Converting Text Lists to HTML

You may have a list of names that has already been typed into a word processor that you would like to put on a web page (e.g. pages from a city directory, a cemetery listing, etc.). If you are using a web authoring software package (e.g. Front Page, Page Mill, etc.) you should be able to import the file directly into the software and it will be automatically formatted for you. If you are using a word processing package or text editor (e.g. WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, etc.), you will need to embed the HTML tags into the text. Browsers do not recognize carriage returns in text. If you do not add the tags which tell the browser to start a new line, it will display your list as one long run-on line.

Below are the steps you will need to follow to put the correct HTML tags into your list of names.

  1. Make a copy of your original file and name it something ending in .txt (e.g. history.txt, yizkor.txt). Don't edit your original list! If you make a mistake you could destroy the list. Always work on a copy, not the original.
  2. Open the copy in your word processor.
  3. Do the following global replacement: find each carriage return/linefeed (in Word they are called paragraph markers) and replace it with the characters <BR> followed by carriage return/linefeed. The syntax for Microsoft Word would be as follows: find ^p, replace with <BR>^p. When you are finished, each line of text should have <BR> at the end. This will tell browsers to break the line here. If you don't know how to do global replacements in your word processor, or if your word processor does not allow you to search for cr/lf or paragraph markers, you will need to type <BR> at the end of the
  4. Save the file as a TEXT file (or ASCII file).  Do not save it in the regular format of your word processor.
  5. Open the template for additional pages.  Save it in your word processor under the name you want your final page to be called, ending in .html (e.g. history.html, yizkor.html).
  6. In the space where you see "Sample text or paragraphs here." insert the text from your other edited document (e.g. history.txt, yizkor.txt). You can do this by opening both documents and cutting and pasting, or inserting the entire document.

Back to ShtetLinks Documentation Main Page