Web pages are coded in HTML which is a page description language that instructs a web browser where to place objects on a page and what the properties of those objects are such as color, size, length, width, height, etc. The language uses tags to identify specific objects. For example <p> indicates the start of a paragraph and </p> indicates the end of a paragraph. Properties for the paragraph are included as statements inside the tag. For example <font color=”red” size=”12px”> would display the font in 12 points and the color red.
Microsoft FrontPage is an HTML editor published by the Microsoft Corporation. It is bundled with some versions of Microsoft Office and also available as a stand alone software application.
Interface
FrontPage is a WYSIWYG (what you see it what you get) editor. The interface is the standard Microsoft interface and is easy to use because it has all the standard wizards, drag and drop editing, templates, clip art and fonts you would expect from a Microsoft office application. Another nice feature is the integration with the other office products such as word, excel, PowerPoint, access and photo editor. This feature allows you to import snippets from these other programs directly into your web page.
To be able to use front page to create your website, you must host the site with a web hosting company that lets you install front page extensions. Since most web hosting companies do provide this capability, there really should be no problem.
FrontPage’s working interface is shown below. On the right side is the list of files in the website. In the top part of the main frame is the code view of the page and in the bottom portion of the left window is the design view of the page. If you highlight something in the design view, if you highlight an element in one view, it will also be highlighted in the code view as well. It took Microsoft until version 2003 to add the split window to FrontPage. They have also added the ability to publish without opening a separate publish dialog.
Changes made in one window are automatically made in the other windows. The tabs at the top of the window allow you to open multiple pages and easily switch between them as you are working on the site.
For the beginner, you can close the code view so you have a larger window to see the design elements as shown below.
For the serious programmer, you can display the page in the full code view as shown below.
The intellisence feature will anticipate your next move and automatically complete common bits of code. Sometimes that is a time saver and other times it is annoying. The drop down list of available parameters is a nice feature.
IntelliSense works for code snippets such as:
- Java
- JavaScript
- VBScript
- ASP.Net
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
- XSLT (Extensible Style sheet Language Transformations
- HTML
FrontPage also offers an Optimize HTML tool that removes unnecessary code litter which is an absolute necessity if you try to use Word generated HTML code for your web pages.
The tracing feature allows you to take a mockup image of your site and place it behind the editing window to make placing objects easier.
Microsoft has an online trial version of FrontPage at http://www.runaware.com/microsoft/frontpage2003/. Check it out.
Technical Support
There is no manual so you will probably need to buy a good third party book to get the most out of FrontPage. Microsoft’s support website does offer a good selection of general help, tips, add-ons and discussion boards. Live technical support is available for around $70 per incident but usually is not worth what it costs.
Conclusion
If you are a newbie, then FrontPage is a good tool to learn about creating web pages. The wizard and template approach is good for simple websites. The program is not customizable nor is it adaptable enough to create more complex websites. However, you can insert MSN maps, Java and ActiveX applets, Flash and hit counters. It has the ability to preview your web pages in multiple browsers.
Unfortunately, FrontPage uses a lot of internet explorer specific code and it doesn’t check for compliance with web standards or browser compatibility. Also, live, data-driven Web site features using XML collaboration and the Data Source Catalog require Microsoft SharePoint Services to work.
Most of the new features in FrontPage 2003 have been available since the mid-1990s in other professional HTML editors like Dreamweaver. If you are a novice, at its $150-200 price, FrontPage is a good choice. If you plan to create complex web sites or become a professional web designer spend the extra money to buy Dreamweaver. It’s the difference between driving a sub compact and a luxury sedan.
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