Handbook

[janfrank]

I live in Spain and work for a small non-profit organisation called Amata; I am responsible for the web site and the graphics of the publicity. You can look at my web site at www.amata.es but I must emphasise that this was written using other web design programs. Most of my work over the last 20 years has been done in graphic design (leaflets, posters, commercial printwork etc.) and before that I have written several handbooks on DIY. But I do not have much experience with computer speak or program languages - I usually learn just enough to be able to make use of what is available.

Recently a German friend, who speaks very little English (I can speak a fair amount of German) and knows nothing about web design asked me to design a web site which he would like to maintain himself. So I looked for a German language web design program, and to my delight found DFM2HTML. I think that, once I have set up the site, he can make the small changes himself if I show him how this is done.

The program is not perfect, but it can handle - I think - most of my requirements. However, learning to use it is not very easy, since the only help is a very terse tutorial written by Jörg Kiegeland himself. I spent three weeks trying to find out how to get this program to handle fairly basic procedures, and most of the features I do not understand at all. I decided that what this program needs is not more bells and whistles, but a basic handbook for the complete idiot, namely me.

I am currently writing this handbook as I struggle to understand the niceties of DFM2HTML. You can look at what I have written so far on www.amata.es/DFM2HTML.html. If you feel you can help me by explaining all sorts of mysterious niceties and features I haven't mentioned (e.g. styles and forms), feel free to send me an e-mail. If you feel I have explained something badly, or actually made a mistake, let me know. I need all the help I can get, but when I have finished we should be able to help other people use this very special program.

The handbook will be completely free, just as the DFM2HTML program is completely free, and I sincerely hope it will enable a lot more ordinary people to have a go.

I can be reached on janfrank@amata.es I am basically English speaking with good Dutch, a smattering of German and Spanish, and schoolboy French. Please don't confuse me with computer speak in languages other than English, and in fact, try to avoid computer speak

[reuterr]

Ola there,
nothing is perfect, though....but there's not much which cannot be done with DFM2HTML.
Concerning your subject of getting to know this genius little editor here's a question:
Do you see your German friend on a regular basis? 'Cos if so tell him to look up the German forum here - or you do it together.
I have uploaded a zip-file under the post "Advanced DFM2HTML Workshop-Download".
It's all in German and I thought of translating it into English but didn't actually feel like doing so, so far....
Maybe, if your friends' Spanish is good enough, he'll be able to translate descriptions in there you do not quite understand.
The same is true for an already existing handbook, also entirely written in German:
http://ratgeber.bpgs.de/dfm2html/handbu ... tml_10.pdf
You possibly can use either one or both for your English description project.
Cheers

[Rommel]

Hello everyone. I am a new user of DFM2HTML and I could say that this app is very promising, I think it has a very good future. I would like to thank Jorg Kiegeland, the author of this program for his generosity in sharing his wonderful creation.

I've been studying how to use it for a few days now through trial and error and I was looking for help materials that can assist me in learning the program faster and I stumbled upon janfrank's post in this forum. I would like to thank janfrank for putting up the "HANDBOOK", it already help me especially I was wresting on the concept of page creation in DFM then I finally got it after reading his book... again many thanks to janfrank. I am excited to see your book completed for it will help a lot of DFM users like me.

I downloaded the german handbook by reuterr and would love to see it translated in English as well. I am sure a lot will benefit from it once translated to english.

By the way, I am Rommel Lim from the Philippines and I am very proud to be part of this community. More power to all of us .

[reuterr]

Hi Rommel,
as you probably have figured out, I'm quite familiar with DFM2HTML.... so whenever you wanna know how things can be done with this little genius thing come back here by opening a topic.
(Maybe one of these days I'm going to translate that workshop I've uploaded as a ZIP-file in the German forum.....)
The best way to figuring all of the programs possibilities is playing with the sample templates supplied by altering the contents of the context menu for the various objects. To get an idea of the programs versatility check out some websites via the links on this page: http://ichrr.de/P10.html
Well, good luck and all the best so far.
Cheers

[Rommel]

Thanks reuterr. For sure I will need a helping hand. I have a lot questions in my mind right now as DFM2HTML amuses me. It has a different workflow but what strikes me is the implementation of CSS. You are right, it is a genius and DFM2HTML is very unique in its approach to web designing. I, definitely, began to get the hang of it just for a few days of testing.

I downloaded your "Advanced Workshop." Hopefully, you could find the time one of these days to have it translated in English. It will help a lot of DFM2HTML users.

Again, thanks reuterr for the friendly welcome. More power to you.

[pnguine]

Google translator sort of worked. I just plugged in the pdf of the German handbook and got a reasonable result but with no graphics. Possibly it would work better with the translator toolkit or some other translation service. Might take half the sting out of a time consuming job. (But if you're actually looking for a job to consume time it might be counter productive. )