Making Democracy Work

Entering and Formatting Paragraphs

Sections and Headings

Contains help on how to type in text so the results appear as desired within the generated web pages. This includes how to make headings, tables, and links to other pages.

Notations for Paragraphs, Lines, and Lists

Character Formatting - Bold and Italic

Sections and Headings

Linking to Other Web site Pages

Tables

Special Formatting

Notations for Paragraphs, Lines, and Lists

Whenever there is a scrollable area for you to enter text in a form, the text entered will be converted into the HTML language used for web pages using a set of special rules. The questions below describe how these rules are used to form paragraphs, lines, and lists.

How do I begin a new paragraph?

Use a blank line to separate paragraphs of text.

How do I start a new line within the same paragraph?

Usually, the lines in a paragraph are combined to flow together in the web page, so the original line ends don't matter. To force a new line in the HTML, indent 2 spaces. Or use <br> at the end of the first line.

For example, to display:

Phone: 800-555-1222
Email: league@lwvlocal.org

enter:

Phone: 800-555-1222
  Email: league@lwvlocal.org

or:

Phone: 800-555-1222<br>
Email: league@lwvlocal.org

How do I indent a paragraph?

A paragraph will be indented if each line is indented 4 spaces.

How do I make a bullet list?

Begin each bullet line with an asterisk ("*"). If the text under the bullet continues to a new line, indent past the asterisk on subsequent lines. More than one paragraph can be added under the same bullet by indenting the same way. The bullet list ends with a blank or non-indented line.

Example:

This is a bullet list:
* This is a bullet list item
* Here is another item, but this
  item continues to a new line.
The list ends at this line.

How do I make a numbered list?

Begin each line with a number and period.

What happens if I use the space bar to move to the next line?

The computer may get confused. There is a difference between using the "Enter" key (Carriage Return) to begin a new line vs hitting the space key until the cursor wraps past the end to the next line. Even though it might appear as a new line in the form, text and spaces entered until the cursor wraps will be considered part of the same line unless the "Enter" key is used.

Character Formatting - Bold and Italic

How do I make bold text?

The browser must be told when to start making text bold and when to stop the bold.

Insert <b> to begin bold face, and </b> after the end of bold face. Example: <b>main subject</b> will show as main subject.

How do I make italic text?

Insert <i> to begin italic face, and </i> after the end of italic face. Example: <i>Book Title</i> will show as Book Title.

How do I make bold italic text?

Insert <b><i> to begin bold italic face, and </i></b> after the end. Be sure the order of the </i> and </b> at the end is the reverse order of the beginning. Example: <b><i>The VOTER</i></b> will make The VOTER.

What other character formatting options area available?

You can use the notation: <u>underlined</u>, <strike>strikethrough</strike>, <tt>typewriter-style</tt>, or <sup>superscript</sup>. If you combine these together, make sure you end them in the reverse order they began (the begin...end must nest).

Why does my whole page appear bold (or italic...)? Why doesn't the bold (or italic...) work?

You probably entered <b> instead of </b> to end the bold face (or similar for italic, etc.) if most of a page is bold. Also, if you do not nest the begin and end font face changes (end them in the reverse order), the appearance might be messed up.

How can I use a different font or color?

The fonts and text color cannot be changed. They are set by the templates used to create the HTML pages.

Sections and Headings

Most pages provide a form that allows you to enter paragraphs of text that can be added into a page. You can divide the page up into sections, each with a heading, or just enter one or more paragraphs without headings.

Some canned pages provide a form that allows you to add paragraphs at several places on the page around parts that are built-in. For example, the form for a calendar page allows you to insert paragraphs above or below the event listing for the calendar. The forms for these pages have a menu beside each section and the section create buttons that allows you to choose the placement.

In addition to sections with headings, you can make subheadings using a special **heading** notation. *

How do I add paragraphs without sections and headings?

When you create a new generic page, the form that appears has an area for you to enter one or more paragraphs. If you don't use the Create Sections button, the page won't be divided up.

On some pages, you can insert a set of paragraphs at more than one place, e.g. the top and bottom of a page with some canned content. In this case, sections will appear in the forms, but if you leave the headings blank, the page will be generated without the section headings.

How do I divide the page into sections with headings on different topics?

Use the Create Sections button to convert a single paragraph entry form into one where you can enter headings. You can also use the Add Section button to create another section.

How do I get rid of a section?

At the bottom of a section, you will find a button that says "Erase Section". Click on that and text will be removed from all boxes in that section. When you click on "Preview", you will notice the section is gone.

If you erase a section by mistake, immediately scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Cancel". This will restore all values.

How do I get a menu of sections to appear at the top of the page?

When you create multiple sections, then the sections on a page are automatically listed in a small menu at the top.

The section menu at the top of the page is too big. How can I shrink this menu?

When you edit the paragraphs, you will see a Section Short Heading entry, where you can enter a simplified heading used in the top of page menu.

How can I link to a section within a page?

You can link directly to a section if the heading has a name. Use the Section Heading Name entry to enter a single word or abbreviation, e.g. "voterreg". Then you can use the page name, # character, and the section name to make a URL, e.g.

"Register to Vote"<register.html#voterreg>

The name you assign should not be changed after the page is released or else the links using that name will break. Do not include any special characters in your Section Heading Name like "."

How can I change the order of the sections?

When you create a new section, you can select the place for the new section, either at the top, or after another existing section. Later, you can change this by altering the section order number in a section. The sections will be sorted and renumbed using the order you enter. You can use decimal numbers to move sections in-between two others. Use the Reorder Sections button to see the changes.

If the page has more than one area to add paragraphs, a menu of possible placements appears in each section and next to the Add Section button. You can move the section to another location by changing this menu. You can't use the section order numbers to move between areas, since the order numbers are sorted within the area on the page.

How do I create a sub-heading?

If you want headings in addition to the section headings, you can use a special notation in the paragraph text. Use a single line that starts and ends with two, three, or four asterisks to insert extra sub-headings. For example:

 **A small subheading**
 ***A big subheading***
 ****A really big subheading****

What is the difference between the "Section Heading" and "Section Short Heading"?

The section heading is what appears above the paragraphs in the section. The short heading is an optional alternative used for a menu of sections that automatically appears at the top of the page. If you leave the short heading blank, the long heading is used for that menu.

What is the section heading name used for?

This name is used to identify the place on the page so other pages may link directly to it. See the FAQ on linking to a section.

Why don't section numbers appear in the page?

I changed the numbers to 1.1, 1.2, ... Why do the numbers change to 1.0, 2.0,...?

The section order numbers are only used to reorder the sections. After the sections are re-sorted or you remove sections, the order numbers are reset.

If you really want section numbers, you could put them in the Section Heading, but they won't be automatically renumbered when you insert a new section.

What is the difference bewteen headings entered into sections and subheadings created by using asterisks?

The headings entered into the forms under sections are used for a top of page menu and have special significance when searching or for generating a detailed site-map. Subheadings entered using asterisks (see faq on subheadings) can look similar, but aren't used for menus, site map, or search entries.

Linking to Other Web site Pages

How can I be sure that I formed links correctly?

Test them. After following the instructions below, always, always, preview the changed page, then click on the link. If you know the linked page is defined or the file is uploaded, then the new page or file should open. Also after you release the page, always Open the Released Site in a New Window and test the link. If it doesn't work, then fix the link.

How do I link from one of my pages to another one of my pages?

When you edit a page, we list the pages and files on your site in the right-hand column to make it easy for you to know their names.

Instead of just listing the names, we have included all characters that you need to make a link. And we give you hints at the bottom of the column for how to make each link.

The page and file list entries look like this:

"x"<contact.html>

or

"x"<files/voter2009jan.pdf>

For example, if you want to link to your About the League page, you would

  1. Look in the right-hand column and copy this line:

    "x"<about.html>

  2. Paste it into the edit box on a page where you want to create the link.
  3. Replace the 'x' (leave the double quotes!!) with 'about the League':

    "about the League"<about.html>

  4. Preview and test!!

NOTE: if you asked "support" to upload graphics files before 2012, they are currently also stored in your "files" directory. Do not use the link example with a .jpg or .gif file -- it will not work the way you wish. Instead see What is the command I will use to imbed a graphical image?.

How can I include a link to another web site?

You can use one of the following notations in your paragraphs to include clickable links:

  • BEST: Enter the words you want linked (clickable) in quotes (") immediately followed by the complete URL in <>, e.g:

    "Site Help"<http://lwvnet.org/lwv/site/help>

    will appear as Site Help. Also best to open in new window.

  • EASY: Just type a valid, complete* URL in the paragraph if you want that URL to appear in the paragraph, e.g. http://www.lwv.org

Generally, it is better to use the 1st method especially if the URL is long and "ugly". Use the second if you really want people to read the name of the web site within your text.

When linking to another website, I'd like the page to open a new browser window.

This is a good idea so that people can find their way back to your website more easily. To make this happen, simply insert the plus sign (+) just before the http:

"Site Help"<+http://lwvnet.org/lwv/site/help>

How can I link to a PDF file?

See Linking to a PDF file

How can I link to a particular place on a page?

When you create sections, FAQ pages, calendars, etc. you can make a reference to the specific place on the page instead of the page top by appending # and the place name to the URL. Use the following guidelines:

  • When editing a section, enter some text into the "Section Heading Name" field in the form. It is best that it be short, all lowercase, and reminds you of the topic of this section. It cannot be the same as any other Section Heading Name on this page. This text is called sname below and will allow you to link to this section.

  • Use "title"<pagename.html#sname> to link on another page.
  • Use "title"<#sname> to link elsewhere on the same page.
  • When creating FAQs, use the notation "Q.sname:" instead of "Q:" to assign a target name. You can also use the "Auto-Number Questions" to assign a numeric sname.
  • When creating calendars, the target name for an event is a number composed of year, month, day, time, and a letter, A, B, C..., e.g. 200106211730A. If you don't specify a time, 0000 will be used. If there is more than one event at the same time, the suffix letter changes to B, C, etc. You can see this number when editing the event.

How can I find the name for a place within a page to link to?

You can look for a <a name="sname"> in the HTML for any web page. Use the View-Source menu (or right mouse click) to access the HTML. Then you add #sname to the URL in your link.

How can I create a clickable email link?

If you enter a valid (complete) email address, it will be converted into a clickable address that will start an email message. We encode this email address to discourage spammers from finding the email address on the web page. We can't guarantee they won't find it, but it should help a lot.

If you would prefer that people cannot read that email address, you can link to the Contact Us form for a specific email address that is listed on the Contact Us page.

  • To get that link, go to the published Contact Us page, right click on the desired address found on that page ("email the League", "send email", or "webmaster") and a popup box should appear.
  • Select the copy link option in the popup box.
  • Then edit the page you want to have an email address and create the link just like you would for a web page link:

    "email us"<--paste link here -->

Email address links will not work until your web site is activated for the public.

Why doesn't the program make my web address clickable?

You must use the complete URL including the http:// in order to make a valid URL. Use http://pbs.org not pbs.org.

What is a complete URL? Isn't the web site name enough?

It is good netiquette to link directly to a particular page on the topic referenced rather than just the home page. (Link to the home page, of course, for a reference to the whole organization or site.) Often it may take more than 5 minutes of searching on a site to find the page. Save your readers a lot of time and paste in the full URL.

For example, use "voter registration form"<http://ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html> not "voter registration form"<http://ss.ca.gov>. The votereg1 page is 5 clicks down and many people might not even find it because the link is a picture labelled "Voter Registration Card".

Note that there are some poorly designed sites that use frames, javascript, or search-only access to information, and there is no easy way to link to a specific page, or the URL shown in the Address/Location may be wrong. In this case, a home or top-level page is the only possible way to reference a site.

Why do I need to assign names for sections or FAQ questions?

You may notice that the system assigns numbers as on-page link targets even if you don't put in a name. These are used in the top of page menus, and work as a link target if you copy and paste them. However, these numbers may change if you add or move sections. If you assign a word or abbreviation to a section or question, then that word stays the same even when you add or reorder sections.

If you use the "Auto-Number Questions" button when editing a FAQ page, it will modify your questions and insert a numeric name.

How can I copy and paste a URL?

You can open another browser window (use the File->New->Window menu), go to a particular page you want to reference, then click in the Address/Location: (the http:// ... display). Then click the Edit->Copy menu (or use Ctrl+C on a PC). You can switch back to the form where you would type in the URL and paste using the Edit->Paste menu (or Ctrl+V).

If you are viewing an index page (or search engine result) with a link to a page you want to reference, you can move your mouse over the link, then use the right mouse button and select the "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" menu entry, then paste as usual. You can use this method to pick up a URL to a particular section or FAQ using the menu at the top of the page.

The link on my page doesn't work. What's wrong?

This is called a "broken link". Here are some tips for fixing:

  • All characters entered within the <> must be identical, including capitalization or lower-case, to the name of the page or file.

  • If the link is to another page on your site or to a file you uploaded, look at the names in the right column of the page you are editing. If you don't find the file you are looking for, then you probably need to upload it. When found in the right column, do a COPY and PASTE rather than typing. If the link is to a page on another web site, open that page in a separate browser window, and COPY and PASTE the URL rather than typing.

  • Review the instructions above for the type of link you are trying to make.

Tables

How can I enter a table?

You can create a simple table with text organized into columns by indenting 4 spaces, starting with a backslash (\), and separating columns using the backslash.

The example:
    \Year  \Registered Voters
    \1999  \384,214
    \2000  \386,120
    \2001  \381,914
will produce:

YearRegistered Voters
1999384,214
2000386,120
2001381,914

If you want borders, begin with a table line where the columns only contain dash (-) characters. The number of dashes doesn't matter.

The example:
    \-----\-----------------
    \Year  \Registered Voters
    \1999  \384,214
    \2000  \386,120
    \2001  \381,914
will produce:

YearRegistered Voters
1999384,214
2000386,120
2001381,914

How can I put paragraphs in multiple columns?

You can place your paragraphs or long list of short lines into 2 columns using the notation:
 [begin table]
 paragraphs in column 1 ...
 [column]
 paragraphs in column 2 ...
 [end table]

Three or more columns can be created by inserting additional [column] lines.

Each command enclosed in brackets [ ] must begin at the beginning of a new line and not be followed by anything else on that line. In other words, each must be on a line by itself as in the examples here.

Note: The 2 column layout cannot span more than one section. If you want a 2 or 3 column page layout, you must use the asterisk notation to make headings within a column.

How can I make a table with paragraphs in one box?

The [begin table] notation can be used to make more complicated tables where you can put in paragraphs, add optional borders and headings, and make the table cells span rows or columns. Use the following notations:
  • Use [begin table with borders] to add border lines.
  • Use [begin indented table] to indent the table.
  • Use [begin table heading] start a table with heading (boldface) row.
  • Use [row] to start another row.
  • Use [heading row] to start another heading row.
  • Use [column] to start another column.

You can combine the notations.

The example:

 [begin indented table heading with borders]
 Year
 [column]
 Registered Voters
 [row]
 1999
 [column]
 384,214
 [row]
 2000
 [column]
 386,120
 [end table]

will produce:

Year Registered Voters
1999 384,214
2000 386,120

How can I make tables with cells spanning columns or rows?

You can put a [colspan 2] and/or [rowspan 2] line at the top of the table cell contents to make the table cell (box) span 2 columns wide or 2 rows tall, respectively. The number can be 3 or more if desired.

The example:

 [begin table heading with borders]
 [colspan 2]
 Election
 [column]
 [rowspan 2]
 Registered
   Voters
 [heading row]
 Year
 [column]
 Month
 [row]
 [rowspan 2]
 1999
 [column]
 March
 [column]
 384,214
 [row]
 November
 [column]
 385,198
 [row]
 2000
 [column]
 November
 [column]
 386,120
 [end table]

will result in:

Election Registered
Voters
Year Month
1999 March 384,214
November 385,198
2000 November 386,120

Can I use HTML to make more complex tables?

If you know how to make tables in HTML, you can enter this notation into the paragraph text to make even more complicated tables. However, it is very easy to make a mistake and can cause the whole page to come out wrong or even blank.

How do I use multiple columns with tables or nested tables?

Sorry, the simplified table notations are designed to be easy but don't handle the most complex cases. You can use HTML tables to make columns containing tables like the examples here, or to make a table within a table.

Special Formatting

How can I add a graphical image?

If you want a graphical image or a photo on your page, you can upload and embed it yourself. Please see Upload Photos for complete instructions.

Can I put HTML into paragraphs of text?

You can use certain HTML constructs to format text like making important words bold. You may also want to use HTML in more complex cases of nested lists, blockquote, tables, etc.

We recommend that you use HTML only if you must. You may know it -- but will the next LEWMaster in your League? Make it easier for him or her.

Sometimes web sites invite you to paste HTML onto your page so that you can embed content stored on their site. For example, you may embed a YouTube video with the HTML offered.

If you place HTML into your LEW page, then preview the page and see all or part of that HTML, you may still try to use that HTML by telling LEW you know what you are doing!!

The magic? Just include <html> before the pasted HTML and </html> after that code. Those commands will tell our LEW processor to use the code in between "as is". If the code does not work as you expected, it is up to you to figure out what is wrong. Or contact the site you obtained the code from and ask them for assistance.

See Webmaster Notes flyer with detailed instructions about embedding widgets.

Can I paste in HTML from my existing web site?

You might be able to cut and paste HTML into the text forms, however there is a significant chance that pasted portions of HTML will cause problems. If you want to convert pages, you are probably better off saving the web page as a text file, then cutting and pasting the text. Or just open the page with your browser and copy the text.

What is HTML?

HTML is the language used to compose web pages. Your web browser reads HTML commands enclosed in <> characters combined with the text you see to produce the nicely (or ugly) formatted web page.

The LWV web site generation software converts the paragraphs you type in using the special notations described bere to the appropriate HTML and then places that into HTML pages customized into built-in templates containing the other portions of the page.

How can I center some text or an image?

You can use the HTML command pair "center" to do this. For example, <center>This text is centered.</center> will produce:
This text is centered.

A phrase, a paragraph, several paragraphs, and images may be included. Be sure to include the end center command.

Can I keep some text in a page that I don't want to print?

Yes. You might want to keep the words you used about an election for the next election, for example. Or you have started to add some new content, but don't have all of the words yet. Or maybe you just want to write a note to yourself. Just enclose the text you don't want to print within a pair of double brackets:

[[ ...text or commands that won't print ... ]]

Is there a spellcheck?

Several have asked for a spellcheck, but because you could use the Firefox or Chrome browser, we did not provide it. Download Firefox or Chrome. Either of these browsers will underline a word it thinks is misspelled in red.

How do I put an email address on a web page?

Just type it in. LEW will encode this email address so that spam programs are less likely to find it. When a user clicks on this email address, the user's default email program will open and the email address is automatically filled into the To: area. Then the user can enter the message.

How do I code a link on any page to the form people use to send an email message to someone listed on our Contact Us page?

When someone goes to your Contact Us page and clicks on one of the "send email" links, the information about the email address is passed in a special link to the form that the person fills out with the message.

You may put this kind of link on any LEW page by following these instructions:

  • Go to the released Contact Us page (the web site must be live and the page not in preview mode).
  • Right-click on the "send email" of the person you want contacted (or "email the League" or "Webmaster").
  • A dialog box opens. In Firefox, click on "Copy Link Location". In MS Internet Explorer, click on "Copy Shortcut". If another browser, you may have to find the way to copy the link value in a similar manner.
  • Edit the page where you want to put words like: Please send an email to our action director. Put double quotes around the word(s) you want to be the link (underlined). Then immediately following the second double quote, type: <>
  • Place your mouse pointer just after the < symbol and paste the saved value.