Help with FrontPage 2000, 2002 and 2003 Compatible Templates

This section provides help for the NON-Dynamic templates which have been provided since the release of FrontPage 2000.  If you are using FrontPage 2003, you may wish to refer to the Dynamic Web Template (DWT) information.  Either template style may be used with FP2003, but the DWT format provides benefits too good to pass up!

Frequently Asked Questions on Using FrontPage Templates

• What do I do with the downloaded file?
• How do I open the template?
• Can I add more pages?
• How do I change button names?
• Can I easily change the colors on the sides/tops/etc.?
• Can I put my own images in the text area of the page?
• How do I change to a language other than English?
• Are the FrontPage templates compatible with...?
• Are the HTML templates compatible with...?
• Why don't my revised Swish files show up in the template?
• Can I use my FP 2000 or 2002 compatible template with FP 2003?
• General FrontPage Q&A's from our Mailbag...

 

Getting Started - What do I do with the downloaded file?

Our .exe files contain all the paths necessary to install the theme and template files directly to the default directories for FrontPage 2000 or FrontPage 2002.  To get started, simply locate your .exe file (the one you downloaded after licensing the template), double-click it to run the Set-Up Program, and follow the prompts.

Where did the files actually go after I ran the Set-Up Program?

THEME:  This will be installed into your "?:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Themes" folder.  Note:  Not all our templates use themes; please read details on specific product.

WEB TEMPLATE: This will be installed into your "?:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\FrontPage\Webs" or "?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\Webs" folder.

PAGE TEMPLATE:  This will be installed into your "?:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\FrontPage\Pages" or "?:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\1033\pages" folder.

 

How do I open the template?

For FrontPage 2000: Select File, New, Web - then select the "twc-xxxx" from the pop-up window's listing, make note of where it will be built in the pull-down window on the right (you may also change the location there) - Click "OK"

For FrontPage 2002: Select File, New, Page or Web, New from Template, Web Site Templates - then select the "twc-xxxx" from the pop-up window's listing, make note of where it will be built in the pull-down window on the right (you may also change the location there) - Click "OK"

For FrontPage 2003: Select File, New - then, on the right side under "New Web site," select More Web site templates.  Navigate to the twc-xxx template, which will be located under either the "General" or "My Templates" tab - Click "OK"

You may be prompted to overwrite the desktop.ini file; if you are, accept Yes to overwrite the file. This has no impact on your web whatsoever.

 

Can I add more pages?

Certainly!  You can add as many as you wish!  Just use our blank page templates (our later template versions have pages named blank.htm and/or blank2.htm; ALL template versions come with a FrontPage Page Template). 

If your template package contains the blank.htm files, go to the Folder List (View, Folders).  Open the template of your choice (let's assume it is blank.htm).  As soon as it is open, go to File, Save AS... - then save it as the name you want your new page to have.  Now, go to the Navigation view (View, Navigation).  Is your Folder List open as well?  If not, the go to View, Folder LIST to open it.  Next, locate the new filename in the Folder List (it's probably at the bottom), left click over it and while holding down the left mouse button, drag it over into the Navigation Structure and drop it where you want it, so that it is underneath either the Home page or another existing page.  Repeat every time you wish to add a new page!

If your template package does NOT contain the blank.htm files, here's how to add a page template. Have the web you created using the table open in FrontPage. In "Normal" view, from any existing page, select File, New, Page - a page template window will pop-up. Select the twc-xxx template from the listing. Now, name it as you wish, and save to the current web. On the "Save Embedded Files" window, select "Change Folder", then select the images/ directory. Next, select "Set Action", and select "Use Existing". Save and the window will close. The final step is to go to Navigation view (View, Navigation) and drag the file from the Folders List over into the diagram structure of the web (note - if you don't have the Folder List open when in the Navigation View, select View, Folder List from the menu). Find the name of the file you saved, left-click and hold the file name while dragging over to the right in the diagram. Now, you just replace the text as you did with the original web template.

 

How do I change the button names?

If your template uses a FrontPage theme:  With the new web open in FrontPage, go to View, Navigation.  See that "organizational-chart-looking" diagram of the files?  That's where you will change button/banner names.  Simply right click over the box with the name you want to change, select "Rename", and type in what you want to appear on the buttons & banners.

If your template uses include-content pages for the menu system:  Read the FAQ's or README page for the specific template - the instructions for which page to open and how to make the modifications are listed there.

 

Can I easily change the colors on the sides/tops/etc.?

Please preview the template in question, and read up on that.  In general, if you can easily change the colors, then that fact will be stated on the introduction page of the template.  Many of our templates are graphical, and the colors can NOT be changed unless you are very adept with a graphics program and very familiar with theme elements, OR,  happen to have the Theme/Image Chameleon from Frontlook.

 

Can I put my own images in the text area of the page?

Sure - you can do virtually anything with our templates you can do with any web.  The only thing to make note of is the image will need to be sized appropriately so that your template doesn't "run off to the right" in lower resolutions!

 

How do I change to a language other than English?

From one of our customers:  "I'm using XP. To name the banners in Chinese, I go to CONTROL PANEL => REGIONAL AND LANGUAGE OPTIONS => LANGUAGE => ADVANCED => select Chinese from the dropdown menu for "select a language to match the language version of the non-Unicode programs you want to use". Voila! I did it."

 

Are the FrontPage templates compatible with...?

In order to make life easier on all of us, we have printed in the information for each FrontPage template the compatibility on the second line, directly beneath the template  name.  EVERYTHING in the "FrontPage 2000/2002/2003" section is designed for use with Microsoft's FrontPage web publishing program.  You can't use our FrontPage templates with Dreamweaver,  NOF, notepad or any other web publishing program.  You can't use them with FrontPage Express (if you are one of the rare people that still has that long-ago dropped product). 

 

Are the HTML templates compatible with...?

Yes!  Our HTML templates are compatible with ANY web publishing program - FrontPage (any version), DreamWeaver, SoThink HTML, NOF, etc.

 

Why don't my revised Swish files show up in the template?

Ahhhhh...  Sounds like you've skipped the most important step!  The .swi file you opened and revised is a raw file useable in Swish ONLY.  It has nothing to do with what shows up on the internet. Likewise, with Flash files, there is a raw .fla file that is useable in Flash only, and IT has nothing to do with what shows up on the internet.  The format of the movie that appears online is .swf. In order to make your Swish file show up in the template and online, after saving the .swi, select File, Export SWF - then export the file with the same name as the .swi to the root directory of your web, overwriting ours.  That's all there is to it!

 

Can I use my FP 2000 or 2002 compatible template with FP 2003?

Yes.  If you have used our templates in the past, and upgrade to FP 2003, everything works as it always did in prior versions, except, of course, there are new features in FP 2003 not incorporated into the template.  You may need to move your prior template and/or themes files, as explained here.