Based on the full-featured Microsoft FrontPage 97 Web authoring and management tool, FrontPage Express features a graphical interface that makes creating HTML pages as easy as creating a document in a word processor. FrontPage Express enables you to create your own Web pages in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get environment, without knowing HTML. FrontPage Express includes all the features of the FrontPage 97 editor, except for premium features, such as Active Server Pages and some of the WebBot components (special preprogrammed scripts) that rely on specific server extensions.
The following illustration shows the FrontPage Express HTML editor.
You can use Front Page Express to author and publish your own Web pages and edit existing HTML documents. The following sections describe the features of the FrontPage Express editor.
FrontPage Express offers two ways to create and edit Web pages. The word-processing-style editor displays a graphical representation of what the Web page will look like when it's published. You can type the contents directly onto the page and highlight text to change the color, size, and style. You can also specify background colors and graphics, text and link colors, margins, and base location.
FrontPage Express enables authors to view the actual HTML code that is being generated. Color codes, indentation, and formats make it easy to read the HTML code. Authors who are comfortable working with HTML can even edit in this mode and instantly see the results in the FrontPage Express application.
The Insert Table feature enables you to generate tables effortlessly, because FrontPage Express creates all the HTML code automatically based on your input. You can insert the table into a Web page and then edit either the entire table or individual cells. This feature also makes it easy to create nested tables without knowing HTML.
You can add forms to your Web page that people can fill out and return. Your forms can include text boxes, drop-down menus, images, and more. You must be connected to a server running FrontPage server extensions to use these form-related features.
If you are connected to a server running FrontPage server extensions, you can also use form-related templates and wizards in FrontPage Express. Templates are preformatted Web pages that you can use as a guide to create your own pages and Web View folders. Wizards walk you through the step-by-step process of creating a Web page. Templates and wizards enable you to create the forms you want just by selecting the types of information you need. You can also create a survey to collect information from readers and store it on your Web server, or you can create a page to acknowledge that you have received the reader's input.
FrontPage Express support for standard Internet technologies means that you can make your pages more engaging without any programming knowledge. You can insert JavaScript, Java applets, Visual Basic Scripting Edition, and ActiveX objects. Also, you can add form elements, such as text boxes, buttons, and drop-down menus, to pages directly from the toolbar. Then, you can easily edit these properties.
Additional information about FrontPage Express is available from the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web site.
