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When a page group is generated, all its output files (e.g. HTML files) are generated from the data stored in the database and written to disk.

As well as generating the whole page group, it is possible to generate individual pages. In many places it is also possible to preview the code which will be generated, either as text or in a browser window. The same principles apply in all these situations.

Generated files are always placed in the main local directory for the page group, overwriting (after user confirmation) any old versions which might be present.

When (part of) a page group is previewed, the code is generated normally and then either shown in a text window, or written to a file called ~temp.html in the main local directory, which is then opened in a browser window.

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generating the whole page group

The whole page group is generated and written to disk, overwriting files which already exist (after confirmation).

Each separate page is generated, and the result compared with the contents of the existing file if one exists. If these are not identical, the old file will be overwritten after confirmation by the user. Various options exist for influencing the way the generation process is carried out; see tab 'advanced' in the page group screen.

After the entire page group has been successfully generated, the date/time last generated will be updated.

Note that there are also various ways of generating a number of web page groups at the same time:

  • by selecting them on the 'tools' page of the web page groups screen (control panel > web pages > web page groups > tools) and clicking the 'generate selected web site(s)' button (  ).
  • by selecting them in the search screen (control panel > tools > search for records) and clicking the 'generate selected web site(s)' button (  ).
  • by putting them on a list, calling up that list in the lists screen (control panel > web pages > lists) and using the 'generate selected web site(s)' button (  ).
  • using the action 'generate' in screen 'perform an action' (control panel > actions > perform an action).

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viewing the page group in a browser window

Once the page group has been generated, this button will open a browser window with the start file; by default this will be the first main page, but in a page group using frames, for instance, it would be set to the extra page containing the frameset.

A warning is given if the page group has not been generated since the last time it was changed.

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previewing generated code

In many places it is possible to preview the code which will be generated, either as text or in a browser. This can be done for a whole page, a single page element or a navigation text.

 
preview generated code in browser

The required part of the page group is generated as a text file called ~temp.html in the page group location. This file is then viewed with the browser.

When using this feature for an element, note that the code generated can look very different when viewed on its own than it will look as part of a page, especially if it appears inside a table or is influenced by preceding HTML tags (e.g. <FONT>).

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preview generated code as text

The required part of the page group is generated and shown as text. This is equivalent to previewing the code with the browser and then using the browser's 'view source' function.

The window showing the generated text has a button (  ) allowing it then to be viewed in the browser if required.

When using this feature for an element, a split screen is produced. Above is shown the element template used, with an indication of how it was produced (i.e. from the default for the pagegroup, the template for the element, or generated by the system). Below is the result produced by generating from the template; this can then be viewed in the browser. Note that the code generated for an element can look very different when viewed on its own than it will look as part of a page, especially if it appears inside a table or is influenced by preceding HTML statements (e.g. FONT).

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generating part of a page group

The required part of the page group is generated and written to disk under its actual filename. If a file already exists it will be overwritten.

This can save time when only a small part of a large page group has changed. Note, however that generating part of a page group will not cause an update of the date/time last generated. Because a changed item may be referenced from anywhere in the page group, to guarantee consistency the date/time last generated is only updated when the entire page group is generated.

This feature can also be useful when working on a HTML file which appears inside a frame. Using the 'preview in browser' button in this case will show the generated ~temp.html file in a new browser window. Instead, generate the file concerned, then click 'refresh' in a browser window showing the entire frameset.

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selecting part of page group to be previewed or generated

When generating or viewing a main page (or an extra page produced for each main page), the page number required can be specified in the field 'view/generate page'.

To generate or preview a given detail page (or an extra page produced for that detail page), click on the element which produces the detail page in the element selection window (control panel > web pages > web page groups > elements). If no element has been selected, the first detail page will be viewed/generated.

The language used for previewing/generation is normally the default language. To preview or generate code for a different language, select that language in the language selection window on the 'languages' page (control panel > web pages > web page groups > languages).

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