Clean up files and folders
This information will help you to:
- Keep only relevant and current files in your local and remote site files effectively.
Benefits for you and your department/team
- Less confusing and easier to manage
- Saves time. An organised file structure is efficient to work with
- People using your site will only find current files and downloads
- Improves accuracy. Search results will only find current and relevant files and document, not old out of date ones
Related information
Clean up files and folders
Your remote site files (the ones people view) should mirror your local site files (the ones you work on in Dreamweaver).
- Move out of date files to the ‘old’ folder, or delete them if you’re certain you won’t need them again (create an ‘old’ folder in you site if you don’t have one). Don't upload the 'old' folder to your remote files
- If you need to keep a copy of an existing file before you alter the content, make a copy of it and shift the copy to your ‘old’ folder. Don't update links
- Clean up local files first
- Compare local and remote files side by side. Delete outdated files and folders on the remote side
- You should end up with a mirror of files and folders, with the exception of the 'old' folder
Mirror local and remote files
In Dreamweaver click the expand files icon to show the expanded view of files with local and remote side by side.
The yellow files on the left are the remote. The green files on the right are local. If there are more files in the remote files than local there are extra files are available for people to access.
You can also compare folder by folder.
Note: Clean up local files and folders before comparing side by side
Delete any extra files and folders from the Remote files until they are a mirror of the local files. (Note the ‘old’ folder is only in local files so there will be one more folder in the local site structure).
Close the expanded view by clicking the expand files icon. Or, use the standard 'X' at the top right of the window.
Tips
- You only need a copy of the ‘old’ folder in your local files. If it is uploaded to your live site delete if from the remote files
- Every 3 months clear out the files in your ‘old’ folder
- Unless essential don’t give files date related names. For example postgrad.shtml instead of postgrad2007.shtml. Whatever is on your site should be current. In most cases the filename won’t need a date. This reduces the likelihood you will outdate files available to people on from the remote files. Search engines will find them