Index page changes on server whenever FrontPage is opened

[jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt]

Hello. My dad is maintaining a website, but he doesn't know a lot about
coding, so he asked me to help. I can code, but I barely know FrontPage
at all.

Anyway, I made all the changes he asked me to make and uploaded them to
his server. For a brief time, everything looked great - the changes I'd
made were reflected in all the pages in the site.

But the moment he opened FrontPage (for some other reason) and connected
to that server, all the changes I'd made disappeared and the files went
back to what they had been before I'd worked on them. At first, I thought
there had been some sort of disk crash at the server and they'd done a
restore using the old files, or something like that. So I recopied them
(I have a complete copy of the site on my own PC) via FTP.

After that, whenever my dad opened FrontPage on his PC, the index.html
file would revert to the original version (but the other files continued
to show my changes). We kept experimenting with it, and it seems that
FrontPage is updating the server's index file whenever he connects with
the server using FrontPage. He doesn't have to open that file at all.

Is this normal FrontPage behavior? Does Frontpage keep a cache of all the
files, which are now out of date and need to be updated? Does it
automatically copy its own files to the server when you open the web on
that server? I find it odd that it would do this automatically.

Our current plan is that I'll email him the correct index.html file, and
he'll load that into FrontPage. Should he do the same with all the other
html files I changed?

Thanks for any suggestions, hints, explanations, etc.

J. Wermont

 

[coreybryant]

What version of Frontpage?

Is he opening the website live - File - Open Web -
http://www.example.com or is he working locally?

He needs to make sure he synchronizes the website if he is working
locally and using Frontpage 2003. Otherwise he can publish from server
to the local computer:
http://www.timeforweb.com/frontpage/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4988&PN=2

BTW if he is using any FP components
(http://www.timeforweb.com/frontpage/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5894&PN=1)
espcially forms, FTP can corrupt the Frontpage Server Extensions and
the comonents will stop working

-Corey
http://www.loudcommerce.com/promo/google.asp

 

[jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt]

What version of Frontpage?
98.

Is he opening the website live - File - Open Web -
http://www.example.com or is he working locally?

He's opening the website live. However, he didn't change anything - all
he did was open the web on that server. (I hope I have the terminology right.)
The file changed automatically.

He needs to make sure he synchronizes the website if he is working
locally and using Frontpage 2003.

He's not working locally, nor using FP 2003, but it seems as thought FP
is trying to synchronize by automatically copying whatever's in his FP onto
the server. Does it do this?

Otherwise he can publish from server

to the local computer:
http://www.timeforweb.com/frontpage/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4988&PN=2

I'm not sure what you mean by "publish". (Remember, I know next to
nothing about Front Page.)

BTW if he is using any FP components
(http://www.timeforweb.com/frontpage/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5894&PN=1)
espcially forms, FTP can corrupt the Frontpage Server Extensions and
the comonents will stop working

I used FTP to re-copy my changed HTML files back to the server after I'd
changed them and tested them, etc.

We only saw problems when he started opening his FrontPage.

Thanks,

J. Wermont

 

[Steve Easton]

Check and see if there are two index files on the server.
One named index.htm and one named index.html.

If so, index.html is the one used by the server as the default.

Then have him check his "Local" web ( on his computer ) and see if the file is named index.htm.
If so, have him rename it to index.html and tell him to click "Yes" when prompted to update hyperlinks.
Then have him publish the entire web.

Then open the server site and delete index.htm


--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
FP Cleaner
http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/fpclean.htm
Hit Me FP
http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/HitMeFP.htm

 

[jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt]

Check and see if there are two index files on the server.
One named index.htm and one named index.html.

Nope, I checked that. There's only the index.html file.

Then have him check his "Local" web ( on his computer ) and see if
the file is named index.htm.

Sorry to have to ask this, but how does one check the local web?

(And what exactly is a "web"?)

Thank you!

J. Wermont

 

[Steve Easton]

A web is a folder that contains all of the files used by your "web site."
The "local" web is the one that's on the hard drive of the your machine.
The folder that contains it is also commonly called the root web or root folder.

The web that's "out there" in internet land is commonly called the remote web
or server based web.

If the web on the server has FrontPage extensions installed, you can open it in FrontPage
and work on it live just like you can the one on the server.

Also, FP 98 was terrible about not deleting its temporary files.

Have your dad:
Go here: http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/fpclean.htm and download FP Cleaner
Download links are at the bottom of the page.
Run the functions that clear:
The Hidden Temporary files.
The Hidden Cache (*.web) files.

Then have him open the web in FrontPage and click Tools > recalculate hyperlinks
and then try publishing the web.


--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
FP Cleaner
http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/fpclean.htm
Hit Me FP
http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/HitMeFP.htm

 

[jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt]

A web is a folder that contains all of the files used by your "web site."
The "local" web is the one that's on the hard drive of the your machine.
The folder that contains it is also commonly called the root web or root folder.

OK, thanks.

If the web on the server has FrontPage extensions installed, you can
open it in FrontPage and work on it live just like you can the one on
the server.

I'm sure this was just a typo, but did you mean "If the web on your PC has
FrontPage extensions..."? Or did you mean "...just like you can the one
on your PC"?

Also, FP 98 was terrible about not deleting its temporary files.

That might explain the problem right there...

 

[Steve Easton]

If the web on the server has FrontPage extensions installed, you can

I'm sure this was just a typo, but did you mean "If the web on your PC has
FrontPage extensions..."? Or did you mean "...just like you can the one
on your PC"?

You're correct, I meant "just like the one on your PC."


--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
FP Cleaner
http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/fpclean.htm
Hit Me FP
http://www.95isalive.com/fixes/HitMeFP.htm