Updating over 500 pages of a website built in FP

Is there some way be which all pages can be updated

[contentmaster]

Is there a way be which a 500+ page website can be updated - I ideally want to create a footer message on all the pages : eg. copyright 2006, xyz.com

Since the website has already become large, is there a simple way of updating all the pages with this kind of a footer, keeping in mind that this footer would be changed again in a few months.

Can i update this footer regularly without manually changing the footer message on every single page?

Thanks

[dazz]

I use a program called Replacem but its abit fiddly and would like to see if there are any better programmes out there too.

[netchicken1]

Make an 'include' file and insert it into one page of frontpage. - frontpage does includes easily.

use search and replace to search for some data in the footer and replace it with the same data but including the code for the include page as well.

[RealEstate ABC]

Why can't he just create a bottom border that has his copyright message in it? That's the easiest way.

Then every time he updates the bottom border (footer), it will update on all pages in the web.

If this works for you, just open any page, click on Format, scroll down to "Shared Borders" and create the bottom footer you are talking about. Then you can elect to have it on just that page or all pages. I recommend that you save a copy in a "spare" file, just in case you goof it up.

Then, you will want your _borders file to show up in your "Folders" view of the site when you open it. Since _borders is a "hidden" file, when in the "Folders" view you need to click on "Tools" scroll down to "Web Settings", click on the "Advanced" tab and check the box next to "Show Hidden Files and Folders"...

At that time, you will be prompted to "Refresh" the web with a question box saying "Do you want to do this now?" and you click "yes." Your web will refresh and the _borders file will show up in your "Folders" view of the web.

If you elect to have the bottom _border display on all pages of the web, any time you update it on one page, it will update throughout your web site on all pages.

(It would be much easier to provide recommendations if you had your website listed in your profile or you just mentioned it in the post).

[bill]

"Shared Borders"

Shared Borders can be problematic in some cases. The way that you are suggesting they be used does not seem to be an issue. It's when shared borders are used in conjunction with FP's navigation components that things can get messy. I tend to recommend that people use FrontPage Includes [webmasterworld.com] rather than Shared Borders.

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(It would be much easier to provide recommendations if you had your website listed in your profile or you just mentioned it in the post)

We don't allow site reviews here at WebmasterWorld, so that's not really an option. Please see the Terms of service link at the bottom of the page.

[RealEstate ABC]

I haven't used Navigation view since "way back" when I first started, as that gets pretty clumsy once the site grows past a certain sixe.

Once the site gets pretty large, it is much easier (once you get used to it) to see the site by looking at the "Folders" view.

I'll look at FrontPage includes, as I haven't tried that yet.

Sorry I didn't realize he couldn't mention his site name. I'll read the rules.

[linton]

If the bottom menu is a "FP include" and it is updated on a 500 page site, does that mean he would have to upload the 500 pages or just the 1 menu-include page?

[Poppy122]

You would only need to upload the included file.

[linton]

thanks poppy - that was the answer i was hoping for...

[bill]

You would only need to upload the included file.

FP Include files pages don't work that way. FP will rewrite that included information to every page it is used in. If a 500 page site used an include on each page, then all 500 pages would have to be uploaded to the server.

[linton]

Thanks Bill, that was the answer I WASN'T hoping for :(

Is there any thread/tips you could point me to which would allow me to just update the one changed file (eg. footer menu include) but still be easy when I want to make changes to that one page?

Thanks.

[bill]

Uploading the HTML files of even 500 pages doesn't take all that long. It's not like you have to upload all the graphics and scripts as well. I find the process quite quick on my sites.

However, the type of include you're looking for would be a PHP include or a Server Side Include (SSI). Either of those types of includes would work they way you indicate. The downside is that these types of includes won't show in the WYSIWYG editor. You can certainly use these with FP, but keep that in mind.

[Poppy122]

Bill, with all due respect, I just updated an includes file just to be sure. I uploaded just that file. FP updated all the pages on the server, but I only uploaded the one file.

[jimbeetle]

Yeah, when you change an included page it updates all of your local files when you save it.

Then, if set to "publish changed pages only" the publishing routine will only publish the include page. The server extensions then update the other affected pages on the live site.

[bill]

OK. That's good to clarify then. I only have one site on a server that uses FP extensions. I don't use FP extensions on any of my other sites, so my advice stands for people who simply FTP their sites. FP will process Includes on every page then and will require an upload of every affected page. I stand corrected on the sites that use FP extensions...which may be good news for some. ;)

[grey259]

If your existing footer code is the same in all pages, you can use an advanced text editor like UltraEdit32 to search and replace the code in all of the files simultaneously. In UE32, it's the "Replace in files" option from the "Search" menu bar.

[jimbeetle]

You can do what grey259 suggests within Frontpage itself.

First, create your footer page, let's call it footer.htm.

Now open one of the site's pages. In design view scroll down to the end of the page where you want the footer to appear. Depending on which version of FP you use, choose "Insert > Included Page" or "Insert > Web Component > Included Content > Page" or whatever.

After the page is inserted change to code view. Assuming you included the page before the closing </body> tag it should look something like this:

<!--webbot bot="Include" u-include="inserts/footer.htm" tag="BODY" -->

</body>

Copy this to a Notepad file, be sure to include the </body> tag.

Delete the included page you just included so you don't get a double include in the next operation. Close all pages.

In the left-hand Folder List pane click once on the top level site folder to highlight it.

Choose "Edit > Replace." Under "Find what" enter </body>. Copy the code from the Notepad file into the "Replace with" pane. Under search options select "All Pages," click "Replace All" and let it rip.

On second thought, you might want to try this on a small set of pages first. Highlight a handful of pages in the Folder List, then choose "Selected Pages" under the Replace Search Options.

You're basically replacing the existing </body> tag with the webbot call and a new body tag.