How to Save an HTML File With Links

How to Save an HTML File With Links
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Introduction

If you want to save a web page with its link information intact, then the method you need to use will depend upon the browser that you are using. All the major browsers offer you ways of saving web pages, but they all work just slightly differently.

If you want to save an HTML file with links from Mozilla Firefox you need to use the File menu. There is an option on the menu called “Save Page As”. This option in turn gives you further options: Web page (complete), Web Page (HTML only), and Text file. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut [Ctrl] and S.

If you select the complete web page, then the browser saves an HTML file and creates a subfolder with all of the files that the browser needs to preserve the appearance of the web page. If your web page is called Professor Alan Gillies’ professional website (mine is!) then you will have a file called Professor Alan Gillies’ professional web site.htm and a folder called Professor Alan Gillies’ professional web site_files. This option keeps both the appearance and links intact.

If you select the HTML only option, then the browser saves an HTML file which preserves the basic textual contents of the page but does not preserve the appearance of the web page. If your web page is called Professor Alan Gillies’ professional website (mine is!) then you will still have a file called Professor Alan Gillies’ professional web site.htm and it will still have the link information but if your formatting is contained in a style sheet, this will be lost.

If you select the text file option, you will preserve the text, but not the links or the appearance of the web page.

In Internet Explorer 8, there is a Page menu towards the right hand side of the toolbar. There is a Save As option leading to a dialog box, which has a heading of Save Webpage as. In addition to the options described above, there is an option to save the page as a single file web archive. This file format may be opened within Internet Explorer 8 to recreate the web page as originally presented with formatting and links intact. However, this file format is not accessible with Firefox or Google Chrome. There does not appear to be a keyboard shortcut in Internet Explorer 8.

The Chrome browser has no text on the toolbar but there is a Page menu indicated by an icon of a page with the corner turned down. This menu has an option called Save Page As. In line with its minimalist credentials, Chrome provides the least options, with just the two main HTML options: complete and HTML page only. Chrome also has the keyboard shortcut, [Ctrl] and S.

Other Ways To Collect Links From A Web Page

If you don’t want save the whole web page, then there are two techniques you can use to save links from a web page. If you spot a link you want to copy , then use the short cut menu by right-clicking on the link and select one of the following options: In Firefox, use “Copy Link Location”, In IE8, use “Copy Shortcut” and in Chrome, use “Copy Link Address”. You can then paste the link into your own web page or document. You can read how to add a link to an existing web page for more on how to do that.

Alternatively, you can view the HTML source of your web page and search for the “<a href” string which designates a link. To view the source in Firefox use View>Page Source or [Ctrl]+U, in IE8 use Page> View Source, or in Chrome, use Developer > View Source from the page menu.

Hopefully, one of these techniques will meet your needs, irrespective of which browser you wish to use to view your web pages.