PageMill Lets You Create Web Pages without Knowing HTML

Robyn Fizz

Adobe Systems recently released PageMill 2.0 for the 
Macintosh. (The Windows version is scheduled to ship in late November.) 
PageMill is Web page creation software "for the rest of us" - that is, 
content providers who don't want to learn the intricacies of HyperText 
Markup Language (HTML).
 
PageMill 1.0 was a pioneering product, but fell short in many ways. 
The new version adds features and flexibility that meet the primary 
needs of Web page designers. PageMill 2.0 includes

* Support for tables, including tables imported from Microsoft Excel

* Support for frames

* Support for Netscape plug-ins, including PDF Viewer, QuickTime, and 
Shockwave

* Client-side image maps

* Search capabilities for all page elements

* Ability to view and edit HTML source code (which PageMill 
creates behind the scenes)

* A full-featured spell checker. 

Platforms/Requirements
PageMill 2.0 runs on Macintosh and Windows platforms. Minimum system 
requirements are as follows.

Macintosh 
* A 68020 or greater processor

* System 7.1 or later

* 8 MB of RAM and 10 MB of hard drive space

Windows 
* A 486 or greater processor

* Windows 95 or NT 3.51 or later

* 8 MB of RAM for Windows 95;
16 MB of RAM for Windows NT

* 10 MB of hard drive space

PageMill Basics
PageMill has two modes: Preview  and Edit. Preview mode shows how a 
page will look and act when displayed in a Web browser. Edit mode lets 
you create or modify text, images, and links: this is where the page-
building gets done. Edit mode offers a two-row Toolbar with buttons for 
formatting text, aligning elements, creating forms, and manipulating 
tables.
 
Another key part of PageMill's interface is the Inspector, a floating 
palette with four tabbed panels for working with the current page, 
forms, frames, and objects.
 
While PageMill's interface offers many controls, the program's look 
and feel is less appealing than that of other Adobe applications. For 
example, the buttons in PageMill's Toolbar are small, and some have 
icons that aren't intuitive. Fortunately, when you move the pointer over 
a Toolbar button, descriptive text indicates its function.

Handling Graphics
PageMill 2.0 isn't an image processing package, but it does offer 
several features for handling Web graphics. You can scale graphics and 
do simple text wraps. You can add interlacing to a GIF file, or select 
one color per image to be transparent. If you open a PICT image in 
PageMill, it automatically changes into a GIF file. Creating a tiled 
background pattern is a snap.

Tables
Tables can have two different functions in Web pages. They can be 
used to organize data in columns and rows, or to structure elements on 
a page. In the latter case, a table may not have borders and may be 
invisible to viewers. PageMill supports both of these uses of tables.

Creating tables in PageMill is easy. You use the Table button to set 
the number of rows and columns. You can add, delete, or resize rows and 
columns at any time. Table cells can be filled with text, numbers, 
images, links, lists, even movies or sounds. You can also create cells 
that span rows or columns.

One major drawback in PageMill's implementation of tables is that you 
must format the contents of each cell separately. This can lead to a lot 
of repetitive handwork.
 
Forms
PageMill has adequate tools for forms creation, although you can 
create only one form per Web page. Form elements include text fields, 
checkboxes, radio buttons, pop-up lists, password fields, and submit and 
reset buttons.
    
While PageMill helps you design forms, it is a CGI script on a Web 
server that receives and processes the form data. Unless you are running 
your own Web server, you will probably use the "cgiemail" script on 
web.mit.edu, which sends the data as email to an address you specify. 
After you create your Web forms, contact the CWIS group at <cwis-
help@mit.edu>; they will set up the CGI scripts you need.

Frames
Framesets let you place multiple frames on a Web page (in the same 
way that a window can have several panes). Frames are often used for 
static information such as a navigation menu or table of contents: when 
you click on an item in a static frame, related content appears in an 
adjoining frame. The relationship between frames is handled by target 
links.
 
PageMill 2.0 excels at creating and editing frames. The Frame panel 
in the Inspector palette lets you adjust frame size and margins and turn 
scroll bars on or off. The program also has a straightforward interface 
for setting up target links.
 
If you do use frames, don't forget to create text-based partner 
pages. This ensures that your information will be available to the 
visually impaired and others who use text-only browsers.
 
Purchase and Support
The MIT Computer Connection  doesn't keep PageMill 2.0 in stock, but 
can special order it. Their price is $65.
 
Right now, IS is evaluating Web page authoring packages and does not 
officially support any program. The two main contenders are Adobe 
PageMill and Claris Home Page. You can see a demo of Home Page at a CWIS 
presentation on December 12. It will be held from noon to 1pm in E40-302.