Making IE back and forward arrows work with Frames

[JJ]

I have a page with 4 frames, and the top being the menu frame.

Whe menu items the "left" and "main" frames change.

The problem I have is when the user clicks on "back" or "forward" on the
main IE menu bar.

Choosing "back" or "Forward" only changes some of the Frames. In my testing,
it changed the "main" frame. Is there a way to either disable these menu
items, or a script that will bring up the correct frames that the user viewed
prior or after the current set of frames.

Hopefully I have not confused you all.

Thanks you for your help.

....Jose

 

[Murray]

This is one of the MANY disadvantages to using frames. The back arrow is
doing exactly what it's supposed to do - jump back one step in the history.
If your menu buttons are changing two frames with each click, one would have
to click twice to revert both frames. There is no way to change this
behavior.

The best solution is to not use frames.

 

[JJ]

Thanks Murry for the response.

Not good news for me, but I know why.

....Jose

 

[Murray]

Yeah - frames are very rarely the optimum choice for your layout.

 

[JJ]

What would suggest I use in place of frames?

Thanks

....Jose

 

[Murray]

Flat pages. Why were you using frames, anyhow?

 

[JJ]

I thought frames would be good for the following reasons:

1. I have repeating things on pages - menu items (top and left frames)

2. Based on menu selections, the application should show reports in the main
frame. This mean I need an area of the screen to show the results with some
scrolling capability

This is my first applicatin in FP. Thought this was the best way, with out
realizing all the limitations.

....Jose

 

[Murray]

The reason for using or not using frames should be based on a) your site's
needs, and b) your willingness to accept the potential problems that frames
can create for you as developer and maintainer of the site and for your
visitors as casual users of the site.

I am down on frames because I believe that they create many more problems
than they solve.
Judging from the posts here, and the kinds of problems that are described,
the kind of person most likely to elect to use frames is also the kind of
person most likely ill-prepared fo solve the ensuing problems when they
arise. If you feel a) that you understand the problems and b) that you are
prepared to handle them when they occur, and c) that you have a need to use
frames, then by all means use them.

As far as I know, the most comprehensive discussions of frames and their
potential problems can be found on these two links -

http://apptools.com/rants/framesevil.php
http://www.tjkdesign.com/articles/frames/

Anyhow, to do what you want to do, investigate FP Includes.

 

[JJ]

Thanks for your help and the links. Will check it up.

....Jose

 

[Murray]

Good luck - there's plenty of expertise here to help you make the
transition.