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wcamp
Inspiring
January 28, 2017
Answered

Help Needed Updating Pages with Library Items

  • January 28, 2017
  • 18 replies
  • 4208 views

I'd like help learning if I can do something to make my efforts at working with web pages that have library items much easier and more productive. I have two initial concerns.

1.  To update a several pages at once, I go from Tools > Library > Update Pages. The Update Pages window that open has two filtering options: One is the "Look in" menu, which has only two options, "Entire site" and "Files that use." There's no drop-down option to select one of numerous directories in a site. Therefore, my entire site gets examined regarding whether pages having library items need to be updated. Isn't there a way to make that so-called "filter" perform as a genuine "filter"? Might developers plan to improve that limitation?

2.  That same "Update Pages" window cannot be made wider or taller (on MacBook Pro running macOS Sierra)! I have numerous files in directories that cannot be seen until I scroll down to locate them. Many file names have numerous characters that prevent the entire file name from being viewed in that window without scrolling to the right. I hate having to scroll up and down, left and right, to locate files in that short and narrow window. Is there hopefully a way to enlarge that window? Might developers see the need to improve on that limitation?

I hope to receive encouraging news about items 1 and 2. My upcoming inquiries about updating pages with library items will depend on the answers I receive from these two questions.

BTW: Where on this forum do I note that I'd like to be emailed when an answer is made? I can't find that preference option. Thanks, in advance.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer BenPleysier
    /Applications/XAMPP/xamppfiles/htdocs

    I am not familiar with the Mac. On my system I have similar to

    C:\Applications\XAMPP\htdocs\[root directory of site]\

    For the local Web URL I have similar to

    http://localhost/[root directory of site]/

    18 replies

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 10, 2017

    Hi, Nancy:

    In response to your reply . . .

    "I don't quite know what you're asking, or why.  If it's working, keep doing what you're doing."

    . . . I ask only to be sure that the work that I'll need to do going forward will be done most appropriately. I don't want to repeat such efforts to correct my entries.

    If it works to paste into "htdocs" only enough data to direct the php to the specific folder that the SSI file is in (as it does in the second screen shot above), is that the best approach to take?

    Thank you.

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 10, 2017

    My workflow is very simple.  I keep ALL site files in the local testing server folder regardless of file type -- CSS, HTML, JavaScript, PHP, etc....

    When previewed in local browser, it maps to http://localhost/sitefolder/filename.xxx

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 7, 2017

    Regarding the files that I copy/paste to the new "htdocs" folder of XAMPP, I want tto know for sure what I'm to paste.

    If you'll look at my first screen shot, you'll see the pathway to what I've stored in the "htdocs" folder for my "animusic" site that's housed in my "wcampwebdev" directory. The site's .php pages work and change as intended.   (  ; - )

    Collection of ANIMUSIC's Best Computer Animation Video Albums | Page 1 of 3

    On my second screen shot, my "heartyBoys" directory currently has only one subfolder titled "acts." Please note that I have NOT pasted the SSI file or the .php pages that I created for my "acts" site; nevertheless, all the .php pages of that site work and change as intended.

    The Hearty Boys Bible Study and Summary of Luke's "Book of Acts" | Part 1 | Introduction

    What exactly must me pasted int the "htdocs" folder? Only the directory's proper pathway (as for "acts") or the SSI file and all .php pages of that directory?

    Both procedures appear to provide successful results. Please advise. Thanks.

    Warren

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 10, 2017

    Hello again. Three days have passed without receiving an answer to my inquiry.

    I want to actively create SSIs and .php conversion pages, but I want to be absolutely sure of what I'm to copy/paste in the "htdocs" folder. Each of the two options described above, and highlighted in my two screen shots and URLs, work as intended.

    Please advise so I can continue this work as I should. Thank you.

    Warren

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 10, 2017

    I don't quite know what you're asking, or why.  If it's working, keep doing what you're doing.

    If you continue to have problems or questions, I suggest you start a new topic.  This one is marked answered.  We focus on unanswered questions as much as we can.

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 7, 2017

    I remember that. Thanks.

    However, this new situation happens on sites that I haven't made any SSI entries on. When I edit a page and click the "Preview on Browser" icon, that testing server dialogue box appears!

    Let me shut down and re-launch DW CC to see if it's gotten hung up in that testing-server mode, since I'd been working on .php pages for a couple of hours.

    . . .

    . . .

    Yep. DW had hung up. Now, after DW re-launched, that dialogue message does not appear when I open ".html" pages.  (Hooray!)

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 6, 2017

    Hello, Nancy and John:

    I've begun to create .php pages that include the SSIs that you both helped me appreciate. Many thanks to you both!

    I have a quick follow-up question to ask you.

    Now that I've set up a testing server, I'm unable to view pages that have the ".html" extension when I click the "Preview in Browser" icon. After I click it, I get this dialogue message that doesn't permit me to see the browser preview of ".html" pages.

    Whether I click the "Yes" or "No" button, the preview doesn't appear; only a blank screen titled "Real Time Preview" appears. What must I do get Browser Preview to function?

    Thank you.

    Warren

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 6, 2017

    Use .php files for parent pages -- those containing the server-side include statements.  Ordinary .html files don't parse includes.

    To avoid Real-Time Preview, use right-click > View in browser.

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    Hoooooray! Thank you, Jon. I've deleted that "Includes" bit from the pathway and, after uploaqding the revised page, the footer on my new .php appears as it shouid!

    Is there something else that needs to be done to say that we've reached closure on this setup effort? If so, please advise. If not, would you please give me — in lay terms — what I need to do, going forward, to routinely utilize SSIs. I still don't have that undrstanding.

    Thanks so very much.

    Warren

    Jon Fritz
    Jon Fritz
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2017

    One thing you need to do is turn your include into an include (instead of a full page).

    Look at the source code of your page online and you'll notice all of the sudden you have a second <html>, <head> and <body> around your footer.

    In your animusicFooter.html file, you should only have the actual HTML you want included on every page. Since it's a footer, you need to remove all the other stuff that doesn't have anything to do with the footer itself so you don't double up on those html tags that you're only supposed to have 1 of per page.

    The best way to think about it is: Includes files are only the snippets of code you're reusing, not fully formed html pages.

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    I understand you clearly, Jon. I've cleaned up the animusicFooter.html page to include only the <div> tags and their contents.

    Having done so, the footer appears as it should on my page.    (  ; - )

    And . . . those two pesky errors on W3C have disappeared! Bravo!!!

    Let me now see if I can easily do the following: I'll change the footer's copyright, then upload the includes page. . . Indeed, the date changed as I'd hoped it would. I think I've got it, Jon. Thanks for redirecting me as you have.

    What do I need to do next? For all my sites that have menus that will need to be changed or updated in the future, should I drag/drop the sites' folders to the XAMPP folder (where the "TEST" folder that we've been accessing is stored? Anything more or different to do?

    Warren

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    I certainly understand and agree. I have no idea how that gibberish made its way into the code.

    Nevertheless, here, and in my screen shot below, are what my DW screens show: The footer appears in the Design window and the Code window. Unfortunately, when the page opens, the footer doesn't appear.     (  ; - (

    Something is preventing the footer from appearing online. Could it be the two W3C errors that I mentioned earlier?

    Collection of ANIMUSIC's Best Computer Animation Video Albums | Page 1 of 3

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2017

    Well code errors are always a bad thing.  You should reconcile those right away.

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    I'm sorry but I have no idea how to correct both errors. Honest!

    Might someone on the forum know what's needed to correct each?

    Collection of ANIMUSIC's Best Computer Animation Video Albums | Page 1 of 3

    Thanks, in advance.

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    Thanks for the "How-to" directive of choosing emailed notifications. I reset the preferences and hope to find in my Inbox tomorrow your  response notification to this comment.

    Regarding the new TEST site, my host/server activated the side in some way and my TEST page on the new TEST site now opens. Hooooooray!

    Regarding what I wrote earlier today, as follows . . .

    Q. 2  And why are you still putting your site folder into xampfiles?

    A. 2  For no apparent reason, when I clicked the Browse Folders icon to the right of the "Server Folder" field, I got the pathway shown in screen shot #4! Honest, Nancy! . . . Now I've tried clicking that icon again to see if it still comes up and that bloody "xamppfiles" folder remains included in that pathway despite the fact that that folder is NOT within the pathway! Please see my confirming screen shot below.

    . . . I saw that that"xamppfiles" entry was still in the DW setup windows for the Testing Server. So I intentionally removed that element from the pathway. But, after I clicked the Save button and the window closed, I reopened it to check and I again see that that stinkin' "xamppfiles" element remains in that field's pathway. What must I do to enter the correct pathway in that field?

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2017

    #2 I don't know.  It must be a Mac thing.  Maybe the Xampp for Mac documentation can explain it. 

    Did your server-side includes work on the test site?

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    First of all, your suggestion yesterday on how to set notification emails worked well. Thanks.

    Regarding #2, before I invest in a forensics undertaking, let me ask this. If the .php TEST page, and the site that it's on, are both appearing online, can't we assume that there's no problem with "xamppfiles" ubiquitously appearing in that pathway? Just wondering.

    Finally, to answer your question, I don't see the intended change. I'll give you the links to the two pages — the original page and the TEST.php page — so you can see what the markup in each reveals.

    The SSI that I intended to apply deals only with the footer <div>: On the original page, the footer exists; on the TEST.php, the footer doesn't show. I'm afraid that I missed entering something critical that was shown in your web page's directives. Please advise what I must do to appreciate how SSI's work and why they're so beneficial. (BTW: I've Google-searched for a simple, dumbed-down description of the benefits of using SSI's but the results aren't helpful or clear to me. Hope you can suggest a link to a helpful page or two. Thanks.)

    -- the original file with footer:  Collection of ANIMUSIC's Best Computer Animation Video Albums | Page 1 of 3

    -- the new TEST.php file without footer:  Collection of ANIMUSIC's Best Computer Animation Video Albums | Page 1 of 3

    Many thanks, Nancy.

    Warren

    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    I'll contact my host/server to learn how to create place the TEST site correctly.

    Meanwhile, how can I set up a preference on this forum to receive emailed notifications of responses to my comments so I can learn the moment that one has been received?

    Warren

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2017

    TEST folder should be in your server's root directory:  public_html

    For email notifications, click the drop-list beside your Avatar on top of this forum.  Select Preferences.   See screenshot.

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 2, 2017

    I don't know how to open an "expanded mode" of the Files panel.

    What I've, with the hope that this is what you're requesting, is to take three screen shots of the Files panel: (1) Local; (2) Remote server; and (3) Testing server.

    Of the three, the Remote server shows no files in it, while the other two show all the files.

    When I try to upload the directory using the Remote server option, I get this error message. . .

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 2, 2017

    See screenshots:

    Expanded:

    You're most likely uploading to some folder outside your server's Root.

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    W
    wcampAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 1, 2017

    Q. 1.  Did you create a TEST folder on your server yet?

    A. 1   Yes, as shown in my screen shot #2

    Q. 2  And why are you still putting your site folder into xampfiles?

    A. 2  For no apparent reason, when I clicked the Browse Folders icon to the right of the "Server Folder" field, I got the pathway shown in screen shot #4! Honest, Nancy! . . . Now I've tried clicking that icon again to see if it still comes up and that bloody "xamppfiles" folder remains included in that pathway despite the fact that that folder is NOT within the pathway! Please see my confirming screen shot below.

    Now that I've removed that erroneous entry within that pathway for the Testing Server, I've uploaded the TEST site withOUT getting an error message!

    However, when I try to open this .php page . . .

    http://www.warrencampdesign.com/TEST/animusic/indexPage1TEST.php  . . .

    that page cannot be found.

    Hopefully, we're almost there, Nancy. Can you tell what's not yet correct?

    Warren

    Nancy OShea
    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    February 1, 2017

    Right now, there is no TEST folder on the remote domain.

    http://www.warrencampdesign.com/TEST/

    Can you show me a screenshot of your Files panel in expanded mode?

    The Remote server directories on the left and Local files on the right.

    If you have a TEST folder, it should be showing on both panels.

    Nancy

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
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