web preview not same as publisher view

[John Richardson]

Reading past postings it appears others too are having serious problems with
Web preview in both 2002 and 2003. I think the problem is that text handling
within text boxes in normal Publisher view simply does not reflect that as
seen in Web Preview (currently Explorer 6) On a totally blank (wide setting)
webpage, using standard Times New Roman 12pont (no italic underline or bold)
I typed six lines of Mary had a little lamb into a 3.85x3.029cm text box with
all margins set to 00. I outlined the box with a 1/4pt line Whereas the
text just fitted into the box in Publisher view, in Web Preview whilst the
box size was unchanged, there was a large gap between the text and the right
and bottom margins of the box. This surely suggests a serious problem with
either line spacing, text size or margin setting. This problem could NOT be
reproduced in Publisher 2000. 3 questions - Have I got some settings wrong,
and if not, why can't Microsoft resolve this problem and what is so
drastically different between 2000 and later Publisher versions that can
cause this problem, which makes laying out pages accurately virtually
impossible.

 

[DavidF]

John,

I thought your experiment interesting and worth trying to reproduce, and I
came close. I too get a "wider gap" from the end of the text to the border,
but not on the bottom as you did. However, I also got the same effect when I
tried it in Publisher 2000, unlike you.

I am not an expert on HTML coding, but it is has been my experience that the
Publisher coding engines do not convert a "print font" to exactly the same
size and spacing in a "web font". I also notice this when I try to use non
web fonts, word wrap, tabs, line spacing, indents and other things I can do
in a print document, but not a web document. Whether this is true with
FrontPage or other programs specifically for web design, I can't say, but it
is the reality of using Publisher to produce the HTML code. What you see, is
not exactly what you get with Publisher.

Take your same text box, and select all the text (Ctrl + A), and change the
font size by typing in a font size of 12.5, and hit enter. You will note
that all the text has wrapped around, and you have an overflow situation,
because the text box is not wide enough. But now do a web page preview, and
you will note that automagically, all the text does fit on one line and
within the text box.

I can't explain why this happens, and the "why" is probably not important
anyway. Having used Pub 2000 to produce my website for some time now, I have
just learned to work around it. (I prefer the Pub 2000 HTML coding engine to
Pub 2002 and 2003 for a number of reasons.) I don't see it as a major, or as
you put it, a serious, problem. I accept it as part of the design process,
and I suppose one of the limitations of using Publisher to produce my site.
I don't expect a printed page to look the same as a web page. They are two
different mediums. If a web preview does not give me what I want, I tweak
the design, margins, font size, text box size and placement until it comes
as close as I can get, but I don't expect perfection. Heck, if the person
who views my site happens to have their text size changed in IE from the
default of medium to larger or smaller, then everything gets distorted
anyway.

Publisher is intended for simple, static websites and it does make it
relatively easy to produce a pretty decent site if you already have the
skill set from working with print documents. However, expert and "serious"
web designers would never consider using Publisher. If these issues are
"serious" to you, and you are not willing to live and work within the
limitations of Publisher, then perhaps it is time for you to buy and learn
to use a "serious" web development tool. I don't see Microsoft ever fixing
this...sorry.

DavidF

 

[John Richardson]

Hi David
Many thanks for your prompt attention to my posting. A few queries emerge.
Firstly why do I get a gap at the bottom and you don't. Have I got some
setting wrong on my PC but there again, I get no problems in 2002 but always
in 2002/3 which suggests differences between the software anyway. I'm not a
professional designer, nor an HTML programmer otherwise I probably wouldn't
be using Publisher. I simply use it to produce local charity basic websites
and don't mind minor descrepancies and as you say, the layout varies as to
what text size is set for viewing anyway. e.g. f-r-y.co.uk and
crostontwinning.co.uk The major problems arise however when I try to group
text boxes and pictures below each other(I get no problem widthwise) Instead
of them all fitting neatly together below each other, I get annoying gaps
between the boxes/pictures. The larger(or deeper) the text box, (i.e the
greater the number of lines of text,) the greater the gaps. This does seem
to suggest discrepancies in either text size (depth) or line spacing. Another
problem I experience is that although I can changing my viewing text size for
normal web pages in explorer, I can't within web preview, (nothing seems to
happen) which again may have a lot to do with the problem.

 

[DavidF]

John,

I don't know why you get the gap at the bottom and I don't. My overall
observation is that HTML text is smaller than printed text, which can leave
additional space at the bottom of a text box. I have also noticed that if I
Snap To a text box with an image, or even another text box, that it can make
the text shift. This seems especially an issue when I am using borders. All
I can say is that as I observe these things, I change my design and layout
accordingly.

One issue I noticed on your home page at http://f-r-y.co.uk/ is that Current
Newsletters and Coming Events, you have overlapped an image and a text box.
You will not get the text to vary in web preview or after posting the page
by changing viewing size in IE, because when you overlap images and text
boxes, the HTML coding engine will combine the text and image into a single
GIF image. Try to select and copy any of the text in those boxes and you
will note that you can't...tis an image. While the text below the image at
the top of the page is still text. Overlapping an image and word wrap does
not work on a Publisher webpage...or at least not like it does on a printed
page. The only work around I have found is to break my text up into
different text boxes and snap them to the image, and even then the results
are sometimes less than satisfactory.

Hopefully that explains your questions, and if not post back.

FWIW, I would highly recommend that since you have Pub 2000, that you stay
with that version for your web building. As I said that coding engine is
different than the one in Pub 2002 and 2003, and from my testing is much
better. If you want to use Pub 2002 and/or 2003 for print docs, you can
install those on your computer too. Either install the versions, oldest
first, and do custom installs and not overwrite the previous versions, or at
least install them into their own custom folders.

David Bartosik has written some good articles about the different versions
that you might want to reference:
"Web Publication Changes Made in Version 2002 of Publisher":
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/articles/81262.aspx
"Publisher 2003 - What's new in web design for this version":
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/articles/80555.aspx

DavidF

 

[Sarah]

DEAR ALL,

I JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW CAN I ADD A TEXT BOX TO A WEBPAGE WHILE THE INFO
INSERTED IS DIRECTLY SENT TO MY E-MAIL?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

SARAH

 

[DavidF]

TEXT BOXSarah,

Please don't post new questions under old threads in the future. Create a
new thread.

It sounds like what you are asking is how to use and create forms. If so,
then reference "Publisher web publication forms 101":
http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/archive/2006/01/07/80564.aspx

DavidF

DEAR ALL,

I JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW CAN I ADD A TEXT BOX TO A WEBPAGE WHILE THE INFO
INSERTED IS DIRECTLY SENT TO MY E-MAIL?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

SARAH