Going Back to Work on a Web
Fine Tuning Your Web
Themes: Living With 'Em, Living Without 'Em
Modifying Themes
Working without Themes: Using Your Own Background and Colors
Linking to Specific Locations on Pages: Bookmarks
Using Page Templates
Importing Existing Pages or Webs into FrontPage
Copying or Backing Up a Local Copy of Your Web
Deleting a Web from Your Local Computer System
Deleting or Replacing Web Files on the Campus WWW Server
What Files Does Your Web Have?
Getting More Help from Microsoft Web Pages
The Importance of HTMLThe document FrontPage 2000: Creating a Web Site began a discussion of FrontPage 2000 that continues in this document and in the accompanying class. Here you'll learn about how to continue working on your web, fine-tuning it with various options. You'll also learn about managing your web files on your local computer and on the campus WWW server.
To open an existing web, select the File menu, and then select one of these two options:You can also have FrontPage automatically open the last web you worked on every time it starts. Select Tools, then Options, and then the General tab. Turn on the option labeled Open last Web automatically when FrontPage starts.
- Recent Webs : Select this option to open one of the last few webs you had open on your computer.
- Web: Select this option to open a web that you worked on in the more distant past or that you have never opened with FrontPage on the current computer.
You can use different tools and views in FrontPage to work with your entire web.
Are you a perfektionist when it comes to spelling? FrontPage checks your spelling as you type, but you can also do a spell check on all your pages before publishing. To check only one page, start in Page view. To check the entire web, start in any of the other views. From the Tools menu, select Spelling. If the checker finds errors, you can correct them at once, or put off the corrections by clicking Add Task. You can then complete the task later.
To replace text in only one page, select Replace from the Edit menu. In the Replace window, find the Search options section and select Current Page. To verify each change, select Find; to replace without verifying, bravely click Replace All.Have you changed your mind about a particular word or phrase repeated on your pages? To replace text in all your pages at once, select Replace from the Edit menu, and in the Replace window, select the All pages option. Fill in the boxes labeled Find what and Replace with . (Notice that you can use the window to search for text or HTML.) Select other options as needed, and then click the Find in web button.
In the lower part of the window, FrontPage lists any pages where your search term is found. You can postpone the replacement by clicking Add Task. If you are ready to make the changes, you can begin finding and replacing text in each page in order by double-clicking the first page in the list. After you complete one page, FrontPage offers to continue with the next page.
The reports view provides helpful information about your web in a variety of categories. To get details about any of the topics listed, double-click on it. How do you get back to the previous list? Select Site Summary from the floating Reporting toolbar, which automatically appears when you select the Reports view. You can also switch to other reports using the Reporting toolbar. The reports get more interesting as you build your web, so consult this view before publishing.
Do you want to find out whether your hyperlinks are actually working before you publish your page? Make sure you are connected to the Internet, and switch to the Reports view. From the right-hand corner of the Reporting toolbar, select the Verify Hyperlinks button. When the Verify Hyperlinks window appears, click Start to begin checking that links to pages both in and outside your web are correct. If the report shows that a link is "broken," double-click on it to fix it. Correct the URL in the box labeled Replace hyperlink with, make sure other options in the window are correct, and then click Replace.
If you want to postpone fixing a broken hyperlink, right-click on it and select Add Task. Complete your unfinished tasks before uploading your page (see below).
Want a better picture of how your pages link to other pages? In the Hyperlinks view, you can select a page from the folder list, and the right-hand pane displays its links.
Arrows pointing toward the page indicate pages in your web that link to the selected page. Arrows pointing out from the page indicate the links it has to other pages in your web or around the world.
To complete postponed tasks, switch to the Tasks view. Double-click on a task to begin completing it.You can also add your own specialized tasks to the list. For example, if you need to contact someone to confirm some information before putting it on your page, you can add that task by selecting the Edit menu, Task, and then Add Task. Complete the task name and either type or select the name of a person the task is assigned to . Indicate the priority as High, Medium, or Low and click OK. When you or your helper completes the task, select the Edit menu and then Task. Click the downward pointing arrow and then Mark as completed.
Tip: You can also edit tasks by right clicking a task.
You know already that you can change your web structure in navigation view by dragging pages to different positions relative to other pages. If your web has a large number of pages, however, the navigation view may get too crowded to be useful. You can use the floating navigation toolbar to get a better view. To orient the view slightly differently, click the Portrait\Landscape buttonin the floating navigation toolbar. If your web is still too large to fit in the window, use the zoom control in the toolbar to see more or less of it.
Tip: You will learn more about the navigation toolbar in the document FrontPage: Shared Borders, Tables, and Frames (iid22). Which Page is Which?
In Navigation view, it can be difficult to figure out which page matches a file in your folder list. To find the file name of a page in Navigation view, right-click on it and choose Properties. The file name is listed under Location.
After working with FrontPage for a bit, you may decide you want to tweak your web's theme or use your own background and colors.
You can change the theme for a single page in the Page view. Open the page, making sure you are in the Normal view, and then select Theme from the Format menu. Under the heading Apply theme to, choose Selected page(s), and then choose a theme from the list. Click OK, and the theme is applied to that page only.You can also apply a different theme to more than one page. To apply a theme to only a few pages, switch to the Folder view first. Select multiple pages by clicking on one, and then Ctrl-clicking on others. Select Theme from the Format menu, choose the option Selected page(s), and then select and apply a new theme. Of course, if you want to change the theme for all your web pages, make sure to select the option All pages in the Themes window before applying the theme.
In the typical installation of FrontPage, not all themes are automatically installed on your computer. To install additional themes, you need the installation CD. Select Themes from the Format menu. From the list of themes, select Install Additional Themes. When prompted, put the FrontPage installation CD in your CD-ROM drive and click OK.
If a page does not look the same as the theme shown in the Themes view, is something wrong with the theme? That depends. It may be that a particular page is set not to use themes at all (see above). Sometimes, a page simply doesn't use all the features of the theme, such as bullets, so the page looks different from what you might expect. For an in-depth discussion, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article "Why Web Does Not Look Like Theme Preview" available at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q174/0/82.asp.If the Microsoft article does not address your concern, however, your theme may have problems. First, try refreshing the view of the page by selecting Refresh from the View menu. If this doesn't fix the problem, try turning off themes for the web, and then turning them back on. From the Tools menu, select Web Settings, and then No theme. Next, apply the theme again. Usually one of these two methods--refreshing the view or turning off and re-applying the theme--fixes the problem.
Another problem arises in Netscape if you apply a theme using CSS (cascading style sheets). Netscape does not display the theme background, and buttons do not work properly. The advantage of CSS is that they make the web more accessible for people who use text readers to browse the web; the disadvantage is this problem with Netscape. Unfortunately, the problem is unresolved. One way you might work around it is to provide alternate pages, either for the text readers or for Netscape users.
One way to create your own look for your web is to modify existing Microsoft themes. Select Themes from the Format menu, and select a theme from the list. Then select the Modify button. The themes window expands, revealing options for modifying themes.
To change a theme's colors, select the Colors button. The Modify Theme window opens. A sample theme on the right side of the window demonstrates any changes you make on the three tabs to its left. At the bottom of the window, you can select an option to work with either Normal colors or Vivid colors. Select options from the tabs as follows:
When you have selected the color scheme or individual colors you like, click OK to return to the Themes window.
- Color Schemes : Use this tab to borrow another theme's color scheme. In the left side of the window, select a theme, and watch the colors change in the sample theme. Color changes may be subtle or drastic, so be sure to pay attention not just to changes in background color, but also to changes in text, links, headings and other options.
- Color Wheel: Use this tab to select a color scheme. Click on the color wheel, and FrontPage coordinates the selected color with a more or less tasteful selection of other colors. You can also use the brightness slider to adjust the colors.
- Custom: Use this tab to develop your own color scheme. Select an option from the menu, and the Color box shows that option's current color. To change the color, click the arrow next to Color. You can select one of the colors shown in the boxes, or select the More Colors button. In the More Colors window, you can click on one of the colors shown, or get even more choices by clicking on the Custom button. In the Custom colors window, select a color from the spectrum, and then OK your way back to the Custom tab.
Please note: Custom color selection is discussed in more detail in FrontPage: Intro to Image Composer and FrontPage: Image Composer Part 2 .
Please note: The background color is usually hidden by the theme's background picture. If you prefer, you can turn off the background picture option in the Themes window.
Theme graphics include the theme's background, navigation bar buttons, bullets, page banner, and horizontal lines. To change the graphics used in a theme, select the Graphics
button in the Themes window. The Modify Theme window opens. A sample theme on the right side of the window demonstrates any changes you make on the two tabs to its left. At the top of the window, select an item from the drop-down list. Then make changes using the two tabs as follows:
- Picture: On this tab, you can select a picture file to be used for the item you select from the list at the top of the window. Select an item, and then take a look at the picture used for that item in the sample window. Notice that some items use more than one picture. For example, the Bullet List has different pictures at different bullet levels, and Horizontal Navigation has different pictures for a button that is selected, not selected, or for a button that has a pointer arrow hovering over it.
You can use a Web graphic file saved to your web, on your computer system, or on the World Wide Web. The file type must already be saved as a .gif or .jpeg; in this instance, FrontPage does not convert the files for you automatically. To locate and select the graphics file you want to use, click the Browse button.- Font: Use this tab to change the font style used with text placed on graphics, such as button text. Select an item from the top of the window, and then select font options from the tab. Take a look at the theme sample to see your changes. Remember, not all graphics incorporate a font, so if you select background, for example, you have no fonts to change.
When you have made all your changes to the theme graphics, click OK to return to the Themes window.
Theme text includes the body text and heading styles used for the theme; it does not include text used on graphics (details above). To change the text used in a theme, select the Text button in the Themes window. The Modify Theme window opens. The sample theme in the right side of the window shows changes you make to the font using the options on the font tab. At the top of the window, select an item from the drop-down list. Note that Body refers
to body text, which includes plain text, hyperlinks, and lists. On the font tab, you can select a different font or click More Text Styles for more options. Keep in mind that if a particular browser does not have the font you choose, it substitutes a font.
When you have made all your changes to the theme graphics, click OK to return to the Themes window.
To save the new theme, click the Save or Save As button in the Themes window. The original FrontPage themes are read-only files, so you must come up with a name for your new theme. Once you have saved the theme, its name appears in the list of themes, and you can apply it to your web.
You do not have to use a theme at all, whether modified or unmodified. Instead, you can use your own background images and text colors. To turn off themes, select the Format menu, Theme, and then choose No Theme . Choose the option to apply this change to all or only selected pages. Next, select Background from the Format menu. You can select colors for the page's background and text. If you want to use an image as your background, click Browse. You can then select Clip Art or find a file of your own in the format .jpg or .gif. Locate the file, select it, and click OK. (To learn more about graphics, take our Photoshop: Web Graphics class or read FrontPage 98: Intro to Image Composer .)
The term "bookmark" has multiple meanings on the Web. You may have used bookmarks in Netscape Navigator to mark pages that you want to return to quickly; Microsoft Internet Explorer calls this same feature "favorites" rather than "bookmarks."In FrontPage, as in Microsoft Word, a bookmark is a section of a page that is marked so that links can be made directly to it. Visitors to your page go to the section they need quickly by following these links. To create a bookmark and a link to it on your page, complete the following steps:
- Create the bookmark on a page by selecting a block of text or a graphic and then selecting Bookmark from the Insert menu. If necessary, change the name of the bookmark to make it more meaningful to you, and click OK. The highlighted text is now underlined.
- Create the link to the bookmark. Select the text or graphic you want to be the link, and click the Hyperlink button. Under the URL field is a bookmark list. Click the drop-down arrow and select the bookmark from the list. Click OK.
- Save the page, and then preview and test the bookmarks.
You can also link to bookmarks on other pages:When you browse and follow a link to a bookmark, take a look at the Location field. The URL for the bookmark ends in the format #bookmark.
- To create a link to a bookmark on other pages in your web, select the Hyperlink button, then the file, and then the bookmark. Alternatively, you can type the bookmark location in the URL field in the format filename#bookmarkname.
- To link to a bookmark on a page on the World Wide Web, first, select the Hyperlink button. Next, click the Use your browser to select a page or file button, and then follow the links on that page to the bookmark (or "target"). When you switch back to FrontPage, the complete URL is added to the URL box. Alternatively, you can type the bookmark location in the URL field in the format URL#bookmarkname.
FrontPage has individual page templates that you may find useful, such as a Frequently Asked Questions template or a bibliography. To use the templates in your web, select File , New, and then Page. For now, have a look at the pages listed on the first tab in the window, the General tab.
Please note: Remember that pages will not work properly on the campus WWW server if they use components that require FrontPage server extensions. For example, the guest book page does not work because it uses FrontPage forms. For a list of components that do not work on the campus server, see the document FrontPage 2000: Creating a Web Site . If you find a page you like, click OK to insert it.
FrontPage does not automatically add the new page to your web hierarchy, so the page does not appear on navigation bars or display any navigation bars itself. To add the page to your web hierarchy, switch to Navigation view. Drag the page file from the folder list into the web hierarchy, moving it into the correct position relative to other pages in your web. If you look at your pages again in Page view, the navigation bars should be working properly.
Importing is an easy way to add existing Web pages and associated files to your web. These files might be on your local computer system--on your hard drive, network drive or diskette--or on the World Wide Web.
Select Import from the File menu. The Import window opens. Do one of the following:After selecting the file or folder to add to your web, you return to the Import window, where you can make other selections. When you finish, return to your web by clicking OK in the Import window.
- To add a single file, click Add File. The Add File to Import List window appears. Use this window to locate and select the file you want to add. Notice that you can search just for Web files or you can select a different file type by changing the Files of Type option in the window.
- To add all the files in a folder such as a graphics folder, click Add Folder and then select the folder from the Browse for folder window.
You may have other tasks to perform on the pages that you bring into your web. Do you want your new page to include navigation bars and perhaps be included in them on other pages? Then use Navigation view to move the pages into the correct position relative to other pages in your web. Next, select Shared Borders from the Format menu and select the option Reset borders for current page to web default. If you use a theme, select Theme from the Format menu and apply it to the new page.
Tip: You can import a word-processed document into your web for visitors to download. First, it's a good idea to save the file in Rich Text Format so that different word processors can open it. Then import the file, and provide a link to it from one of your other pages. After you publish the web, visitors can click on the link to view or save the file.
What if you have a complex, large web that is already published, and you'd like to adapt that site to FrontPage? Importing is an easy way to incorporate multiple pages into a site--but it also leaves you to reconstruct some elements, such as links and themes.When you import files into a web, you can start with an existing web or create a new one during the import process. If you are importing a site with multiple files, it's a good idea to name the web after the site folder. For example, if Jane Doe is importing http://www.umbc.edu/~jdoe/, she names the web into which she's importing it "jdoe." This will help keep her links working properly later.
To import files from an existing web, connect to the Internet and then do one of two things:
The Import Web Wizard displays. Choose From a World Wide Web site . You can type a URL for a single page or, to import multiple files and folders contained in a site, type the URL for the root folder in the Location box. For example, if Jane Doe wants to import her web from the campus server, including all sub-folders, she types http://www.umbc.edu/~jdoe.
- If you are importing into a web open in FrontPage, choose Import from the File menu. The Import File to FrontPage Web window opens. Select From Web.
- If you are creating a new web during the import process, select the File menu, New, and then Web. The New FrontPage Web window opens. Select Import Web Wizard , and select or type the location where you want to save the web. If possible, keep the same web folder name the web has on the World Wide Web server.
Click Next. The window asks if you want to limit the download. If you have enough space and memory on your computer, leave the default choice; otherwise, select your limits. Click Next and then Finish. FrontPage then connects to the site and downloads the files you specified. An Import Web Progress box tracks files as they are downloaded to your computer.
After the web is downloaded, switch to Navigation view and set up your file hierarchy. If you like, apply a theme. If some files or folders did not import, start the import process again, and specify the URL of the missing file or folder in the Location field.
If you publish your web to a WWW server, then, in a sense, you already have a back-up copy: one copy is on your own computer and one is on the server. If you would like another copy of your web just to be safe, copy the web folder to a location other than your hard drive, such as a floppy diskette or zip disk. You will notice that FrontPage doesn't have a "Save As..." option, so use Windows Explorer or the My Computer window to copy the files. For details about copying folders and files in Windows, see Windows 95/98: File Management .
If you need to use the back up copy later, you can either open it from the backup disk or use Windows Explorer or My Computer to copy it to a location on your hard drive and open that copy. To open the web, select Open Web from the FrontPage File menu. Find the web folder, select it, and click OK.
To delete an entire web from your local computer system, use the Folder List. Click on the top folder in the web, and press the Delete key on your keyboard. FrontPage offers you two options:
- Remove FrontPage information from this Web only, preserving all other files and folders. Your files will still be on your computer but will no longer function as a web. Later, if you want to convert the folder back to a web again, you can select Open from the File menu and choose the web folder. Then follow the prompts to convert it to a web.
- Delete this web entirely: Bid farewell to all the files and folders in this web. It will be deleted.
FrontPage 2000 makes cleaning up unwanted files on the campus server an easy job.If you delete a file from your web after publishing it, then the next time you publish, FrontPage notices the deletion. The program asks if you want to delete the file from the WWW server as well. This is especially helpful when, for example, you change a theme after you have published your web. FrontPage deletes the old theme files from your local web and offers to delete them from the WWW server, too. It is also a good way to get rid of any practice files: simply delete all the files in the practice web on your local computer, and then publish it again to the same location on the WWW server. FrontPage offers to delete the files from the WWW server.
FrontPage helps you replace files with a new version, too. If you make changes to a page and re-publish your web, FrontPage finds the matching file on the server and gets your OK before replacing it with the modified version.
To get a better understanding of how your web is constructed, you may want see the hidden files and folders on your local computer system, as well as the files and folders you have put on the campus server.
FrontPage hides certain folders from you. On rare occasions, you may need access to files in these hidden folders--for example, if you want to modify or use a graphic file stored in the hidden _themes folder. If you want to take a peek at these hidden folders, select the Tools menu in FrontPage, then Web Settings, and then the Advanced tab. Check the box next to Show documents in hidden directories, and click OK. Take a look at the Folder List, and you probably see that things have gotten pretty crowded. Many of the folders contain files that make up the web's theme.To hide the hidden folders and files again, simply return to the Advanced Web settings tab and turn off the option to show documents in hidden directories.
You may become curious about what files and folders you have on the campus WWW server. To find out, you can use a program such as WS_FTP, which is designed for transferring files to and from Internet servers. WS_FTP is currently available from the UMBC shareware page at http://www.umbc.edu/oit/software/download.htm.
Please note: While it is true that you can use WS_FTP to upload, rename and move files, it is better to use FrontPage 200 for those tasks, because FrontPage does a relatively good job of making sure links to different files and folders are correct.
Please note: If you are using a WWW server with FrontPage extensions (not the campus WWW server), and if you have Internet Explorer 5 or later, you can use Windows Explorer or the My Computer window to see and manage your web files. Open the Explorer or My Computer window and double click on the Web Folders icon, then on Add Web Folder . Follow the instructions given, or contact your server administrator for more information. Remember: this option does not work with the campus WWW server, so it is not thoroughly explained here.
When you start WS_FTP, the Session Profile window appears. Before filling in this window, make sure the Anonymous Login field is not checked; otherwise your password displays when you type it. Type umbc7.umbc.edu in the Host Name field and your userID and password in the appropriate fields.You might want to indicate Initial Directories in the appropriate fields, if you know them, so that you don't have to change directories later. Click OK, and cross your fingers while WS_FTP establishes a connection to the server.
Once you connect, the Session Profile window disappears, and the program window displays. The left half of the window shows the files and folders on your local computer. The right side shows the files and folders in your Isis directory. Beside each list are buttons for the file system.
Your web files on the campus server are in a folder called public_html. Scroll down to that folder, and open it by double-clicking it. If you want to see inside your web folders, double click on them. To move back up a folder level, scroll to the top of the file list and double-click on the green arrow.
FrontPage 2000 does not delete folders from the server, so you may decide to use WS_FTP for this task. Proceed with caution, however, before deleting empty folders in a web you currently use; FrontPage may use some of those folders without your knowledge.
If you decide to delete a folder, you must first delete any files inside it, which is most efficiently done in FrontPage. To delete a folder, simply click on it and then click the Delete button.
For more information about working with WS_FTP, refer to the document Windows: Telnet & FTP .
You can also work with files and folders on the campus web server by connecting with a telnet program and then using UNIX commands. For details, see UNIX: Getting Started .
Additional FrontPage help is available on the Web from Microsoft. Connect to the Internet and select Office on the Web from the FrontPage Help menu. Your browser brings up the Office Update web page. From the list of options listed under FrontPage, select Assistance. Available resources include the following:
- FrontPage Knowledge Base articles: These articles are written by Microsoft engineers and may provide answers to frequently asked questions or discuss known problems in FrontPage.
- Web-based ìworkshop:î Includes a FrontPage tutorial as well as lessons about many other web authoring topics.
- Newsgroups: Read questions and answers about FrontPage submitted by other users or submit your own. Be advised that in the newsgroup, you must assess whether a suggested solution is sensible. It is also a good idea to look for messages about newsgroup "netiquette" before submitting your first question. You will need a news reader program or an email program that also works as a newsreader; Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator both come packaged with a newsreader.
As you work more on your web and perhaps begin to seek answers from the Microsoft newsgroup and knowledge base, you may find that you need to know more about HTML: hypertext markup language. You can learn the basics of HTML in Web Authoring with HTML . To edit pages in HTML, use the HTML tab in FrontPage, or open the page in a text editor such as NotePad or Write, or a program called Pico, which is available on the campus web server.
