Forward Slash or Not?

Hi. Sometimes, when I'm creating the menu contents and select a "file from system", it links to the page, in the CSS MW Properties box, with a forward slash in front of the filename:
/index.asp

...and yet with some of the other menu items there is no forward slash?

My question is, should there be a forward slash or not? I don't notice it affecting my site links, but I did wonder if there was a reason for it or not.
Appreciate any advice offered, thanks.

Regards
Nath.

Are these happening on different local Sites (with separate site definitions?)

It is possible that in one site you have the 'Links relative to site root' option selected, and another, the 'Links relative to Document' option selected?

A path that begins with a /forward.slash indicates that it is set to be relative to the site root.

The site root relative path could be being set externally, depending on whether the MenuWriter is being used on its own or in conjunction with another program. Check to see what the 'relative to' setting is in Dreamweaver > Site > Manage Sites > (select your site) > Edit > Local Info > 'Links relative to'.

I would say that if you are building a menu rather than editing one that is incorporated into another solution, that it is better to keep your links relative to 'Document'.

You can also change the setting when you click the little folder to select a link, - it is at the bottom of the folders window that opens up.

Hi Neilo.

No, these are within one site with one site definition with links set to be relative to document.

I honestly think there is a bug in CSS Menu Writer because the way it adds a forward slash is totally random. Within a sub-menu, but not all sub-menu items, in the main level but not all main level items...it doesn't follow any logic.

Will it affect anything, either way, if it has, or has not, got a forward slash?
I don't want to manually edit the menu.asp file because, as I understand it, this can then cause problems elsewhere.

I should add that if I try to manually delete the forward slash from within the CSS Menu Writer properties window, as soon as I click out of that field the forward slash jumps straight back in, which is why I think this is a bug.

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks
Nath.

Hi,

Ignore my previous ramblings. I have added them to my growing list of mis-information. I think the forward slash is placed there according to the

$WA_localRoot = "/css_menu_writer/";
$WA_remoteRoot = "/";

lines in the menu.php file, and places it according to your local site settings. So this isn't a bug.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I'm using ASP.

If it isn't a bug, why does it add the slash indiscriminately?

Does it matter if a link has the forward slash, or not?

Confused by all this.
Nath.

Do you have an example page with a menu on it where the slashes are applied randomly? The links that are created should be consistent depending on the values that you have for the root URLs.

Any page that is linked to with a / in front of it will be site relative where the / represents the root of the site. So if you have a link like this:

/thepage.htm

It will be assumed that this page is in the root of the site. If this page is actually in a sub folder it will not be found with a link like this.