Re: FP 2003 what features to use
From: Jim Buyens (news_at_interlacken.com)
Date: 03/23/04
- Next message: anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com: "Front Page 2002 Extension"
- Previous message: dito: "Re: Database Results Error"
- In reply to: Bill Hunt: "FP 2003 what features to use"
- Next in thread: Jay Levitt: "Re: FP 2003 what features to use"
- Reply: Jay Levitt: "Re: FP 2003 what features to use"
- Reply: Bill Hunt: "Re: FP 2003 what features to use"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: 23 Mar 2004 09:07:37 -0800
Comments interspersed.
wjhunt@pacbell.net (Bill Hunt) wrote in message news:<f37a146a.0403221052.fc8b714@posting.google.com>...
> I'm starting to use FP 2003 after using FP 2002 for ~2 months. Our
> site was built last year using Netscape Composer using SSI for menus
> and navigation bars and hand built templates.
>
> Composer was very buggy and annoying but free which matters to our all
> volunteer non-profit. Our site is hosted on a Lin ux bo running
> Apache. I use PHP and MySQL where I need them. I defined a manual
> version control process that is cumbersome but allows changes to
> backed out.
>
> I'm a 30 year career programmer (Windows kernel stuff) and can endure
> crappy tools and a tedious, error-[rone process. My co-developer
> stopped doing any changes because the process was too error-prone for
> him. I looked at WYSIWYG HTML editors and reluctantly decided that FP
> 2003 was the right choice in spite of the cost. I mostly want to make
> it possible for other people in the non-profit to create content.
>
> Our server will not have FP extensions or any ODBC/ASP/IIS stuff.
> WebDAV is possible but FTP seems more secure and easier for me.
>
> So which FP 2003 features should I use and avoid?
>
> - shared borders sounded like an interesting alternative to SSI but it
> appears to be tied to FP server entensions. Include Page seems to be
> a MS version of SSI.
Both of these work by replicating content at design time (not browse
time). As a result, they work find on server's that don't have the
server extensions installed. However, if you update a Shared Borders
or Include Page segment that appears in 100 pages, you have to upload
all 100 pages.
> - conflict detection sounds valuable. Any downsides?
It's a good feature, but people have trouble understanding how to
react to it. The proper response is to examine both files (source and
destination) and then merge them or decide which version to keep. But
the one-word message "Conflict" doesn't seem to trigger this response.
I've come across some cases where FrontPage falsely detects conflicts
because the development Web site and the remote FTP site are in
different time zones.
> - automatic synchronization sounds a bit risky when there have been
> interlocking updates.
Exactly. Never shoot blind.
> - check-out/check-in seems to be vulnerable to someone forgetting to
> check-in a file. I don't see any clear information on clearing the
> lock.
FrontPage includes so-called "lightweight" source control, and
administrative overrides are one place that's deserves this
designation. In other words, there *are* no administrative overrides.
If you turn source control off and on, that clears all checkouts in
the current Web site. If you need to get more granular than that, you
need to monkey around with bits in FrontPage's hidden, internal
directories.
For more robust source control, install Visual Source Safe on the
development server.
> - publishing sounds good for my co-workers but I read messages
> describing problems with FTP as a link to the server. Are we better
> just doing server updates manually with a separate FTP program?
In general, no, let FrontPage do you publishing. The reason is that
you may not know about all the files FrontPage updates as you work,
and if you forget to upload those files, something won't work.
> - automatic thumbnails sounds useful since making thumbnails of bird
> and flower pictures is a big problem for us. However, it sounds a bit
> limited.
Limited how?
In any event, stand-along graphics programs will always beat the
picture tools that come with FrontPage.
> Any comments on these or other features would be appreciated.
>
> The online help seems pretty bad compared to past MS products. The
> Buyens book seems the most detailed but no book has enought detailed
> info especially on using FP w/o FP server extensions.
>
> Bill
> http://www.wcosf.org/
Stefan B Rusynko has already posted a link on features to use/avoid if
you don't have the server extensions.
Unfortunately, it's not possible to publish customized versions of a
book this size for each different development environment. However, I
do try to provide server and browser compatibility information in the
text for any features where it makes a difference.
Are you sure you don't want to look around for full-featured Windows
hosting? For some places to look, jump to the bottom of this article:
What to Ask a Prospective Hosting Service
http://www.interlacken.com/winnt/tips/tipshow.aspx?tip=9
Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
|\---------------------------------------------------
|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------
- Next message: anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com: "Front Page 2002 Extension"
- Previous message: dito: "Re: Database Results Error"
- In reply to: Bill Hunt: "FP 2003 what features to use"
- Next in thread: Jay Levitt: "Re: FP 2003 what features to use"
- Reply: Jay Levitt: "Re: FP 2003 what features to use"
- Reply: Bill Hunt: "Re: FP 2003 what features to use"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
