Before pages can be viewed in a web browser, pages and their content have to be rendered in compatible formats and then transferred to a web server. Pages are rendered using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, images are rendered in JPEG format. StudioLine avoids using GIF files whenever possible. Their color palettes impose limitations that do not apply with todayÆs predominant video graphics adapters and color settings.
StudioLine determines exactly, which files need to be published. Only new or changed content will be uploaded to the web server, speeding up the publishing process. Obsolete content will be removed from the server, saving disk space and making sure that unwanted information is no longer accessible.
To determine if a page requires publishing, StudioLine considers a number of factors:
Has the page ever been published.
Was the page or its layout edited since it was previously published.
Were pictures on the page changed in the image archive (e.g., using image tools or descriptors.)
Were there changes to the structure of the site, which require different navigation links.
To conserve server disk space and to speed up the web browser, StudioLine will attempt share images, which have been used more than once at a site. One of the following conditions must apply:
The image originates from a layout template. Images placed in layout templates are stored in a common directory on the web server and will be shared for the derived pages.
The image appears more than once on the same page. Images placed on pages are stored in a unique directory for each page. Multiple occurrences of the same image on the page are shared.
The image appears on multiple image views of the same layout. The index page and all image view pages share their images.
It is important to understand, that the combination of tools and their settings have to be identical for an image to be shared. Therefore, crop, size and apply any other tools to an image before you copy it to various pages. Even slightly different tool settings would result in unique pictures.
Other factors may prevent an image from being shared, including different backgrounds or the use of the image in a collage. In those cases, parts of the image may be merged or overlayed with other graphical content.
To manage files on the web server, StudioLine employs the standard File Transfer Protocol (FTP). It allows StudioLine to verify the content on the web server and then upload, replace or delete files, as necessary. An intelligent publishing procedure will confirm that a new or updated page and all its supporting files exist on the server, before it is taken live. Any missing or incomplete files are automatically refreshed. This minimizes any possible downtime.
Before StudioLine can communicate with the FTP server, it requires certain information for the publishing profile.
Choose Profile from the Publish menu.
Choose Edit to revise the profile settings.
Contact your server administrator to obtain the correct FTP server settings.
Press the Test button to validate the settings.
See the Reference Guide for detailed information about the publishing profile.
StudioLine will report the progress for each step of the FTP test. If there is any trouble, then an error message will identify the specific problem.
StudioLine tried to establish a connection to the FTP server at the specified port.
Double-check the settings for "FTP Server" and "Port" for accuracy.
Make sure that the workstation is currently connected to a network, either through a LAN or a dial-up connection. Try opening a web browser to see if you can reach your ISPÆs web site.
Attempt to reach the FTP server using the tools provided with your operating system. In Windows, open a Command Prompt, then type "ftp" followed by FTP server name and hit the Enter key. If the connection is refused, then either the server name or port are incorrect, or the server may not be operational at this time.
StudioLine was able to connect to the FTP server, but the login was rejected.
Double-check the settings for "Login" and "Password".
Many servers require the Login and Password to be properly capitalized. Make sure you are using the correct capital and lower-case letters.
After a number of invalid login attempts, many servers will reject any new logins for an extended period of time. If you are certain that you now remember the correct login, you still may have to wait a few hours before retrying.
After logging in, StudioLine attempted to switch to or create the Remote Directory without success.
Double-check the settings for "Remote Directory".
Some FTP servers automatically switch to the proper Remote Directory after logging in. If the value for "Remote Directory" is the same as "Login", then try leaving the "Remote Directory" blank.
If the value for "Remote Directory" contains nothing but a single slash ô/ö or backslash "\", then try leaving the "Remote Directory" blank.
After logging in, StudioLine attempted to switch to the Remote Directory but was unable to upload a test file.
Double-check the settings for "Remote Directory".
Some FTP servers automatically switch to the proper Remote Directory after logging in. If the value for "Remote Directory" is the same as "Login", then try leaving the "Remote Directory" blank.
If the value for "Remote Directory" contains nothing but a single slash ô/ö or backslash "\", then try leaving the "Remote Directory" blank.
StudioLine attempted to upload a test file to the FTP server's remote directory and then access it from the web site's root directory.
Copy the "URL of the Site-Root" into your browser's address field. If your browser reports a "DNS error" or a "technical difficulties with the web site", then you may need to contact your ISP.
(Note: Since nothing has actually been uploaded yet, it is expected for your browser to display some error message indicating that the requested page was not found.)
Double-check the settings for "Remote Directory" and "URL of the Site-Root".
Some FTP servers automatically switch to the proper Remote Directory after logging in. If the value for "Remote Directory" is the same as "Login", then try leaving the "Remote Directory" blank.
If the value for "Remote Directory" contains nothing but a single slash ô/ö or backslash "\", then try leaving the "Remote Directory" blank.
StudioLine uploaded a file to the FTP server's remote directory, using the default document name specified in the publishing profile. It was unable to retrieve that document when using a URL without a document name.
The test was repeated with a series of typical default document names (default.htm, default.html, index.htm, index.html) without success.
Double-Check the ôDefault Documentö setting in your publishing profile.
Contact your server administrator to obtain the correct setting.
If StudioLine can determine the correct default document name automatically, it will update the publishing profile accordingly.
StudioLine generates a detailed daily log file for FTP connections. It is located in the "Logs" folder of the StudioLine directory on your hard disk. Your support personnel may ask you to provide this file to further troubleshoot your publishing profile settings.
Once a publishing profile has been set up and tested successfully, the site may be published to the web server.
Select Render from the Publish menu. StudioLine will render your site to your local disk. This may take a while, depending on the number and complexity of pages.
Select Transfer from the Publish menu. StudioLine will upload the rendered content to the server.
Select Browse Web Server to open the current page in your web browser.
Due to StudioLine's multitasking design, it is possible to continue working on other sites or pages while publishing is in progress. Of course, care should be taken not to save any of the same objects that are about to be rendered.
If a published site does not appear in your browser, try the following:
Check the Site Settings to see if you have selected a home page.
Press the ôRefreshö or ôReloadö button of your browser.
Check with your support personnel, if there is a time delay before updated pages are made visible on the web server.