Microsoft FrontPage is a Web publishing and management application that offers users the convenience of an intuitive graphic interface and features which make it easy to create Web pages without having to master HTML. Thanks to the October 1999 Penn State-Microsoft software agreement, FrontPage is now available at no cost to Penn State students and departments.
The CAC training group provides the University community with various opportunities to learn FrontPage. Beginning level seminars taught by CAC staff are offered each semester for hands-on training. For registration information please see http://cac.psu.edu/training/, stop by the Computer Building to pick up a seminar brochure, send e-mail to seminars@psu.edu,or call (814) 863-9522. The CAC also offers a self-paced eight-hour FrontPage training tutorial through its Web-Based Training (WBT) program. Additional information is available at http://wbt.cac.psu.edu/.
FrontPage authors should be aware that some features may not be supported on the Web servers they are using. Below we have explained which features are supported and which are not. We offer alternatives for those features which are not supported on the CAC's Web server.
You can use FrontPage to author and manage Web sites, as you might any other Web editor. Web developers creating pages to reside on the Penn State personal server can continue to use most of the features available in FrontPage which simplify the creation of objects like tables, hyperlinks and frames. These HTML elements do not require FrontPage Server Extensions to display correctly.
The following FrontPage features are acceptable, as they do not require extensions to display correctly from the Penn State personal or other servers:
Unsupported Features
Users who intend to develop a site with FrontPage should be aware, however, that the advanced features the application makes available, like forms,search engines,permissions,and discussion groupswill not function properly on the Web unless FrontPage Server Extensions have been installed on the Web server. FrontPage Server Extensions are a set of programs that must be installed on a Web server in order for these advanced features to run or display properly on-line.
Because of security concerns, many Web administrators have chosen not to install FrontPage extensions on their servers. Such is the case on the Penn State personal server where Penn State faculty, staff, and student personal pages and SODA space reside and where many departmental Web pages are located. Users creating Web pages with FrontPage to be stored in COLA (Course On-line Account) space should also note that FrontPage Server Extensions are not installed on the server http://www.courses.psu.edu.
Don't use the FrontPage features designed to add advanced functionality to pages if they will reside on either the Penn State personal or course servers.
The table below lists FrontPage features and elements that are not supported on the Penn State personal or course servers, or other servers where extensions have not been installed. Alternatives that provide similar on-line functionality are listed.
This information is also available on-line with hyperlinks to the alternatives listed below. Please see section 2.12, Microsoft FrontPage, of the CACWEB Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) at http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cacweb.html#212 .
FrontPage users can double-check their pages for elements which may not display correctly by reviewing the HTML FrontPage has generated, for the comment <!webbot bot>. Elements that include a comment with this text require server extensions in order to display correctly.
If you plan to use a Web server other than the CAC's, check with your local system administrator regarding acceptable server extensions or limitations for FrontPage.
| Feature/Element | Description | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Publish a Web | Used to upload an entire site (directories and subdirectories) to location http://www.personal.psu.edu | Set Microsoft Wizard FTP server information to ftp://ftp.personal.psu.edu/www. Or upload files using an FTP client such as Fetch or WS_FTP. |
| Confirmation Field | Used to identify field to display on a confirmation page. | Use the formmail script installed on the personal server. See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cgi.shtml#formmail. |
| Search Form | Used to allow viewer to search a specific site. | Invoke the Penn State search engine from Web page. See http://search.psu.edu/psu/search.html. |
| Hit Counter | Used to count and display number of times a page is visited. | Use the counters installed on the personal server. See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/web-weenie.shtml#sec7. |
| Discussion Groups | Used to create interactive pages on which visitors can read posted articles, and reply and post new ones. | Use the guestbook script installed on the personal server. See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cacweb.html#42. |
| Image Maps | Used to create one or more links on a graphic. | See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/web-weenie.shtml#81. |
| Form Handlers | Under Form Properties, used to manipulate or store data entered in a form. | See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/cgi.shtml#formmail. |
| Permissions | Gives different users different levels of access to a Web page. | Set Access Control Lists (ACLs) using the CAC secure server, https://www.work.psu.edu. |
| Include Page | Used to include one Web page in another. | Use a Server Side Include (SSI). See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faq/web-weenie.shtml#sec6 |