HTML Guide |

How do I prevent NULLs in my database from mucking up my HTML?

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Many people have come across the issue where they’re using a recordset to populate a table, and someone goofed up and stored <NULL> values in the database, so it wrecks the formatting of the table.

First, you should consider not allowing NULLs into your database in the first place; see Article #2073 for more info.

Now, let’s say you can’t get around using NULLs (due to pointy-haird boss syndrome, or whatever else)… you can do one of two things:

test for null values at runtime, or
replace null values in the query itself

I prefer (2), but I will provide examples of both.

Here is an example of using VBScript to get rid of NULL values *after* they’ve come out of the database, but before displaying them on the screen.

<%
‘ …
do while not rs.eof
cCol = rs(”column_which_may_contain_nulls”)
if len(cCol)=0 then cCol = “ ”
response.write “<td>” & cCol & “</td>”
rs.movenext
loop
‘ …
%>

Manas Tungare adds that there is an even quicker solution to this. By appending a blank string to the end of the result, you implicitly force the value to become NOT null:

<%
‘ …
do while not rs.eof
cCol = rs(”column_which_may_contain_nulls”) & “”
response.write “<td>” & cCol & “</td>”
rs.movenext
loop
‘ …
%>

Here is an example of using SQL (both in Access and in SQL Server) to replace these NULL values for you, taking care of the problem at the data level (because it *is* a data problem):

/* For Access: */

SELECT IIF(ISNULL(column),”,column) FROM Table

/* For SQL Server: */

SELECT ISNULL(column,”) FROM Table

— or, more ANSI-compliant:

SELECT COALESCE(column,”) FROM Table

(FWIW, I definitely like SQL Server’s syntax better.)

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Ensure Success, Maslow’s Hierarchy, html and Click here!

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

A man once asked: “Why are you in business? Dumb question! Answer; because I want to make more money, and have more time.

So doesn’t that pretty much sum it up for most of us?

We all work at least one job, and some of us work two or three, and then try to find time to build our “part time 15 minutes a day” online empire!

So we start out full of passion and enthusiasm, and enjoy the challenge always thinking about being able to make money online.

Unfortunately it rarely happens over night, and if WE DON”T KNOW ANYTHING about html, we might find that simply placing a banner on our web site takes us 15 hrs! Not 15 minutes, and so on, until our eyes are bleeding, our patience has run away somewhere, we’re having trouble with our day job, our friends think we’re a foolish for trying, and our “significant other” thinks we’re having an affair!

So what happens? We look at our options; according to “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs” and come up with the following:

ADDICTIONS: We start to depend on some kind of escape (Alcohol, drugs, food, withdrawing, etc)

NECESSITIES OF LIFE: (Physiological needs) Food and shelter, where does food come from? The money we make from working. Where does shelter come from? The money we earn to pay the rent/mortgage. So do we quit the day job? No way! That’s the only thing keeping us alive!

Forget the rest of our needs! If we can’t meet these first two needs we won’t even attempt to obtain other lofty ideals.

SO WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN in order to ensure we meet the second need?

The biggest thing (in our minds) that’s holding us back from obtaining THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE, it takes from the money we earn to buy food, it threatens our day job, it also threatens those higher ideals of relationships and belonging.
So we make the decision (because we always have a choice, more on that another time) without even consciously thinking about it! THE INTERNET!
It’s the evil thing stopping us from being able to survive!

IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM! Where did it start? It started to become a problem when we spent too much time trying to fix the dam HTML, in the banner or email redirect or image insertion!

SO HOW CAN WE ENSURE SUCCESS?

ANSWER: Manage our time, and learn some basic html script insertion tricks.

To make changes to a web page you need an html composer.

Here’re few quick tips that might save time:

NOTE: all examples have an extra space at the beginning to make this article publishable. So < X> is really

How to insert a CLICK HERE

Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla < a href=”http://www.XXXXXXXX.com”>Click Here!
(this is the basic code)

< /tr>
< tr>
< td style=”vertical-align: top; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153); text-align: center; width: 135px;”>< a href=”http://xxxxxxxx.com”>CLICK HERE

< br>
< /td>

The above, MIGHT be how it looks in your html composer, the lay out might be different but the spaces are the same,

To see the code in a page that is “alive” on your browser; here’s what you do; you right click in the middle of a “live” page on your browser, then click on the drop down “view source” in IE or “view page source” in Mozilla, the lay out might be different but the spaces are the same.

If you want to make the link open a new page, (A good idea because your page stays on your prospects desk top.) inset this code after the URL.

” target=”_blank”

Like this: < a href=http://XXXXX,com”target=”_blank”>Click Here!

This kind of thing is easy to do if you have an example like this.

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Style Without Substance: Will HTML Email Survive Abuse?

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

While Internet pop-up windows exhale a dying breath, HTML-based email messages find themselves glimpsing a similar fate. Surveys in 2003 are showing that plain text email messages are becoming more popular, and more successful, than HTML counterparts.

A July 10, 2003, Lucid Marketing survey indicated that 53% of AOL respondents said they prefer plain text emails to HTML ones. Although theyve conducted this survey before, this is the first time that results have favored plain text emails. Plain text emails also proved to be more effective in three months of testing they consistently outperformed HTML message. Sometimes by 100%.

For companies using e-marketing tactics, 2003 may prove to be a time of change and opportunity as they apply answers to important questions:

HTML or Plain Text?
Both. If 53% of recipients prefer plain text, a large number still like HTML email. Dont choose teams. Let email recipients choose whether they want to receive plain text or HTML. Make messages available in both formats and let customers, or email newsletter subscribers, decide the format they want to view.

Will HTML Add Value?
Not always. If 90% of the unsolicited junk email is sent as HTML email, your message may stand out more presented effectively in plain text. Every email message you send does not warrant HTML. Large text, bold fonts, and graphics dont by themselves increase the effectiveness of a message.

Is HTML Worth the Investment?
Sometimes. HTML-based emails need to be created by someone will a high level of HTML programming and design skill. They need to be tested with a variety of email clients before being sent. They need to be given the resources they need to succeed. If an email benefits from HTML, it benefits from having it done properly.

HTML messages arent bad. However, most are still badly constructed and badly targeted.

This needs to change.

Each poorly-constructed HTML email fuels a decline in the effectiveness of HTML email as an effective marketing and communication tool.

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A New Smart Utility Takes an Instant to Convert an HTML File Into Other Formats!

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Total HTML Converter is the nearest thing to erasing distinctions between various formats, which makes working with texts and tables easier than ever

Softplicity is proud to announce the release of a new, much anticipated product, Total HTML Converter. Designed for the Windows platforms, this slim utility converts HTML files to DOC, XLS, PDF, JPG or Text files. The most substantial choice for you is to decide what format you actually need. All the rest is really easy. You can use batch conversion if you need to convert a large amount of HTML files. Also, you can handle the program through the command line, which may seem to you more convenient and fast.

Total HTML Converter has a carefully chosen feature set and a well-rounded user interface, which presents the process of conversion as a plain logical chain. You start by choosing an HTML file you want to convert and specifying the desired output format. After that, you select the destination to save a newly converted file to. Then, you choose elements - text, shape, image - to include in your resulting document. Afterwards, you are given an opportunity to select a background image to be included in the output document. In the end of all this, you confirm that all data necessary for conversion has been gathered and the program performs the process itself. The simplicity of the program is due to its wizard design, which requires a few clicks to convert your HTML file or even a file from a specified URL into the format you need.

“It’s been a long time that I’ve been suffering from having no choice but to copy information from a file of HTML format to, say, a document in the DOC format,” says Jim Hightower, one of the owners of Total HTML Converter. “I had to resort to all those cumbersome operations of copying, editing and so on. This utility has finally eliminated this trouble and saved my time”.

Total HTML Converter main features include:

Easy converting from HTML to DOC, PDF, XLS, JPEG and TXT formats;
You can convert a specified URL right from the program;
Batch converting;
Converting via command line;
Functional user-friendly interface.

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Should You Bother Learning HTML to build Webpages?

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

The most popular method to build webpages today is to use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) software. Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia Dreamweaver are prime examples of
WYSIWYG software. Both programs allow you to create webpages as though you were creating a document with your favourite word processing software like Microsoft Word or WordPerfect.
Its as simple as entering paragraphs, headings and inserting clipart or images.

WYSIWYG software like those listed above are prefect for beginner webpage builders who want webpages constructed quickly without having to learn HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).

All webpages are brought to life using HTML codes, regardless what webpage building software is used. WYSIWYG programs simply create the HTML codes as you construct a webpage (in the background, without you knowing), so you don’t need to understand them.

This is without a doubt the biggest advantage over any other type of webpage building programs. It means that if you can press keys on a keyboard, you have what is required to create your very own webpage!

However, most WYSIWYG programs don’t give you absolute, total control over webpage design (ie, exactly the way you want the page to look). There are design limitations.

For example, you may want to place headings, sub headings and a navigation menu in a particular arrangement on the webpage, but no matter how many times you try, the program won’t permit such placement or position them correctly. This
is one big disadvantage of WYSIWYG programs if you desire a custom look to all your webpages.

Knowledge of HTML, however, can assist you to overcome such design shortfalls in WYSIWYG programs. How is this possible? Let me explain.

If you understand HTML codes, then you understand why webpages appear the way they do in a web browser, such as
Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. This is powerful stuff because the moment you change/modify HTML codes, the webpage will take on a new design/appearance.

And don’t forget that HTML codes are exact, giving you total freedom over how everything appears on the webpage. Most WYSIWYG programs allow you to view and modify the HTML codes. As you can see, knowledge of HTML is beneficial.

The downside to HTML is the learning curve. It takes time to understand how HTML works and why, but once you know, using
HTML to create totally custom designed webpages is easy. For the beginner, HTML can be challenging, but don’t despair because there are HTML tutorials available that teach you basic and advanced HTML in a matter of days!

So the question is - Should you bother learning HTML to build webpages? The answer - yes and no.

It is obvious that WYSIWYG software speeds up production of webpage development regardless of your knowledge on how to build webpages. However, to further refine and tune your webpages exactly to your liking, it is usually necessary to add and modify HTML codes. So yes, HTML is worthwhile learning if you are unsatisfied with the webpages produced by WYSIWYG software.

There is little point learning HTML if you are 100% satisfied with the webpages made with WYSIWYG software.

One thing is certain. Using WYSIWYG software and learning HTML codes is the answer for those of us who want webpages made exactly to our requirements. Learning HTML is not as hard as you think. To get started, simply search any major search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN using the search phrase “html tutorials”, its that easy!

About the Author:

Les Pinczi is the creator of interactive HTML learning software to help you learn how to make a web page in hours!

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Archive for the ‘HTML Guide’ Category

How do I prevent NULLs in my database from mucking up my HTML?

Ensure Success, Maslow’s Hierarchy, html and Click here!

Style Without Substance: Will HTML Email Survive Abuse?

A New Smart Utility Takes an Instant to Convert an HTML File Into Other Formats!

Should You Bother Learning HTML to build Webpages?

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