Does Frontpage Work? (Full Version)

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abrogard -> Does Frontpage Work? (7/2/2006 8:53:14)


I thought Frontpage was pretty good until I tried to do something more than just stick pictures and text on my family site.

Now all I want to do it have a simple front page that has three columns. Left little side bar for links, main story in the centre and right sidebar for upcoming attractions or whatever.

Way to do that - according to the books I'm swotting up on - is to make a table three cells wide and put tables in the cells to suit what you want - for instance a table with twenty or thirty cells in the left column for the links.

Frontpage won't do it.

that's all I want to do.

And then have some way for people to write me a letter or leave me a message if they like. And it can't use SMTP because I've got free hosting and they disable SMTP.

I'm thinking this should be baby simple but I can't find a simple mention of 'do it like this' in the books I read - they're all banging on about highly technical super clever tricks and for the same reason I suppose I can't find an example page like that to copy.

Should I be ready to code it up by hand or should Frontpage handle it?

And how about the feedback? How can I handle that without smtp?

Excuse me asking so much. At this beginner level it's like banging your head against a brick wall....

regards,

ab ;)



Gwen -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/2/2006 11:40:47)

I've been banging my head for a couple of weeks, and it just sunk in that unless your server supports FrontPage Extensions, it won't work as efficiently as it would if it did.

I don't know enough yet if that's what's making it difficult for you to do what you're trying to do, but you might want to check.



abrogard -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/2/2006 15:16:25)


Yes, that could have something to do with it. I installed Front page extensions, alright, but I installed IIS, too, and it has suddenly disappeared (disabled) on that machine.

Not that I can see how putting a table in a table cell should be an 'extension', but you never know.

The books I read are from the library and pretty old, I guess, but they seem to show how to do a hell of a lot of things just by coding it up yourself...

The hassle is in doing more than one thing and figuring how to join the two pieces of necessary code. By the time you finish you'd be some sort of expert.

But I didn't/don't want to be an expert - I want to use some smart program that'll do it for me and I thought that's what Frontpage was supposed to be.

I wonder what the concensus is with the professionals - become a coding expert or use authoring progs?




golfer -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/2/2006 16:31:16)

Hi Ab

It should be very easy for FP to do what you want.

Go to table menu, then insert table. then table.

A box then opens and you can then select the number columns and rows. Press OK and you have your tables. These can be adjusted and chjanged.

If you need another table inside one of these just select your table and repaet the process.

Hope that's what you wanted.

FP extensions are not required for this.

I would point out that free hosting offers only a very restricted web facility. They do not have FP extensions installed which will restrict you in some areas.



abrogard -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/2/2006 17:05:53)

Yes, it worked the last time I tried. Why it wouldn't do it before I don't know.

But I find you can't position two tables side by side, can you?

Why would you want to? I just tried it as a way around the problem I was having.

Now I find the second table with ten rows for adding links has all the rows in the middle of the screen - i.e. located about the middle of the cell to the right. Back to the drawing board, I guess I can change that by changing the table alignment perhaps, so's it goes to the top of the cell?

Yes, limited features but 1 gigabyte of space! The people I pay give me a lousy 200meg.



golfer -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/2/2006 18:15:43)

quote:

Yes, limited features but 1 gigabyte of space! The people I pay give me a lousy 200meg.


So size is important. I think the people you are paying are ripping you off. 200 megs!!!!! Look around.

If you follow what I told you above and set it for three columns and at 100% you will have the tables side by side filling your sreen. You can the adjust the widths to what you need.



caz -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 6:20:48)

You would also find the FAQ/Tutorials section on the blue bar at the top of this page of use.
http://www.outfront.net/tutorials_02/fp_techniques/tables_intro.htm



Reflect -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 8:25:57)

On the "leave a message" use a form and save the results either to a flat file (read text file) or pipe it to an access DB (for something this small Access should be OK).

Bring up FP help and it will walk you through this.

Take care,

Brian



abrogard -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 8:28:02)

Thanks both for your replies.

I see there's apparently a wealth of help up there on the blue bar, I've read some of it, I'll go back and read more.

Perhaps I shouldn't ask any more questions until I've digested all of that. I think that'd be right.

I'll just say, though, that what I meant was that after creating a table with three columns that spans the width quite well - everything fine - and after putting another table in the left most column to hold my links, and after putting an arbitrary number of rows in that second table as places for the links to go (I assume that's the way to do it) - I find the rows all together in a section in the vertical centre of the column.

So that there's a big space at the top. That's what I meant.

And I'm guessing perhaps valign will move them up so's the rows begin at the top?

Yep, my webhost mightn't be the best. But his features are good and he's reliable and quick with help and he's cheap. I use Intersabre. If I can find anyone cheaper I'll switch.

Before I leave and go off and do my homework and become an expert courtesy of your blue bar, do you have any opinion on that question I asked a lot earlier - is it preferable to be an expert coder or is it preferable to become a frontpage expert and leave it to frontpage?





abrogard -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 8:35:23)


And thank you 'reflect' - you were posting as I was hacking out my lengthy reply above.

It just happens your tip about the message totally suits not only me but a guy I'm trying to help who's got a very similar problem.

I'll read the tutorials and faq.

But, pushing my luck, you say 'save as a text file' and that intrigues me. That sounds like you can just save a form's acquired data as easy as pie.... as easy perhaps as just picking a method, post or get. Is it that easy or do you mean write a handler that will write a text file?




jaybee -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 8:53:56)

quote:

is it preferable to be an expert coder or is it preferable to become a frontpage expert and leave it to frontpage?


That all depends on you, what time you want to invest and where you want it to take you.

As it's a hobby site and I assume you're not intending to sell stuff through it, then either is fine, down to you.

If you want to become a developer and do sites for other people, or think you may want to do that in the future, then learn the code now as when client sites come in you won't want to be starting from scratch then.



abrogard -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 9:12:38)


Thanks Jaybee,

I guess the answer is we still need to learn the code. The do it for you progs just aren't good enough.

I can see that. I guess I was just hoping. Dreaming.

:)



golfer -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 10:57:38)

Yes learn FP. You will pick up HTML as you use it.

Thats what is happening to me.

From then on you're hooked on web stuff just as we are.

Come back to us if you need help.[:)]



Reflect -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 12:28:22)

quote:

But, pushing my luck, you say 'save as a text file' and that intrigues me. That sounds like you can just save a form's acquired data as easy as pie.... as easy perhaps as just picking a method, post or get. Is it that easy or do you mean write a handler that will write a text file?


Once the form is created right click on it and select properties. I am not in front of FP (no pun intended) but it is an option there. Select the directory to push the data to and then the file name. No form handler writing required.

Me, I hand write each form and "confirmation" page as it gives me a broader spectrum to play with/in.

Take care,

Brian



kenwvs -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/3/2006 12:58:41)

From what I can gather, most people who do sites professionally do it by hand as the readymade programs are limited. As an example, FP puts in some kind of a webot for forms, and from what I understand, this makes a difference when you use a database with it. For the person (like me) who is a hobbyist, FP is enough and while doing it I am still learning some codes and how things work......although not nearly enough as I try to do more complicated things.

As far as a webhost, have a look at Lunarpages



abrogard -> RE: Does Frontpage Work? (7/4/2006 0:21:55)


Thanks, reflect... that's a handy little trick. I'll have to spend more time actually playing with FP... I'm busy with all sorts of other things....

:)




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