Index.html question?

Question

I have 5gbfree hosting my site and they are making me provide and index.html.... I did some search on the internet and I assuming this is the link for your main page??? Not quite sure though...should I save my main page as mainpage.index.html....is that what 5gbfree is looking for? Please help me out, i dont know what they want. thanks!

Answer 1

The index.html is the default file name most webservers look for when you don't type any filename at the end of the url.
For example:
If you type www.yahoo.com, the webserver will look for index.html in the root directory of yahoo.com.
In short, it's like you're typing www.yahoo.com/index.html.

If the webserver cannot find this index.html file, it will look for the next default file, sometimes it's "index.htm". There's actually a list of default file names that's being maintained by the server administrator and it's configurable which filename to look first.

If the webserver can't find any of the default filenames in the directory specified by the url, then that's the time it will show an error page of something like "ERROR 404: Page not found".

Note that the above rule applies only to urls that don't have filenames at the end.
For example:
1. http://www.yahoo.com/dir23/mainpage.html
2. http://www.yahoo.com/dir45/

In example 1, the webserver will NOT go through the process of looking for default file names because you've already specified which file you would like to access and that is "mainpage.html" under the "dir23" directory.

In example 2, since we didn't specify which file under "dir45" directory we are trying to access, the webserver will go through the list of default file names and see if it can find any in that directory.

In summary, name your main page as index.html.

Answer 2

index.html is a special file in a directory which acts as the file which is displayed when no file (only the directory) is defined. For example, look at these three addresses (spaces inserted to make the text work):
http://www.some website.com/
http://www.some website.com/ index.html
http://www.some website.com/ somepage.html
http://www.some website.com/ somedirectory/
The third one leads to the file 'somepage.html' in the main directory, but BOTH the first two lead to 'index.html' in that same directory and the fourth one leads to 'index.html' in the 'somedirectory' directory (NOT the main directory). Basically, if a URL ends in a slash, it is tacking 'index.html' onto the end of the URL to reach the file you actually see.

Hope that helps.

Answer 3

The default page for ALL websites is either index.htm, index.html, default.htm, default html, index.php (index.php is for a page with php code mixed in with html, or just pure php code). Your host simply wants a default "index" page. Just go with index.html and you will be good to go :)

(an index page is the "front door" to a website, or the very first place for visitors to go, and search engines to look for to find the tip of the iceberg ;) )

Answer 4

Your ISP is "enforcing" a tradition. Browsers assume that, when directed to a URL that does not specify a file, i.e., gives a directory only, they should look for a file named "index.html." It's a convention for handling default, browser behavior. I never make my home pages' names "index." However, I do put an index page in the main directory, and its only purpose is to redirect to my home page - whatever its name.

E.g.,
-------------------------------
index.html
-------------------------------

Answer 5

Sounds to me like you need a new host if you are being told what to do by them. Just for sh*ts and giggles I'd name it index.php just to see what the reaction is... though that's my nature when I got someone trying to tell me how to do my thing.

Name it www.yourhomepage.com/index.html for now and look into another host.

Answer 6

change ur main page name to "index.html"

Answer 7

You can name your home page of your website either index.htm, index.html or home.htm, or home.html with one works and yes this is your main page that someone would go to if they found your site.

Answer 8

No, your mainpage should be called: index.html

Answer 9

yes that is whatt every thing else pings off of think of it like a table of contents

Answer 10

confusing issue. check out over google. that will might help!