Have you ever visited a web site and noticed that a portion of the browser window remains stationary while other parts can scroll? If so - you were probably visiting a web site that used XHTML to create frames, or separate areas of a browser window. This chapter introduces you to this technique.

Be aware that there is a controversy surrounding the use of frames on web pages -- some designers love the convenience and efficiency -- other designers question their usability. Whether you love or hate them, frames are part of the web and developers need to feel comfortable using and maintaining them.

Example Sites

Frames Design Issues

WebGrrls
Linmore Publishing

More Web Sites Using Frames:
College of Lake County
Brisbane Stories

WAI Frames Guide
Jakob Nielsen on Frames 96
Jakob Nielsen on Frames 99
Web Design Group Guidelines
A "Realty" Perspecitve
Builder.com
A List Apart on Frames
Evolt.org on Frames

Frames Tip

If you are using an outside service to process a shopping cart (more on shopping carts in Chapter 12) but want to preserve the look and feel of your site, consider using a frameset with separate frames for banner/logo, navigation, and content.

Configure the content frame to use the shopping cart. That way if the outsourced shopping cart does not display any logo or navigation -- your site will still be usable and look very "put together".

Chapter Updates

1. Page 159. The first sentence in the last paragraph on the page should read:

The frameset web page -- the silent partner behind every frames page -- uses a combination of <frameset>, <frame>, and <noframes> tags to configure the browser display.

2. Page 199. In Step 6 and Step 7 the background color should be #FFFFFF instead of #FFFFF.

Questions or Comments?

The author would like to hear from you!
Send an e-mail to webdevfoundations@hotmail.com

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Resources

W3C
W3C HTML Validator
W3C CSS Validator

Color Chart
Design Checklist
Fireworks Tutorial

A List Apart
SitePoint
Good Experience
Digital Web
Dreamweaver
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