Dreamweaver in a Nutshell

Chapter 4. Frames and Layers

Frames and layers can be used to control web page formatting. Some developers consider frames and layers pure evil, whereas others accept them as an imperfect means to an end. To help decide whether you should use frames and layers, see the discussion under Section P.4 in the preface.

Frames and Framesets

Frames can be used to split the browser window into multiple regions; each region can display a different HTML page. Frames are often used to display a table of contents or navigation bar alongside the main page. Frames are created by using one or more <frame> tags within a <frameset> tag, but as usual, Dreamweaver’s visual tools handle the underlying HTML for you. (Dreamweaver does not implement the <iframe> tag in any of its frame configurations. The <iframe> tag is not supported in IE browsers prior to IE4 and is not supported in NN browsers prior to NN6.)

The Objects panel’s Frames category, shown in Figure 4-1, offers an easy way to create framesets (and shows thumbnails of each configuration). You can download additional frame configurations from the Dreamweaver Exchange.

Figure 4-1. The Objects panel’s Frames category

You can also insert frames by selecting Insert → Frames and choosing one of the frame configurations listed in Table 4-1 (which correspond to the icons shown in Figure 4-1, but with slightly different names).

Table 4-1 also lists commands ...