(These are developer notes, not intended for normal end-users.)

This page explains how to create a new forum by a series of copy and paste, renaming, and small editing procedures, using the IdeaXchg Template subweb (ix03).  It is assumed that you have already created the web site that will contain your new forum (otherwise see IdeaXchg Help - Creating a New IdeaXchg Web Site).  All of these steps should be performed through FrontPage 2000.

The following outline illustrates how to create new forum under the VFPUtils web site, which is comprised of an edited content subweb (ix07), and a discussion subweb (ix08).  You would substitute a different pair of subweb names to adapt this procedure to another web site than the one chosen for this example.

1. make changes to edited content subweb (ix07)
   These can be done on the local host and then published to the live web only when all steps are completed and tested locally.
   1. copy and paste steps (from ix03 templates into ix07)
      1. copy ix03/bymda/mdavxxxx.htm into ix07/bymda/
      2. copy ix03/bymda/_sys/cxtasks.htm into ix07/bymda/_sys/
      3. copy the whole ix03/cx/ subtree and paste it into ix07
   2. renaming steps (in ix07)
      1. rename ix07/bymda/mdavxxxx.htm with a new article #
      2. rename ix07/bymda/_sys/cxtasks.htm with new 2-letter prefix
      3. rename files ix07/cx/cx*.htm, with new 2-letter prefix
      4. rename folder ix07/cx to the new 2-letter forum abbreviation
         I.e. use the same 2-letter prefix reserved for the new forum.
   3. edits to pages cloned from ix03 into ix07
      See comments imbedded in each template page as to further edits required.  (Comments are visible only via the FrontPage editor, not via browser).  These generally relate to the names of bookmarks and links that must be changed from dummy template values.
   4. edit the home page: add link(s) to new forum's unframed Contents page
      Also make any required adjustments to support listing of messages across all forums, if this feature is supported, as it is in the VFPUtils web site.
      
      
2. make changes to discussion subweb (ix08)
   Note that edits to the discussion web should be applied directly to the live web site, not the local copy of this subweb, if this is an active discussion web.  Once a discussion subweb goes live, it should only be downloaded to the local host, not published in the other direction.
   1. copy and paste steps (from ix03 templates into ix08)
      1. copy the ix03/dx/ subtree and paste it into ix08/dx/
      2. copy the ix03/dxpost.htm to ix08/dxpost.htm
   2. renaming steps (in ix08)
      1. rename dxpost.htm to d<n>post.txt, where <n> is new disc #
      2. rename the dx folder to d<n>, where <n> is new disc #
   3. edits to pages cloned from ix03 into ix08
      See comments imbedded in each template page as to further edits required.  Also adjust reference to folder "cx" in the frameset's URL for the Welcome page, to use the proper 2-letter subdirectory name under ix07, and substitute the proper forum name for "TemplApp" in the frameset's HTML title. 
   4. create placeholder messages by posting to the new forum
      Post messages with the appropriate Subject line via the forum's Posting form, and then perform the edits to turn these pages into standard placeholder format.  See ix03/placehldr/samples.htm for fragments you can copy and paste to create the usual placeholders, with additional notes in comments for that page.  (Comments are visible only via the FrontPage editor).  The standard template forum assumes the following three place-holder messages, where you would substitute the actual forum name for "TemplApp":
      1. Re: TemplApp Development Tasks
      2. Re: TemplApp Help - Contents
      3. Re: TemplApp Help - Introduction
         
         
3. final adjustments to edited content for links to placeholders
   Once the placeholder message numbers have been assigned (in ix08), the links to these threads must be properly set in the articles and help pages (in ix07) that correspond to them.  If you created all three of the standard template placeholders in the sequence shown above, you won't need to make any further adjustments to the placeholder links already in ix07.

Note that there are additional files in ix03 that should not be copied.  These exist only to satisfy links to files that already exist in the destination webs, or to create a new IdeaXchg web site.

IdeaXchg help page Copyright © 2000, SpaceTime Systems