Publishing to the web (Web Publishing mode only)

Publishing to the web involves a few more steps, but is basically as simple as publishing to a local folder! You can specify that all web pages are published or only pages updated since your last “publish.”

To publish your site to the web:

  1. On the File menu, choose Web Site Properties… and verify your export settings, particularly those on the Graphics tab.

  2. On the File menu, choose Publish Site> and then select to Web….

If this is your first time publishing to the web, the Account Details dialog opens (with no account information present). You’ll need to set up at least one account before you can proceed.

  1. In the Account Details dialog, enter FTP account details before clicking OK.

  1. The Account name can be any name of your choice. You’ll use it to identify this account in PagePlus (in case you have more than one).

  2. The FTP address of your web host will be a specific URL as supplied by your Internet service provider (ISP).

  3. Unless directed by your provider, leave the Port number set at “21.” If changing your port number, remember to change your firewall settings to reflect new port numbers.

  4. Leave the Folder box blank unless directed by your provider, or if you want to publish to a specific subfolder of your root directory.

  5. You’ll also need a Username and Password. These are pre-assigned by your provider and will most likely correspond to email login settings. Enter the password exactly as given to you, using correct upper- and lower-case spelling, or the host server may not recognize it. If you don’t want to re-enter your password with each upload, check Save password to record the password on your computer.

  6. Passive mode: Leave checked unless you have FTP connection problems (check with your ISP). ISPs can operate passive or active FTP modes of operation.

  7. Web site URL: Set your site’s URL. This allows you to view your site from a dialog after any FTP upload.

  8. In the Advanced box, you can optionally enable security on file transfer by uploading using one of two encryption protocols—TLS 1.0 and SSL 3.0. Check Encrypt connection, then choose the Protocol. You’ll need to confirm with your ISP whether encryption (and which protocol) is supported, implied or otherwise. The SSL Implied option makes the ISP’s FTP server encrypt on initial contact to default port 990 or a custom port (edit Port number).

  1. If you’ve set up at least one account, the Upload to Server dialog opens. In the dialog, the last used account name is shown in the drop-down menu; its settings are displayed in subsequent boxes. You can use the drop-down menu to switch to another account, if you have set up more than one.

    You can also use the dialog to Add another account, and Copy, Edit, or Delete an account selected from the drop-down menu. It’s a good idea to test your new or modified account by clicking the Test button—if the account details are valid, a dialog indicating successful connection displays.

  2. Click the Update Account button. PagePlus seeks an Internet connection, then:

    • If uploading for the first time, selected files will be uploaded directly.
      – or -

    • If uploading to an existing site (must be created with PagePlus), an Uploading Files dialog is displayed showing local file action (whether to Add, Replace, or Leave files).

      In the dialog, select either the Incremental Update or Full upload button. Choose the former to upload only files that have altered since the last upload. You’ll see a message when all files have been successfully copied. Click Close.

Gathering server information

If you have an email account, your contract with the email service provider may allow you a certain amount of file space (e.g., 25MB) on their server where you can store files, including the files that comprise a website. Or you may have a separate “web space” arrangement with a specialized Internet service provider. It’s up to you to establish an account you can use for web publishing.

The basic process of uploading files to a server is quite simple, as outlined above… but some providers do a better job than others of “providing” the basic information you’ll need the first time you publish to their server. Check your provider’s website for the details listed below.

Before publishing, collect the following information:

  • The FTP address, which is the specific URL (starting with “ftp://”) of the directory on the server where you’ll be storing your files. On many services, your personal publishing directory is just your screen (user) name appended to a standard URL. If your account is with a specialized Internet service provider, or you’re using a dial-up networking connection or some other arrangement, you may need to do a bit more research to determine the required information.

  • The steps needed to connect to the server, whether via LAN (intranet) or Dial-up Networking connection.

  • Your user name and password, typically the same as your email login settings. Note that one or both of these may be case-sensitive.

  • Any other special instructions noted by the provider. For example, a particular port number and/or subfolder may be specified.

  • Whether the web server can accommodate spaces in file names. If you find it cannot, then choose Web Site Properties… from the File menu, select the Graphics tab, and check Remove spaces from original f
    ile names     to revise graphic file names accordingly when they are published. (If you’ve already published your site, you’ll need to do so again to fix the problem.)

Publishing to the web