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Title: FrontPage 2002: The Complete Reference by Martin S. Matthews, Erik B. Poulsen ISBN: 0-07-213222-1 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 11 May, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.8 (5 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: FrontPage 2002: The Complete Reference - A Review
Comment: I liked this book despite (or maybe because of) its size. It is one of those huge books, with 982 pages presented in 25 chapters and four appendices plus a companion CD and an Index which runs 20 pages and has over 1700 entries. Obviously, I have not read the whole book, but as I continue to use FrontPage I believe I will use more and more of it. The best way to learn a program, and to use this book, is to create a web site, and I have done that, as explained in the sidebar.
FrontPage is one of many desktop, web-authoring programs. Several companies have their suite of publishing programs. Microsoft's publishing programs, in order of increasing complexity, include Word 2003, Publisher and FrontPage. It appears that after FrontPage, MS users would get into the even more complex Developers' programs. FrontPage 2002 is a full-featured program and it is well-coordinated with MS Office 2002, sharing many of the same toolbars, procedures and terminology.
I have used Publisher to create some personal web pages and have found it useful and user-friendly. Reviewing this book I see that FrontPage is very much more powerful and capable, allowing features I had not known are available to those doing home-based desktop publishing.
FrontPage is a WYSIWYG web editor. One does not need to know HTML or other web programming language. FrontPage makes all the conversions. And FrontPage has many special capabilities, which are well explained in this book. Personally, I like to ability to create Message Boards, to get Comments from site visitors and to get info on those visitors. FrontPage makes it easy to establish and modify the navigation links between pages on the web site and keeps track of all images and other special features so they can be properly placed on the web server. FrontPage is a complex program constructed in a way that serves both novice and advanced web page authors. But, because of the complexity, it requires some instruction for effective use. It deserves a book that is equally encompassing and easy to use. This is that book.
The book describes itself as " The Most Authoritative Volume Available On FrontPage 2002". Having gone through a good deal of it I would not doubt that claim at all. And it is an easy read. The writing is almost conversational and there is an illustrative Figure or Table on almost every page. It starts with an overview and then gets into details.
The first chapter generally discusses the Internet and web pages and their contents. It gives some general advice as to what a good web page and web sites should contain and look like. The second chapter, titled "Exploring FrontPage", is really a general introduction to FrontPage and can serve as a basic instruction for creating a web site.
Chapters 3 and 4 cover using the Wizards and Templates, two powerful aids. Chapter 5 explains how to create a web site without the Wizards and Templates. Chapter 6 discusses Hyperlinks, including Bookmarks, and Hotspots. Tables, Frames and Forms are described in Chapters 7 and 8. These are potent features and their use is well illustrated.
FrontPage has a set of capabilities grouped as "components". These are discussed in Chapter 9 and include items such as Hit Counters, Search, Photo Gallery, Table of Contents and more. Going through this Chapter shows how to use these features to improve a web site.. Chapter 10 then goes over "Advanced Formatting", showing how to modify and customize Themes, create Style Sheets and effectively use graphics and colors. I now know the whats and whys of "web-Safe Colors". Chapter 10 covers "Importing and Integrating Office and Other Files".
Chapters 12 to 19 discuss a number of advanced features of Web creation such as: HTML, dynamic HTML, XML, Java script and other scripts, Active Server Pages, ASP.NET and Databases. Truthfully, I am not yet ready for these features. Check with me next year. Chapters 20 and 25 cover activating the web site. They explain how to create a Scrolling Marquee which is so useful on the NJPCUG web site. The importance of using a web host that supports FrontPage Server Extensions is explained in detail and a list of these FPSE features is shown for various versions of FrontPage from FP 98 on. It gives URLs for sites which list web hosting sites that support FPSE. Other sites supporting FPSE which can be used for free [with ads] include www.tripod.com and www.netfirms.com.
The last five chapters, 20 to 25, deal with extensions or additions to web sites and include topics such as: adding multimedia including sound and audio files; incorporating security into the site; E-Commerce including Web Store options and marketing on the Web Store; setting up an Intranet of various types, including using the SharePoint for team construction and modification of the site.
There are 4 Appendices. Appendix A covers installation of FrontPage, including Web Servers, Network Setups and the FrontPage Extensions. Appendix B covers all of FrontPage's shortcut key strokes and this list extends for five pages - illustrating again the extent of the FrontPage program and the useful information in this book. Since FrontPage allows extensive use of templates in creating web pages and web sites, Appendix C discusses creating templates. It is short enough it could have been included in the chapter on templates.
Appendix D discusses the use of the companion CD which contains: the files used within the book; and then an assortment of software programs, some freeware, some shareware and some just demonstrations.
As I stated in the beginning of this review, this is a soup-to-nuts books covering FrontPage 2002. I can't imagine that there is anything left out. So it can serve as a bible for users of FrontPage 2002 and I expect I will be using it that way and appreciating the help it provides.
Rating: 3
Summary: Doesn't live up to the standard set by their FP2000 book
Comment: I rated these guys' book about FP 2000 five stars, and I think it merited it. There were small defects, true, but back in 1999 it was an extremely useful book. "Complete" in the title does not make it this time.
I bought the FP 2002 in advance of receiving the software so I could plan my migration of three production websites and a series of CD-ROMS I produce in FP from FP 2000 to FP 2002. Unless the "finding aids" (i.e. index, table of contents, intuition) in this volume are all deficient, here is what is INcomplete about this volume:
--Small thing, but still no mention of Adobe Acrobat in the index (guys, I mentioned this last time, and I still use it, and it still merits an index entry!)
--Absolutely no clue about migrating webs from FP 2000 to FP 2002. Doesn't anybody ever do this? Are conversions and migrations EVER simple? This book needs to help experienced FP users who cannot mess around with non-functional websites during a bumpy conversion. Help us out!! What do we have to do? What do we have to watch out for?
--No indication that it is even possible to publish a web on a CD-ROM using FP 2002. (The MS docs say it is; in fact they say it's improved! -- that's one reason why I'm planning to migrate!)
--Information about FP error messages would be great -- this would add value to this book greatly -- particularly when working with offline and online webs.
BIGGEST PROBLEM OF ALL: Even after 9/11, when supposedly the whole world got the message about backing up software, and with ISPs continuing to go out of business with no notice, the word "backup" does not even appear in the index of this volume. True, I have not yet used FP 2002 -- perhaps I will find that the backup process has become absolutely transparent, and that recovering a web from a copy on a CD-ROM is dirt simple. But I doubt it. I have suffered lots with FP 2000's complete lack of support in that area. I can't believe that the authors have not caught on that real companies DEMAND solid backup processes that work -- even for web stuff, particularly as e-business becomes more an integral part of business.
On the positive side, there appears to be good scripting info in this volume that I may use at some time in the future -- if I stay with FrontPage. Also, the IIS coverage that comes with XP Professional looks like it will be helpful.
Sorry, but I'm still in the market for a GOOD, COMPLETE book about FP 2002!!
Rating: 1
Summary: DISAPPOINTING AND INCOMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS
Comment: This book comes with a CD-ROM. One would expect that the entire contents of the book would be on that CD-ROM, in Acrobat Reader searchable files - it would fit quite easily.
Instead we get a few files for each chapter and they are totally unorganized. Each chapter file is in a separate folder and there is no table of contents folder to view them with.
I searched high and low for some directions on how to use the CD and found absolutely nothing. Some of the files are HTML, so I clicked on one. Internet Explorer came up and I was able to read it. Then I click on one called DEFAULT.HTM and low and behold, it was a table of contents for one of the chapters.
If this is any example of how they used FrontPage 2002 to make these files, this book leaves a lot to be desired.
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Title: FrontPage® 2002 Developer's Guide by Mike Jennett ISBN: 0072132590 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 07 June, 2001 List Price(USD): $59.99 |
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Title: FrontPage 2002 Bible by David Elderbrock, David Karlins ISBN: 076453582X Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 01 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out by Jim Buyens ISBN: 0735612846 Publisher: Microsoft Press Pub. Date: 02 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $44.99 |
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Title: FrontPage 2002 Virtual Classroom by David Karlins ISBN: 0072191724 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 30 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $39.99 |
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Title: Access 2002: The Complete Reference (Book/CD-ROM) by Virginia Andersen, Megg Morin ISBN: 0072132418 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media Pub. Date: 19 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $49.99 |
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