Server Technology - Page 3

First, you need to decide whether your site will be using Dynamic Scripting technologies (such as ASP, JSP, CFML, or PHP) or just rendering static HTML pages. Of course, for the purpose of this book, we will be using PHP and MySQL, so select the 'Yes, I want to use a server technology' option. A dropdown containing the available options will then appear, and from it select PHP MySQL.

One important note from the screenshot opposite (which was taken on my own machine) is the reference to ColdFusion – "Dreamweaver has detected ColdFusion on this computer". You probably won't see this statement unless you have Coldfusion installed on your own machine. The latest version of ColdFusion, ColdFusion MX, has a special relationship with Dreamweaver MX, as these products are both developed by Macromedia. Due to this relationship, ColdFusion is automatically detected when installed on the same machine. There is no such detection for PHP.

With your Server Technology correctly selected we can now proceed to give Dreamweaver more information about the files we will be working with.

Working with Files During Development

This stage of the Wizard really sees the beginning of your site definition proper. From here, you determine where your source files will be stored while you are working on them, and whether your web server is a local machine, a remote machine on a local network, or a remote machine that requires an active Internet connection.

The subsequent steps in the Wizard are determined by your choice here. As each of the choices in this dialog produce different steps, we will look at the options and subsequent stages of the Wizard in more detail.

Edit and Test Locally (My Testing Server Is On This Computer)

You should select this option if everything is working from the same machine. This is the default selection, since many developers opt to run a web server from their development machine. If in Chapters 1 and 2 of this book, you opted to install PHP and MySQL onto your local machine, then this is the perfect option to choose. However, if you installed PHP and MySQL onto another machine that you have access to, either via the Internet or via a Network connection, then you should follow the instructions for Edit Locally, Then Upload To Remote Testing Server.

When selected, the only information that the Wizard requires is where you will be storing all of the files associated with your web site. To do this, you can click on the folder icon, and browse to the correct directory. Once you have done this, you can safely proceed to the next stage in the Wizard.

a)       Communication with Your Testing Server

In this stage of the Site Definition Wizard, you need to enter the web address used to view your web pages in your browser. Since you are editing and testing your files locally, this address can begin with either http://localhost or http://127.0.0.1 – both of these addresses are synonymous, and point to the same location. If you were editing directly on a remote testing server, the address you entered would be prefixed with a different value (which would vary depending on your server and network configuration). Normally it would be the numeric IP Address of the server in question.

Once you have entered a value here, you should test the URL using the button provided, to ensure that everything is working fine. If you receive an error message flip forward to the section entitled Connection Errors, but if you get a message stating, "The URL Prefix test was successful", you can proceed to the next stage of the Site Definition Wizard.

b) Specifying a Remote Server

This stage of the Wizard determines whether your files will be transferred to another machine, or stored locally. As you have opted to edit and test your files locally, there is no need to specify a remote server at this stage, so you should select 'No'.

Click Next to proceed to the summary of your Site Definition (see later).

Edit Locally, Then Upload To Remote Testing Server

You should select this option if you are designing your pages and uploading them to a server based on a different machine. This option normally applies if you have a secondary machine acting as a server that lives either on your Local Area Network or the Internet.

When selected, the only information that is required is the directory path to where your files will be stored on the local machine.

a) Testing Server Information

The next stage in defining a site consists of giving Dreamweaver the location of your testing server. To do this Dreamweaver needs to know how it should be connecting to the server.

Taking a look at the dropdown under the heading 'How do you connect to your test server?' you will see the options listed in a dropdown box. We will discuss these now.

I'll set this up later

You should select this option only if none of the other options in this dialog appropriately describe your configuration, or if you wish to enter all of the settings manually. For the purposes of this step-by-step guide to the Site Definition Wizard, this option will not be used.

Local/Network

You should select this option if your development files are stored either on your local machine, or a machine that is accessible through the network file system. When selected, you should enter the full path to the folder where your work is stored, or click on the folder icon and browse to the relevant folder.

The final piece of information required by this dialog asks whether or not you wish to refresh the remote file list automatically. The remote file list is shown in the Site panel within the Dreamweaver User Interface, checking this box ensures that all changes made to the contents of the local work folder are also reflected in the remote folder.

FTP

You should select this option if you edit your files locally, and then upload them to your testing server, or if you edit your files directly on your remote testing server. When selected, the dialog changes and you have a number of other settings to complete.

As you can see from the screenshot above, there are a number of additional settings that Dreamweaver requires to make an FTP connection to your server.

The hostname or FTP address of your server is likely to be the same as that of your web site itself. If your host provider, or system administrator has given you alternative FTP information, you should employ that here. To complete the configuration of this step, you should complete the name of the folder that your web site will be stored in. The FTP login and Password are essential for connecting to your server and should have been provided to you by either your host provider or network administrator.

When you have completed this form, perform the connection test, to ensure that the details you have entered are correct. If upon testing you receive an error message, then some part of the information you have entered is incorrect and you should double-check your settings. If the settings are correct, Dreamweaver will notify you of a successful connection.

Creating a Site Definition - Page 2
Dreamweaver MX: PHP Web Development
Edit Locally, Then Upload To Remote Testing Server - Page 4