Hello everybody!
I am a Newby...both to this forum and to web servers...
Here is my situation:
My friends and I need to edit web pages from places in Asia where it is impossible to find a workable internet connection.
Also, I just want to do-it-myself a few basic ecommerce sites...I don't want to be a programmer, webdesigner or webhost...so I don't want to learn PHP and don't need to but...I am a strong believer in PHP "server-side" includes...which are best edited with a server to show the results.
I was delighted to stumble on the free-and-easy Abyss desktop server.
Yes, my Abyss-X1 with PHP5 is running with no problem! Hurrah! I can see my PHP pages without the internet! I can even carry server-and-sites around, all in one tiny flash drive! And I would be happy to pay $20 for Abyss-X2. But US$60 is rather steep for a fancy web server that will not be serving the web...
MY PROBLEMS:
I have several websites. With Abyss-X1 (only one host allowed) I must put all sites inside subfolders, within a single root folder such as "htdocs." This complicates the "relative paths" needed for efficient "includes."
I may be fuzzy about "relative paths" but here are my trial-and-error assumptions:
a) Start-at-root method: a relative path starting with a plain slash ("/") means "start at the root or home page level." I like this, because I can use the same path from any level of a multi-level site. It works with SSI and IMG. But not with PHP includes. (At least not with my current host.)
Also, start-at-root normally will not work when viewing "offline" through Abyss-X1 on my desktop, because each "home page" can no longer be in the "root" level of the "htdocs" folder, a.k.a. http://localhost. Instead, with X1 and several sites, each site's home page must be inside a subfolder such as http://localhost/subfolder-x
"If" the start-at-root method is supposed to work for PHP include calls, then it is ideal for the uploaded "final versions" of the websites. This is also workable (but a nuisance) for offline previewing as "localhost" with Abyss-X1, if I go to:
console > default host > configure > server root
...and manually change this, each time I work on a different website.
b) Start-at-file method: a relative path starting with dot-dot-slash ("../") means "starting where you are, go up one level." This can be repeated to "go up two levels" etc. But (at least with my last webhost) with PHP includes, this means that if you "include" the same navigation menu from level 2, its links will end up differently than if you "include" it from level 3.
MY QUESTIONS:
--Is the "start-at-root" method ("/") supposed to work with PHP includes? I.e., do I simply need to find a different webhost with the proper configurations?
--Can the "start-at-root" method be made to work when viewing pages offline as:
http://localhost/subfolder
...without repeatedly re-configuring the server root? ?
--Again for offline viewing: can http://localhost/knf (my subfolder for kwik-n-free.com) be replaced with something shorter, like http://kwik-n-free.com or http://knf ?
I.e., can Abyss be made to recognize something equivalent to a "local nameserver" when it is offline? (Not vital, but it would be nice.)
--If I must use the "start-at-file" method ("../") then do I have to make a different set of PHP include files for each level, because they end up "relatively" different for each level, even though they are "supposed" to result in the same navigation menu?
Link references.
A few of these pages are off-topic, but I learned some useful tips from all of them. (Mostly found by a forum search for "relative.") Some of the discussions "almost" seemed to answer some of my primary questions. However, the discussion sometimes went above my head, or seemed outdated. Also primarily, most discussions seemed focused on operating Abyss as an online web server, not as an offline PHP previewer.
AbyssUnderground.co.uk
Abyss Tutorials Forum
Relative Abyss (2007)
How to get PHP to use relative filenames... (2007)
Installing Abyss Web Server on an External USB Hard Drive (2007)
Short URL's (2006)
Direct Path Question (2006)
PHP Includes (2006)
USB Webserver ... (2006)
abyss portable? (2006)
6 Tips To Secure Your Website (2006)
Hosting mutiples sites need input (2006)
Running Multiple Sites / Domains On Abyss (2004)
host 2 different websites (2004)
port 80 is already in use (2004)
Can anyone help to clarify the above questions, please?
Thank you for your replies, anyone!