page source and converting

[randit]

Hello:

I am new and using the html pad. I am not a it programmer and have very limited html knowledge.

I want to be able to copy the page source from website pages I have found online that I really like the layout of and be able to take the source code and use the html pad to use that sites layout and replace with my own content (text, images etc.). I am not trying to copy other website pages, but instead of re-inventing the wheel I want a solution to be be able to strip the sites css etc. and just use the layout and then build my own page from there. Can this be done? What are my steps? Any help is greatly appreciated!

[MikeyB]

Hi,

Nothing wrong with looking at other peoples code when you see something you like, I do it all the time!

But the only thing WeBuilder (or htmlPad in your case) can do is replace the view source option in Internet Explorer.
Goto Options -> Preferences -> Eternal Tools -> Intergration and tick the Replace Internet Explorer source viewer option.

Now when your on a page and use View -> Source the html will load up in htmlPad.
It's then down to you to find the bits you want.

[davenz]

The trickiest thing about doing this, even with HTMLPad set to be the source viewer, is that if the page references external files, like a style sheet or javascript file, then you will need to grab those as well and store them locally for the layout and functionality to work on your machine. For example, just grabbing the source code of one of my sites will get you the basic text and links, but much of the layout will be lost because positioning and formatting is done via CSS (and in some cases an external javascript file). To work around this, once you have the source code of the page you like, check in the "head" section and if any external files are linked there, simply put the page's web address in your browser window, including the filename of the file in question, and that will enable you to grab the style sheet and any other files. Say the page is at http://www.yourpage.com and it references a css file called mypage.css; open your default web browser and in the address field type in; http://www.yourpage.com/mypage.css and the css file will open in the browser. You can then either view source to grab the code or simply copy and paste the code directly from the browser window. The save it with the same filename on your machine and the page should render and format correctly.

Hope this makes sense.

Dave
davethompson.co.nz

[randit]

Thanks for the help. This is going to save me a lot of time!!!