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I cannot migrate this site to NOF 7. Apparantly my NOF 4 file is corrupted (and no amount of exporting as a template, etc has helped) and although I can still use it in NOF 4, I can see signs that it is an accident waiting to happen.
Since I am going to have to import the html and clean up the pages anyway to get off NOF 4, I've decided to move to Dreamweaver MX 2004.
Also, since I have about 25 pages that I will need to add to the website over the next month or so, I started this section in NOF 7 to take advantage of the css output with my current design.
(For the record, if I'd been able to go to NOF 7 I'd have been reasonably happy. It has served us well and allowed me to do things when I was a novice that I probably would not have attempted without the "components." More importantly, our pages do really well on the search engines. But when you outgrow NetObjects Fusion, you crash and burn, and my experience says that NOF 7 is a lot less stable than NOF 4. I cannot in good conscience recommend that anyone start using NOF.)
So, can anyone offer me any tips on making the move to DW? In particular:
1) How should I generate my pages in NOF (especially NOF4) for the final DW import so that I get the cleanest code possible to start with?
a) NOF 4 choices: Nested tables, regular tables, or CSSP+Layers?
b) NOF 7 gave me validated css output -- but the html was another story! Is any html version cleaner than the others (eg 4.01 transitional)?
2) There are a number of changes I am anxious to make to the website including a new graphical design, moving to a tab menu bar, and moving to css (but NOT changing the page structure).
a) Is it even reasonable to think of changing anything at this point?
b) How hard or time-consuming will nav bars be? Should I bite the bullet for something like Menu Magic II to save time?
As far as converting to DW, it would probably edit the pages as is, but it would still be bulky code. If you have the time an feel it necessary, I would create a CLEAN template in DW then Cut and Paste content into the new template. It depends on the complexity of the pages if this is worth it.
It might be a time to consider a complete "NEW LOOK" at the same time if you have not done recently.
If you want, you could sticky me a link to a page and I could look at in in DW.
<added>I would stay away from Scripted Menuing systems if Search Engine listings are a concern</added>
I was afraid that the scripted menus could impact ranking even if the links are followed today. Our deep Realmedia pages are often the entry point to our site (& issue) for new people, so it sounds like I need to give navigation more thought. BTW, improved navigation is what started me down this upgrade path well over a year ago.
If I remember right NO4 is more like a Layout Application then creates HTML when you save the file. If that is true then your template is not "real" html and the import of the website would not function the same.(I could be wrong).
Both Pages I looked at from the sticky mail seemed to work fine in DW. The Second created in FrontPage had a lot of <mso: inline styles from MS Office.
I do like the new look you are working toward. In DW the BreadCrumb navigation really wouldn't be automated but would be easy to create <SNIPPETS>(reusable code) for common navigation areas.
I would recommend to (download DW Trial) if you don't have it yet and Make a Template from one of the current pages, create the pages you need to make with old style. If NO4 is still working you may want to just create the content pages in that while learning DW.
Then when you know DW better, create a more streamlined template with the new look using <div> and CSS with less reliance on tables.
For Exporting Code in NO4 I would stay away from nested tables but try the others and open each in DW for the cleanest code.
For Navigation I have used just a Hidden <div> with show hide layers and an extension(autolayers, autohidelayers) from ProjectSeven.com(free)
If you have questions feel free to ask. Hope this helps.
I don't have the experience with MenuMagic but it appears to be Search Engine Friendly.
With NO7 would it be possible to Import the website instead of upgrading the application?
If I remember right NO4 is more like a Layout Application then creates HTML when you save the file. If that is true then your template is not "real" html and the import of the website would not function the same.(I could be wrong).
Yes, NOF is a generator. I'm not sure I follow what you're asking, but I can only NOF export about 60% of my big NOF4 site to NOF7. The rest I'd have to import as html which I'd have to clean up to get back to using the NOF automated tools /generated html.... Something somewhere is corrupted in my MOF4 file, and it causes NOF 7 to crash within that 40%. I could deal with bloated code and bad html, but its asking too much to have to take a lot of time to get it!
Thanks so much for taking the time to check my pages in DW. I am going to take your advice and start my new design as a template within DW. I also think I'm going to use my new section with the current design (currently in NOF 7) as my DW/template/css/div familiarization project and leave the NOF 4 section to the end.
I'll take a look at the free extension from projectSeven...I had guessed Menu Magic II used this in an automated fashion. (NOF has me spoiled in this arena.) I took at look at your site -- very nice looking and fast, too. Do you mean that you show and hide the appropriate vertical menu (as an example) on the side through layers?
Thanks, again. You've made this feel a lot less daunting.
