web building advice on XP?

[Spike]

I'm using WinXP Pro SP2. I have a new web project on the horizon, and I want to be able to build and complete/preview it before uploading to a webhost.

The full specs of the website are undecided as yet, but it could use SSI (to some small extent), CGI, and PHP, with of course the addition of the usual HTML and CSS.

I'm aware that I can use the built in XP webserver, but I know little about it, and certainly don't want to be serving to the web with it. Incidentally, I don't want this construction space on my system drive either!

As I say, I'm not after a fully fledged webserver, just a folder in which I can preview the built as if it were on a webserver.

I'm relatively inexperienced in this area, and so I'm wondering if anyone can advise me or give me any pointers?

 

[poertner_1274]

Can't you put it anywhere you want and preview it with IE? As long as your folders/pages are in the correct location in relatoin to your pages. Just click on index.html, or whatever the main page will be called and it should open in IE.

And if you look at the address bar, it will say something like C:\webpage\index.html

 

[Didou]

Get Apache, use some tutorials, get it working in Firefox (more standard compliant then IE) & then validate the HTML &/or CSS with W3.org.

 

[Spike]

Yes. I can certainy do that with php pages and html. Unfortunately though, it seems that it doesn't work for SSI pages. Not that I plan on using a lot of includes. (Heck, I don't understand half of it!), but it's likely to come in handy for a few things I think (a download counter for example, if I remember correctly, and IP detection/display, etc).

For the most part, the project will be commercial, and I'm guessing there's likely be some SSI in the software also.

edit:

^Thanks Didou. I'll try apache and see what happens. As long as I can prevent it from serving to the web that is.

 

[Didou]

With any firewall you can prevent Apache from taking connections coming from the Internet.

 

[Spike]

Excellent. Thankyou. I'm using Sygate, so that shouldn't be too hard to configure.

This has got to be the quickest question I've ever asked. Much appreciated