Copying the entire site

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Sami, I would like to copy the entire site, page by page, and then translate only the texts to Spanish.
I already have the Spanish pages with a "work in progress, please see the Italian page at... ..." sign since the computer crash, remember? so I only need to copy the pages from my actual site and copy them to the empty already-created pages.

Any hint to do it fast and easy? 

Thanks

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The FASTEST way to do what you want:
Open your tlx design file.  FILE SAVE AS and give it a new name.
Then change all the text in this file to what ever language you want.
Publish the full tlx file in a SUBDIRECTORY.
Link from home page of main site to the home page of the subdirectory.
All pages would be the same, same address, just with the subdirectory name included in address.
Any link that is made to link WITHIN the tlx file (from page to page, product.htm, etc) will work within the subdirectory so your italian visitors would see your italian pages, spanish visitors would stay in the spanish version.
Any link that is URL style (full web address h**p://www.themainsite.com/product.htm) would need to be adjusted to stay within the subdirectory.

Main site:
wxw.themainsite.com/product.htm

The spanish version:
wxw.themainsite.com/e/product.htm

The italian version:
wxw.themainsite.com/i/product.htm

Only down side: will require update of 3 versions of each page.

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Thank you Sami.

Why three versions? So far I've seen only one copy of the main version...  

wxw.themainsite.com/product.htm which is Italian

wxw.themainsite.com/e/product.htm  would be the Spanish version

Why wxw.themainsite.com/i/product.htm ? Italian again?  

What about the page numbers/names of the Spanish version? there are many links to those pages spread on the net (mostly forums in Spain) that redirect to those pages. I wouldn't like to lose them   Remember that the Spanish  version existed, but was lost when crash.

Last thing: my server contract gives me only 20 Mb of space. The actual version is around 10 Mb... It won't fit, right?

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Of course Tony!!! I forgot that the main language of your site is italian not english.   
You post here in such excellent english it slipped my mind for a moment.

You can copy existing pages in your tlx design file.
Right click a page icon on your map and copy/paste.
Then you MUST set the page name in the page properties so it is not the same as the original page.
In the map, keep your spanish pages separated from the italian  with space and or sequence lines.
Note that sometimes when you copy a page like that, you may get all the page including the inserted html boxes.
But SOMETIMES the inserted html boxes publish wrong. You might need to put those back into the pages manually if you get %% on the page instead of the results you were expecting.

You can set your window to see the original and the copy at the same time.
Use the HANDLES on the top/side of the window to do this.

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Hi Sami,
I'm working with the Spanish pages as you told me with copy/paste and changing the page numbers, but now  I have some doubts...

- do I have to publish to a subdirectory anyway? If yes, how I tell CSB to do it?
- the links to the old Spanish pages spread on the net, will them work with the new same-named pages?
- the first option you gave me, copying the tlx file, does not apply anymore?

Sorry, I think I'm mixing mayonnaise with mayoress...    

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No subdirectory necessary if you are keeping the pages inside the original main tlx design file. 

the links to the old Spanish pages spread on the net, will them work with the new same-named pages?

Sure!  Yes!  If you had a page called mypage.htm and links went to it from everywhere on the web, make your new page called mypage.htm.  Your new page will just replace the old one. The other sites will not know that the page changed. And search engines will continue to show links going to that page name! 

If your old page had nothing in the "short title" field and you just used the idxx.htm page name, you can still make your new page use that same name by putting the "idxx" into the short title field of the new page. That will make the page have the same name as the old page.

You must remember to change the name of the OLD page to xmypage.htm for now.  When you are ready, you can delete the old page from your tlx file if you don't need it now. 

Remember that every page must have its own name. 
DO NOT REPEAT a name!   
NEVER repeat the same thing in the "short title" field.
It will cause CSB to choke!

Subdirectory is great to separate the italian and spanish pages. Since you already have incoming links to the spanish pages, you probably do not want to put those pages into its own directory folder. Better to leave them where they are unless the TLX file is just getting too big. 

How many MB is your tlx file now?  Don't let it get TOO big or you might get corruptions in the file.  Make sure you are using FILE SAVE AS and giving the file a NEW NAME every now and then. Helps to compact the file and keep it cleaner...less problems.

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...Don't let it get TOO big...

How big is TOO big? 

...Make sure you are using FILE SAVE AS and giving the file a NEW NAME every now and then....

Every now and then DURING the work session (copying the pages) or in the time coming?

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How many MB is your tlx file now?

Make sure you are using FILE SAVE AS and giving the file a NEW NAME every now and then....

This is a basic way to make backup files of your tlx file with other benefits too. I wrote this in another thread:

You may consider making incremental backup copies of your design file, and keeping them on your computer for a short time. If you do something wacky to your file (delete the wrong page, insert code that corrupts a web page, etc) you can quickly go back to the previous version of the file and work again.  (CSB tlx design file note:  This method also COMPACTS the working file and prunes out old unneeded code, making the file leaner and less likely to corrupt!)
 
LOW TECH way:   Use FILE SAVE AS every time you open your file.  Save the file with a name that includes the date for easiest reference and the files stay in date order too!  
Example: open main010109  FILE SAVE AS main010209.  The next save as: main010309.
Subdirectory examples:  vacation070109, photos070109 etc.
To keep the order correct, use a 6 (010109) or 8 (01012009) digit number - don't use 1-1-09
Simple. Fast. Easy.  The publishing information remains the same and is undisturbed. The previous day's file still exists so you can come back to it if necessary and this process creates an  unlimited number of backup copies you can delete or archive the old ones as you see fit, or have a record of how your site has progressed.  This technique will also keep you from overwriting your existing file with an older version!!!

http://samisite.com/forum/index.php?topic=644.0

If you don't do it every time you open the file, you should at least do it before making any big important changes, or after you have deleted pages from your tlx file.

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How many MB is your tlx file now?  Don't let it get TOO big or you might get corruptions in the file.  Make sure you are using FILE SAVE AS and giving the file a NEW NAME every now and then. Helps to compact the file and keep it cleaner...less problems.

Sami, I'm almost done with the Spanish pages, the file reached 19 Mb -and my rented space is 20 Mb...  (I can't understand it, for new customers the give 1 Gb for LESS money a year) 

How big is TOO big without risk of corruptions?

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Too big depends on many things....how much RAM you have in your computer, how much of a struggle Windows has to convert your file, how many pictures (they seem to be a major problem for some people) are in the file, and per page....

Generally speaking, I like to keep my files at 5mb-23mb.
Some subdirectories are tiny, others a bit too big.
Criteria for me:
1) windows
2) ram
3) space on system
4) pictures
5) sometimes it is necessary to upload the ENTIRE file to the server. I do not want files that take hours to upload! Or make my old computer choke to use!

Some people have files that are 40-50mb with no problem.
Beyond that you are ASKING for trouble.
Some people have gone WAY TOO BIG that even new computer has difficulty compiling the file.  Why take the chance when it is not nessary.

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You asked me about hosting.
I have used MANY MANY MANY hosts.  GoDaddy.com is cheap for the amount of space they offer.
They have 24hour support. But I DO NOT like the control panel/options.     The constant offers for something "on sale" etc are spam!     And they can get very expensive when you add on this option then add on this option and one more thing....   

Samisite.com is hosted at TotalChoiceHosting.com http://www.totalchoicehosting.com/web-hosting-plans.html  and I still LOVE the control panel (cPanel) and find the host does everything I could need or want from a host. Consistent. Not expensive (A 100 page site with more than 300 PDF documents for download is still only $44/year! Samisite is beyond that level but still not bad).  The lowest level has enough space & bandwidth for many commercial sites!  And even that lowest level gets every option included in the plan.  No host is perfect. But TCH has treated me very well and I have no plans to move the site. I gladly recommend them.

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How many MB is your tlx file now?  Don't let it get TOO big or you might get corruptions in the file. 

Thank you Sami.
You early mentioned something about risks of file corruptions.
Reading your recent post, I understood that the only risks that we can get are logistics risks, depending on our system resources, right?

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My largest tlx is 29MB & no problems.  

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No... not quite.  It is not an exact science.  MANY things can cause corruptions.
We just happen to know of several specific items that are KNOWN causes.

For most people, the issue is just maneuverability: Ability of the system to extract, compile, convert the data.
But for others some other factors can be the source of corruption!
Anchors need to be named properly or tons of data can be lost.
Pictures in the tlx design file can be a major point of vulnerability. (listed as #4 above)
 - total number of pictures in the file
 - total number of pictures on a page
 - size of images (remember that CSB was made before the concept of 10/12 Mega Pixel cameras!)

Tips to avoid this situation:
- Photos should be prepared BEFORE putting into the web builder.
- Don't put more than 100 photos on any page.
- Try to keep the total number of images on the site to 2000/2500 in one tlx file.
If more are needed, or you have to update the images OFTEN, inserted code can be used to speed the process and eliminate the issue. All the charts on investmenttools.com are updated either daily or weekly by the webmaster, yet the CSB tlx file is not edited.  A small piece of code is put into CSB that pulls the chart into the page. FTP software is used to quickly upload new versions of the charts daily/weekly. The tlx files are kept very lean, very light because none of those images are actually in the tlx design file!

Leaving deleted data in the tlx file can cause problems with the code eventually.
Every time you delete a page or make major changes it is best to do a file save as with new name to compact and clean the file so that old code can not interfere.

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Anchors need to be named properly or tons of data can be lost.
Example?

 
Tips to avoid this situation:
- Photos should be prepared BEFORE putting into the web builder.
Saved for web? as in Photoshop?

- Don't put more than 100 photos on any page.
Are we talking of qty/photos or qty/Mb of images?
I have more than 150 photos in one page and will increase...
h**p://www.iarfish.com/id47.htm

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Anchors are GREAT but CSB can cause headaches over time when the anchors are not named properly.
Please read this LONG....LONG...LONG post about proper naming of files.
Part of that post shows why you need to name files, web pages, and anchors properly.  Even quotes an OLD post from the old forum where we discovered the major problem with anchors.
Dianne's anchors were made by CSB. She accepted the names that CSB suggested.
And eventually ALL HER PICTURES disappeared!
When the Anchors were fixed, her pictures came back.
A couple years ago, she moved away from CSB.
Difficult to believe but a very real event that has happened to a few people so far!

IMAGES
1) Always remember to limit the image size for the web! Check the size of your finished image.  Images should be "optimized so that they load faster.  Images should be between 1kb and 60kb in size (smaller is good as long as the quality remains!). Of course there are exceptions to that rule!  When you insert images that are not optimized, the web page will load VERY SLOWLY!  Most Photo programs have a compression/optimize/make ready for website feature.  Try your HELP section in the program.  
Consider Irfanview as a quick remedy-photo viewer with some great features and good compression.
2) Don't expect the image "re-size" feature to optimize your image! If you load a 2mb image into the web page and use the re-size feature to make the image smaller on the web page, your visitor still has to wait for 2mb to load.  Work on your photo before it makes it to your web page!   if you need an image to fit a 500x400 space, don't put a 1710x1500 photo into it. Prepare a smaller, optimized version of the photo to fit that space!

Re-size and optimize are two different things!  Making a picture smaller does not necessarily optimize it.  Most photo programs give the option to keep 100% quality or something less. Optimizing at 85% - 70% will give you excellent results for the web.  Resizing AND optimizing can take a 2mb photo and make it be only 100KB instead, yet keep similar visual quality! The PRINT quality is greatly reduced but the visual aspect of the web will see little difference. The page loads faster, the image data stored in the web builder is far less.

100+ photos
Several people have had problems when they approach 200 on a page. But that is not a magical number!  Depending on the images, the way they are inserted, the size of each, etc you might get away with 150 or 350 on a page. I am not psychic and can not predict the future, only tell you what past experience has been. The people that had difficulty were not displaying small product images. They had group shots of people, etc. Consider why you need so many on a page. Are the necessary?  Consider using code to pull more into the page. Consider splitting the page....lots of options...  In every case where the images were a problem, corruption to tlx design file, when images were removed from an older version of the tlx file the problem did not happen again!