When you need to work on a FrontPage site, you should first protect it by creating a backup copy of the site. The best way to make the backup copy is by using the publishing feature.
Tip
If you were previously a FrontPage user, it’s a good idea to retain an installation of FrontPage. Situations might arise, for example, in which a customer doesn’t want to move away from FrontPage navigation components or a theme and needs you to do some work on an existing FrontPage site.
If you don’t have FrontPage installed, you can’t easily do various FrontPage proprietary tasks such as modifying FrontPage themes, manipulating pages in Navigation view, or working with the Database Results Wizard. Though Expression Web provides appropriate ways to perform all of these tasks, not all site owners will want to invest the time that would be required to carry out the improvements, or perhaps they like the simplicity of working with some of these proprietary FrontPage features.
In this exercise, you will use Expression Web 2 to back up a FrontPage site.
Note
USE the FrontPageExample site. This sample site is located in the DocumentsMicrosoft PressExpression Web 2 SBSSample Sites folder.
BE SURE TO start Expression Web 2 before beginning this exercise.
OPEN the FrontPageExample site by clicking Open Site on the File menu.
In Windows Explorer, create a folder location for publishing your backup, such as DocumentsMy Web SitesFPbackup.
Switch to Expression Web 2. On the File menu, click Publish Site.
The Remote Web Site Properties dialog box opens.
On the Remote Web Site tab, click File System, and then click Browse. Browse to the folder you created in step 1, and then click Open. Then in the Remote Web Site Properties dialog box, click OK. When Expression Web 2 prompts you to confirm that you want to create a Web site at that location, click Yes.
The Remote Web Site view is displayed in Expression Web 2.
In the lower-right corner of the workspace, click Publish Web site.
Troubleshooting
If you attempt to publish a site that has FrontPage features that rely on server-side code execution or FrontPage Server extensions to a disk-based location, you will get a warning alert. Because you’re publishing to a disk-based location as a form of backup, click Ignore And Continue.
Expression Web 2 publishes the site, thereby creating a backup copy of the original FrontPage site on your computer.
At the bottom of the work area, click the Folders button to view the files in the FrontPageExample site.
You can now do whatever you want with the open site in full confidence that it is a copy of the original site, and no harm can come to the original FrontPage site.
Important
The preceding process is the preferred method of moving, copying, or backing up any FrontPage Web site. You should use the publish method whether you are publishing from your server to your local computer or another server, or from a local file location to the server, or to another file location. There are metafiles and hidden folder structures that must stay intact for continued reliability, and the publish method guarantees the best result.
