Firefly.NET Import/Export
Introduction
Firefly.NET has the ability to export a single page, a series of pages or a whole section as a single "package" file (in .fpml format). This file may then be imported into another Firefly.NET installation or into the same Firefly.NET installation and forms an ideal way of sharing Firefly.NET pages and sections between different organisations. It also has the ability to import a series of HTML pages into a
Firefly.NET installation.
Please note, for more information on importing content from outside Firefly.NET (eg from word documents or PDF files) please see the importing content page.
Access
The Import/Export Functions dialog box is accessed by selecting Import/Export from the Tools menu:-
- Open the page (NB any "child" pages will be exported too) which is to be exported and select Import/Export from the Tools menu
- Click Export Firefly.NET pages to bring up the Export Firefly.NET pages dialog box
- If the file is to be imported somewhere else within the same Firefly.NET installation (e.g. you have an intranet site and a website site hosted by the same server using a single Firefly.NET database), then choose Target: to be Same Firefly.NET installation.
- If the exported pages are for more general use, e.g. you want a user guide to be imported by different users, then choose Target: to be Any Firefly.NET installation. The difference is that images within the pages will already be stored on the common database for same installation, but need to be wrapped into the exported file for use in any installation, thereby increasing the file size.
- Click OK and choose to Save the resulting file in a suitable place
- The OK button then toggles to Wait... But, at the moment, no indication is given of when the export is complete so you will need to look at the file destination to check when the export is finished. Sorry!
- Cancel the window as advised.
Export Firefly.NET section
As for exporting pages, except that you must have a page open in the section you wish to export and you must select Export Firefly.NET section instead. Note that "section" refers not to a top level section (i.e. one in the main horizontal menu bar), but to a child section instead.
Import Firefly.NET pages
Pages which have been exported as a Firefly.NET package file can be imported into any Firefly.NET installation by selecting Import Firefly.NET pages from the Import/Export Functions dialog box (Tools menu). This brings up the Import Firefly.NET pages dialog box:-
Browse to the .fpml package file to be imported and click OK.
NB There is a limit, currently of about 50 MB, to the size of a .fpml file which can be imported in this way - this limit is only likely to be exceeded if importing from a different Firefly.NET installation however. Any collection of pages which does exceed the limit should therefore be divided into smaller page groupings and exported/imported in several goes.
Import Firefly.NET section
A section which has been exported as a Firefly.NET package file can be imported into any Firefly.NET installation by selecting Import Firefly.NET section from the Import/Export Functions dialog box (Tools menu). This brings up the Import Firefly.NET section dialog box:-
Browse to the .fpml package file to be imported and then select which the parent section is going to be from the Parent Section pulldown menu. You can also set Read/Write permissions and which Template is to be used at this stage, before clicking OK.
Import linked HTML pages
A folder containing the linked HTML pages (web pages) and the associated images folder must first be saved somewhere in the Resources share. First make sure that you have opened a page in the section where the pages are to be imported.
Then select Import linked HTML pages from the Import/Export Functions dialog box to display the Import HTML dialog box. Navigate to the folder you placed in the Resources share containing the linked files by clicking and then give the pages a descriptive title. Click OK to import the pages. You may find that the formatting has been changed, e.g. backgrounds may have disappeared and fonts might differ, but the content and the images should all have been imported.
In the example above, some linked web pages which give practice in writing HTML are in a folder called "exercise_files", placed inside the top level "manuals" section of the Resources share. The pages have been described as "HTML practice"
