My Favorite FrontPage 2003 Feature

There are many valuable features in FrontPage 2003, but my favorite is the "Split View". This feature allows a user to see the HTML code being generated when working in the Design View. A user can also easily switch from editing in Design View to editing the raw code in Code View without leaving either.

In the above example, you can see that the highlighted HTML code in the top Code View corresponds with the selected 'Hot Topic Area' box in the bottom Design View. The sample also shows the simplest way to start Split View is by clicking the "Split" option in the bottom left of the Edit View.

Split View has been a feature of Dreamweaver for many versions, but the historical position by Microsoft has been to make difficult tasks easier by hiding code behind their user interface. As the web continues to grow and more people start building web sites, Microsft has made the appropriate decision to make it easier for FrontPage users to start to see what's under-the-hood. The idea that a web site can be built "effectively" without working in the code is just not realistic.

The reason I like split view best is because it not only makes certain tasks easier, but more importantly it helps teach users about the HTML code. Yes, any of us can pick up a book and go through hundreds of pages to learn a small subset of working with HTML. But, nothing beats applied learning. Split view is the most valuable applied learning tool for FrontPage users. It gives you the ability to see almost exactly what impact your changes create.

Beyond learning more about HTML, Split View also helps you better understand the growing uses of CSS, JavaScript, DHTML, ASP, XML, etc. that can only be seen from within the HTML Code View.

We encourage existing FrontPage 2003 users to use this feature as often as possible. If you have an earlier version of FrontPage, we highly recommend upgrading now. FrontPage 2003 is an excellent transition version for FrontPage 12, and the benefits gained by the features of FrontPage 2003 will provide a return on your investment in the upgrade.

FrontPage upgrades can be purchased at your local software store, or through web sites like Amazon or TigerDirect.