Frames can be very empowering from a design perspective. Designers can keep sections of a page static while other parts of the page can be used to display other pages. Navigation is the most common reason to use frames, because you can specify a navigation area that is to remain in the same place at all times (see Figure 9.3). A designated area in a browser window that can display an HTML document independent of what's being displayed in the rest of the browser window is called a frame . An HTML file that defines the layout and properties of a set of frames is called a frameset .
Figure 9.3. This frame-based site keeps the left navigation area static, enabling new content to be loaded into the main window at right.
There are a couple of advantages to using frames:
After your visitor has accessed your site, her browser doesn't need to reload the navigation- related graphics as she moves from page to page. This gives the site a feeling of continuity. It also saves the visitor from having to hunt for information that is sometimes buried several pages back (such as what site she is viewing, or company contact information.)
If a frame's content is too large to fit into a window, the frame has its own scroll bar. Your visitor can use the scroll bar to scroll this frame independently and separately from the window. For example, if you have a long page of content in a frame, your visitor can scroll down to the end of the content. After he's at the bottom, he doesn't need to return to the top of the content to access the navigation bar if the navigation bar is in a different and static frame.
Having said that, frames are not without their downside. Bookmarking a framed page can prove problematic , as can printing it. Some testing may be in order for pages that you expect users to print or to add to Favorites lists.
Concerned with issues related to linking to other Web sites from within your frames page? See "Using Frames to Contain Other Sites" in the "Troubleshooting" section at the end of this chapter.
