Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Eug Wanker · Jan 15, 2006, 09:34 PM

Please say it isn't so. I can't find an easy way to export an iWeb project in progress so that I can edit it on another computer.

I see "Publish to Folder" but once the webpage is output, you can't edit it again. You can only edit what's already in iWeb, or else new pages. In other words, I can't transfer a half-finished iWeb project from my desktop to my laptop. Did Apple really seriously leave this basic functionality out or am I missing something?

I can find the "Domain" file in "~/Library/Application Support/iWeb/" but even having that doesn't really help. As far as I can tell, the only way to transfer the project to another computer is to replace the "Domain" file with the one you want on the new computer.

Even if you drag a "Domain" file onto the iWeb dock icon, it opens the one in "~/Library/Application Support/iWeb/" and not the one you dragged to iWeb, despite the fact that iWeb launches from there.

Hi I'm Ben · Jan 16, 2006, 04:41 AM

When you figure that one out, please tell me how I can change the date of a blog entry, or move them around.

Eug Wanker · Jan 16, 2006, 12:37 PM

Originally Posted by Hi I'm Ben

When you figure that one out, please tell me how I can change the date of a blog entry, or move them around.

Can you edit it in the HTML? Just wondering - haven't checked myself. It would be a pain in the @ss though I agree.

I have checked iWeb's included feature of insertion of the "Email to" button. You can simply change the email in the html if you don't want it to go to your .Mac address. (I didn't see a pref to change it elsewhere from within iWeb, but I didn't look very hard and I can't check now since I don't have iWeb on my Mac at work.)

Salty · Jan 16, 2006, 12:42 PM

Ahh the joy of iApps having annoying file types that don't lend themselves well go being transferred and shared...

Eug Wanker · Jan 16, 2006, 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by Salty

Ahh the joy of iApps having annoying file types that don't lend themselves well go being transferred and shared...

The fact that it's an entirely new file type doesn't bother me.

For example, Keynote uses .key files, and those are only understood by Keynote. However, the files are freely transferable and accessible by anyone with a copy of Keynote.

The problem with iWeb is there is no way to export a project. The project lives in iWeb and stays there forever (until you delete it). Even if you have 5 machines with iWeb, only one of them can ever edit that project (unless you start mucking around with files Apple doesn't want you mucking around with).

NeilCharter · Jan 22, 2006, 04:50 AM

Hurrah - I did it!!!

The file resides in ~/Library/Application Support/iWeb.

The file is called Domain and basically is a package containing the entire web site with the associated files.

I copied the file over into the same location ( and thereby replacing the original) on a second mac. Opening iWeb on the second machine, opened the site that I had designed on the first mac.

It remains to be seen whether you can go back and forth like this. What is clear from copying the file over is that the package contains the images (ie photos for my site). This suggest that you don't have to have iPhoto library etc to be identical on the two machines.

Aren't I clever!?!?!?

Neil

Eug Wanker · Jan 22, 2006, 10:46 AM

Yeah, you can do that, but it's a serious PITA. What happens if you started a project on your desktop and one on your laptop and you wanted to combine them?

NeilCharter · Jan 22, 2006, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

Yeah, you can do that, but it's a serious PITA. What happens if you started a project on your desktop and one on your laptop and you wanted to combine them?

Then you're screwed dude!

Remember this is iWeb 1.0. Just like all the other iApps, its functionality will improve.

Another issue I have is that you cannot change the theme of a page. Seems very restrictive to me.

Eug Wanker · Jan 22, 2006, 01:53 PM

Remember this is iWeb 1.0. Just like all the other iApps, its functionality will improve.

True, but quite frankly I think they left this functionality out on purpose because of some strange unexplained reason. Otherwise I cannot understand why they would leave out such basic functionality. It's not as if it helps anyone in any way, and I don't see how making iWeb projects exportable and distibutable would actually be hard to program.

Can you imagine being unable to save incomplete Pages documents for editing on another computer? ie. You could only ever edit a Pages document in progress on one computer. The only thing you'd ever be able to export to another computer is a completed PDF once you're finished. That would be completely braindead, but that's analogous to the state of iWeb today.

NeilCharter · Jan 22, 2006, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

True, but quite frankly I think they left this functionality out on purpose because of some strange unexplained reason. Otherwise I cannot understand why they would leave out such basic functionality. It's not as if it helps anyone in any way, and I don't see how making iWeb projects exportable and distibutable would actually be hard to program.

Can you imagine being unable to save incomplete Pages documents for editing on another computer? ie. You could only ever edit a Pages document in progress on one computer. The only thing you'd ever be able to export to another computer is a completed PDF once you're finished. That would be completely braindead, but that's analogous to the state of iWeb today.

I agree with what you are saying. I can't help thinking that Apple were going for something really simple. Allow a novice to build smart looking web pages without even worrying where or when to save the file. They are also probably expecting these users to, more often than not, work on a single mac.

This is the way Apple seemed to work these iApps. First a simple app that fills a novice niche and then as it becomes apparent that a more sophisticated solution is in demand, upgrade the app with more features.

I'm looking to see if I can re-build my .mac based website using iWeb. In the past I have used RapidWeaver, which makes decent looking pages. The iWeb content is definitely a lot sleaker, although not as flexible. With over 6 years of family photos to host, space could be an issue. From what it seems iWeb will provide what I need and hopefully will expand its features as my needs grow.

R McPhail · Jan 23, 2006, 11:36 AM

Thanks for the tip I was pretty frustrated trying to figure out how to get sites from one machine to another.

:dragonflypro: · Jan 23, 2006, 03:56 PM

Sounds like a job for iWeb Buddy.

Or so it should be dubbed. An app that will export or let you use multiple iWeb libraries.

No, I am not writing it, but there is an iPhoto buddy… so someone with the smarts could do it.

Eug Wanker · Jan 23, 2006, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by :dragonflypro:

Sounds like a job for iWeb Buddy.

Or so it should be dubbed. An app that will export or let you use multiple iWeb libraries.

No, I am not writing it, but there is an iPhoto buddy… so someone with the smarts could do it.

If you hold down the OPTION key when launching iPhoto, it allows you to load an alternate iPhoto database, or create a new one. (It doesn't let you merge though.) And no, this doesn't work in iWeb.