Chapter 45: Publishing Your Site

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Overview

You're finally ready to get that page or site online — you've developed the site, added navigation, the images are in place, and you've even put a little zip in the pages with some interactive media or DHTML elements. So now what? Getting your site published — generally through file transfer (FTP) to a Web server — involves moving the site files from your local computer to a remote location on a Web server. In Dreamweaver MX, this is done with the Site panel, a Web server solution, and connecting through your ISP.

But where do you publish? Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer free Web server space with an account. You may also "rent" Web server space through hosting companies. Some ISPs also offer hosting, sometimes called virtual servers, at reasonable prices. But how do you know whom to choose? And, once you have Web server access, how do you get the files from your computer to theirs?

Macromedia Dreamweaver includes software that lets you connect your computer to a remote Web server through FTP or a Local Area Network (LAN). Options for secure connections and versioning control are also available. However you connect, Dreamweaver's publishing client makes it easy to upload your site, download from any existing site, and/or manage your site's pages in both locations.

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