'filename' is not a local file

[filmriss]

Hi everyone,

I have a website done with Dreamweaver CS6. Each web page refers to files to be included such as .css and .js. In Dreamweaver CS6, those files can be easily opened by clicking on it in the status bar.

However, if I open the very same web site in Dreamweaver CC, there comes an error message "'filename.css' is not a local file", together with a link to download the file from the remote server. If I follow that link, it says 'filename is not on a defined site". (The error messages might be slightly different because I translated them from German to English.)

I tried to export the site from CS6 and import in CC, to no avail.

I know, there was a discussion in 2013 saying the problem will be fixed… but apparently it hasn't or I'm missing something…

Thank you for your help!

[Nancy OShea]

You must define your local site folder in DW CC.

Go to Site > New Site and select the appropriate folder on your hard drive.

You Files Panel should resemble this where MyTestSite is the local site folder.

[filmriss]

Thank you, Nancy. I did that even before posting my question. The folder is correctly defined, I believe; however, some files are marked with a question mark. They open when I double-click on it (so they're definitively there) but they don't open in the status bar.

The problem with that is that some functions like Live View don't work if the file is this way "unavailable".

Any idea?

[Nancy OShea]

You're working with PHP files.  Do you have a local testing server defined in DW?

[filmriss]

I had set the local testing server defined as the same path where all the web site files reside. I tried to update that path, then I deleted the testing server setting in the site definition. Both to no avail.

I found that Apache is not working on my Mac any more since the update to El Capitan. On the other hand, I was never using Apache to test the site. Nonetheless, why is it working in CS6 and not in CC???

[Nancy OShea]

Restore Preferences

Unusual behavior in Dreamweaver? Try restoring preferences.

[filmriss]

I restored preferences. Nothing changed.

[Nancy OShea]

I can't work with PHP files in Live View unless my Testing Server is running with all PHP & Apache processes.    See screenshots.  This is a contact form with my testing server turned off.   As you can see Live View produces nothing but Design View works.

Nancy

[filmriss]

Dear Nancy,

thank you so much for your effort!

I'm aware that PHP can't work if there's no server to interpret the scripts. But why doesn't Dreamweaver find the .css files either?

Probably I have to get Apache running so I really have a local test server functioning. DW CC probably relies on that. I think you point into the right direction.

Still it's weird that it works with CS6 fine and not with CC.

Thank you again.

Bernhard

[filmriss]

Hi,

I set up my local testing server which is working fine now, including SSI, JS, and PHP. The only thing is, the problem with Dreamweaver persists. Nothing has changed.

Thank you for your help,

Bernhard

[Nancy OShea]

Assuming your testing server is properly defined in DW and all processes are running correctly, you might have a local .htaccess file that's creating conflicts.  Try renaming it to OLD_.htaccess. 

[filmriss]

Did it. No change.
In the meantime I contacted Adobe support about this, they tried out a lot of things (and made me download my whole web site from the remote server, among other things), all of them to no avail.

[pziecina]

Have you checked the links in the code are correct.

e.g.

You are using document relative file paths, and you should be using root relative file paths?

[filmriss]

Yes. I clicked on the folder icon next to the link and have DW insert the link with a relative path. Still it won't find the file.

[filmriss]

I tried root relative path. No change.

[pziecina]

Try inserting the file as root relative, (full file path).

If the file is then not found, it is either a problem with Dw, or possibly something is wrong with the site definition.

Nancy has already suggested recreating preferences, but you could also try deleting the Dw cache -

https://forums.adobe.com/message/2260933

[filmriss]

Deleted the cache. No change.

[Jon Fritz]

When you say this...

"I tried to export the site from CS6 and import in CC, to no avail."

...what, exactly, do you mean?

What steps did you take to export from CS6 and import to CC, and what went wrong exactly?

That basic process should be a relatively foolproof way to get a functioning site from CS6 into CC with identical settings.

[filmriss]

What I meant is that I exported the working site definition file from CS6 and imported it in CC. That was indeed foolproof, the site definition is there. However, the problem I described occurs with CC but not with CS6.

[Nancy OShea]

Can you open the CSS file in code view?

Does it contain errors?

[BenPleysier · Accepted solution]

Have you had a look at Re: "file not on the local disk" warning when it absolutely is

[filmriss]

Thank you very much, Ben! Moving the site folder to a different hard disk solved it.
(I'm sorry, I ​did a research in the forums before I posted but did not find the thread Ben posted.)