Unlike most Web-building tools, NetObjects Fusion® doesn't store your in-progress site as HTML. NetObjects Fusion stores your site in a database file called a .NOD. The .NOD file contains your site structure and links to your site´s assets (graphics, documents, media, etc.). The advantage of this method is excellent site and asset manageability, among other things. Think of the .NOD as the heart/brain of your in-progress site.

Because the .NOD is a database file, and a healthy database file performs better, there are some things I do in order to ensure everything runs optimally.

Like a car, NetObjects Fusion performs best when the engine is running at its full potential. In this case, the engine is your PC.

Resources
NetObjects Fusion, like many resource-intensive applications, works best when it has adequate RAM. If you are using Windows 95/98, 64 MB is a good start, but, like most things, having more is certainly better. And if you run several applications at once, 64 MB is just not enough.

NetObjects Fusion stores your site in RAM, so naturally, if you have more, this not only helps NetObjects Fusion, but improves the performance of Windows as well. So, you say, if a little helps, a lot must be better! This is true with more robust operating systems like Windows NT/2000, but with Windows 95/98, a huge increase in memory will not yield a big increase in performance. It’s all in how the different versions of Windows manage memory. The details are something for another day. :-)

Defragmenting
With use, your hard drive becomes a scattered mess of files. As the mess increases, system performance decreases because your system needs to look all over for the bits and pieces. I defragment my drives once a month, and thanks to Windows built-in scheduler, this is done early in the morning and doesn't interfere with my workday.

One thing to keep in mind: If you have never defragmented your drive before, the first one may take quite a while—like overnight. Really! More information about defragmenting your drives is available in the Windows Help file.

Local drive
Another important rule of thumb is to only run your site from your local hard drive. Running your site off of a network, or from removable media like a Zip drive, may result in an unstable .NOD file, which in turn, may result in a corrupt site and lost work.

NetObjects Fusion settings
The following settings are what I and many other NetObjects Fusion site builders use to get the best performance/stability from our sites. There are likely more tricks, but here are the ones I know about. :-)

First off, let's go to the Site Settings option. Click on the Tools menu, choose Site Settings, then click the Backup tab and try the following:

• Autobackup. Leave this on. Backups are good things.
• File naming convention. Click the drop-down list and select the option that allows you to save by date. I find it easier to understand a date and a time than a number.
• Maximum number of backups. The more the better—I usually choose 5-6, but keep in mind that the backups take space on your hard drive.

Now that we’ve made these settings, let’s try changing a few more. Click on the Tools menu once again, and this time select Options and choose the Program tab:

• Auto save. I turn it off. Here´s the reason: When it is on, as you change pages or views, the site is saved. Great, right? Well, this also slows things down. Turning it off speeds things along because NetObjects Fusion doesn't need to stop and wait for a save to be completed.

NOTE: Remember though, you will have to manually save your work. Think “CTRL+S.”

• Open to most recently used file at startup. Turn this off as well. While this feature is convenient, should you have the misfortune of a corrupt .NOD file, NetObjects Fusion will have a hard time launching, and this could result in stability problems with the application—not fun at all. One other advantage of turning this setting off is that if you manage multiple sites, you aren't forced to open your last site; instead, you just locate the site you need.
• Compact database upon exit. Leave this one on. It helps keep your .NOD file happy

Exporting templates
As my site grows, I make a habit of saving each good-sized revision (like when adding new pages/sections, or revising lots of content) as a template. Not only is this good because I can create versions of the site as it matures and changes (great for archiving—just remember to zip up the directory to save space), but exporting a site to a template also acts like a spring-cleaning for the .NOD. It rids the file of unused site assets (don't worry, it doesn't delete them from your drive and it does ask first), and it often reduces the size of the file as well, resulting in improved site performance at the building stage.

You can find more information on templates in the User Guide. See Chapter 15, Working with Templates.

Note: If you happen to notice that while working in NetObjects Fusion, your site acts slowly when moving from page to page, or that your site’s .NOD file has grown quite large, this may be a good time to export the site as template. And if this process doesn't help, bring out the big guns!

Recover.txt
If all your good care and attention fails, and your site becomes unstable, have a look at a document in your main NetObjects Fusion directory called recover.txt. This document will take you through the steps necessary to re-index your site. Think of this as a structural rebuilding and a major cleanup of the .NOD file.

Well, I hope this provides you with some useful information and helps keep your sites healthy and happy.