General 'Web Directory' question

[JimHorton]

Hello all,
I am quite new to web development, and I have a few questions and hope you can help me here. I'm using Visual Interdev on Win2K server.

First, when I create a project, the 'new project' wizard creates the directory for the project, say C:\someprojects\Test1 for example. This is something physical I can see on the disk. Now, when I look in the project explorer in VI, it shows:
Servername/Test1

My first question is: Where, physically, is Servername/Test1? Is it InetPub\

http://wwwroot?

Or some 'virtual' directory that just points to C:\Someprojects\Test1?

I ask because VI also automatically creates a 'Test1' directory in c:\inetpub\

http://wwwroot.

Is c:\inetpub\

http://wwwroot

some sort of universal win2k standard web directory that can't be changed? When I go into IIS manager I see 'Default Web Site', with Test1 as a sub item, but what if I wanted 'Test1' to not be a sub-item to Default Web Site, how would I do that--or, possibly this is the same question--how would I cause the deployment files to go somewhere else other than c:\inetpub\

http://wwwroot\test1?

Second, when I create a new deployment target, say Test2, it creates a new directory c:\inetpub\

http://wwwroot\Test2,

yet in IIS manager, the Test1 shows with some Icon (not sure what it is), but Test2 shows with a standard Folder Icon. And below these icons we see the .asp files, etc.

Third, which is related to the above 2, is that I see a sub Directory with "_Local" appended to it, even though I explicitly did not check the 'local mode' when creating the project. So the question here is, which physical files of the 4 copies (!?!) --Test1; Test1_Local;

http://wwwroot\Test1;

http://wwwroot\test2--am

I really editing in VI--and how would I know this at any given point in time?

I guess my basic issue here is that this is new and different, and I'm not seeing things as clearly as I'd expect. I'm open to answers as technical as needed--I'm a beginner in Web development, but have developed with Oracle, SQL7, VB, Access etc. for quite some time. Thanks for any guidance...
--Jim

 

[MerlinB]

VI works with 2 physical copies of every web application.

First is the 'Master' web, that exists on a web server - in your case this could be on your own PC, but is often on a remote server. FrontPage Server Extentions is used to communicate between VI on your PC and the Master Web - enabling files to be copied even to servers only visible over HTTP. Each new web is usually created as a vitrual directory under the default web site for that server. The files will be placed in INETPUB/

http://WWWROOT/yourweb.

Then there is the Local version - which should be on your PC in the directory that you specify. Every time you edit a file, it is copied from the 'master' web to your 'local' web. If your server is also your own pc, then you end up with two copies of the web on your pc! The local copy will also contain the VI 'project' files - they are not on the master web.

When in Master mode, when you 'Save', your edits are saved to the Local copy AND copied to the master web. The 'browse this page' etc. use the master web.

When in Local mode, when you 'Save', your edits are only saved to your local version. The 'browse this page' etc. use your local copy via your personal-web-server (pws or iis). When you toggle back to 'Master' mode, all edited files will then be copied back to the Master web (ie. they are synchronised).

Hope this helps.

http://www.websitedesign.co.uk

http://www.zentext.com

(Content Management)

 

[JimHorton]

Merlin,
Thanks very much! That was very helpful--exactly what I needed. I'm heading up the learning ramp on this stuff and I'm liking it.
--Jim