Creating and Populating Local Directories

The local directories are directories on your PC that you use to store WebPAC files for editing. Innovative recommends creating four directories and naming them:

Editing Web Options and Files

When editing Web options and customizable Web forms on a local computer, use URLs relative to your local_staging and local_live directories. This configuration allows your Web options and forms to continue to work when uploaded to the WebPAC server. For example:

ICON_BOOKCART=/screens/bookcart.gif"

This directory structure parallels the directory structure on the WebPAC server.

The local_live/screens Directory

The local_live/screens directory must contain a copy of the Web server's live/screens directory. Keep these directories in sync at all times.

The local_staging/screens Directory

The local_staging/screens directory contains the in-process design of your WebPAC. Transfer into this directory the files that you will need to create the next version of the live WebPAC site.

Populating the Local Directories

The procedure for populating the local directories depends on the current state of your organization's WebPAC site.

To begin maintaining an existing customized WebPAC using local, staging, and live directories:

  1. Create the local directories on your PC.
  2. Transfer the contents of the Web server's live/screens directory to the local_live/screens and local_staging/screens directories with the FTP program of your choice.
  3. Back up the example WebPAC found in the staging/screens directory on the Web server (copy it to a directory named, for example, "example_site" on your PC or copy it to a CD-ROM).
  4. FTP the files in local_staging/screens to staging/screens on the Web server.

    A copy of your customized WebPAC now exists in all local and Web server screens directories.

    You do not need to copy your live customized site into the Web server's live/screens directory; Innovative does that during setup.

To begin re-designing an existing customized WebPAC using local, staging, and live directories:

  1. Create the local directories on your PC.
  2. Transfer the contents of the Web server's live/screens directory to the local_live/screens directory with the FTP program of your choice.
  3. Transfer the files you will use to create the re-designed site into the local_staging/screens directory. These files can be from the Innovative example site, created by you, or from other sources.
  4. Back up the example WebPAC found in the staging/screens directory (copy it to a directory named, for example, "example_site" on you PC or copy it to a CD-ROM).
  5. FTP the files in local_staging/screens to staging/screens.

    A copy of your current customized WebPAC now exists in local_live/screens and live/screens. A copy of the site in progress now exists in local_staging/screens and staging/screens.

    There is no need to copy your live customized site into the Web server's live/screens directory; Innovative does that during setup.
    Backups

    Innovative recommends that you back up your current WebPAC site.

To create your organization's first WebPAC site using the Innovative-provided example:

  1. Create the local directories on your PC.
  2. Transfer the contents of the Web server's live/screens directory to the local_live/screens and local_staging/screens directories with the FTP program of your choice.

    If there was no pre-existing WebPAC site, the example site is already in the live/screens directory.

    A copy of the Innovative-provided example WebPAC site now exists in all local and Web server /screens directories.