MS Front Page Tutorial 5 Key Terms

Term	Page number	Definition
Thumbnail Picture	FP 5.02	A small version of a larger picture that contains a hyperlink to the larger picture
Wash out	FP 5.05	The process of reducing the brightness and contrast of a picture
Hover Button	FP 5.08	A special button that contains a hyperlink
Mouse over or Mouse Fly Over	FP 5.09	The act of moving the pointer over a hover button or a picture
Java applet	FP 5.12	A short program written in the Java programming language and is attached to a Web page
Dynamic HTML	FP 5.13	Commands that allow you to control the display of elements in a Web page.
Page Transition	FP 5.13	An optional animated effect that you can apply to one or more Web pages in a Web site.
Animation	FP 5.14	An effect that causes an element to "fly" into view from a corner or side of the page
Script	FP 5.17	A code that is included in the Web page and executed by the Web browser
Shared Border	FP 5.21	A border that presents information common to all Web pages in a consistent manner across selected Web pages or the entire Web site
Banner	FP 5.37	A text or picture object that usually appears at the top of each page in a Web site

FrontPage Components

The hover button is the second FrontPage component the student has inserted into the Web site. The first was the marquee. Remind students that not all browsers can display all the FrontPage components. If the developer is concerned about visitors to the Web site being able to see everything that has been entered into the site, it should be tested with a variety of browsers.

While students have the component drop-down window open, have them look at the list of components available. Explain that they will be using most of these components in later chapters (if they go on to the comprehensive version of this text). They could also read about each of these components by pressing help and then typing the name of the component in the index box.

Explain that the FrontPage components are actually Java Applets (short programs) that provide a particular functionality to the Web page. When a Web page is loaded that has a Java applet, the program is read and interpreted by the browser that, in turn, executes the Java code.

As the students change the properties of the hover button encourage them to try other colors and other effects just to see how they work.

Dynamic HTML (DHTML)

DHTML is an extension of HTML providing additional features that can be added to a Web site to increase its functionality. Once again, the browser being used must be able to support the DHTML commands that are added to the page. In the text, students will create page transitions and animations but there are many other things they could do with DHTML.

The following is a direct quote from the help system on DHTML. Consider reading this to students or have them go to the help and read the information on DHTML

“Dynamic HTML (DHTML) is a Microsoft enhancement to HTML version 4.0 that lets you create special effects such as text that flies off the page one word at a time, or rotating billboard-style transition effects between pages. However, some Web browsers don't support DHTML, so pages containing DHTML might not be displayed properly or might contain errors when viewed by some site visitors.”

Page Transitions

Your students likely have had some experience with PowerPoint. If this is the case, explain that the transitions they are creating here are very much like creating transitions in PowerPoint, which control the way the slides appear on the screen.

Viewing the DHTML code

Explain that the code they are looking at is a Java Applet and could be added to another page to create the same hover button or animation. Often programmers will use an HTML editor like FrontPage to create an initial effect then copy the code to another page or site and edit as desired.

Creating the Navigation Structure

Students should understand that they would be unable to create a FrontPage navigation bar unless they have first created the structure. The navigation bar will be built around the structure that is created. It is important to have the appropriate hierarchy of the pages in the navigation structure for the navigation bar to work properly. The navigation structure tells front page how the various Web pages are related to one another.

Shared Borders

Using shared borders is a simple way to provide the same “look” to all the Web pages in the site. Any changes that are made to a shared border in any page, which uses the shared borders, will be reflected in all other pages that use them.