HTMLPad2006 SSI Support

[websquad]

The number one feature I'd like to see added to HTMLPad2006 is support for Server Side Includes. I really do not want to install a local web server on my desktop, so that is no solution for me.

I use HTMLPad only for creating a master template for a new web site, because with native SSI support, I have to include all the code as inline code. HTML pad is able to resolve Flash references; it seems to me it wouldn't be too hard to resolve INCLUDE references in a properly coded SSI setting.

The lack of SSI support is what keeps me from using HTMLPad for daily maintenence activity, and thus requires me to use a basic (NoteTabPro) ASCII editor.

[websquad]

I never received a response to my original query. I believe that HTMLPad (and perhaps the other products, although I'm not familiar with them) would be greatly enhanced if common code could be included, for purposes of rendering a page in the development environment, by use the include statement that is used on SSI sites:

<!--#include virtual="/LogoBar.html" -->

Am I alone in wanting this? I would rather not have to install a desktop server to get this capability.

Comments ??

[MikeyB]

Hi websquad,

Personally I don't think it would be a very good idea to have HTMLPad / Rapid CSS / Rapid PHP / WeBuilder handle SSI.

I would imagine the it would involve somehow including a web server into the program so it can do the rendering.
This would make them bloated, and slower, and Karlis has recently mentioned he wants to keep them as slick & fast as possible.

If you have Windows 2000/XP Pro (and I'm sure the non-home versions of Vista) they come with IIS included, so you don't have to download & install a seperate web server.

[syrupcore]

there like 10 one-click apache/php/mysql programs out there now. seriously, it takes no work to get a webserver runing locally these days. I use the one from instant rails. takes 4 seconds to start up.

I think for installation, I double clicked an exe and told it where to install to and what folder to use as my 'web root' which is the folder with all my projects in it. 2 minutes or something.



edit: looks like webuilder v8 will include a webserver after all.

[websquad]

... I double clicked an exe and told it where to install to and what folder to use as my 'web root' which is the folder with all my projects in it. 2 minutes or something.

Wow, a BIG download ... takes 1.6GB of disk space after unzip, installation, and the zip file deleted! I had a free partition, so I copied the zipped file to it, uncompressed it, and ran InstantRails.exe. After I configured it, it had an application "InstantRails" executing, and that app indicates that Apache has started. The installation created a directory "InstantRails" with 11 subdirectories:
apache
config-files
help
mysql
php
phpmyadmin
rails_apps
ruby
safe
tmp
www

Where do you put your web pages? In subdirectories in the apache folder, such as i:\InstantRails\apache\WebSite1\index.shtml ?? Or, since the Server Root is specified in the httpd.config file as ServerRoot "${path}/apache", should the web pages in a folder in the InstantRails folder, such as

i:\InstantRails\WebSite1\index.shtml ??

I would like to include in my SHTML file an include statement such as
<!--#include virtual="/header.html" -->
whereby header.html is in the WebSite1 folder.

Am I on the right track?

[websquad]

I couldn't get any input on where I should install the web pages for Instant Rails to resolve SSI Includes. Someone suggested Xampp distribution of Apache, so I downloaded it and, with the help of their FAQ page, got it to working OK.

I then loaded a test project in the /xampp/htdocs/ subdirectory, and I had no problem with FireFox and MSIE 6 displaying some test "include" text.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that I can't get HTMLPad2006 to properly display that same web page's included text.

Any ideas ??

I'll post this issue on the "Support" forum, since it is my understanding HTMLPad should have this capability.

[syrupcore]

sorry I missed your question websquad. glad you got xampp almost working.

[websquad]

sorry I missed your question websquad. glad you got xampp almost working.

The operative word is almost: the Server Side Includes are not resolving in HTMLPad, but are in MSIE and FireFox. Since this is a feature that ought to be working now that Apache is functional on my system, I've moved the post to the Support forum:
http://forums.blumentals.net/viewtopic.php?t=2149

[syrupcore]

i saw it there, yes. I don't use webuilder's internal preview so I have no help to offer.

[chrisjlocke]

I haven't looked into it yet, but you might have to tell Apache to accept server side includes. Also, you *may* have to use .shtml files.

http://httpd.apache.org/docs/1.3/howto/ ... opermitssi

As I said, I haven't looked into it yet fully...


A short dirty workaround is to use php. Of course, this means changing your page to a .php page though...

[websquad]

I haven't looked into it yet, but you might have to tell Apache to accept server side includes. Also, you *may* have to use .shtml files.
As I said, I haven't looked into it yet fully...
A short dirty workaround is to use php. Of course, this means changing your page to a .php page though...

(1) The Apache version I have came with SSI's installed. As previously mentioned, SSI's work fine locally as long as I view them with MSIE or FireFox; the only problem is with HTMLPad 2006. And an early step was to convert the files to .shtml (although there are patches you can supply to Apache to preclude the need for that ... I chose to not apply them).

(2) The site where I need this the most has almost 500 pages: .php is out of the question ... it may be in the future in a CMS setting, but not this year.

[syrupcore]

why is php out of the question? an include statement in php is essentially the same as an ssi. I think most of the internerd has gone that route.

[websquad]

My church web site has about 450-475 pages ... too many to change! Besides, I was lead to believe that HTMLPad would support Server Side Includes so long as I had Apache installed .... I've installed it, and I still can't get HTMLPad to resolve the SSI's ...

[Karlis]

Not sure, but there is a possibility that this could be done with the new high-speed built-in webserver. Will check.

The question is: Does anybody else needs this?