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> I'm a technical writing student. I'm taking a web design course. Our team
> project involves redesigning the composition program web site for the
> school. The site owner is not technical and doesn't wish to change that.
> She wants to be able to update the site using MS Word, never encountering
> HTML code. It does need to be useable by users on any platform, so simply
> putting everything up as Word documents isn't going to work.
>
If you create a stylesheet for the site (CSS), you can create the pages as
regular text pages with minimal HTML markup and she can paste in her text
between the tags.
> She doesn't want to know about FTP or anything similar - she wants to be
> able to edit site pages and save them just like any other document. That
> part, at least, I can accomplish by mapping a network drive for her.
>
If your end result will be Word-produced HTML, perhaps you can inquire about
getting another project in which the site owner isn't going to put
restrictions on the project that will cripple your ability to produce
something professional.
> I detest the HTML that results when one saves an MS Word file as HTML. It's
> always messy. I've seen it "break" pages that were working before, if an
> HTML file created in another program is opened, edited and saved in Word.
>
It's a sin.
> The school doesn't have any kind of "solution" in place to address this
> situation, nor is there any plan to change that. Their suggestion is to
> "use WebCT" (http://www.webct.com/ "). The professor wants this site
> accessible to people outside the university, though, so WebCT is not
> suitable in this situation.
>
I can't quickly tell what that program is, so I can't comment.
> We are not permitted the use of anything beyond basic HTML and pre-approved
> cgi scripts (I haven't been able to find out what scripts are available,
> though I've asked).
>
> Any suggestions?
>
You have an uncooperative client. My recommendation is to use CSS for styles
and text files for the HTML. Space the tags widely and use comments for her so
she knows where to paste things. She has to paste plain text, though.
Or, if she insists on using Word, I would urge you to make a strong argument
that such an arrangement wholly invalidates the purpose of the project.
___________________________
Bonnie Granat
GRANAT EDITORIAL SERVICES http://www.editors-writers.info
Overnight service available
