Home Page Correct URL

[Saturn77]

After reading many posts on the forum board and watching the relevant tutorials, I'm still not totally clear on how to give my home page it's correct URL address ready to be published to BlueVoda. It's been said that it should be called "index". So do I save my home page with this URL:

http://www.mydomain.com/index
I note that I should not add .html
on the end. Do I have that correct please?

Another example for saving one of my pages:
http://www.mydomain.com/contact
Also correct?


However the "home" button on my various web pages should be given the URL:
http://www.mydomain.com/index.html
Correct?


Now when somebody wants to look at my home page do they just type into their browser:
http://www.mydomain.com
or do they have to type in the full:

http://www.mydomain.com/index.html
I suspect it's this one.

Is the index page and the home page the same thing. If possible I would like them to be.

Will somebody please clarify these URLs.

[Tom Finley]

Home page is just another name for index page.

To save your page simply call it "index". You should not add a path when you are saving. When you publish using the drop down box, it'll say "public_html/" and that's what you publish to. BV will automatically add the correct extension.

When you link to your index page from anywhere on your site, you should make the link "http://www.yoursite.com". The internet knows that means your index page.

For all other pages you wish to save and publish, it's the same as above. But when you make a link, it must include the extension, such as "http://www.yoursite.com/contact.html". Otherwise the internet will not know what page you mean.

If someone were to use their browser's address bar to find these twwo pages, they would type in http://www.yoursite.com" and "http://www.yoursite.com/contact.html".

That's the way it works.

[ahimsa]

.....not to confuse you further......but......taking "contact" as an example - these pages usually have a form on them which means you need to publish with .php at the end & not .html

...hope that makes sense lol

[Tom Finley]

This last post is wrong. It is better to link to the index page like this: "http://www.yoursite.com". This is why your page must be named "index". The extension does not matter. For all other pages the page must be named with the correct extension.

Also, in case of misunderstanding the post above, do not save any page with the .bvp extension--BV will add it for you.

[Saturn77]

Thanks everyone for your answers.
Firstly to you ahimsa. I will only be using a simple text only "contact" page so I guess a .php extension is not required.

Thanks for your comment jllupo. Yes, I understand that while I'm just designing my web pages, I should give them short simple names like "index" for my home page. It's when I'm ready to publish my pages that I'm still not clear on what names I should give them.

That brings me to your comments Tom. Now you say, "When you publish using the drop down box, it'll say "public_html/" and that's what you publish to." Now keeping in mind that I'm about half way through designing my site and have not as yet paid BV and money, I'm yet to see this drop down box you refer to. So this is the important point I need to get cleared up. When I send my home page to BV to be published, surely that simple one word (index) name jllupo has told me to give my home page has now got to be changed to full proper URL address. Otherwise how would BV even know my domain name. So will somebody please give me an example of the full name I give my home page when I publish it. I suspect it is as I suggested in my original post: http://www.mydomain.com/index
BlueVoda add the .html on the end.

One other point. Last night I watched the tutorial again on "Fixed Menu Bars" and BV is definitely saying the "home" button should have the full URL address added. That is: http://www.mydomain.com/index.html

Now Tom I think what you are saying is that you don't agree with BV and jllupo on that point? You say the /index.html is not required?

[Vasili]

I think that is the main issue here .... you cannot publish a Blue Voda-created webpage other than by using the PUBLISH function in Blue Voda itself --- which then asks you to specify the VodaHost server you have been assigned a hosting account to: BV pages can only be published to a VodaHost server.

When you create a page in BV, you will use the SAVE AS command under FILE, and the prompt will ask you to name the file ... and this is where you use lower case letters to give the page a simple name. Your first ('Home") page to any website needs always be titled index ... and will be the default display for that domain --- when creating a "return link" to your 'Home Page" within your website, that is why for this page alone it looks like http://www.YourDomain.com without any page title or extension ... the browser will 'default' to the index page of the directory.

Please also be aware that you can never publish a BV created page via FTP, or attempt to save it as another formatted file other than normally auto-saved by BV itself: it will corrupt the file entirely, and there is no other means to un-encrypt the file other than to publish though the VodaHost interface.

When you use the regular Blue Voda PUBLISH function from within BV, a Publish Dialog Box will appear, and not only will you select your VodaHost Account IP to publish to, you will enter your User name and Password (which you will copy form the 'Welcome' email you'll receive after purchasing a hosting account), as well as have the opportunity to select which Directory (website) to publish to. By default, your Primary domain will always be set, and seen as public_html/ and should be left blank when publishing to your Primary Domain hosting account .... and you never enter the title of any page during the Publishing process as BV automatically does this for you: you only have to SAVE the page before Publishing ....
See another Tip HERE

You really need to go through the Tutorials with this insight in mind - it may make more sense to you now. Especially as mentioned above, for when you do create your Contact page, you will need to select within Page Properties the setting for the proper format (.php rather than .html), but the Wizzard does this for you, and I encourage you to use it whenever you make a page with an email function on it.

[Tom Finley]

1. When you create a page in BlueVoda, you first save it using Blue Voda -- same as any program. It will add the .bvd so no worries there.

2. When you publish in BV you use the publish icon in Blue Voda. The icon opens a drop down box that allows you to publish your page without adding any path or any extension. This is one reason why BV won't work unless you host your site on VodaHost--BV already knows your domain name because you set that up when you first buy the hosting.

Your confusion may be that you are used to uploading a page via ftp to publish. You can't do that with a BV page--it must be published with the icon, not uploaded. I think you can look at the box if you are using BV--it just won't work until you pay for hosting. So take a look at it.

3. It is convention to link to your index (home) page simply with your domain name: A text or rollover link could say "HOME" but the actual link would be http://www.yoursitesname.com.

Hope that helps! I don't want to make it harder for you! IMO, I'd purchase the hosting sooner rather than later so that you can discover the confusing parts along the way...

EDIT: Greetings again, my friend! (Vasili always answers sooner and better than me.)

[Saturn77]

Well Tom you have just cleared it all up with your paragraph 2. I did not know any of that. Now I understand. So let me give you a couple of examples of how I would name my pages. Home page is just saved as "index", the contact us page I could save as "contactus" or "contact_us" and so on. So you are saying that all the remainder of the URL is added by BlueVoda. I publish my pages with those simple short names and the rest is taken care of by BV after I tell them my domain name. By the way, it would be good if during this publishing process I get to see the full URL they are applying to my page before I actually publish it. I would just like to make sure it is as I want it.

I can't pay my fees to BV yet, because I'm waiting on an ABN number which is required by law to apply for a com.au domain name. That has to done with an Australian domain name registering company. I trust there is is no problem with having my host in America? By the way, this is my first website design. I've had no previous experience.

Hello to you Vasili. Don't worry, I have no intentions of trying to publish with any other host than BV. I understand that I couldn't even if I wanted to. Now if I have this correct, both you and Tom don't agree with what the BV tutorial says on the navigation information for the "home" button.

[Vasili]

FUNNY .... I thought I mentioned it pretty clearly ??

When you create a page in BV, you will use the SAVE AS command under FILE, and the prompt will ask you to name the file ... and this is where you use lower case letters to give the page a simple name. Your first ('Home") page to any website needs always be titled index ... and will be the default display for that domain --- when creating a "return link" to your 'Home Page" within your website, that is why for this page alone it looks like http://www.YourDomain.com without any page title or extension ... the browser will 'default' to the index page of the directory.

When you use the regular Blue Voda PUBLISH function from within BV, a Publish Dialog Box will appear, and not only will you select your VodaHost Account IP to publish to, you will enter your User name and Password (which you will copy form the 'Welcome' email you'll receive after purchasing a hosting account), as well as have the opportunity to select which Directory (website) to publish to. By default, your Primary domain will always be set, and seen as public_html/ and should be left blank when publishing to your Primary Domain hosting account .... and you never enter the title of any page during the Publishing process as BV automatically does this for you: you only have to SAVE the page before Publishing ....

You really need to go through the Tutorials with this insight in mind - it may make more sense to you now. Especially as mentioned above, for when you do create your Contact page, you will need to select within Page Properties the setting for the proper format (.php rather than .html), but the Wizzard does this for you, and I encourage you to use it whenever you make a page with an email function on it.

NOW .... about this Tutorial issue ....

I am taking point with this, and now it makes sense as to why so many people are having the same difficulties day in and day out: the Tutorial is incorrect in showing how to link the HOME page in a Menubar, preferring to treat the greater concept as taking precedence over the protocols for this singular page .... this incorrect process suggests that this is a proper method of how websites work, and it simply is not!!! It has never been changed, except in the mind of the person creating the Tutorial, as they applied the principles of linking by naming page titles to the Index page as well. Does not work that way!

To link to your HOME page in Menubars or other links, you do not enter "index.html" at all --- when you simply enter www.YourSite.com BY DEFAULT you are delivered to the index page (the "Home" page).

For other pages, yes, you enter those page names in your links .... as seen in the tip I provided above, and reiterate here: http://www.yoursite.com/page-two.html
http://www.yoursite.com/page-three.html

..... and again, to return to the HOME page (the index page) it is simply http://www.yoursite.com



Review this snapshot of the Tutorial and the comments in the sidebar.

[Saturn77]

Thanks Vasili for your last reply. I see what you mean about your description now that I've read it more carefully. It is quite good. It's just that Tom's line, "BV already knows your domain name because you set that up when you first buy the hosting", really clicked with me.

Regards this part of your reply, "as well as have the opportunity to select which Directory (website) to publish to. By default, your Primary domain will always be set." I'm not sure what that is all about but suspect it only applies when you have more than one website to publish. If so, it won't apply to me.

So if I have just one e-mail address on my contact page that customers can click on, does that mean that I need a .php extension for that page?

Finally, I have it clear now about the navigation for the home button. Ok, I'll believe you and Tom when you say the tutorial is wrong on that one. I hope BV can fix that tutorial up in the near future. I'll do it your way. By the way, if a person did add the end part of the URL that is not required, would it matter? Would it still work ok?

On a personal note, I attended to a little matter at my end. Hope I did it right. Thank you.

[Vasili]

Thanks Vasili for your last reply. I see what you mean about your description now that I've read it more carefully. It is quite good. It's just that Tom's line, "BV already knows your domain name because you set that up when you first buy the hosting", really clicked with me. This can be somewhat misleading, for many people do not purchase a domain name (nor opt for a free one) when purchasing hosting: they merely "point" a domain they have elsewhere to their VH account. But, since you have to at least enter a domain name as 'Primary', by default, it will alwys be the foremost website and directory (folder) in your account (the publish_html/) and others thus become "add-on" domains ... see??

Regards this part of your reply, "as well as have the opportunity to select which Directory (website) to publish to. By default, your Primary domain will always be set." I'm not sure what that is all about but suspect it only applies when you have more than one website to publish. If so, it won't apply to me. Trust me, someday you will want another website having learned how easy it is and because your mind realizes whims and vision can be easily fulfilled!! And, after the above reply, I think you understand better how an Add-on domain comes about, and that each successive domain is saved to and published to a folder of it's own within the public_html/ directory (a folder within a folder).

So if I have just one e-mail address on my contact page that customers can click on, does that mean that I need a .php extension for that page? Yes. Your Contact page needs be published as .php and other pages will automatically be pubvlished with the proper extension (.html). *Nearly any page that 'runs a script' will need be published as .php ... the email function is an embedded script.

Finally, I have it clear now about the navigation for the home button. Ok, I'll believe you and Tom when you say the tutorial is wrong on that one. I hope BV can fix that tutorial up in the near future. I'll do it your way. By the way, if a person did add the end part of the URL that is not required, would it matter? Would it still work ok? Sometimes yes, sometimes no .... which is the justification for my contention for them to have presented it at all: they should maintain the single-logic of instruction of naming and linking all pages other than the Index page the same --- understanding that the index page is peculiar and needs be treated differently explains many "advanced" concepts later on. So, I think (as a former teacher upon whatever net-knowledge I have) that this is one error that should have been caught if just to better prepare the massers from undue confusion and conflicting conceptual development later on.

On a personal note, I attended to a little matter at my end. Hope I did it right. Thank you.

My pleasure, truly!