Microsoft FrontPage #10



*1.   UPGRADING TO FRONTPAGE 2000--PART 2 OF 5

June 8th, 1999

This week, we're looking at reasons to upgrade to FrontPage 
2000--and reasons to stick with your current version. Benefits 
to the new version include a streamlined interface and support 
for "absolute" positioning of page elements (requires a 4.0 or 
later browser). 

The program now supports cross-browser Dynamic HTML (DHTML). 
Previously, text and graphics that were animated with DHTML (to 
make a headline zoom across the page, for example) could only 
be viewed by users of Internet Explorer 4. Now, both Netscape 
and Microsoft browsers can display these animation effects--a 
solid reason for upgrading.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*2. UPGRADING TO FRONTPAGE 2000--PART 3 OF 5

June 9th, 1999

Considering an upgrade to FrontPage 2000? Less reliance on the 
Personal Web Server (PWS) is one of the best reasons to move to 
the update. In previous versions, users were tied to the PWS 
and couldn't work on webs without launching the server. In FP 
2000, you can edit both pages and webs without using the PWS, 
saving you time and frustration. Webs on your hard drive are as 
easy to edit as documents in any other folder.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*3. UPGRADING TO FRONTPAGE 2000--PART 4 OF 5

June 10th, 1999

If you use FrontPage 98, you may be considering upgrading to 
FrontPage 2000. Microsoft has added a host of new features in 
the latest version, including the ability to customize Themes. 
In FrontPage 98, you have your choice of more than 50 Themes, 
which you can customize slightly by choosing whether to use a 
background image, active graphics, or vivid colors. FrontPage 
2000, however, offers many more choices, including the 
capability to choose your Theme's fonts, colors, and graphics. 
One particularly handy feature is a new eyedropper, which lets 
you sample an image's color (like the colors from your company 
logo, for example) for use in your Theme.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*4. UPGRADING TO FRONTPAGE 2000--PART 5 OF 5

June 11th, 1999

FrontPage 2000 offers a number of compelling reasons to upgrade 
from FrontPage 98. However, if you're getting along fine with 
your current version, you may want to stay put. Most of the 
changes in the latest version can save you time and headaches. 
For example, a streamlined interface combines the Editor and 
Explorer as "views" incorporated into the main interface. This 
means you no longer need to launch two separate programs to 
edit and manage pages. While this improvement saves time when 
managing large sites, if you use FP to run a small corporate 
site or personal page, you won't see much of a benefit.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*5. PREVIEW BEFORE PUBLISHING          
          
June 14th, 1999          
          
Before you publish your Web site, do yourself a favor by 
previewing the site in your browser. FrontPage offers a handful 
of ways to preview your site, but you can't beat a no-nonsense 
browser preview.

-From the FrontPage Editor, click the Preview in Browser 
button. Make sure each image appears and click links to make 
sure they're active.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*6. WHAT'S IN A NAME?

June 15th, 1999

Oftentimes, you'll work on a page for some time without setting 
a title for it. If this is the case and you end up with several 
(or even two) pages going at once, choose a unique name for 
each page. Doing so simplifies browsing and searching your 
site. Here's how: 

- 1. Right-click a blank area on your page. From the menu that
     appears, choose File + Page Properties. The Page
     Properties dialog box launches. 
- 2. Type in a new name for your page in the Title box. 
- 3. Click OK.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*7. BECOME AN IMPORTER

June 16th, 1999

Importing existing documents into FrontPage is simple. You can 
bring in word processing documents, text files, spreadsheets, 
and other documents. You can even preserve the documents' 
formatting if you like. 

To import a document into FrontPage: 

- 1. From the FrontPage Editor, choose Insert + File. 
- 2. Navigate to the document you want to insert into a page
     and click Open. 
     - If you insert a formatted file (such as an .rtf or .doc
       word processing file), FrontPage retains the formatting
       of the original document. 
     - If you insert a text file, the Convert Text dialog box
       launches. By default, the page is converted as
       individual, formatted paragraphs, but you can select any
       of the choices to fit your needs. Your other choices are
       One Formatted Paragraph; Normal Paragraphs, which uses
       FrontPage's default text style; or Normal Paragraphs
       with Line Breaks, which preserves line endings by adding
       line breaks at the end of each line. 
- 3. Make your selection and click OK.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*8. CLEAN UP YOUR ACT

June 17th, 1999

After importing a file (such as a spreadsheet, word processing 
document, or HTML file) into FrontPage, you may find that the 
conversion added some funky formatting that doesn't fit your 
page. First, a refresher for importing pages: 

- 1. From the FrontPage Editor, choose Insert + File. 
- 2. Navigate to the document you want to insert into a page
     and click Open. If you're importing a formatted file (for
     example, one with an .rtf or doc extension), you're
     finished. If you're importing a text file, though, the
     Convert Text dialog box appears. 
- 3. Choose one of the conversion options (if necessary) and
     click OK. 

Now, to remove any formatting that doesn't suit you: 

- 1. Highlight the area you want to change. 
- 2. Choose Format + Remove Formatting.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*9. FASTER FORMATTING REMOVAL

June 18th, 1999

Last time, we told you how to remove the formatting of text in 
the FrontPage Editor: Just highlight the area you want to 
change and choose Format + Remove Formatting. 

Not good enough for you? Then try this shortcut: 

Press Ctrl + Shift + Z.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb


*10. CREATE A TEMPLATE

June 21st, 1999

When you use a page time and again, you may want to save it as 
a template. This trick saves you time and trouble, especially 
when you create boilerplate pages, such as calendars and lists, 
that use the same formatting and structure again and again. To 
save a page as a template: 

- 1. With the page you want to save open, choose File + Save As.
- 2. From the Save As dialog box, click the As Template button.
- 3. Type a name for your template in the Title box. 
- 4. Click OK. 

You can access your template, along with the other FrontPage 
templates, by choosing File + New.

--This tip contributed by JoAnne Robb
