14.1. Assigning PagesIf you've got a really large Web site that a lot of different people are working on, you need to develop a system for tracking pages. For example, imagine that your colleague, Eddie, is out sick and you're publishing updates to the site today. How do you know if his pages are complete and ready to publish? FrontPage lets you assign pages to specific people and track their status, so you don't inadvertently publish an incomplete page. You can also group pages in categories, which helps if you want to organize pages by topic, or by a group of people, or by a department that you've assigned to edit them. 14.1.1. Assigning Files to IndividualsAs Web site Master and Commander, one of your toughest challenges is tracking who's in charge of each page. FrontPage lets you embed this information within each file. To assign a file to an individual, start out by opening the file in FrontPage. Then select File Properties and click the Workgroup tab (see Figure 14-1). Tip: You can also right-click a file in the folder list and select Properties to open the dialog box shown in Figure 14-1.
Within the "Assigned to" field, select a person from the drop-down list. To add a name to the list, click Names. Type in the name and click add. Then click OK. 14.1.2. CategoriesFrontPage gives you another handy tool on the Workgroup tab to classify your files behind the scenes. You can use this feature in a couple of ways. One approach is to create categories for page topics . For instance, if you have a series of pages on different varieties of orchids, you could assign them all to an orchid category. You can also create categories for departments or workgroups who you've assigned to edit these files. This way, the marketing department could easily see all the pages they're responsible for by looking for files in the "marketing" category. Assign a category to any file by opening the file's Properties dialog box and clicking the Workgroup tab (as pictured in Figure 14-1). You can assign a file to as many categories as you want. Within the Categories list, turn on the checkboxes for all those you want to use. Categories are extremely flexible, because you can customize them to suit your site. Just click the Categories button to the right of the categories list, type in a new category, and then click Add.
14.1.2.1 Using categories to create a table of contentsYou can use categories to create a topic-based table of contents within your site. Doing so inserts a list of hyperlinks that belong to one or more categories that you specify. For example, say your site has a bunch of pages about newts and wombats. You've got a dozen pages about different kinds of newts, and a similar number of pages about wombats. You could then create a Newts and Wombats introductory page that, with the help of FrontPage, automatically lists links to all the pages you put in the "newt" category and then, below that, all the pages you put in the " wombat " category. In this way, you can piece together a page that gives viewers a kind of table of contents organized by category. For this feature to work, you'll need FrontPage Server Extensions (Section 13.1.1.1) on your Web server. You can create the table of contents if you're developing using a disk-based site (Section 10.1.1), as long as you publish to a server with FPSE. Once you've assigned pages to categories, you can create your table of contents. You'll probably want to create a special page to hold the table of contents. Also, you'll need to lay out the page with a table that includes your category headings. All FrontPage actually does is create a list of links for you. You'll insert this list beneath a heading you create for each category. In other words, it's up to you to create a page structure that makes sense, then insert one or more tables of contents (automated lists of links) into it. After you've set up your page, place your cursor where you'd like to insert a list of links and select Insert Web Component. The Insert Web Component dialog box appears (see Figure 14-2). From the "Component type list on the left, choose Table of Contents and in the pane on the right, select Based on Page Category.
Note: The other option here, For This Web Site, works off your navigation diagram (Section 10.4.1) and is notoriously less easy to control. If you select that option instead, you'll create a muddled table of contents full of pages you didn't want to listlike included content snippetsthat won't help any of your visitors . Stay away from the navigation-based option and stick to the customizable categories-based table. The Categories Properties dialog box appears. Turn on the checkbox for each category you want to include (you can create a list of pages belonging to one or several categories). Then choose a sort order and click OK. FrontPage inserts a model of your table of contents on the page. The list contains placeholder links that each say "Page in Category." It may not look like you're done, but you are, as shown in Figure 14-3. Note: Whenever you add or edit categories in these pages (or new pages), run Recalculate Hyperlinks (on the Tools menu) to make sure FrontPage passes on all your updates to your table of contents.
14.1.2.214.1.3. Review StatusReview status is a great help for anyone trying to manage a large site with multiple contributors. You can create custom status labels and apply them to files in your site to track work progress. How do you know what pages the legal department needs to review? Flag them with this tool. To apply a status to a file, select File Properties and click the Workgroup tab (pictured in Figure 14-1). Then select the files status from the "Review status" drop-down list. You'll probably want to customize your status selections. FrontPage gives you a few generic status choices to start off with, but you can add ones that truly reflect the work your staff does ("Someone Check PLEASE!"). To add a status, just click the Statuses button to the right of the "Review status" box. Type in any kind of label you want and then click Add. 14.1.4. Workflow ReportsThe beauty of document assignment reveals itself when the site manager takes a look at the big picture. Say you're in charge and want to see what files you need to review and approve today. You'd select View Reports Workflow Review Status to see a list like the one in Figure 14-4. The other reports under workflow tell you whos assigned to what pages (the Assigned To report) or let you see which pages are being held back from publishing (the Publish Status report). For details on working with FrontPage Reports, see Section 12.6 in Chapter 12.
|