Microsoft FrontPage® version 2002 makes it easier than ever to specify default settings for tables. Using the Set as default for new tables check box, you can specify table settings once instead of reentering the settings each time you create a new table. This helps keep your tables consistent from page to page.

1. On the Table menu, click Insert , and then click Table .
   
2. Specify the number of rows and columns.
   
3. Select your preference for table alignment, border size, cell padding, cell spacing, and table width.
   
4. Under Set , select the Set as default for new tables check box.
   
5. Click OK.

Editor's Note: If you're using FrontPage 98 or 2000, you can specify table settings as indicated above, but you will not be able to specify default settings using the Set as default for new tables check box.

Get to Know Your Visitors with FrontPage 2002

Knowing certain information about visitors to your Web site-their operating systems, browser versions, and connection speeds, for example-helps you decide which technologies and features to include on your site. A new feature in Microsoft FrontPage® version 2002 makes it easy to collect this important information. Here's how:

1. On the Insert menu, click Web Component .
   
2. In the Component type list, click Top 10 List .
   
3. In the Choose a usage list section on the right, click the type of user information you want to track.
   
4. Then, click Finish .
   
5. In the List settings box, enter a title for your list.
   
6. Choose a style.
   
7. Click OK .

Note: This will only work if your Web Presence Provider (WPP) supports FrontPage 2002 server extensions. To see a list of WPPs that support all features of FrontPage 2002, visit the Locate a Web Presence Provider page .

Refresh Grainy Thumbnail Images in FrontPage

Here is a good tip that I haven't seen anywhere else. If the thumbnails in FrontPage photo galleries become grainy and washed out, you can open the Photo Gallery Properties dialog box and slightly change the size of the thumbnails. This seems to resample and restore them. Here's what you do:

1. Right-click anywhere on the photo gallery in Normal view, and click Photo Gallery Properties on the shortcut menu.
   
2. Under the Add button, select the thumbnail you want to resize.
   
3. Make sure the Maintain aspect ratio box is checked.
   
4. Under Thumbnail size , enter 110 in the Width box, and click OK .
   
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for each thumbnail that needs restoring.

If you need to repeat this procedure on the thumbnails in a photo gallery, first you must return the width of each thumbnail to its original 100 pixels.

Editor's Note: To try this tip, you will need a Photo Gallery. To create one, click Web Components on the Insert menu. Then click Photo Gallery in the left pane, choose a Photo Gallery option (or layout), and click Finish . When the Photo Gallery Properties dialog box appears, click the Add button to add your photos.

Add a Favorites Page to Your Web Site

You can use Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft FrontPage® to easily add a list of your favorite Web sites to your personal Web site. In Internet Explorer, simply export the Web site addresses stored in your Favorites menu and then import them into FrontPage.

To export your favorites from Internet Explorer:

1. On the File menu, click Import and Export .
   
2. Follow the instructions in the Import/Export Wizard to export your favorites to a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file.

To create a new Web page that contains a list of your favorites:

1. In FrontPage, open your Web site.
   
2. On the File menu, point to New , and then click Page or Web .
   
3. In the New Page or Web task pane, under New , click Blank Page .
   
4. On the File menu, click Import .
   
5. In the Import dialog box, click Add File .
   
6. Browse to and open the HTML file to which you saved your favorites.
   
7. Click OK .

Edit the list and you're finished. Now you can share the links to your favorite Web sites with everyone who visits your site.

Create a Discussion Group on Your FrontPage Web Site

I've found a useful feature in FrontPage version 2002 and put it to a unique use. As a Web site designer, I use the Discussion Web Wizard to create discussion groups on Web sites that I'm designing for my clients. By using the threaded discussion feature of the discussion group, I can communicate with my clients, receive their feedback, and respond to their comments in real time. For example, if a client wants the design theme changed, I can change it and receive an opinion back immediately.
To create an instant chat room you can use to communicate with your client, all you need to do is create a folder on the customer's Web server and then run the Discussion Web Wizard. You can use the discussion group to ask questions, comment on changes, and request text from the client. Here's how:

1. Open the Web site in which you want to create a discussion group.
   
2. On the File menu, point to New , and then click Page or Web .
   
3. In the New Page or Web task pane, under New from template , click Web Site Templates .
   
4. Click the Discussion Web Wizard .
   
5. Select the Add to current Web check box, and click OK .
   
6. Follow the directions on your screen to create a discussion group.

When you're finished with the job, just delete the folder that contains the discussion group.