Media Section

Overview

The Media Section contains properties related to the special files that Second Site includes with your site. Which values you choose depends mostly on whether you are publishing your site on the web or distributing it on removable media such as a DVD or flash drive.

Create GENDEX File

When Create GENDEX File is checked, Second Site creates a file in the same format as that used by GENDEX, an index of names contained on genealogical web sites. Unfortunately, the original GENDEX site has been discontinued, but the feature is compatible with new sites and may be useful for other purposes.

The GENDEX file is written to the Output (-o) folder as "GENDEX.txt". Copy this file to your web site host when you copy the other files there. If a GENDEX site becomes available, follow the rules found there for submitting your GENDEX index.

If you decide to submit your data to a GENDEX index, it is critical to also set the Page Sizes.Static Page Assignments checkbox. With Static Page Assignments, the index you submit will still work properly even after you update your site and as long as you don't modify the Page Sizes.People per Page property.

Use Shared Libraries

The Use Shared Libraries checkbox determines whether the generated site will use shared JavaScript libraries in place of libraries stored in the Output (-o) folder.

If Use Shared Libraries is checked, the generated site will use JavaScript libraries that are stored on a high-speed, high-availability content distribution network provided by Google for frequently used JavaScript libraries such as the jQuery library used by Second Site. Using shared libraries will reduce the load on the server where you host your site and will help your pages load as quickly as possible.

If Add CD Autorun Files is checked, the Use Shared Libraries checkbox is ignored and Second Site will not use the shared libraries: it's not wise to use shared libraries when distributing your site via removable media.

If you do not have an active Internet connection when browsing a local copy of your site on your own PC, you should uncheck the Use Shared Libraries checkbox. However, when you build a version of the site that you intend to upload to a web hosting service, Use Shared Libraries should be checked.

Add CD Autorun Files

This section describes the Add CD Autorun Files property. For a description of the basic steps involved in making a portable site that you will publish via DVD or thumb drive, see the Publish on Removable Media page.

When Add CD Autorun Files is checked, Second Site moves the contents of the site from the Output (-o) folder to a subfolder named site and copies a set of files associated with the autorun feature to the top level of the Output folder. If the contents of the Output folder are subsequently copied to the root folder of your removable media, the main page of the generated site will be easy to open when the media is inserted into some other computer.

User may open the site by double-clicking the index.htm file. Second Site includes an autorun program that will open the index.htm file when the disc is inserted into a PC running Windows XP or previous versions of MS Windows.

Limitations

The Second Site Autorun option supports PCs only. It is possible to create discs that may be used with Macintosh or Linux computers, but the Second Site Autorun facility will not open the main page when the disc is inserted into a disc drive on either of those types of computers.

The Autorun files included with Second Site will only work when the site files are copied to the root folder of the disc. That includes the HTML pages and the autorun files. It is possible to create an autorun setup that will open a file in a subfolder, but that is not directly supported by Second Site nor described here.

One possible option for a removable media project is to make a site for each major branch in your family, and place each of those subsites on the disc. If the root folder of the disc contains an index.htm file, then the autorun files supplied with Second Site can be used to open that page. That index.htm file could contain links to the main page in each of the subsites.

Troubleshooting Autorun Discs

Since the introduction of Windows Vista, it's not worth the effort to try and troubleshoot why a disc with Autorun will not open automatically. Most computers do not support Autorun.

Here's what is supposed to happen when a disc made with Second Site is inserted into a PC with the Autorun feature enabled:

1. The Windows Autorun facility looks for a file named autorun.inf. If that file is found, Windows executes the commands therein.
2. Second Site's autorun.inf file includes the command

   open=autorun.exe index.htm

   That command tells Windows to execute the "autorun.exe" program and pass it the parameter "index.htm".

3. The autorun.exe program executes and asks Windows to open the index.htm file.
4. Windows opens the index.htm file using the program associated with ".htm" files, which is typically a browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape.
5. The "index.htm" file that is in the root folder of the disc redirects the browser to the "index.htm" file in the site folder.

Five factors determine whether or not that process works properly.

1. The proper files must be copied to the root directory of the disc.
2. The disc should be "finalized."
3. The target PC must be configured to enable Autorun.
4. The target PC must have ".htm" files associated with a working browser program.
5. The autorun.exe program must work properly on the target PC.

If a disc with Autorun files does not work properly on a target PC, follow the steps below to determine the cause. In the instructions below, the notation <drive> replaces the actual drive letter of the disc drive on your PC.

Verify that the proper files were copied to the root folder of the disc.

All the files and subfolders in the "-o" folder should be copied to the root folder of the disc. The following files are essential to the Autorun feature:

• <drive>:\autorun.exe
• <drive>:\autorun.inf
• <drive>:\index.htm

Use Windows Explorer to verify that those files exist at the exact location shown in the list above.

The disc must be finalized.

Finalizing (or closing) a disc is usually the last step in creating a data disc. Regardless of what it is called, the process prepares a disc to be read by standard disc drives. See your PC documentation for more information.

The target PC must be configured to enable Autorun.

Autorun can be enabled or disabled by changing the system registry, and some install programs are known to disable it. The easiest way to verify that the Autorun facility is enabled and operational is to test using the install disc for a product which is known to have an autorun.inf file which starts the install process. Most products from Microsoft, including Microsoft Office, use the autorun facility. If you insert such a disc, and the install program or welcome screen appears, then Autorun is operational. If no install program appears, then Autorun is probably disabled.

If Autorun is disabled, the system registry must be changed to enable it. Unfortunately, that is not as simple as it sounds. Please see the list of Microsoft Knowledge Base articles at the bottom of the page.

The target PC must have ".htm" files associated with a working browser program.

The autorun.exe program relies on Windows to know which program should be used to open the "index.htm" file. To verify that a working browser is associated with ".htm" files, double-click on the "index.htm" file that is in the root directory of the disc:

<drive>:\index.htm

The "index.htm" file should open in the default browser.

The autorun.exe program must work properly on the target PC.

Autorun.exe is a simple program, but variations in operating systems and other factors could make it fail. To verify that the autorun.exe program is working properly, we can execute it manually to see if it produces the desired result.

Inser the disc into the disc drive. Open the root folder if Windows does not open it automatically. Double-click the autorun.exe file to start the program.

If autorun.exe is working properly, and if the index.htm file is in the proper place, Windows should open index.htm in the default browser. If not, the autorun.exe program is not working properly. If an error message appears, copy it and e-mail it to me for help!

The autorun.exe program will exit immediately after attempting to open the index.htm file in a browser.

Microsoft Articles

Here are links to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles pertinent to this topic:

Windows XP:

• 330135 The AutoRun or AutoPlay Feature Does Not Work
• 314855 CD-ROM May Not Run Automatically in Windows XP

Windows NT, Windows 2000:

• 173584 CD-ROM May Not Run Automatically in Windows
• 155217 How to Enable or Disable the CD-ROM Autorun Feature