# Creating website in Word 2007



## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Hi
Is it possible to create something similar to this in Word 2007? https://developer.gocardless.com/http/#list-all-users. I refer specifically to the left pane scrollable navigation area.

This will be a software help file.

Thank you


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## colinsp (Sep 5, 2007)

Why would you create a website in a wordprocessor?

Word creates horrible bloated non-compliant html source code. Use a proper html editor to create it. Something like the free Notepad++ works well for me. If you must use a WYSIWYG editor try the free Microsoft Expression Web.


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Hi
It's for a client and quite simple so I thought I'd be able to use Word, which I know, to speed things up rather than learning HTML right now. However, you are absolutely right. I also looked at MS Publisher and it is awful . I did a bit of other research and it seems Kompozer may be the answer. What do you think? (I fully intend learning HTML and creating my own site one of these days, but I'm a freelance writer and need work FIRST.) Thanks for your reply.


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## colinsp (Sep 5, 2007)

Personally I am not a lover of Komposer try the M$ one I mentioned much better imho.


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

OK. Will do that and come back to you. I've done a small test with Kompozer. It works like Word (so, familiar) and I could open the index.html in Word easily and make changes. The changes rendered fine in Firefox and were visible in Kompozer too (simple changes, e.g. if the client wants to correct a spelling mistake). I just need a navigation left pane that can change, depending on a drop-down selection at the top of the column. (One can work around this, but it's best to do things properly and limit the size of the web site). 

Thanks!


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## colinsp (Sep 5, 2007)

Run the MS Word code through the w3c checker to see whether it is compliant and then just look at it in notepad and see the rubbish it has added.


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## JiminSA (Dec 15, 2011)

I agree with Colin, that learning html and css is the correct approach. But another alternative is to look at the many sites which offer free website templates (or paid if you're affluent enough), download one that suits your purposes and then edit the content, as opposed to the html or css, using Notepad ++ (recommended, and easily downloaded from this link)


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Hi there
JiminSA, I actually HAVE Notepad++ so that's great. My problem is that I need to be up and running (with the site formatted) ASAP so I can focus on the content (which is basically documenting an API). I don't have time to learn anything really. But, I TOTALLY agree with and appreciate comments made here (also confirmed by my nerd/ techie friend in the real world). I MUST learn HTML from ground up. I have suggested to client that he gets someone to do the website and I will provide the content, for now. Hold thumbs. Funnily enough, I did a website around 1990 using MS Notepad. It was just an experiment but it worked fine. It basically displayed the HTML code in one column for a website (displayed in the other column). Haven't a clue how to do that now!  The other thing that holds me back is that I'm not very 'arty', so designing a site is difficult for me. I can do a Visio diagram depicting the requirements but I will get SO bogged down in choosing fonts and colours, etc! 

Thank you all for your fantastic suggestions and comments.


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## JiminSA (Dec 15, 2011)

If you Google "Free website templates" you can select from a large range of pre-designed website templates, where all you need do is choose one and alter the content, for your needs - no design or 'arty' stuff involved ...


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Hi
Yes, I have done that but can't find the one I really want. I subscribed to one I kind of liked (it was a Scandanavian site but I lost the plot when, as usual, when Windows decided to crash). I will try again. I need something that looks a bit like a Robohelp (.chm) interface. What, as a matter of interest, do you think of HTML Help?


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## JiminSA (Dec 15, 2011)

> What, as a matter of interest, do you think of HTML Help?


I'm not sure what you mean - can you explain?


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Thanks for everyone's help. 
Looks like I didn't get the contract but will give me a chance to try my hand and something similar in my own time.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Compiled_*HTML*_*Help (problem is it's microsoft again). *


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## JiminSA (Dec 15, 2011)

Nah .. a better option for self-teaching is w3schools


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## COBOLdinosaur (Sep 9, 2001)

For an absolute beginner, I would prefer to see then trya a more sequentially direct flow like you get from
http://www.htmldog.com/guides/html/beginner/

Rather then start them out with w3schools; which is fine for rudimentary reference, but not really well organized for teaching.


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Hi there and thanks
I'm getting pretty overwhelmed here. (I got the job after all so need a QUICK solution.) I like this htmldog site. Either I find some app that will help me knock something together fast with a WYSIWYG interface or I have to spend long and lonely nights learning HTML. At the moment, I notice that Kompozer doesn't have all the features I need so either way I am going to HAVE to get into the source code. Thanks and regards. PS: Cobol ... . I was a Cobol and PL1 developer many moons ago! SNAP!


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## COBOLdinosaur (Sep 9, 2001)

> I was a Cobol and PL1 developer many moons ago!


I still support COBOL systems I wrote 25 years ago. It is the Latin of programming languages, and will continues to be used until something comes along that can match its efficiency at managing very large amounts of structured data. Unfortunately it does not have what it takes for the web; so I had to learn PHP.


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## gypsyplain (Jul 1, 2014)

Interesting Coboldinosaur. Was that (PHP) enough to keep you 'in the game'? Are you still doing mainframe stuff? I worked with PC Cobol for a while. In those days, you could download it free. Can't remember the company. Would actually have liked to end up working as a freelance Cobol developer! I think people should learn Cobol as a life lesson on how to apply logic without tech or bells and whistles. Cobol is like boiling an egg or frying a steak. It's really simple but if you don't get the minutes right, you won't get the result you want. One of my 'leads' ideas at one stage was Cobol platforms but essentially these are still at dinosaur companies that don't actually want to admit they still use Cobol, let alone get a technical writer in.


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## COBOLdinosaur (Sep 9, 2001)

The PHP is the critical part of web development. Anyone can learn to display a web page, but anything that actually has to do some work requires server side processing. Any site more than a few pages needs server side generation. PHP is the most widely used server side scripting language; about 75-80% of public sites use it. 

The thing is that most people who call themselves web developers can't program beyond very rudimentary use of third part tools to generate third rate code. For every 100 "web developers" about 15 have some limited skills and 3 are actually capable of taking a set of formal requirements and programming a site end to end. Logic is logic, and someone who can program in any language at a high level can easily move to a new language. The most difficult part of such a transition is when it is a move from procedure orient to object orient because it requires a slightly different approach.

I still support legacy mainframe stuff, but I don't bid on any new projects on big iron; web dev is more fun and pays better.


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## JiminSA (Dec 15, 2011)

> For an absolute beginner, I would prefer to see then trya a more sequentially direct flow like you get from
> http://www.htmldog.com/guides/html/beginner/


Nice link - I also did my share of COBOL and PL1 in days of yore!


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