Converting from Frontpage to Dreamweaver

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rw120555

Golden Member
Jun 13, 2001
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At the University where I work, we were one of the pioneering departments in setting up a web page. The problem with being a pioneer, of course, is that 7 years later the University now wants a lot of things standardized, and they aren't standardizing on us.

In particular, we have done everything with Microsoft Frontpage. Dreamweaver is now the blessed program of choice. In the long run, I suppose we're better off making the conversion, but in the short run how easy is it to switch?

I imagine dream weaver could grab all the code that is on the web pages, but I don't consider that a painless switch. The code that goes on the web server is different than the code stored in the local version of frontpage. In the local version, we specify borders that get applied to all pages, etc. Since our web server doesn't support frontpage extensions, I think all that code basically gets duplicated on each page as needed.

So in other words, with Frontpage now, if I make a change in one place, that change will get made in a hundred other places if necessary (e.g. change the borders, move or rename a file). If I install Dreamweaver on the PC where I have all my frontpage files, will I be able to click one button, Dreamweaver will import and convert everything perfectly, and I'll have the same ease of use that I have with Front Page? Or am I going to have to kill myself changing hundreds of pages individually? If it is not as painless as I would like, are their ways to make my life easier?

Thanks for any insights. RW
 
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NikPreviousAcct

No Lifer
Aug 15, 2000
52,763
1
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*slaps forehead*

:p

open dreamweaver
File > Open > <html file or whatever>
Play with the file all you want
File > Save

boom, there ya go

there's no "converting" between programs. It's all universal coding that both programs understand. Now... I'm not sure if Dreamweaver will remove all the nonsense in the opening HTML that FrontPage craps in when you save a file, but your pages will look the same through a browser window (asside from the different browser interpretation can-o-worms)

nik
 
R

rw120555

Golden Member
Jun 13, 2001
1,263
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fmcobalt, I'm sure dreamweaver can read in html ok. But with frontpage, if I wanted to, say, change the bottom border that appears on hundreds of pages, I could do so in the better part of a minute, and the change would appear everythwhere. Or, if I rename or move a file that 100 other pages link to, all 100 will get the change made at once. If I convert to dreamweaver, am I going to have to do the same thing hundreds of times instead of only once? Won't be much fun if I do.

Again, the code that eventually gets put on the web server is not exactly identical to what is on the local version. Once it goes from local pc to web server, Frontpage will make all the mass duplications that are needed, i.e. it will insert that same bottom border on every page that is supposed to have it.

I'm not asking what program is better, I'm just asking how easy a switch will be. And if what you are saying is true, it is going to be an absolute nightmare, because mass-changes that I could do in 30 seconds in Frontpage will instead have to be made one page at a time in Dreamweaver. I would hope the program is a little better than that.
 
R

rw120555

Golden Member
Jun 13, 2001
1,263
0
0
To put it another way, Frontpage is far more than just an html editor. It is a whole management system that makes handling large web sites much easier than a standalone html editor would do. How it compares to Dreamweaver or other programs, I have no idea. But even if they are vastly superior, I'm not going to be real thrilled about switching if it is going to be a long and painful process. If, on the other hand, I can click a few buttons and all is well, then great. As part of that conversion process, I would want it to recognize that I don't happen to have hundreds of borders on my pages, I just have one, and so when I make a change on one page all the others should get changed too.
 
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ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
0
I would suggest (if possible) bugging your system admin until he installs PHP on your webserver. The amount of PHP code that you would have to learn how to write to put a standard border, insert standard CSS into each page, etc., would be very small, and it would be well worth the effort IMHO (aside from the fact that it would allow you to open only one file to change your 100 pages in anything from Notepad to the most advanced HTML editor on the planet).
 
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rw120555

Golden Member
Jun 13, 2001
1,263
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Thanks Jliechty. What is PHP? Yet another program, or just some sort of feature on web servers that lets you do phenomenal things? It is always possible we already have it. But if not, I'm not real optimistic about getting them to add it. I and others tried for years to get support for Frontpage extensions -- then not only do they not add them, they turn around and make dreamweaver the program of choice. Maybe it is a better program, but I wish they'd made such decisions 7 years ago!

Incidentally, it isn't like we have a lot of professional web page programmers working on this -- I'm entirely self taught and we're trying to get our office staff to do more of the work, and they know virtually nothing about html and web design. Our current site is large, well organized, and has good content, but I wouldn't say we are doing anything too fancy from a web programming standpoint on it.
 
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ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
1
0
PHP is a programming language (sort of like ASP) that is embedded within an HTML file. As the server reads an HTML file that contains PHP code (this would be usually designated by placing a special extention on the HTML file, such as .php, but the web server can be set up to process regular .html files and look for PHP code in them), it finds the code and executes it, replacing the code without whatever output it produced.

Here's a very simple example in the form of an HTML+PHP snip:

<body>
<p><?php echo "Hello world"; ?></p>
</body>

That would produce this HTML snip, which would be then sent to the client:

<body>
<p>Hello world</p>
</body>

The advantage that PHP could give you would be the ability to insert a border/style template into each page. Then, you could just edit the one (or two, or more, depending on how complex of a setup you want) template file(s), and all pages that insert the template file would automatically (and immediately) be updated.
 
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