Offline browsing

[metaldoc]

I would like to copy our website to CD which could then be browsed offline I have three extractor programmes which all download the homepage OK but for whatever reason don't seem to be able to find the other pages? Is this a function of using Soholaunch rather than Blue Voda?
Website Extractor, Back door browser and winht track all suffer the same issue, anyone able to help? our site is www.coatesoffshore.com
Heres hoping!

[VodaHost]

Re: Offline browsing

The reason you can not extract Soho pages is becuase the are .php page which are dynamically created on the server as and when you call them up. In other words, They don’t exist until you try to view them, at this point the server serves them up and makes them look pretty.

[Vasili]

Re: Offline browsing

It would be nice to be able to put websites on CD's, especially those business-card size presentation types, so prospective visitors can get an idea what you're all about.....but you can't.

The best thing you can hope for is 3 different formats to make it easier:
1. You can "send" your home page to yourself via email, and "copy" it to CD as a dynamic link, which would then automatically open up the browser to your actual website (deliver the customer).
2. You can present each "page" of your website on CD as a PowerPoint file (slideshow) taking the risk that each viewer has PowerPoint on their OS, which only 18% of systems have (even though XP is the new standard).
3. You can pay to have your website cloned professionally in a usable format by a firm that specializes in these very CD 'cards' which can be rather costly for short runs. In actuality, these versions are a hybrid of a PowerPoint with an embedded hyperlink to fulfill page views other than offered in the CD formatted program.

If you find another way, please let me know, as I can use this immediately myself!

[metaldoc]

Re: Offline browsing

Thank you for the information, I will ask our corporate HQ in Sydney to see what they can offer regarding php pages, if they come up with a good solution I will post it here, our idea was to put the finished site onto CD so our customers could access our content when offline as lots of them work in remote locations where the internet is unavailable or unreliable.

Regards

Metaldoc

It would be nice to be able to put websites on CD's, especially those business-card size presentation types, so prospective visitors can get an idea what you're all about.....but you can't.

The best thing you can hope for is 3 different formats to make it easier:
1. You can "send" your home page to yourself via email, and "copy" it to CD as a dynamic link, which would then automatically open up the browser to your actual website (deliver the customer).
2. You can present each "page" of your website on CD as a PowerPoint file (slideshow) taking the risk that each viewer has PowerPoint on their OS, which only 18% of systems have (even though XP is the new standard).
3. You can pay to have your website cloned professionally in a usable format by a firm that specializes in these very CD 'cards' which can be rather costly for short runs. In actuality, these versions are a hybrid of a PowerPoint with an embedded hyperlink to fulfill page views other than offered in the CD formatted program.

If you find another way, please let me know, as I can use this immediately myself!

[Hans_Mueller]

Re: Offline browsing

Hi there,

I'm working for an Association that proposes its PHP/MySQL website contents on CD to the new subscribers. The CD contains an off-line copy of its whole website: 650 reading notes, more than 300 documents, and so on...
We used OutSite-In for this project. So, yes, it is possible to make copies of your dynamic website on CD.
Good luck!

Hans

[metaldoc]

Re: Offline browsing

Hi Hans,
I downloaded the software and set it up as instructed, we managed to connect to VodaHost and even view the files but there was a problem in downloading the files, I am not sure if this is something to do with the VodaHost server, our server or the software. I did find some problems with the software but these may not have been the cause of the problem.
I have also tried to download our website from VodaHost using Blue Voda FTP it also has a problem in finding the contents of the sub directories so at the moment I am leaning towards the VodaHost server as the problem.

Regards

Metaldoc (Ian)

[navaldesign]

Re: Offline browsing

Dynamic sites CANNOT be copied for offline browsing. They make use of PHP and MySQL which DO NOT run on a normal PC (unless installed) . Also, the database content should be included in the package. Offline is good for static html pages

[Vasili]

Re: Offline browsing

Hi there,

I'm working for an Association that proposes its PHP/MySQL website contents on CD to the new subscribers. The CD contains an off-line copy of its whole website: 650 reading notes, more than 300 documents, and so on...
We used OutSite-In for this project. So, yes, it is possible to make copies of your dynamic website on CD.
Good luck!

Hans

Yes, Hans, you may clone documents, notes, files, etc. (as you state), but the original question and issue about dynamic websites has been sufficiently answered by both myself and General Naval above: "NO, you cannot copy or convert dynamic websites for offline browsing"

[navaldesign]

Re: Offline browsing

Editing myself: you can copy the static part of a dynamic site: the html templates etc. But there will not be any interaction between the copied pages and the visitor, because dynamic sites create the (dynamic) page content retreiving data from the Database as a consequence of the user input. This, as explained above, is not possible on a PC, unless you have installed an Apache Server / PHP / MySQL enviroment on your PC, and all the database content copied as well (which is impossible) . Even so, there is no program in the world that can retreive through a browser connection, the php code of the site pages, so you will only be able to see the static pages. Also, as many links are difficult to find, even static files (Html, PDF or other format) that don't have clear links to them, cannot be found. The same way that ROR and other sitemappers cannot find all pages of a site.

However, the software above, states that it will copy a dynamic website DIRECTLY FROM THE PC where the site is, which means that it copies everything, MySQL and PHP included and it creates an EXE file. This will work. Remote copying will not work.

We are talking about two different things here, as metadoc asked for a software capable of copying a dynamic site directly from the Internet

[setec]

Re: Offline browsing

Navaldesign is perfectly correct, it's impossible to copy the server side code using a simple HTTP requrest (i.e. without WebDAV).

Moreover OutSite-In violates MySQL AB Dual Licensing because it contains GPL covered code (MySQL engines) but it's a closed source software and the company doesn't own an OEM license as requested by MySQL Dual License (see http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/licensing/).

Searching on the net there are other better products that does the same, even for free (see http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...b+server+on+cd)