MulitiPublishing
Last Modified: 3/3/2005
Introduction
Organizing Your Content
Setting up HemPC on your computer
Running HemPC
The Main Interface
Task Area
Web,Section,Item Tree List Area
The Settings Area
Importing Content
About the Build Process
Converting your Website to PDF
Printing your PDF
Creating a CD-ROM
Before You Start Adding Content
Assuming you now have your content organized and ready to upload, there are a few things to keep in mind. Below you'll find some general content guidelines and instructions on building your web and choosing a template to render it in.
Organizing Your Content
Setting up HemPC on your computer
Running HemPC
The Main Interface
Task Area
Web,Section,Item Tree List Area
The Settings Area
Importing Content
About the Build Process
Converting your Website to PDF
Printing your PDF
Creating a CD-ROM
Before You Start Adding Content
Assuming you now have your content organized and ready to upload, there are a few things to keep in mind. Below you'll find some general content guidelines and instructions on building your web and choosing a template to render it in.
General Content Guidelines
Now, you should have your content organized in an outline and/or a text file, and have the necessary files and pictures you want to include.
Here are some guidelines for preparing your media:
• Text should be non-formatted. You can format your text in HemPC.
• Images should be in JPG format and high resolution if you plan on printing. HemPC also imports GIF files but won't scale them or apply effects.
• Images should end in either .JPG or .GIF extensions to upload correctly
• We recommend you ZIP any files uploaded.
• Important! Each Section should have at least one item to properly render in both PDF and Custom Templates.
• If you wish to transfer text from another program, do so by cutting/pasting into the Item Description field. Do NOT paste from another program into the HTML Builder as unexpected formatting results may happen.
Here are some guidelines for preparing your media:
• Text should be non-formatted. You can format your text in HemPC.
• Images should be in JPG format and high resolution if you plan on printing. HemPC also imports GIF files but won't scale them or apply effects.
• Images should end in either .JPG or .GIF extensions to upload correctly
• We recommend you ZIP any files uploaded.
• Important! Each Section should have at least one item to properly render in both PDF and Custom Templates.
• If you wish to transfer text from another program, do so by cutting/pasting into the Item Description field. Do NOT paste from another program into the HTML Builder as unexpected formatting results may happen.
Create a Web
Earlier we decided to create a smaller (20-30 page) document with each chapter a Section. This will mean each chapter is represented by a single web page in our website. We'll talk more about the website later. So, let's create our website first.
Click "Create New Web" on the left task area. Answer "No" to the "Want to use the Web Wizard?" request.
Give your web a Web Name like: "Tree House"
This appears on the website, but can be overidden by the Web Logo Image. In otherwords, if you have a Web Logo Image specified, it will be shown instead of the Web Name for your web.
The Web Name will NOT appear in the PDF document, nor will the Web Logo Image.
Add the Web Headline for your web: "How to Build a Tree House"
This will appear on the cover of the PDF document and on the website as well.
You can include an image for the cover of your book/website by clicking the Browse... button for the Web Main Image. The maximum width of this image is equal to the 'Browser Width' setting in HTMLtoPDF. So, if you want your image to span fully across the page, make sure you take note. Typically, the image width for the SwissBlackPDF template is 800 pixels wide.
For now, let's leave the other Web Settings alone. Click the Submit button on the upper right corner and you should now see the name of the web you just created in the center tree control.
Click "Create New Web" on the left task area. Answer "No" to the "Want to use the Web Wizard?" request.
Give your web a Web Name like: "Tree House"
This appears on the website, but can be overidden by the Web Logo Image. In otherwords, if you have a Web Logo Image specified, it will be shown instead of the Web Name for your web.
The Web Name will NOT appear in the PDF document, nor will the Web Logo Image.
Add the Web Headline for your web: "How to Build a Tree House"
This will appear on the cover of the PDF document and on the website as well.
You can include an image for the cover of your book/website by clicking the Browse... button for the Web Main Image. The maximum width of this image is equal to the 'Browser Width' setting in HTMLtoPDF. So, if you want your image to span fully across the page, make sure you take note. Typically, the image width for the SwissBlackPDF template is 800 pixels wide.
For now, let's leave the other Web Settings alone. Click the Submit button on the upper right corner and you should now see the name of the web you just created in the center tree control.
Choose a Template for the Web
There are a number of templates available to render your new web. The default template is Plain. Click the name of the web you just built to select it. Notice the RED Build Web button. It is Red because the data you have sent to the server is new, but the web has not yet been rendered. Click the button, then view your (single page) website rendered with the Plain template.
You can choose to render your web with a different template by clicking the Edit Web Style button on the left task area. Choose a style from the drop down menu. There are 2 different kind of styles available: the default styles and custom styles.
Default styles are the styles new users see when first working with HemPC. More about these styles can be learned by clicking the Style Map text link (upper right of Web Style tab), or the Browse Styles button. Also, importantly, the default styles can have their colors editted easily by clicking the Edit Style Colors button.
Custom Styles must be manually loaded into a users preferences settings. They are many times more flexible, but require knowledge of and direct editing of CSS files in order to change their appearance. For now, all we want to do is to make sure and download a couple custom template styles, so that we can use them for rendering our web and pdf documents.
You can choose to render your web with a different template by clicking the Edit Web Style button on the left task area. Choose a style from the drop down menu. There are 2 different kind of styles available: the default styles and custom styles.
Default styles are the styles new users see when first working with HemPC. More about these styles can be learned by clicking the Style Map text link (upper right of Web Style tab), or the Browse Styles button. Also, importantly, the default styles can have their colors editted easily by clicking the Edit Style Colors button.
Custom Styles must be manually loaded into a users preferences settings. They are many times more flexible, but require knowledge of and direct editing of CSS files in order to change their appearance. For now, all we want to do is to make sure and download a couple custom template styles, so that we can use them for rendering our web and pdf documents.
Adding a Custom Template
In order to render to PDF or a custom template, you need to import into your Styles Library a custom template. For now, there's a round about way of doing this, so pay close attention. The basics involve creating a new web, importing a style or multiple styles for it, then deleting the web. Here we go.
• Create a New Web and answer "Yes" to "Do you wish to use the New Web Wizard?"
• Choose Style Template and then press the yellow Next button.
• Type 'test' into Name for the Web field and press the Next button. Now a web is built with name test. This may take a few moments.
• Now, you'll download a list of all of the public default and custom templates available from the server.
• Scroll down and click on the 'SwissBlackPDF' image. Then click the Apply Chosen Style button.
• Next find the 'SwissPDF' image and click Apply Chosen Style
• Next find the 'TechDoc' one and Apply Chosen Style
Now we have our PDF templates we can use. Let's download a couple website templates.
Choose the 'Swiss_SP' (SP stands for SubPortal which really means each Section is rendered as a page- Portal or Cover means all Sections rendered to a single page)
Choose 'altCleanLux' as well. Now click the Close Window button.
You will now see that 5 new entries have been added to your Styles list. Go ahead and Delete the 'test' web.
In order to render to PDF or a custom template, you need to import into your Styles Library a custom template. For now, there's a round about way of doing this, so pay close attention. The basics involve creating a new web, importing a style or multiple styles for it, then deleting the web. Here we go.• Create a New Web and answer "Yes" to "Do you wish to use the New Web Wizard?"
• Choose Style Template and then press the yellow Next button.
• Type 'test' into Name for the Web field and press the Next button. Now a web is built with name test. This may take a few moments.
• Now, you'll download a list of all of the public default and custom templates available from the server.
• Scroll down and click on the 'SwissBlackPDF' image. Then click the Apply Chosen Style button.
• Next find the 'SwissPDF' image and click Apply Chosen Style
• Next find the 'TechDoc' one and Apply Chosen Style
Now we have our PDF templates we can use. Let's download a couple website templates.
Choose the 'Swiss_SP' (SP stands for SubPortal which really means each Section is rendered as a page- Portal or Cover means all Sections rendered to a single page)
Choose 'altCleanLux' as well. Now click the Close Window button.
You will now see that 5 new entries have been added to your Styles list. Go ahead and Delete the 'test' web.
Using Custom Styles
Hemingway can render your 'Webs,Sections, and Items' using any of the templates you have available. Some templates, as mentioned before, render everything to one HTML page. These are called 'Portal' or 'Cover' templates and are great for creating a first page of a website where you want multiple columns and lots of content. Other templates like Web Notebook and Palm Format can render each item as it's own HTML page. But, most templates are 'SubPortal' style and these render each Section as a single HTML page.
So, the question is, then how do you actually create PDF documents?
First you need to render your Web using one of the PDF styles. For instance, TechDoc, SwissPDF and SwissBlackPDF all are "PDF compliant styles." In this case, you'll be using the SwissBlackPDF template. Once you render the web as SwissBlackPDF, build it and view it. You will see it open in a web browser, but not really look very good. It has links across the top of the main page, but not any of the others. This is because the website you see is rendered as a format which can be converted easily to PDF. Once we've converted it to PDF, we'll change the style of it back to SwissSP (SP stands for SubPortal).
So, the question is, then how do you actually create PDF documents?
First you need to render your Web using one of the PDF styles. For instance, TechDoc, SwissPDF and SwissBlackPDF all are "PDF compliant styles." In this case, you'll be using the SwissBlackPDF template. Once you render the web as SwissBlackPDF, build it and view it. You will see it open in a web browser, but not really look very good. It has links across the top of the main page, but not any of the others. This is because the website you see is rendered as a format which can be converted easily to PDF. Once we've converted it to PDF, we'll change the style of it back to SwissSP (SP stands for SubPortal).
Converting to PDF
Once your website is rendered in a PDF compatible style, you'll use the HemPC plugin HTMLtoPDF to convert it to a PDF document. (Note to Mac users: as of this writing the HTMLtoPDF plugin for HemPC is not yet available on the Mac platform. Please check the Altuit website to see if it is available. When available, it will automatically download to your computer. Even if you do not have HTMLtoPDF on your Mac, you can still create all the content there, and then just use a PC version of HemPC when you are done to convert it to PDF). We'll spend more time on how to use HTMLtoPDF a bit later.
Technology by: Altuit, Inc. | top
Download this entire Website as a PDF document with indexes.
Download this entire Website as a PDF document with indexes.