Microsoft FrontPage #8



*1.   SO YOU KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT

April 26th, 1999

You're spell checking your site, and you bump into a word that 
you can't identify. Unfortunately, the spell checker can't 
help you out with definitions, and if your luck is like 
ours--or your office is similarly organized--there's not a 
dictionary anywhere in sight. Well, why not jump onto these 
sites to look up your word: 

Merriam-Webster's (the old standard) at 

http://www.m-w.com/ 

OneLook (a compilation of lots of dictionaries) at 

http://www.onelook.com

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*2. GETTING THE PROGRAM YOU WANT

April 27th, 1999

You just invested the big bucks in a new photoediting program, 
but when you double-click any image in FrontPage Editor, 
Microsoft Image Composer launches automatically. But you want 
your new program to launch automatically. Here's how to make 
the change: 

- 1. In FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools + Options. 
- 2. In the Options dialog box, click the Configure Editors
     tab. A list of different file types and the editor--or
     program--that FrontPage uses to work with that type
     of file appears. Because you're working with image files,
     the most important types of files are GIF and JPEG. 
- 3. Highlight the GIF file type and click Modify; then browse
     to find the photoediting program's executable file,
     select it, and click OK. 
- 4. Highlight the JPEG file type and click Modify; then browse
     to find the photoediting program's executable file,
     select it, and click OK. 
- 5. When you're done, click OK to exit the Options dialog box.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*3. WHAT'S IN A NAME?

April 28th, 1999

Say that you tried to configure FrontPage so it would 
automatically launch your photoediting program of choice, but 
you couldn't figure out which file was the right one to choose 
to actually bring up the program. Here's an easy way to tell 
which file is the executable file (that's the one that actually 
has all the information for the program to start): 

- 1. If you think you've found the right file, but you're not
     sure whether it's the right one, right-click the filename
     and choose Properties. 
- 2. In the next dialog box, you see a listing with the DOS
     name of the program. If the name has the .EXE file
     extension, it's an executable file. The dialog box also
     mentions that the file is an application--another clue
     that you've found the correct file. 
- 3. Click Cancel to exit this dialog box and then select the
     application to be your default photoeditor. 
- 4. Go to the FrontPage Explorer and choose Tools + Options. 
- 5. In the Options dialog box, click the Configure Editors
     tab. You see a list of different file types and the
     editor--or program--that FrontPage uses to work with that
     type of file. Because you're working with image files, the
     most important types of files are GIF and JPEG. 
- 6. Highlight the GIF file type and click Modify; then browse
     to find the photoediting program's executable file,
     select it, and click OK. 
- 7. Highlight the JPEG file type and click Modify; then browse
     to find the photoediting program's executable file,
     select it, and click OK. 
- 8. When you're done, click OK to exit the Options dialog box.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*4. STYLE ME PERFECT

April 29th, 1999

Your site may be launched, but you can't brush your hands off 
and say the job is over. And, no, this is not that old lecture 
on keeping things up-to-date. This is a suggestion that you 
create a style guide for your site--especially if your site is 
large or if a number of different people work on it. 

Essentially, a style guide provides useful guidelines for the 
people who work on the Web site. As such, you want it to be 
broad enough to provide information on the mission and purpose 
of the site and give information on the style and tone AND 
detailed enough to give folks an idea of how to spell 
particular things that appear on the site (Street, instead of 
St., for example) or what sorts of words are appropriate to 
link to or from.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*5. YOU'VE GOT . . . A BROKEN LINK

April 30th, 1999

Hate dead ends? Well, so do your visitors. As a courtesy to 
them, spend a little time every now and again to check that 
your links aren't broken. Here's the secret shortcut to get 
the job done in a jiffy: 

- 1. Close all individual Web pages in FrontPage Editor and
     jump to FrontPage Explorer. 
- 2. Choose Tools + Verify Hyperlinks. 
- 3. Select Verify All Hyperlinks and then click Start. 
- 4. When FrontPage is finished running the check, you'll
     find yourself in the hyperlink status view where you see
     a list of any broken links. Double-click a page name to
     launch the Edit Hyperlink menu. 
- 5. Click the Edit Page button to jump to the page and fix
     the link.
- 6. Choose File + Save to set your changes. 

To see other broken links, in Explorer, click the Hyperlink 
Status icon in the View pane.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*6. IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT

May 3rd, 1999

When you go to check for broken links (as we explained in 
yesterday's tip), keep this in mind: If you connect to the 
Internet via a dial-up connection rather than a LAN, be sure 
you're connected before you start the check. Otherwise, 
FrontPage thinks that any links you have to outside sites--that 
is, other Web pages--are broken because it won't be able to 
connect to them. 

Here's a refresher on checking for broken links: 

- 1. Close all individual Web pages in FrontPage Editor and
     jump to FrontPage Explorer. 
- 2. Choose Tools + Verify Hyperlinks. 
- 3. Select Verify All Hyperlinks and then click Start. 
- 4. When FrontPage is finished running the check, you find
     yourself in the hyperlink status view where you see a list
     of any broken links. Double-click a page name to launch
     the Edit Hyperlink menu. 
- 5. Click the Edit Page button to jump to the page and fix
     the link. 
- 6. Choose File + Save to set your changes. 

To see other broken links, in Explorer, click the Hyperlink 
Status icon in the View pane.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*7. YOUR ACHE-Y, BREAK-Y LINKS

May 4th, 1999

In FrontPage Editor, the Hyperlink Status view can help you 
find broken links, but how do you go about making a repair? 
Follow these simple steps: 

- 1. Click the Hyperlink Status button in FrontPage Explorer;
     then right-click the link you want to fix. 
- 2. From the menu that appears, choose Edit Hyperlink.
     FrontPage launches the Edit Hyperlink dialog box. 
- 3. In the Replace Hyperlink With text box, type the new
     destination for the link. 
- 4. Click Replace to exit the Edit Hyperlink dialog box. 

When you go back to the Hyperlink Status view in FrontPage 
Explorer, you see that Edited appears in the Status column of 
the previously broken link.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*8. TOP-DOG DESIGNING

May 5th, 1999

If you want your Web page to look super cool, you might need 
some design tips from the pros. Weave your way over to the Web 
Wonk site for some helpful ideas: 

http://www.dsiegel.com/tips/


*9. AVOID AN IMPORT SNAFU

Reader John Grubbs wrote in with the following tip for 
preserving filenames when you import Web pages into 
the program: 

When you bring pages into the program, all index.html filenames 
change to Default.htm. Instead of laboriously changing 
everything back to what you'd prefer, here's a way to reset 
FrontPage so it does what you want: 

- 1. Right-click the Personal Web Server icon (it's in the
     lower right corner of your screen) and select Properties
     from the pop-up menu. 
- 2. In the Personal Web Server Properties dialog box, select
     the Administration tab and click the Administration button
     to launch your default Web browser. 
- 3. In the browser window, choose the WWW Administration link;
     then click the Directories Tab. 
- 4. Scroll down to the Default Document box and change
     the filename. 
- 5. When you're done, click OK; then click OK again in the
     Personal Web Server Properties dialog box. 

Note: This tip works only if you have the Microsoft Personal 
Web Server installed. If you don't, stay tuned for 
tomorrow's tip.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*10. PICKING THE RIGHT WEB SERVER

May 6th, 1999

If your machine is running Windows 95, you have two Web server 
options for FrontPage: the FrontPage Personal Web Server and 
the Microsoft Personal Web Server. (Windows 98 comes with a 
Web server so you don't have to install one.) You may be 
tempted to go with the FrontPage Personal Web Server; after 
all, it sounds like it would be a good fit with the FrontPage 
program. Fight the urge. It's not as powerful as the Microsoft 
Personal Web Server. 

Note: If you installed FrontPage with the FrontPage Personal 
Web Server, you have to uninstall both to load the Microsoft 
Personal Web Server. (The Web server has to go first: It's 
just the order of things.) 

To install the Microsoft Personal Web Server, 
follow these steps: 

- 1. Insert the FrontPage CD into your computer, click the
     Start button on your Windows taskbar, and then select Run.
- 2. In the Run dialog box, type 

D:\pws\enu\pwssetup.exe 

- 3. Follow the instructions for installation. You might need
     some files from your Windows 95 CD or disks, so have them
     on hand to save time and frustration. 
- 4. When you're done installing the Microsoft Personal Web
     Server, reinstall FrontPage.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*11. WHAT'S IN A NAME?

May 7th, 1999

If you look at the title bar in FrontPage Editor, you see the 
name of your Web page. Just a name, you think. Not really. When 
the Web-crawling search engines go out to find and identify 
your page, one of the things they look for is the name that's 
in that title bar. The more specific you can be, the better off 
your page fares when someone is searching for it (or a topic 
like it).

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb
