Web Site Changes

[camioneur]

Hi, I'd like to make some very minor alterations to the contact info on my Web site. I have all the necessary details to access the site but no knowledge of how to change anything. I don't have a program to build or change a site and I don't want to buy anything since I've recently retired. Any help would be appreciated thanks

[fiction-factory]

Who built your website?

[Buenchico]

I'll assume that you've not got a copy of your website stored locally on your computer. (If you have, you can still use the following instructions but simply omit the bit about downloading a file):

To pass information between your computer and the server where your website is hosted, you'll need an FTP client. The free version of CoffeeCup will meet your needs:
http://www.coffeecup.com/free-ftp/

Open CoffeeCup and use the login details you've got to gain access to the files on your website. (You'll see those files in the top right-hand panel. Files on your computer are shown in the top left-hand panel; set it to point to 'My Documents' or somewhere similar).

Select the relevant file (where your contact details appear) in the right-hand panel and then click on 'Download'. That will copy that file to your computer. Then open it in any HTML-editing program. (There are lots of specialist programs available but Microsoft Word, or any similar word-processing software, is perfectly adequate here). Edit that document, to show your revised contact details, and save it.

Now return to your FTP program, select the revised file and click on 'Upload'. You'll be asked if you want to over-write the old file, so (obviously) you select 'Yes'.

Job done.

[camioneur]

I wish it was that easy Buenchico.. I've installed CoffeeCup and transferred the web site to my PC. I have managed to open the index.html with MS Word but that just gives me the Home Page of the site. The contact details are on another page that is linked to the Home Page via a tab or link. I can't see anyway to open the link with MS Word as it just opens in a Web Browser when I click on the link, I guess I'm missing something very basic but I can't see it!

fiction-factory, the web site was built by a colleague who is sadly no longer with us

[camioneur]

I've managed to change it but although the contacts page now holds all the changed details the page layout has changed and looks a bit of a mess to be honest. What did I do wrong, I only changed the phone numbers and email address.. nothing else at all

[pinkyboyid]

If you used MS Word to make the changes then MS Word has most likely applied its own default template settings and changed the font size / type / styles to suit.

Instead, try using a text based package such as the standard Windows 'Notepad' program to modify and save the document.

[Tuvok]

If you still have unedited versions of the pahes younhave changed, you can do as suggested above using notepad or similar.

Don't panic when you see all the code when you open the file.

Lets assume its an email address that you are changing - in the code the email address will be after the bit that says MAILTO

Take a look at

http://www.rapidtables.com/web/html/mailto.htm

Can you access the hosting of your website, or can you only transfer files via ftp? If you can access the hosting you might find that there is an editor built into the hosting.

[camioneur]

Guess who didn't save a copy before he started messing around?
My site is in 2 languages and the "Dutch" contacts page is still in the correct layout but with the wrong details. I'm too scared to do anything now so I'm looking for someone who can step in and get me out of the mess if anyone has the time or the inclination..please?

[camioneur]

I wish it was that easy Buenchico.. I've installed CoffeeCup and transferred the web site to my PC. I have managed to open the index.html with MS Word but that just gives me the Home Page of the site. The contact details are on another page that is linked to the Home Page via a tab or link. I can't see anyway to open the link with MS Word as it just opens in a Web Browser when I click on the link, I guess I'm missing something very basic but I can't see it!

fiction-factory, the web site was built by a colleague who is sadly no longer with us

[camioneur]

Sorted now, replaced the "bad" English page with the "good" Dutch page then translated it back to English in notepad. Thanks to all