bbb...
You ask:
"...in this saved version, I can still try to enter data
in the search and URL window, etc.-- so is this really
permanantly saved or not?"
It is permanently saved, on your hard drive, in a single
file which is smaller than if you used option 1, which,
as you noted, saves all the relevant graphics in a
subfolder, and is unnecessarily complex, unless you
wish to edit the page, as you also noted. The advantage
here is that it is a relatively small file, and it
preserves the full function of the webpage from which it
was derived. If you saved a copy of Google's search page,
for example, all the links would work, and you can enter
a search from it, as well. This is so because this type
of file is associated with, and opened by default, by your
browser - so when you click on the file, your internet
browser opens, and you can navigate from there as you would
from any open browser window. The file is also small enough
to email as an attachment, if, for some reason, you prefer
not to simply send the URL.
Option 1 is primarily used by website authors who want to
preserve copies of the various pages on their website in
an archive which can be used for editing the pages.
It could also be used to download an entire webpage, or even
an entire website, so that you could view it at your leisure
without being signed on to the internet through your ISP.
"And do I have to worry that it may not be retrievable at
some point, if standard formats change?"
A file in this format will always be associated with and
opened by your browser. What may change is the content of
the actual webpage, in which case, some of the graphics
and links may not work in the future. Since these are not
stored on your hard drive, as in option 1, they may not
continue to work if the webpage author redesigns the page.
"Wouldn't it be better to save it as a kind of graphic file,
so that every pixel would be completely fixed? If so, how
do you do that?"
It is possible to use certain graphics programs, such as
Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc., to obtain what is
called a 'screen capture'. This will be an accurate image
of exactly what is showing on your computer screen. One
limitation of this is that, if the webpage is larger than
your screen, and you must scroll down to view it all, you
would have to 'capture' each segment and blend them all
together to get an image of a page which is several screens
in length. Another consideration is that none of the links
would work. Additionally, the graphic image file would be
larger than the .mht file. The advantage of an image is
that you will have an image of what the page used to look
like even if the webpage author redesigns it.
"As for option 3, it saves the shape of the page but without the
graphics. I can't imagine any use for this. (What IS it used for?)"
You might use this if you were designing a webpage, and wanted
to study the html (hypertext markup language) used by another
site, to determine if it might be something you wanted to
incorporate into your own design. You wouldn't need to save
the images, since they would be irrelevant to your own site.
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by means of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.
sublime1-ga |
Request for Answer Clarification by
bbb-ga
on
05 Jul 2003 13:12 PDT
To sublime1-ga:
Thanks for a very, very thorough and clear answer. In fact, you make
it clear that if I want to record a certain web permanently, I really
do have to take that "unnecessarily complex" option of storing all
parts of the page, in a folder. The reason: If I choose the simpler
"one-file" option, I can never be certain that the page will look the
same, per your warning here:
"A file in this [one-file] format will always be associated with and
opened by your browser. What may change is the content of the actual
webpage, in which case, some of the graphics and links may not work in
the future. Since these are not stored on your hard drive, as in
option 1, they may not
continue to work if the webpage author redesigns the page."
Thus if I really want to store the page as it looks now, I've got to
use that complex option...
...Or use a graphics option, because as you note:
"The advantage of an image [file] is that you will have an image of
what the page used to look like even if the webpage author redesigns
it."
Two final questions: 1. If I use the complex option, I gather I'll be
looking at the page with my browser, but my browser will have
available all the pieces needed to re-assemble it. So it's permanently
available (until browsers get modified)... right?
2. As for the image format, can I try to just save a webpage as a PDF
file, or convert one of those other formats to PDF after saving? That
is, what are the ways to TRY to save it as an image? (And I know that
some image files are not necessarily huge, depending on how much
resolution is needed; most of want I want to save is text material, so
I may not need much resolution... Maybe you can tell me how much to
use...? ) This may be too much to answer simply, but please do give me
a rough idea. Thanks!
bb
|
Clarification of Answer by
sublime1-ga
on
05 Jul 2003 14:00 PDT
bbb...
1. If I use the complex option, I gather I'll be
looking at the page with my browser, but my browser will have
available all the pieces needed to re-assemble it. So it's
permanently available (until browsers get modified)... right?
If you use the complex option, the pages you'll be viewing
will be in standard html format, and it's highly unlikely
that future browsers will not be able to view this format,
no matter what additional formats are created and added,
since the vast majority of current websites are in html.
2. As for the image format, can I try to just save a webpage as a PDF
file, or convert one of those other formats to PDF after saving? That
is, what are the ways to TRY to save it as an image? (And I know that
some image files are not necessarily huge, depending on how much
resolution is needed; most of want I want to save is text material, so
I may not need much resolution... Maybe you can tell me how much to
use...? ).
You can certainly save webpages in PDF format, in a relatively small
filesize, up to about 70kb. However, I know of no way to do this
short of purchasing Adobe Acrobat - the standard version is currently
selling for $299:
http://www.adobe.com/store/products/master.jhtml?id=catAcrobatStnd
The other option is to use some kind of graphics program, as I
mentioned earlier, like Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. These
can also cost a pretty penny, though you may be able to locate
some freeware options that will do the job satisfactorily, as
from this Google search:
freeware "screen capture"
://www.google.com/search?q=freeware+%22screen+capture
As for the minimal resolutions which would allow for readable
screen captures of text, this is not my area of expertise, but
you could likely do so with a relatively small filesize as the
result. I would just try a few captures at the 'default'
resolution, and, if the resulting filesizes are reasonable,
leave it at that. If they seem to large, then you can look
into the options which become available during the 'save'
process. Some will have options like "optimize for web viewing",
which essentially means "make the saved file small enough that
someone using a 36.6 modem will be able to see the image load
quickly in their browser if I upload it to my website". Then
see if that smaller file is easy enough to read to suit your
purposes.
However, if you are primarily saving text from a particular
page, you can save hard drive space by simply selecting and
copying the text you want to save, and pasting it in a simple
text editor like Notepad, and saving it as a text file.
sublime1-ga
|
