I'm often asked if multiple Super Themes can
be applied to a single web. Because a web may only have one set of shared
borders, it is not possible to apply multiple Super Themes to a single
web, but using FrontPage sub-webs we can accomplish exactly that.
It is sometimes desirable to have one part of the web to
look significantly different than another part of the Web. It might also
be desirable to have a different navigation structure and shared borders
information for parts of a web as well. In this tip we will discuss how to
use sub-webs to change the look and navigation structure of part of your
web. So lets get started.
What is a Sub-web?
A sub-web is an independent web underneath the parent web that has its own
set of shared borders and navigation structure. Because it has its own
shared borders, the Super Theme for the sub-web can be different from that
of the parent web. In the folders list, the sub-web looks like a folder
with a world symbol on it as illustrated below:
Sub-web as it appears in the Folders List
Consequences of using Sub-webs
So sub-webs sounds great, why not use them all the time?
Sub-webs are useful when you have a part of your web
that needs a different look and/or navigation structure. Suppose you have
a clothing store and there is an department for women and another area for
men. The Main Web would be your basic commerce look and then each of the
clothing departments would be a sub-web with a different look and
different navigation.
Creating a Sub-web
Creating a sub-web is easy. Just create a folder and place any pages (if
any) that you would like to be in this department. Then right-click on the
folder in the Folders List and select the "Convert to Web"
option from the popup menu as illustrated below:
Converting the Mens folder to a sub-web
Important: Any pages in the folder that
you convert to a sub-web will be removed from the parent web's navigation structure
and therefore will be lost. As with any major changes to your web site, I strongly
recommend that you make a backup of your web before you begin this
conversion process. I always tryout new techniques on a backup web to
make sure that I will like the result before committing the changes to my
real web.
Applying a Super Theme to a Sub-web
Now that the folder has been converted to a sub-web, you can double click
on it from the "Folders List" panel of the parent web and it
will launch a new instance FrontPage. You will then see the new department
web site with no navigation. You will need to set up the navigation for
this section of the web.
Now you can go to the "Format" menu and select
the "Super Themes..." menu item and apply a Super Theme for this
department.
Applying a Super Theme to the Sub-web
Linking to a Sub-web
There will be a need to connect between various pages in the parent web
and the sub-web. This is easily done in the navigation view.
Lets say that we want to add the parent web's home page
to the navigation structure of the Men's Department web. After switching
to the Navigation view in the Men's Department web, right- click on the
Men's Department index page.
In FrontPage 2000, select the "External
Hyperlink..." menu item form the popup (shown below).
Linking to an External Page to the Web
Now the "Select Hyperlink" dialog
will appear, navigate to the parent web and select the parent web's index
page. The new link will appear in the Men's Department navigation view.
In FrontPage 2002, select the "Add
Existing Page..." menu item form the popup and "Insert
Hyperlink" dialog will appear. Navigate to the parent web and select
the parent web's index page. The new link will appear in the Men's
Department navigation view.
In this way you can connect the parent web
with the different sub-web pages and vice-versa.
And That is It
