Deciding on the Platform

Deciding which platform the final product will be created in and reside on is not an easy task. You should consider several things: an understanding of the desired Web type, the server type, the best possible physical location of the server, the type(s) of browsers expected to be used by the project audience, and any additional tools that might be part of the development process.

Platform decisions vary greatly based on the type of project being developed. Whereas Microsoft Personal Web Server is a fine platform for an intranet of a company of fewer than 100 employees, an extranet designed for a worldwide client base certainly requires something a bit more robust. The tools used in the Web and design process also help dictate the project's final shape.

Web Site Type

Too often, Web projects begin with the purchase of the server or hosting service without any consideration for what you expect the Web site to do. When starting a project, first consider the Web site type you intend on developing and then make a decisions on the server (hardware and software) you'll need to serve that content.

The Web site type is the first decision that needs to be made because from there, you'll need to decide what kind of server you'll be placing your Web site on (examined in the next section). Web site type is defined as the technical means by which the information is presented. This dictates the requirements for the development and deployment platform.

If your site will use only HTML, your options are unlimited and you are free to use any Web server available. If you expect to use additional features such as dynamic content, database integration, streaming media serving, or other server-side applications new decisions need to be made.

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Don't be surprised that the complexity of your site grows over a short amount of time. Many sites that start out as a few short pages about a subject become multimedia presentations in a short amount of time. Consider what might happen in the future when considering Web type.

Server Type

Once you understand the type of Web project you are going to be developing, the next question you will ask about the server type is whether FrontPage extensions will be required. If so, be sure that the final placement of the project is on a server with the extensions installed.

Obviously, installation of the server extensions makes the development and update process easier. Server extensions also enable people to log on to the site and make changes from their own machines. It is still one of the most powerful aspects of the program and should not be underestimated. The power provided by Office server extensions is also very attractive in light of the collaborative process.

NOTE

Although FrontPage extensions are available for most professional Web servers today, it is important to note that Office server extensions must be run on Microsoft's Internet Information Server, which runs only on a Microsoft 2000 or 2003 Server.

But server extensions are only one part of the story. If you want to run other server-side applications, such as database integration, make sure that the server supports the tools you are looking for. If you want to use Microsoft applications on the server side, you probably need to run your site on Microsoft Internet Information Server on a Windows 2000 or 2003 Server.

Different server-side applications such as electronic commerce, databases, and media streaming work best on different server platforms. Spend some time researching your options (they change all the time) so that you can make the right decision.

If you are having a hard time setting the security settings in FrontPage to allow multiple users, see "Can't Set Security Settings with FrontPage 2003" in the "Troubleshooting" section at the end of this chapter.

Another option to consider for server type is SharePoint Team Services 2.0. This server system, built in to Windows Server 2003, not only provides Windows Server and .NET functionality, but also provides a number of tools that integrate directly with FrontPage 2003.

For more information on FrontPage and SharePoint Team Services, see "Windows SharePoint Services 2.0," p. 943.

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It is no secret that computer costs decrease on a regular basis. A platform priced in one month could be considerably less in 60 90 days. If you are going to host the site internally or will buy your server (and software), consider developing the project on a simple server and having it published to a robust platform upon completion.

It is important to point out that not all Web servers provide the same degree of reliability. When investigating Web servers, be sure that you have either a reliable server or a response plan for when things go wrong. On the Internet, it is never a question of if your server will go down; it is a question of when it will go down and what you plan to do about it.

Server Location

The server's physical location isn't as obvious a decision as you might think. Even though many companies locate their servers at their geographical locations, this might not be a good idea.

If the project is an intranet and serves people in only one physical location, the server's typical location is the local network. There is often little need to place the information outside.

If the project is a traditional Internet Web site, you should place the server where as many potential customers as possible can easily reach it by making the fewest hops. If your company is located far away from some of the Internet Network Access Points (NAPs), you should place the server in a location that takes fewer hops to a NAP. Whereas it might seem strange to locate your Web server hundreds (even thousands) of miles away, the speed at which your customers can connect to your server is well worth the effort.

An extranet is also best served in a location where it is as few network jumps as possible away from the most customers.

In all circumstances, including the corporate intranet, you should examine possibilities for outsourcing the server to an Internet service provider or Web hosting firm. Their connectivity most often rivals what any company can bring, or afford, and the pressures of keeping hundreds of sites running can result in an uptime guarantee that the average IT staff simply can't provide.

For more information about Web hosting, see "Publishing a FrontPage Web Site," p. 299.

In addition, some security issues obviously are associated with placing your server in a location anywhere other than your own property. Spend some time considering these issues as well.

Browser Type

The audience browser question is an important one. Browser type dictates which technology can be used at the site, and the addition of every type and version increasesof the project.

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Remember that when viewing a Web site, browser version is not the only variable that dictates the way the Web is viewed. The viewer's screen size and resolution also can dictate certain elements. Don't assume that any site will be viewed in the same screen dimensions in which it was designed. FrontPage Page Preview lets you view your site on a number of screen resolutions. Make constant use of this option.

Many times, an intranet can be developed for a single browser version. A corporate decision or mandate can require that anyone wanting to view the site must do so on a certain browser type and version. If this is the case, development in terms of browser type is an easier task.

Making the Browser Choice

The choice of browser is by far the most personal (and in many cases, politically charged) of software decisions. Feelings about Microsoft (pro and con) sometimes cause individuals to insist on a certain browser type at their desktops. Performance issues also often dictate browser choice. Different browser types simply work better on different systems. It is also important to point out that just because a corporate decision has been made about a browser type doesn't mean that it always will be followed. Telling people a site is "best viewed" in a certain browser type is not enough.

Extranet results are also subject to specific browser versions, but they introduce probabilities that the site might be viewed on another platform. Users might not think that using a specific browser is as necessary as the developers think it is and approach the site accordingly. A traveling sales force might be forced to use handheld devices or someone else's platform during their travels. In addition, it might not be a good idea politically to dictate which browser any customers or resellers use if your extranet is being positioned as a service.

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If you are developing an extranet for a single browser version, consider making copies of that browser available to everyone who will use the Web site. Choices that you can offer include a simple download option on the site's home page and the distribution of CDs to all participants.

A traditional Web site opens the possibilities of dozens of browser versions and types viewing your site. Interestingly enough, some surfers are running version 1 or 2 of their programs and simply refuse to upgrade. In addition to that reality, remember that nontraditional Web devices such as Windows PocketPC machines, Palm Pilots, and television set top devices (such as Microsoft WebTV and the Sega Web Browser) are surfing the Internet as well. Also remember that some browser versions are available on multiple platforms, including the PC, Macintosh, Linux, and more.

FrontPage 2003 does offer some help in this area.

The Page Options dialog box's Authoring tab lets you choose a number of variables for a specific page (see Figure 31.3). These variables can affect the browser in use. You can choose to include or exclude specific features and browser versions. The browser versions are limited to Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and Microsoft WebTV and should not be mistaken as a list of all possible options.

Figure 31.5. The Authoring tab lets you define exactly which commands that page will support.

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If you are not going to use the Compatibility option on a site-wide basis, consider designing a series of template pages with the desired options for the site and designing all pages in the site from that initial template.

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If, for some reason, browser version is an absolute requirement for your Web site, consider coding your site home page such that it permits only that specific browser version. You can do this easily with FrontPage Behaviors, discussed in Chapter 23, "Using Behaviors."

Additional Development Tools

FrontPage 2003 is obviously not the only development tool available for Web site design. Not only must you consider previous versions of FrontPage, but you also must consider other products such as Microsoft Visual InterDev and non-Microsoft products, such as Macromedia Dreamweaver, NetObjects Fusion, Adobe GoLive, and others.

You can't always assume that everyone in the group will use FrontPage 2003. Some users might have previous versions of the program, and others might be using the Macintosh implementation of the program. You must understand the implications of this and react accordingly.

What FrontPage does, it does well. What it doesn't do well requires the use of additional software.

Using Other FrontPage Versions

Because FrontPage allows collaboration in the FrontPage Web site, other versions can be used in the development process. They might not be capable of using the latest technologies provided by the new program, but they will always be capable of accessing and editing site content.

NOTE

The Macintosh version of FrontPage (1.0, Macintosh Edition) is based on the FrontPage 97 era of the product and contains a number of issues that would make it difficult to integrate effectively in a team environment.

Microsoft Visual InterDev and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

Microsoft Visual Internet development tool from Microsoft and is part of Visual Studio .NET. The program enables a higher degree of programming than is provided by traditional HTML. Typical uses for InterDev include database integration and Active Server Page (ASP) and .NET development. It is a powerful tool that adds a degree of programming capability FrontPage is simply incapable of delivering.

FrontPage 2003 does provide a tiny amount of database support. Oftentimes, you will want to use an additional tool if you intend to do any significant work with databases in your site.

InterDev's purposeful integration with the FrontPage environment makes it the ideal tool for such integration.

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FrontPage 2003 is designed to be as simple to use as possible. The program purposely looks and acts like other programs in the Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft Visual InterDev is meant to be a powerful application development tool that requires an understanding of programming and database integration. Don't feel that you can pick the program off the shelf and learn it much the same way that you can learn FrontPage.

More information about Microsoft Visual InterDev can be found online at http://visualinterdev.frontpagelink.com, and in Special Edition Using Visual InterDev, 0-7897-1549-x.

In addition to Visual InterDev, Microsoft also has an entire line of development products that fall under its Visual Studio .NET line. The programs include Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual FoxPro (a database development program), and Visual J++ (a Java development program). Similar to InterDev, these products require a high degree of programming proficiency, but all are excellent tools designed to work within the FrontPage development environment.

More information about Visual Studio can be found online at http://visualstudio.frontpagelink.com and in Special Edition Using Microsoft Visual Studio, 0-7897-1260-1.

Other Web Development Programs

If in the past you used a third-party Web development program to edit content for a FrontPage Web site, you might have noticed that FrontPage would often rewrite certain elements of the code and sometimes undo edits. This was a frustrating problem and generated more complaints than any other issue. Microsoft fixed that problem with FrontPage 2000.

Microsoft claims that FrontPage 2003 supports 100% HTML preservation and promises not to edit any HTML placed within the site. As a result, you can use additional HTML editing programs (or any other additional Internet development applications) within the FrontPage environment. This can be done either by editing the files externally and importing them into the Web site or by opening the files directly on the server and editing them with the specific application.

CAUTION

Although you can use other development programs during the development process, you always should take great care when doing so. As with most computer projects, regularly backing things up is a good idea. This is especially smart if you work with third-party applications.

And, don't think that FrontPage is the only program that could alter Web site HTML when multiple design products are used.