweaver you can select the code you want to update on all pages and add it to the library. This way when you update one you update them all without the need of includes and it works with static HTML pages.

[cursal]

Read up on SSI here: http://www.bignosebird.com/ssi.shtml
SSI=server Side Includes. Will work for your purpose very well.
PHP includes are very similar

Good Luck!

[768768]

Don't have Dreamweaver but #include file is what I was looking for. And the link cursal posted was helpful.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it!

[dcristo]

I know basic HTML... just getting to CSS.

I want to place a number of text links on several pages of a website. I would like to have these text links in one place where I can update them and have it updated on all pages. So I don't have to manually make the changes on all pages. I don't know if I explained myself very well but is this possible?

Thank you.

One method would be to convert your .html pages to .shtml and use server Side Includes (SSI).

[DNGeeks]

You could use php, ssi or javascript to include a file.

If you want to use ssi, you do not need to change your pages to .shtml if you are able to use .htaccess.

[Mr.Domains]

Yes, javascript would do it too.
Create a file called "links.js" and enter your links in document.write(); statements like so:

<!--
document.write('<a href="http://www.link1.com">link 1</a>');
document.write('<a href="http://www.link2.com">link 2</a>');
//-->

Then call it from a SCRIPT tage like so:

<SCRIPT SRC="links.js"></SCRIPT>

[768768]

Thanks, guys. Everything works like I think it should but...

When my files were .html files I could click on them and view them via IE locally - on my computer. I could view it before uploading to make sure everything is ok.

Now that they're .shtml files I can no longer view them. I have right clicked on them and chose "use IE to open" but nothing. Of course I need to view the pages before I upload them so what do I do? I'm using WIN XP home edition with the latest v of IE.

Is there some way I'm suppose to convert .html to .shtml? All I did was rename them. It seems to have worked except for the above problem.

Help!

[Anthony Ng]

I would prefer using PHP includes to SSI.

[dcristo]

Thanks, guys. Everything works like I think it should but...

When my files were .html files I could click on them and view them via IE locally - on my computer. I could view it before uploading to make sure everything is ok.

Now that they're .shtml files I can no longer view them. I have right clicked on them and chose "use IE to open" but nothing. Of course I need to view the pages before I upload them so what do I do? I'm using WIN XP home edition with the latest v of IE.

Is there some way I'm suppose to convert .html to .shtml? All I did was rename them. It seems to have worked except for the above problem.

Help!

You did the right thing, you just have to rename the files.

To edit the .shtml files, open them up in a html editor such as dreamweaver.

[768768]

nameslave: Thanks but I don't know PHP. It's next but I have to get thru html first.


dcristo: Thank you. I can edit the files (I usually just use notepad) but after editing, I want to be able to see the actual page b4 uploading them. I can no longer do that after I renamed them to .shtml.

[sjaguar13]

The pages worked after you uploaded? They should still be viewable in IE even with the .shtml extension. The included part will not be visible, but everything else on that page should be.

[768768]

Pages worked fine after uploading. But the pages are not viewable in IE. I even renamed them back to .html and then I was able to view them again. Renamed them back to .shtml and nope.

Since you say they should still be visible it must be something with my system. But I'm at a lost as to what to do now. I right click on the file... click on "open with IE"... it doesn't do anything.

[Acro]

If the dynamic portion of the included file contains broken table structures, the files won't display correctly locally. Try uploading them to a test portion of your web site in order to preview.

[Anthony Ng]

nameslave: Thanks but I don't know PHP. It's next but I have to get thru html first.

I'm not a PHP expert either. But to use PHP includes, you only need to:

a) rename your .htm(l) files to .php
b) add an include tag (very much like any other HTML tag)
c) create a separate .inc file (rename from a plain text file) which holds the data you want to change more often

The best thing is: it is fast and powerful. I use PHP includes to write most of my web pages now (in "building blocks") so I can change site-wide changes by modifying just 1 single file (the .inc one).

Search over at Google for e.g. "php incudes" or go straight to php.net for some entry-level tutorials, and you'll find they are not much different than HTML. Hope this helps.

[768768]

If the dynamic portion of the included file contains broken table structures, the files won't display correctly locally. Try uploading them to a test portion of your web site in order to preview.

No, no tables. My original intent was for text links which I would be able to easily change when I wanted to. I didn't like the way they looked so I have one which is just AdSense and another which is just a copyright footer.

I have noticed when the files are .html that locally they have the IE logo. When they're .shtml they just show the .txt logo. For some reason my system is not associating IE with them... even when I tell it to open the files with IE. Something I would like to figure out but I think I'm going to try the php or java script suggested by nameslave and Mr.Domains.

Search over at Google for e.g. "php incudes" or go straight to php.net for some entry-level tutorials, and you'll find they are not much different than HTML. Hope this helps.

Thanks, nameslave. I did find this http://www.ibdhost.com/help/templates/ which I found very helpful. I've included the link as other newbies may find it useful.

A question that comes to mind with php though... If you're "calling" all your pages, none of the content is actually there for the search engines, is it? You know, content is king. I must not be thinking about this right or it wouldn't be so popular. But how are the SE reading your pages if most of the content is in other files?

Thanks!