A tutorial written by David Pfeiffer of FrontLook.com

Introduction

Microsoft FrontPage® 2002 adds many great and yet subtle features to make designing a modern looking Web site fun and easy. In this tutorial, we will build a modern looking wrap-around theme using shared borders and the new link bars features in FrontPage 2002. The result will be a FrontPage Theme and a Web template with shared border graphics. The tutorial will also discuss a new "Super Theme Format" implementation and "Super Theme Installer" packaging.

The tutorial assumes that you know something about shared borders, table editing, FrontPage Themes and FrontPage Web Templates. The tutorial will consist of three basic phases:

• Initial Design Considerations
• Implementation
• Packaging

Initial Design Considerations

Proper planning can make the entire process interesting and fun. First, it is important to have an idea of what you want the Web site to look like. A list of the common areas and the required elements in the common areas of the Web site should be developed. Other items, like the minimum browser resolution and browser compatibility, should be decided upon before the implementation phase begins.

Implementation

In the implementation phase, the artwork for the design is developed using an image editor. The art work is then sliced up and saved as GIF images. The navigation buttons, page banners, background and bullets images are then added to a new FrontPage theme along with the setting of the text attributes to support the overall design of the Web template. The wrap-around graphics are then placed in tables to piece together the design in the shared borders of a web.

Packaging

Once a single page has been setup in the shared border areas and the supporting FrontPage theme is integrated into the overall design, a full Web template will be created and the Web will be packaged as a FrontPage Web Template and a "Super Theme".

So lets get Started.

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