[zhuuraan]

Okay, I'm an idiot! I thought I knew enough to do this without help, but I was wrong!

I am hand coding my site, rather than using things like Frontpage, Joomla, or Dreamweaver, which include WAY more code than is necessary, but I hit a snag.

I am trying to use a table with hidden borders to format my site and for the most part it's good. At first it did something goofy and made my newsletter image go on top of my site logo, but I managed to fix that and it's where it belongs now.

My problem is that while all the images and the submit button and all are over on the left side of the page like they are supposed to be, my paragraph about the newsletter itself and the form fields are centered.

I thought maybe this would be remedied by adding content to the other data cell in the corresponding row, but after doing that and re-displaying the page, it is still the same, and my content is just crammed in the side of the page. I need to figure out how to get it on the left where it belongs.

I will keep looking for a fix, and hopefully find one on my own, but if not I'd appreciate any tips anyone can give me. Thanks in advance!

[zhuuraan]

Wow, surprised nobody's responded yet. I still haven't figured out how to fix my site, and help on this one would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to anyone who is able to help. I really need to get this fixed so I can move on to the meat of the page.

[Matt Helphrey]

It might be helpful to us if you left a link so we can visualize what you are taking about. Even then I may not be able to help, but Ill give it a shot.

[zhuuraan]

I don't have a link because it's not up. The page is on my computer being manually edited and is not being hosted.

[judsonsolomon]

Hi zhuuraan

Try to upload that page to your server...it might be YOUR FILE NAME.html. Once you upload it you might get that link by clicking on that file. Then, copy, paste and post it for giving us to see your link as Matt suggests.

J.S

[zhuuraan]

It has nothing to do with my file name. I know enough about html to know that is not going to make my code appear in the center of the page, but thanks.

As for uploading it, as I said I am not doing that because it is easier to edit the page on my computer first as I am doing it from scratch. I need the main page to remain on the server and it is not conducive for me to upload this page when it is incomplete. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is.

I was really just looking for some guidance from someone who has possibly encountered this particular problem in the past, but if no one has I must just be a moron, and I will keep trying to fix it.

[SuccessForFree]

Zhuuraan,

I think you are missing the point that the other posters are making. In order for us to help you better, we need to be able to see what the problem is. In order to see it, we can either lean over your shoulder and look at your monitor, or we need you to upload your website so we can veiw the page you're having trouble with.

Judson was not saying that the problem is in the file name, he was simply telling you the file you need to upload to your server. For example, if you're editing your homepage, and you named it "index.html", this is the file we need to see. Upload the file to your server, and post the link, then we can see what's wrong with the page.

If you want your mainpage to remain so until you're done editing, rename the file. Something like "indexnew.html" will let you upload the file, without disturbing your existing homepage.

In the meantime, I have a suggestion. If you don't have a lot of experience editing webpages, do not edit the code itself, unless you have no other option. This is the reason editing software like Nvu, Dreamweaver, etc, gives you the ability to see your page in html code, and as it might appear online. This way you can edit your page visually, and know right away if you've made an error.

I've found this to be very helpful, and vastly more efficient, especially when trying to setup the main layout of your page. You'll also find that if you edit your page this way, the coding will be automatically written as you go.

Once you are more practised in html, then try coding to edit your site, but I believe there are many veterans out there that would still rather SEE what is happening, rather than visualizing it.

Anyway, that's my ramble, hopefully it helps you out. If you want further help, upload the file, post the link, and we'll be happy to assist.

It's why we're here...

On a side note, Judson, your sig still says "Alpha-WrokFromHome.com"
I think you mean "Alpha-WorkFromHome.com"

Aaron

[judsonsolomon]

Hi SuccessForFree

Thanks for elaborating what I had posted since I just briefly explained it to Zhuuraan.

Wah.... your are very precise. You can see a small misspell word! I have corrected it in my sig. Thanks again.

I just check my blog page and see you left a comment.
Now total THREE thanks:p

Cheers

J.S

[Jeff Casmer]

Hi J.S.,

Its a very good catch that visitors sometimes would notice a word not spelled correctly....

I do it all the time and have to go back and edit but thats because my hands are working faster than my brain..LOL

Take care
Jeff Casmer

[zhuuraan]

Successforfree, I understood completely what they are saying, and I am not a total html newbie, just having one little problem. Even experienced people have a stupid little bug they can't fix or whatever from time to time.

As for uploading it to my site, again I completely understood what people were saying to that. You guys aren't getting that I do not wish to upload the new site until it is done. I'm not going to put it on my host until I have finished it and it is ready to replace the old one. Call me stubborn, but that is just the way I am.

As I said in my last post, I was just wondering if anyone else had encountered this problem and knows how to fix it. I just want some pointers, or to see if someone can think of something I didn't think of.

Now, as for programs like Joomla, Frontpage, and Dreamweaver, I have two problems with them.

1. I am visually impaired and it is better for me to hand code things and see how they look in the browser via zoomtext than through those programs, which aren't even accessible to a screen reader anyway.

and

2. When using programs like that, a LOT of excess code gets put in the page that doesn't belong, like using the span tag to bold text rather than the <b> tag. It's enough to practically make a 20k page turn into a 50k one. That's WAY ridiculous!

None of you guys knows how much experience I have coding, so I would appreciate it if you didn't make assumptions. If you are unable to help me, that is fine. I will seek help elsewhere.

As I said, call me stubborn, but I am very set in my ways and have been for as long as I can remember. It's not going to change overnight.

[zhuuraan]

I do appreciate the attempts at help that I am getting, by the way, but it's not worth putting it up when it isn't done. I'll do some searching and see what I can find.

[SuccessForFree]

Originally Posted by Jeff Casmer

Hi J.S.,

Its a very good catch that visitors sometimes would notice a word not spelled correctly....

I do it all the time and have to go back and edit but thats because my hands are working faster than my brain..LOL

Take care
Jeff Casmer

Jeff, I do it all the time! In the average blog post I probably have at least 4-6 errors in each paragraph. I spend way to much time editing, but I find once the idea hits, it's better to let it flow, and fix the typos later

Zhuuraan,

Sorry if you feel like we are making assumptions about you, but you didn't give us much to go on. For example, if you had stated why you had problems using editing programs, I would not have suggested you use one.

If you don't want to upload your file, that's fine. We only asked to make it easier for us to help you. But if it makes it harder for you, then that won't work.

Maybe if you posted the piece of code your having trouble with up here for the rest of us to see, that might be the best way.

We're all here to help you, not insult you. But tell us the whole situation would give us a better idea of how to do it!

Aaron

[zhuuraan]

Ok, first off I'll say that I have not yet read any of the posts that may have followed my last one, and in fact I don't know if there are any, but I have something to say before I continue.

I did not mean to sound rude or ungrateful to any of you, so if I have sent that kind of message, I do apologize.

It's just that I am very stubborn and set in my ways, and I'm not the type to let a minor snag like this change that in generally. I suppose I often do things the hard way, but that's just the way I've always been. I'd be more likely to spend 3 days solving a problem I could fix in one, provided I'm not in a big hurry. Of course if I was in a rush like on a deadline, I'd probably take the quickest solution, but being that I'm not under time constraints, that isn't the case.

I know it sounds kind of corny, and occasionally I can send the wrong signals about myself, which I imagine has happened here to a couple of people, so again I am sorry.

I do appreciate your insights, especially those of you that have been doing this much longer than me. However, I think with snags like this, along with asking for help, trial and error can be my best friend. If I can solve a problem on my own or with a few suggestions from peers, I learn from the mistake and can correct it better in the future. I am much better at learning hands on.

I know now that I'm rambling and going too much into things, so I'll shut up now, but I just wanted you guys to know that I don't mean to seem like I'm jumping down anyone's throats or anything for helping me.

To be honest, I'm not the first person to ask for help anyway, and I had to bring myself to do it this time. I'm usually more of the go-getter, determined to solve my own problems and only ask for help when it's vital. It can be a very good thing at times, but at others I realize it can be my undoing.\

So, again I'll shut up, and keep plugging away, trying to figure this out. If I could paste the code here I'd do it, but I don't think all the html tags would be allowed. Maybe some of them but not all of them. Oh well though.

If it comes down to it and I absolutely can't figure it out, I'll upload it to my file manager, but for now I'll leave it be and keep trying.

[zhuuraan]

I didn't think I would be able to upload the code here because the forum software would think it was supposed to be tags for the post.

Anyway, I will try and explain better what I am doing.

I have created a table with hidden borders for formatting purposes.

At first, I hit a snag where for some reason the newsletter image was above my site logo, but I fixed that.

Anyway, after that, what I did is created a table data cell on the far left of each row containing the stuff that was going on the left of the page, and an empty data cell on the second column of each row with a non breaking space inside so that it would display correctly.

The first column of the first row has the code for my site logo. The second column the currently empty data cell, which I intended to fill after I got the content of the left side done.

The first column of the second row has the paragraph about sign up for the newsletter and get yadda yadda, which from that point to the newsletter I copied from the old image and edited to my liking.

That cell only has the paragraph though, which is one of the things that is appearing in the middle of the page. Next to that is another empty cell with a non-breaking space in it.

The 1st cell of the third row contains the newsletter signup form, which also appears centered, followed by another empty cell.

Oh, darn it! I just got an idea because the submit button was on the left where it belonged, and it''s part of the form so that might be part of it, like it accidentally got into another cell, which is weird but possible, except that I can't find the file. I probably just saved it somewhere weird.

Anyway, the picture is in the right place, the newsletter picture, so it's the paragraph and form that are weird. I'm going to see if I find the file real quick and try to correct the error. I will let you guys know how it goes. Now see when you're discussing it, sometimes the stupidest little things can pop up and you're like 'lightbulb!' lol.

[zhuuraan]

Ok guys! I finally figured it out and it was something really stupid and small, so very easy to overlook. I forgot a tag in one of the spots I needed it and messed it all up! Lol fixed it now, but lmao anyone can make that silly mistake! LMAO! I had to keep checking my code til I found it.

Now I'm just afraid the new newsletter image I've created will look really stupid, especially since I'm visually impaired and can't see colors, so photo editing is not exactly my forte!

Oh well, guess I'll have to cross my fingers and hope for the best. Maybe when the page is done I'll have you guys look it over and give some pointers.

I'm not too bad at web design, but I'm sure if my vision were better I'd be a thousand times better! lol.

Well let's keep our fingers crossed it's smooth sailing from here, though I bet I'll hit a few rough spots again, lol.