CaldwellGenealogy.com Webring - FAQs

1) What is a "Webring"?
2) What is a "Navigation Bar"?
3) How do I view sites in the Webring?
4) How do I become part of a Webring?
5) I get an error message. What does it mean?

1) What is a "Webring"?
A Webring is a collection of websites linked together in a virtual ring. The sites are not literally connected in any way, they are linked implicitly as part of our Webring server. The purpose of a Webring is to link sites which have similar interests or themes -- a Webring is usually centered around a specific theme for which all of its sites relate to in some way.

Once sites are added to a Webring, anyone can traverse the ring through the navigation bar -- you don't have to be a member of a ring to view its sites.

2) What is a "Navigation Bar"?
The webring navigation bar a small table with a set of links to run Webring commands. The navigation bar should exist on each site in the webring, and allows anyone to traverse through the webring from site to site. The following is a list of the commands available on the navigation bar:
  • Prev5 -- List the previous 5 sites on the webring
  • Prev -- Go to the previous site on the webring
  • List -- List all of the sites on the webring
  • Join -- Go to the webring home page to join the ring
  • Random -- Go to a random site on the webring
  • Next -- Go to the next site on the webring
  • Next5 -- List the next 5 sites on the webring

To add a navigation bar to your website, you must first go to the homepage for the webring you want to join. Then, highlight the HTML code on that page and copy it anywhere onto your website. Now, when you look at your page, you should see the navigation bar as a small centered table with the set of links.

3) How do I view sites in the Webring?
You can start traversing a webring by going to the webring home page and clicking on "List all sites" or "Go to a random site". All of the sites on the ring should have a navigation bar which you can then use to traverse through the ring.

4) How do I become part of a Webring?
You can submit a site to an existing webring by going through the following procedure:
  1. Add the navigation bar to your homepage
  2. Submit your homepage to the webring administrator

To add the navigation bar to your website, you must first go to the homepage for the webring you want to join. Then, highlight the HTML code on that page and copy it anywhere onto your website. Now, when you look at your page, you should see the navigation bar as a small centered table with the set of links.

To submit your homepage to the webring, go to the homepage for that webring and click on "Submit a site to the [name] webring". From here, you will be asked for details of your site which you must fill in. When you submit the site, you should see a page which confirms that your site was submitted to the webring queue. It will remain in the 'queue' until the webring administrator checks your site to make sure you have the navigation bar is present and that your site meets the qualifications for joining the webring. Once the administrator accepts your site, you will receive an Email confirming that your site has been added to the ring and as of then you are officially added to the webring.

5) I get an error message - what does it mean?
The following is a list of all of the error messages that you may see while using the Webring server:
Connection to the database failed
No connection to the database could be made. The database may be temporarily disabled, or the server may be down. Wait a while and then try again.

The database query has failed. No rows were found/edited/added/deleted
There was an error in the database query. This can be due to an entry which has too many characters, or illegal characters. Go "Back" with your browser and re-enter your info.

There are currently no sites in the webring queue
The webring queue is empty.

There are currently no sites in the webring
The webring is empty.

There are multiple entries for the key field in the database
The database has returned with multiple results when only expecting one. This error should not occur - notify the webring administrator.

The site was not found in the ring
You have tried to access the webring from a site which is not on the ring. This error occurs most often when a user selects a choice from a navigation bar which is on an unlisted site on the webring. Your site must first be added to the webring before your navigation bar will work.

The site with ID was not found in the ring
The site no longer exists on the webring.

The site with sequence [seq] was not found in the ring
A site may have been deleted while your request was being processed. Try again.

No unique sequence number could be retrieved from the database. Add failed
A database error relating to creating a new site or ring. Contact the system administrator.

One or more of the required fields was not filled in. Add failed
You must fill in required fields specified for an addition or modification to take place. Click "back" on your browser and enter details in all of the highlighted fields.

The database query failed - the site was not added
There was an error in the query to add a new site or ring. Click "back" on your browser and try again. Make sure that all of the fields contain expected values.

There are currently no rings administrated by user
The specified user is not the owner of any webrings.

Webring ID was not found in the database
The webring no longer exists.

Unidentified error. Please contact system administrator
This should never happen. If it has, the world has ended.

I submitted a site, but it's not on the Webring
Once you submit a site, it is only placed on the webring queue. You have to wait until the webring administrator adds your site to the ring before it is officially part of the webring itself. You will be notified by Email once the site has been added to the ring.

I keep getting Emails from the ring administrator. How do I get off of the Email list?
Send a message to the ring administrator asking to remove your name from the Email list. He can do this by changing the settings for your site in the Edit site details page from the webring administration page. If this doesn't work, contact the system administrator if the Emails become too intrusive or unwelcome.