WebSpawner.com Blog

WebSpawner members occasionally contact us to ask:

How can I add a game to my web site?

Adding a game to your WebSpawner web site is really quite easy and requires just a few simple steps.

First, you must locate a game that you would like to add to your website. While there are many good web sites online that provide games, one of the best that we are aware of is Miniclip Games at www.miniclip.com. Click any of the Miniclip games to try it in your web browser. When you have found a game that you like and wish to add to your website, click the Post to my blog/website button, as shown in the example below:

A window will appear similar to the one below. Click inside the box containing the code as shown, and the code should become selected; then Copy the code (Control-C on a Windows PC, or Command-C on a Mac).

Now open a new browser window and log in to your WebSpawner account at www.webspawner.com with your Account Name and Password. Under Step 1 select the web page to which you would like to add the game and click the ‘Modify’ button under Step 2, as shown here:

Scroll down through the Modification form to the ‘Body Text’ step. Click inside the Body Text box, then Paste (Control-V in Windows, or Command-V on a Mac) the copied code. Next, add ‘begin’ and ‘end’ markers (being careful to avoid making any changes to the code) before and after the code to surround it exactly as shown in the image below:

The ‘begin’ and ‘end’ markers are very important as they notify the WebSpawner engine that it should not filter or modify the code between the markers, ensuring that the game will appear properly on your webpage. The ‘begin’ and ‘end’ markers should be entered exactly as shown in the image above, and should be used any time you add code to your web site.

Complete the Modification process by clicking ‘Continue’ at the bottom of the Modification form, and then click ‘I Like It’ at the page preview as shown below (this saves and publish your changes:

After completing these steps, your web site should display your selected game. You can add additional games to your web site by repeating the process in the same manner.

Some other sources of games that you can place on your website are:

• FreeGamesForYourWebsite.com (use the Get HTML Code link under the desired game and then select and Copy the code, and proceed as described above)
• AddictingGames.com (click in the Embed Game box to select the code, Copy it, and then proceed to Paste it into your web site as indicated above).

Another recurring question occasionally received by WebSpawner Customer Service is:

Why won’t my images upload into the Image Gallery?

There are several possible causes for image upload issues… today we discuss the most common ones, along with suggestions to resolve them.

Incompatible file format

If your image is not saved in a compatible image file format, you must save a copy on your computer in one of the three compatible file formats - .jpg, .gif, or .png - and then upload the resulting compatible image file. Note that simply changing the name of an image to end in “.jpg” or “.gif” or “.png” is not sufficient and doesn’t change the file format; it must be saved in one of the three formats using an image editing program (see below for more info on available image editors).

Excessive image size

An image which has an excessively large file size due to very high resolution or large physical dimensions may cause your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari or other) to “time out” during the image upload process. Resize your image using an image editing program to reduce it to a more appropriate size (we suggest no more than 600 x 800 pixels) and save a copy in one of the three compatible file formats for uploading (don’t overwrite the original on your computer by accident). Use Optimization within your image editing program to reduce the resulting image file size while retaining acceptable image quality; smaller files take less time for you to upload and load more quickly for viewers.

File naming issues

Image file names that are excessively long (30 characters or more) or that contain special characters or blank spaces instead of just numbers and letters may pose problems… try removing blank spaces and characters and/or shortening file names before uploading. Keep in mind that each image file that you upload should have a unique file name, or it will replace a previously-uploaded image in your account of the same name.

Internet connection issues

If your internet connection is slow (i.e., dial up speeds) then the uploading process may take a while, especially if you haven’t optimized your image file sizes. Slow connections may lead to “time out” errors during uploading; upgrading to a faster internet connection with your Internet Service Provider may resolve the matter. If there are connection problems with the internet somewhere between your ISP and WebSpawner’s servers, such as a cut fiber optic cable, then there isn’t anything that you (or WebSpawner) can do other than to wait for the problem to be resolved.

By following these suggestions, you can resolve most image upload issues, as well as saving some time during the upload process. There are many fine programs available to edit images which will allow you to resize, optimize, and save your images in a compatible file format, including professional-level editors like Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. But, it isn’t necessary to buy an expensive software solution either; below are some programs which will get the job done for you for free:

• Gimp
• IrfanView
• FastStone
• Pixia

In our continuing quest to address the questions asked most frequently by users of WebSpawner’s easy-to-use website creation tools, today we examine the following one:

How do I change the font size/style/color?

WebSpawner’s Webpage Builder uses predetermined layout templates and font sizes to ensure an easy-to-read website on computer monitors of all sizes and resolutions. This allows all viewers, regardless of whether they use a large or small computer display, to be able to easily view and read the text within your website.

When you Modify your webpage, the Headline and Body Text steps present a simple pull-down Text Color menu to select a color for the text … by choosing a color in the menu, the color of all of the Body Text or Headline text is adjusted accordingly.

However, you can also specify the font size, style and color of certain text (without affecting the rest of the text on your webpage) by using HTML tags in the Body Text area of your webpage. For details and examples of all the tags needed to make these changes, click the orange Resources tab in the Member Menu, then click the HTML Reference Guide, as shown here:

The HTML Guide provides an overview of many HTML tags, providing specific examples of how to apply the tags for the desired effect. The Guide is arranged to allow for easy reference by Tag (in alphabetical order) or by Category (Content list), and also includes a HTML FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to help you quickly locate the information desired.

The Font page in the HTML Guide gives an explanation and example of specifying font color and size…

<FONT SIZE=+1 COLOR=”#123123″>
The text here between the tags will be bigger and a different color than the rest.
</FONT>

When you enter HTML tags like the one above into the Body Text area of your webpage, the tags within the brackets (< and >) will be invisible and not displayed. These tags merely instruct the web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox or other) how to display the text within the tag.

HTML tags specify colors using a six-digit hexidecimal code, which requires you to have a color chart in order to select the desired color and find the proper six-digit code. Here is an excellent color chart available to reference online: http://www.songweaver.com/html/colorchart.html

HTML tags can also be used to apply different styles to text. For example, to make text appear in italics, see this page in the Guide:
http://www.webspawner.com/cc/html/italics.html. The tag to italicize text looks like this:

<I>
The text here between the tags will be displayed in Italics.
</I>

To make text appear bold, see the following page for tag explanation and examples:
http://www.webspawner.com/cc/html/bold.html. The tag to make text bold looks like this:

<B>
The text here between the tags will be displayed in Bold.
</B>

The HTML Reference Guide contains numerous additional tags and examples to help you stylize the fonts on your website. Keep in mind that the HTML tags should be entered into the Body Text area of your webpage when you Modify your website.

Occasionally a WebSpawner member will inquire about changing the font face to a custom font. This is also possible using HTML tags; for example:

<font face=”book antiqua”>

However, WebSpawner recommends that you do NOT specify a custom font face, and many other webhosts recommend avoiding it as well. The reason for this is that if you specify a custom font which is not installed on the computer of a viewer of your website, the viewer’s browser will be forced to substitute another font and there may be unexpected display results or possibly even illegible text. It is actually the settings of the web browser on each viewer’s computer (and the fonts that are installed) that determines the font in which they will see the text of your website.

WebSpawner members with Enhanced accounts have access to their own username@WebSpawner.com WebMail account. WebMail can be accessed by clicking the WebMail icon under the orange Add-Ons tab in the Member Menu.

Of course, like any email account, WebMail allows you to send and receive email messages, and you can Reply to or Forward messages as you like. You can keep an Address Book full of email addresses for your friends or business contacts. You can create custom Folders to store messages that you want to keep. And you can create Filters (under the Options link) to automatically file incoming messages into folders, automatically forward certain messages to other recipients, or to move unwanted messages into a separate “junk mail” folder (for more information see our previous blog post “WebMail Spam Filtering“). WebMail even contains a Spell Checker tool (also under the Options link in the toolbar) to help keep your messages accurate and professional.

But WebMail also has a number of advantages over ordinary email. For example, you can easily access your WebMail account from any computer with an internet connection and a web browser… it doesn’t have to be your home computer, and it doesn’t require configuring complicated account settings in an email application. You don’t even have to take a laptop computer with you… check your WebMail from any internet cafe, library, or school computer lab. This makes WebMail extremely portable and user-friendly for people on the go… simply go to www.webspawner.com in the web browser of any computer and login with your Username and Password, then click the WebMail icon in the Member Menu, and you have instant access to your WebMail Inbox to receive or send email messages, as shown below.

In addition to being available anywhere that you can get online, WebMail contains a number of other features that make it function as a powerful all-in-one organizer, great for travelers on the road and away from the office.

The Calendar link in the left toolbar brings up a handy calendar tool with Day, Week, and Month views which allows you to keep track of important meetings, appointments, special days and more.

The Task link in the toolbar brings up an easy-to-use Tasks list, where you can quickly add new to-do items, rearrange items by priority, check off tasks that have been completed, or change the due date for an item.

Along with the Notes link, which allows you to create and keep track of various notes, these features make WebMail a great combination email and organizer system to keep busy people like you on track and on time, wherever you go.