TIP 16: Importing Existing Sites

Often people have existing sites that were created with other Web-authoring applications or even coded by hand that they want to bring into GoLive. GoLive CS2 imports such sites effortlessly, builds a new GoLive site file to get you going, and begins monitoring all your links from that point forward.

It's a Drag!

Here's a neat trick to use when importing a site from existing content: Instead of clicking the Browse button to locate the root folder of the site, drag and drop the folder or the home page on top of the Site Wizard. GoLive CS2 will fill out the path to the site, and you can click Next to proceed to the next step.

To import an existing site into GoLive, choose File > New, select Site from the category list on the left, select Create Site in the center pane, and then click the Site From Existing Content radio button in the Site Creation Wizard on the right. When you click Next, you'll be shown three options for how the site will be imported (Figure 16).

Figure 16. When importing an existing site into GoLive CS2, you'll be asked whether the site is coming from a folder on your drive, from a server, or from a version control system.

If you select Import from a Local Folder of Existing Files and click Next, you'll be asked to locate the folder in question. Click the Browse button and choose the root folder of the sitethat is, the one containing the home page. Proceed through the rest of the Wizard as described in Tip 14.

The other two options require a bit more attention. To import a site from a server or version control system, you'll need to know the server name and location as well as the username and password to access the system. If you are not sure where to acquire that information, ask your Web hosting service, IT department, or system administrator. Once you input the required account information, you'll proceed through the Site Wizard as shown in Tip 14.