XLplus Add-On: Sitemap Builder
This XLplus XLplus Add-Ons supports you creating a Sitemap of your webpage. Additionally you can create a sitemap for Google and report it to Google later.
Create Sitemap
You can create a Sitemap of all files building your webpage. You have to enter the directory containing your files. Hereafter you enter your domain name (URL of your webpage). All files will be read and a first suggestion of a Sitemap will be created. This will try to match your files to categories plus to determine anchor texts and title texts. You can amend this suggestion. After you finished your changes you can have it created in HTML or XML.
For later rework you can save your work and load it again later .
Tip: Use the lower right corner of the dialog to increase its size!
Basic Data
First choose the filetype which shall be recognized when scanning your directory of files. Next specify your domain. Afterwards choose the directory containing the files of your webpage. This can be a local or network drive. Your data will be read and shown in the list.
Options
Using Options, you can specify how your files are amended when read. These settings are applied on Refresh as well.
First you can specify whether the list displays the entire path to the file or just a relative one. On monitors with a lower resolution a shortened display can be benefitial. Use "Use relative paths" there.
Additionally you can specify if files read are reworked. By default the program tries to reduce your efforts. Therefore certain parts of text are automatically reworked, i.e. converted to upper case. You can influence this behaviour by setting the appropriate options.
- Capital Letters
- Replace Delimeters
- Anchor Text as Title / URL as Title
Capital Letters / Replace Delimeters
The program automatically tries to detect anchor texts, title texts and categories. For this, the given file path is analysed. It is assumed that files in the root of a website determine the information categories of it. Found filenames will be used as categories for other pages in case these terms can be found in the path of the other files.
Ex.:
In the root of a webpage the following files are given: ´company.html´ and ´order.html´. Some subdirectories are named ´company´ and ´order´. The programm will assign the category ´company´ to all files found in the subdirectory named equally and ´order´ to all files in its corresponding subdirectory.
Additionally the program will amend texts to common rules of the German language. In case there exists a file named ´order.html´ a category named ´Order.html´ will be build automatically, in case "Capital Letters" is activated. If there exists a directory named ´order_fruits.htm´ the underscore will be removed and anchor text plus title text ´Order Fruit´ will be created in case "Replace Delimeters" + "Capital Letters" are activated.
Since this might not suit needs of other languages you can explicitely specify these settings.
These options will be used as well in case you use Refresh. Of course, once a delimeter was removed, it cannot be set again. A made change to capital letters cannot be made undo, too. You have to set the related option first and read the directory again.
Anchor Text as Title / URL as Title
You can additionally determine how title texts are build - by using the anchor text or the URL. Both texts are created automatically as well. The anchor text is derived from the filename. In case you are using less meaningful filenames, i.e. file_01.html, you can overwrite the proposed texts. Indeed, it is recommended to change the filenames since those names reduce your success rate within search machines.
List - On Doubleclick
You can specify which action shall take place when making a double click within the list. For example you can get informed about the source code of a file by loading it into Notepad.
Sitemap Creation:
Here you can specify:
- how many columns your sitemap will use
- which path to your images shall be used by the sitemap created
- if a credit to XLplus is shown within the sitemap
- whether to create the sitemap in HTML or XML
Columns of the Sitemap
You can create a sitemap with one or up to 5 columns - this depends on the design of your website only.
Image Path
Copy the following pictures from the XLplus directory (better: the directory you installed this Add-On in) into a directory of your webserver:
- nav1node.gif
- nav1node-Directory.gif
- nav1node-End.gif
- nav1node-Start.gif
- XLplus.jpg
Next determine the path to this directory by entering it as an URL, i.e. ´http://www.digital-ecom.de/images´.
Note: You do not have to enter the complete path - instead use the combobox given to select your images directory. The combobox offers the following directories:
- Bild
- Bilder
- Image
- Images
- Picture
- Pictures
In case the given directory names do not fit your needs, simply overwrite them by a name of your choice.
Note: Make sure, that your path pointing to your images directory ends with a shlash (/) as shown in the screenshot above. Enter or select your final directory within the combobox provided. The entire URL should read as a correct URL, i.e. http://www.digital-ecom.de/images.
Credit to XLplus
You can specify if your sitemap shows a reference to XLplus and digital-ecom GmbH. Search machines display a network by linked webpages - and therefore like external links. You should use external links on your webpage even if this results in reduction of page rank. The benefits of external links overweight this loss. Deactivate this option in case you do not want to insert a link to XLplus.
Sitemap in HTML
By default a sitemap will be created in HTML. You can comfortably include this in your website. Alternatively create a sitemap in XML.
A HTML Sitemap is a XHTML-Strict 1.0. compliant HTML Webpage. You can use it as it is in your website. Since you probably want to adapt it to your Corporate Design you can easily incorporate relevant parts of it by Copy&Paste.
The Sourcecode of the created Sitemap clearly shows from which line of code you have to copy code in order to use it in your page.
The relevant line reads: "< ! -- Use the following area in your code -- >".
Everything following this, up to line reading: "< ! -- END : Area -- >", can be taken over in your design by Copy&Paste. In case you are using a special footer in your page or have included other special code in your page you have to decide which parts you copy and which you edit manually. The following parts of code are required mandatory, in order to have the sitemap work correctly.
< ! -- Use the following area in your code -- >
< style type="text/css" >
< ! --
.tbody {font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:125%;margin:0px;}
.iimg {clear:left;float:left;width:7px;height:15px;}
.Dir{width:16px;height:14px;margin-bottom:4mm;}
.hh1 {font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:bold;color:blue;}
.hh2 {font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-weight:bold;color:gray;margin-top:0mm;}
.ttd {padding:10px;vertical-align:top;}
-- >
< /style >
< /head >
Everything following this line (incl. this line):
< table summary="This is the Sitemap of the following webpage: [My Website URL]" style="width:100%" >
until its related end tag:
< / table>
is required, to display the sitemap correctly.
Sitemap in XML
Google offers the option to send Sitemaps in XML to them. For details regarding this feature see: Google Sitemap Details. Activating this option creates a sitemap you could send to Google.
List Maintenance
See also:
XLplus Add-On: Webpage Report