Coding Changes

FrontPage 2003 has a number of new coding tools that not only enhance your abilities to work with HTML, but also provide additional options for working with various other coding languages.

HTML Tools

The following additions to FrontPage will assist in your development of cleaner HTML code than before in far less time.

Split View

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New to this release is the Split view a very powerful way of working on your Web site (see Figure 1.5).

Figure 1.5. The new Split view allows you to see both the design of your site and the code behind it.

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By having both elements on the screen at the same time, you can make sure that the site you are designing has the code you require behind it.

TIP

Don't know HTML? Design your site in the Split view, and you can see the code you are "creating" as you design your site. At its core, HTML isn't that complicated, and learning as you are creating might be the perfect teacher for you.


Quick Tag Selector and Editor

When working in Design view, a Quick Tag Selector is provided at the top of the page that quickly lets you jump to the area of the site handled by those tags.

In addition, a dropdown menu is provided for each tag that lets you quickly change specifics of the tag without having to edit the HTML (see Figure 1.6).

Figure 1.6. The Quick Tag Selector and dropdown editor options make it easy to quickly edit the specific element of HTML you are looking for.

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Smart Find and Replace

The Find and Replace option provided with FrontPage 2003 is significantly more powerful than before. It enables site-wide updates for both content and HTML.

For more information on this new feature, see "The Improved Find and Replace," p. 101.


Editing of Text Files

You can now edit any text file (JavaScript, XML, XSLT, and so on) from within the FrontPage editor without have to worry that FrontPage will mangle the code.

NOTE

Just because you can edit different file types in FrontPage 2003, it doesn't mean that you can render them from within FrontPage 2003. For example, FrontPage 2003 will completely support the development of an entire PHP-based Web site, but will require viewing the site content on a Web server that supports PHP.


Cleaning Up HTML

It is no doubt that the number one complaint about FrontPage, from friend and foe alike, was the product's production of bloated HTML code. FrontPage 2003 introduces two options for producing cleaner HTML when working with FrontPage.

The first option comes in an Optimize HTML tool that can be invoked on a page by page basis. See Figure 1.7 for a listing of the options provided by this new tool.

Figure 1.7. The Optimize HTML tool lets you quickly clean up the HTML on any page in your FrontPage Web site following your exact directions.

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The second option enables FrontPage 2003 to optimize HTML during the publishing process. When working with Remote Web Site view, the option is made available to only Optimize Remote HTML (see Figure 1.8).

Figure 1.8. You can also choose to only Optimize Remote HTML while in the Remote Web Site view.

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TIP

Consider using the second option when working with Web sites because it lets you keep the data where you need it (on your local copy) while optimizing only what the public sees. Fishing through condensed HTML is never fun, and there is no need to do this with the optimize at publish approach.


NOTE

The importance of this new focus cannot be understated. Having FrontPage produce clean HTML quickly pushes the product into the role of direct competitor with the industry's other Web design products.


Scripting Tools

Although this was seen in the Visual Studio products for some time, FrontPage 2003 provides IntelliSense for authoring both JScript and VBScript in Code view.

In addition to IntelliSense integration, FrontPage 2003 also provides two additional tools that aid in the use and implementation of scripting.

One of the most common uses for scripting in a Web page was to support rollover affects for Web page buttons. FrontPage 2003 introduces a new Interactive Buttons maker that not only eliminates the need for script, but also generates the graphics for the buttons (see Figure 1.9).

Figure 1.9. The new Interactive Buttons maker quickly produces rollover buttons (effect and graphics).

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For more information on this new feature, see "Using Interactive Buttons," p. 441.


FrontPage 2003 also introduces "behaviors" snippets of JScript code that can be integrated into your site with the click of a button.

For more information on this new feature, see "Using Behaviors," p. 449.


The Coder's Toolbox

In addition to the integration of IntelliSense in Code view, FrontPage 2003 also introduces the following powerful elements to the toolbox:

  • Preview of ASP.NET controls is now supported in FrontPage Preview view.

  • Word wrap, line numbering, auto indentation, matching tags, and temporary shortcuts are all supported in Code view.

  • FrontPage 2003 also provides the capability to store blocks of code for quick integration into your site with the Code Snippets feature.

Not a Coder?

Don't worry about the emphasis FrontPage 2003 puts on the coding elements. You still don't need to know any HTML to make a great site with FrontPage; the product now simply makes the option available for those who require, or are interested in, the capability.

Again, don't be scared by this product's power. If you aren't a coder and don't want to learn the skill, skip to the next section of this chapter and simply ignore the sections on coding throughout this book. You will see that FrontPage 2003 more than meets your design and layout needs.




Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
Special Edition Using Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003
ISBN: 0789729547
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 443

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