Chapter 11 - Creating Framed Layouts

The HTML frame elements let you partition the canvas area of the browser into multiple windows called frames. Each frame can display a separate, independent HTML document. The use of frames has become a subject of controversy on the Web. In many cases, framed Web sites are poorly designed. They detract from the user's experience with heavy download times and confusing navigation. The judicious use of frames, however, can enhance your Web site, allowing you to consistently display navigation information and content concurrently. Frames can be the right solution for solving specific information problems or for providing large collections of content. This chapter explains how to work with frames to display your information effectively.

When you complete this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand the benefits and drawbacks of frames
• Understand and use frames syntax
• Customize frame characteristics including scroll bars, borders, and margins
• Understand and use frame targeting and special targeting names
• Design content to fit framesets properly
• Design framesets that accommodate different screen resolutions

Frame Examples

Figure 11-1: Typical Frameset
Figure 11-1: Frames Can Aid Navigation
Figure 11-3: Frame Rows
Figure 11-4: Frame Columns
Figure 11-5: Nested Frame Set
Figure 11-6: Restricting Resizing
Figure 11-7: Controlling Scroll Bars
Figure 11-8: Controlling Scroll Bars
Figure 11-9: Removing Frame Borders
Figure 11-10: Removing Frame Margins
Figure 11-11: Frame Targeting
Figure 11-12: Frame Targeting
Figure 11-16: Designing Frame Content
Figure 11-17: Fixed/Variable Rows
Figure 11-18: Fixed/Variable Rows

Exercise Files

• Download the file ch11files.zip to work on the hands-on projects.

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