FrontPage Extensions - are they worth it?

[Rich]

I've just created a new domain and the basic hosting package I will use does
not support FrontPage extensions. If I choose this package what I am losing
in terms of FrontPage functionality?

Also I will need to upload my current website that does have Extensions to
the new domain. Are there any files I need to exclude if I go for the basic
package?

 

[Andrew Murray]

You would be missing quite a bit from not using frontpage extensions.

In a nutshell, some of the FP features to use frontpage extensions include

Include Pages
Shared Borders
Formtoemail submission
Database driven sites
Sharepoint services (although this is also independent of FP, FP makes some
use of Sharepoint in its features)
Dynamic templates
Site-search engine

to name but a few.

However, it is the individual's choice. Anything you want to do such as
send an email from an HTML form can be done with third party scripts.
Basically anything FP offers can be done with other scripts (search engines,
include pages, form submission, database content etc - Frontpage can do all
or most of these in its own right.).


If you publish to a server with extensions, you need to publish by frontpage
http:// mode (look up Help in FP for further info).

 

[Susan]

Some things will work without the FP extensions. But in my experience, many
problems occur when you download from your remote site. You lose your
Navigation hierarchy, and thus what is dependent on it.

I maintain some simple sites for non-profits and I have to keep a copy of
what I uploaded to the remote. I then make a second copy of this copy to
modify. In case I mess up and want to get back to the original I can use my
first copy. I cannot download from my remote site without things being
messed up.

Susan

 

[Thomas A. Rowe]

Andrew, see below

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe (Microsoft MVP - FrontPage)
WEBMASTER Resources(tm)

FrontPage Resources, WebCircle, MS KB Quick Links, etc.
==============================================

You would be missing quite a bit from not using frontpage extensions.

In a nutshell, some of the FP features to use frontpage extensions include

Include Pages

Extensions not required

Shared Borders

Extensions not required

Formtoemail submission

Database driven sites

Extensions not required - but a Windows Server is

Sharepoint services (although this is also independent of FP, FP makes some use of Sharepoint in
its features)

Windows 2003 Server required

Dynamic templates

Extensions not required, and not support under the Extensions

 

[Kevin Spencer]

Whoa, Andrew! While FrontPage server extensions do perform functionality in
all of the areas you mentioned, your reply implies that without them none of
these things can be done, which just ain't so. Here's a sub-list of the
things you CAN'T do without FrontPage server extensions:

FrontPage Include HTML (ASP server-side includes are fine without server
extensions)
Shared Borders
FrontPage Themes
Dynamic Web Templates

You CAN do all kinds of form handlers using server-side scripting, as well
as doing SharePoint Development using Visual Studio and SharePoint web
interfaces, database-driven sites using server-side technologies and/or
scripting, Site Search Engine, as well as any number of other types of
search engines, in fact, just about anything that isn't a FrontPage-related
functionality.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
Neither a follower nor a lender be.

 

[Richard Somerset]

I use themes and shared borders so I guess it's a good idea to upgrade to
the package that supports Extensions.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[Andrew Murray]

Agreed - Include Pages and Shared Borders do work on non-FP extension
enabled servers - but requires you to publish *all* pages with those
features everytime you make a change to the included page or border - with
the extensions enabled, all pages with the borders or included page are
updated when you publish only changed pages, the changed content in included
page or shared border is updated to all pages.

 

[Andrew Murray]

Sorry, but you've taken my post in the wrong context

I did not mean to suggest FPSE are a prerequisite for all features to work.
I merely suggested *some* of the features require the extensions (OK,
perhaps I was misinformed on some of those) to work and barely listed a
quarter of what Frontpage offers, and directly answered, in my honest
opinion, the OP's question "would I be missing much by not hosting with a
Frontpage Extensions enabled server".

 

[Andrew Murray]

Yes, I know some of those don't require extensions, but to be fully
functional, the FPSE make it easier.

 

[Stefan B Rusynko]

Themes and shared border do not require the FP SE
(except for custom link bars using a theme other than your default theme)
- they are design time components
- only run time components require the FP SE
For a full list (also applicable for FP 2003) See
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=281532




| I use themes and shared borders so I guess it's a good idea to upgrade to
| the package that supports Extensions.
|
| Thanks for the advice everyone.
|
| | > Whoa, Andrew! While FrontPage server extensions do perform functionality
| > in all of the areas you mentioned, your reply implies that without them
| > none of these things can be done, which just ain't so. Here's a sub-list
| > of the things you CAN'T do without FrontPage server extensions:
| >
| > FrontPage Include HTML (ASP server-side includes are fine without server
| > extensions)
| > Shared Borders
| > FrontPage Themes
| > Dynamic Web Templates
| >
| > You CAN do all kinds of form handlers using server-side scripting, as well
| > as doing SharePoint Development using Visual Studio and SharePoint web
| > interfaces, database-driven sites using server-side technologies and/or
| > scripting, Site Search Engine, as well as any number of other types of
| > search engines, in fact, just about anything that isn't a
| > FrontPage-related functionality.
| >
| > --
| > HTH,
| >
| > Kevin Spencer
| > Microsoft MVP
| > .Net Developer
| > Neither a follower nor a lender be.
| >
| > | >> You would be missing quite a bit from not using frontpage extensions.
| >>
| >> In a nutshell, some of the FP features to use frontpage extensions
| >> include
| >>
| >> Include Pages
| >> Shared Borders
| >> Formtoemail submission
| >> Database driven sites
| >> Sharepoint services (although this is also independent of FP, FP makes
| >> some use of Sharepoint in its features)
| >> Dynamic templates
| >> Site-search engine
| >>
| >> to name but a few.
| >>
| >> However, it is the individual's choice. Anything you want to do such as
| >> send an email from an HTML form can be done with third party scripts.
| >> Basically anything FP offers can be done with other scripts (search
| >> engines, include pages, form submission, database content etc - Frontpage
| >> can do all or most of these in its own right.).
| >>
| >>
| >> If you publish to a server with extensions, you need to publish by
| >> frontpage http:// mode (look up Help in FP for further info).
| >>
| >>
| >>
| >>
| >> | >>> I've just created a new domain and the basic hosting package I will use
| >>> does
| >>> not support FrontPage extensions. If I choose this package what I am
| >>> losing
| >>> in terms of FrontPage functionality?
| >>>
| >>> Also I will need to upload my current website that does have Extensions
| >>> to
| >>> the new domain. Are there any files I need to exclude if I go for the
| >>> basic
| >>> package?
| >>>
| >>> --
| >>> Rich
| >>
| >>
| >
| >
|
|

 

[Kevin Spencer]

I have had a FrontPage-built web site for about 9 years now. I haven't used
any server extensions for anything other than publishing for at least 5. So,
I don't think the answer to the question "would I be missing much by not
hosting with a Frontpage Extensions enabled server" is not a simple "yes" or
"no." My web site is ASP-driven. The answer to the question is determined by
the requirements of the web site and the web builder.

--
HTH,

Kevin Spencer
Microsoft MVP
..Net Developer
Neither a follower nor a lender be.

Sorry, but you've taken my post in the wrong context

I did not mean to suggest FPSE are a prerequisite for all features to
work. I merely suggested *some* of the features require the extensions
(OK, perhaps I was misinformed on some of those) to work and barely listed
a quarter of what Frontpage offers, and directly answered, in my honest
opinion, the OP's question "would I be missing much by not hosting with a
Frontpage Extensions enabled server".