Customize the "Create Web Site" Script

GEDitCOM II and GEDitCOM areis installed with a "Web Site" extension that can easily create web sites (see web site creation tutorial for details). If you are happy with those web sites you are all set. If you would like something different, however, you customize them using GEDitCOM Editor (if are using GEDitCOM, you would need to switch to GEDitCOM II to have GEDitCOM Editor).

A relatively simple option is modify the provided "Web Site" extension as follows:

  1. Open "Web Site" in the "Export Data" section of the "-- System Extensions --" section of the "Extensions" menu while holding down the option key. The extension will open in the GEDitCOM Editor.
  2. Optionally (but recommended) choose "Save As..." to save a copy in the Scripts/Export Data folder in your ~/Library/Application Support/GEDitCOM II folder (creating those folders if needed).
  3. You can now edit that copy in GEDitCOM Editor. To learn about provided customization options, expand the "Documentation" section, click on customweb.html, and use menu command Template→Preview in Browser.... A tutorial on customizing the web site scripts will appear in your default browser.
  4. To view and edit the Internal Scripts that can be customized, expand the "Scripts" section.
  5. To try out any changes you make, save the extension, and then Choose "Web Site" in the "Export Data" section of the "-- User Extensions --" section of the "Extensions" while running GEDitCOM II.

A harder option is to write your own web site creation extension from scratch. You can literally design web pages from the ground up. Writing such complex scripts, however, is a difficult task and requires some advanced programming skills. An alternative approach to writing an extension from scratch is to again start with a copy of the "Web Site" extension. The tutorial in customweb.html mentioned above gives an outline on how to make significant changes to web site content and style. For advanced customization, see the "Customize the output for an individual" and "Customize the web site's cascading style sheet" sections in that tutorial.