Hidden Tips for Microsoft FrontPage

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Whether novices or experts, we know that many Intranet Journal readers rely on Microsoft FrontPage as their Web authoring tool of choice. It's for those developers that we present this list of useful tips for getting the most out of the program. We went straight to the source when we compiled it, and asked the Microsoft FrontPage development team members themselves for "hidden" tips that few users would know about. Here's what they told us. Take a look through our list, and you'll find that, no matter what your skill level, there are tips here that will help you do your job a little more quickly and efficiently.

Tip 1: Shrink that File Size: Optimizing Your Images
Have you ever noticed that when you bring an image into FrontPage and resize it by clicking and dragging to make it smaller, the indicator showing the time to load the page (usually in the lower right part of your screen and shown in Figure 1) says that even though the image is smaller, it will still take the same amount of time to load?

Figure 1.

That's because clicking and dragging changes the width and height attributes for the image, but the file itself is unchanged.

If you want an image to be both smaller in dimensions and file size, then use the Resample button on the Pictures toolbar. Select the picture by clicking on it, then click the Resample button. This way, the time to load indicator will show the faster download time. You can see an example of this in Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Tip 2: Coding in FrontPage: Debug JavaScript Code
One of FrontPage 2002's best kept secrets is that it includes a JavaScript editor and debugger called the Microsoft Script Editor. It was built with Microsoft Visual Studio technology to allow FrontPage users to set breakpoints, step through code, and edit script with IntelliSense. Changes made within the Script Editor are automatically updated in FrontPage.

To access the Script Editor, open FrontPage 2002, click Macro on the Tools menu, then click Microsoft Script Editor.

Tip 3: One-step Publishing: No FTP Client Required
Most people aren't aware that FrontPage makes publishing via FTP extremely easy. In fact, all you have to do is replace the "http://" in the Web site address you publish to with "ftp://" and FrontPage takes care of the rest.

For example, to publish to an FTP server called "ftpserver", you would select Publish Web from the File menu, type in the publish destination as ftp://www.ftpserver.com. Click OK and your file will be transferred. This is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3.

Tip 4: Quick Take: Send Selected Pages or Files Directly to the Server
Sometimes you want to make a few quick changes to a page, then send it directly to the server without going through the publishing process. FrontPage 2002 makes it easy to send only your selected files. First, choose the files to publish in the Folder List (call up Folder List from the View menu, if you need to), then right-click on them and select Publish Selected Files. You can see an example of doing this in Figure 4.

Figure 4.

Tip 5: Ditch the Mouse: Keyboarding Shortcuts for Formatting
The Formatting toolbar (click Toolbars on the View menu, then select Formatting) lets you to quickly and visually change styles, font, and font size. When time is of the essence and you want to access the Formatting toolbar without using your mouse, type ALT then CTRL+Tab and then CTRL+Tab again. Your cursor will land on the Styles area of the Formatting toolbar. To move to the Font part of the toolbar, press Tab. To move to the Font Size part, press Tab again.