Thread: Previewing single menu page with PHP

Hi,

Thanks to Vasili, who directed me to navaldesign's post on a single menu page with PHP in BV, I have been able to implement this neat trick on my website. See: >> Single Menu Page with Bv and PHP

However, when re-designing an existing page where this method has been used to import the header and footer etc, the text and graphics do no show in preview (Firefox, IE8, Opera or Chrome) - not even when online at time of preview. I have to publish the page to view changes.

Is there a way to see this data in preview? At present I have to continuously publish the pages to see what the overall look is - while in design stage.

Originally Posted by StephanusvS

So the only solution is to design the page with all the elements displayed until done and then import the html for this purpose?

* Remember that you must create your "elements" to be "imported" to your Site pages in a page of their own, and all must be positioned on the page in the upper-most top-left position on the Source page, for in this way you will adjust the "box" size and position to register a tight fit .... if you are not "seeing" your elements, it may be that you simply do not have them positioned properly on the original Source page and as such are only seeing margins of the surrounding Source page. EVERYTHING in web building starts at the 0/0 position, as this is how pages are "read" and computers programmed to progress, so make sure you have your "element" as tight as possible to the top-left area of the page it is created on, which will then allow you to crop closely the Box around it to "import" onto your Site page.

Publish your base pages (the "source" pages, the ones upon which you have created the elements to "import" and appear globally) first, and then using Preview confirm layout and appearance desired. Then "Preview" and Publish your Site pages normally.
The method requires a pre-existing "source" from which to display, so this is why they must be actually published first .... and is the foundational logic that governs the process altogether.

Once you have published your Site pages with proper links to your Source pages, you can make unlimited updates to them without disturbing the overall page layouts. Since Blue Voda 'overwrites' any previously published pages, any changes or corrections you need to make requiring subsequent re-publishing consistently 'updates' your pages and provides a seamless display online.

Thanks Vasili.

There is no way to preview page elements that are "called" in the page using PHP code and this is because PHP is a programing language that runs on the server, non on your computer (where the Preview takes place).

It would only be possible if you had installed on your computer a WAMP environment but again it would be hard because you would have to have edeguate computer knowledge to make your WAMP system to run through the "temp" folder of your computer where the preview files are stored / run.

Originally Posted by navaldesign

There is no way to preview page elements that are "called" in the page using PHP code and this is because PHP is a programing language that runs on the server, non on your computer (where the Preview takes place).

It would only be possible if you had installed on your computer a WAMP environment but again it would be hard because you would have to have edeguate computer knowledge to make your WAMP system to run through the "temp" folder of your computer where the preview files are stored / run.

Hi Naval,

Thank you for this, but yes this method is definitely beyond my capability and would be overkill since I am only designing and maintaining my own site.