Sites manager - publication tab

The settings on this tab are used by the ACM application when generating links, search pages, and system emails. They must be correct for the software to function correctly.

Static Properties

Click here for an OverviewOverview When a site is exported, the system converts all pages to HTML files located in a folder within the ACTIVE CM installation. When users access the site, they are accessing the static HTML files rather than your dynamic site.

This in effect unhooks most of the site content from the ACTIVE CM and duplicates your site content. The site resulting from the export is referred to as the static site. In order to indicate that you want to export a site, your System Administrator must configure the site export information on the Publication tab of the Site Manager.

For more information on Static Sites, see Appendix A of the ACM Administration Guide.:

• Generate HTML Files: Check this box to export HTML files to your HTMLSites folder for static publication.

• Generate Search Files: If you want to enable searching of both your static web pages as well as your dynamic site, check this box.

• Force Export to Local Folder: Displays when Generate Search Files is checked. Check if you are running ACM in a multi-server environment.

• FQDN: The FQDN field is used to enter the Fully Qualified Domain Name of the exported website. For example: http://www.mydomain.com or http://209.2.23.11.

• Virtual Directory (Alias): A virtual directory is a user-friendly name (or an alias) for a physical directory. Because an alias is usually shorter in length than the path of the physical directory, it is more convenient for users to type. Use this field if the exported site is going to be referenced as part of a website‘s virtual directory.

• Static URL: The Static URL is the public URL of an exported site. The Static URL is automatically created based on what you enter in the FQDN and Virtual Directory fields. If you enter the static URL in a web browser, the web site is displayed.

• FTP URL: The FTP URL is only for sites that get exported. It is the URL and directory where the HTML files are FTP'd to after they are exported. Be sure to include the ‗ftp://'.

• FTP Protocol: The FTP Protocol establishes the file transfer protocol (FTP/FTPS/SFTP) and port to use. (The fields displayed below the FTP Protocol will be different depending on which Protocol you select here.) For more information on FTP Protocol settings, see Appendix L of the ACM Administration Guide.

• FTP Compatibility Flag: [When SFTP/FTPS is selected in the FTP Protocol field] controls various server security compatibility features.

• FTP Server Validation Type: [When SFTP/FTPS is selected in the FTP Protocol field] is the method by which the server‘s certificate or public key is validated.

• FTP Server Common Name: [Only displayed when FTPS is selected in the FTP Protocol field] is the name to be used when performing a name-check during the validation of the server certificate.

• FTP Known Hosts File: [Only displayed when SFTP is selected in the FTP Protocol field] is the file which contains the list of known hosts used to authenticate the server.

• FTP Connect Mode: Select the connection mode - Active or Passive. For more information regarding Active versus Passive connection, see http://slacksite.com/other/ftp.html.

• FTP Username: This is the user name to use when connecting to the FTP server.

• FTP Password: This is the password to use when connecting to the FTP server. The value is hidden.

• To change the value, click Change FTP Password.

• Test FTP Connectivity: The Test FTP Connectivity button tests the FTP settings on the page. The test connects to the site, creates a directory, copies a file to it, deletes the file, deletes the directory, and disconnects. The test displays its progress to the page and indicates success or failure at each step.

• File Extension: This is the file extension to use for static exported files. This is usually set to .htm or .html.

Dynamic Properties

Click here for an OverviewOverview A dynamic site is one where the content and the system used to create the content are in the same location and integrated. When content changes are published, they are immediately visible on your site. If this is the site you make available to your public, they too will see the changes immediately.

This is different from the static (exported) site that requires the additional step of exporting the site to the static location.
 :

In order to export Search files to your SearchSites folder to enable search on dynamic sites, make sure the Generate Search Files checkbox is selected in the Static Properties section.

• External FQDN: The External FQDN is the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) used for external links to dynamic pages. For example: http://acm.mydomain.com.

• Order: Click the up and down arrows to the left of order numbers to rearrange language FQDN's.

• FQDN/Language: Enter the FQDN for each version of your site available in a different language, and select the corresponding language from the Language dropdown. Users will then be directed to the version of the site in their chosen language when the specified FQDN is entered.  

• Internal FQDN: The Internal FQDN is the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) used when an address behind the firewall is required for export. This setting is used by the ACTIVE CM application to render pages on the Server. To clarify, the software uses a virtual browser to generate the HTML files for static publication. If this field is blank, the External FQDN will be used. If you use this setting, please test the FQDN works in a browser on the ACTIVE CM Sever. An IP address may be needed to get this to work; especially if your IIS server is behind a proxy server. Virtual directories do not need to be defined here.

• HomePage URL: This field is for display only and shows the URL for the new site's home page.

• Admin URL: This field is for display only and shows the

• Physical Path: This field is for display only and shows the actual physical location of the ACM system files.

• Enable Friendly URLs: You can use Friendly URLs to replace the generic page number and .aspx extension with more user-friendly URLs without having to lose the dynamic site functionality. For example, a page: http://cms.mysite.com/page123.aspx with friendly URLs enabled becomes http://cms.mysite.com/welcome.htm. (For more information on Friendly URLs see Appendix K of the ACM Administration Guide.)

Sites manager overview

Creating sites