Macromedia DW to Adobe DW CS 5.5

[Laura Boyes]

This is my first post. I have tried searching the forums for an answer but now, I throw myself on the mercy of the Dreamweaver community. Please be kind.

In 1999 I designed a website on my PC using Macromedia Dreamweaver, maybe 3, maybe an earlier version. For the last 12 years I have been happily updating my website www.moviediva.com using the old software and a 2004 PC. I was forced to get a new computer due to imminent breakdown, and Adobe, who bought DW, assured me on the phone that people transfer their old sites to their new computers all the time. If I bought DW CS5.5, there would be no problem!

I installed the new software, and it can find my old site. I can open it, and edit the pages. But the old "site synchronize" dialogue box is gone. I was advised by a graphic designer friend to open the Site tab, and go to manage sites. I can find the folder in DW that contains my website, but when I click Open, nothing happens, nothing transfers. The window in the dialogue box is empty and remains so.

How do I wake the sleeping beast/beauty? Thank you for any help you can provide.

[DWcourse]

Did you define (or set up your site) so Dreamweaver can find it on your local computer? http://www.dreamweaverclub.com/cs5-setup.php (If you will be pulling the site down from the server for editing you can just point to an empty folder where you'll download your site to)

Once you do that that, there is still a synchronize button in the Files Window.

BTW, you're going to find a lot of changes. Expect to spend some time getting into the 21st Century.

[Laura Boyes]

Thank you so much! I will try this tomorrow when my head is clearer. I know the new program is going to be really different, but I'm OK with that. It might even be an improvement, if I can get over the first big hurdle.

[DWcourse]

If it's not clear come back and ask more questions.

[Laura Boyes]

Thanks so much for your help! With your direction to the page that told me how to define my site, and some time spent on chat with Network Solutions and my web host, I seem to be connected to the internet! I'm feeling rather proud of myself.

Next question. I edited one page as a test and saved it. It is highlighted in my local files. I click the synchronize button and the window pops up that prompts me, just as in the old version, to synchronize selected pages. I choose this page, and the box says I am synchronized. But, when I look at the page in my browser, the page has not updated. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks again for your valued guidance.

[DWcourse]

I'm not exactly sure. If you mean that you synchronize and the go to the website and look at the page and don't see the changes the first thing I'd try is refreshing the browser to make sure you're not seeing a cached version of the page.

[Laura Boyes]

No, I refreshed the browser, and asked my husband to check at work, and even though it now says, "no synchronization is necessary" when I go through the sequence, it still does not appear updated on the website.

[DWcourse]

To test try this:

Do a save as, give the file a new name and upload the new file. Make sure it shows up on the server in the left side of the expanded files window. Then, in your browser, try to access the new page.

If it's not there then your site setup is probably incorrect and you are dumping files into the wrong directory on the server.

If it is there, let me know and we'll try something else.

[Laura Boyes]

Well, that is exactly what was happening. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Adobe, and the tech reset my website to what it was in 2000...but I figured out what he was doing, and rearranged a different way and saved my own bacon! Or perhaps it is a Dreamweaver delusion. But, maybe not.:-)

Thanks again for your answers, it has been incredibly helpful.