TIP 201: Managing Files with the In Out Links Palette

TIP 201: Managing Files with the In & Out Links Palette

The In & Out Links palette in GoLive CS2 offers a unique way to manage links and view file relationships in your site. Open the In & Out Links palette in the Window > Site menu and select a file in the Files tab of the Site window. The selected file is automatically positioned in the middle of the palette (Figure 201a). On the left are all the files that reference the selected file, so if you select a file such as the home page, an external .css file, or a template, you'll probably have tons of referencing files on the left. On the right side of the palette you see all the files referenced by the selected file. If you select a JPEG, you should have no files on the right, but if you select the home page or a navigation component, you should have lots of files listed on the right.

Figure 201a. In & Out Links palette lets you quickly view file and link relationships for any selected file.

To determine which file is which, position your mouse pointer over a file in the palette; its file path, relative to the root level of the Web site, is displayed in the bottom left corner of the palette. This is really helpful if you have multiple files with the same name, such as index.html, in the same site.

The good news is that In & Out Links isn't just a pretty way to look at file linksit's also an easy way to redirect links and fix errors. If you want to change links from one file to another file, use the Point and Shoot (Fetch URL) tool next to the filename in the palette to point to a new file in the Files tab of the Site window (Figure 201b). If there's a broken link or missing file error in the palette, you can redirect the reference to the correct file.

Figure 201b. Use the In & Out Links palette to redirect links and fix errors.

Previous and Next Links

New in GoLive CS2 is the addition of previous and next buttons in the bottom left corner of the In & Out Links palette. As you click on different files in the palette, you can easily click back and forth through the sequence.

The In & Out Links palette is one of the most powerful site-management features in GoLive and it has a few hidden options many users are not aware of. When you look at the In & Out Links palette with a large site, it might be overwhelming based on how you need to use it. To control what is shown in the In & Out Links palette, select Palette Options from the Palette menu in the top right corner of the palette (Figure 201c).

Figure 201c. Control what you see and how it's sorted with the In & Out Links Palette Options window.

With these palette options you might choose to hide the links to the selected file and show only HTML files linked from the selected file. Select the filtering options you need from the Options dialog and click OK.