Theoretical website setup critique

[goofy78270]

Forgive me if this is posting in the wrong place but this is the best forum, I thought, for the topic.  As I am new to the web word concept, I have looked around at numerous how to and getting started guides.  While they were all helpful in their own little ways, I still have one question.

 

When setting up a website, why are they not more like file systems?  I see everyone just combine all images in a folder, all html in a folder, or maybe even all the files are just in one folder.  I think this becomes hard to navigate with larger sites and I would hope that the large sites do not follow such a method.

 

You have a root folder under which all your html content lies.  Adjacent to the root, you have your various script folders, image folders, databases, and documents.  I put these adjacent, because I read somewhere that html files cannot go up in levels to access other folders via code, but server side scripting could.  I think this would protect files a lot more than most people currently do.  Second, and more of the reason for this post, is why do developers not setup the structure in more of a directory like structure. 

 

1.  Use folders to create menus such as:

Home

About

  President

  User A

Contact

2.  Name a document within the folder, the same as the folder and have that document display when the menu option is selected.

3.  If there are additional documents within the folder, they are simply displayed as a menu option, based on their name.

 

NOTE:  Users can use such naming schemas as name_hidden or _name or any other schema to differentiate files or folders that should not display in a menu but could be link to, such as an admin page, 404 page, or such.

 

Maybe I am way off or thinking about web design all wrong, but I think such a method would be much easier to develop for beginners as simply creating a folder and dropping in a web file, would be the extent of the work.  The only required script would be the menu creation, which I am sure would not be that difficult to create as I have seen multiple directory scripts in php and ajax.  This would also give a basic lesson in the server side script, recursive functions, variables, output statments, loops, and even objects.

 

Again, as I am new to the web world, I am looking for opinions on such a method, specifically, downfalls and / or advantages to such a setup, sites that follow such a methodology, if any, and any other comments from the group.

[QuickOldCar]

Some or should  say many sites do as you describe, that's all up to the person who creates the site really.

 

I could see one not wanted such a structure as it would then become a more complex longer link. More searching for exact file locations. More places to look when editing.

 

example:

http://mysite.com/About/President.html

 

could have just been

http://mysiyte,com/President.html

 

But really here you are thinking of static websites where the folders names are the links.

 

In a more dynamic site such as php,asp and so on the menu determines the link, is usage of a template system, and the content is generated onto a main or designated page usually. When the link is clicked it just loads data from a database or a script file. So when writing code for something it's a lot easier to just include a file than finding the actual locations for everything you do. Where these script files reside does not really matter, as long as the website creator knows the location to include them.

 

You are free to do as you wish with your own creation, if you want to organize the folders and files more you can. Organization is good actually.

 

Just keep in mind if it's a file that's to be reused a lot it would be better if were in the higher directory.