Copying site-root-relative wesite to CD

None of the links work on the CD.

[jetnovo]

I've made a 50-page HTML website using exclusively site-root-relative links for images and pages etc.

So, for example, some of my coding looks like this:

<a href="/parachutes/deployment/stage3.html">
 <img src="/images/icons/3.gif"
</a>

...instead of:

<a href="../stage3.html">
 <img src="../../images/icons/3.gif">
</a>

My client has asked me to copy the site to CD, so that she may review it while on holiday (where she has no internet connection).

The problem is, when I copied the entire site to a CD, none of the pages display correctly when read from the CD in Internet Explorer or Firefox. First, they don't pick up the stylesheet (which is linked via a site-root-relative link), and they also don't display any of the images.

Does anyone know a solution to this problem? I use Macromedia Dreamweaver MX on Windows XP Pro SP2.

[jetnovo]

I noticed in this forum:
[webmasterworld.com...]
...someone wrote:
"I'm not sure if this mill do the job, but in the Site Pane menu, under Site there is an option called Change Links Sitewide, which has an option to change from Root Relative to Document Relative.

I've never used this, so it may not do the job for you... "

I tried this, but I don't quite understand the setting. In Dreamweaver I went Site > Change Link Sitewide...

And I'm presented with two boxes.

One says "Change links to..."

And the other says "Into links to..."

I can click on the little folder icon and my site's root directory appears, allowing me to select a file (or folder), and choose below "Site root" or "Document" relative.

But I'm not sure - which file/folder do I choose? Say, the root folder?

Sorry it's hard to explain without visuals... I'm just too scared to try something and risk ruining all my links.

[jetnovo]

Me again...

I haven't found a perfect solution to either of the above issues, but I have found a shabby work-around...

Instead of opening the CD folder in Windows Explorer, then double-clicking an HTML file to open, what I did is:

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. File > Open...
3. Browse to, and select an HTML page
4. Click Open

The page opens fine - and images all display correctly. Unfortunately though, none of the links to other pages in the site work (for some reason, these open the relevant folder in Windows Explorer)l.

Anyway, it's an awkward work-around (especially having to so 'manually' open each page one-at-a-time)... but at least it's a start.

If anyone can comment on the "Change link sitewide" option above, or offer further advice, that would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Jet

[limbo]

Jetnovo

Could you do a sitewide find and replace (please use a copy so you don't destroy you hard work if it goes belly up).

Something like:-

Find: href="/

Change to: href="../

[jetnovo]

Hi limbo

Thanks for your suggestion. The problem unfortunately is that not everything is in the same level of folder.

Eg, if I changed:

/images/icons/3.gif

...then it would lead to this:

../images../icons../3.gif

So you may be on the right track, but it's not quite there unfortunately. Thanks for your help though! :)

[py9jmas]

If you have links like href="/whatever/" then it will open the /whatever directory in the default viewer, ie Windows Explorer. There is no webserver there to serve /whatever/index.html, say when a request comes in for /whatever/

[limbo]

Jetnovo

I think you'll find it'll work mate - I dont think I made myself clear enough. It would only replace the initial / if you use the href=" as well in your search.

There is no way that it will identify all /'s and change them, just the ones with href=" infront.

Try it, I did it on 3 test pages in a folder and it was fine.

[jetnovo]

Hi Limbo

Thanks for your continued help... I look forward to the day I know enough to help more people in return!

Now I understand what you were getting at (duh - my bad)... I'll have a go :)

Regards,
Jet