Saving A Blog To The Server

[ramone_kalsaw]

I just installed Movable Type and now I'm doing the core setup. Can you help me with a couple of questions?

 

1. When I create a blog in MT, does MT automatically create a file for the blog on the server -- which will become part of the path name for the "Site URL" in the core setup? (i.e. http://www.myserverspace.com/my_blog)

 

2. What is the "Local Site Path" name pointing to a blog I create on the server?

 

I'm trying to figure out how to see my blog when I hit "View Site" on the Core Setup > Configuration page.

Thanks.

[ramone_kalsaw]

When you create a blog in MT, how does it get "saved" on the server? For example: I created a "blog" folder at /public_html / mt / Blogs / and a blog named "Test" in MT.

 

How do I get this blog to show in the blog folder so it can be viewed by readers at http://www.mysite.com/test.

 

Can you offer some insight?

 

Thanks.

[LisaJill]

MT has trouble creating directories occasionally; specifically from the core weblog config you need to have made those directories yourself.

 

It will flawlessly create the files though.

 

You haven't mentioned WHERE you want your blog to show up under your domain. IF you want it at the top level (ie http://www.yoursite.com/) then The local site url you enter should be http://www.yoursite.com/ and the local site path should be /home/username/public_html/

 

Does that help?

[LisaJill]

If you want a blog to appear at http://www.yoursite.com/test/ then this is how it should be:

 

locate site url: http://www.yoursite.com/test/

locate site path: /home/username/public_html/test/

archive site url: http://www.yoursite.com/test/archives/

archive site path: /home/username/public_html/test/archives/

 

You'll need to create the test directory and test/archives directory via ftp; MT sometimes chokes on that part.

 

Does that help you out?

[LisaJill]

Topics merged for organization due to similarity. =)

[ramone_kalsaw]

Lisa,

 

Thanks so much for you clear tutorial on file structure. It's very helpful and what I was asking for.

 

Also --you say that while

MT has trouble creating directories occasionally; specifically from the core weblog config you need to have made those directories yourself.

 

It will flawlessly create the files though.

I've created a few different blogs but I'm not seeing any MT-generated files for those blogs.

 

Where would those saved blog files default to on the server, and what would their extensions be?

 

My expectation is that MT will generate a file like WORD would when doing a "save as." Is that right?

 

So my basic problem is that I'm not seeing where the blogs I'm creating are located on my domain.

 

Thanks for your help -- my forte is writing blogs, not setting up software

[LisaJill]

Files are only created upon rebuilding, either of that file, that archive type or the entire weblog.

 

So look to the left, the menu, towards the bottom of it is "rebuild"; choose "rebuild entire site" and then it should appear. =)

 

Nothing is every changes until a rebuild is completed.

 

Hope that helps!

[ramone_kalsaw]

Hello Lisa,

 

Thanks so much for your useful, patient and timely feedback--without people like you, this process wouldn't work for people like me. Thanks so much Thumbs Up

 

And my saga continues:

 

I'm still not able to see my blog when I hit "View Site." Here's what I did -- from start to finish. Based on these steps, can you point out what I still need to do?

 

-- Using WS_FTP LE, I created directories named "blog" and 'archives' at: /public_html/blog and /public_html/blog/archives

 

-- From the "Welcome to the Main Menu" page in MT, I clicked on "Create New Weblog."

 

-- I then created a "Weblog name."

 

-- Assigned a "Local Site Path" (/home/username/public_html/blog)

 

-- Assigned "Site URL" http://www.mysite.com/

 

-- Assigned a "Local Archive Path" (/home/username/public_html/blog/archives

 

-- Assigned "Archive URL" (http://www.mysite.com/archives/

 

-- Then hit "Save" -- "HTTP 404 - File not found" came up in the browser, I hit "Refresh" and my newly created blog showed up in the list "Your existing Weblogs."

 

-- Then using cpanel > file manager, I checked my "blog" folder at '/ public_html / blog /" but did not see a file there for the MT blog I just created. (SHOULD IT HAVE SHOWN UP THERE AT THIS TIME?)

 

-- I then clicked "New Entry" under my newly created blog, created a message, previewed it, received the message HTTP 404 - File not found, clicked "Refresh" and then found myself back at the "Welcome to the Main Menu." (IS THIS THE NORMAL BEHAVIOR AFTER PREVIEWING AND ACCEPTING AN ENTRY?)

 

-- I then opened my blog and on the "Main Menu" clicked on the entry I just created, and under "Post Status" chaged "draft" to "publish" and clicked "Save". Once again received HTTP 404 - File not found, hit Refresh and got back to the "Welcome to the Main Menu" window.

 

-- Clicked on my newly created blog, and then clicked on "Rebuild site" and then "View Site." The browser opens up into the home page of www.mysite.com, not the blog I just created.

 

-- Once again I go back into cpanel > file manager > and still no sign that MT has created a file for the blog I created.

 

-- Finally, going back to MT's "...Main Menu" page, I select "Delete Weblog" for my newly created blog, hit Refresh and the blog is still there; it did not delete.

 

So this is the sad state of affairs in my enthusiatic attempt to launch a blog.

 

Any suggestions.

 

And true THANKS for any help you can (continue) to offer!

[LisaJill]

Ok.

 

The url and path's need to match in a way. If your path is pointing to /home/username/public_html/blog then your url needs to be http://www.******/blog/

 

Same for archives, if the path is /home/username/public_html/blog/archives/ then the url needs to be http://www.******/blog/archives.

 

Do you see the relationship?

 

Now, I also need to know what URL you are using to access mt.cgi and what URL you have put into your mt.cfg for yoru CGIPath.

 

If you can clarify those we can get all of this cleared up. =)

 

oh! I missed the last part; MT can not delete files from the server, only from the database. So you need to ftp in and manually delete any files you created.

 

But there's really no need to keep creating and deleting weblogs; we can modify the settings until we get it working. =)

Edited April 16, 2004 by TCH-Lisa

[ramone_kalsaw]

Getting closer.

 

Your pointer on properly syncing up the pathname with the url was critical. (Good thing for me that I've learned how to dissolve embarrasment) -- and now, when I hit "View Site," I'm seeing "Index of /blog" (instead of the 404 page).

 

(you) need to know what URL you are using to access mt.cgi and what URL you have put into your mt.cfg for your CGIPath.

 

I took a look at the CGIPath in my mt.cfg and it was http://67.15.16.3/mt/ I changed it to CGIPath http://www.mysite.net/mt/mt.cgi/, but something is still wrong (obviously) because instead of seeing my blog_file index page I'm gettng the directory index.

 

So in hopes of of getting my "landing gear" open here's where I am with my configuration:

 

-- local site path = /home/username/public_html/blog

-- site url = http://www.mysite.net/blog/

-- archive url path = /home/username/public_html/blog/archives

-- archive url = http://www.mysite.net/blog/archives/

-- mt.cfg CGIPath =CGIPath http://www.mysite/mt/mt.cgi/

-- URL for accessing mt.cgi = http://www.mysitet.net/mt/mt.cgi

 

THANKS!!!

[LisaJill]

Did you rebuild after making all these changes? =)

 

Also, there should be no slash after mt.cgi in your mt.cfg. Just http://www.yoursite.com/mt/mt.cgi =) It's a file, not a directory.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited April 16, 2004 by TCH-Lisa

[ramone_kalsaw]

Still not there yet

 

Did you rebuild after making all these changes? =)

 

Also, there should be no slash after mt.cgi in your mt.cfg. Just http://www.yoursite.com/mt/mt.cgi =) It's a file, not a directory.

 

I took the ending slash out of CGIPath http://www.biom.net/mt/mt.cgi and then ftp(ed) the updated version of mt.cfg to the server. Rebuilt Site several times but still getting Index of /blog instead of my blog.

 

Questions

 

1. Now that I have my local site and site url in sync:

/home/username/public_html/blog and http://www.mysite.net/blog/

when I create a new blog (ie. "2nd Blog") shouldn't a file named "2nd blog" appear in the directory at /home/username/public_html/blog?

 

2. If I were going to type the url of "2nd Blog" into the address box in my brower: Would I have to type http://www.mysite.net/2nd Blog/?

 

3 Which makes me ask: when putting together a Weblog Configuration for my hypothetical "2nd Blog", should the Local Site Path read as /home/username/public_html/blog or as /home/username/public_html/2nd Blog?

 

I just had a cold chill when I thought that I'm including the generic blog on the configuration page, when I should be putting in the actual blog name.

 

Am I seeing this correctly?

 

Thanks!

[LisaJill]

the name of the blog has nothing to do with the output paths. It is only the paths and URL that matters. You can point it to whatever folders that you want to.

 

If you ftp in to the server and go to the blog directory, do you see any files there?

[ramone_kalsaw]

If you ftp in to the server and go to the blog directory, do you see any files there?

 

No. FTP(ed) to /home/username/public_html/blog and no files. Just the Archive folder I created. Really strange, because in the process of this configuration process I've created several different blogs -- you'd thing something would show up.

 

Any other ideas?

[LisaJill]

Have you modified anything in the templates section? Are they all set to rebuild?

 

Are you getting any errors on rebuild? What if you go to templates -> Main Index, and under that it says "rebuild this page"; if you rebuild that one specifically, does anything change?

 

BTW: If you want to contact me via IM we may be able to work through this more quickly. =)

[LisaJill]

Fixed during conversation on Yahoo; ending problem was due to Zone Alarm & Popup blocking software.

[ramone_kalsaw]

Fixed during conversation on Yahoo;

 

And due to Lisa's knowledge, patience, and perseverance. Lisa is a real asset! Thanks again for seeing my problem through to resolution!

[LisaJill]

*shuffles feet* aw heck, it was my pleasure.