Confused about URL setting and location of index.html file

Question

Level 1

11 points

Confused about URL setting and location of index.html file

I recently posted a message asking how to use iWeb to create 2 sites on the same domain. I didn't get any help so I started to fool around on my own. I created a second site in iWeb and called it photogallery. (The first site has the same name as my domain, so let's refer to it as mydomain.)

mydomain is published to a local folder and uploaded, via Fetch, to a folder called mydomain in the -/public_html folder. In the past, I have been able to access this site through any of the following URL's: www.mydomain.com, www.mydomain.com/home.html or www.mydomain.com/index.html. The URL always reverted to: www.mydomain.com/home.html

However, once I had created a new site: photogallery (yet to be built) and after saving mydomain in iWeb with mydomain.com as the URL on the Settings page I could no longer do so.

I get a 404 Not Found error message when I enter www.mydomain.com/index.html or -/home.html.

If I entered www.mydomain.com, I got an -/index page with a link called " mydomain" which opened to mydomain at the URL: + http://www.mydomain.com/mydomain/home.html+

SO, after looking at another similar problem in the forum, I tried also putting the index.html file located outside mydomain in the Site folder into the -/public_html folder and now I CAN access www.mydomain.com and www.domain.com/index.html - but they both revert to the URL: www.mydomain.com/mydomain/home.html.

Is this because I have another site ( photogallery) listed on iWeb or have I not entered the proper URL in the Settings panel?

Once I get photogallery published what will happen to the index file(s)? Will there be 2? Where should they go???

Is it even possible to have photogallery and mydomain share www.mydomain.com?

Please advise! Thank you in advance!

Message was edited by: Tancamb

Intel MacBook Pro 2.33 ghz, Mac OS X (10.6.5), iWork '08, iLife '09, PS 10.1, Quicken 2004 (13.02), 2006 (15.0.5)

Posted on Dec 8, 2010 12:48 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 8, 2010 2:03 PM in response to Tancamb

I'm thinking you registered a domain name and it's pointed to your original site.
When you do that it's looking at a specific file (usually "index.html")that is the entry page to the site.
If I understand what you're asking (not sure) I don't believe you can do it.
I suspect you could have the domain name pointed to a "landing page" with information about and links to your original site and the new one.

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Answer 2

Tancamb Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 8, 2010 2:24 PM in response to Chuck Usher

Thanks Chuck.

My domain name is and has always been the same name as my site. The only thing that has changed today is that I added a site to my iWeb app and may have changed the Setting for URL - I am not sure what I had in there before I starting fooling around!

So I need to know if:

- adding the new site and/or possibly putting in the new URL into the Setting panel has changed the URL

- whether I can actually add a new site and have it show up on my domain

Tannis

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Answer 3

Dec 8, 2010 2:37 PM in response to Tancamb

Sorry, I'm a bit confused as to exactly what you are trying to do.
You ultimately want to wind up with one site or two?
A domain name is for a specific site.
You can have it pointed where you desire.
If you change the site folder location, site name, etc. you would have to
go to the host of your domain name and have the proper information entered there.
If your new site has the same path, folder name, file name as the original it should work fine.

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Answer 4

Tancamb Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 8, 2010 4:19 PM in response to Chuck Usher

If your new site has the same path, folder name, file name as the original it should work fine.

It IS a bit confusing because I am trying to do a new thing - and in the process have encountered a problem which I don't quite understand.

My orig iWeb "site" is called mydomain and is located in the +-/public_html folder in my home folder (Home>public_html>mydomain) - just as it always has been. It's URL used to be www.mydomain.com.

BUT, since I have started to experiment with creating another separate iWeb "site" (see below for further explanation on that subject *), when I try to access mydomain through "www.mydomain.com" I end up with an URL that reads www.mydomain..com/mydomain/home.html.

The ONLY way I could even make mydomain accessible by entering www.mydomain.com or -/home.html or -/index.html (despite it being where it always has been) was to place the index.html file which iWeb creates (and places outside of the mydomain folder in my local Site folder) in my -/public_html folder outside the mydomain folder.

This all very well if indeed the new URL is caused by the existance of another iWeb site sharing the URL www.mydomain.com, but I am not sure it will still work once I upload the other iWeb site.

1) What should I be writing where it asks for the site URL on the iWeb Settings page - for 1 site?/for 2 sites? For each site?

2)What should I be writing if I delete the other site and just have the one mydomain?? I

*This all started when I thought I might like to have 2 separate iWeb sites sharing my domain. I thought I could structure the domain and set up iWeb so that one URL www.mydomain.com/mydomain/ took you to one iWeb "site" and www.mydomain.com/photogallery to you to another iWeb "site". The two would not be linked.

Tannis

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Answer 5

Tancamb Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 8, 2010 8:54 PM in response to Chuck Usher

As an experiment, I just deleted the newly created site in iWeb. So I am back to only my original site with all its folders. I republished and then uploaded the index.html and home.html files to the mydomain folder online. I also deleted the index.html file that was sitting in the -/public_html folder.

Again, entering the URL: www.mydomain.com got me an -/index page with a plain link called mydomain linked to my site at this URL: www.mydomain.com/mydomain/home.html.

So, I added the index.html file back into the -/public_html folder and now I can access my site directly from entering www.mydomain.com but the URL still changes to www.mydomain.com/mydomain/home.html.

BUT, I don't WANT the URL to be www.mydomain.com/mydomain/home.html, if I am not going to have 2 sites sharing the domain.

So, back to my original question: what do I write in the section asking for my root folder on the Settings page of iWeb so I can go back to what I had before - where the URL for www.mydomain.com is NOT www.mydomain.com/mydomain/home.html.

Thank you!!!!

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Answer 6

Ethmoid

Level 6

11,482 points

Dec 9, 2010 1:04 AM in response to Tancamb

Firstly, you need to understand iWeb site structure, which is that when you publish a site, iWeb creates a site folder and a separate index.html file. This is normal iWeb file structure and it has been so since iWeb first came out with iWeb 06 and it is no different now with iWeb 09.

What you are asking is if you can get rid of the site name when publishing? Well, yes you can, but you need to upload your site to your server using Cyberduck or some other ftp programme such as Transmit. From within iWeb, select publish your site to a local folder rather than ftp to sever.

You then need to use Cyberduck and connect with your server and upload ONLY the contents of your site folder and not the whole site folder itself. You also do not need to upload the separate index file. If you do this, there will be another index file within your site folder and this is the only one you need if you upload just the contents and not the whole folder.

If you need to use RSS feeds, they will not work because you have broken the site structure, but if this does not matter to you then go ahead.

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Answer 7

Tancamb Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 9, 2010 8:28 AM in response to Ethmoid

Thanks Ethmoid - I now see what I did this time that was different than last - it was getting as confusing for me as it must be for those trying to understand my problem!

I have always used Fetch to upload the files and folders within mydomain's local folder - but had forgotten that they went directly into the -/public_html folder online - not into a mydomain folder therewithin. So your advice clears up that confusion.

I am still wondering how I might keep those files/folders within a mydomain folder while putting another iWeb site in another folder, photogallery, also in the -/public_html folder online. Would this be possible? Presumably I would then have to advertise the URL as being the more convoluted for each - or could I direct those heading to www.mydomain.com to one of the folders and not the other by putting the extraneous index/html file somewhere.

Thanks!

Thanks!

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Answer 8

Ethmoid

Level 6

11,482 points

Dec 9, 2010 9:37 AM in response to Tancamb

If you are uploading to an external host, then why not look into setting up sub-domains? External servers provide this feature and it might be a lot easier than what you are trying to do at the moment.

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Answer 9

Tancamb Author

Level 1

11 points

Dec 9, 2010 9:39 AM in response to Ethmoid

Thanks so much for your help and advice - I will look into the sub-domain thing - hadn't occurred to me!

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