How to upgrade from IWeb 06?

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. The file that you need is the domain.sites file that would be in the User/Library/Application Support/iWeb folder on your old MacBook. If you still have the Macbook connect the two and copy that domain file into the User/Library/Application Support/iWeb folder on the new iMac. Then open iWeb.

If you don't have that domain file 😟 you'll have to rebuild the site from scratch. However, Chapter 2.3 of this iWeb FAQ site has tips on using some of the published files in the reconstruction of the site.

OT

iWeb '06 produced a domain.sites file. This has to be converted to a domain.sites2 file by iWeb '08.
iWeb '09 keeps the format domain.sites2 but its not backward compatible with '08 in the same way that an '08 file can't be launched in '06.
The default location for the domain file is Home Folder/Library/Application Support/iWeb.

I would take a copy of your iweb6 version and keeo that safe - I made the upgrade and found that I got too many complaints that my website was crashing my clients computers so I had to mvoe back to iweb06..shame

No. iWeb does that automatically. But as has been suggested it's wise to keep a copy of the 08 version domain file and a copy of the working 09 domain file on a daily basis as you use it.

I would advise you to rebuild your site from a fresh domain file in '09 using copy and paste.
There are too many problems associated with the conversion and you're more likely to get domain file corruption. I speak from bitter experience.

Start your new website on a blank domain file and move the stuff from the published version of your old site using copy and paste to save time.

This will also give you a chance to include new features.

Since the disastrous introduction of iWeb '08, I have build all my sites on new, blank domain files and keep them in separate folders.

All these sites converted to '09 without any problem.
Since then, the problems I have had are due to the bugs in iWeb '09 that Apple likes to introduce to keep us on our toes and test out mental stability!

Roddy wrote:
Since the disastrous introduction of iWeb '08, I have build all my sites on new, blank domain files and keep them in separate folders.

All these sites converted to '09 without any problem.

Just to clarify:

Are you saying that sites built in iWeb '08 have NO problem converting to iWeb '09?

So if you had an iWeb '08 site, you'd be perfectly comfortable opening it with iWeb '09 vs. building it from scratch in iWeb '09?

Is the navigation here...

http://themonsterminders.com/Site/Home.html

... the iWeb default or custom?

By blank domain I mean don't start a new site from a copy of another domain file by deleting the content as some people do.

The OP is coming from iWeb '06 which used a domain.sites file. iWeb '08 converted this to a domain.sites2 which is not backward compatible.
iWeb '09 retains the domain.sites2 format but, once opened in '09, this file will not open in '08.

My '08 domain files convert to '09 OK. Its just the text and link bugs that are screwing me about. This is my main complaint apart from the fact that the developers have not included any sensible new features.

The whole deal about FTP and double barreled URLs that takes up so much room in this forum is mostly due to user error and a bad choice of hosting service.

The problems with iWeb '09 are due to the developers not being able to implement something that others can and lack of comprehensive testing.

I got the iWeb FTP to work from day one but I don't use it as it is useless to anybody who wants their site seen by non Mac users.

The hyperlink bug has caused me the most aggravation and this has not been addressed in the update.

I guess the screw up with the FTP and the more recent problems with publishing to MobileMe have taken up their attention and they haven't had time to make the application actually work properly!

Thanks for the reply.

I don't want to take the thread OT, but to summarize your thoughts, would you say that 1) you'd go ahead and open up an iWeb '08 file in iWeb '09 (and then fix broken links), however 2) even if you weren't using the built in FTP, you'd still wait before upgrading from iWeb '08 to iWeb '09?

You should be able to open your iWeb '08 site in '09 with no problems.
I am experiencing screw ups with links in custom navigation menus. When I make changes, iWeb decides to alter these and they appear in the published version completely different than they are in iWeb.
This happens in a, seemingly, random fashion.
To correct this I have to delete the item, save, quit, restart, relaunch, add it back, save and publish.
This is all rather time consuming and has not removed my doubts about the competency of the developers even without considering the problems with the FTP and MobileMe publishing.
I am also experiencing random screw ups in HTML snippets on pages that previously worked OK and iWeb has messed up without me going near it. I had to fix one of these this morning before I could direct someone to a page where this had happened.
I really can't understand why Apple continues to release software that doesn't work as planned.
Even more incomprehensible is the time it takes to come up with a fix that doesn't fix much at all and the total lack of communication with the users.
When I make one of my many mistakes, I admit to it and try my best to address the matter. This action is defined as taking responsibility and appears to be lacking in our society in general as well as certain software developers in particular.

Thanks for the response, although it does sound a bit like a mixed message, and maybe I should stick with iWeb '08 for the time being to avoid problems.

It also sounds like you have a love-hate relationship with iWeb. 🙂