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Using Microsoft Expression Web 4 to Create and Upload Your Site

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Last Updated: May 1, 2015 12:12 PM

This article describes how to use Microsoft Expression Web 4 to connect to your Web server and upload your website.

Microsoft Expression Web 4 is a complete website development tool. You can use Expression Web 4 to create Web pages and sites that let you transfer files between your computer and your hosting account.

NOTE: The steps below do not need to be followed in any particular order.

Get Your FTP Settings

You must have your FTP settings on hand to use Expression Web 4 to create and upload your website.

Your FTP Settings

  • FTP User Name — the user name for your hosting account.
  • FTP Password — the password for your hosting account.
  • Web Site URL — http://www.coolexample.com (where coolexample.com is your domain name).
  • Remote Web Site Location — ftp://coolexample.com (where coolexample.com is your domain name).
  • Root Directory — leave the box field blank or enter a sub directory of the root.

Creating a Site in Expression Web 4

To upload files to your website using Expression Web 4, you must either create a site from scratch or import an existing site.

To Create a Site From Scratch in Expression Web 4

  1. In Expression Web 4, from the File menu, select New, and then click Page....
  2. Do one of the following:
    • To create your site using an Expression Web 4 template, click Create from Dynamic Web Template, and then select the appropriate template.
    • To create a non-templated site, select HTML, and then click OK. Selecting this option creates a site with a single blank page.

Importing an Existing Site in Expression Web 4

You might want to import an existing site and work on it in Expression Web 4. You need to have your FTP information available to complete this process.

To Import an Existing Site in Expression Web 4

  1. In Expression Web 4, from the Site menu, select Import, and then click Import Site Wizard.
  2. Select the source from which you are importing your website's files. To download the files from an existing website to which you have FTP access, select FTP, enter the site location, such as ftp://coolexample.com (where coolexample.com is the name of your website), and then click Next.
  3. Enter your FTP user name and password, and then click OK.
  4. Enter the location you want to copy the files to. If you are adding files to an existing website, select Add To Current Site.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Click Finish.

Setting up Your Remote Website in Expression Web 4

After setting up your local website, you need to establish a connection to your remote website. This process lets you upload files to your website.

To Set up Your Remote Website

  1. In Expression Web 4, from the Site menu, click Publishing.
  2. Click Add a Publishing Destination.
  3. Enter the name of your site.
  4. For Connection Type, select FTP.
  5. Enter the Site Location, such as ftp://coolexample.com (where coolexample.com is the name of your website). You can also enter the IP address of your hosting server, such as ftp://111.222.33.44.
  6. If you will be publishing to a sub directory, enter it in the FTP directory field.
  7. Enter your User name and Password.
  8. Select Use Passive FTP.
  9. Click Add.

Uploading Files to Your Website in Expression Web 4

To make your site live on the Web, you need to upload you files. This process is known as publishing in Expression Web 4.

To Upload Files to Your Website

  1. From the Site menu, click Publish All Files.
  2. To publish your site, from the website menu, select either Publish Current File or Publish Changed Files.
  3. Enter your domain name in a Web browser to see your published website.