Getting Error 404 when trying to open php documents in DW CS3 Test server

Question

I am new to DW, php, MySQL and Apache. I have set up a test
environment but obviously have done something wrong. I currently
create my web pages from scratch in notepad and update my site with
a GUI FTP program, but I know with these new tools, I will
eventually be able to create the type of web site that I really
want and need. Every time I try to open any php document in DW CS3
using the"Preview/Debug in browser" button I get an error 404. The
browsers I use are ie7.0.5730.11 and Nav 9.0b2 . I know this may
not even be a DW issue, but I really am at an impasse. Any help
would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Jharek Wolf wrote:
> As I previously mentioned I am new to Apache also. Are
you willing to
> continue helping me?
It sounds as though you need to be taken through this process
step by
step. Even though you say you defined a testing server, the
fact that
you didn't have your documents in the server's document root
suggests
your site definition might also be wrong.
First things first. Since you're new to Apache, what happens
when you
type
http://localhost/ into your browser
address bar? Depending on the
version of Apache, you should get an Apache test page or
simply a page
that says "It works!". If you get neither, it means Apache is
either not
running or that it has been incorrectly installed.
Assuming Apache is working, have you installed PHP? If so,
put the
following code into a blank file (there must be no HTML or
DOCTYPE -
just the following line):
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
Save the file as test.php in the Apache document root. Then
type
http://localhost/test.php into
your browser address bar. If you see a
page with masses of detail about your PHP configuration, PHP
is working.
You can then move to the final stage. Create a new folder
inside the
Apache document root. This is where you should store your
site. If you
call it "mysite", these are the settings you need in the
Testing server
definition:
Testing server folder: /path/to/htdocs/mysite/
URL prefix:
http://localhost/mysite/
Don't take "/path/to/htdocs/mysite/" literally. It indicates
the
location of htdocs/mysite on your local hard drive. Use the
folder icon
to the right of the Testing server folder field to navigate
to it.
If you're new to PHP, you might find that my book, "The
Essential Guide
to Dreamweaver CS3 with CSS, Ajax, and PHP" answers a lot of
your
questions. It covers all the Dreamweaver PHP server behaviors
in detail,
as well as teaching the basics of PHP and database
maintenance. You can
find more details by following the link in my sig.
David Powers, Adobe Community Expert
Author, "The Essential Guide to Dreamweaver CS3" (friends of
ED)
Author, "PHP Solutions" (friends of ED)
http://foundationphp.com/