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This webpage was created after I read Beth Candy and WebTV tech Andy's short tutorial in our first PageBuilder newsletter. I had problems linking to scrapbook images because I was using an incorrect URL HTML code syntax. Beth and Andy's article help clear up my problems. I made this webpage to pass along what I learned from them. All I added here is information on: linking to published scrapbook clipart, linking from email, and using the <base> tag with relative URL's. Thanks Beth and Andy!
You can use relative URL addressing for scrapbook images in your webpages when your images and webpage is on the same server groups. Relative URL's for my images will work because the image files are in the same server group directory as my webpage. If the image files were in another server group directory, I would have to use an absolute (complete) URL to load my images. As an example, my image page and this webpage are both on "community-2" servers, so I can use relative addressing for scrapbook images on this webpage.
Now, one other fact we all surely know by now – you must publish "scrapbook" and "clipart" images on a webpage to be able to access them on the web, for linking to email and other webpages; ie, images must be published on a webpage, not necessarily a special image page, but any page accessible on the web. Many PageBuilders create special "image" webpages that they link to wherever they need a particular image. Use the procedure outlined below for successful PageBuilder image linking.
To get the image that has an absolute URL of "http://community-2.webtv.net/jaxred/ImagesPage5/scrapbookFiles/importD1.gif," which is Beth's mailbox image on my images page, all I need to use is the relative URL image "src" code <img src="/jaxred/ImagesPage5/scrapbookFiles/importD1.gif">. Note: You must use the "foward slash" (/) before your "username," exactly as I did in the above sentence. Be sure you understand the necessity of correctly following the file "capitalization" scheme noted below.
To get clipart images, we also have to use our "usernames," and webpage "title" in the relative URL like I did for other images as noted above; it just looks like we can use a shorter relative URL address because of the "clipart" URL's that are shown when we "validate" (view source code) a PageBuilder webpage. The "clipart" files are common to all server directories; ie, the clipart files are on each server, but the clipart files can only be accessed by the PageBuilder software program JavaScript. I only mentioned this, because of the relative URL scheme you see in the PageBuilder webpage source code – you see the JavaScript URL instead of an HTML image URL "scheme" that we can use. JavaScript manipulates the "clipart" images, and to do image manupulation from "src" requests directly to clipart files, requires that our individual PageBuilder editing programs be opened to "deliver" the image by Javascript "function" to the URL "src" header requests (relative URL's) we see in the source codes.
Ok, so how do we get clipart images on our webpages using relative URL's? You guessed it – by the same scheme as noted above for scrapbook images. You have to put the clipart image on a published page and use the same relative addressing scheme explained above for scrapbook images; but, instead of using "/scrapbookFiles/" we'll use "/clipart/" after your "/user-name/" and webpage "/title/," then "/clipart-file-type/" (here my image file type is "Animations"), then finally "/clipart-file-name>" in the relative URL"s. Be sure to use the correct capitalization beginning with your "username;" ie, every word in an absolute or relative URL following the "domain" name (.net, .com, etc) is capitalization sensitive – you must use exact capitalization! So to load the "LogoBounceAnim.gif" on my webpage, I would use the relative URL <img src="/jaxred/ImagesPage5/clipart/Animations/LogoBounceAnim.gif">. Wow.....,that sucker's long! But, look how much longer it would be if I had used the full "absolute" URL. That leads to the use of "base href" addressing in the head tag that I discuss below.
OK, here's my images using the relative URL scheme I explained above. Check the relative URL codes I used by using the "view" Source Code button below.
OK, so what's the practical value of relative addressing of our published scrapbook and clipart images on PageBuilder webpages? Nothing actually, unless you are just obsessed with using short URL's for your images – it's no great advantage actually, you only eliminate the server addy part ("http://community-2.webtv.net" in my case here) from the URL. It's so easy to just "click" an image and put it on your webpage. You can even align the image on the page using HTML code in the "Add a picture" "title" text box, as I previously suggested here. And, always remember, as I noted above; this relative addressing scheme explained here only works if your images and webpages are published on the same server groups. If, by chance, but highly unlikely; you have a username with image files and webpage on separate server groups, you must use absolute URL addressing. Also, you must us full absolute URL addressing to load image files from your other users. Also, note: to link image files to your emails and posts, you do not use the server group "numbers" in the addy, just use the URL scheme: "http://community.webtv.net/username/title/filetype/filename" – because email and NG posts image "src's" must be requested from the WebTV PageBuilder "@Lookup" master directories.
But, there is a good effective use for relative URL's that I previously suggested. To access files on your other webpages; you can use my suggestion for editing the PageBuilder head tag. Then you can use the <base href="http://youserveraddy/username/yourdirectory/"> in the head tag of your document, and use relative URL's for files from that "base href" throughout your document. We see many of the HTML code gurus and CSS experts using "base href" in their NG posts and webpages.
Also, on your other websites, you should always set up a single main directory system with folders and sub-folders and use relative addressing internally within your website. With this type of directory system, you can transfer your entire website files to another server just by transloading your main directory file(s); and you will not have to change any internal file addresses. If you use absolute addressing for files on the same server, you will have to go through and change all the URL's in all your files, if you move the files to another server. But, if you have this problem, just have a computer using friend access your files with any good webpage editor that will allow you to change the links with a line of text and a couple of mouse clicks.
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