The developer creates the web pages using WebHub,
exports them, and then masters a CD-ROM for distribution to the end-user.
Static web pages served from a CD-ROM
From an end-user's perspective, a CD-ROM site appears the same as a static site
viewed over the Internet. But the underlying mechanics
of static sites and CD-ROM sites are distinctly different. CD-ROM web sites files are stored
on a CD-ROM and don't travel over the Internet. The site is run off a CD on a local machine and a
web server machine is not involved.
Unlike Cold Fusion and ASP, which don't support
static sites, WebHub has an
export feature that allows you to export the files for both static
and CD-ROM sites.
This allows you to reuse your code to create different kinds of sites. WebHub also
includes special features that make its exported pages CD-ROM friendly, and give the
developer control over whether URLs are created with absolute or relative filenames.
If you are creating CD-ROM sites, then take a look at IndexMaker. This is an
extremely helpful program if you are distributing directories full of files and need to briefly define
the contents of each file.
Site type flexibility
With WebHub you can even re-use your code from a strictly static site to evolve
your site to either a CD-ROM or to a partially or fully dynamic site without starting over!
The page aliasing feature in WebHub allows you to define your pages
one time and then create
links as needed for static, CD-ROM or dynamic sites. When you change pages from, for example,
static to dynamic, you don't need to change anything; you simply switch from exporting the
static version of the page to serving the dynamic version using the application server and a web
server.
WebHub macros also enable you to easily make changes within your site. For example, using
the WebHub JUMP macro for links instead of A HREF tags simplifies site maintenance: the JUMP macro allows you to reference a link
internally, so that whenever you change the location of a page, all the links to that page are automatically updated.
WebHub also offers you greater flexibility and teamwork options for
working on larger projects: you
can divide up the HTML files as needed, to be worked on by the appropriate project team members.
CD-ROM Sites