FrontPage Tutorial

FrontPage is a tool from Microsoft. It is a graphical user interface for creating web pages without much coding from the user. The user does not need to have experience creating web pages when using FrontPage. However, some basic understanding of the interface helps you get familiar with how FrontPage is used to design and create websites and pages.

Creating a Website

When you first open FrontPage, the basic first step is to start a new website project. The software automatically prompts you if it is the first time you have loaded it since installation. However, to start a new website, click File > New > Web. FrontPage has several templates. These are shown when the user chooses to create a new website. For more advanced FrontPage users, a blank template is available. This template carries no format or pre-loaded layouts. For newer users, FrontPage offers templates like discussions, corporate layouts and personal pages. Even though these templates automatically load a layout and style, the programmer can change it at any time during the creation process. Once a template has been selected, enter a location of where to save the website files and press "OK." FrontPage starts the user off with a loaded template where elements like images and font can be entered.

Adding Elements

HTML elements are a part of any web page. Fortunately, the user does not need to know how to manually type these elements into the FrontPage software. FrontPage has a drag-and-drop interface where elements can be programmed through dialog boxes. In this example, an image is added to the web page.

Click the web page and click the "Insert Picture from File" button. If you chose a template, then some image boxes may already be available on the web page. Right click the image box and select "Properties." A configuration dialog box opens. This is where the location of the image, placement on the page and sizing requirements are entered. FrontPage has a graphical interface, so selecting a placement on the page is indicated by the alignment images. Select a location and press "OK." Notice how the image automatically moves to its new placement. If the image was resized, it also reflects the new size of the image on the web page.

Additionally, FrontPage allows the user to enter text on the page similar to using a word processor application. Add text to the page that describes the image just inserted. Highlight the text and select the font and color from the FrontPage main toolbar. The text is edited just like it would be in any other type of typical word processing application.

References

• TechDocs.TAMU.edu: FrontPage