Generating Web pages. Many users of The Master Genealogist (TMG) have websites where they place varying amounts of their research. They do this to provide information to others (including their own families) and to attract the attention of other researchers with interests in the same surnames. There are many different ways of preparing these web pages. Some users are very familiar with the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) that is used to create these pages and have no problem creating the web pages on their own while others have no experience at all (it really isn’t hard to learn the basics). For both the former and the latter users, TMG can take a lot of the work out of creating files for a web page(s).

 The process to create a web page using the TMG Custom Report Writer (CRW) is not hard at all. First create the desired report as you normally would to screen, to printer or to file for printing from your word processor. You may need to do this a number of times making changes to your dataset as needed. When you are satisfied the report is as you want it (includes everything you want and excludes what you don’t want), then generate the report one more time selecting the File Destination using the HTML File Type option.

The report will be generated as before, but will include the various HTML tags needed for the web page. Depending on the options that have been selected for the report, there will be one file or many files created. This is different from a report to a word processor which include endnotes, table of contents, bibliography, index and the like in a single file. A report generated to HTML will create a file for the body of the report and one file each for endnotes, table of contents, bibliography and index. Naturally, if one or more of them are not selected in the Report Definition Screen, the appropriate file(s) will not be created. In some reports, if the master document feature is chosen in the report definition screen, then more than one file for the body of the report will be created.

Because of the multiple files required, TMG will (if you don’t) provide for all these additional files by changing the filename that you select and enter in the Report Definition Screen. Since TMG uses the older DOS style of filename construction (eight characters for the name plus a three character extension), it will change the filename so that it is eight characters long and at least the last three characters are “001”. So if you enter FILENAME as the name of the file, TMG will change it to FILEN001. The basic file extension for the report will be “.HTM” and depending on the chosen options the report will be generated with the following file(s) (where the asterisk “*” represents the first five characters of the filename):  

    *001.htm   --- Body of the report.
    *002.htm -\
    *003.htm   Additional report body files as needed
    *004.htm   if the Master Document feature is used.
    *00#.htm -/ 
    *00t.htm   Table of Contents
    *00e.htm   Endnotes
    *00i.htm   Index
    *00b.htm   Bibliography
    *00g.txt   GENDEX(tm) file

The last file above is generated so that you may submit it to the GENDEX (tm) website. It will then provide a way for web browsers to find your website.

Advanced HTML Features. After creating some web pages and/or have some experience in HTML, you may want to use some of the advanced features in TMG. In the Report Definition Screen (General tab), click on the Layout button in the lower part of the screen to display the Layout window. Click on the HTML tab to access the advanced features.

You can change or add to the Page Header in the Table of Contents. This is where you may create an introductory paragraph or more of discussion about the pages that are noted in the table of contents or about the pages in general. This Introduction will print at the top of the Table of Contents page. Thus you may include a general discussion of the family, such as where the family originated, when it first appeared, and information that really doesn’t apply to a single person (even the progenitor).

You may make other changes to the File Header, Body, and Page Headers and Page Footers for each generated HTML page. For example, if you wish, you may change the background color of the generated pages. Also the Page Footer contains the information that gives your e-mail address and how the page was created. You may want to change this to include your postal address, telephone number or add some other information. For example, if you are doing research with someone else, you may wish to credit them or include their regular mail address, e-mail address and/or telephone number.