How do I delete Frontpage's memory of a web site without deleting the associated folder?

[Bob Beetcher]

As clearly as a can state it, I'm looking for help on how to
stop Frontpage from treating certain files I edit with it as
being under a web site and instead edit them as standalone files.I'm using
Frontpage 2003 to edit html files under a folder I'm
accessing on the network (mapped drive). I started noticing all these
"_vti_" type of files showing up under the folder and started looking
into why and where they're coming from.

I believe it's because Frontpage thinks I'm editing files under a web
site when I'm working under that folder. I think, at some point, I
must have foolishly defined this folder as a web site to FP even
though I just want to edit the html files under the folder of interest
as standalone web pages not associated with a "web site". Now, I need
to remove the web site characteristic that FP is associating with this
folder because those extra "_vti_" are wasting space under the real
home for the web pages which are really stored under a web site that I
don't have control over.

I've tried using FP menus and looking through its online help failing
to determine how to disassociate the web site view from this folder.
I've tried searching the web and news groups for tips on this to no
avail. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling FP, but it still
remembers this folder as a web site. I tried searching the registry
for values that contained the network path to the folder and deleted
some "web site' related values trying to make FP forget about this web
site definition without success.

Of course, I may be misunderstanding the key concepts here, but as
best I can tell what I want to do is to make FP stop thinking of this
folder as a web site without having to actually delete the folder.
I am able to edit html files under other network folders without FP
insisting on taking a web site view of them. That leads me to
believe that there should be a way of getting FP to move away from
its web site view of the folder I'm having a problem with. I just
can't seem to figure it out. Thanks ahead of time for any help on this. For
any direct replies, please address to
"Bob.Beetcher(removethis)@sas.com".>>Note end <<

 

[Kathleen Anderson [MVP - FrontPage]]

Does the "folder" have a globe on it? You should be able to right-click on
the "folder" and Choose Convert to folder.

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

Keep in mind that when working with page outside of a "web", FP will write all hyperlinks as
absolute point back the HD location, so as a workaround you will have to create all hyperlinks as
absolute.

Once you convert the web back to a folder, you will have to open page individually and not open the
folder directly in FP.

You can also work on the site on that site at different location, then when first publish it to
required location, then do a search from Windows for all _vti folder and delete them, this why you
can let FP manage the site while you are working on it, then remove the _vti from the publish copy.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
WEBMASTER Resources(tm)

FrontPage Resources, WebCircle, MS KB Quick Links, etc.
==============================================

 

[Bob Beetcher]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I don't know, at this point, whether the folder of interest had a globe icon
on it or not. It may have, but I don't remember seeing one.

Anyway, I believe that I have now successfully removed (or crippled) the FP
web site characteristic from the folder albeit by hacking away with a
machete more so than thru any front door interface of FP's or Window's. That
is, I manually deleted any and all "_*" named files under the folder
hierarchy of interest. I had missed some top level instances of such folders
in my prior efforts. After doing that, FP now seems to open files under the
folder hierarchy without opening a web site. That's the point I was trying
to get to.

Following up more on the tip of "looking for a folder with a globe icon on
it", I did create a new web site, using FP, for folder C:\TestWebSite and
noticed that indeed it did end up with a globe icon on it. It might be
useful here to point out that I'm running on XP. I tried right clicking on
that folder, both under FP navigation and under Windows Explorer. Alas, no
"Convert to folder" option showed up. I even explored the folder Properties
tabs looking for some such option. I couldn't find anything.

At this point, the only way I've discovered to convert an FP web site folder
back to a normal folder is to delete the "_*" named files under the folder
hierarchy.

As an aside, I did notice that even after I had deleted the "_*" named
files, FP seem to yet have some residual awareness of the deactivated web
site folders. That troubled me a little until, through experimenting with
the registry, I tried deleting "File*" values under the registry keys listed
below. After that, FP seemed to forget about the old web sites, so it
appears I was only seeing a residual memory of them in a recently used list
maintained in the registry.

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-98583002-1947013824-37170099-23860\Software\Microsoft\Fr
ontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent Web List
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-98583002-1947013824-37170099-23860\Software\Microsoft\Fr
ontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent File List

Note, I've provided all this detail here just in case it's useful to someone
else in the future who, like me, is pulling their hair out trying to
unwebify a file system folder that they mistakenly had FP create or convert
to a web site.

 

[PaliSteve]

Thanks for the advice,

I have also just wasted many hours of my precious time discovering
that, yes it's true what everyone says, microsoft worms itself to
computers like a drunk friend with bad breath. Even their website help
pages are completely geared to upsell upsell upsell. Obviously, rather
than make it easy to convert their frontpage webs back to regular
folders, a reasonable request, they do everything possible to spread
out over hard drives and take up resources. So now I have to hack away
at the registry, unbelievable; yet that's the ms way, I guess.

- Steve

 

[Stefan B Rusynko]

Don't know what you are talking about

To convert a FP web back to a normal folder
Open the FP web in FP and right click the root to select Delete
FP will give you 2 options
- Remove FrontPage information and preserve all other files and folders
- Delete this Web site entirely (deletes everything)

No registry hacks or windows explorer deletes are required

And FP doesn't "spread" webs anywhere on your PC you specifically don't put them

--




| Thanks for the advice,
|
| I have also just wasted many hours of my precious time discovering
| that, yes it's true what everyone says, microsoft worms itself to
| computers like a drunk friend with bad breath. Even their website help
| pages are completely geared to upsell upsell upsell. Obviously, rather
| than make it easy to convert their frontpage webs back to regular
| folders, a reasonable request, they do everything possible to spread
| out over hard drives and take up resources. So now I have to hack away
| at the registry, unbelievable; yet that's the ms way, I guess.
|
| - Steve
|
|
| Bob Beetcher wrote:
| > Thanks for the suggestion.
| >
| > I don't know, at this point, whether the folder of interest had a
| globe icon
| > on it or not. It may have, but I don't remember seeing one.
| >
| > Anyway, I believe that I have now successfully removed (or crippled)
| the FP
| > web site characteristic from the folder albeit by hacking away with a
| > machete more so than thru any front door interface of FP's or
| Window's. That
| > is, I manually deleted any and all "_*" named files under the folder
| > hierarchy of interest. I had missed some top level instances of such
| folders
| > in my prior efforts. After doing that, FP now seems to open files
| under the
| > folder hierarchy without opening a web site. That's the point I was
| trying
| > to get to.
| >
| > Following up more on the tip of "looking for a folder with a globe
| icon on
| > it", I did create a new web site, using FP, for folder C:\TestWebSite
| and
| > noticed that indeed it did end up with a globe icon on it. It might
| be
| > useful here to point out that I'm running on XP. I tried right
| clicking on
| > that folder, both under FP navigation and under Windows Explorer.
| Alas, no
| > "Convert to folder" option showed up. I even explored the folder
| Properties
| > tabs looking for some such option. I couldn't find anything.
| >
| > At this point, the only way I've discovered to convert an FP web site
| folder
| > back to a normal folder is to delete the "_*" named files under the
| folder
| > hierarchy.
| >
| > As an aside, I did notice that even after I had deleted the "_*"
| named
| > files, FP seem to yet have some residual awareness of the deactivated
| web
| > site folders. That troubled me a little until, through experimenting
| with
| > the registry, I tried deleting "File*" values under the registry keys
| listed
| > below. After that, FP seemed to forget about the old web sites, so it
| > appears I was only seeing a residual memory of them in a recently
| used list
| > maintained in the registry.
| >
| >
| HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-98583002-1947013824-37170099-23860\Software\Microsoft\Fr
| > ontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent Web List
| >
| HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-98583002-1947013824-37170099-23860\Software\Microsoft\Fr
| > ontPage\Explorer\FrontPage Explorer\Recent File List
| >
| > Note, I've provided all this detail here just in case it's useful to
| someone
| > else in the future who, like me, is pulling their hair out trying to
| > unwebify a file system folder that they mistakenly had FP create or
| convert
| > to a web site.
| >
| > >>Note end>> Bob Beetcher <<
| >
| in
| > message | > > Does the "folder" have a globe on it? You should be able to
| right-click on
| > > the "folder" and Choose Convert to folder.
| > >
| > > --
| > > ~ Kathleen Anderson
| > > Microsoft MVP - FrontPage
| > > Spider Web Woman Designs
| > > http://www.spiderwebwoman.com/resources/
| > >
| > >
| > > > As clearly as a can state it, I'm looking for help on how to
| > > > stop Frontpage from treating certain files I edit with it as
| > > > being under a web site and instead edit them as standalone
| files.I'm
| > > > using Frontpage 2003 to edit html files under a folder I'm
| > > > accessing on the network (mapped drive). I started noticing all
| these
| > > > "_vti_" type of files showing up under the folder and started
| looking
| > > > into why and where they're coming from.
| > > >
| > > > I believe it's because Frontpage thinks I'm editing files under a
| web
| > > > site when I'm working under that folder. I think, at some point,
| I
| > > > must have foolishly defined this folder as a web site to FP even
| > > > though I just want to edit the html files under the folder of
| interest
| > > > as standalone web pages not associated with a "web site". Now, I
| need
| > > > to remove the web site characteristic that FP is associating with
| this
| > > > folder because those extra "_vti_" are wasting space under the
| real
| > > > home for the web pages which are really stored under a web site
| that I
| > > > don't have control over.
| > > >
| > > > I've tried using FP menus and looking through its online help
| failing
| > > > to determine how to disassociate the web site view from this
| folder.
| > > > I've tried searching the web and news groups for tips on this to
| no
| > > > avail. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling FP, but it still
| > > > remembers this folder as a web site. I tried searching the
| registry
| > > > for values that contained the network path to the folder and
| deleted
| > > > some "web site' related values trying to make FP forget about
| this web
| > > > site definition without success.
| > > >
| > > > Of course, I may be misunderstanding the key concepts here, but
| as
| > > > best I can tell what I want to do is to make FP stop thinking of
| this
| > > > folder as a web site without having to actually delete the
| folder.
| > > > I am able to edit html files under other network folders without
| FP
| > > > insisting on taking a web site view of them. That leads me to
| > > > believe that there should be a way of getting FP to move away
| from
| > > > its web site view of the folder I'm having a problem with. I just
| > > > can't seem to figure it out. Thanks ahead of time for any help on
| > > > this. For any direct replies, please address to
| > > > "Bob.Beetcher(removethis)@sas.com".>>Note end <<
| > >
|