HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Publishing
After you have access to a web server, you can publish the website you've labored so
hard to create. Before you actually move it into place on your server, however, it's
important to organize your files. Also, you should have a good idea of what goes where
to avoid lost files and broken links.
Questions to Ask Your Webmaster
The
webmaster
is the person who runs your web server. This person also might be your
system administrator, help desk administrator, or network administrator. Before you can
publish your site, you should get several facts from the webmaster about how the server
is set up. The following list of questions will help you later in this topic when you're
ready to figure out what you can and cannot do with your server:
Where on the server will I put my files?
In most cases, someone will create a
directory on the server where your files will reside. Know where that directory is
and how to gain access to it.
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What's the URL of my top-level directory?
This URL will usually be different
from the actual path to your files.
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What's the name of the system's default index file?
This file is loaded by default
when a URL ends with a directory name. Usually it's
index.html
or
index.htm
,
but it may be
default.htm
, or something else.
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Can I run PHP, ASP, or other types of scripts?
Depending on your server, the
answer to this question may be a flat-out “no,” or you might be limited to certain
programs and capabilities.
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Do you support special plug-ins or file types?
If your site will include multime-
dia files (Flash, MP3, MP4 or others), your webmaster might need to configure the
server to accommodate those file types. Make sure that the server properly handles
special types of files before you create them.
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Are there limitations on what or how much I can put up?
Some servers restrict
pages to specific content (for example, only work-related pages) or restrict the
amount of storage you can use. Make sure you understand these restrictions before
you publish your content.
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Is there a limit to the amount of bandwidth that my site can consume?
This is
somewhat related to the previous question. Most web hosts allow you to transfer
only a certain amount of data over their network over a given period of time before
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