Putting same content on several web pages

jdwilder · 07-17-2006, 04:17 PM

I would like to create a web page that has the same disclaimer at the bottom of each page, and the same menu on the left side of each page. I would like a way so that I don't have to copy and paste all the code to each page so that to update the menu or disclaimer I would only have to edit one place and all pages would be affected. I have heard this is possible using css but I cannot find an example anywhere (normally I just view a pages source that does what I want, but the style sheets that a page uses don't show up doing that). I have tried looking at a tutorial but it doesn't cover that.

Thanks for the help.

paulsm4 · 07-17-2006, 04:39 PM

Hi -

Server side includes are the most common way to do this kind of thing:
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/1.3/howto/ssi.html

Here's a book recommendation: one that'll pay for itself as soon as you get it, and remain a valuable reference for as long as you use it (IMHO):

Teach yourself HTML and CSS in 24 hours, 7th Edition
Dick Oliver, Michael Morrison
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/067...lance&n=283155

'Hope that helps .. PSM

pljvaldez · 07-17-2006, 04:50 PM

I know you can do this using frames, but it's been a long time. With CSS, I've had to copy the actual text onto each page. But the formatting of that text is what is controlled by CSS. Hmmm....

Maybe try to use server side includes?

AdaHacker · 07-17-2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdwilder

I have heard this is possible using css but I cannot find an example anywhere

It is possible to add generated content using the CSS :before and :after pseudo-elements. You would do that like this:

Code:

p#someid:after { content: "This is some text" }

However, you don't really want to use them for this. For starters, not all browsers support :before and :after. Internet Explorer, in particularly, will completely ignore these. Second, they're somewhat limited in the content they can display. They're really not geared toward displaying meaningful text. You'd be much better off with SSI or some very simple PHP includes.

tgo · 07-17-2006, 05:47 PM

I assume posting on a linux forums you would be using php which would make this very easy. When I used to make websites I would have a header.php and a footer.php.

The header would have the title and the top table and the left side table. The footer would have the right column and the footer. So each page would look like

Code:

<?php

include("header.php");
 
// code specific to page here

include("footer.php");

?>

then when you edited header or footer.php it was changed on each page.

jdwilder · 07-17-2006, 07:04 PM

actually I haven't used php, how similar is it to JSP? Where could I find a good online tutorial? I think that is what I will try.
Thanks

pljvaldez · 07-17-2006, 07:23 PM

I just fiddled around with server side includes and CSS. It's really easy (and Fun

). You can just put the text for your list into a file and call it from within your html.

For example, your file, navbar.ssi would be the following

Code:

<ul>
<li><a href="pathtofile1.html">1st link</a></li>
<li><a href="pathtofile2.html">2nd link</a></li>
<li><a href="pathtofile3.html">3rd link</a></li>
</ul>

Then in your html (index.shtml), you put

Code:

<!--#include virtual="path/to/navbar.ssi" -->

If you're creating the site from scratch, rename your files .shtml (the webserver typically won't parse html files for SSI instructions). If you have to redo a site, there's something called the XBitHack that causes the server to parse regular html files for SSI instructions only if the execute bit is set (i.e. chmod +x index.html). Then you can control the format of the page from your CSS file and keep a separate navbar and footer. Maybe put all the common stuff in a single directory like "include". Then you know where it all is to edit.

Wim Sturkenboom · 07-17-2006, 11:31 PM

Look at iframes and objects to do it in plain html.

jdwilder · 07-18-2006, 08:12 AM

Thank you all for the input, I will have time to work on it in a couple of days and it sounds like I will be able to get it going easily enough.

henryprince · 07-18-2006, 09:51 AM

i need help