Which files go where?

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Teapotter
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Which files go where?

#1 Post by Teapotter » 2022-10-20 10:01

Good morning.

I have been using a PC since the era of Windows 95, but I have absolutely no knowledge of coding.

I am now trying to publish a multipage non-profit-making website in the form of a blog. ( or a blog in the form of a multipage non-profit-making website ?)

I have made some progress, but I now have a couple of questions:

First, in creating the pages of my site, I have written my first page as a Word document and saved that as a Web Page.

Using FileZilla, I have uploaded this to the root folder. Somebody had suggested that I should also load it to a folder called httpdocs. , but I have not yet done so. As my first page opens correctly in a browser, I am wondering if I do need to put a copy in httpdocs.

I had heard that I should place all my other pages into httpdocs.

The root folder contains the following folders:

.composer
.ssh
.trash
cgi-bin
error_docs
httpodocs
logs
tmp

although I don’t know if all of them are significant or if I can safely delete any of the folders or their content, particularly my large list of errors !

Secondly, I want to create hyperlinks between my pages, but I am not sure if I should be doing this within Word or after converting them to htm’s. Presumably I will have to re-do my index page offline to put hyperlinks there. There is a list of all the pages at the top of each page.

Please excuse me if I have provided too little or too much info, but I would be most grateful if anyone can spare a moment to tell me if I am going the right direction, so far.

My thanks to anyone for any comment or advice you can offer.

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botg
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Re: Which files go where?

#2 Post by botg » 2022-10-20 11:40

I advise against deleting the other directories, they are often set up by the system administrator with special permissions you cannot restore over FTP once deleted.

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boco
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Re: Which files go where?

#3 Post by boco » 2022-10-20 13:55

Some directories explained:

.composer - Probably a directory for a web based HTTP editor.
.ssh - Used for a remote Secure SHell. Not used by FileZilla.
.trash - Network trashcan. Not used by FTP, so beware, deleted stuff is really gone (unless the trashcan works automatically).
cgi-bin - Directory for CGI scripts (like Perl or similar script languages). Has special permissions set for executing scripts, which is not allowed outside that directory.
error_docs - Might hold customized error pages, like the one that shows when you encounter 404.
httpdocs - This is the web root. If it indeed did exist from the start, that's where all your website files have to go (unless they are scripts, see above).
logs - Webserver logs.
tmp - Internal directory used by the webserver.

Tl;dr - Put your website files into httpdocs. If that directory exists, they don't go to the root. And don't delete anything you didn't create yourself! That is, if you even could delete them.

A note: Props to the webserver for even showing them. Many others just shamefully hide everything starting with a dot (as they are system files).


_____

Second question: From a learner's aspect, I'd do it the manual way.

Code: Select all

<a href="target.html">Link text</a>
That's it for the basics. Not rocket science. Just one note: For target, use just the target document's name (case sensitive), if it is in the same directory. That way, your files will work everywhere.
### BEGIN SIGNATURE BLOCK ###
No support requests per PM! You will NOT get any reply!!!
FTP connection problems? Please do yourself a favor and read Network Configuration.
FileZilla connection test: https://filezilla-project.org/conntest.php
### END SIGNATURE BLOCK ###

Teapotter
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Re: Which files go where?

#4 Post by Teapotter » 2022-10-21 10:17

Good morning to those kind folk, Messrs Boco and Botg, who took the trouble to keep me out of trouble.

Their responses were so much sooner than I had expected, and so I didn't even look until this morning. I have now found and ticked the box to be notified of any replies.

You have given me much to work on, and if I may, I will report back once I have applied your guidance. In my ignorance. I shall no doubt soon give myself (and you !) more problems to solve.

In the meantime, may I ask if it would be considered bad form to mention, in due course, the name of the website here ? I think that is called self-promotion.

Thank you.

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Re: Which files go where?

#5 Post by botg » 2022-10-21 13:45

Yes, self-promotion is bad form.

Teapotter
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Re: Which files go where?

#6 Post by Teapotter » 2022-10-21 15:33

Thank you. I did wonder, and I will conform.

I suppose that, once the site is fully published, anyone who is absolutely overcome with curiosity can always ask....

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boco
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Re: Which files go where?

#7 Post by boco » 2022-10-22 01:05

Teapotter wrote:
2022-10-21 15:33
I suppose that, once the site is fully published, anyone who is absolutely overcome with curiosity can always ask....
...over Private Message, of course.

We have a policy against sites using advertising and/or so called web-bugs (aka tracking code, cookies, pixels and similar technology). In practice, we don't allow external sites in general, as we are unable to check every site if it conforms, including periodic re-checks of any allowed site. Plus, we don't want to start a wildfire, so to speak (people coming and asking their site to be allowed because "you did allow the other guy, too").

So, again, PM is fine, public, no (this obviously includes posts, signature and profile).
### BEGIN SIGNATURE BLOCK ###
No support requests per PM! You will NOT get any reply!!!
FTP connection problems? Please do yourself a favor and read Network Configuration.
FileZilla connection test: https://filezilla-project.org/conntest.php
### END SIGNATURE BLOCK ###

Teapotter
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Re: Which files go where?

#8 Post by Teapotter » 2022-10-22 08:26

Got it ! Seems reasonable to me. Good to have things explained so clearly.

Thank you.

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Hyperlinks & keywords

#9 Post by Teapotter » 2022-11-03 12:26

Good morning.

Thanks to your help, I am getting to grips with uploading my files. however, before I go too far, I have a couple of questions concerning hyperlinks. Just a few weeks ago, I didn't even know what a hyperlink was. Now I have come to realize that I'm not going to get very far without them.

I have done a broad search on the subject here but cannot find what I am looking for, so perhaps it is outside the scope of this forum. If so, please accept my apologies.

In the hope that I can get an answer or two, may I explain what I want to achieve?

1. I am creating a site with about 20 page headings./ Each page starts with a list of all the headings. I want users to be able to access any page, whichever page they happen to be on at the time. I already have an INDEX file in place, and I suppose this amounts to making all the other pages a sort of index page.

2. It would appear that this theoretically involves creating some 400 links. Is that the way I will have to do it, or is there any shortcut to doing this “wholesale” ?

3. Is it possible to create a single word "Search" facility to enable users to cross-reference items from one page to another ?


Given my ignorance of coding, is there a simple route to creating hyperlinks ? Should I create those hyperlinks before uploading the page files ?

To enhance site traffic, I understand that I need to imbed a number of keywords, although I have been warned against using too many. Again, is there a simple route to adding keywords ?


Thank you once again.

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Re: Which files go where?

#10 Post by botg » 2022-11-03 16:52

A blast from the past.
2. It would appear that this theoretically involves creating some 400 links. Is that the way I will have to do it, or is there any shortcut to doing this “wholesale” ?
Server-side includes. Created a file with 20 links and include it in all the files via an appropriate directive. Could even customize it on a per-page basis if you have a preprocessor running on the server, such as PHP.
3. Is it possible to create a single word "Search" facility to enable users to cross-reference items from one page to another ?
Possible? Yes. :lol:

Easiest route would be to go with a CMS.

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boco
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Re: Which files go where?

#11 Post by boco » 2022-11-04 01:52

CMS like Wordpress or Joomla! will basically already allow doing that easily. Many blogs use it in exactly that way.
### BEGIN SIGNATURE BLOCK ###
No support requests per PM! You will NOT get any reply!!!
FTP connection problems? Please do yourself a favor and read Network Configuration.
FileZilla connection test: https://filezilla-project.org/conntest.php
### END SIGNATURE BLOCK ###

Teapotter
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Re: Which files go where?

#12 Post by Teapotter » 2022-11-04 15:57

Thank you both.

Unfortunately, I didn't understand:


"Server-side includes. Created a file with 20 links and include it in all the files via an appropriate directive. Could even customize it on a per-page basis if you have a preprocessor running on the server, such as PHP.


I have now found out what CMS is, and I will try to get to grips with WordPress, which is apparently best suited to blogs.

Thank you for your patience.

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Re: Which files go where?

#13 Post by botg » 2022-11-04 18:45

SSI is really old technology, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Side_Includes for a quick introduction of the term.

Teapotter
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Re: Which files go where?

#14 Post by Teapotter » 2022-11-04 19:56

Will do - thank you for the intro.

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Re: Which files go where?

#15 Post by Teapotter » 2022-12-13 10:00

Good morning.

I have just received the following notification:

"...This topic has received a
reply by belkiamine since your last visit. No more notifications will be
sent until you visit the topic..."


but I cannot find that reply !

Any ideas ?

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