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Topic: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML (Read 19644 times) previous topic - next topic

Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

I have my music on the web page and I found out that if I (or anybody else) open the page from another computer and try to download the music, it is saved/opened NOT as NWC file but as HTML = gibberish. With the earlier version of IE i was successful in right-clicking and choosing "Follow Hyperlink" command but now it's gone. When I choose "Save Target As" it is still trying to save as HTML. If I choose "Open" and have NT Eval copy installed, it is still NOT downloading as NWC file.

Any suggestions?

Alexander
aboltenko@pisem.net

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #1 –
Could be a lot of things.

Supply your web address. I'll go to the site and see if I can figure out the problem.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #2 –
In this case, a link to what you are actually doing is worth a thousand words trying to describe it.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #4 –
It must be your web server - the links are OK, but for some reason, your server insists on delivering the files as text. I can only suppose your ISP treats any unknown file types as text, rather than binary.

RObin

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #5 –
The headers that your server sends are wrong. For example, the headers for America_The_Beautiful.nwc sent by your server are:

------------------------------
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 02:39:49 GMT
Server: Apache
Last-Modified: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 20:35:05 GMT
ETag: "220462-26f1-3e665f79"
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Content-Length: 9969
Content-Type: text/html
------------------------------

The Content-Type should not be of type text/html. The content type for NWC files is best set to application/x-nwc. However, at the very least, you should set a binary MIME type such as application/octet-stream.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #6 –
See the new FAQ entry, faq #94, for more details.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #7 –
Read the new FAQ first. Read it? Then... My own web site is hosted by a local ISP (I pay for the service). I can get control over the .htaccess file for my site. The reason I mention this, is to point out that the FAQ advice is not unreasonable or difficult.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #8 –
By the way, based on the headers returned by your (Alexander Boltenko) site, it is being served by Apache Web Server software. This means that the instructions in the FAQ apply directly to your site.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #9 –
One more thing: Judging by the content in the Go Live forum at Your Web Hosting Company (just do a search for "htaccess"), you might have to ask for help from your hosting company admin. Some forum discussion on this site implies that you are, in fact, denied user level htaccess control. However, I could not find official word about this on the site, so you will have to ask them yourself.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #10 –
Normally I work with music that I cannot display, since it is someone else's work. But in this case, I have permission:

http://www.icogitate.com/~ergosum/misc/sevenlastwords.htm

The link to the NWC browser plug-in version is at the bottom. If any of you (who already have the plug-in configured, and know what to do) are unable to see/hear it, let me know. I have been known to fumble file editing (such as .htaccess).

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #11 –
I followed the link in Reply 10 and extracted the name of the *.nwc file from the source on that page.  When I substituted that name in my window, the file was treated as text and NoteWorthy did not open it.
Since 1998

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #12 –
Confirmed. Netscape 7.02 (Mozilla 1.0.2).

Works well when using the 'embed' tag within the html, however, i.e. it's fine when viewed as intended.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #13 –
The headers returned from http://www.icogitate.com/~ergosum/misc/sevenlast-forwebsite.nwc are:

------------------------------
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 12:00:38 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.9 (Unix)
Last-Modified: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 16:27:44 GMT
ETag: "cf507-a0c-3e677700"
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Content-Length: 2572
Content-Type: text/plain
------------------------------

Note that the Content-Type is incorrect. The embedded version (using the HTML <EMBED> tag) will work for some browsers, since the <EMBED> tag itself indicates the actual correct mime type.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #14 –
No problem (yet). As expected, I fumbled the .htaccess file. I uploaded it to my main account, rather than to the annex (where the nwc is found). Try again, ten minutes from now.

Of course, it works fine when downloaded to my own computer.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #15 –
Your headers are now proper:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 22:27:55 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.9 (Unix)
Last-Modified: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 16:27:44 GMT
ETag: "cf507-a0c-3e677700"
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Content-Length: 2572
Content-Type: application/x-nwc

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #16 –
I'm still getting gibberish.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #17 –
NWC: Thanks for checking.

Randy: If you were at my page before, and got gibberish, it may be that the prior gibberish is stored in your computer's browser cache. On another thread, someone suggested that it helps to hold down the CTRL key when you reload the page, as that will force reload of page content, not just the page HTML.

Another possibility is that you are using a recent version IE that doesn't like the old-fashioned EMBED tag. It works in IE6 on my computer, but that's not a fair test, as everything is also local. I have no way of testing it on another computer. Although I have access to many other computers, all of them are business-related and will not install a plug-in or, for that matter, an ActiveX control if that were the method.

However, my original point was that depending on your ISP, placing or editing an .htaccess file may or may not be easy.

Do notice that the filename begins with a period, and has no extension. If you try to create .htaccess with some text editors or word processors, it may be saved with an extension, such as .txt, that you do not want. Or, it may simply refuse to save it with the filename .htaccess, because it will think it is an un-named file with extension .htaccess. If whatever text editor you have doesn't work, there are some free text editors, for the benefit of programmers, that will allow .htaccess to be saved. If you are using a program such as WS_FTP to upload, then you may be able to change the filename from within the FTP program, during or after upload.

My .htaccess file also contains code that re-directs someone to my index page, if the file sought no longer exists or the URL is slightly mis-typed.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #18 –
However, my original point was that depending on your ISP, placing or editing an .htaccess file may or may not be easy.

Amen. My stupid ISP runs Apache, but apparently has a global setting that does not allow individual .htaccess files to have any effect. I can upload them with impunity, but nothing happens.

I've talking myself blue in the face trying to get them to implement the proper MIME-types for NWC and a couple other file types, to no avail. They tell me I have to "upgrade" to a "business account" (read: give them more money).

Bloody phone company anyway. Problem is, the cable company are just as thievish, but even less competent.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #19 –
I have the good fortune to live in a highly-wired community. My ISP is a local outfit. If I didn't like them, I could choose from at least two other local outfits before I had to deal with the phone company, or a nationwide service such as AOL, Earthlink, or Compuserve.

My parents, however, are retired near an east-coast community more known for motorcycles than for computers. The community largely consists of (a) uneducated and unwired, or (b) elderly retired. Many of the (b) have Internet service, but virtually all through AOL or the phone company. A local outfit tried, but didn't make it, since the retirees (many of whom are retired phone company employees!) did not grasp the concept.

What has this to do with NWC browser plug-in? Answer: Do not suppose that persons who visit your web site can access your content, whatever it is. There are many Internet users who have older software, or who wouldn't dream of installing a plug-in, or who cannot even re-size a window (whatever the browser shows initially, that's all they will see). If you create music for computer games, then it is safe to assume that your visitors are reasonably knowledgable. But if you create church hymns, that's not necessarily the case.  If you do use any media material, you should have a non-media cover page that explains the content, and perhaps offers alternative means of getting it.

Right now, I am on a Mac computer with Internet Explorer 5.1.  That's the first time I've used Mac/IE combo. One of my web pages does not load properly, even though I thought I had it scripted to divert Mac/IE5 to another page. Now I have to re-think the diversion script (which was suggested by Apple!).  The reason seems to be that this computer, in a college library, will refuse to finish loading a page if it contains an incompatible OBJECT tag, rather than simply ignoring the tag.

Moral: To reach the widest audience, offer alternative page content. You don't have to be compatible with every single thing; someone with Netscape 2 on Windows 3.1 with 2Meg RAM is probably not interested in your MP3 of Wagner's Meistersinger Overture. But if you are using the NWC browser plug-in, also offer your NWC file in a ZIP package, which can be separately downloaded and played with the NWC player, on any recent Windows machine. You might include the MIDI, so that Mac users can at least hear it.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #20 –
I'm still getting gibberish...at Alexander Boltenko's (Reply 3) site.  I've viewed your site in the past without incident.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #21 –
Thanks for the clarification, Randy. There are perhaps some uncharitable people in the world who believe my entire web site is gibberish. Fie on them!

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #23 –
How does that work?  I get the error message
Address contains unsupported characters or has unsupported content
when I enter

http://bellsouthpwp.net/w/b/wbport/chorus/

I tried various combinations such as removing the "http" or naming a specific file, but nothing worked.
Since 1998

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #24 –
It only works for links to NWC files (your link must end with a .nwc extension).

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #25 –
Wow! Been a couple of days since I looked at this one. The Gremlins were busy!

No problem bringing up the NWC file in my computer. All is well?

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #26 –
I just tried the tool for the nwc file contained in my above-referenced page, and all is well. It returned:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 03:42:36 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.9 (Unix)
Last-Modified: Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:57:11 GMT
ETag: "cf507-9ff-3e6a9167"
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Content-Length: 2559
Content-Type: application/x-nwc

Which, I believe, is just what the Apache ordered. I had placed the .htaccess file earlier.

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #27 –
I'm no longer getting gibberish!
Way to work together, folks! Go team!
 

Re: Need advice for hyperlinking NWC files - not HTML

Reply #28 –
...I spoke too soon.
Some of the links work fine, others...

Also, some of the files are corrupted...