So You Really Want To Edit Your Web Site - Huh!

I capitulate! This topic just will not go away. Many of you want to edit your web site content and keep asking is there a way?

The answer now, as in the past, is yes but it is a question of your own skill too. Let me shock you. Everything you need is already on your computer but more about that later!

Without wishing to demean or insult you I have imposed a regime of the lowest common denominator as my starting point. That means that I will try to guide you without anyone having to be an Einstein or a PhD in computer programming.

I will also assume that you do not wish to spend any money to acquire esoteric software such as Dreamweaver, with its very steep learning curve or the like that is intended for the professional web designer rather than just content management. Fortuitously, the web has expanded at it's usual exponential speed and many alternatives are now available.

We are talking about content management systems. The first two requirements are an FTP (file transfer protocol) client to allow you to talk to your web server, for transferring files to and from your computer and a text editor to modify them. The simplest system requires no special software at all if you are using almost any version of Windows. It is already built into Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) and the standard Notepad. However it is a fairly clumsy approach unless you are comfortable reading the underlying code to any web page.

Not too difficult but demands concentration and some to-ing and fro-ing. So I will skip that approach although I do use it when I am at a stranger's computer that is devoid of more suitable resources.

I have been asked so, if you want to be a masochist I can recommend a great and incredibly flexible substitute for Notepad which will do all this impressively. Just look for Edit Pad Lite ( http://www.editpadpro.com/editpadlite.html ). Not only does it handle an incredible range of formats but also includes an FTP client and online editor.

Some of the amazingly useful features are:

• Edit huge files without breaking into a sweat. The paid version, EditPad Pro, will instantly open files up to 2 GB in size, even if your PC has less than 2 GB of RAM. Also, the maximum length of a single line is not limited, which is a problem with many editors claiming to support "unlimited" file sizes.

• File Panel to make it easy to work with hundreds or even thousands of files at the same time.

• Explorer Panel to easily open files and for basic file management directly in EditPad Pro.

• Built-in FTP client for conveniently editing your web site via FTP and for uploading and downloading files from any FTP server.

• Extensive backup options and convenient File History for managing backup files. Automatic working copies can be saved at a set interval.

• Built-in difference tool for comparing two files. Very useful for making you see the differences between two revisions of the same document. Since the difference function creates a new file showing the differences and similarities, you can merge two versions of a document easily by deleting what you do not want. And lots more. Pretty well a whole tool box!

If you have a need for a stand alone FTP client be prepared to be overwhelmed. There are hundreds of these but some of the better choices are Free FTP ( http://www.coffeecup.com/free-ftp/ ) where the full version also incorporates an online HTML editor. I have used it on difficult sites for many years and love it. Core FTP is also very good ( http://www.coreftp.com/ ). For those of you who use the Firefox browser FireFTP integrates with the browser and is excellent from https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/684 )

Before proceeding I must caution you. The type and facilities of the server hosting your web site has a large influence on where we go next. The first caveat is Microsoft Office or any associated software you may have. Besides generating terribly bloated code some servers will crash if you try to use these packages. The second server issue is whether it does or will provide PHP (if you must know - hypertext preprocessor) facilities. That bit of jargon just means that little programs written in that computer language will run on the server. Some hosts do not want their systems slowed down by various proprietary bits of software designed by anybody who may or may not know what they are doing. If your server provides this feature as part of the existing set up or for a moderate additional costs you are laughing.

With that option as first choice it is hard to ignore a freeware package you can install on your server and edit live online for ever to your hearts content. The system appears to be deceptively bland but is extremely powerful. Download Zimplit ( www.zimplit.com/ ) and then install it on your server.

Another warning! Not all web pages are what they appear to be. Modern designs employ things like cascading style sheets and dynamic code including the above PHP. That means they can and do contain “hidden” text or content which only becomes visible under certain conditions controlled by JavaScript – all that content thath magically pops up, expands or slides. You don't need to understand the jargon, just be aware that this content will not be editable with any of these and you will have to dive into pure code again with a text editor.

I think one thing is becoming obvious. Web pages that display all their content, meaning text and images, as plain pages are okay; anything else can get you into strife.

But let us assume that your pages are straight forward. This then provides us with quite a few options where the final choice may well be your preference based on your experience or understanding and the setup you already have.

There are online sites that will host your web site and allow content management at no cost.

They do work and one of the better ones is Cushy CMS ( www.cushycms.com/ ) but all are better suited for second level domains.

My list is actually too extensive for our purpose but at the end of the day the most feature rich free application is KompoZer. Previously NVU but now redeveloped as KompoZer into a superior product it is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing.

KompoZer ( http://www.kompozer.net/ ) is designed to be extremely easy to use, making it ideal for non-technical computer users who want to edit existing web sites. And that is what you want to do – edit your rates and specials! Indeed should you so wish you can create attractive, professional-looking web site without needing to know HTML or web coding – just don't put your webmaster out of business yet! The latest release of Dreamweaver has even replaced their original collaborative CMS called Contribute with this. A clear vote of confidence from Adobe who now own Dreamweaver.

Now for the basics which will ensure success:

Find your FTP address by simply substituting “ftp.” for the “ http://www .” part of your domain address.

You will need your user ID and password – and that's it. If you are editing in HTML code view just remember that the smallest error like a wrong comma or full stop or bracket can crash your page. Always keep a backup copy of the file you are editing so that at least you can get things back to where they were. If you are using WYSIWYG make sure that you do not make your page ugly by defeating code which controls page borders, images and the like.

Above all do not change the file name or its extension. If you decide to add a new page to your site be aware that you must also change your navigation system and site map file to keep Google and its friends happy. But that is beyond your intent I hope. Always test your modified page in your browser before uploading it.

I have deliberately omitted free software such as Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla and a host of others. As excellent as they are they are all somewhat “nerdy” and better suited for the enthusiast to set up blogs and the like. There are a number of economical packages for purchase which do a great job but that gets us beyond the idea of simple editing of a few pages.

Ask and I will happily point you to these but could I suggest you spend your time doing what you do best - growing your existing business rather than spending time becoming a webmaster. Many like me would still like to remain employed and for that my compatriots, I, my wife and my dog will thank you profusely.

Enjoy!