page desing....

[a6s0lu7]

Hello everyone.
Im helping some people redesign a web page, and in order to try to
make it more "light" i thought i could use some frames in the new
design.

However i would like to know ur opinion about other ways to try to
make less heavy.
The real problem is that when some one visits the site it normally has
to download every content of it, but when u simply try to open other
link in it, the page simply "re-donwloads" every content from the
server, its like im opening the page for the first time. So i thought
i could put the links on a left frame, the page title on the a top
frame, because they are static information and wont change as you
navigate the page, and put the "dynamic" content in other frame.

I already have came across several problems with the use of frames,
and im wondering if there is other way of doing this?

if there is not, maybe u could tell if it is possible to make a scroll
bar for the entire page, im mean, top and left frame wont have scroll
bars, but main frame must have, is there any way to sroll the ENTIRE
page?
imagine u have a table design where u have a header, and 2 columns, we
can scroll donw the page, meaning the title will disapear, is it
possible to do this with frames??
im sorry if i wasnt very explicit with this last one, any question u
have ill try to explain it better.

thanks in advance,
cheers,
Bruno P.

 

[Steve Pugh]

Im helping some people redesign a web page, and in order to try to
make it more "light" i thought i could use some frames in the new
design.

Oh dear.

However i would like to know ur opinion about other ways to try to
make less heavy.

Optimise the graphics.
Use CSS for all the presentation.
Place all CSS and JavaScript (if any) in separate files rather than in
the HTML pages.
Don't put too much content (especially graphic rich content) on a
single page.
Minimise the use of graphics for navigation and page furniture.
Make sure that your sending out the correct HTTP headers to encourage
caching (servers usually do this by default unless you muck things
up).

The real problem is that when some one visits the site it normally has
to download every content of it, but when u simply try to open other
link in it, the page simply "re-donwloads" every content from the
server, its like im opening the page for the first time.

The only thing it should need to download is the HTML and any graphics
unique to the new page. CSS, JS and common graphics should be fetched
from the browser's cache.

So i thought
i could put the links on a left frame, the page title on the a top
frame, because they are static information and wont change as you
navigate the page, and put the "dynamic" content in other frame.

If your navigation and page title are adding more than a couple of kb
to the page size then you're probably doing them wrong.

I already have came across several problems with the use of frames,
and im wondering if there is other way of doing this?

See above.

if there is not, maybe u could tell if it is possible to make a scroll
bar for the entire page, im mean, top and left frame wont have scroll
bars, but main frame must have, is there any way to sroll the ENTIRE
page?

Don't use frames. Frames are designed to scroll independently. If you
don't want independent scrolling then frames are definitely the wrong
move.

Steve

 

[Travis Newbury]

The only thing it should need to download is the HTML and any graphics
unique to the new page. CSS, JS and common graphics should be fetched
from the browser's cache.

Assuming they have it set to do that. Many don't. (Not disagreeing
with you, just pointing out an issue with your solution one might want
to think about.)

 

[Steve Pugh]

Assuming they have it set to do that. Many don't. (Not disagreeing
with you, just pointing out an issue with your solution one might want
to think about.)

All browsers that I know about are set to use the cache by default. Do
you know of one that doesn't?

If a user chooses to not use the cache then the burden for slow
loading pages rightly falls on the user and is of no concern to the
author.

Steve

 

[Travis Newbury]

All browsers that I know about are set to use the cache by default. Do
you know of one that doesn't?

If a user chooses to not use the cache then the burden for slow
loading pages rightly falls on the user and is of no concern to the
author.

Unless they leave because if it.

 

[Steve Pugh]

Unless they leave because if it.

If the _user_ leaves because the _use_r doesn't like the slowness that
results from the _user's_ decision to switch of caching in the
_user's_ browser, then what could the author have done?

Of course authors should try to make their pages as fast as possible
but an author can do nothing about people who switch off caching.

Steve

 

[Travis Newbury]

If the _user_ leaves because the _use_r doesn't like the slowness that
results from the _user's_ decision to switch of caching in the
_user's_ browser, then what could the author have done?

The only thing he can do is understand these visitors do exist. So
while this method is better than frames, it too had consequences if you
use it.

 

[a6s0lu7]

The only thing he can do is understand these visitors do exist. So
while this method is better than frames, it too had consequences if you
use it.

hy guys, thanks for ur replies, ill have ur opinions in consideration
when i decide what to do with the web site...
agains, thanks for ur replies.
cheers...