How do I set up a root directory for a web site

Question

So this is probably a naive newbie question.
I have been creating websites driven by php/mysql on my mac for years using the previous the web preference pane to run Apache and since that went away using XAMPP to provide Apache/php/mysql functionality on localhost.
I decided to download OSX server and try to use that.  Figured might as well go native MAC.
I am baffled.
The manual says to set up a web site in Server by working through the Websites Services interface. I did that and pointed the setup at the directory where I have all of my web site files.  I now have no idea how to access that page from my local machine.
I have tried:
http://localhost/myURL
http://localhost/~username/Sites/[root file directory]  -- where the files are stored
I also tried some typical localhost ip address
None access my site.
How do I access my site over my local netework?
I feel like just dumping server.app and stting things up through the terminal.
Thanks,
--Kenoli

Answer 1

How familiar are you with the bash command line and with Apache, and how much do you want to learn about Apache and related topics?  (If you're not already, then I'd encourage learning about this material, as this knowledge is very useful for maintaining and updating sites, and knowledge of correctly securing files and directories is critical to building and maintaining secure web sites — all of managing and running and updating a web server builds on these foundations.  There are various good books and web sites on Apache, and the Apache web site has various materials available, if you don't already have something.)
The localhost host name and the 127.0.0.1 IPv4 address are both synonyms for the "me" host.  It's the name and the address that always gets you to the current host.
With http://localhost/ or http://127.0.0.1 specification, what you enter at the URL address bar is relative to the root directory specified for the default web server, and will default to the index.html or index.php page or whatever the default web site is configured to use.  With OS X Server, this root directory is configured via Server.app.  To use Server.app, launch it, connect to the server, select Websites from the left navigation, and you (by default) will see a default site and a secure site.  Select the default site.  Select the edit button below the site to edit (and to view) the configuration. 
With the details of the default site visible, you will see the path to the default web directory.  This path to the default web directory is where the files for the default web sever location reside. 
The default path to the default web site is /Library/Server/Web/Data/Sites/Default
If you place foo.html in that directory (or whatever the defailt web site is using), you can view it via your web browser and the URLs:
http://127.0.0.1/foo.html
http://localhost/foo.html
To get to the default web site using the GUI, launch Finder and select Go To Folder, and enter that string into the box.  You will now get a GUI view of that folder.  (I'd strongly recommend using the command line here, and not the GUI.  To get to the directory from the command line and then list the files present, launch Terminal.app from Applications > Utilities folder and issue the following commands:
cd /Library/Server/Web/Data/Sites/Default
ls
If you want to test something in the browser, you can use the file:///path-to-file-to-test mechanism.  Most web browsers will allow you to render local files directly using file and three slashes.
You will need to ensure the executable files (scripts) are marked as executable to OS X, using a Terminal.app command such as the following:
chmod o+x path-to-file
Enabling ~/user per-user sites involves directly editing the configuration file, as Apple has disabled that by default. 
There's an Apache tutorial with an overview of what's involved with enabling per-user directories here, and there's what's been listed in my earlier replies and links.  With OS X Server Mavericks, the default configuration file for Apache is located in the Library folder, and can be viewed with the following Terminal.app command:
cat /library/server/web/config/apache2/httpd_server_app.conf
This file is the OS X Server equivalent of the oft-cited httpd.conf file you'll see listed in various documentation.
If you want to enable the per-user directories or tweak other Apache settings, then shut down Apache from Server.app or from the command line, and then edit the configuration file with nano or some other command-line editor using a command similar to this:
sudo nano /library/server/web/config/apache2/httpd_server_app.conf
you'll end up finding and uncommenting (removing the #) from the following two lines:
#LoadModule apple_userdir_module ${SERVER_INSTALL_PATH_PREFIX}/usr/libexec/apache2/mod_userdir_apple.so
#Include /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-userdir.conf
If you have specific questions about this, then I and others here can answer those.  If you don't understand something, then asking a question about that can help you learn, and can help me understand what it is that I'm posting in my replies here that's confusing you.  There are also various resources available for learning Apache, and I'd encourage spending a little time with those if you've not already done so or feeling at all unsure about how that tool works; I end up re-re-reviewing the Apache docs fairly regularly.