The Page view in FrontPage shows the following:
- On the left: A list of the folders (with small file folder icons)
and Web pages (with icons of small pages that have a bent corner and a
shortcut arrow) in a Web site.
- On the right: The current page, up close and in detail.
Using Page view helps you keep in mind where the Web page sits
within the context of the entire Web site, and you can edit the
particular page. To see this view, in FrontPage 2000, choose View +
Page.
In FrontPage 2000's Page view, you have three viewing choices for
the current Web page:
Normal: This option shows the page somewhat as it will look
in a Web browser but in a larger, easier-to-read layout and with
special Word-style format and style marks. HTML: This option shows the special codes that Web browsers
understand. Preview: This option shows the page as it will appear in a Web
browser.
You can switch among these views by clicking on the Normal, HTML,
and Preview tabs at the bottom of the window.
"Just read an article suggesting that I look for sites that present
information in a way that would make sense and steal the design. If
you can't figure out how a particular site works, choose View*Source
in Internet Explorer, or View*Page Source in Navigator to see the HTML
code that makes it tick. My question is how can you print out the HTML
codes, for future reference?"
You can simply save the page to your hard drive as HTML before even
viewing the source. Then it will always be available. You can also
open it in a program such as FrontPage or FrontPage Express and
copy-and-paste from there.
While browsing the Web, you come across an intriguing link. Why not
add it to your web? Instead of retyping all the information and
creating a hyperlink, just select the link and drag it into the page
you're working on in FrontPage Editor. Adding a link is that simple.
The link is already highlighted. If you want to rename it, just start
typing. (Renaming a link doesn't affect the link, just the text that
visitors click to visit the link.)
Want to drive page visitors crazy? Er, make that, want to set the
proper mood for those browsing your page? Add a background sound.
Here's how:
1. In the Editor, right-click anywhere on the page and choose Page
Properties from the pop-up menu.
2. In the Page Properties dialog box, click the General tab.
3. Click the Browse button beside the Background Sound line.
4. Browse through your drives and folders to find the sound file you
want; then select the file and click OK. (Remember that this file has
to be available to the Web server later.)
5. In the Loop section, choose how many times you want the sound to
play. If you want the sound to play endlessly, click Forever.
6. Click OK.
Now try opening your page in a browser to see the effect. We
weren't joking about driving people crazy. Background sounds deserve
even more care and conservative application than background images.
The most common format mark on most pages is the Paragraph
sign--sort of a backwards, uppercase P. You've probably seen these
symbols before in word processors. If you don't see any Paragraph
signs in FrontPage Editor and you want to, choose View + Format Marks.
Now you see not only the Paragraph symbols but also other marks
such as the small flag before a Comment. These symbols appear only in
the Editor, not in a browser, and they can help you see exactly what's
going on with your page formatting--and help you fix irritating, minor
problems that had you baffled.
Each time you hit the Enter key, a new paragraph starts. To create
a new line without starting a new paragraph, hold the Shift key when
you press Enter. Doing so creates a line break, a helpful formatting
tool that gives you greater control over spacing. Line breaks are
useful, for example, when you want to create a headline but you don't
want the text below the headline separated by an extra carriage
return.
Changing page titles with the right-mouse button is as easy as
1-2-3:
1. With your page open in FrontPage Editor, right-click a blank
area of the page and choose Page Properties.
2. Select the General tab in the dialog box that opens.
3. Type a new name in the Title text box and click OK. Your new page
title appears.
Note: You can also change a page title by right-clicking a page in
Navigation view, selecting Rename from the menu that appears, typing
in your new title, and pressing Enter.
When you need to cut text from one location and paste it to
another, you can highlight it and then select Ctrl + X (to cut) and
Ctrl + V (to paste). Or you can do this:
1. Highlight the text.
2. Click the highlighted text and drag it to its new location (the
cursor turns to an insertion marker).
3. Move the insertion point where you want your text to appear and
release the mouse.
If you want to create a new line without creating a new paragraph,
place your cursor where you want to break the line and press Shift +
Enter. Called a "line break," this type of break allows you to set off
your text while retaining the formatting for the paragraph.
Need to quickly cut and paste text in FrontPage? After selecting
the text, you could select Ctrl + X (to cut), move the cursor where
you want the text to appear, and select Ctrl + V (to paste). But
here's a faster way:
1. Select the text you want to cut and paste.
2. Click the selection and, continuing to hold the mouse, place the
cursor where you want the text to appear.
3. Release the mouse button.
Another alternative: Select the text, right-click, and choose Copy
from the shortcut menu. Place the cursor where you want, right-click
again, and choose Paste.
One of the great things about tables is that you can copy tables
directly from another program. If you prefer to create tables in
Microsoft Word or Excel, for example, you can copy (press Ctrl + C)
and paste (press Ctrl + V) a table or table cells into FrontPage. You
should be able to retain most of the formatting and color choices you
made.
If you want a table to resize proportionally when the browser
window is resized, try this:
1. In FrontPage Editor, right-click the table and select Table
Properties.
2. In the Table Properties dialog box, uncheck the Specify Width box
in the Minimum Size area of the window.
Invisible tables are usually the most attractive (right-click your
table, choose Table Properties, and set Border Size to 0). If you
prefer a bit of flash, you can add a 3D effect to tables very easily
with FrontPage:
1. Right-click your table.
2. Choose Table Properties to open the Table Properties dialog box.
3. Under the Custom Colors section, select a light border and dark
border from the appropriate pop-up menus. Your Dark Border selection
creates the shadow effect.
4. Click OK.
When you create Shared Borders, they can grace every page in your
website.
But hark, what line around yonder border breaks? Maybe while you're
editing that border you notice that it has a rectangle, may we call it
a border, around what you edit.
Well, don't worry. That rectangle is just there to help you know what
you're editing. It won't appear on your finished web pages.
Applying shared borders to your pages is not a good idea if some of
those pages have frames. The border creates a new page and so tangles
with the framed page. If you have mainly framed pages, shared borders
may be more trouble than they are worth. If you have only a few pages
with frames, open them in the Editor, open the Tool menu and Shared
Border command, and turn the shared border off.
Older browsers--such as versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer
numbered 2.0--don't support newer web page technologies such as Frames
and Tables. Put those new things in your web pages and users of those
older browsers may enter the twilight zone instead of your site.
Should you worry? Generally not. Most commercial and professional
sites now assume at least a version 3.0 browser, with support for
those technologies. But as a general rule you should avoid novelty for
the sake of novelty--or even for the sake of snazzy
appearance--because the more new technology you introduce, the more
you say goodbye to those without that technology. Unless, of course,
you're hoping to capture only those with the latest and tech-iest.
Your site's visitors may use a variety of browsers. Some folks,
especially on slow connections, may use a text-only browser, or they
may browse with their images turned off. To help these users, set
alternate text for each of your images. Doing so lets them know what
they're missing.
By default, FrontPage sets the alternate text by displaying the
name of the image file (for example, family.jpg) and download size. If
you don't consider that descriptive enough, try this:
1. In the FrontPage Editor, right-click the image you want to add
text for.
2. Choose Image Properties from the pop-up menu that appears.
3. In the Alternative Representations area, type a short description
for your image in the Text box.
4. Click OK.
Here's an easy way to create page links on a FrontPage web page:
1. In FrontPage, open the page you're making.
2. Have your browser--Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator--open at
the same time.
3. Browse web pages in IE or Navigator.
4. When you see a page link you like, place the mouse cursor on it,
press the mouse button, and drag the link to your FrontPage page.
5. Release the mouse button.
FrontPage will automatically make a page link there.
You can put an image in a table cell in any of the following ways:
* Place your cursor in the cell, choose Insert + Image, and then
specify which image you want to insert.
* Drag an image from the FrontPage Explorer.
* Drag an image from the Windows Explorer.
Tables are easy to make. They are also easy to unmake or simplify.
If you have a table with too many rows or columns, follow these steps:
1. Click the View menu and make sure the Table Toolbar is selected
(a check mark appears beside it).
2. Click the Erase button on the Tables toolbar.
3. Point the Erase cursor just to one side of the border you want to
erase.
4. Click and hold the mouse button and drag the Erase cursor across
that doomed border.
5. Release the mouse button.
The page title appears in the title bar of the browser, and it
ought to reflect what's in the page. To add or change a title, follow
these steps:
1. In the Editor, right-click anywhere on the page (you don't have
to avoid images or tables or such).
2. Choose Page Properties from the pop-up menu.
3. Type a relevant title on the Title text box of the Page Properties
dialog box.
4. Click OK.
The title in the title bar changes to whatever you typed.
Don't give up on a component that doesn't work or act right. Just
right-click the component and then choose Properties. In the
Properties dialog box, you can find most of the details of the
component's appearance and behavior. Did we say "find"? Nay, you can
change, dictate, and otherwise boss the component around. You can
re-engineer the component in the Properties dialog box and then
re-birth a newer, better component with an OK click.
To quickly change the look of a horizontal line, right-click on it
and select from the Properties dialog box. This also works with most
elements on a FrontPage-generated web page, and many Windows documents
of any kind.
You can manually test that links go where you want without even
leaving the Editor. Just hold the Ctrl key down and click the link.
You jump right to the linked--hopefully, the right linked--page.
Here are a couple of flexible shortcuts that let you quickly open a
Properties dialog box:
* Select your text or image and then press Alt + Enter to open the
Picture Properties or Font Properties dialog box, respectively.
* Right-click text or an image and choose Picture Properties or Font
Properties.
Need to reduce the size of a font on your page? Here are three
shortcuts for changing fonts, a task you'll repeat many times while
creating your site:
* Select your text and press Alt + Enter. From the Font Properties
dialog box, change the font size, adjust any other formatting, and
click OK.
* Right-click your highlighted text and choose Font Properties. Adjust
formatting and click OK.
* Click the Increase Text Size (a large "A" with an up arrow) or
Decrease Text Size (a small "A" with a down arrow) button on the
Formatting toolbar.
You may have noticed that the FrontPage Editor offers support for
Undo. But did you know that this feature works up to 30 times? Just
keep pressing Ctrl + Z until you get the page back to the desired
state. If you go too far, select Ctrl + Y to redo the command you
just, uh, undid.
FrontPage offers a component Search feature that lets browsers
search your site for a particular word or words. What if you don't
want that search to actually pick through every page on your site?
What if you want it limited to, say, just the discussion area or you
want it to at least stay away from some password-protected pages? Do
the following:
1. In the Editor, right-click the Search component and select Front
Page Component Properties (or select the component and press Alt +
Enter).
2. Select the Search Results tab.
3. Enter either "all" (sans quotes) in the Word List To Search text
box or enter the name of the folder holding the pages you want
searched.
4. Click OK.
The default FrontPage search shows a list of all pages on your site
that contain the searched-for word. You may not want this. You may
have some pages you want kept away from search. One way to limit a
search is to use the Search Results properties dialog box to specify
which folders to search. That sets inclusion boundaries. The other way
to limit is to depend on FrontPage's natural exclusion: it doesn't
search inside any folder with a name that starts with an underscore,
_. Create one or more folders with underscore names and put your
private pages inside them.
Headings are Web text styles that can help break up and organize
text. Use no headings, and your text can look complicated and hard to
read. Visitors won't know what information is where. Use too many
headings, and the page is hard to read because the text looks like all
structure and no meat or matter.
The "just right" application of headings depends on the
circumstance. If you want people to read a story, fewer is better. If
you want people to quickly find instructions or specification details,
more is better. Finding the right balance is an art, aided by testing
on peers and customers.
When you type text in a table cell, the cell automatically expands
to hold whatever text you enter. Typically, doing so means that you're
adding extra lines to the cell, expanding it and the entire table
downward on the page.
When you're changing an image (Right-click on the image and then
choose Properties), you see the Keep Aspect Ratio option and may have
wondered what it does. If you select this option, FrontPage makes sure
that your picture keeps its basic shape proportional, no matter how
you change the width or height. With this option selected, you won't
squash or stretch an image while resizing it. You can find this option
in the Appearance tab of the Image Properties window.
A line break won't change formatting for lines of text. The next
line of text after the line break has the same formatting as the line
before the break. A paragraph break does change formatting. The line
after a paragraph change can have a whole new formatting.
Last time, we told you how to remove the formatting of text in the
FrontPage Editor: Just highlight the area you want to change and
choose Format + Remove Formatting.
Just because you're using a Theme, that doesn't mean you can't
change elements where you want to. For example, to change the
background of your page, follow these steps:
1. From the FrontPage Editor, right-click a blank area of the page
you want to change; then choose Page Properties.
2. From the Page Properties menu, click the Background tab.
3. In the Specify Background and Colors area, click the Browse tab and
navigate to the GIF or JPEG image you want to use as a background. The
Select Background Image dialog box appears.
4. Select the image you want to choose and click OK.
When creating pages, you may need to unlink a page so that it can't
be viewed (say, when you're doing maintenance). No problem:
1. Select the text you want to unlink.
2. Choose Edit + Unlink.
When you want to set the link again, just follow these steps:
1. Highlight the text you want to link.
2. Press Ctrl + K to launch the Create Hyperlink dialog box.
3. Type the address in the URL text box.
4. Click OK.
By default, the links you create in FrontPage are blue, a standard
for Web page creation. Leaving your links this way is generally best;
otherwise, you risk confusing visitors. However, should you want to
make links on a particular page stand out, here's how:
1. With the page open in FrontPage Editor, right-click a blank area
of the page.
2. Select Page Properties from the menu that appears. The Page
Properties dialog box opens.
3. Click the Hyperlink pop-up menu and choose a color. You can change
the Visited Hyperlink option (the link color when a visitor has
already gone to the page) and Active Hyperlink option (the link's
color when clicked) in the same way.
4. Click OK.
Over the next few tips, we show you how to edit your images, using
the FrontPage Image toolbar. First, of course, you need to place an
image on your page:
To import an image from your hard drive:
1. In FrontPage Editor, select a blank area of your page. Your
image will go here.
2. Click the Insert Image button from the Standard toolbar.
3. In the Image dialog box, navigate to the image file you want to
import.
4. Click OK.
To import an image from the Web:
1. In FrontPage Editor, select a blank area of your page.
2. Open your browser. Arrange your desktop so that you can see both
the browser window and the FrontPage Editor.
3. Surf to a site that contains an image you'd like to import. (Make
sure the image is one you can use legally, of course.)
4. Click the image and drag it to the page. Voila!
In our last tip, we explained how to place an image on your Web
page: In FrontPage Editor, select a blank area of your page; click the
Insert Image button from the Standard toolbar; navigate to the image
file you want to import; and click OK. Today, we explain one of the
ways you can enhance this image.
To add a bit more dimension to your images, consider giving them a
beveled edge. Many folks use this trick to make graphics look like
buttons. (In fact, this may be one of the more OVERUSED tools, so use
it sparingly.)
To bevel the edges of your image:
1. Select the image.
2. Click the Bevel button from the Image toolbar. (If your Image
toolbar is not displayed, choose View + Image Toolbar.)
3. If you don't like the effect, select Ctrl + Z to undo the last
step.
A couple of tips ago, we explained how to place an image on your
Web page: In FrontPage Editor, select a blank area of your page; click
the Insert Image button from the Standard toolbar; navigate to the
image file you want to import; and click OK. Today, we explain one of
the ways you can enhance this image.
You may often work with images that are underexposed (not enough
light) or overexposed (too much light). You can affect the brightness
of images without using an external image editor. The FrontPage Image
toolbar handles these simple jobs quite nicely:
1. Select the image.
2. Choose the More Brightness or Less Brightness button on the Image
toolbar.
3. Continue to click the buttons until the image appears as you want
it.
Tip-in-a-tip: To remove the effect, click Ctrl + Z. FrontPage
supports multiple undo actions (the last 30 steps), so keep clicking
until you're back to where you started.
A couple of tips ago, we explained how to place an image on your
Web page: In FrontPage Editor, select a blank area of your page; click
the Insert Image button from the Standard toolbar; navigate to the
image file you want to import; and click OK. Today, we explain one of
the ways you can enhance this image.
Contrast highlights the difference between dark and light areas of
your image. You can adjust the contrast of an image from within
FrontPage:
1. Select the image.
2. Choose the More Contrast or Less Contrast button on the Image
toolbar.
3. You can click the buttons multiple times to enhance the effect.
Tip-in-a-tip: Select Ctrl + Z as many times as necessary to
completely remove the effect.
In the last few tips, we discussed ways to enhance your graphics
with the Image toolbar. Of course, not everything you try will look
the way you want. Fortunately, returning the file to its former state
is easy. After applying an effect--or several effects that don't look
so hot--try this:
1. Select the image.
2. Click the Restore button on the Image toolbar.
Tip-in-a-tip: If you're not sure which button is which, let your
mouse pointer hover over it for a couple of seconds. A screen tip
displaying the button's name appears.
After inserting an image into FrontPage, the program automatically
converts files into GIF or JPEG format. You may want to change the
format, however, depending on the type of graphic you're working with.
Photos generally look better as JPEG files, but they may download
faster as GIF files. The decision is as much art as science. Try
different versions to find out what works best for you.
1. Select the image you want to convert.
2. Right-click the image and choose Image Properties from the menu
that appears.
3. If the image is a GIF, click the JPEG button (or vice versa).
Note: When you convert a file to a JPEG, you can enter a number in
the Quality box. A higher number means less compression, better
quality, and a larger file. Generally, we recommend that you stick
with the default number, but feel free to experiment.
When you finish creating a page, set your page title. A title
appears in your visitors' browsers (in the title bar above the menus).
Search engines use the title to describe your page. Adding a page
title takes just a few steps:
1. Right-click a blank area of your page (or select File + Page
Properties). The Page Properties dialog box appears.
2. In the Title box, add a few words to describe your page. You can
use blank spaces, if you like.
3. Click OK to save your changes.
You can right-click almost anywhere in FrontPage to find a faster
way to get your work done. Here's how to change text formatting in the
FrontPage Editor:
1. Select the text you want to change.
2. Right-click the text.
3. Choose Font Properties.
4. In the Font dialog box, make the appropriate changes, such as the
font size, style, and color.
5. Click OK to accept your changes and close the Font dialog box.
Time once again to applaud the right-mouse button, a triumph in
interface design. Here's how to quickly change your theme in FrontPage
Editor:
1. With your page open, right-click a blank area of the page.
2. Choose Theme from the pop-up menu that appears.
3. Select a new theme from the list and click OK.
Sometimes themes just don't work out. Here's how to completely
remove a theme.
1. In FrontPage Editor, right-click and choose Theme. The Choose
Theme dialog box appears.
2. Select This Page Does Not Use Themes and click OK.
The page reverts to its default styles. Keep in mind that you can't
select Undo (Ctrl + Z) to reverse the change. If you change your mind,
you have to click the Close box and then select No when asked if you
want to save changes to the page.
When you create a table, you can resize it by specifying widths in
the Table Properties box. Just select the table, right-click, and
choose Table Properties from the dialog box that appears. Enter a
width and height in the Minimum Size area and click OK. To resize a
table more quickly, try this:
1. Hold the mouse pointer over a row or column border until the
pointer turns into a two-sided arrow.
2. Click and drag until the table reaches the size you want.
Tip-in-a-tip: If you click and drag but nothing happens,
right-click and choose Table Properties. Deselect Specify Width and
Specify Height.
A couple of tips ago, we mentioned that tables are a great way to
position text and images on a page. Here's how to insert text and
images in your table cells:
* To insert text, simply click inside the cell and begin typing. To
jump to the next cell, click Tab.
* To insert an image:
1. Click inside the cell where you want the image to appear.
2. Click the Insert Image button (it has a picture of mountains and a
sun on it) on the Standard toolbar.
3. In the Image dialog box that opens, browse to the image you want
and select it.
4. Click OK.
Yesterday, we told you how to hyperlink an image on your site. When
you set a hyperlink for a graphic, a border automatically appears
around the graphic. Here's how to delete the border:
1. Right-click the image and select Image Properties from the menu
that appears.
2. From the Image Properties dialog box, select the Appearance tab.
3. Set Border Thickness to 0 and click OK.
When the link is obvious, you typically don't need the borders
around linked graphics. For example, you wouldn't use a border around
a button.
Readers have the best ideas. Here's another: "Yet another way to
increase or decrease font size! I use this in both FrontPage and MS
Word.
1. Select the text you want to change
2. Hold the Control key and the Shift down together
3. Press "<" (Less than sign) to get smaller text.
4. Press ">" (greater than sign) to get larger text
What is especially nice about this feature is that in text with a
variety of font sizes, they all increase or decrease one size up or
down each time you press the "< / > " key.
Changes to this page are IN PROGRESS 