When you create a local site on your machine, Dreamweaver creates a local site definitions file with all the information about the site's settings, including information about the server connection, your server password, and any per-site preferences you may have set in the Site Definition dialog. If you need to move the site from one machine to another, or if you want to add members of your Web team and have them share the same site preferences, you must export the site definition. When you do that, Dreamweaver saves the site definition information as an XML file, with the .ste file extension. Dreamweaver allows you to export the site definition in one of two ways. You can export it with your server username and password information (this facilitates you moving the site to a different machine), or you can export the site with the site preferences, but without your server logon information (this is good for adding coworkers to the site). You can, of course, also import a site definition file that you had previously exported or one you receive from a colleague. To export a site definition: 1. | Choose Site > Manage Sites. The Manage Sites dialog appears ( Figure 16.34 ). | 2. | From the list of sites, click on the site you want to export. | 3. | Click Export. The Exporting site dialog appears ( Figure 16.35 ). | 4. | Click "Back up my settings (includes login, password, and local paths)" if you plan to move the site to another machine. or Click "Share with other users (does not include login, password, or local paths)" if you want to create a site definition file that does not include your server login information. | 5. | Click OK. The Export Site dialog appears. | 6. | Navigate to where you want to save the site definition file, make sure that the name Dreamweaver has given the file is okay (by default it gives the file the name of your site and appends the .ste file extension), then click Save. Dreamweaver saves the site definition file onto your hard disk. You'll return to the Manage Sites dialog. | 7. | Click Done. | Tips -
You can use the ability to export the site definition file as a way to back up your site's settings, but this is no substitute for a regular and comprehensive backup strategy covering all of the important documents on your hard drive. -
If you happen to work on multiple computers and multiple sites, and each of the computers has a copy of Dreamweaver, you can export your site definitions for all of your sites, then copy them to a USB flash drive. You could then plug in the flash drive on whichever computer you happen to be working on, and you will have your site settings, including your server passwords. Of course, you would need to resynchronize the remote site with a newly created copy that would then become the local site folder on the machine you are working on. See Chapter 2 for more information about synchronizing sites. To import a site definition: 1. | Choose Site > Manage Sites. The Manage Sites dialog appears. | 2. | Click Import. The Import Site dialog appears. | 3. | Navigate to and select the site definition file you want to import. | 4. | Click Open. Dreamweaver imports the site definition and adds it to the list of sites in the Manage Sites dialog. | 5. | Click Done to dismiss the Manage Sites dialog. | |