links of files of a web server

[kalos]

hello

I have links of files in a web server (or local) stored in an excel file

If the files are moved to another subfolder, my links in the excel file won't work, right?

what can be done for this?

I was imagining a way that the excel file will search in the web server (but what if the web server changes domain?) and find the specific file and update the link? but the file could be edited and change its content, so there must be a truly unique file identifier

what is the best approach for this?

I suppose web admins or database admins have much experience on this common issue!

thanks!

[kalos]

anyone????

[Ath]

The best approach would be to use a CMS for website maintenance.

Why would you want to store links in a website in an Excel file...

[kalos]

Why would you want to store links in a website in an Excel file...

because these files MUST be stored in a specific website and because these links must be included in an excel file to provide the files as evidence
it would be nice to include them inside the excel file, but it will become huge

[Shades]

Excel is one of the worst tools for this kind of job...and as you asked for advice from professionals, they will tell you that Excel is (one of) the worst tool for this kind of job. A Content Management System (CMS) is more suited for such a job. Most CMS's make use of a database which has no problems storing and showing links (or storing/showing files if you are so inclined).

This kind of solution is usually faster than working with Excel files containing links. And that is not the only advantage such systems have over manually managing files and links in and/or with Excel.

I am sorry if I offend, but n my opinion Excel is perceived to be a hammer by many and these many see all their problems turn into nails. This way of thinking causes unmaintainable files, vague file structures and disastrous workflows come into life.

Although you might think you have saved time/money by "nailing" your problem. It is better to get it clear in your head what you want to achieve and then look for existing solutions on the internet. You will find that in most cases there is already such a solution ready for you to use. Commercial, open source or otherwise.

[kalos]

thanks!
but regarding CMS, I wouldn't like my work to be depended on a website or internet connectivity
I want a physical file to work with
any specific suggestions for solutions?

[Shades]

Any reasonably modern computer has sufficient resources to run the requisites of most, if not all, CMS's. Heck, if the amount of users that make use of these requisites is low, even older systems (Pentium 4 class) won't have problems. On Windows you have a lot of choice. XAMPP is one of those solutions. But there are many more and have been discussed previously on the boards here.

When you run such a solution you will have a working Apache web server, a MySQL database server and PHP. These are the building blocks which most CMS's need to function. After that is done, find the CMS you like on this website.

In my experiences with XAMPP I always liked that by default all is stored in the main folder XAMPP. You usually install it in C:\XAMMP or extract it in such a location (yes, it can be used as a portable app too).

The one thing you should remember though, is that the computer running XAMPP isn't too exposed to the internet. Solutions such as XAMPP are meant for testing and developing and should not be used in a production environment. At least not with their default settings enabled. To my knowledge any of these solutions come with instructions to make them safe for a production environment. 

Yes, all of the above will require you to study, but you will be glad that you did in the long run.