Configuring frontpage extensions

Microsoft FrontPage simplifies Web authoring, serving and managing tasks. If anyone needs to take full advantage of its features, the web server of a user has equipped with the FrontPage Server Extensions. This package of FPSE has created by Microsoft to install web server software in addition to it and tell the server the way of giving a response to commands usually generated by Front Page Program.

To configure MS FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions:-

Installing the FrontPage Server Extensions for Windows

1. Double click Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel.
2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components in Add/Remove Programs.
3. In Windows Components Wizard Components box, click IIS and then click details.
4. Under IIS subcomponents, select FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions and then click OK.
5. Click Next in the Windows Components Wizard.
6. After completion of installation of Windows Components Wizard, click Finish. If anyone is installing single Web server to a computer, the FPSE are installed automatically in the content area of the Web server automatically.

Enabling FrontPage Server Extensions on the system

1. On Start Menu, click Run, type MMC and then click OK.
2. Click Add/Remove Snap-in from the Console menu.
3. Click Add on the Standalone tab.
4. Select IIS from the list and click Add, then close the Add dialog box.
5. Select IIS on the Standalone tab and click the Extension tab.
6. Confirm that FrontPage Extensions is selected in the Available extensions list and click OK.
7. Close the console and rename it IISConsole.

Enable FrontPage Server Extensions on the website

1. On Programs menu click Start, point to Administrative Tools and then click Internet Services Manager.
2. Expand server under IIS.
3. In the Internet Services Manager console tree right-click on the website node, point to All Tasks and select Configure Server Extensions.
4. Start Server Extensions Configuration Wizard.
5. To create local Windows groups click Next. Identify users as authors, FrontPage administrators or browsers for the selected website.
6. Click Next to specify a Windows group or user account.
7. Click Next to specify Simple Mail Transfer Protocol e-mail settings for the site.
8. To enable and configure FrontPage Server Extensions on the site click Finish.
9. On the IIS toolbar click the Action button.
10. To refresh the window view select Refresh from the drop-down menu.

FrontPage Server Extensions

The extensions work on three web technologies: ISAPI (Internet Server Application Program Interface), CGI (Common Gateway Interface) and HTTP. CGI and ISAPI have same necessary functions allowing dynamic interaction between the server and site visitors. These technologies help server extensions to provide two fundamental services:

• To allow direct downloads and uploads of data and files Microsoft FrontPage 2000 client has to communicate with the server.
• A server provides FrontPage specific features to the site visitor’s browser without any extra programming.

FrontPage client is used by site designers to view site information and edit files. The client can download detailed information about site’s folders, files, configuration, and hyperlinks. These views present information about files exist on a server without actual file download. On request of administrator particular site information like web settings or security, configuration is configurable by the direct upload/download structure.

Design Features:

FrontPage Server Extensions has many features which require programming while designing without FrontPage. These features include FrontPage’s web components which are accessible from the Insert menu. The Include Page component will load one HTML document inside the current HTML document where the component is inserted into the text. The Substitution component is used to display a defined variable on a web page and the Table of Contents component is used to create a TOC for the whole site. In all these cases, the page after being processed will display in the browser by the server extensions.