The following suggestions apply to iOS Devices, Macs, and the PC.

You will often want to download or transfer HTML files from the Internet, CD, DVD, Memory Stick, or hard drive to Dropbox. This will enable them to be read easily on iOS devices, with large type and low eye strain, and easy location of particular points in the text, online or offline.

The best way to get these files onto an iOS device is directly through Dropbox, or as e-mail attachments opened in Dropbox. Files can go into Dropbox from either a Mac or PC computer.

Transferring files. Files on a Mac can be transferred easily from the Internet by selecting all and then copying the contents to the clipboard. Then open up a new TextEdit widow and paste the contents, and save the file with the same name as before. Then you can move it around as desired.

To save text. When you save the document, make sure you give it a name. Also, make sure you save it on the desktop and save it as .html.  To do this you go on the save window to where it says “File Format” and select “Web Page (.html)”.

You can do this on a Mac also using Word. You can also do this on a PC using Word.

A second approach is just to download and save the file in question from the File menu in the browser. However, sometimes it is hard to know where this downloaded file is located. Often, you have to do the select-copy-paste-save routine anyway, in order to get a file which you have physical command over.

Other considerations. If the text is already formatted with the right sentence and paragraph structure and the right font size and background color, saving the text as an offline document is all that is necessary. However, other times you will need to adjust the font size and background color of .html documents. Doing this is very easy and described next.

Making Changes to Font Size and Background Color

When the text is in a new TextEdit document, just before you save the text, this is the best time to make changes in the font size and background color.  Then save your changes as described above.

To change font size. Just select all the text and move the mouse up to the font size tool in the toolbar menu at the top of the TextEdit window, and pick the number 36.

To change background color. To change the background color of the text from white to a shade of grey, click on the second color screen (on right) in the middle of the TextEdit toolbar menu. This is the small quadrangle that has a diagonal line through it. Note: the left color screen adjusts the color of the text itself and is normally black, and should be left black. When you click on the right triangle, a choice of shading will appear. The right box to pick is usually the fifth box from the right.

Making changes to saved documents. You can reopen a saved html document in TextEdit and easily alter the font or shading settings and then re-save the document.

To Also Add Blank Lines After Sentences

Read Chapter 18 in this Manual. You may want to do this for your own use, or to prepare material for your students.

© Proportional Reading, 2013