What are frames?
A frame is a region of a web page that references and displays content from another webpage.

What are frame sets?
Frames sets are a collection frames used to disaply multiple HTML documents at once.

For example:

Nested Framesets
Nested framsets are framesets inside another frameset.

Limitations and Problems Associated With Frame Sets

• Specific combinations of frames cannot be bookmarked into favourites
  
• The URL does not change as you navigate a site.
  
• Search engines find it difficult to correctly index content embedded in framsets.
  
• Framesets are not acessible for the visually impared
  
• Website maintenece can be clumsy and unpredicatable

Getting trapped within a frame set
Frame sets are often disliked by users especially when thery feel trapped by a frame set. That is when a user clicks on a external link within your website and becuase you are using frames the external page opens inside your website frameset.
This can give a non user freindly experience as of course most external contnet was not intended to be viewed inside the frame set of another website. amkeing the formatting and layouts appeart incorrectly.

One way to get around this is to ensure that when users follow external links from inside tha framset of your website the link opens up in a separate window see: [Opening and external hyperlink in a new window].

The advantages that framesets offer when updating content that is intended to be common to multiple pages is great for large sites. For exaple udating menus requires you to only eidt one page (navigation html) and all the pages associated to that page through the frameset are automaticaaly updated.However usgin templates with editable regions in conjunction with library components is a better solution on all levels.

One of the main advantages that still keeps some designer using frames in the ability to keep regions of a page static whill scrolling through content. This can be espercially usefull when dealing with large documents and keeping navigation menus in view. In addition It can also be used to ensure that a website logo or advertisment is kept in view as the user browses content on a site. However both of these effects can be produced using cascading styoe sheets. Using cascading style seets in this way avoids the problems associated with frames and enusres that pages are desiplayed as intented across different browsers and makes sure content remains fully sccessible. (note printing issues)






Working with frames and framesets

[Set show frame broders visual aid]
[Creating a new page using sample framesets]

[Create a custom frameset]
[Adding a new frame]
[Deleting a frame]
[Name your frames]
[Resizing your frames]
[Set frame borders]
[Set frame noresize]
[Set frame to no scroll]
[Set frame source]
[Using the frames panel]

Borders and Scrolling

[Editing content properties]
[Inserting a menu into a navigation frame]
[Inserting content into a body frame]
[Targeting links in framesets]