Issues that may occur when you try to update, to detach, or to attach a Dynamic Web Template to a page in FrontPage 2003 (891817)

SYMPTOMS

Note Back up your Web site before you try to use the workarounds that are listed in the following scenarios.

Scenario 1

When you try to update or to detach a Dynamic Web Template (.dwt) file from multiple pages in FrontPage 2003, the menu options are not available.

Cause

This issue may occur when all the following conditions are true:

• A FrontPage server-based Web site is opened on a Web server that has FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions from Microsoft or an earlier version installed.
• The FrontPage server-based Web site is opened by using the HTTP protocol.

The Update all pages option of the Dynamic Web Template requires that either Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services is running on the Web server, or that the Web Extender Client (WEC) is running on the Web server. FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions from Microsoft and earlier versions do not contain the client code that lets you update Dynamic Web Templates in server-based Web sites.

Workaround

To work around this issue, use one of the following methods.Method 1: Open the attached page before updatingOpen each attached page before you update the Dynamic Web Template.Method 2: Publish the FrontPage server-based Web site locallyPublish the FrontPage server-based Web site locally to a disk-based Web site, and then perform your required Dynamic Web Template updates. To publish your FrontPage server-based Web site locally to a disk-based Web site, follow these steps:

1. In FrontPage 2003, open your FrontPage server-based Web site by using the HTTP URL.
2. On the File menu, click Publish Site.
3. On the Remote Web Site tab, click File System.
4. In the Remote Web site location box, type the path of where you want the disk-based Web site, and then click OK.
5. When you are prompted to create the new Web site, click Yes.
6. On the Web Site tab, the contents of your FrontPage server-based Web site appear in the Local Web Site pane on the left. The current contents of your new disk-based Web site appear in the Remote Web Site pane on the right.
7. Click Publish Web site.
8. On the File menu, click Close Site.
9. On the File menu, click Open Site, and then open your new disk-based Web site by using the path that you specified in step 3.

Scenario 2

When you detach a Dynamic Web Template from a page, content from the template remains in the page.

Cause

This functionality is by design. When you detach a Dynamic Web Template, the content that is contained in the template remains in the page that the template was attached to.

Workaround

To remove the content of the Dynamic Web Template from the page when you detach the template, follow these steps:

1. Open the Dynamic Web Template in FrontPage 2003.
2. Make a backup copy of the template. This step is important. It lets you retain the contents of the template so that you can use the contents later. To back up the template, click Save As on the File menu, and then save the page by using a new file name, such as Backup of DWT.dwt.
3. Close and then reopen your original Dynamic Web Template.
4. Delete the contents of the template. For example, delete the text and the pictures. This leaves only the editable regions in the template.
5. On the File menu, click Save. When you save the edited template, the template contents will be updated in each page that the template is attached to.
6. Detach the Dynamic Web Template from your pages.

Scenario 3

When you attach a Dynamic Web Template to a page, some META tags in the page may be removed.

Cause

This functionality is by design. When you attach a Dynamic Web Template to a page, FrontPage 2003 compares the page and the template. If a similar META tag exists in the target page in the same region, the META tag is not added to the page. Instead, the page retains the existing META tag. If a similar META tag does not exist in the target page in the same region, the META tag is added to the page.

Workaround

If a META tag does not have to be in all pages of your Web site, but it has to be part of the Dynamic Web Template, add the code to the editable section of the page near the title tag. This would look similar to the following example:

<!-- #BeginEditable "doctitle" -->
<title>This is my page title</title>
<meta name="TEST" content="TEST">
<!-- #EndEditable -->

If a unique META tag must exist across all pages of your Web site, add the code to the editable section of the page under the BeginEditable "doctitle" tag and above the title tag. This would look similar to the following example:

<!-- #BeginEditable "doctitle" -->
<meta name="TEST" content="TEST">
<title>This is my page title</title>
<!-- #EndEditable -->

Note Uniqueness is required at the key (http-equiv) level, and not for the value (content) level. The value (content) level may change across pages.