FrontPage Server Extensions definition (good foreign Article)

FrontPage Server Extensions defined

The FrontPage Server Extensions are actually a group of programs which run on a server. your local server has them, and if your webs are on an internet server which supports FrontPage, they are on the remote server as well. in fact, every Frontpage web on a server has its 'own set of extensions, as well as the server itself.

The server extensions affect 3 basic areas of functionality:

1. Authoring. The server extensions interact with FrontPage Explorer when you do file/folder maintenance functions, such as moving, deleting, and renaming files and/or folders in your FrontPage webs. for example, if you move a file from one folder to another, the server extensions will edit all hyperlinks to and from that file to point to the correct (new) locations.

2. Administering. The server extensions handle communications with the server, related to permissions, and keep track of who has done what, and when, in the case of multiple authors on a single web.

3. Browse-time functionality. This is where those "webbots" come in. when these "components" are employed in a web, the server extensions provide them with their functionality. in this sense, the extensions behave much like CGI programs.

Server Extensions and FrontPage Explorer

We can talk about the webbots later. for now, I 'd like to concentrate on what I consider to be the most important aspect of the server extensions role in working with your webs. that is, how they interact with FrontPage explorer.

When you create a new Frontpage web, you see a lot of action going on. At least you see a lot of hourglasses! That's because a lot is going on behind the scenes.

If you are using one of the wizards or templates, the server extensions are reading the files related to these, and creating web pages, and all the related peripherals, according to the "menu" for that template or wizard.

In addition, the server extensions are talking to the server, setting up "virtual directories." This enables the server to recognize these new folders, and control permissions for them.

And finally, the server extensions are creating the mysterious, hidden "_ VTI files. "These files, which are deliberately hidden from you at all times (unless you go into the folders with Windows Explorer), provide FrontPage with its '" memory. "Did you ever wonder how FrontPage knows which pages have changed since the last time you published? Well, there you are. And while I'm on the subject, take some friendly advice: Don't mess with these files! They are hidden for a very good reason! The information contained in these (text) files is rather complex, and interrelated. Editing one of these _ VTI files is not for the faint of heart, nor the weak of mind! Deleting them is disastrous! You might just as well yank a part out of your car's engine and keep CT it to continue working.

In fact, these _ VTI files are updated every time you save a file to your Frontpage web, every time you move a file, every time you publish, and every time you import or export a file/folder to/from your web.

A lot of people complain that FrontPage is "too slow. "Well, there's your answer: Whenever you publish, for example, the server extensions are not only transferring your files, but they are opening, reading, and updating all of the _ VTI files for both your local and remote web sites. in addition, they are talking with the local and remote server, getting permissions information, and coordinating EV Ery aspect of the operation. They are very busy little critters!

Now, if you're used to FTP 'ing your webs back and forth, you may think that this is all taking entirely too much time. in fact, on some of the cheap hosting services, all of this brou-Ha will even cause server time-outs occasionally, which can be frustrating. I even read a newsgroup message recently that was "informing" everyone of the fact that this process was a lot slower than the "Traditiona L "FTP way of doing things. But think of it this way: DOS is a whold heck of a lot faster than Windows 95. But can you multitask with dos? Can you drag and drop files with dos? In fact, does dos provide 1/100th of the functionality that Windows provides? Heck no. A Cessna is a heck of a lot easier to fly than a 747, but it can't land itself!

How do you deal with this "slow" functionality? Well, just throw hardware at it! Get yourself a decent computer, and a fast modem! It's the late 90's already!

I don't mean to sound flippant, but seriously, if you're running a good hardware configuration, using FrontPage with the server extensions can boost your productipartition by an exponential factor. when you installed FrontPage, you may recall seeing that it requires a minimum of a Pentium processor and 24 MB of Ram to run. but if you're like me, you don't run FrontPage all by itself. you have several programs open at once, and bounce back and forth between them. I recommend at least a Pentium 120 and 48 MB of Ram to get the most out of FrontPage. and absolutely no slower than a 28.8 Kbps modem.

Next time I will talk further about how to use the extensions, including installation and upgrade. This series will continue for several more exciting episodes, so don't miss out!