Publishing with FP 2003 with server extensions installed and FTP

  • Thread starter Thread starter theskarnes
  • Start date Start date
T

theskarnes

Hi, I have been updating a site that has the FP server extension
installed. Now another person needs to make some changes to the site
and I dont think they use Frontpage. Can they access the site via FTP
to make the changes? I realize the site on my local drive won't be in
sinc with the site on the web server so I'm thinking I would have to
make future updates directly to the web site on the server. I hand
code the HTML so don't use templates. Would this scenerio be possible?
would the other person be able to make changes to the site via FTP?
Thanks, Steve
 
They could access using FTP - but they could also easily corrupt the
FrontPage extensions. Your colleague would also have to avoid any pages
that use the FrontPage extensions in any way - pages with FrontPage
navigation bars, forms that use the extensions for processing, hit
counters, etc.

FTP is most "dangerous" when uploading files to the server - it is too
easy to upload a file in the _vti* folders in the wrong format (ASCII v
Binary). These _vti* folders and their contents MUST NOT BE TOUCHED in
any way. One further problem is that the meta data stored in the
extensions will not be updated - you will have to open the site in
FrontPage (if you can) and run Tools->Update Hyperlinks to update the
meta data after your colleague edits anything.

Editing live on the server is seldom a good idea - all your mistakes are
live as well. You will also have to Publish down to your own PC to
obtain a backup for the site, and bring your local copy back into synch
at the same time.

Editing a FrontPage extended site with FTP can be done - but is not
recommended. It is too easy to do more harm than good.
 
Back
Top