Chapter 23

Web Maintenance and Administration

CONTENTS

A server administrator can get pretty busy, especially with keeping track of where pages are located. Sometimes changes have to be made to the Web. You might need to relocate, rename, or remove webs. New administrators, authors, and end users have to be added or removed, and passwords have to be changed. These are all tasks that require administrator authorization.

Changing the Default Home Page Name

By default, FrontPage uses a home page (or welcome page) name of index.htm. Your remote server may require that you use a home page with a different filename, such as index.html, welcome.htm, or default.htm. You can configure FrontPage to use a different home page name.

You can change the setting of the home page in a configuration file. If you installed FrontPage using the default installation, you can find this page in the following directory: 

C:\FrontPage Webs\server\conf\srm.cnf

Within this file is a section where you specify your directory index. To specify a directory index file other than index.htm, add a line to this section. It should look similar to the last line shown below: 

# DirectoryIndex: Name of the file to use as a pre-written HTML
# directory index. This document, if present, will be opened when the
# server receives a request containing a URL for the directory, instead
# of generating a directory index.
#
DirectoryIndex index.html

Changing Clickable Image Style

In Chapter 8 "Getting from Here to There," and in Chapter 17, "Real-Life Examples," you worked with clickable images-images containing hotspots that take the user to other pages in your Web site or other webs. If you or your service provider don't have the FrontPage Server Extensions installed, you will need to set a different clickable image style for your Webs.

There are two ways to approach clickable images-server-side image maps and client-side image maps:

Server-side image maps pass the coordinates of your hotspots to the server's image map handling routine. This requires additional processing time from your server to compute the target URL of the link based on its coordinates.
Client-side image maps encode the destination URL of each hotspot directly on the image map itself and pass the coordinates onto the user. This option doesn't require additional processing time from the server, so it's advantageous to use this option. The option is selected by default but can be changed.

You can instruct FrontPage to generate both client-side and server-side HTML by choosing the "Generate client-side image maps" option in the Web Settings dialog box and also by selecting a server-side image map style. That way you have both bases covered.

By default, FrontPage uses its own clickable image handler. You can change to one of four clickable image formats as follows:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Web Settings. The Web Settings dialog box shown in Figure 23.1 appears.
    Figure 23.1 : Use the Advanced tab of the Web Settings dialog box to configure your image map handler and show documents in hidden directories.
  2. Click the Advanced tab.
  3. In the Style field, choose one of the following clickable image styles:
    FrontPage. This is the default setting and should be used if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has the FrontPage Server Extensions installed on the remote server.
    ncSA. This setting uses the program imagemap.exe to handle the server-side clickable image maps when your ISP's server uses ncSA image maps.
    CERN. This setting uses the program htimage.exe to handle the server-side clickable image maps when your ISP's server uses CERN image maps.
    Netscape. This setting creates image map data for Netscape servers.
    None. If you select None, FrontPage will not generate any HTML that supports server-side image map processing.
  4. In the Prefix field, enter the related URL of the server-side image map handler for the style you selected. If you choose an image map format other than FrontPage, you can accept the default value in this field or contact your service provider for its image map handler's URL.
  5. "Generate client-side image maps" is selected by default; it instructs FrontPage to generate HTML code that supports client-side image maps.
  6. Click OK.

Displaying Documents in Hidden Directories

When you create discussion groups, the articles that visitors submit to discussions are contained in pages that get stored on your Web site, typically in hidden directories. By default, FrontPage has these hidden directories turned off in the Web display. You can choose to view these hidden directories by following these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Web Settings. The Web Settings dialog box appears.
  2. Choose the Advanced tab.
  3. Check the box beside Show Documents in Hidden Directories.
  4. Click OK to apply the settings to your Web site and exit, or click Apply if you want to change additional Web settings.
  5. FrontPage asks if you want to refresh the Web after the changes are made:

Making Changes to Your Webs

Web administrators can make changes to webs. They can create new webs, copy them, delete them, and rename them; these tasks are all done through the FrontPage Explorer.

Copying Webs

You use the Copy Web command when you want to transfer your webs from your local server to your Internet Service Provider, or if you want to combine pages from multiple webs into a single Web site on your server. You can also use this command to add pages from one Web site to another.

NOTE
If your ISP doesn't have the FrontPage Server Extensions installed on your remote server, consider using the FrontPage Publishing Wizard, discussed in Chapter 25, "Testing and Publishing Your Web." It's much easier than using an FTP program to accomplish the same task.

When you copy a web, you can copy its contents to a new or existing web on your current server or to a web on a different server. To copy the current Web site, follow these steps:

  1. Open the web you want to copy in the FrontPage Explorer.
  2. Choose File | Copy Web. The Copy Web dialog box shown in Figure 23.2 appears.
    Figure 23.2 : Use the Copy Web command to copy webs to other servers.
  3. In the Destination Web Server field, select the server you want to copy your web to from the drop-down list, or enter the name in the field.
  4. In the Destination Web Name field, enter the name of the destination web.
  5. Click OK to copy the Web site. FrontPage informs you when your web has been copied successfully.

NOTE
If you are copying a Web site to the same server you're currently working on, you must supply a new name for the Web site. FrontPage does not allow you to create a copy of a web over itself and prompts you to enter a different name for the destination web.
When you add a web to another web, the pages, files, and directories in the first web are copied to the second web. If the destination web has the same filenames as the web being copied to it, the files will be overwritten by those being copied.

Renaming Webs

You can change the name or title of a Web site by using the Tools | Web Settings command; just follow these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Web Settings to open the Web Settings dialog box.
  2. Click the Configuration tab, shown in Figure 23.3.
    Figure 23.3 : Use the Configuration tab to assign a new name and title to your Web site.
  3. Enter a new web name in the Web Name field. Web names are subject to the character and length restrictions of your server software or Internet Service Provider. Spaces and punctuation marks are typically not allowed, and text is case-sensitive.
  4. Enter a new web title in the Web Title field. This title will display in the New Web dialog box the next time you open a Web site on your server with the File | Open Web command.
  5. Click the Apply button to change the web name and continue with your web settings; then click the OK button to change the web name and exit the Web Settings dialog box.

Deleting Webs

To delete a Web site from your server, you have to be authorized as an administrator of the web. Also, you have to open the web before you delete it. Actually, this isn't such a bad idea, because you probably want to make sure it's the Web site you want to delete. You can't recover a Web site once it has been deleted.

To delete a Web site, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Web site you want to delete in the FrontPage Explorer.
  2. Choose File | Delete Web.
  3. FrontPage asks whether you're sure you want to delete the Web site. Click Yes to delete the web (you can't retrieve it!) or No to cancel.

Administering Your FrontPage Webs

If you're using FrontPage to develop webs for your corporate intranet, you might be using multiple Web administrators and authors to develop your Web sites. You use the FrontPage Explorer to configure access for them and to add end-user permissions for restricted webs.

Who Has Access?

FrontPage allows you to assign access permissions in three categories-Web administrators, Web authors, and end users. Each Web site on your server can be assigned its own access permissions, allowing you to assign Web development and administration to a different team for each Web. End-user permissions are added if you have restricted webs on your server.

You can also assign address masks to your webs. These grant access permissions to a web through the use of an Internet address rather than by a name and password.

Administrators are allowed to perform the following tasks in FrontPage:

Authors are allowed to perform the following tasks in FrontPage:

By default, all end users have access to a Web site, but there might be instances when you want to restrict access to only certain individuals. For example, you might want to create a web to which only company employees have access. Another example might be a technical support site that requires a monthly subscription fee. On a personal level, you might want to allow access to only friends and family members.

Authorizing Administrators, Authors, and End Users

You must have administrator status to authorize another administrator. To add an authorization for a Web administrator, follow these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Permissions. The Web Permissions dialog box appears, open to the Settings tab, as shown in Figure 23.4.
    Figure 23.4 : Use the Settings tab in the Web Permissions dialog box to assign unique permissions for a child web.
  2. To assign unique permissions for the web (other than the root web), select Use unique permissions for this web. The current web will not inherit its settings from the root web.
  3. Click Apply.
  4. You can add permissions for administrators, authors, or end users as follows:
  5. Click the Add button to add a new administrator, author, or end user and open a dialog box for each one. Figure 23.8 shows the New Administrator dialog box; the others are similar.
    Figure 23.8 : Enter the name and password in the New Administrator, New Author, or New User dialog box.
  6. Enter the name of the new administrator, author, or end user in the Name field.
  7. Enter the administrator's, author's, or end user's password, and confirm it again in the Confirm Password field.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Click OK to add the administrator, author, or end user and close the dialog box. If you want to add additional permissions for the Web site, click the Apply button to continue adding permissions.

Restricting the IP Address

To restrict the IP addresses of Web administrators, authors, or end users, follow these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Permissions. The Web Permissions dialog box opens to the Permissions tab.
  2. To assign unique permissions for the web (other than the root web), select Use unique permissions for this web. The current web will not inherit the settings of the root web.
  3. Click Apply.
  4. You restrict the IP address for administrators, authors, or end users by clicking the Administrators, Authors, or End Users tab, respectively.
  5. In the Restricted to these IP address masks section, click Add. The New IP Mask dialog box, shown in Figure 23.9, appears.
    Figure 23.9 : Use the New IP Mask dialog box to assign IP address masks to the Web site.
  6. In each of the four sections of the dialog box, enter either a number ranging from 1 to 256, inclusively, or a wildcard character (*). The wildcard character will cause any number to be accepted in that position of the IP address and can only come at the end if you're missing numbers and asterisks.
  7. Click OK.
  8. Click OK to add the IP address and close the dialog box. If you want to add additional permissions for the Web site, click the Apply button to continue adding them.

Changing Passwords

If you are an administrator or author of the current Web site, you can change your own password. Passwords can also be changed for end users. Simply follow these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Change Password. The Change Password For (name) dialog box, shown in Figure 23.10, appears.
    Figure 23.10: Change the password for an administrator, author, or end user in the Change Password For dialog box.
  2. Enter the old password in the Old Password field.
  3. Enter the new password in the New Password field and confirm it again in the Confirm Password field.
  4. Click OK.

Removing Administrators, Authors, and End Users

To remove an administrator, author, or end user from a Web, follow these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Permissions.
  2. Click the appropriate tab for the individual you want to remove:
  3. To remove the administrator, author, or end user and return to the FrontPage Explorer, click OK. Click Apply to remove the name and continue adding or removing Web permissions.

Removing the IP Address

To remove the IP address of an administrator, author, or end user from a Web, follow these steps:

  1. From the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Permissions.
  2. Click the appropriate tab-Administrators, Authors, or End Users-for the IP address mask you want to remove.
  3. In the IP address masks section, select the IP address you want to remove.
  4. Click Remove.
  5. To remove the IP address mask and return to the FrontPage Explorer, click OK. Click Apply to remove the end user and continue adding or removing Web permissions.

Workshop Wrap-Up

FrontPage allows great flexibility, whether you're using it to develop your own personal Web site or using it in a corporate intranet environment. If you're working on your own Web site, you're already granted access permissions to perform administrative and authoring tasks. If you need to configure multiple administrators and authors, the capability is there for you to do so.

Chapter Summary

In this chapter, you have learned how to maintain and manage your Web sites and how to specify the name of your web's home pages. If your service provider doesn't have the FrontPage Server Extensions, you learned how to choose another format for handling the image maps. You have also learned how to make changes to webs and assign administrators, authors, and end users to your Web site.

Next Steps

In the next chapter, you'll learn more about the FrontPage Server Extensions and the files and directories that relate to them. You'll also learn what other server extensions are available.

In Chapter 25, "Testing and Publishing Your Web," you'll learn how to transfer your Web documents and files from your computer to your ISP.

Q&A

Q:Can multiple IP addresses be assigned to a single individual?
A:The IP address masks don't appear to be connected to an individual. You can enter multiple IP addresses.
Q:Do I have to copy the clickable image handler to my remote site if my Internet provider doesn't have the Server Extensions?
A:No, you define the path to the ISP's clickable image handler when you configure the image handler in your FrontPage web. The optional image handlers provided with FrontPage write the data that their image handlers expect to see. Refer to Chapter 25 for the files you'll need to transfer when your service provider doesn't have the FrontPage Server Extensions installed.
Q:Is there any way to specify copying only certain files when you use the Copy Web command?
A:Unfortunately not. It's currently an "all or nothing" command. You can use an FTP program to copy selected files to a remote Web site.