Creating a Project

Let's begin. Open GoLive, say hello to the welcome screen, and then dismiss it so that you can find out where those same options are when you are in GoLive proper.

The New command is conveniently found in the File menu. Don't let the simplicity of the single word new fool you, though, because GoLive can create a host of document typeseverything from XHTML pages to plain old text (TXT) files (see Figure 9.2). XML, CSS, SMIL, JavaScript, QuickTime, Perl, PHP, MMS, and other Web-related file formats are documents GoLive can handle with ease. This chapter covers only the basic file types, but be aware that GoLive has a depth and breadth beyond what is discussed here.

Figure 9.2. GoLive can create various documents, including pages for mobile devices, as shown.

Also located in the File menu are the Open and Open Recent commands. The Open Recent submenu is especially helpful because it lists not only recently opened sites, but also individual HTML pages and other types of documents you might have opened recently. At the very bottom of the Open Recent submenu is the option Clear Entries, which deletes everything in the list and begins building the recent files list all over again.

Creating a Site

Before anything can be listed in the Open Recent submenu, though, you must create something. Press Command+N (Ctrl+N) to invoke the New dialog box, and click on the Site button on the left (see Figure 9.3).

Figure 9.3. GoLive's Site Wizard, which helps you to set up a site, is integrated into the New dialog box.

By the Way

Here's a suggestion for proceeding through the Site Wizard successfully: Read the instructions on each screen before clicking any buttons. No one likes to read dialog box text, but because you've opted to purchase this hefty tome, we'll assume you are up to the task.

The first question you need to answer is what kind of site you want to create. Choose Blank Site if you are starting from scratch. If you need to bring an existing site into GoLive that has been designed by someone else or in another Web authoring application, or if the existing site you want to work on is already online, choose Site from Existing Content. Finally, click on the Site from a "Site Locator" File (.aglsl) to create a site from a Co-Author file (which we talk about later in the chapter).

By the Way

Opt for Site from Existing Content if you want to import a site that was created in an older version of GoLive. GoLive CS2 can directly open GoLive CS and 6 site files, but sites created before GoLive 6 should be imported.

Creating a Blank Site

The simplest of the New Site options is Blank Site. Click the radio button for Blank Site and click Next; you're asked to name your site and to designate a location for your site. Browse to the location of your choice, click Choose, and click Next. You can then specify whether you want to use a version control system, which can help you manage check-in and check-out of files, which is especially helpful when working within a group of several people. If you choose to use such a system, you can specify Version Cue or use alternative methods that are listed as options. Click on the Next button again to specify your publish server settings. Your publish server is where your site files will reside so that anyone on the Internet can view them. Your server information is usually provided by your web hosting company or your IT department, and you can choose to specify it later if you don't have that information readily available. Click Finish; GoLive then creates the site and opens it.

Importing a Site from Existing Content

If you select Site from Existing Content and click Next, you're asked to choose what kind of site you want to import into GoLive: files from a local folder, files from a server, or files from an existing project in a version-control system, such as Version Cue (see Figure 9.4). Each of these choices prompts you for the necessary information.

Figure 9.4. Choosing from three different ways to create a new site from existing content.

Did you Know?

Using the Site Wizard's Browse button to navigate to the home page of an existing site works nicely, but you can also drag and drop the index page of an existing site right onto the Site Wizard's screen to achieve the same results.

The last step is to find a home for the Site File that GoLive will create for the imported site. Name the new site file, keeping its .site extension, browse to a suitable location for it, and click Save. GoLive imports the site and opens it.

Watch Out!

Do not put the site file inside the site's root folder. It's fine to put it on the same level as that folder, but not inside. The site's root folder is the one that holds the home page.