About FrontPage Views

One of FrontPage's most powerful features has always been its capability to give you multiple ways to look at your Web site during the many stages of the design process. Many of these options also provide a means for editing site content that might be more advantageous than another. This is done through the different views provided by FrontPage.

Specifically new to FrontPage 2003 is the Split view, but many of the others have been updated to provide more power to the end user.

The views are either page or site related and are grouped accordingly. In this chapter, we'll look at the different FrontPage views and show how to maximize the unique development angle they provide in the Web design process.

FrontPage 2003 provides the following views:

• Design. The WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface to the development process similar to the look and feel of most Microsoft Office System products. Most users will find that a considerable amount of their work is done in Design view.

• Code. The means for direct coding of HTML or other scripting languages. FrontPage provides a number of tools that assist in entering code through this view.

• Split. A new option that splits the screen between Design and Code view. This allows the developer a means to instantly see how her HTML will be rendered.

• Preview. Lets you see a quick preview of your site as you are designing it. Because it is integrated in to the FrontPage interface, there is often no need to open an additional browser window.

• Folders. A look at your entire site through an interface similar to Windows Explorer. Folder view supports drag and drop and most other Windows Explorer related features. Folders view should not be confused with the Folder list described later in this chapter.

• Remote Web Site. Similar to Folder view but shows your site as compared to the remote Web site. Enables you to examine the two sites side by side.

• Navigation. If you want to have FrontPage maintain the site navigation structure, this view both presents the structure as well as provides simple manipulation options.

• Reports. FrontPage provides a number of reports about site status and traffic that can be accessed directly through FrontPage. These reports give the developer both a high-level view of the site and the means to quickly fix whatever problems the reports identify.

• Hyperlinks. This unique tool gives you a bird's eye view of how your Web site links to files that are internal and external. How every file relates to every other one can be examined, and broken links are clearly identified.

• Tasks. If you use the task management system built in to FrontPage, you can access it directly through the FrontPage interface using the Tasks view.

Accessing the Views

Unfortunately, there is no simple interface to choose between all the views in FrontPage 2003. Depending on where you are in the FrontPage interface, selecting certain views will make other views available directly through an icon on the FrontPage interface.

The page development related Design, Code, Split and Preview views are available through the button bar at the bottom of these screens, as seen in Figure 3.1. Selecting any of the icons will toggle the appropriate view.

Figure 3.1. When working in Design view, the Design, Split, Code, and Preview views are available via icons at the bottom of the interface.

The site specific Folders, Remote Web Site, Reports, Navigation, Hyperlinks and Tasks views are available through the button bar at the bottom of these screens, as seen in Figure 3.2. Selecting any of the icons will bring up the appropriate view.

Figure 3.2. When working in Folders view, the Folders, Remote Web site, Reports, Navigation, Hyperlinks, and Tasks views are available via icons at the bottom of the interface.

NOTE

If you do not have a Web site open in FrontPage 2003 and are working on a single file, the site specific Folders, Remote Web Site, Reports, Navigation, Hyperlinks, and Tasks views will not be available.

Using the Folder List

In Figures 3.1 and 3.2, a Folder list to the left of the screen provides a simple view of the site files with navigation similar to both Folders view. Folders can be opened with the click of a mouse, and the entire list can be toggled on/off through the Folder List option in the View menu or by selecting Alt+F1.

NOTE

If you are designing or coding a single page and don't have a site open, the Folder list will not be an option in the interface.