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[revimp]

I just uploaded my website done in xsitepro to anther hosting compnay but they told me it isnt working because there is no "index.html file".the index is teh home page so I can't see how to change this.Well I have had this site hosted by another host and all I did was upload it and it worked.How do I add a "index.html" file and how do I get this thing to work? thanks in advance,Bill

 

[adrian]

Have you uploaded a page called index.htm or index.html or index.asp or index.php to your new server? It should work... otherwise you are probably waiting for the DNS to catch up.

 

[markling]

Make sure that you're uploading your files into a public_html or httpdocs file, or something like that. Usually when you connect to your host, you'll actually be *outside* of your web documents folder. If you upload anything there... you won't be able to see it.

To check if this is the case, see if you can find any of your other pages by typing them into your address bar. If *none* of them are there, I'm guessing you've uploaded into the wrong place.

The reason it might have worked with the other host is that it might automatically have opened in the index_html/httpdocs folder, so you wouldn't have noticed. Just a guess.

Let us know how you get on,
Mark

 

[revimp]

thanks.When I type in the home page ,which is "http://www.simplesalesadvice.com/index.html" I can see the site and navigate as well.When I type in the domain wihtout an "index",as in http://www.simplesalesadvice.com",I get nothing.Help.

 

[revimp]

Ok in xsite-pro this is what is asked for on the publishing page:

domain name:www.mysite.com

home directory:??? should be what?

ftp server:www,mysite.com

ftp user name: my log in name at host
ftp password: host log in
ftp directory: ??/should be what?

from the hosts' directions I get the following:


These are your FTP settings:

FTP User Name
This is the user name for your hosting account.
FTP Password
This your password for your hosting account.
Web Site URL
example.com
FTP Site URL
ftp.example.com
Start Directory
Some FTP clients will ask for a "Home" or "Start" directory. Our hosting service does not require this. Leave the box blank. If the client requires a value, enter a single forward slash followed by your hosting account user name (i.e., /<user name>).

"Note the "Our hosting service does not require this" part,I am totally confused now.If anyone would like to log in to my account at the host and help me figure this out,I woudl be glad to let you do so.thanks.

 

[markling]

Very quickly I can see that the reason it works when you enter "index.html" is because you've created a DIRECTORY called "index.html". All your files are inside that DIRECTORY. You can also tell this because when you navigate to any page it says you're going to (for example) simplesalesadvice.com/index.html/intro-to-adsense.html

It should say
simplesalesadvice.com/intro-to-adsense.html

I suggest that instead of using xsitepro to publish your webpages, you get an external FTP client like FileZilla (free) or CuteFTP (costs) or ANYTHING and use that to see what exactly is going on with your website structure.

Use your login details to connect to your hosting provider. The part you quoted where it says that you don't need a "home" or "start" directory is what I was talking about in my last response... the "public_html" or "httpdocs" folder. So just ignore that part.

When you connect to your site you should then be looking at the root of your website. You will see a folder called "index.html". That's the problem! You want everything that's *inside* the "index.html" folder to be *outside* it.

And THEN.... you need to have one document in the root of everything called "index.html". Note that this is a single HTML document... not a folder! This is the page that people see when they first visit your website.

domain name:simplesalesadvice.com (This is just for display, I think)
home directory: The location of the folder on your computer, I guess
ftp server: simplesalesadvice.com
ftp user name: my log in name at host
ftp password: host log in
ftp directory: / (Nothing, because your host says you don't need one)

Let us know if that works!
Mark

 

[revimp]

Mark I really appreciate your efforts but I can't say I understand how to do this.Why did it work so easily before with another host and now i have to go through hoops to get it to work? I thought xsitepro had all of this figured out.
you said:

"When you connect to your site you should then be looking at the root of your website. You will see a folder called "index.html". That's the problem! You want everything that's *inside* the "index.html" folder to be *outside* it.

And THEN.... you need to have one document in the root of everything called "index.html". Note that this is a single HTML document... not a folder! This is the page that people see when they first visit your website."

 

[adrian]

Mark I really appreciate your efforts but I can't say I understand how to do this.Why did it work so easily before with another host and now i have to go through hoops to get it to work? I thought xsitepro had all of this figured out.
you said:

"When you connect to your site you should then be looking at the root of your website. You will see a folder called "index.html". That's the problem! You want everything that's *inside* the "index.html" folder to be *outside* it.

And THEN.... you need to have one document in the root of everything called "index.html". Note that this is a single HTML document... not a folder! This is the page that people see when they first visit your website."

There is no going through hoops. All you need is your login details... instead of uploading your index page you were creating a directory called that. Use Filezilla to connect via FTP and do as Mark suggested, you'll be right.

 

[revimp]

ok I'll give it a shot.Should I delete all of the files I have uploaded already to the host?

 

[adrian]

You can do that yes.

 

[revimp]

I finally got through to xsitepro support and they said to :
Please keep blank both the "home directory" and the "ftp directory".

Also, for the "ftp server" please use "ftp.yourdomain.com" (not www.yourdomain.com).

Then Save and re-publish your website."
and it worked!I am so glad because I do not have much familiarity with all of that stuff.Thank you all for your time and answers to my questions.