HTML must be formatted using a very basic, stipped-down, generic code know as ASCII (often called "text" or "plain text"). If you upload a document formatted in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, for example, your Web browser cannot display the file because it is not written using text/ASCII/HTML code. NotePad, however, is a common Windows accessory that saves documents only in text format, which makes it ideal for formatting HTML. Word and WordPad can save documents as ASCII text and HTML, but this approach can lead to problems.

Creating HTML files in NotePad

1. Open NotePad: Start, Programs, Accesories, NotePad
2. NotePad should launch with a new document open. From the File pull-down menu, Select "Save As," save the file to the Desktop, and name the file using the ".html" extension (e.g., "home.html"). You must be sure to save the file with the ".html" extension because NotePad will otherwise add the ".txt" extension which will confuse most Web browsers.
3. From the cheat sheet, enter the HTML template, substituting an appropriate title. You can cut and past from the cheat sheet if you are accessing the sheet online.
4. Use the cheat sheet to help you format your document in HTML.
5. Save the file.
6. Upload the document to the proper place in your public_html directory (see instructions). If you use FTP to upload your document, you can create directories through FTP using the "MKDIR" command on the server-side of the connection (usually the right-hand side of the FTP interface).
7. If you are using a UNC campus computer with an AFS login/client, you can use the "Save As" command in NotePad to export/upload your file directly to your public_html directory (see AFS instructions). Once saved locally, then select "Save As" and choose the H:/ drive. If AFS is working properly, you should then see your public_html directory within the H:/ drive.