HTML Assistant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
================================================
Brooklyn North Software Works
25 Doyle Street
Bedford, Nova Scotia  B4A 1K4
Canada
FAX/Telephone: (902) 835-2600

Prepared by Howard Harawitz (harawitz@fox.nstn.ns.ca)

Revised December 4, 1994

This FAQ can be obtained 
via anonymous FTP at:
ftp.cs.dal.ca /htmlasst/htmlafaq.txt

This FAQ is also available as a WWW page with links for 
downloading the HTML Assistant software. 
The URL is:
http://cs.dal.ca/ftp/htmlasst/htmlafaq.html

========================================================
What is HTML Assistant?

HTML Assistant is a hypertext editor for creating and 
editing documents used on the World Wide Web. 

In addition to its editing facilities, HTML Assistant incorporates 
features which can help you to organize and keep track of the 
Internet resources that you use.

It runs under MS Windows so you need to have Windows on your 
system in order to use it. 

The HTML documents created with HTML Assistant can be displayed on 
any computer for which browser software exists including IBM PC 
compatibles, Apple Macintosh, UNIX and simple terminal based 
systems.
===============================================================
How can I get a copy of HTML Assistant?

HTML Assistant is available via anonymous FTP as freeware. No fees 
or registration of any kind are required. The author holds the 
copyright, but the software may be freely used and distributed.  
Distribution must include all the files in the program file set 
(htmlasst.zip).

The current release is version 1.4.

A beta release of a forthcoming version may also be available 
(check the "readme.1st" file at our site).

The FTP site for HTML Assistant is:

ftp.cs.dal.ca 

The directory containing the files is /htmlasst/

Look at the short "readme.1st" file to see what files you need.
========================================================
How can I learn more about HTML and the World Wide Web?

As with all things related to the WWW you can find what you need 
on the Web. 

This is the URL for the "HTML Assistant Newsletter" page on 
learning about the Web and HTML: 
"http://cs.dal.ca/ftp/htmlasst/lernhtml.html"

The HTML is:  
<a href="http://cs.dal.ca/ftp/htmlasst/lernhtml.html"> Click here 
to learn more about HTML and the WWW</a>

Copy the HTML to a text Window in HTML Assistant, save the text as 
a '.htm' file, and 'Test' it with Cello, Mosaic or any other 
browser. 

Once the document is displayed, simply point and click to bring up 
the information you want.

One of the best sources of information about HTML is the 'Help' 
file that comes with the MS Windows browser, "Cello" (see below 
for Cello's FTP site).

The commercial version of HTML Assistant includes a "Beginners 
Guide to HTML."  

==================================================================
How is HTML Assistant supported?

The primary support for HTML Assistant will be by means of an 
electronic publication called "HTML Assistant Newsletter".  This 
will be forwarded, "semi-irregularly", to subscribers by Email. 
The introductory issue was distributed in June, 1994.  

To subscribe send Email to harawitz@fox.nstn.ns.ca. In the 
'SUBJECT:' field include the words "subscribe HTML assistant news" 
(quotes are not necessary).  Optionally, you may include comments 
or suggestions in the text part of the message.

If you have questions about or problems with the HTML Assistant 
software you can send Email to the author, Howard Harawitz, at the 
same address.
==================================================================
Why is it called HTML Assistant? 

World Wide Web browsers (Cello, Netscape and Mosaic are examples of browsers 
that work with MS Windows) use hypertext to access and display 
information available on the World Wide Web. Hypertext is text 
that incorporates pointers to additional information.  Microsoft 
Windows "Help" files are examples of hypertext documents.

The hypertext documents used by World Wide Web browsers are 
ordinary text files that include special markings that tell the 
browser software something about how the text should appear to the 
user, as well as how to retrieve information when the user 
requests it.

The language, or code, used for these special markings is 
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).

While HTML markings could be added to any text file using a simple 
editor like "Notepad" which comes with MS Windows, the process is 
tedious and time consuming.  Also, it is difficult to see how the 
documents you create will actually look when displayed by a 
browser.

HTML Assistant provides, along with a text editor, special tools 
and functions that 'assist' in the process of creating HTML text 
files by letting the computer handle most of the repetitive and 
time consuming tasks. 

HTML Assistant also permits you to use WWW browsers to view your 
documents, while you are working on them, without leaving the 
editor.

HTML Assistant incorporates the following features to make the 
work of creating HTML text documents easier:

1) Point and click creation of HTML Hypertext markings

2) Ability to test your work with a WWW browser at the click of a 
button. You can quickly and easily view the documents you are 
working on to see how they will look when actually displayed by 
browsers. Both Cello and Mosaic (V 2.1 and later) work with HTML 
Assistant.  HTML assistant can take advantage of Cello's DDE 
(Dynamic Data Exchange) capability so that testing your work with 
Cello is almost seamless. 'Point and click' selection makes it 
easy to switch between browsers.  As other browsers become 
available they can be used as well.

3) A user defined toolbox enables you easily to include new markup 
text as more features are added to HTML.  You can also create your 
own markings for special editing tasks.

4) Facilities for extracting, organizing and combining URLs 
(pointers to information -- see below) from different sources. 

5) A multiple document interface (more than one file may be opened 
at one time) so you can easily cut and paste between documents.

6) Context sensitive 'Help'
==============================================================
What are URLs?

URLs, or Uniform Resource Locators, are the pointers to 
information that can be accessed by browsers.  URLs enable a 
single browser program to incorporate many of the functions that 
normally require several other software packages including FTP, 
news, Email and gopher.

For example, the URL "ftp://ftp.cs.dal.ca/htmlasst/htmlasst.zip" 
could be used in an HTML document to enable a browser to retrieve 
the 'HTML Assistant' program files from an FTP site.

Continuing with the example, the HTML text that would permit a 
user to retrieve the HTML Assistant files might look something 
like this:

<a href = "ftp://ftp.cs.dal.ca/htmlasst/htmlasst.zip">Retrieve 
HTML Assistant program files</a>

When the HTML was displayed by a browser, the user would see only 
the text "Retrieve HTML Assistant program files".  The text would 
be highlighted in some way (i.e., underlined, boxed, or in a 
different color than normal text) to indicate that it was 'linked' 
to the URL and that the user could 'click' on it to download the 
binary file "htmlasst.zip".
===============================================================
How does HTML Assistant make it easier to work with URLs?

HTML Assistant minimizes typing and makes it easy to 
systematically collect and organize URLs.

URLs can be somewhat laborious to type. It requires even more 
typing to add the HTML code that makes the information pointed to 
by the URL accessible to a user. 

With HTML Assistant, URLs need to be typed only once and sometimes 
not at all.  URLs created in HTML Assistant can be saved to files 
and can be quickly retrieved for point and click insertion into 
any document.  

URLs saved by browsers such as Cello (in Bookmark files) or Mosaic 
(in its menus and its 'Hotlist') can be automatically copied and 
converted to HTML Assistant URL files for easy insertion into your 
own documents.

HTML Assistant simplifies the task of organizing information you 
collect.  Files of collected URLs can be automatically converted 
to HTML text with a few mouse clicks.  This enables you to quickly 
create your own browser pages of links organized by subject, date 
or in whatever way suits you.  You can build your own information 
system based on a hierarchy of menus kept on WWW browser pages 
stored on your hard drive or on an HTML server.
==================================================================
Where can I find MS Windows browsers for viewing HTML files?

"Cello" is available at ftp.law.cornell.edu in the directory 
/pub/LII/Cello/.

"Netscape" is available at ftp.mcom.com/netscape/.  If that site is busy (as it often is), try one of the following:

    gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/net/infosys/Mosaic-Comm/
    lark.cc.ukans.edu/Netscape/
    ftp.meer.net/Netscape/
    doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/Netscape/
    archie.au/pub/misc/netscape/
    
"Mosaic" is available at ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in the directory 
/pc/mosaic/.
==================================================================
What is "HTML Assistant Pro"? 

Two versions of HTML Assistant are available.  The free version, 
called "HTML Assistant" is described in this document.  It is a 
full working version with all the features described above.  It 
will continue to be freely available and new versions will be 
released from time to time.

"HTML Assistant Pro" is a commercially available version of HTML 
Assistant. 

It comes with a printed manual including our "Beginners' Guide to HTML", and a step-by-step tutorial for creating an HTML page. 

"Pro" has additional features including an automatic HTML page 
creator (pages can be created quickly with minimal knowledge of 
HTML). 

It provides formatting filters that make it easy to 
create readable documents from HTML files. 

"HTML Assistant Pro" has timesaving file and URL search features. 

"HTML Assistant Pro" is fully supported and will keep up with 
changes in Windows versions, HTML, browsers, etc.  

For more information, Email to harawitz@fox.nstn.ns.ca.
=================================================================



