How to Publish Webpages

1. Obtain credentials
2. Get WinSCP
3. Set up WinSCP
4. Publish your pages
5. Troubleshooting

To publish web site pages to the GHC Web server, you transfer your site files with a secure file transfer program like WinSCP. Use WinSCP to transfer the pages and graphics in your website from your computer (the "local" version) to the GHC Web server (the "remote" version).

When you have set up WinSCP, it is easy to publish and update pages on your site. But fiirst, contact the GHC Webmaster and obtain your web site credentials (username and password).

The webmaster will also send the path to your site root directory on the GHC webserver.

The site "root directory" is the single directory where everything in your site is kept on the GHC Webserver. The remote root dirctory on the webserver and the local root directory on your PC should contain idedntical files.
The "path" is the pathway through the set of dirctories on the webserver where your site root directory resides.

Get and install WinSCP3

You can download a customized version of WinSCP and install it on your computer, or get the custom WinSCP from IT sent as an e-mail attachment.
The custom version called 'WinSCP3' has key information already entered to make it easier for you to access to the GHC Web server .

Step 1.
Download WinSCP3.exe
Save the file to your computer desktop so you can locate it.
(If you got WinSCP3 sent as an e-mail attchment, save the file to your computer desktop and change the name to 'winscp3.exe'. )

Step 2.
Install WinSCP3
Click WinSCP3.exe
The Open File Security Warning window appears.
Click 'Run.'

Step 3.
The 'Setup WinSCP3 (provided by GHC)' dialog appears.
Select the 'Yes, restart the computer now' radio button.
Then click FINISH.
Your computer re-starts.

Step 4.
When your computer has re-started, click 'WinSCP3'.
The 'WinSCP Login' screen appears.

Step 5.
Double-click 'GHC'

The Host name (the GHC Web server) window changes to show 'www.highlands.edu' and the port number is set to 22.

Step 6.
Enter your your GHC website username and password (be sure to enter the website credentials supplied by GHC Webmaster -NOT your regular GHC logon).

Step 7.
Click 'Login'.

Step 8.
If you get the following 'Warning' screen, click 'YES'.

Publish your site

When you have completed the WinSCP3 installation, the main WinSCP file transfer screen appears, indicating that you have successfully connected to the GHC web server.

You will be presented with the file transfer screen similar to that shown in the picture below. Yours will look somewhat different.

In the picture, notice that there are two "panes" under the toolbars:

The left pane shows the the LOCAL view of the site (on your PC), with the local path shown on the C drive;

The right pane shows the REMOTE view of the site on the GHC Web server with the remote path shown to the www (Web)server.

Step 1.
With your version of WSCP open and logged in to the GHC webserver, navigate in the left-hand pane to the root directory of your site (the local directory on your PC where all site files reside). You should see see the pages and graphic files listed.

Step 2.
Next, in the right-hand pane, you may have to navigate through a number of directories to get to your remote site directory on the GHC Web server, which is where you will transfer your pages.

Step 3.
To navigate to your remote site root dirctory on the GHC server, follow these steps:

1. Double-click to open the 'Academics' directory,
2. cpen the 'Divisions' directory.
3. Open your division directory
4. Open your discipline directory.
5. Open your directory. The contents of your directory on the GHC Webserver are listed.

Step 4.
To transfer a file from your computer to the webserver, you drag the file from the left pane onto your root directory in the right pane.

Carefully drag each file from the 'mysite' root directory on your computer (i.e. the left pane) to the open directory pane on the webserver (the right pane). To drag a file, click the file, keep your finger down on the mouse button while you deliberately drag the file from the left pane to the right pane.

If you have updated a file in your site root directory that is also in the remote root dirctory (check the dates to see), you will receive a popup asking if you want to replace the existing remote file with the newer local file. If this is what you want, confirm.

Remember to drag every file, including any graphics files or style sheet (.css) files if you have them. The idea is to upload everything from the local root directory to the remote root dirctory on the GHC webserver.

Step 5.
Open a web browser and go to your site. If the file trtansfer was successful, your index.htm file (home page) should appear in the web browser!

Troubleshooting FAQ's

My site or updated page does not appear!

A. You may need to WAIT 15 minutes before your pages or page updates appear.
B. Refresh your browser, to make sure you're seeing the latest version of your pages rather than displaying an old version from 'cache' (i.e. memory).

I can't publish to my root directory on the server!

A. Make sure you have the correct path to your directory.
B. Make sure you have the correct permissions.

When I drag the page I want to publish from my local directory in WinSCP onto the corresponding directory on the remote site, it won't publish.

You cannot drag a page to a folder. You must open the directory on the remote site first so that you drag the page you want to publish to a directory showing the list of files within it.

Be sure to keep the mouse button down as you drag.

My "Home" page doesn't show up in the browser.

The first page of your site MUST be saved as "index.htm"