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MLANET Style Guide
Server Side Includes
General SSI Information
MLA uses server side include (ssi) files to reduce duplication in coding and to provide an easier way to update the design of the site. MLANET's design and design structure is defined by multiple ssi files. Support for ssi is available to MLANET hostees (sections, chapters, and councils) for use on their own sites.
Unit Web editors may find the following ssi links and tutorials useful:
- httpd.apache.org/docs/howto/ssi.html—MLANET uses the Apache Web server, and this is their excellent overview (with examples) of server side includes.
- mkruse.netexpress.net/info/ssi/—This site also explains the basics of ssi.
- hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/tutorials/includes.html#Format—this site explains how ssi files should be formatted.
How SSI Works on MLANET
In a typical MLANET page, we use approximately seven ssi files to structure the page, much of its navigation, and its meta information. For example, the HTML beginning code of this page looks like this as code, with three ssi files (highlighted in yellow)...:
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...but like this in a browser "view source" window:
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML
4.01 Transitional//EN"> <LINK REL=STYLESHEET HREF="/ssi/2000/gen2000.css" TYPE="text/css"></HEAD><BODY> this is ssi = "gen2.html" MLANET Style Guide this is ssi = "gen3.html" <h3>SSI</h3><p>MLA uses ssi (server side include) files to reduce duplication in coding and to provide an easier way to update the design of the site. MLANET's design and design structure is defined by multiple ssi files. Support for ssi is available to MLANET hostees (sections, chapters, and councils) for use on their own sites.</p> <p>Unit Web editors may find the following
ssi links and tutorials useful:</p> <ul> <li> |
As you can see, using ssi files eliminates repetitious coding and enables you to swap image files or replace code quickly (you change one ssi file rather than all pages in the site).
MLANET SSI Files
The following are the main ssi files MLA staff use to code static MLANET pages:
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this is ssi "meta_general.html"
(meta files identify relevant information about the organization
and the document; each main area of MLANET uses a different meta
ssi file)
this is ssi "gen2.html"
(provides the basic structure for the design, and includes
all the image files, map coordinates for image maps, and the form
for the MLANET search box) this is ssi "gen3.html"
(closes the area header and begins the actual content area
of the page) this is ssi "gen4.html"
(closes the content area and begins the left black navigation
area)
this is ssi "z_n2_up.html"
(links users to the index page of the area; used for any
page in the directory EXCEPT the index page) this is ssi " z_n1_up.html"
(links users to the next level up from the current subject area;
used ONLY for index pages) this is ssi "nav_bar.html"
(provides the image files, image maps, and alt tags for the side
navigation bar)
this is ssi "gen5.html"
(closes the left navigation area, includes the page footer information,
adds the bottom row to the design table and closes the table) |
Tips on Writing SSI Files
- To use multiple ssi files in a page, create a page using regular HTML code. Find logical "breaks" in the code; create your ssi files by copying each section of code into a separate ASCII text file at the logical break points.
- Do not open your *.html files in a WYSIWYG Web editor like Dreamweaver. Such software programs will insert beginning and ending HTML tags (like <html> and </html>) that will render the files inoperative within the body of the page.
- Place all your ssi files in an ssi directory in your site. This helps to manage them more easily and to transfer them to the server properly.
- Create a test page using all your ssi files. You will have to load them to a server to make sure they all work properly together! If your files are on local drives, even a WYSIWYG editor will not allow you to see embedded ssi files. Make sure your files use the full *.html (not *.htm) extension - our server will not recognize *.htm files for server side includes.
If you have any questions, please contact Kate Corcoran, MLA's director of research and information systems.
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Last Updated: 2007 July 13
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