In the old days, people relied on bulletin boards for communicating with others in the local community. They provided a cozy atmosphere. If the local BBS sysops were savvy, they tied into larger networks that enabled users to communicate with people all over the place.
The times are changing. The Internet is changing how people communicate with one another in a big way. Newsgroups enable you to exchange messages with people from all over the world on a vast assortment of topics. There are thousands of newsgroups on topics such as business, technology, and personal interests.
FrontPage offers several ways to include discussion groups in your Web site. Think of discussions as your own personal newsgroups. They enable visitors to your site to communicate with you and one another through articles-messages that are stored on your Web site. You can use discussion groups to reach out and touch someone on a very big party line.
What if you do want a party line but prefer to keep the discussion quiet and closed? You do that by creating a discussion group on a protected web, to which only registered users can gain access with a password. This opens all sorts of possibilities for you, whether you want to reach out to the public or prefer to communicate internally with your employees on business matters.
The Customer Support Web template is designed to provide customer support for a software company. Of course, you can easily modify it to suit your needs. The pages created with this template demonstrate the power of many of FrontPage's features. The web consists of two sections: general pages and discussion pages.
After you create the web with a template, the FrontPage Explorer imports several pages from the Customer Support Web template directory. If you installed FrontPage using the default settings, the files are located in your Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\Webs\Custsupp.tem directory. Figure 19.1 shows the Customer Support Web displayed in the FrontPage Explorer's Folder View.
| TIP |
When a web has several pages, it is much easier to view their contents in Folder View. While in Folder View, you can sort the contents by name, title, size, type, modified date, modified by, and comments. To view web contents in Folder View, use the View | Folder View command from the FrontPage Explorer, or click the Folder View icon in the Explorer toolbar. |
To develop a web with the Customer Support Web template, first open the FrontPage Explorer. Then, follow these steps:
The main section of the Customer Support Web contains several pages of a general nature. Users are welcomed to the site. They can submit and read software bug reports, ask questions about the software, make suggestions for improvements, search for topics, read technical notes, and learn what is new at the site.
Figure 19.2 shows the home page for the Customer Support Web, which is named index.htm in the examples shown in this chapter. Key features include a welcome message that contains company information. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.9 and 19.10 are included on this page.
Figure 19.2 : The Customer Support---Welcome page describes the purpose of the Web site.
The Bugs page (bugrep.htm) is what visitors use to submit bug reports to the Web site. It consist of several parts, shown in Figures 19.3 and 19.4. The introductory section of the page provides links within the page and to other pages in the Customer Support Web. Following the introduction is a bug report form that visitors complete to report bugs in the software. You can change the fields to suit your particular needs. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.9 and 19.10 are included on this page.
Figure 19.4 : Beneath the Bug Report Form is a list of known problems with your software.
Beneath the Bug Report Form is a section where you can post known
problems with software. Figure 19.4 shows an example. When the
bugs mentioned on this page are fixed, you should provide a link
to the download page, so that your customers can keep their software
up-to-date.
| NOTE |
To use any of the forms included in these discussion groups on your site, you must have the FrontPage Server Extensions on your target server or use another type of script. For more information on these topics, see Chapter 22. |
When a visitor submits a bug report with the previous page, the data he or she submits is placed in the Bug Reports from Customers page (buglist.htm). The results from the page are placed in the Form Results Inserted Here section of the page, shown in Figure 19.5. As more customers report software bugs, the content automatically changes.
Figure 19.5 : Bug reports are automatically inserted into the Bug Reports from Customers page.
The Download page (download.htm), shown in Figure 19.6, informs the customer about files available on your site for download. Customers can download the files from this page. Beneath the download area is a description of the file formats used. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.9 and 19.10 are included on this page.
The Frequently Asked Questions page (faq.htm) provides
answers to the questions
that the company's technical support staff is most often asked.
The page includes hyperlinks and bookmarks.
The Suggestions page (suggest.htm), shown in Figure 19.7, enables customers to offer ideas for enhancing products or improving services. The results obtained from this form are placed on the Suggestions from Customers page (feedback.htm), which is similar to the Bug Reports from Customers page shown in Figure 19.5. Changes are updated automatically for you. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.9 and 19.10 are included on this page.
Figure 19.7 : The Suggestions page enables customers to suggest improvements for your products.
The Search page (search.htm) has a text search engine for the Customer Support Web. It is similar to the search page created in the Project Web, shown in Figure 19.18. Visitors can search for a word or phrase on your site. The results appear with links to the appropriate pages.
The Tech Note page (tn-001.htm), shown in Figure 19.8, provides information on how to perform a process or resolve a problem with software. It begins with a summary of the tech note. Then, it outlines the procedure. A sample screen shot is included on the page as a placeholder. The footer shown in Figure 19.10 is included on this page.
The What's New page (whatsnew.htm) provides an up-to-date listing of what is new on the Customer Support Web. As you make changes to the site, inform visitors about the changes on this page.
Figure 19.9 shows the Included Page header (header.htm), which appears on all the previous pages. The header provides links to all the main pages in the site, which ensures consistency and easy navigation.
The Included Page footer (footer.htm), shown in Figure 19.10, contains trademark information and a link to the Webmaster's e-mail address. Copyright information and the date that the page was last modified also appear in the footer.
The Customer Support Web template generates several discussion
pages, which are described in Table 19.1.
| Page Title | Page URL | Description |
| Discussion | discuss.htm | Entry page for the discussion |
| Submission form | cusupost.htm | Used for posting articles in the discussion |
| Confirmation form | cusucfrm.htm | Confirms that a visitor's article was received in the discussion |
| Search form | cususrch.htm | Enables a visitor to search through posted articles for words or phrases |
| TOC | cusutoc.htm | Provides a table of contents for all the articles posted in the discussion; generated automatically |
| Included header | cusuhead.htm | The header that appears on all pages; provides links to various pages in the discussion |
| Included footer | cusufoot.htm | Puts the date when the page was last updated at the bottom of the page |
| Included Article header | cusuahdr.htm | The header that appears on all the discussion articles; provides navigation links to the articles in the discussion and links for posting or replying to articles |
| Included Article footer | cusuaftr.htm | Places the date when an article was submitted at the bottom of the page |
The FrontPage Explorer created a subdirectory-images-beneath the web's root directory. This subdirectory is where you store any images that you import into your web. It includes two graphics:
The Project Web template creates a Web site that enables a group of individuals who are working on projects to organize their tasks. The Project Web features two discussion groups. It also discusses the members working on the project, milestones, and tasks. It is designed to be a public web, but you can modify it to coordinate internal projects. For that, you need to create a protected web, which you learn in Chapter 22.
To develop a web with the Project Web template, first open the FrontPage Explorer. Then, follow these steps:
After you complete the steps outlined in the "Creating a Project Web" task, the FrontPage Explorer transfers several files from the Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\Webs\Project.tem directory, which was created during installation. The Project Web appears in the FrontPage Explorer's Folder View, as shown in Figure 19.11.
Figure 19.12 shows the home page for the Project Web (index.htm). It highlights what is new on the site. The main section of the Project Web contains pages that include archives of files, links to the two discussions on the site, project schedules and status pages, and a search form. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21 are included on this page.
Figure 19.12 : The home page lists the most recent additions to the site.
The Archive page (archive.htm), shown in Figures 19.13 and 19.14, provides links to files available for download in the Project Web. The page begins with an introduction and describes the documents that are included on the site. The page also contains tools that can be used to extract the archived files and explains how the files are classified. A list of distribution designations informs users how the content on the site should be distributed. Finally, a list of file formats appears at the bottom of the page. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21 are included on this page.
The Discussions page (discuss.htm), shown in Figure 19.15, provides links to the Knowledge Base and Requirements Discussion groups. The header and footer, shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21, are included on this page.
The Members page (members.htm), shown in Figure 19.16, contains information on the members of a project team. It lists the members alphabetically and contains links to each one's area on the page. The page provides each member's title, job description, and location, as well as links to his e-mail address and home page. One member is shown in the example in Figure 19.16. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21 are included on this page.
Figure 19.16 : The Members page highlights the people working on a project.
The Schedule page (schedule.htm), shown in Figure 19.17, lists weekly schedules, upcoming events, and key milestones for the project. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21 are included on this page.
The Search page (search.htm), shown in Figure 19.18, enables visitors to search your site for text. The Search page begins with an introduction and then provides a simple search engine. The Query Language section instructs the user how to enter queries. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21 are included on this page.
The Status page (status.htm), shown in Figure 19.19, provides links to status reports stored on your site. Status reports appear monthly, quarterly, and yearly. The header and footer shown in Figures 19.20 and 19.21 are included on this page.
Figure 19.19 : The Status page provides links to status reports stored on your site.
Figure 19.20 shows the Included Page header (header.htm), which appears on all the pages listed previously. The header provides links to all the main pages in the site.
The Included Page footer (footer.htm), shown in Figure 19.21, contains copyright information, the Webmaster's address, and the date when the page was last updated.
The Knowledge Base discussion group records comments and questions that occur as people work on a project. The contents of its pages are similar to those in the Customer Support discussion group, as well as the discussion groups that you create in Chapter 25.
The Table of Contents page (knobtoc.htm) includes a table of contents for the articles submitted to the Knowledge Base discussion. The table of contents is generated in a file called tocproto.htm, which is placed in the _knobas subdirectory in the Project Web.
The Submission form (knobpost.htm) enables visitors to post messages to the discussion.
The Confirmation form (knobcfrm.htm) sends a confirmation message to visitors when they submit articles to the discussion.
The Search form (knobsrch.htm) has a search engine that enables visitors to search the text of the articles contained in the discussion.
The Included header (knobhead.htm) and the Included footer (knobfoot.htm) appear on all the pages in the discussion. The header includes links to the Discussion page, the Table of Contents page, the Search form, and the Submission form. The footer places the date when the page was most recently updated on the bottom of the page.
The Included Article header (knobahdr.htm) and the Included Article footer (knobaftr.htm) are placed on all the articles in the discussion. It includes links to the Discussion page, the Table of Contents page, and the Search form. It provides a link that enables visitors to reply to articles. The footer places the date when the article was submitted on the bottom of the page.
The Requirements discussion group discusses which features should
be included in software products. You can customize this discussion
to suit your own needs. Table 19.2 lists the pages and their URLs.
They serve the same functions as in the Knowledge Base discussion.
The only difference is that the table of contents for the Requirements
discussion is generated in a file called tocproto.htm,
which is placed in the _reqdis subdirectory in the Project
Web.
| Page Name | Page URL |
| TOC | reqdtoc.htm |
| Submission form | reqdpost.htm |
| Confirmation form | reqdcfrm.htm |
| Search form | reqdsrch.htm |
| Included header | reqdhead.htm |
| Included footer | reqdfoot.htm |
| Included Article header | reqdahdr.htm |
| Included Article footer | reqdaftr.htm |
The FrontPage Explorer created a subdirectory-images-beneath the web's root directory. It is where you store any images that you import into your web. It includes four graphics:
You can add Discussion Webs to your other webs by using the Discussion Web Wizard. It enables you to customize your Discussion Web before the pages are created. You can link a style sheet to your discussion pages, which enables you to use colors other than the standard World Wide Web gray, for example. You can also place the discussion articles in frames or create a discussion on a protected web.
To create a Discussion Web with the Discussion Web Wizard, follow these steps:
Like the Personal Web Wizard, discussed in Chapter 2 "Let's Get Personal," the Discussion Web Wizard guides you through the process of creating a Discussion Web. After you complete the initial steps outlined in the previous task, the Discussion Web Wizard's introductory screen appears.
The introductory screen of the Discussion Web Wizard contains text that tells you what you are about to create. A progress bar appears beneath the picture on the left side of the dialog box. This progress bar shows you how far along you are in the process.
You can interrupt the wizard at any time:
Click Next to continue setting up the Discussion Web.
The second screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks what types of pages you want to include in the Discussion Web. To choose your pages, follow these steps:
The third screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks you to give the discussion a descriptive title. This title appears on all the pages.
To name your discussion, perform the following steps:
The fourth screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks you to choose a set of input fields for the submission form.
To choose how to display your article headings, do the following:
The fifth screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks whether the discussion will take place on a protected web. Choose your response as follows:
| NOTE |
With FrontPage's Personal Web Server, you cannot mix protected areas and public areas on the same Web site. If you want to create a protected discussion, you must create a separate web. See Chapter 22 for complete instructions. |
The sixth screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks how the table of contents should sort the list of posted articles.
The seventh screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks whether you want the Table of Contents page for the discussion to be the home page of the web.
The eighth screen of the Discussion Web Wizard asks what information the Search form should report for matching documents.
In the ninth screen of the Discussion Web Wizard, you choose the color scheme for your pages. The choices that you make here are saved to your web in the Web Colors file. You base the style of your other pages on this page.
The steps follow:
In the tenth screen of the Discussion Web Wizard, you choose the frame options for the discussion. Frames are a relatively new addition to Web page development, and not all browsers support them. FrontPage also provides alternative choices in this screen.
To choose a frame option, perform the following steps:
The final screen of the Discussion Web Wizard notifies you that you have answered all the questions.
Click the Finish button to create the web and upload the files that you selected when you stepped through the Discussion Web Wizard. If you installed FrontPage using the default settings, the files are copied from the Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\Webs\Vtidisc.wiz directory on your hard drive. The Discussion Web appears in the FrontPage Explorer's Outline view.
Figure 19.22 shows the Discussion Web in the FrontPage Explorer's Folder View.
Figure 19.22 : The pages created with the Discussion Web Wizard, shown here in Folder View.
In addition to the files mentioned in the section "Choosing Your Pages," earlier in this chapter, the Discussion Web Wizard creates four pages:
Figure 19.23 shows additional pages that are placed in your web's _private directory. This directory is used for pages that you want to hide from browsers or from the Table of Contents bot. Usually, you place items such as included page headers, footers, and navigation links used on other pages in this directory.
Figure 19.23 : How the Discussion Web pages appear if you select the Dual Interface option.
Thanks to the Internet, communicating with others will never be the same. Thanks to FrontPage's discussion templates and wizards, you can easily design custom discussion groups on your own Web site.
In this chapter, you learned how to create three different types of Web sites that contain discussion groups. Now that the page templates are there and linked for you, the fun really begins. Editing your pages is simple once you have the basic design of the web.
In the next chapter, you learn how to design your own pages using FrontPage's Form Page Wizard. If you want to continue with what you learned in this chapter, check out the following chapters:
| Q: | Can I add other fields to the forms included in a Discussion Web? |
| A: | Yes. Chapter 21, "Fields-The Building Blocks of Forms," explains how. |
| Q: | Can I test the protected webs on my local computer before I put them on the Web? |
| A: | Yes. You can open any web from your favorite browser and test it on your local computer as if it were the Web. If you create your webs using the Web server, you must first make sure that your Web server is
running. Then, enter a URL in your favorite browser to call in to the protected web. If your server name is localhost and your web name is ProtectedDiscussion, you enter the following URL in your browser: http://localhost/ProtectedDiscussion |
| NOTE |
If you created your protected web on your local or network computer, you also need to run the Web server to test your pages. |
| At this point, you are prompted to enter a user name and a password. Enter the name and password as it appears in the Web permissions created for you as the administrator or author. If you enter an incorrect password, a message appears, stating that the authorization failed and that you will not gain access to the protected web. |
