Converting from the old template

For users using the previous version of the KU template, converting over to the new look and feel should be relatively simple, but does involve a few steps. You have the option of simply switching the last line of your current "myheader" file to point to the new KU template, but this may yield some undesirable results. Below is the recommended process for converting from the old template to the new.

Note: The below instructions are assuming you are using Dreamweaver MX 2004 or later for your website maintenance.

1) Creating a test site

The KU departmental web server (www2.ku.edu) has been configured to allow site owners to make test copies of their sites to ease the transition to the new template. This will allow you to update your existing site in a separate location without affecting the appearance of your existing site. When your site is ready, putting it into production will be as simple as copying the files to their permanent location.

Important: The web site test copy is only functional for web sites on www2.ku.edu. Access to your cgi-bin is not possible from the test copy.

  1. In dreamweaver, click "Site"->Manage Sites
  2. Select your site and click "duplicate" (this will make a new site called "site - copy")
  3. Click on your new site, and click "edit". Make sure you are now in the "advanced" tab
  4. Change your site name to something like "site - test"
  5. For the local root folder, select a new blank folder somewhere on your computer
  6. Click the "Remote Info" category on the left side of this screen
  7. Make your "Host directory" blank if it is not already
  8. Upload or "put" your public_html_test folder to the remote site
  9. Click "ok" and then "done"
  10. In your files view, switch to "Remote View", and connect to the remote server
  11. Right-click on public_html, and choose "edit->duplicate". This will create a duplicate copy of your site.
  12. Rename the new "Copy of public_html" to "public_html_test" by clicking on the folder and selecting "edit->rename"

You have now created a copy of your web directory "public_html", named it "public_html_test" and are ready to begin updating your web pages. As long as you are careful to only modify files within "public_html_test", your real web site will be unaffected while you work. Your new "test" site will be located at http://www2test.ku.edu/~accountname.

2) Updating your header file

Now that you have a working copy of your site in your public_html_test folder, you can edit the "myheader" file inside of public_html_test to make it work with the new template. The two most important changes are:
  1. Add the following line to the top of your myheader.shtml file:
    <!--#set var="kuoldcompatible" value="1" -->
  2. Now change the old code from:
    <!--#include virtual="/~http/ssi/header_ku.shtml" -->
    to
    <!--#include virtual="/~http/ssi/2009/header_ku.shtml" -->

3) Testing your site

Now that the template has been modified for your web site, it's time to upload your myheader.shtml file to the webserver and see how it looks. There's a good chance it could use some tweaking before it looks really polished, but the most important parts should be finished.
  1. Return to the Local/Remote Files view.
  2. Select the "public_html_test" folder by clicking on it once.
  3. Select the "myssi/myheader.shtml" file and click the Up arrow at the top of the file view. This is the tool to "Put file(s)" onto the web server.
Your test web site has now been published to the web server. You can view it at a test URL which is similar to your original site URL:
   http://www2test.ku.edu/~accountname
Replace "accountname" with the actual name of your account, and you should be able to see the test copy of your web site in your web browser.

Important: In the test web site any scripts in your cgi-bin directory will be disabled. You will be unable to test the template in your scripts using the test URL.

At this stage, you may wish to make other modifications to your header file or your stylesheet. Please refer to the configuration options section for your header file, and the CSS guide for your stylesheet.

4) Making your test site "live"

Once you have your site polished and ready to go "live", you can easily move from www2test to your actual live site. The way to do this in dreamweaver is:
  1. In your dreamweaver file browser, change to "Remote view".
  2. Right-click on your "public_html" folder and choose "edit"->rename
  3. Rename the folder to "public_html_old"
  4. Right-click on your "public_html_test" folder and choose "edit"->rename
  5. Rename the folder to "public_html"
  6. Go to your site and verify that it is working correctly

That's all there is too it! Congratulations on converting your site to the new KU template!