Chapter 10. Designing Frame-Based Pages

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Frame Basics	324
Working Smart with Frames	330
The World of Iframes	365
Summary	368

Frames provide the web developer with a page-design tool very different from any other. With frames, rectangular areas of a page can be specified as distinct " windows " into which content can be loaded and reloaded, independent of the rest of the page.

Many developers love frames for the design freedom they allow and the solid browser support behind them. Using frames, it's possible to create easy-to-maintain, complex, interactive interfaces that could otherwise be built only from less reliable and more difficult scripting methods . Many developers hate frames, citing usability issues such as the inability to bookmark specific pages in a frameset and the difficulty some users have printing framed pages, as well as the extra challenges frame-based websites present during authoring.

This chapter goes over the basics of working with frames in the browser and in Dreamweaver MX 2004, and then looks at specific frame- related topics, such as making your frames accessible, making them searchable, and working smart to deal with other frame-usability issues. We also take a look at iframes.

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