How do you get iWeb to look at a different folder?

I have two versions of my site (one slightly more updated than the other) on my hd, and want to point iweb to the newer one. I know how to point iweb to where it will be pulishing TO, as in godaddy, or my dropbox or whatever. But how do I change the folder it is publishing FROM, the folder that holds the site materials.


thanks!

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Jan 17, 2014 10:25 AM

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13 replies

Jan 17, 2014 3:16 PM in response to Meetoo

NOTE: In Lion and Mountain Lion the Home/Library folder is now invisible. To make it permanently visible in Lion or Mt. Lion enter the following in the Terminal application window: chflags nohidden ~/Library and press the Return key - 10.7: Un-hide the User Library folder.



For Mavericks, 10.9, go to your Home folder and use the View ➙ Show View Options menu to bring the this window:

User uploaded file

where you can check the Show Library Folder checkbox.


To open your domain file in Lion, Mountain Lion or Mavericks or to switch between multiple domain files Cyclosaurus has provided us with the following script that you can make into an Applescript application with Script Editor. Open Script Editor, copy and paste the script below into Script Editor's window and save as an application.

do shell script "/usr/bin/defaults write com.apple.iWeb iWebDefaultsDocumentPath -boolean no"

delay 1

tell application "iWeb" to activate


You can download an already compiled version with this link: iWeb Switch Domain.


Just launch the application, find and select the domain file in your Home/Library/Application Support/iWeb folder that you want to open and it will open with iWeb. It modifies the iWeb preference file each time it's launched so one can switch between domain files.

WARNING: iWeb Switch Domain will overwrite an existing Domain.sites2 file if you select to create a new domain in the same folder. So rename your domain files once they've been created to something other than the default name.



OT

Jan 17, 2014 3:26 PM in response to Meetoo

To find your domain.sites files in your User Library, you first need to select the Go menu and then press the alt key and your User Library will be revealed and you can then find your domain.sites files.


Then download either Domain Cracker or iWeb Switch Domain and you can use that to open your individual domain.sites files.

Jan 17, 2014 4:37 PM in response to Meetoo

Dumb question.


The point of all this was that the version of the site I have up on godaddy is more recent than the one I had on my HD that iweb is pulling from currently. In order to be able to update my site using the most recent version of it, I needed to copy the files from godaddy from my HD using filezilla, which I've done. And that's what I'll be using iWeb Switch Domain to point iWeb to.


Once I've pointed iWeb to the proper folder on my HD with iWeb Switch Domain, I can then publish that to godaddy/wherever using the FTP info for the site in iWeb (contained in the first 'page' for each site in iWeb.)


Sorry for the convoluted explanation. Does this make any sense and am I going about it right do you think?


thanks!!

Jan 18, 2014 12:02 AM in response to Meetoo

I've been trying to point iWeb to the folder on my hd that has the updated site, by using the iWeb Switch Domain app. There must be something I'm not understanding.


I open the app and choose Create Domain. A box opens for me to choose a location for a new domain file. I point it at the folder that has the updated site and click choose. But it doesn't seem to create a new domain file for that folder. It just opens up iWeb with a new, blank site. What am I missing here?

Jan 18, 2014 12:43 AM in response to Meetoo

Yes, most definitely the thing that you are not understanding is that it is impossible to do what you want to. It just can't be done, because the files that you have published on GoDaddy are html and css files which equal a published website and iWeb can do nothing at all with these files, so you can use iWeb Switch Domain until the cows come home, but it won't work because you are trying to use the app on files that won't open anyway.


iWeb has no import facility, which means that it cannot open a site that has already been published to a webhost, so html and css files and the files that you have downloaded from GoDaddy are published files, so no wonder iWeb can do nothing with them.


They are not the same as the domain.sites files that you have on your Mac - the domain.sites files are just that, files that store iWeb data and iWeb is a one way street, so once published and all html and css files created, it CANNOT import back, so unfortunately you will not be able to achieve what you are trying to achieve in any way shape or form.


If the copy of your site in iWeb that you have on your Mac is not the latest version that is published, then what you need to do is open the domain.sites file that you have on your Mac and update this version so it looks like the published version. It is a bit more work for you, but you have no other alternative because what you are trying to do will never work because iWeb has no import facility.

Jan 18, 2014 11:08 AM in response to Ethmoid

Thanks Ethmoid, that's what I wasn't understanding. Godaddy doesn't support iWeb, so the customer support people, though trying to be helpful, weren't able to explain that to me.


Your solution sounds like the way to go and that's what I'll do. Luckily I don't think there have been many changes to the site, mostly just stuff on my resume, but I'll keep a browser open with the site on godaddy, and iWeb open at the same time, and make any and all changes I can find using iWeb. Once that's done I'll use iWeb to publish the site to godaddy. From then on iWeb and the domain.site file on my hd will stay up to date with the godaddy site as I make future changes. Does that sound right?

Jan 19, 2014 1:03 AM in response to Meetoo

Well yes, that is the only way that you can do it and the only way to make alterations to your website is to do it via your domain.sites file on your Mac. There is no other way and as your site is produced in the first place from iWeb and directly from your domain.sites file and this is where you publish to GoDaddy from anyway, so there should be no discrepency in future from your published site on GoDaddy to your domain.sites file, because your site is published to GoDaddy directly from iWeb anyway, so any updates need to be made via iWeb first before they are published.


As for GoDaddy not supporting iWeb, this makes no difference whatsoever whether they support iWeb or not, because once published, all webpages consist of html and css that are standard for publishing and you can upload this to any server/webhost and it will work.


It is standard html and css that is produced, so after you publish your site to a server it has nothing whatsoever to do with iWeb, so GoDaddy do not need to support iWeb because this has nothing to do with iWeb or you would not be able to publish your site.


GoDaddy don't always know what they are talking about in this respect, so if you ask them further questions, it is best to leave iWeb out of it altogether and just ask about hosting.

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How do you get iWeb to look at a different folder?

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