# iWeb troubles



## nivek_nailgun (Apr 27, 2009)

So I selected a certain font to use for a row of links. When I copy and paste it to several other pages, they all work fine except for on one, it displays the wrong font. I've gone so far as to even erase the paste job and rework it again, only for the wrong font to show up once again! What could possibly be wrong?


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## nivek_nailgun (Apr 27, 2009)

Even more infuriating.....it's taking a link command I'd assigned on a button but won't recognize it on another page. Sigh. What the hell is wrong with this program? Money NOT well spent thus far.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Apr 27, 2009)

What's the web address?  It's tough to troubleshoot a web page without actually being able to see the web page...


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## Randy Singer (Apr 27, 2009)

I don't often say this, but I *hate* iWeb! I tried updating my Web site with it (which required re-doing it from more or less scratch), and I found the program to be recalcitrant and infuriating.  

I've seen some beautiful Web pages done in iWeb, but they were all single pages of a personal nature.  My conclusion is that that's all that iWeb is good for.  For more than that you are going to be working at odds with iWeb.

Very similar to iWeb is a program that I don't use, but which I've heard many users have rave about:

RAPIDWEAVER ($49) 
http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/

Personally I like this program, which is not like iWeb.  It is more like an easier version of Dreamweaver:

KOMPOZER (free and open source)
http://kompozer.net/
You can easily migrate your existing Web site(s) to Kompozer because it doesn't use a proprietary format, it will simply open your HTML-based Web site.

FREE KompoZer tutorials:

- KompoZer User Guide
http://www.charlescooke.me.uk/web/kz-ug-home.htm

- How to Design and Publish Your Website with KompoZer
http://www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/kompozer-tutorial-1.shtml

- KompoZer Tutorial 2: How to Add Images, Change Fonts and Colours 
Tutorial on designing and publishing your web pages with KompoZer, a free standalone WYSIWYG web editor.
www.thesitewizard.com/gettingstarted/kompozer-tutorial-2.shtm

- Other free KompoZer tutorials
http://www.thesitewizard.com/
Scroll down to KompoZer Tutorials

- KompoZer Video Tutorials
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=kompozer+tutorial&aq=f


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Apr 28, 2009)

Typically, iWeb is for creation and maintenance of websites built solely with iWeb.  Trying to use iWeb to modify a website that was not originally built with iWeb will most likely yield nothing but frustration.



> I've seen some beautiful Web pages done in iWeb, but they were all single pages of a personal nature. My conclusion is that that's all that iWeb is good for. For more than that you are going to be working at odds with iWeb


Agreed, in toto.

iWeb is marketed toward those users that have little to no experience with the "code" behind the web page (although there are some advanced features in iWeb that allow semi-power-users to do this).  It is for rapid development (read: drag-and-drop) of simple, elegant, and good-looking web pages that are most compatible with Apple's MobileMe hosting service (although it is relatively easy to develop a page in iWeb and host it somewhere else).

Without the original poster posting a link to the iWeb web page, we're pretty much dead in the water in terms of trying to troubleshoot the problem he/she is experiencing with iWeb.  I surely hope they're here to troubleshoot the problem and are open to the troubleshooting process, and not just complain that iWeb isn't doing what they want it to do.


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## Randy Singer (Apr 28, 2009)

ElDiabloConCaca said:


> Typically, iWeb is for creation and maintenance of websites built solely with iWeb.  Trying to use iWeb to modify a website that was not originally built with iWeb will most likely yield nothing but frustration.



That almost goes without saying, since iWeb is unable to import HTML.

I tried to use iWeb to virtually re-create my site (reusing nothing but the text from the site), because I thought that it might be an easy way to go.  But it was just the opposite.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Apr 28, 2009)

As with any piece of software, peoples' experiences will differ.  I find iWeb quite intuitive and easy and have thrown together numerous sites with ease and have not run into the trouble(s) that others have reported... my Quicktime movies play flawlessly across browsers/platforms, my images all look great, and the navigation works a charm... then again, I can't say whether my usage differs from others' and what exactly they're running into trouble with.

At any rate, like we both agree I believe, iWeb should be relegated for use by those with little to no experience with the "code" behind web pages, and for those who just want to throw together a very nice-looking web page or pages with drag-and-drop simplicity and iLife integration.  For anything beyond that (JavaScript, php, database integration, manual code modification, tight control over placement of elements, etc.), I recommend finding a different "rapid" web page development environment... you mentioned a few, and I've also heard good things about RapidWeaver.


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## Randy Singer (Apr 28, 2009)

I consider "tight control over placement of elements" to be essential.  In fact, it is one of the major points of using a WYSIWYG Web page design program.  The more that I worked with iWeb, the less it seemed to want to maintain the placement of elements that should have automatically lined up.

iWeb is lacking in some of the most basic features for a Web page creation program.  For instance, you can't create target/anchor links within a Web page.  That is a glaring omission.

This all wouldn't be such a problem if you could tweak that HTML code that iWeb creates.  But iWeb's HTML output is so complex that it is almost impossible to work with.


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## nivek_nailgun (Apr 30, 2009)

Well I would gladly post a link if I had one. I'm still in the process of trying to build it.

I've had a few problems now.

- The alignment even when copied/pasted from one page to another will have the images straight on one page, but not on the next

- The fonts even when clearly changed, will revert to something else. This in itself is infuriating.

- Posting a folder which should be full of pictures atop another image (used for background) doesn't seem to work (even when sending the background image 'to back' it's still invisible)

- Buttons have no dynamic 'rollover' effect.

I'm willing to be taught how to fix this stuff and learn to love the program, but right now I'm upset that I spent the money on it. No wonder people pirate stuff.


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## ElDiabloConCaca (Apr 30, 2009)

Would it be possible for you to post your iWeb archive/folder for this site somewhere where we can take a look at it?

It's virtually impossible to be able to troubleshoot those things without actually seeing them occur -- it could be something that you're just overlooking, or, as you suspect, may be something inherent to iWeb and may just be user-UNfriendly... we'll never know unless we get our hands on a specific example of this to see if the same things occur on our systems.

At the very least, it would help if you could publish the work-in-progress to some server somewhere so we can take a look at the page(s).


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## Randy Singer (Apr 30, 2009)

You might find this helpful:

Take Control of iWeb &#8216;09
$10
152 page e-book in PDF format
Published 29-Apr-09
3.3 MB download
Free downloadable sample available
http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/iweb


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