Confused on new web publishing feature.

**steve.ledger** · 22 July 2013, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by richinri

I am just trying to see why this was considered a major new feature when all I see the program do is a typical web page that scrolls up and down but shows page numbers.

You can't create such a continuously scrolling multi-page html document without this new feature.
If it's of no use to you then you've no need to use it.
Personally I don't think I'll need it either, there are certain restrictions when choosing this format of a regular website.

**peter walder** · 22 July 2013, 10:09 PM

Can I ask what the restrictions (over a 'normal' web site) are when choosing this web document format?
Pwalder

**steve.ledger** · 22 July 2013, 10:18 PM

Web Properties available are cut down to allow linking only.
No head and body placeholders, no popup highslide photos, no link colours, no mouseovers, no meta data.. etc..
Just links...
You can convert to normal web doc, but then you will lose the continuously scrolling numbered pages.

**peter walder** · 22 July 2013, 10:28 PM

Oh!Thank you for this I was really hoping that placeholders could be used as it did seem that this format could then be used to create multimedia webooks that would be compatible on all web devices. This is something that looks as if it is becoming available via sites such as Pressbooks.com which seem to use Wordpress based plug-ins to create web books.
I understand that I can use a standard web site approach but to my naive eyes I thought this might offer an advantage over pdf but it doesn't look like it does now.
Thanks again for clarifying,
Pwalder

**steve.ledger** · 22 July 2013, 10:44 PM

Actually, I think I might be misleading you a little.
Until your post I hadn't considered the web gallery and dragging in (some of) the web widgets, which seem to work fine! No warning about it being a print document..
If this is intentional then it makes no sense for Xara to have cut down the web properties dialogue because the widgets are effectively creating a placeholder!
More investigation needed.. Sorry Peter..

**steve.ledger** · 22 July 2013, 10:59 PM

Hmm. Seems that a widget from the designs gallery only works on page 1, dragging one onto any other page fails to even show up in preview or when published.
Smelling a bug here..

**StevenWWinters** · 22 July 2013, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by peter walder

Can I ask what the restrictions (over a 'normal' web site) are when choosing this web document format?
Pwalder

I think that the restrictions unnecessarily limit the potential of "print documents" in web format as noted here.

**peter walder** · 22 July 2013, 11:13 PM

Thanks for the speedy update. I actually retired from lecturing in a UK University last week and the impact of online learning is going to be massive in Higher Education in the very near future. Increasingly students are going to want to learn from online resources (even those student who are studying onsite as well as via distance learning). eBooks and web books are likely to be important element in providing students with the opportunity of studying at times and places that suit them but the 'book' resources need to be interactive and media rich. iBook Author on Mac OS can certainly do this and apps such as Book Creator on the iPad can as well ...may be Calibre on the PC platform can too (not tried this) but the workflows offered by Xara when placeholders are used to link into Web2.0 services allow this kind of interactivity to be built in. Of course this approach does usually need an internet connection to deliver the interactive services but for most students this is increasingly available. The appeal of the web doc format is ironically the linear format which can be scrolled (would be nice if it could be flipped) on mobile devices.....another major change in Higher Ed!

I'd be interested in any further musings on the possibility of place holder issue in the web document format.
Thanks again,
Pwalder