Location for Staging Space?

[ctobola]

I currently provide hosting for a church with FrontPage web authors in several locations. I'm planning to set up a staging area that the authors can all access.

(Currently, they each download the whole site before making any changes to ensure that they don't overwrite something -- not very efficient.)

I was thinking of creating a sibling to public_html called stage_html; but I have a couple questions...

1. Is this the best place/method for setting up the staging space? Should that go inside public_html? Will the FP extensions work if the staging area is outside the public_html folder?

2. Is file-locking supported on Hostgator using FP? (i.e., can users overwrite each other's files while editing?)

Thanks! -Cloy

[Serra]

Originally Posted by ctobola

1. Is this the best place/method for setting up the staging space? Should that go inside public_html? Will the FP extensions work if the staging area is outside the public_html folder?

2. Is file-locking supported on Hostgator using FP? (i.e., can users overwrite each other's files while editing?)

1. It has to go in public_html or they can't see or upload to it with FP.

2. File locking is an FP function and has nothing to do with HG. As long as they all have FP, they shouldn't be able to overwrite eachothers updates. The file should be checked out and then checked in before some else uses it.

[ctobola]

Thanks for the response -- I understand that everthing has to go inside the public_html directory.

What's the best location for the staging area?

Should I do this:
public_html
\live
\staging
and then set public_html/index.html to redirect into the public_html/live?
(The problem is that the site URL then becomes www.xyz.com/live)

... or is there a better way to do this?

Thanks, in advance, for the help!

-Cloy

[Serra]

Originally Posted by ctobola

Thanks for the response -- I understand that everthing has to go inside the public_html directory.

What's the best location for the staging area?

Maybe I'm not being clear. There is no need for a staging area in the scenario you suggested. With file locking, they should be able to avoid any overwriting problems.

Its been my experience that staging areas over complicate things. Unless the people using the staging area are professional developers, it is going to be a problem. (even professional developers screw up staging areas).

[ctobola]

Thanks for the response. I understand your comments about staging servers/space.

However, having worked with web authoring teams -- particularly geographically dispersed authoring teams -- for a number of years, I'm convinced that this is a situation where a staging area would solve more problems than it causes.

The question is how to have two discrete spaces within public_html that can be accessed seperately (i.e., one as www.xyz.com and one as stage.xyz.com) and set up as two different FP "webs."

Any assistance on this would be appreciated.

-Cloy

Originally Posted by Serra

Maybe I'm not being clear. There is no need for a staging area in the scenario you suggested. With file locking, they should be able to avoid any overwriting problems.

Its been my experience that staging areas over complicate things. Unless the people using the staging area are professional developers, it is going to be a problem. (even professional developers screw up staging areas).

[Serra]

Originally Posted by ctobola

Thanks for the response. I understand your comments about staging servers/space.

However, having worked with web authoring teams -- particularly geographically dispersed authoring teams -- for a number of years, I'm convinced that this is a situation where a staging area would solve more problems than it causes.

The question is how to have two discrete spaces within public_html that can be accessed seperately (i.e., one as www.xyz.com and one as stage.xyz.com) and set up as two different FP "webs."

Any assistance on this would be appreciated.

-Cloy

Ok, if I can't talk you out of it, setup the staging area in a sub domain. Call it stage.xyz.com. (heehehe). Then the authors can upload to the subdomain and stage everything there.