110048 | Montgomery County Public Schools

Web Services → Support → Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Technical Questions

Why doesn’t my FTP work?

This is usually due to one of the following issues:

Did you use the correct syntax for entering your login? “internet\loginID”
Do you have the correct password?
Be sure that Host Name is www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org
Be sure that Host Type is “automatic detect”
Firewall blocking
- Personal: Your personal firewall settings may prevent FTP from working.
- Employer: Companies usually have firewalls, as well.

Why don’t my graphics show up on my web page on the server? They work on my local computer.

Graphics that are part of a web page are not automatically uploaded to the server when you upload the web page. You must upload them to the server separately, making sure they go into the appropriate directory. If the directory structures on your local computer and the web server are not set up in the same way, or you have imported graphics from a directory on your local computer that is not part of your web site directory structure, the graphics will not show up on the site.

If your site is in Tron it is possible to also be referencing local graphics. If you drag and drop photos into the work area, you must respond "yes" if prompted to upload graphics.

How do I change my password? A password update tool will be available in the future. For now, you cannot change your password. What software should I use to do HTML editing? For web sites not in the Tron Web publishing system, DreamWeaver is the HTML editor that Web Services supports. See Webmaster Software What type of graphic file should I use on the web? JPG? GIF? In general, use JPG for continuous-tone images with gradations of color, such as photographs, and GIF for images with flat areas of color and crisp detail such as line art. See Preparing Graphics for the Web How do I prepare graphics for the web? Most digital photographs or images created for print are too large for use on the web. You will need to resize and optimize them with an image editing program. See Preparing Graphics for the Web Who can help me with one of your publishing tools? (NewsBox, CalendarBox, etc.) See our Tools and Utilities page for help. How do I make my pages show up in the search engine? See How to optimize your content for search How can I make my pages accessible to users with disabilities? (ADA/508)

The most important thing for you to do is to be sure that you include “alt tags” for all images. To learn more, read the following articles from WebAim

Why should I make a PDF and not just use a Microsoft Word document? Adobe's Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) has become the standard format for sharing documents across platforms and applications with their original look and feel intact. Microsoft Word documents require your users to have Word installed. Adobe provides the free Reader application for many operating systems. See About Adobe Acrobat and PDFs How do I make a PDF? See About Adobe Acrobat and PDFs How do I put my database on the web? FileMaker is one way to use a systemwide database on the web. Built-in functions provide search and maintenance functions.