Does anyone know if a search engine will parse an .shtml document and index the code in the included files or does the search engine just see this:

<!--#include virtual="/file.shtml" -->

Thanks


:D

I am almost positive the spider will index the code in the included files, but I am not absolutely sure, so don't take my word for it. ;)

I borrowed this from spider-food website.

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Well, I think it's pretty obvious what the word Include is in there for. It's because the file is included in other pages. If you aren't familiar with the term "server side" it just means that something is executed by the server (rather than the client[browser]) which then spits out the processed code.

Now lets relate that to server side includes. When a web server comes across an SSI command, it opens up the include file, extracts the code, places it in the page that is calling it, and never lets the visitor know that an include was even called!

>

As far as I understand ssi the page is more or less built from parts and then presented to the browser as a whole. The include tags are actually replaced by the information being included when the document is parsed.

That is correct, it's not the client that parses the page, it's the server. It doesn't matter what hits the page, as whatever hits the page will never know and it's not possible (unless there's a bug somewhere in some web server) what is in any SSI tag. If you ever see an SSI tag in any page's source, than SSI isn't enabled or it's not within the page's source of a file that ends in a file extension that's configured to parse the SSI calls. It's not possible for a spider to do anything different than you'd see on your browser -- unless it's something that is dependant on the client's end -- in which case, the client could see it anyway, but not with SSI. You have nothing to worry about in that aspect. It's very simple, I suggest you learn how web servers and web browser's work.

Tim,
A web server and web browser are not webspiders, that was my initial question, does a spider request and process the page just as a browser does, or does it see the page as it is coded?

Parsed. :) (yes, a short reply, but it only required a short answer)

Yeap, I just checked with a couple of people. The spyder will see it parsed! ;)

spiders are just primitive browsers

primitive browsers! http://www.dejavu.org/

Originally posted by needcgispace
primitive browsers! http://www.dejavu.org/

Sadly enough, I've used and remember everyone of those, except line-mode.