Frontier

Using Frontier

Extending Frontier

adding favicons

migrating websites

Using CSS

Fixing Radio 8.1

Fixing Frontier 5

nextPrev broken

err log sans timestamp

temperature conversion

our WebRing

My "monthly" columns have been anything but, the fault is mine, and I apologize. I haven't been taking the time necessary to research and write, what with my new job duties and recent wedding (new wife seen at right). Each day we start anew, and today I'm taking that first step in the long journey of getting into the habit of writing an article for you each month. Please bear with me, dear reader.

But it's not only a busy schedule that's kept me from writing. The tool I've been using to render web pages, UserLand Frontier 4.2.3, was missing some key features that have been driving me nuts and lessening my motivation to be confronted by obstacles. After months of asking around on the Frontier Webmasters list for a hand I decided to Just Code It (tm).

The Problem

One of the extensions to Frontier allows users of Bare Bones Software's "BBEdit" to manage their web sites through this popular text editor. In this environment a web site's pages and images are stored individually (rather than in Frontier's integrated Object DataBase, the ODB). In the text of a web page an image is specified with the ImageTag() macro.

The writers of ImageTag() seemingly weren't faced with the problem of sharing large images with the readers of their web pages. During a trip to Minneapolis I captured the view from my hotel room in a panorama. How do I share it with you? Placing the whole image into this web page would be rude because it would require a lot of bandwidth for you to download it. The page wouldn't look particularily good either, what with a big image plopped down right in the middle of it.

What I want to do is present you with a thumbnail, a small version of an image which, when clicked, will lead you to the full-size image.

But ImageTag() doesn't support the idea of thumbnails. I can present the thumbnail to you by saying

{ImageTag("9604mplsFromHiltonPanoThumb")}

which results in

You can click on that image until you're blue in the face, but nothing will happen. I could hard-code the location of the big image but then I'd lose the flexibility that Frontier gives me to move things around.

The Solution

I changed ImageTag() so that I could say

{ImageTag("9604mplsFromHiltonPano.jpg", linksTo:"9604mplsFromHiltonPanoThumb.jpg", borderWidth:4 )}

and you would see

Click on this image and you'll be rewarded with the full-size panorama.

The borderWidth parameter isn't necessary; its default value is 1. I've shown it here only for completeness.

Downloading and installing the enhanced ImageTag

You'll have to be using Frontier 4.2.3. I haven't tested this script with the current beta versions of Frontier 5.

1 Download the two components of this enhancement, bbsite.data.ImageTag.hqx and bbsite.tools.ImageTag.hqx. If the files aren't automatically decompressed with your current browser configuration you'll have to manually feed them to the freeware Aladdin StuffIt Expander.

Double-click on one of the two scripts. You'll be asked whether it's okay to replace the existing version. Say yes. Repeat with the other script. That's it.

I hope this helps you in managing your web sites. Share and enjoy.

Michael

Michael 'Mickey' Sattler lives and works in the fine city of San Francisco. He's always looking for consulting work in the city. You need it done, give a shout.