ptg 19 19 451 Testing a Web Site Introduction Testing is an inte gr a l p art of the desig n of a We b site. In fact, the term used to describe a good Web site is bullet proof. Without the ability to test a site, you would never know what works, and what needs help. Dreamweaver gives you a host of tools to help make sure that your visitors have a pleasant experience. Some of the things Web testing can and should look for are: ◆ Validation. Is your HTML and CSS code compatible with your visitors? Do your Web pages have any broken links? If problems arise on your site, visitors will go elsewhere, which isn’t the goal. ◆ Browser Independence. Do your Web pages load and function on the various browsers used by your visitors? Your site may be viewed in a large variety of situations: different browsers, different operating systems, or different features enabled or disabled. ◆ Accessibility. Do your Web pages conform to the standards set by the government on accessibility standards? Your site may be viewed by those with physical limitations, such as the visually impaired. ◆ Speed. Is it easy and fast to access your Web pages? Remember, visitors do not like to wait. The 8-second rule is a good guideline to remember. All of these items are important because they make your site more compatible to your visitors. It gives them a better experience, and it helps to keep them at your site. What You’ll Do Find Broken Links Fix Broken Links Validate Web Pages Check for HTML Browser Compatibility Check for Balanced Code Clean Up HTML Clean Up Word HTML Add Accessibility Run Reports to Test a Site View and Save Reports Gather Download Statistics From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 452 Chapter 19 One of the most absolute, worst, horrible (enough adjectives for you) things is to create a Web site with links that don't work. You know what I'm talking about; you click on a link and a page pops up saying the link can't be found… I HATE it when that happens. A broken link to another site, although not acceptable, is sometimes understandable. For exam- ple, you have a link to a photography site that you like, the site goes down, and the owner never bothered to tell you. A few weeks later, you discover the problem and fix it; however, you know a lot of your visitors clicked that link. The worst types of broken links are those to pages within your own document… to pages that you created. The good news is that Dreamweaver provides you with the tools to make sure that all of your links (external and internal) function correctly using the Link Checker in the Results panel. You can check links in the current document, for the entire site, or for selected files. Finding Broken Links Find Links Open the Web page you want to find links (if you plan to check just one page). Click the Window menu, point to Results, and then click Link Checker. ◆ You can also click the Site menu, and then click Check Links Sitewide. Select from the following Link Checker options: ◆ Check Links. Click the Check Links button, and then select the command you want: ◆ Check Links In Current Document. ◆ Check Links For Entire Current Local Site. ◆ Check Links For Selected Files In Site. ◆ Stop. Click the Stop button to stop the current link check. ◆ Save Report. Click the Save Report button to save the report. 3 2 1 2 Results panel 1 From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 19 Testing a Web Site 453 Click the Show list arrow, and then choose from the following options: ◆ Broken Links. Select to display a listing of all files that contain broken links (default). ◆ External Links. Select to display a listing of all external links. ◆ Orphaned Links. Select to display all the files with no incoming links (available when choosing Check Links For Entire Local Site). 4 3 4 Shows broken links Shows external links Link Checker tab Shows orphaned links 4a From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg 454 Chapter 19 After you find the broken links in your site using the Link Checker in the Results panel, you can use Dreamweaver tools to fix them. It’s pretty simple. All you need to do is relink it. In the Link Checker, a broken link appears with a folder icon, which you can use to open a dialog box and select a reference to an active link. In the dialog box, you can enter a URL, select related parameters, and select whether the link is relative to the Document or Site Root. If a link changes over the entire site, you can use the Change Link Sitewide command to quickly redirect it to another place. If you want to delete a link, you can use this command. Fixing Broken Links Fix Links Open the Web page you want to fix (if you plan to check just one page). Click the Window menu, point to Results, and then click Link Checker. If needed, click the Check Links button, and then select a Check Links command. Select a broken link from the Link Checker panel. Click the folder icon, associated with the broken link (located to the right of the broken link). The Select File dialog box appears. Choose to select file names from the Site Root, Server, or Data Sources (default: Site Root). Select the correct link from the Select File dialog box, or enter the correct link directly into the URL input box. Select whether the link is relative to the Document or Site Root (default: Document). To ad d any a ddi tional para meters to the link, click Parameters. Click OK to update the link, and then click Yes, if prompted to fix remaining broken references to this file. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 4 5 3 Link Checker panel Fixing a broken link From the Library of Wow! eBook ptg Chapter 19 Testing a Web Site 455 Quick Link Change Sitewide Click the Site menu, and then click Change Link Sitewide. Enter a path or click the folder icon to browse and select the target file from which to unlink. Enter a path or click the folder icon to browse and select the new file to link to. Click OK. 4 3 2 1 1 3 2 4 Did You Know? You can check links sitewide. Click the Site menu, and then click Check Links Sitewide to generate a quick report of all the links associated with the working site. From the Library of Wow! eBook . broken links? If problems arise on your site, visitors will go elsewhere, which isn’t the goal. ◆ Browser Independence. Do your Web pages load and function on the various browsers used by. situations: different browsers, different operating systems, or different features enabled or disabled. ◆ Accessibility. Do your Web pages conform to the standards set by the government on accessibility. 19 One of the most absolute, worst, horrible (enough adjectives for you) things is to create a Web site with links that don't work. You know what I'm talking about; you click on a