Big Question Options

[nWo Sting]

I dont know what they call it, but what code do I use to where I can change the header, and left side of every single page of my site? That way if I redesign the site, or add more links on the left side I wont have to change the HTML in every single page, just the main one and it will be on top of all the other pages. I dont want to use frames, someone told me it is just an HTML code where basically that page sits on top of the others, but the page is only going to be the header and lieft sidebar. Can anyone please help? thanks

[pandy]

SSI?
http://www.htmlhelp.com/faq/html/design.html#include-file

[nWo Sting]

SSI?
http://www.htmlhelp.com/faq/html/design.html#include-file

thanks, I will try that, but it may not be SSI. I thought it would be an easy code. It may be IFrame, but I dont want to use frames because not every browser supports them. I basically want to do what this guy does http://www.woodus.com/den/home.php

If you click on different links you will see that his side bars and header stay the same. I want to do something like that, just incase I redesign my site, or add new links to the left side.

[Peter1968]

He uses tables for layout, a practice that is frowned on nowadays.

http://www.glish.com/css/9.asp The same thing without tables although aligned to the right. A very slight modification of the CSS would allow you to float the menu to the left.

Google for CSS layouts and you'll find many examples that blow away the table-based layout that page you've given has.

This post has been edited by Peter1968: Nov 5 2006, 02:19 PM

[pandy]

You don't have to use SSI. The same thing can be done with for example PHP. I wouldn't use frames or iframe for something as important as navigation.

There is no way to know how the site you link to does it. If a server side technique is used it is transparent to the browser. When you view source you see only normal HTML. If your main concern is the look, not the work involved, you can very well do it with just HTML. Use one page as a template for the others. As long as the pages are layed out the same they will look the same.

[pandy]

To make it clearer, on http://www.woodus.com/den/ the header and menu don't really STAY as they would with frames. They are just the same on each page. Images are cached, the pages load fast and it may look like at least the header stays when you load another page, but it doesn't. It's drawn again with the page. He could use PHP, SSI or plain vanilla HTML. It all looks the same in the end.

[nWo Sting]

thanks guys, CSS looks like it. I will see if I can find a good code to use for what I wanted to do.

[pandy]

No. Peter1968 thinks you should use CSS instead of tables for the layout. CSS just add style to the existing HTML. It can't solve your problem with the header and menu on every page. SSI or PHP could.

There's nothing to it. If you have either available to you on the server you can learn how to do it in a blink.