by William Robert Stanek
The FrontPage tools you will use the most are the Explorer and the Editor. Both tools feature powerful and friendly interfaces that make Web content development and management easy. You should use this chapter as a starting point because it takes a
step-by-step look at using these tools.
You can use the FrontPage Explorer to create and manage webs. Webs are collections of pages organized within a common directory structure.
The base web is called the root web. When you install FrontPage, the root web contains several files including an index page for your site. Most servers display this default document when a user specifies a directory name instead of a filename. This
file is sometimes called index.html or index.htm.
If you are using the Personal Web Server only on the local host, meaning you are using the Internet Protocol (IP) address for a local loopback host, you can view this page in a browser with the following uniform resource locator (URL):
http://127.0.0.1/
Similarly, when you publish your web on your Internet service provider's Web server or if you are on a networked system, you can view this document in your browser using one of these URLs:
http://www.yourcompany.com/
http://www.your_service_provider.com/~you
CAUTION
Before you make your web accessible to others, you want to replace the default index page with the home page to your site.
When you create webs using the Personal Web Server, the root web is a starting point for content on your new Web server. All the webs you create based on templates and wizards are placed in subdirectories in the main directory for the root web. These
webs can and usually do have index files. If you create a customer support web called custsupport, users can access this web using the following URLs:
http://www.yourcompany.com/custsupport/
http://www.your_service_provider.com/~you/custsupport/
When you create webs without using the server, the destination folder becomes the root web. As long as you continue to use this folder, the webs you create based on templates and wizards are placed in subdirectories within this folder. Later, if you
choose to create a web in a different folder, this folder is also set up as a root web. Setting up multiple folders as root webs could cause problems with default documents. For this reason, FrontPage generally does not copy a default document into your
root web.
Although it is a good idea to test documents in your browser, you get a much better picture of what is in the root web by using the FrontPage Explorer. A web loaded into the Explorer reveals a great deal about itself (see Figure 5.1).
NOTE
Figure 5.1 shows the FrontPage Explorer with the Hyperlink View and Hyperlinks to Images options of the View menu selected. You can use these special options to depict the hypertext references and images used in your documents.
Figure 5.1. Initial view of the root web in the FrontPage Explorer.
The line at the very top of the figure tells you the name and URL of your web within FrontPage. In this case, the web name is root web and the URL is http://127.0.0.1.
NOTE
When you enter the URL without the final slash, most browsers add the slash if it is needed. As a result, browsers interpret http://127.0.0.1 and http://127.0.0.1/ as the same thing, and in both cases, the index document for the directory is retrieved.
The main part of the window shows the two primary views for the Explorer. The Outline View provides a textual picture of all the files and links in your web. Web documents are listed by title. Images are listed by filename, and links are listed with
their URL path. The Hyperlink View provides a graphical picture of how documents are linked to each other and to other resources. Together, these views provide an at-a-glance picture of everything in your web.
In the Outline View in Figure 5.1, there is a symbol next to the document titled FrontPage Root Web. Whenever you see the plus sign, it means the document contains references or objects. As shown, you can double-click the document's title in the
Outline View to see the images and objects it contains. When you do this, the plus sign changes to a minus sign, which means you expanded the view for that document.
Here, the document titled FrontPage Root Web contains an image called center.gif and a hypertext reference to http://www.microsoft.com. With these additional references displayed in the Image
view, you can select them to see how they are referenced and linked throughout the web.
Figure 5.2 shows the change in the FrontPage Explorer when you click the filename for the image called center.gif. In a complex web with images and links referenced in multiple documents, you can use this technique to get
an instant picture of every document in the web that uses the image or link.
Figure 5.2. Another view of the root web in the FrontPage Explorer.
Starting the FrontPage Explorer is as easy as double-clicking the Explorer icon in the FrontPage folder. However, if you don't have the FrontPage folder on your desktop, you might have to go through a system of menus to start the FrontPage Explorer.
For example, in Windows 95, you can access the FrontPage Explorer through the taskbar's Start menu. Typically, an icon for FrontPage Explorer is added to the Programs menu.
NOTE
You can also start the FrontPage Explorer from the FrontPage Editor. To do this, click the Explorer's icon, which depicts a green ball with a red arrow and a scroll.
When you first start the FrontPage Explorer, you see the Getting Started with Microsoft FrontPage dialog box. As shown in Figure 5.3, this dialog box has two main areas.
Figure 5.3. A handy dialog box for getting started.
Using the Open a FrontPage Web field, you can quickly access the last web you had open or any existing web. The first option is for the last web opened during your previous FrontPage Explorer session. Here, the last web I had open is the root web on my
local file system at http://127.0.0.1. The second option displays the Open FrontPage Web dialog box.
Using the Create a New FrontPage Web area, you can create new webs. The first option opens the Create New FrontPage Web dialog box, which allows you to create webs based on templates or wizards. The second option launches the Import Wizard, which
allows you to bring files or folders into FrontPage. The third option creates a new web based on the Empty Web template. The Empty Web is a web with no files.
Although the Getting Started with Microsoft FrontPage dialog box is useful, you can tell FrontPage not to display this dialog box. Deselect the Show Getting Started Dialog option in the lower-left corner of the dialog box.
All applications have pull-down menus. The more complex the application, the more menus and selections for those menus. FrontPage Explorer has five pull-down menus: File, Edit, View, Tools, and Help.
NOTE
Menu items that are grayed out cannot be selected. These grayed out options become available when you perform an action that makes them usable. For example, most of the options in the Explorer's menus are grayed out until you open a web or create a new web.
You use the File menu whenever you want to manipulate webs. This menu also lets you import files to the current web or export files from the current web. Figure 5.4 shows the available options for this menu.
Figure 5.4. Options on the FrontPage Explorer's File menu.
As you can see from Figure 5.4, most selections are for manipulating webs. You can create a web in a snap by selecting the New option; then when you want to work on your killer web site again, you can select the Open FrontPage Web option. Other options
on the menu allow you to close, publish, or delete the current web. You will learn all about webs in Chapter 7, "Working with Webs."
You can use the Import option to bring existing documents, images, and other resources into the current web. This is how you let FrontPage know you have existing resources that you want to work with. FrontPage also allows you to export any selected
document from the current web. Generally, you export documents from FrontPage when you want to save them in an alternate location. You will learn all about files in Chapter 6, "Working with Pages and Files."
The numbered options at the bottom of the menu allow you to quickly access webs you previously opened in FrontPage. The Explorer tracks the last four webs you opened. You can reopen these webs by clicking on the web name in this menu.
The final menu option lets you exit the Explorer and close the current web.
You use the FrontPage Explorer's Edit menu when you want to manipulate files. However, because manipulating files is really the job of the Editor, the actions you can choose are limited based on the view you use. Figure 5.5 shows the options available
for this menu.
Figure 5.5. Options on the FrontPage Explorer's Edit menu.
The Cut, Copy, and Paste options allow you to move files around your web. Because FrontPage automatically updates file paths for you, you don't have to worry that moving a file to a different location will cause problems in your web.
The Delete option lets you delete a file that is selected in any of the Explorer's views. Whenever you try to delete a file, the Explorer warns you that the document will be deleted permanently and asks you to confirm that you want to delete the file.
The Rename option allows you to rename a file. Although renaming a file usually invalidates hypertext links within your web, FrontPage is smart enough to automatically update all pointers to the file within other documents of the current web when you
rename a file.
The Open option allows you to open a selected document for editing in the FrontPage Editor. Another way to open files in the Explorer is with the Open With option, which lets you select an editor you've configured for use with FrontPage. The Open With
option is very useful when you want to open files that are not in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format. For example, you can use it to edit a VRML document used in your web. Instead of starting your editor, searching for the document, and opening the
document for editing, you simply select the document and use the Open With option to open the document with one of your chosen editors.
The dialog box associated with the Open With option is shown in Figure 5.6. When you install FrontPage on most systems, five editors are available: Microsoft Image Composer, the FrontPage Editor, the Frames Wizard, the FrontPage Database Connection
Wizard, and the Windows Notepad text editor. You can configure additional editors for use with FrontPage.
Figure 5.6. Open documents with a specific editor using the Open With option.
The Add To Do Task option adds a task related to the currently selected document to the To Do list. When you select this option, the Explorer opens the Add To Do Task dialog box, shown in Figure 5.7. A To Do list helps you manage the tasks related to
creating and running a web.
Figure 5.7. The To Do list helps you manage tasks.
The final option on the Edit menu is Properties. When you use this option, the Explorer opens the Properties dialog box. This dialog box has two properties pages that you can access by clicking the tabs labeled General and Summary. The
property values you can examine with the General tab are shown in Figure 5.8. Property values you can examine with the Summary tab are shown in Figure 5.9.
Figure 5.8. Examining property values with the General tab.
Figure 5.9. Examining property values with the Summary tab.
The View menu lets you customize the type of information available in the Explorer. The options available for this menu are shown in Figure 5.10.
Figure 5.10. Options on the FrontPage Explorer's View menu.
The Toolbar option lets you add or remove the toolbar from the display window. The most commonly used Explorer commands are available by clicking an icon in the toolbar. Using the Status Bar option, you can add or remove the status area at the bottom
of the Explorer's display window. The status area displays command summaries and other key information. Usually, you want to display both the toolbar and the status area.
In the Explorer, you can view the resources in your web in three ways: Outline View, Folder View, and Hyperlink View. The Outline View always appears on the left side of the Explorer's display. On the right side of the display, you can switch between
the Folder View and Hyperlink View options.
NOTE
To adjust the size allocated to the views displayed in the Explorer, left-click the bar dividing the views. While holding the mouse button, you can then move the pointer to adjust the size of the views. When the views are sized appropriately, release the left mouse button.
The next three options allow you to add detail to the views. To see images used in the web, select the Hyperlinks to Images option. To see links every time they appear in the web, select the Repeated Hyperlinks option. To see links within pages called
bookmarks, select the Hyperlinks Inside Page option.
The final option lets you refresh the views. Sometimes, when you access webs on another server, you'll find that the web did not completely display in the Explorer views. If this happens, use the Refresh option.
The Tools menu lets you perform web management functions. Figure 5.11 shows the options available for this menu.
Figure 5.11. Options on the FrontPage Explorer's Tools menu.
The Spelling option allows you to check the spelling of documents in your web. As you can see from Figure 5.12, you can check the spelling in a single document or in all the documents in your web. You can also add a summary of misspelled words and the
associated documents to the To Do List.
Figure 5.12. Spell checking your documents.
FrontPage doesn't perform cross-web spell checking of your documents in the same way it does normal spell checking. When it finds documents with misspelled words, it lists them in a summary, as shown in Figure 5.13. You can edit any of the documents by
double-clicking the related entry in the Check Spelling dialog box or by selecting the document's entry and clicking the Edit Page button.
Figure 5.13. Errors found during spell checking.
With the Verify Hyperlinks option, you can check the validity of all the links in your web. This includes links to resources on the Internet. A similar command is the Recalculate Hyperlinks option. This option searches the current web for links and
dependencies and then updates the links and text index related to the web. You use this option to update the Explorer views when you add or change the content of a web in the Editor.
The next set of options in this menu displays FrontPage tools. The Show FrontPage Editor option starts the Editor, if it is not already started, and displays it. The Show To Do List option starts and displays the To Do List manager. Likewise, the Show
Image Editor options starts and displays the Show Image Editor.
The Web Settings option opens the Web Settings dialog box, which contains four server configuration pages that you can access with tabs labeled Parameters, Configuration, Advanced, and Language. The Parameters tab lets you add keywords and values that
you can insert into documents in any web using the Substitution WebBot. Using the Configuration tab shown in Figure 5.14, you can check server information and change the name and title for a web. The Advanced tab lets you configure the type of validation
scripts and image maps you want to use with your webs. The Language tab lets you select the default language and encoding for documents, such as U.S. English.
Figure 5.14. Checking the server configuration.
NOTE
To learn all about image maps, see Chapter 10, "Enhancing Your Web Publication with Imagesthe Easy Way." Validation scripts are covered in Chapter 27, "Using VBScript in Your Web Pages," and Chapter 30, "Using JavaScript in Your Web Pages."
To set permissions for your webs, you use the Permissions option. This option is only available if you run the Personal Web Server and the server is properly configured. When you set permissions for webs, you set permissions for the root web and all
webs in folders under the root web.
As you can see from Figure 5.15, the Permissions dialog box has three tabs. The Settings tab lets you set access permissions for the current web. The Users tab lets you add and remove accounts for those who manage webs, those who create documents for
the web, and those who can use the web. The Computers tab lets you restrict access to documents based on IP address and provides controls for Web administrators, content authors, and end users.
Figure 5.15. The Permissions dialog box sets access permissions.
NOTE
The Settings tab of the Permissions dialog box is not available if the root web is the current web. The Settings tab allows you to base permissions on the root web settings, which is only valid in webs other than the root web. Because all access and control permissions are based on settings in the root web, the Users and Computers tabs are only editable when the current web is the root web.
The Change Password option opens the dialog box shown in Figure 5.16. Using this dialog box, you can change the password for the user you are currently using to log in. As a security precaution, to change the password, you must first enter the password
you originally used to log in.
Figure 5.16. Use the Change Password option to enter a new password.
NOTE
You can only change passwords if you run the Personal Web Server and the server is properly configured.
By selecting Options from the Tools menu, you access a general purpose dialog box with three tabs (see Figure 5.17). The General tab lets you toggle the display of warnings and the Getting Started with Microsoft FrontPage dialog box. The Configure
Editors tab lets you configure additional editors for use with FrontPage. Using the Proxies tab, you can set up a firewall between your network and the Internet. The purpose of the firewall server is to shield your network.
Figure 5.17. The Options menu item lets you set general preferences, configure editors, and use proxies.
NOTE
See the section, "Associating Files with Editors," in Chapter 6, "Working with Pages and Files," to learn how to configure editors.
You use the Help menu to display information about the FrontPage Explorer and to access the online help system. Figure 5.18 shows the options available on this menu.
Figure 5.18. Options on the FrontPage Explorer's Help menu.
To access FrontPage's comprehensive help documentation, you use the Microsoft FrontPage Help option. This option opens the dialog box shown in Figure 5.19. This dialog box has three tabs labeled Contents, Index, and Find. The Contents tab lets you
browse a table of contents for the help system. The Index tab lets find topics using an index of key terms. Using the Find tab, you can search on key words and phrases.
Figure 5.19. FrontPage features extensive online help.
The Microsoft on the Web option accesses the FrontPage area of the Microsoft Web site. If you aren't connected to the Web when you select this option, FrontPage will launch your browser and initiate a connection.
The About Microsoft FrontPage Explorer option displays information on your version of FrontPage. From the About Microsoft FrontPage Explorer dialog box, you can run a network test using the TCP/IP test tool.
Compared to the FrontPage Editor, the 15 icons on the Explorer's toolbar are very basic. If you are familiar with Microsoft Office, you probably recognize most of the icons. The following is a summary of the icons and their uses:
Icon | FrontPage Menu Option | Description |
![]() | New FrontPage Web | Creates a new web |
![]() | Open FrontPage Web | Opens an existing web |
![]() | Cross File Find | Finds text in the current web |
![]() | Cross File Spelling | Spell checks documents in current web |
![]() | Hyperlink View | Shows view of page hyperlinks |
![]() | Folder View | Shows link information for web documents |
![]() | Up One Level | In Folder View, allows you to go up one level |
![]() | Hyperlinks to Images | Shows hyperlinks to images |
![]() | Repeated Hyperlinks | Shows repeated hyperlinks |
![]() | Hyperlinks Inside Pages | Shows hyperlinks inside pages |
![]() | Show FrontPage Editor | Displays the FrontPage Editor |
![]() | Show To Do list | Displays the To Do List |
![]() | Show Image Editor | Displays the Microsoft Image Composer |
![]() | Stop | Tells the Explorer to stop trying to load a web or page |
![]() | Help | Displays online help documentation when you click a button, menu, or window after selecting this icon |
The FrontPage Explorer provides you with three ways of viewing the files in your webs. Generally, the Outline View is always displayed, and you can switch between the Hyperlink View and the Folder View. I'll discuss each of these views to give you an
understanding of how to use them.
The Outline View displays your web in a hierarchical form, starting with the home page. You can tell that a document is the home page for the web because of the icon shaped like a house replaces the document icon. The Outline View uses two other types
of document icons. When you see the normal document icon without the arrow, it means the document is not linked to other resources. When you see the linked page document icon with the arrow, it means the document is linked to other documents.
As with any outline, the Outline View features various levels of information. Sometimes, you want to see only the highest levels of the outlinethe top-level pages used in the web. Other times, you want to get a detailed picture of every resource
used in the webevery document, image, and link.
NOTE
Images used in the web are only displayed if the Hyperlinks to Images option is selected.
Figure 5.20 shows a sample web. In the Outline View section of the Explorer window, I expanded some of the outline items to the lowest level. You can tell that an item in the Outline View has been expanded because the minus sign precedes it. If you
click the minus sign, you unexpand the view for that item. Items whose outline levels are not expanded are preceded with a plus sign. Just as you can click the minus sign to unexpand the view for an item, you can click the plus sign to expand the view for
an item.
Figure 5.20. You can expand and unexpand the Outline View to fit your needs.
The Hyperlink View depicts the organization of your web graphically. When you select a page in the Outline View, the Hyperlink View associated with the document is displayed in the Hyperlink View area. Links to and from the selected document are shown
with a line. The line ends with an arrow that symbolizes the relationship between the linked documents.
Just as you can expand and unexpand the levels within the Outline View, you can also expand the levels of linking in the Hyperlink View. Figure 5.21 shows an expanded view of links related to a document titled Customer SupportWelcome. You can
click the plus sign to expand the Hyperlink View and the minus sign to unexpand the Hyperlink View.
Figure 5.21. The Hyperlink View lets you see a graphical depiction of links to and from a document.
You can easily edit any file shown in the Hyperlink View. All you have to do is double-click the file's icon, and it opens for editing using the editor you configured for the file type. You can double-click an HTML document to open it for editing in
the FrontPage Editor. You can also click an image to open it for editing using the image editor you configured for use with FrontPage.
The Folder View displays summary information of all the folders and files used in the current web. As you can see from Figure 5.22, the information summarized is quite extensive and is organized into a directory tree structure. To see the contents of a
folder, double-click the folder.
Figure 5.22. The Folder View displays a lot of information about the files in your web.
The column title bars are more than decoration. You can click any of the column title bars to alphabetize your files based on the information in the column. By default, your folders and files are organized alphabetically by title. You can, for example,
click the file's Name title bar to alphabetize by filename.
All the columns can be resized as well. To resize a column, move the mouse pointer over the title bar area so that it is between the column you want to resize and the column that follows it. When you do this, the mouse pointer changes to a pointer with
arrows on both ends. Now click and hold the left mouse button and drag the dividing bar to resize the column. When the column is sized appropriately, release the left mouse button.
You can easily edit the files in the Folder View. Just move the mouse pointer over an item summarizing information for the file and double-click the left mouse button. The FrontPage Explorer opens the file for editing using the editor you configured
for the file type.
You can use the FrontPage Editor to create and edit pages. Pages are HTML documents that can contain references to images, sound, and even video files.
You can start the FrontPage Editor by double-clicking the Editor icon in the FrontPage folder. However, if you don't have the FrontPage folder on your desktop, you might have to go through a menu system to start the FrontPage Editor. For example, in
Windows 95, you access the FrontPage Editor through the taskbar's Start menu and follow the submenus to the location where you installed the FrontPage Editor. To close the Editor, select Exit from the File menu.
NOTE
Because the icon for the FrontPage Explorer is added directly to the Programs menu, the easiest way to launch the FrontPage Editor is from the FrontPage Explorer. To do this, click the Editor's icon, which depicts a red feather quill and a scroll.
If you've used the FrontPage Editor, you probably know the menu is quite extensive. The menu bar includes nine pull-down menus that lead to 90 menu options. This section does not examine the many options in detail. Instead, it examines the basic menus
that are not discussed in other chapters and provides an overview of other menus.
NOTE
Most menus in the FrontPage Editor are not available when you first open the editor. To activate these menus, you need to open a file or create a new file. Even when pages are loaded into the editor, you will find that some of the options are grayed out. These grayed-out options are not available until you perform a specific action. For example, the Paste option is not available until you place an object on the clipboard using the Cut or Copy options.
You can use the File menu whenever you want to manipulate files. The menu also lets you view file properties and printer settings. Figure 5.23 shows the available options for this menu.
Figure 5.23. Options on the FrontPage Editor's File menu.
The first section of the File menu is for creating, opening, and closing files. To create a new page, select the New option. To close the current page, select the Close option.
When you open files, FrontPage differentiates between files in the current web, files on your hard drive, and files on the WWW (see Figure 5.24). After you select the Open option, select the Current FrontPage Web tab of the Open File dialog box to open
files in the current web or Other Location to open files outside the current web. Files you open can be in HTML, rich text format (RTF), or text format.
Figure 5.24. Opening files.
The File menu allows you to save pages in one of three ways. You can save the page to its current filename and location using the Save option. This means if you opened the document from the current web, the document is saved to the current web. If you
opened the document from a file on your hard drive, the file is saved to its location on the hard drive and not to the current web. If you want to save a file to the current web that you opened from a file on your hard drive or a external location on the
Internet, you should use the Save As option. You can also use the Save As option to save a file opened from the current web to a new location on your hard drive. To save all the files currently open in the FrontPage Editor, select the Save All option. You
learn all about files in Chapter 6, "Working with Pages and Files."
To examine properties associated with a page, you can use the Page Properties option. Page properties relate to the color of text, backgrounds, and links and are different from the page settings used for printing the document that you see if you select
the Page Setup option. Before you print a document, you might want to preview it. You can use the Print Preview option to do this.
The next section of the File menu lets you work with the file in other forms. Using the Preview in Browser option, you can preview the current page in your browser. Other options let you check page setup for printing, preview the document before
printing, and print the document. You have similar options for working with a fax.
The Send option lets you send the current file as an e-mail attachment. This is great if you want to get a document to someone quickly.
The numbered options at the bottom of the menu allow you to quickly access files you previously opened. The Editor tracks the last four files you opened. You can reopen these files by clicking the filename in this menu.
The final menu option lets you exit the Editor and closes all open files. If you've made changes to files, the Editor displays a prompt asking whether you want to save the files.
You use the Edit menu when you want to perform editing functions such as cut, copy, or paste. Figure 5.25 shows the options available for this menu.
Figure 5.25. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Edit menu.
Two terrific features of the FrontPage Editor are multilevel undo and redo. What this means is that the Editor tracks when you use any options that affect the content of the current page and allows you to undo them one by one. If you undo something by
mistake, you can select the redo option to put the Editor back in its previous state. Sometimes, the undo or redo options are not available (see Figure 5.25). This usually happens when there is nothing to undo or redo. However, some actions can't be
recovered, and if you try to undo or redo them, the Editor does not let you.
You use many of the other options in the Edit menu just as you use them in your favorite word processor. You use the Cut option to remove selected text, images, and resource references from the page and copy them to the clipboard. The Copy option
copies selected items to the clipboard. When they are on the clipboard, you can use the Paste option to insert the items into the page at the current insertion point.
The Clear option is a simple delete function that erases selected text, images, and resource references. Because these items are not placed on the clipboard, you need to be careful when using this option.
NOTE
An easier way to delete selected items is to press the Delete key or Backspace key.
To find text referenced in the current page, you can use the Find option. When you select this option, the Editor opens the dialog box shown in Figure 5.26. In the Find What field of the Find dialog box, enter the word or phrase you want to find. To
restrict the search, you can check the Match Whole Word and Match Case fields. By default, the Editor searches down from the current insertion point for the word or phrase you are searching. You can change the direction by clicking the field labeled Up.
Figure 5.26. Finding text used in the current page.
To search for and replace text referenced in the current page, you can use the Replace option. The Replace dialog box is shown in Figure 5.27. In the Find What field, enter the word or phrase you want to find. In the Replace With field, enter the word
or phrase you want to replace the search text with. To restrict the search, you can check the Match Whole Word and Match Case fields. To find an occurrence of the search text before replacing it, click the Find Next button. After the search text is
highlighted, you can click the Replace button to replace it with the text you've entered in the Replace With field. You can replace all occurrences of the search text by clicking the Replace All button.
Figure 5.27. Replacing text used in the current page.
The Add To Do List option adds a task related to the currently selected document to the To Do list. When you select this option, the Editor opens the Add To Do Task dialog box. The To Do list helps you manage the tasks related to creating and running a
web.
The Bookmark, Hyperlink, and Unlink options create and manipulate hypertext references on your pages. Links and bookmarks are explained in Chapter 9, "Adding Features to the Page."
The Database option provides a submenu for creating pages that connect to databases. Finally, the Properties option lets you specify properties for a selected HTML element, such as a table.
The options available for the View menu are shown in Figure 5.28. You use the View menu to add and remove toolbars from the command area. The toolbars are examined later in this chapter.
Figure 5.28. Options on the FrontPage Editor's View menu.
Using the Status Bar option, you can add or remove the status area at the bottom of the Editor's display window. The status area displays command summaries and other key information.
The Format Marks option is similar to the show and hide formatting option in Microsoft Word. Using this option, you can see line breaks and other formatting that are not usually displayed. By default, this option is always on when you open a new page.
Sometimes when you access pages on external files, you find that the file did not completely display in the Editor. If this happens, use the Refresh option.
The final option in the View menu lets you view or directly edit the HTML source for the current page. When you work the source code, you see HTML markup tags such as <H1> and </H1>.
The Insert menu adds HTML elements to the current page. Figure 5.29 shows the options available for this menu. You will learn all about these elements in Part III, "Working with FrontPage."
Figure 5.29. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Insert menu.
You use the Format menu to add character and paragraph formatting to your pages. Figure 5.30 shows the options available for this menu. In Part III, "Working with FrontPage," you learn how to use character and paragraph formatting.
Figure 5.30. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Format menu.
The Tools menu includes many miscellaneous functions, such as the spelling checker and thesaurus. The options available for this menu are shown in Figure 5.31.
Figure 5.31. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Tools menu.
The FrontPage Editor uses the Microsoft Office spell checker and thesaurus. You start the spell checker by clicking the Spelling option. When a misspelled word is found, you see the dialog box shown in Figure 5.32. If possible, the Editor suggests
words to replace the misspelled word. You can select any of the suggested words by clicking it.
Figure 5.32. The spell checker used in FrontPage is similar to the one used in other Microsoft Office products.
The FrontPage Editor maintains a list of all open pages. You can use the Forward option to display the next page in the list and the Back option to display the previous page in the list.
NOTE
The Forward option is only available if you used the Back option at least once.
The next set of options on this menu displays FrontPage tools. The Show FrontPage Explorer option starts the Explorer, if it is not already started, and displays it. The Show To Do List option starts and displays the To Do List manager. Likewise, the
Show Image Editor launches the Microsoft Image Composer.
The final option sets default font options for character set, font face, and MIME encoding.
The Table menu adds tables to the current page. Figure 5.33 shows the options available for this menu. Chapter 13, "Creating Tables with FrontPage," explores the table creation and design process. Most of the options in the table menu are
grayed out if you haven't started a table in the current document.
Figure 5.33. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Table menu.
You use the Window menu to change the way pages are organized in the FrontPage Editor and access any open pages. The options available for this menu are shown in Figure 5.34.
Figure 5.34. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Window menu.
Using the Cascade option, you can arrange all open pages in overlapping windows for easy access. This option is especially useful when you have three or more pages open and you switch back and forth between them. For example, Figure 5.35 shows five
pages cascaded. I can access any page and bring it to the front by clicking anywhere on its window.
Figure 5.35. Cascading multiple pages for easy access.
With the Tile option, you can resize all open pages in windows that are completely visible in the FrontPage Editor's main viewing area. Figure 5.36 shows how five pages are tiled. As you can see, when you have a lot of open pages, the Tile option is
not as useful as the Cascade option. For this reason, you should use the Tile option when you have four or fewer pages open, and you want to easily move back and forth between them.
Figure 5.36. Tiling multiple pages for easy access.
The numbered options at the bottom of the menu allow you to quickly access any files currently open. Although the Editor only lists the first nine open pages, you can use the More Windows option to open the dialog box shown in Figure 5.37. With this
dialog box, you can open any of the currently open pages.
Figure 5.37. You can select a page to view with this dialog box.
You use the Help menu to display information about the FrontPage Editor and to access the online help system. Figure 5.38 shows the options available on this menu.
Figure 5.38. Options on the FrontPage Editor's Help menu.
To access FrontPage's comprehensive help documentation, use the Microsoft FrontPage Help Topics option. The Microsoft on the Web option accesses the FrontPage area of the Microsoft Web site. The About Microsoft FrontPage Editor option displays
information about your version of FrontPage.
The FrontPage Editor has one of the most extensive toolbars you will find in any application. In all, there are five toolbars: Standard, Format, Image, Form Fields, and Advanced. You can add and remove any of the toolbars by selecting the appropriate
options in the View menu. Because the toolbars are independent elements, you can move them to any area of your screen.
To change the location of a toolbar, move the mouse pointer over the toolbar, but not on top of any of the toolbar's icons, and then click and hold the left mouse button. Now you can drag the toolbar to a new location on the screen. When the toolbar is
where you want it, release the left mouse button. From then on, the toolbar displays in the new location.
The most versatile toolbar is the Standard toolbar (see Figure 5.39). This toolbar has icons for over 20 of the most commonly used FrontPage Editor menu options. From this toolbar, you can open, save, and print pages. You can also performed editing
functions such as cut, copy, paste, undo, and redo.
Figure 5.39. The FrontPage Editor's Standard toolbar.
The Format toolbar, shown in Figure 5.40, includes most of the options you use to manipulate the layout of your pages. You can use the icons on this toolbar to add text highlights, alignment, and indentation.
Figure 5.40. The FrontPage Editor's Format toolbar.
When you add images to your pages, you use the Image toolbar shown in Figure 5.41. You want to use this toolbar when you create image maps or transparent GIFs.
Figure 5.41. The FrontPage Editor's Image toolbar.
When you add forms to your pages, you use the Form Fields toolbar, shown in Figure 5.42. The icons in this toolbar let you add input fields to your forms with the click of a button.
Figure 5.42. The FrontPage Editor's Form Fields toolbar.
With the Advanced toolbar shown in Figure 5.43, you can quickly add advanced features to your pages. Advanced features supported include database constructs, ActiveX controls, Java applets, client-side scripts, and Netscape plug-ins.
Figure 5.43. The FrontPage Editor's Advanced toolbar.
FrontPage publishing is easy with the FrontPage Explorer and the FrontPage Editor. Both are powerful tools with specific uses. Use the Explorer to create and manage webs and the Editor to create and edit pages.