If you are preparing an HTML page to be posted on PhysioNet, please start with a copy of this template, which you can view or download as template.txt. You can also see how this page is rendered by your web browser if you visit

    http://physionet.org/template.shtml

but don't download the rendered version, since it won't have the SSI commands that are interpreted by PhysioNet's Apache web server. It's important to use these SSI commands in your final page, because they ensure that your page contains the current version of the PhysioNet banner, the correct feedback links, and the correct modification date. An uncommented template is also available (short-template.txt).

File names

The top-level directory for your project should contain a page called "index.shtml". If your project includes subdirectories, each subdirectory should have its own "index.shtml".

Other pages meant to be viewed in a web browser should normally have names ending in ".shtml". Don't use names that contain embedded spaces or punctuation other than ".-+_" (period, hyphen, plus, underscore), don't begin file names with punctuation, and avoid unnecessarily long names and names that will be difficult to type or to remember.

The Apache web server can construct a list of files in a directory (see this page for an example; scroll to the end of the page to see the file listing). If you wish to use this feature in a directory, do not create an "index.shtml" in that directory; rather, create a file called "HEADER.shtml". This template can be used to prepare "HEADER.shtml" files, but the final SSI command that includes the page footer should be omitted; Apache inserts both the file listing and the page footer automatically when it serves a HEADER.shtml file.

If your project's top-level directory or one of its subdirectories does not include "index.shtml" or "HEADER.shtml", Apache will display a bare file listing without a page header for that directory. This is generally discouraged unless your project contains a large number of subdirectories that do not require individual descriptions (see the subdirectories of the MIMIC II Waveform Database for examples).

Hyperlinks

When constructing hyperlinks, keep these points in mind: