Starting FrontPage 98 as a Beginner

What you will learn from this lesson

 

With FrontPage 98 you will:

§          Start FrontPage.

§          Create a new FrontPage Web using a template and a wizard.

§          Create a new FrontPage Web.

§          Open an existing file.

§          Explore the FrontPage Explorer window.

§          Explore the Standard toolbar.

§          Explore FrontPage Help.

§          Open a Web in the FrontPage Editor.

§          Quit FrontPage 98.

 

What you should do before you start this lesson

1.                   Click the Start button in the lower-left corner.

2.                   Position the pointer on Programs, and click Microsoft FrontPage.

 

Exploring the lesson

Starting FrontPage 98

The FrontPage Explorer and the FrontPage Editor make it easy for you and your students to create a Web site. In the FrontPage Explorer you create the structure or layout of your Web site, apply graphical themes to its pages, organize its files and folders, import and export files, test and repair hyperlinks, track tasks, and launch the FrontPage Editor to design and edit the contents of your Web pages. When your FrontPage Web is completed, you use the FrontPage Explorer to publish it on your computer, your organization’s intranet, or the World Wide Web.

In the FrontPage Editor you create, design, and edit World Wide Web pages. As you add text, images, tables, form fields, and other elements to your page, the FrontPage Editor displays them as they would appear in a Web browser. Although it is a powerful tool, the FrontPage Editor is easy to use because of its familiar, word-processor-like interface. You do not need to learn Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to use the FrontPage Editor because it creates all the HTML code for you. You can click the HTML tab at the bottom of the page to view the code, and then click Normal to get back to your page.

When you start FrontPage, the FrontPage Explorer opens up. The Getting Started dialog box is the first thing you see when you open FrontPage 98.

Note The word local appears after the Web name. This refers to the location. Select the server for your new FrontPage Web. If the server you want is not on the list, replace the suggested server name by typing the name of the server you want to use. For example, if the location is localhost/myWeb (where localhost is the server name suggested by the FrontPage Explorer and myWeb is the name you gave the new Web), and you want to place myWeb on a server named myserver, edit the location to read myserver/myWeb.

 

 

Creating a new FrontPage Web using a wizard

You can use a template or a wizard to save time. There are several decisions you need to make to personalize your Web. Read through each screen, and select your choices. If you do not complete this process, the Web will not be saved. Continue through each screen until you reach the Finish button.

The Web wizards include the Discussion Web Wizard, which creates a discussion group with a table of contents and postings on a single topic.

Using a Web wizard

1.                   In the Getting Started dialog box, click Create a New FrontPage Web, and click OK.

2.                   In the New FrontPage Web dialog box, click From Wizard or Template, and click Discussion Web Wizard.

3.                   Type discussion in the Choose a title for your FrontPage web box.

4.                   Click OK, and then click Next.

5.                  

Note All items in step 5 should be checked.

Under Select the main features for your discussion, select Table of Contents, Search Form, Threaded Replies, and Confirmation Page.

6.                   Click Finish.

7.                   On the File menu, click Close FrontPage Web, and click Cancel.

 

 

Creating a new FrontPage Web using a template

The templates contain professionally designed page layouts you can use to quickly create great-looking pages—just add your content.

The Web templates include Customer Support, Personal, Project, and Empty Web. Continue to use the FrontPage Explorer to create the next Web.

Creating a Web using a template

1.                   On the File menu, position the pointer on New, and click FrontPage Web.

2.                   In the New FrontPage Web dialog box, click From Wizard or Template, and click Project Web.

3.                   In the Choose a title for your FrontPage web box, type project, and click OK.

 

4.                   On the View menu, click Themes.

5.                   Click Use Selected Theme, and click Sumi Painting.

6.                   Click the Background Image check box, and then click it again to see the difference.

7.                   Select the Vivid Colors check box, and clear the Background Image check box. View the effect.

8.                   Select Background Image, and clear Vivid Colors.

 

 

9.                   Select the Active Graphics check box, and click Apply.

10.               On the File menu, click Close FrontPage Web.

Creating a new FrontPage Web

You are presented with many options when you start FrontPage. You can create a new Web from the Getting Started dialog box or from the menu bar. You can also open an existing Web file. This lesson begins on the Getting Started dialog box that is open at the end of the previous lesson.

Creating a new Web from the Getting Started dialog box

1.                   In the Getting Started dialog box, click Create a New FrontPage Web, and click OK.

2.                   In the New FrontPage Web dialog box, click One Page Web.

3.                   Type Web1 in the Choose a title for your FrontPage web box, and click OK.

4.                   On the File menu, click Close FrontPage Web.

 

Opening an existing Web

Opening a Web page in the FrontPage Explorer

1.                   In the Getting Started dialog box, click Open an existing FrontPage Web.

2.                   Click Project, and click OK.

 

Exploring the FrontPage window

Finding your way around the FrontPage Explorer is easy once you know the location of folders and files and the navigational techniques. The FrontPage Explorer shows you seven different views of the current FrontPage Web.

You can switch between these views by clicking buttons on the Views toolbar or using the View menu. Use the FrontPage Explorer to create and open FrontPage Webs, set permissions, create a navigation structure, manage folders and files, view and repair hyperlinks, use themes, and create and manage tasks.

 

Note The Views toolbar contains buttons that allow you to navigate in FrontPage Explorer.

 

Exploring the Folders view

Folders contain the organization of the contents of files and folders in the Web. You can create, delete, copy, and move them in the Folders view.

Exploring the Folders view

1.                   On the Views toolbar, click the Folders button.

2.                   In the Contents pane, click Default.htm or Index.htm, whichever has the title “Home.”

3.                   In the All Folders pane, click the Images folder to view its contents.

 

Note The default home page name for a server depends on the server’s configuration. On many Web servers the default name is Index.htm or Default.htm.

 

Exploring the All Files view

All Webs contain a list of files in the project’s folders. The list provides information such as file names, sizes, types, and modification dates.

Exploring the All Files view

1.                   On the Views toolbar, click the All Files button.

2.                   In the All Files pane, click Title, and Home appears at the top.

3.                   Click Name once, and the list is alphabetically organized by file name.

 

 

Exploring the Navigation view

The Navigation view shows how your Web is designed. A split window shows boxes that represent pages in one pane and folders and files in the other pane. You can create, display, and print this Web structure. If there are two or more page boxes in the top pane, you can move them by dragging them to where you want them. If there is more than one page box, you can click the plus sign (+) in the Home page box to open it; if there is a minus sign (–), click it to close the Home box.

Exploring the Navigation view

1.                   Continuing from the previous lesson, on the Views toolbar, click Navigation.

2.                   In the Home page box, click -.

3.                   In the Home page box, click +.

 

4.                  

Note The Rotate button changes the Navigation view layout from horizontal to vertical.

Click and hold the Discussions page box, and then drag it under the Search page box.

5.                   Click and drag the Discussions page box back to its original place.

6.                   On the Standard toolbar, click the Rotate button.

7.                   Click Rotate again to return to the horizontal position.

 

Exploring the Hyperlinks view

Note Use the Hyperlinks to Images button on the Standard toolbar to view pages with images.

In the Hyperlinks view, you can view the Web pages in the left pane and the hyperlinks in the right pane. The page graphically displays hyperlinks between pages, between files in your FrontPage Web, and from your FrontPage Web to other sites on the World Wide Web. Use the Hyperlinks to Images button to view hyperlinks to graphics on pages.

Exploring hyperlinks

1.                   On the Views toolbar, click Hyperlinks.

2.                   On the Standard toolbar, click the Hyperlinks to Images button.

 

 

3.                   In the All Pages pane, click the + in front of Project Web—Discussions to view hyperlinks in the right pane.

4.                   Click the – in front of Project Web—Discussions to close.

5.                   In the All Pages pane, click the + in front of Project Web—Members to view the hyperlinks in the right pane.

6.                   In the Hyperlinks for Project Web—Members pane, click the + on the Home page box.

7.                   Click the – to close.

8.                   In the All Pages pane, click the – in front of Project Web—Members to close.

9.                   In the All Pages pane, click the – sign in front of Home.

Note The Verify Hyperlinks button looks like this:

Exploring the Hyperlink Status view

The Hyperlink Status view displays a list of internal and external hyperlinks and indicates whether they are verified, broken, or unknown.

Exploring hyperlink status

1.                   On the Views toolbar, click Hyperlink Status.

2.                   Click Status once to reverse the list.

3.                   Click Status again to return the list to its original order.

4.                   On the Standard toolbar, click the Verify Hyperlinks button.

5.                   In the Verify Hyperlinks dialog box, click Start, and the unknown hyperlinks will change status.

6.