Can I create pages in Web Designer 9 and export it out to use in my blank Sharepoint

[TDolce]

Hello,..I was curious (as I love the look and features of WD9 Premium) if there is an export option from the application that will allow me to simply populate/embed the site to a blank iframe or webpart (terminology used in Sharepoint) in my company's Sharepoint website?

This would allow me to bypass using the limited Sharepoint features and just use it as a delivery mechanism for the WD9 site pages that I create.

[Acorn]

The one thing you have to know is not to name your first web page "index". If you do then the index_htm_files folder "disappears". It's still there but it doesn't show in your Document Listings.
You simply publish all your htm pages and the nnn_htm_files folder to a SharePoint document library using a MS web folder. You must not have any mandatory fields to fill in, set them as such later.
Once you have uploaded your exported site contents, your can create a SharePoint page with a Page Viewer Web Part to your first web page.

Acorn

[TDolce]

You simply publish all your htm pages and the nnn_htm_files folder to a SharePoint document library using a MS web folder. You must not have any mandatory fields to fill in, set them as such later.

Acorn

I'm not sure I follow. I understand the last part with the web page viewer,....but let me repeat what I think you instructed so as to get it through my thick skull.

Basically when in WD9 be sure NOT to name the first web page (the main landing page) "index".
Name it something like "home" or whatever.

Then (while in WD9) publish the files all to a Sharepoint Document Library (basically so that Sharepoint knows where to point the web page viewer info locally)

What do you mean by MS Web Folder? Is that an option in WD9?



Also,...by publishing all of the site contents from WD9 to the docs library,...will that also automatically bring with it any images, functionality etc...I created in WD9? I'm assuming that it does,....hence the purpose for exporting it anyway.


The only area this may get weird is that when I create the site in WDesigner9, I'm thinking that i will need to be sure that I point all of the links to pdf files, excel files etc....to where the site asset folder (containing the said files) is located on my Sharepoint server.

OR........do it all in WDesigner 9 and assume that when it exports over, it all stays together. (again,...assuming that it should when the files all get moved to the Doc Library and the links all stay in tact with the move).

I'm over-thinking this aren't I??? I'm just nervous because the potential to spend weeks and months on building this is very real and I have to have results for the ol boss to see in the end. It just makes me a bit on edge,...but I REALLY want to use WebDesigner because it will really make things so much cooler and easier for me on the development side.
So long as WD allows for a search tool too. I will have to check that out for myself.

Thanks for your input on this! AND your patience.

[Acorn]

You are almost there.
I've not used SharePoint for two years and while I can do this all in my sleep, it is difficult to explain it with an application on a machine in front of me.
You will be trying to get to an Explorer View from your document library (DL). In this View, you can drag and drop folders and files directly onto the page and they upload into the DL.
Once you have done this once, I believe you can open Windows Explorer directly and there will be a Web Folder there with the name/URL of your Site; you use this the same way for copying items between folders as you normally do.

Xara will create home.htm (and other *.htm files) and the home_htm_files folder, containing all your images, PDFs, css and js files.
All are relative to where home.htm is stored so once in your DL you have the full URL to home.htm.
If you have loaded the PDFs and Excel files separately into your DL then they may have different paths to where they are now stored.
You either drop then onto the Xara page and they are copied into home_htm_files folder or you have to explicitly reference then with their full URL in the DL from each Xara link.
The better way is the latter as you then allow SharePoint to do its versioning business without you having to republish your Xara website.
The trick is to have your DL open to pick up all the PDF and Excel links and copy and paste these into Xara. I have done this for 70 documents and managed it in under an hour, noting, again, it is a one-off exercise until new files are added...

Acorn

[TDolce]

You are almost there.

The trick is to have your DL open to pick up all the PDF and Excel links and copy and paste these into Xara. I have done this for 70 documents and managed it in under an hour, noting, again, it is a one-off exercise until new files are added...

Acorn

OK,..this sounds pretty clear. Couple of notes: If I create a Doc Library on a SP page and then view it in Explorer view and then bring in the Xara folders, that is simple enough. Problem is (If I remember correctly) then you will have the document library visible on the page too with the folders and files sitting there in plain view. I'm trying to recall if there was/is a way to hide the doc library once it is created.

Other thing....I think what you are saying is to keep my DL open WHILE ACTIVELY CREATING THE WEBSITE IN XARA, so I can simply copy paste the link addresses to the pdfs and docs from the DL right into Xara as I'm creating links there.
This way,...all I need to do is transfer the Xara folders and files once into the DL and all of the links to the supporting pdfs will be there and correct without any further intervention on my part.


Logic tells me that there may be a second option here: Hear me out for a second:

Why not this method? Create a new blank site in Sharepoint......Add all of the supporting pdf's, ppt.s and Docs etc...into the "Site Assets" folder of the site (Done in Sharepoint Designer actually) and again,...keep it open and copy paste the location info into the links in Xara WHILE actively building the site. THEN simply add the Xara files all into the Site Assets folder and done. No Document Library to worry about hiding.

Again,....the Site Assets section is easily accessible in Sharepoint Designer (what I use to do advance editing on Sharepoint Sites) and so long as the Page viewer webpart that I create on the page points to the Xara's home.htm file located there,..I think it will work.

Does it sound right? Or should I use the Doc Library method?

Dang,...I need an aspirin.

[Acorn]

I think you've nailed it. I was recommending you add your assets as SharePoint then use their links in Xara.
You still need to upload the Xara assets into SharePoint and use the Page Viewer Web Part if you want the Xara site to appear within SharePoint.

If not, then publishing your Xara website to another location and simply linking out of that into your DL to display or download the PDFs will be easily realised.

What I was describing was a fully integrated Xara website within SharePoint display and control.
If you are using SP Designer many of the steps are much easier to achieve.

The only major downside I can recall is the slow upload times that SP takes as it is rebuilding indexes all the time.

Acorn

[TDolce]

Thanks Acorn!
Yeah,..I would definitely go the Page Viewer Web part and simply point the web part to the home.htm file in the site assets.

I guess I will just have to see how slow it uploads when the end user accesses it,..although our users will be using the lightning fast lines that our company employs....

The last piece to the puzzle will be how the Sharepoint Search tool works with the webpart. Last I checked,...it will search through webparts,..but I'm not certain. If not, there may be a 3rd party option that I can build right into the Xara site as I'm designing it. Atomz was brought into the discussion,....but I'm not fond of the ads that come with the search results. That won't fly with my boss and my team for sure. If the SPoint search does indeed work within a webpart, then I'm fine. I just like having all of my options ready before I get too deep into a project.

I just got approval for the purchase of WDesigner9 Premium if I so choose to go this route. That is good news too.

[Acorn]

I was talking about how long your upload would take - Xara sites have a lot of small assets that are repeated with different names - 1.png can be the same as 23.png.
To get round this you can reName identical images to the same Name so you only get one upload.

The download speed your SP users experience will not be affected.

Acorn