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VCA225 Digital Production

Project: Home Page

Create a personal Web page to be used as a class home page. The purpose of this page is twofold:

1. It will contain links to all of the projects you will create and upload in this class.
2. It is a place to experiment and to demonstrate your Web design skills.

Procedure

1. Create a folder on your computer to use for this class. This will be your Web root folder; all files to be uploaded should be placed in this folder. Do not use this folder for Photoshop files, uncompressed video or audio files, Final Cut, Audacity, Garage Band, or any other application project files; it should contain only .html, .css, .js, .php, .jpeg, .gif, .swf, and other Web-related files (as we go forward I will tell you what files to place in your root folder and which files to leave out). For now, leave it empty.

I also recommend that you name this file with your first initial, following by your last name. The first initial must be lower case, but the first letter of your last name is capitalized (so John Smith would be jSmith, etc.). .

2. Launch Dreamweaver. Go to Site and choose New Site. On the first page name the site "My Digi Production Site" or something similar, and choose the root folder you just made (above) as the "local root folder." Then do the following:
1. Under "Category" (on the left side of the site window), choose "Remote Info."
2. Click on the button next to "Access" and choose FTP.
3. For "FTP host" write: studentsites.danfergusdesign.com
4. For "Host directory" write your name as you did with the root folder (e.g. jSmith).
5. For "Login" write fergusstudent.
6. Finally, for "Password" type the password I give you in class (shhh..don't tell anyone else what it is!).
3. Click on the "Test" button to see if you connect successfully. If you don't, check for typos. Once you get it working click "Okay", the "Done."
4. The Local View of the new site should appear in the Files window. You can see what's on the server by clicking on that button and choosing "Remote View." Notice there's a file there already, called index.html. Select it and then click on the "get" button (the down arrow) to download it to your computer (and into your root folder). Now switch back to the "Local View;" the index.html file should be there.
5. Open the index file. Change it in some way and save it. Right-click on the file and choose "Put" (or press the "put" button—the up arrow). It should upload to the server.
6. You can view it by going to http://studentsites.danfergusdesign.com and clicking on your name. If you've already viewed the page, you may have to refresh it to see any changes.
7. Now modify the index page to create a personalized "home" page for yourself. At the very least it should contain 1) your name, 2) a valid e-mail address, 3) a picture (of you or something relevant like your artwork), and 4) links to the upcoming projects (you can make them active as we go):
• Redirect
• Random Images
• Pop-ups
• Drop-down menus
• Image Map
• Animated GIF
• Mail form
• Template
• Embedded audio
• Embedded video
• Podcast feed

This is not an exhaustive, nor final list; there are some exercises we will do that will be accessed in different ways (such as a favicon). Other exercises are yet to be determined. Some of these may be eliminated depending on time. Whatever the case, be aware that you will likely have to modify and update this list as we proceed through the quarter.

8. Make your email active with a 'mailto' link.
9. Customize your page. Feel free to make the page as fancy as you like. Add pictures, artwork, links, whatever you want (as long as the required elements are included). As the quarter progresses you can continue to add to it and experiment with the design. However, if you make a significant change to the design let me know so that I can note it and give you credit (if applicable). Use CSS to add design to your page (no deprecated tags allowed!). You may add iframes if you like.
10. Whenever you make a change to the page, upload it (and any picture files you may have used) to the server. To see it live on the web, enter "http://studentsites.danfergusdesign.com/yourName" into a browser URL window.

NOTE: This server space is not meant for your own personal stuff, nor is if for school work not directly related to this class. If you put anything on the server that I didn't specifically require, I will remove it. Watch your file sizes! Keep images as small as possible!

Deadline

Week 2 (though you may continue to add to/tweak the page throughout the quarter).

Course Outline

Syllabus

Student Resources