Troubleshooting

The Template Doesn't "Work"

The funtionality implied by my template doesn't work on my Web site.

Many of the templates (Web or page) and packages require Microsoft specific technologies to work completely. Because FrontPage allows you to open/edit these templates external to a Microsoft server, things can get a bit confusing.

TIP

For a continuously updated chart of which FrontPage features are support on which server implementations, visit http://serverfeatures.frontpagelink.com.

Can't Import a Web Package

When I try to import a Web package through the Tools menu, the Packages item is greyed out.

You can't use or import Web packages on disk-based Webs or on Web sites hosted on a SharePoint Team Services 1.0 server. You can only import a Web package to a SharePoint Team Services Server running version 2.0 or higher.

Web Package Doesn't Install

I go through the entire process of installing a Web package, and after the process is completed, my Web site shows nothing new.

There was a bug in the earlier releases of Windows SharePoint Web Server version 2.0 that are still being used by a number of Web hosts. You'll need a recent version to use the Web packages as described.

Don't Like Microsoft Templates

I'd love to use a Microsoft template, but I don't like the look or feel of anything that came with FrontPage 2003.

As mentioned earlier, there is an entire industry based around Web templates. Some are Microsoft specific, whereas others are not. If you like the idea but don't like your existing options, plenty of additional choices are out there.

One of the often overlooked features of a Web template is the simple fact that you can use it as a "starting point" in your Web design process. Sometimes a Web template will do little more than point you in a color scheme direction or layout structure that you build into your own. Your Web site doesn't have to look anything like the template it started as.