Publishing to the Internet
The World Wide Web has taken the world by storm. Everyone either wants to receive or disseminate information via the Web. PowerPoint makes it easier than ever to convert your presentation into a format that can be viewed by Web browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Before doing so, however, you should consider the following:
A Web version of your presentation can be viewed by anyone who has access to your Web server. Unless your server is limited to your company (such as a corporate intranet), anyone from anywhere in the world can look in.
A Web version enables your viewers to see the presentation at their convenience. This can be particularly important for global audiences who live in vastly different time zones.
You have less control over a Web version of your presentation. No longer can you dictate the sequence of the slides, nor can you add clarifying comments if they are needed.
In the case of classroom presentations, will a Web version encourage students to skip class, knowing they can get the presentation off the Web at another time?
Will your potential Web audience have the necessary computer hardware and software to view your presentation the way you intended it to appear?
After you determine that you really want to publish your presentation to the Web, you next need to make sure that the slide show is well-designed for Web use. Consider the following:
Use good presentation design principles. If the slide show works for an audience that sits before you, it will probably work well on the Web.
Because the presentation will be viewed unattended, make sure you have abundant navigational aids so viewers don't get lost. Include a table of contents, or Home, Back, and Forward buttons to assist the viewer.
Be more judicious in your use of graphics, animations, and other multimedia effects. What works well from a hard disk or over a local area network might be deadly slow over a modem connection. Keep such elements small or eliminate them altogether, if they don't really add to the presentation.
Be aware of issues related to accessibility for disabled users. For example, consider whether you need an alternative text-based page for the visually impaired who use special voice readers.
Caution
Be careful to understand and follow copyright laws and guidelines when publishing your slide show to the Web. If any of your material is copyrighted by someone else, you may be required to limit access to the material or not even use it at all if you don't first obtain permissions.
Saving a Presentation as a Web Page
PowerPoint not only enables you to save your work directly in HTML format, but also allows you to open your HTML slide shows directly into PowerPoint, edit them, and save them again in HTML. As you will see, this is not only easy, but it saves lots of time and space because you don't have to keep an original PowerPoint show and convert it each time.
Publishing your show to the Internet involves two steps: saving the presentation in HTML format and transferring the resulting files to a Web server. If you're lucky enough to be connected directly to your Web server over a company intranet, you don't even have to worry about transferring files because you can save the show directly at the Web site.
Note
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. Although much of HTML is standard, some of the markup commands have been enhanced by Microsoft and other companies to provide added functionality. With HTML as the base technology, Cascading Style Sheets (CCS) provide enhanced formatting of the file, and eXtensible Markup Language (XML) is used to store nonviewing information that enables PowerPoint to read, edit, and save presentations without losing any of PowerPoint's advanced presentation features.
To save a slide show as a Web page, follow these steps:
Choose File, Save as Web Page, and PowerPoint displays a somewhat modified Save As dialog box (see Figure 15.17).
Figure 15.17. Saving a PowerPoint presentation as a Web page can be quite simple, or you can customize the Web page.
Browse to the location where you want to save your presentation, making sure that location appears in the Save In edit box.
Tip
Saving your show as a Web page generates several separate files. To make it easier to locate these files, to delete them, or to transfer them to a Web server, it's a good idea to create a separate folder for the Web version of your slide show. Click the Create New Folder button and supply the name of the folder for your Web files.
Edit the filename if you want. Note that the filename ends in .htm, a standard extension for HTML files.
Click Change to change the page title. Otherwise, PowerPoint simply uses the title of the first slide as the title of the Web page.
Tip
If you know that PowerPoint's Web options are set the way you want them, you can save time by choosing Save. By default, this gives you a frame-based Web page that includes an outline, navigation buttons, and other tools, along with the slide. The HTML file is also optimized for use with Internet Explorer 4.0 or later.
If you want to customize the way you present your slide show as a Web page, follow these steps:
Choose File, Save as Web Page.
In the Save As dialog box (refer to Figure 15.17), click Publish to customize the Web page display. PowerPoint displays the Publish as Web Page dialog box (see Figure 15.18).
Figure 15.18. Publishing a presentation as a Web page enables you to customize how the page will appear on the Web.
Choose the options you want (see "Customizing a Web Presentation" in the next section).
Customizing a Web Presentation
The many options for saving your presentation as a Web page enable you to tailor your Web page to match the needs of your viewers. For example, some browsers won't be able to view animations, while others can.
To customize a Web presentation, you must first decide exactly what you want to publish to the Web page, based on these options (shown in Figure 15.18):
Publish a Complete Presentation
Publish a range of slides (Slide Number Through)
Publish only selected slides (Custom Show) based on slides you designated using PowerPoint's Custom Show feature
Display Speaker Notes, if you have them
You can also optimize the Web presentation for browsers that audience members are likely to use by selecting the following options under Browser Support:
To attain the highest fidelity to your original presentation, publish the presentation for use by selecting Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or Later (High Fidelity). This option enables viewers with the latest browsers to see animations and to experience other multimedia features.
Caution
You must decide whether to ignore users who may be using older browsers or to force them to upgrade to view your Web page. If you're pretty sure that most browsers are up-to-date, optimize for the highest quality. Otherwise, you may want to choose an option that allows all browsers to view the Web page.
To enable users of older Web browsers to view your Web page content, choose Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator 3.0 or Later. Some of the pizzazz of your PowerPoint presentation may be lost with this conversion.
All Browsers Listed Above is a special dual-HTML feature that enables viewers to see the best presentation they can, based on the browser they use. This option creates larger files, which means slower downloads, but it helps you avoid having to guess which browser your audience members are going to use.
The Web Options button takes you to the Web Options dialog box (shown in Figure 15.19) where you have many other options. On the General tab, you can choose
Add Slide Navigation Controls Controls include a hyperlinked outline list of the slides, and Forward and Back buttons that aid the viewer in moving through the slide show.
Colors Enables you to choose combinations for the Slide Outline navigation menu. The default is white text on a black background, but several other preset color combinations are also available on the drop-down menu.
Show Slide Animation While Browsing Turn this off if you want static slide transitions.
Resize Graphics to Fit Browser Window This handy option eliminates the need to guess what size screen or resolution will be used in the browser. Some audience members may use a standard VGA screen (640×480 pixels), whereas others may use Super VGA (800×600). With this option turned on, the slide automatically sizes itself to display as large as possible.
Figure 15.19. General Web options determine how the Web page is to be laid out and whether animations will be active.
Note
The options on the General tab affect only those slide shows prepared for and viewed by Internet Explorer 4.0 or later. However, navigation control color options, even when turned off, do affect the navigational outline in Web pages targeted for Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later.
If you click the Files tab in the Web Options dialog box, you see the following options (see Figure 15.20):
Organize Supporting Files in a Folder Publishing your presentation as a Web page creates several individual files, including the main Web page, pages for the Navigation bar, and other supporting frames, graphics and sound files, as well as a page for each slide. Choosing this option creates a subfolder with the same name as the main Web page file. This makes it easier to locate and move or delete all the files related to your Web page presentation.
Use Long File Names Whenever Possible If you want to restrict filenames to typical DOS-type filenames (up to eight characters, with a maximum three-character extension), uncheck this option.
Figure 15.20. File options enable you to specify how files will be named, how they'll be organized, and whether you can edit the resulting HTML files in PowerPoint.
Update Links on Save If you uncheck this box, links from the main page to the supporting pages will remain intact when you save. For example, let's say you want to publish your supporting files to a subfolder where they'll be easy to find and transfer to your Web server, but you want all files to remain in the same folder on the Web server. If you try to view your Web page from your local hard drive, the links will be broken, but when you place them on the server, the links will work again.
Check if Office Is the Default Editor for Web Pages Created in Office This is the option that enables you to save a PowerPoint presentation in HTML and then open it directly from HTML back into PowerPoint without losing any of the special PowerPoint features, such as sounds or animations. Unchecking this option turns off the XML (eXtensible Markup Language) feature, thus allowing only a one-way conversion, from PowerPoint to HTML.
The Pictures tab provides the following options (shown in Figure 15.21):
Rely on VML for Displaying Graphics in Browsers VML (Vector Markup Language) is a method for describing 2D graphics in a text format. VML works only with the latest browsers, such as Internet Explorer 5.0. If your audience might be using other older browsers, do not use this option.
Allow PNG as an Output Format PNG (Portable Network Graphics) is a relatively new Web graphics format that is smaller in size and can have better color and transparency control. Again, however, older browsers (pre-Internet Explorer 4.0) don't support this type of graphic format.
Figure 15.21. Pictures options include advanced graphics display technology options, as well as screen size.
Target Monitor Screen Size If you have chosen the Internet Explorer 4.0 Browser Support and the Resize Graphics to Fit Browser Window options, changing this setting has no effect. However, if you publish your presentation for use on older browsers, this option enables you to specify how large the slides should be.
Tip
Using a screen size that matches the target browser screen settings usually results in a slide that is too small for the available screen. If you want to fill up the browser window with a larger slide, select the next highest resolution (for example, select 1024×768 if the target screen is 800×600).
Finally, the Encoding tab enables you to modify the output for use in browsers that use other languages.
→ For more information on the use of other languages in your presentations, see "Using PowerPoint's Foreign Language Capabilities."
Transferring Your Web Page to a Web Server
Typically, you create your presentation, and save it as a Web page on your local hard disk. Working offline saves time and, in some cases, dial-up connect charges. When you're finally ready to make your presentation available to the rest of the world, you must transfer your files from your own computer to the Web server that will host your Web page.
Tip
If you are connected directly to a company intranet, you may be able to publish your Web page directly to the Web server. Check with your network specialist to find out if this is possible and, if so, how to do it.
Unless you are connected directly to your Web server, you will have to transfer files to your Web server over the Internet, using a file transfer program such as WS_FTP. You need to follow these steps to perform an FTP file transfer:
Contact the Web administrator to determine the location and password information you need to connect to the Web server. Typically, the Webmaster will grant you access to a specific area where you can create and delete files and folders.
Start your FTP program (for example, WS_FTP) and provide the host computer's name, your user ID, and your password. Figure 15.22 shows a sample connect screen.
Figure 15.22. If you use an FTP file transfer program, you must know your host computer (Web server), your user ID, and your password.
When connected, locate the area on the remote computer where you will store your Web page files.
If you published your Web page using a subfolder for supporting files, you must create a corresponding folder on the remote computer.
Locate the Web page and its supporting files on your local computer.
Transfer the files from your computer to the Web computer, remembering to move files to corresponding subfolders, as necessary. Figure 15.23 shows a sample transfer session.
Figure 15.23. A typical FTP session involves moving files from your local computer to corresponding folders on the Web server.
Testing Your Web Page
More likely than not, you will test your Web page as you go. At the bottom of the Publish as Web Page dialog box (refer to Figure 15.18), you can check the Open Published Web Page in Browser option so that each time you publish your presentation, your default browser starts and displays the page using files saved on your local computer (see Figure 15.24). If you find something wrong or want to try other options, simply return to PowerPoint and publish the presentation again.
After you transfer your files to your Web server, you should again test your presentation in your browser over the Internet. Some things you should check for are:
All files should be in their proper place. If you find missing pages or graphics, make sure you have transferred files to folders and locations that correspond exactly to the folders on your hard disk.
Links should be tested individually to make sure they work as you expect them to.
Figure 15.24. A Web page published for Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher includes an outline, the slide, and several navigation buttons.
Caution
The World Wide Web is a dynamic, constantly changing medium. Links that work today might not work tomorrow. If your Web page contains links, you should periodically check to make sure they're still good.
If some of your intended audience use dial-up connections, test how long it takes to download your presentation using a modem. You may discover that certain slides simply take too long to download because of large graphics, sound, or even video elements. You have to determine just how important those elements are and consider eliminating them to speed up the presentation.
Not all browsers are created equal! You should test your Web page using both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, including new and older versions of those programs.
Not all computers and screen settings are the same, either. Test your pages on standard VGA screens (640×480), on Super VGA (800×600), and on XGA screens (1024×768).
Test your Web page on Macintosh screens. Screen resolution and colors sometimes are very different on the Macintosh.
Note
If your intended audience uses the same browser and has the same type of computers (for example, in a corporate intranet setting), you may not need to perform such extensive testing. But if you have a wider audience and you want to look good on a wide variety of computer screens (for example, in a university setting), you can't assume everyone uses the same computer and browser that you do.
Modifying or Updating Your Web Page
If you find during testing that you need to change your Web page, or if at a later date you want to update the information in your presentation, you can still use PowerPoint to edit the presentation.
The easiest way to edit a PowerPoint Web page is to open the main HTML page directly into PowerPoint. Because it uses XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and other advanced HTML processes, the HTML page retains all of PowerPoint's special features, including the use of animations and other multimedia objects.
Tip
You don't need to keep both a PowerPoint (PPT) and an HTML version of your presentation on your local computer. Keep only the HTML copy, which you can open, edit, and play just as you do any regular PowerPoint presentation.
Tip
You don't need to ftp your Web page back from the Web server if you retain a copy on your local computer. Simply open and edit the local copy, then ftp the changes to the Web server, replacing the files you sent previously.
After you make the changes you want, simply save the presentation again as a Web page, and, if necessary, transfer the resulting files to your Web server.