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WebCT Faculty Tip Sheets

HTML Editor

About the HTML Editor

The HTML Editor is a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) editor which allows you to create and publish content on the Web without having to know HTML. The HTML editor provides word-processor-like features that display text and graphics the same as they will appear in a browser. The HTML editor is available from Content Module, Discussions, Mail, Manage Files, Organizer Pages, Student Homepages, and Student Presentations.

Using the HTML editor on a Macintosh

If you are working on a Macintosh, before you exit the HTML editor, make sure you save your changes by clicking Save Save button. If you exit the HTML editor without saving, any changes you made in the HTML editor will disappear.

To enter text:

You can enter text in the HTML editor the same way you enter text in a word processor.

  1. In the tool in which you are working, click HTML editor. The HTML editor appears.
  2. Place your cursor in the editing area, and type your text.

To change the font of text:

Note: The default font type is Serif.

  1. Select the text you want to change.
  2. From the Font Type drop-down list Font Type drop-down list, select a font type. The selected text is modified.

To change the size of text:

Note: The default font size is 12.

  1. Select the text you want to change.
  2. From the Font Size drop-down list Font Size drop-down list, select a font size. The selected text is modified.

To apply font styles to text:

  1. Select the text you want to change.
  2. Select appropriate styles button:
    • From the toolbar, click Bold Bold button. The selected text is bold.
    • From the toolbar, click Italic Italic button. The selected text is italic.
    • From the toolbar, click Underline Underline button. The selected text is underlined.

To change the color of text:

  1. Select the text you want to change.
  2. From the toolbar, click Font Color Font Color button. The Colors dialog box appears.
  3. Under Standard Colors, click a color. Note: If you mouse over a color, the color's name and hexadecimal code appear in the dialog box's title bar.
    The color of the selected text changes.
    • If you want to add a custom color:
      1. In the RGB text box, enter a hexadecimal code.
      2. Click Add to custom colors.
      3. Under Custom Colors, click the custom color. The color of the selected text changes.

To apply a paragraph format:

  1. Click the paragraph you want to change.
  2. From the Paragraph Format drop-down list Paragraph Format button, select a format. The selected paragraph is modified.

To align text:

  1. Select the text you want to change.
  2. Select the appropriate alignment icon.
    • From the toolbar, click Align Left Align Left button. The text is aligned to the left.
    • From the toolbar, click Center Center button. The text is centered.
    • From the toolbar, click Align Right Align Right button. The text is aligned to the right

To add bullets or numbers to a list:

  1. In the editing area, click where you want the list to appear, or select the item(s) you want to add bullets or numbers to.
  2. From the toolbar, do one of the following:
    • To add bullets, click Bullets Bullets button.
    • To add a numbered list, click Numbered List Numbered List button.
    • To add an alphabetical lists, click Alphabetical List Alphabetical List button.

  1. Note: When you press Enter to add the next list item, the HTML editor automatically inserts the next bullet or number. When you want to finish the list, click Bullets Bullets button, Numbered List Numbered List button, or Alphabetical List Alphabetical List button again.

To insert text from another source:

You can insert text from another source into the editing area.

  1. Copy the text from the other source.
  2. In the editing area, click where you want the content to appear.
  3. From the toolbar, click Insert Text Insert Text button. The Paste Text from Clipboard dialog box appears.
  4. Paste the text into the dialog box by pressing CTRL+V.
  5. Do one of the following:
    • If the text is in plain text format, select Plain Text.
    • If the text is in HTML format, select HTML.
  6. Click OK. The text is inserted.

To insert a symbol:

  1. In the editing area, click where you want to insert a symbol.
  2. From the toolbar, click Insert Symbol Insert Symbol button. The Insert Symbol dialog box appears.
  3. Click the symbol you want to insert. The symbol appears in the Insert box.
  4. Click Insert. The symbol is inserted.
  5. To close the Insert Symbol dialog box, click Close.

To inserting an image:

  1. In the editing area, click where you want to insert an image.
  2. From the toolbar, click Insert Image Insert Image button. The Insert Image dialog box appears.
  3. In the Source text box, do one of the following:
    • If the image is saved in the main My-Files folder, enter the file name of the image. For example, to insert an image named Europe_map.gif, which is saved in the main My-Files folder, you would enter Europe_map.gif.
    • If the image is saved in a folder within My-Files, enter the path and file name of the image. For example, to insert an image named Asia_map.gif, which is saved in a folder named Maps in the main My-Files folder, you would enter Maps/Asia_map.gif.
    • If the image is on a different web site, enter the full address of the web site, the path, and the file name of the image.
  4. In the ALT-String text box, enter a short description of the image. This text displays in a browser when you mouse over the image.
  5. In the Border Width text box, enter the width of the border in pixels.
  6. In the Size text boxes, enter the width and height of the image in pixels, and click OK. The image is inserted.

To insert a table:

  1. In the editing area, click where you want to insert a table.
  2. From the toolbar, click Insert Table Insert Table button. The Table Properties dialog box appears.
  3. Select the desired number of rows and columns; the table, row, column, cell, and color properties, and click OK. The table is inserted.

To add a row to a table:

  1. In the table, click in a cell above or below where you want to insert the row.
  2. From the toolbar, click Insert Row Insert Row button. The Insert Row dialog box appears.
  3. Select the position in which you want to insert the row and click Insert Row. The row is inserted.

To add a column to a table:

  1. In the table, click in a cell to the left or right of where you want to insert the column.
  2. From the toolbar, click Insert Column Insert Column button. The Insert Column dialog box appears.
  3. Select the position in which you want to insert the column and click Insert Column. The column is inserted.

To insert a hyperlink:

You can create a link from text or an image to another document or web site.

  1. Select the text or image you want to represent the hyperlink.
  2. From the toolbar, click Insert Hyperlink Insert Hyperlink button. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box appears.
  3. In the Href text box, do one of the following:
    • If you want to insert a link to an HTML document saved in the main My-Files folder:
      1. Delete http://.
      2. Enter the file name of the document. For example, to insert a link to an HTML document named European_history.html, which is saved in the main My-Files folder, you would enter European_history.html.
    • If you want to insert a link to an HTML document saved in a folder within the main My-Files folder:
      1. Delete http://.
      2. Enter the path and file name of the document. For example, to insert a link to an HTML document named Asian_history.html, which is saved in a folder named History in the main My-Files folder, you would enter History/Asian_history.html.
    • If you want to insert a link to a web site, enter the full address of the web site, including the protocol http:// or https://.
  4. To the right of the Target text box, click Target button and select the location in which the link should appear.
  5. Click OK. The hyperlink is inserted.

To check spelling:

  1. From the toolbar, click Spelling Check Spelling Check button. If the HTML editor finds a possible spelling error, the Check Spelling dialog box appears.
  2. Make your changes.
  3. When the spelling check is complete, click OK.
 
CRC Help Support for WebCT Designers is available through the Computing Resource Center. To contact a Help Desk representative, please call 702.895.0777 or email crchelp@ccmail.nevada.edu. Support is available Monday through Friday 8:00AM - 5:00PM PST. WebCT training and instructional design support are available through the Teaching and Learning Center.

Last Updated: December 6, 2004
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