Re: FrontPage to Dreamweaver specific function how to

Your best bet is to go cold turkey:

1)  Bring up the web site in question in your browser (preferably do not 
use IE for this).
2)  Download the home page and/or a subordinate page to your browser into a 
new folder (directory).
3)  Open Dreamweaver and create a new template from the page(s).
4)  Apply the template to the rest of the site.
5)  Site now converted to Dreamweaver.

6)  Now start tweaking the site (Perl scripts, JavaScript, etc.) to make it 
fully functional.

Caveats in the transition:

1)   Microsoft is into *heavy* integration of its application and server 
software, e.g., FrontPage and IIS.
2)   This integration forces dependencies which other quality web 
development tools do not require or need.  Hence they are quite portable.
3)   In essence, for FrontPage to work properly, the server must have 
additional files (FrontPage components) installed.  Liken this to 
purchasing a vehicle (FrontPage) which can only be driven on roads 
expressly built for it (FrontPage components and an IIS server), while the 
rest of the world drives vehicles which can be driven everywhere, including 
those FP-specific roads.  Where do you want to go today? :).
4)  While the software integration has been a good thing in some circles, 
it does force the developer to only use one tool set to accomplish the 
mission.   Kinda like living in a company town where you can purchase only 
from the company stores, only drive a company car, play in the company 
playground, go to the company movie house, watch the company television 
network, and work for one company.   If you lose your job for whatever 
reason, you lose your house, your car and everything else as well.

In short, close your FrontPage manuals, put them on the shelf and walk 
away.  Now use Dreamweaver.  You can always go back to FP if you are not 
comfortable, but cut the cord now.


Kukla


At 05:12 PM 2/21/02 -0600, DiVita, Judith L. [JLD] wrote:
>I am converting from FrontPage to Dreamweaver and I'm finding some
>disconnects between the two in functionality.  Dreamweaver is far superior
>in most functions, but some things don't seem to be there.
>
>Examples:
>I can't find any search components for running a site search on an IIS 4.0
>server.  (The IIS Resource kit says to use FrontPage components.)
>
>When I pulled in files that used the included components in FrontPage, it
>appeared to me as if it just converted the include to hard coded HTML in
>each of the pages using it, and not a library component.  Is this the way it
>works and I'll have to go in to every page and recode as a library item?  (I
>don't really know how to do that, but I expect I can figure it out.)
>
>I think I have to use perl to do automated forms that will mail data, which
>is another FrontPage component.
>------------
>A short 1/2 day class on FrontPage to Dreamweaver specific functions would
>have helped, I think. Does anyone know of documentation or a tutorial like
>that?  Or can anyone help with the above issues?
>
>Thanks.
>
>Judy DiVita
>JLD(at)ElkayMfg.com


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