From: Esther Millar [ermillar@library.uwaterloo.ca]
To: webmaint-l@library.uwaterloo.ca
Cc: LibAdminPlus (LibAdminPlus)
Subject: Understanding the Linkbot Report

Hi Everyone:

As a reminder here are some guidelines for working with the Linkbot report - both broken links and orphan files.

BROKEN LINKS:
To find the broken links in your area of responsibility, go to the "Problem Pages" report. You'll find it listed under "Errors" in the left-hand column. In this report, all the page URL's are arranged in alphabetical order. Then for each page, any broken links found on that page are listed. To print just a select group of references, simply use your mouse to select the desired references, copy them, and then paste them into something like Word or Notepad.

ORPHAN FILES:
Orphan files are files that reside on the web server, yet are not linked from anywhere. Linkbot identifies Orphan files, but unfortunately, it can be somewhat buggy', so it may detect valid files as Orphans. Therefore, use caution in deleting the files Linkbot identifies as Orphans.

WHAT DOESN'T LINKBOT IDENTIFY PROPERLY?
Linkbot will designate files as Orphans if they are not linked directly from the HTML code. For example:

• files linked from a PDF file
• graphics that are switched due to a javascript roll-over
• links from CGI scripts
• server-side include statements (ssi)

If these files are currently being used by the Web site, they are valid and can remain on the server.

You will also see files that end in the extension .LCK. When a file is checked out, a text file of the same filename but with the extension .LCK is placed on the server. The .LCK files cannot be viewed in the Site Window display, but can be seen by third-party programs that use FTP, like Linkbot. You can also view them via pico or vi. As soon as you check the file back in, the corresponding .LCK file is automatically deleted. Please check in all files you are not currently editing.

OTHER ORPHAN FILES THAT ARE VALID TO KEEP ON THE SERVER INCLUDE:

• current prototypes
• files produced for and linked from TUG, e.g., password files for Waterloo E-journals
• templates
• files produced for statistical purposes
• .png files

DELETE ALL OTHER ORPHAN FILES:
All other Orphan files should be removed from the server. If you have files that are not being used on the Web site, but you are not ready to delete them completely yet, then store them in your local site (Dreamweaver) on your hard drive.

Please use the Linkbot report as a guide only. Remember, you know your own site best, so use your judgment to determine which files must be deleted.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at ext. 6992 or ermillar@library.uwaterloo.ca.

Thanks,
Esther Millar
On behalf of the Web Operational Management Group