To Frame Or Not To FrameWhat are Web page frames and how are they used?
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When creating your Web site, one question you may have to decideis whether or not to use frames. Not sure what they are? Frames area form of HTML that affects the layout of a Web page. In a frame,certain portions of a Web page are "frozen" or held inplace.
Technically speaking, with frames, a Web page can be broken intosections or boxed areas. The HTML code inserts other Web pages intothese sections, some of which remain static and others that scrolland change as you click on links.
If you've ever seen navigational buttons that are locked inplace, either on the top, bottom or on one of the sides of a Webpage while the rest of the page scrolls, then chances are the pageuses frames.
Frames can be invisible or visible. Visible frames areconsidered undesirable, especially from a design standpoint,because they look clunky. Frames show up when the content within aparticular frame is too large so additional scroll bars appear tohelp you see all the content.
Ultimately, when used carefully and sparingly, frames can behelpful when used to lock your navigation into place. But rememberto put emphasis on the "carefully" and"sparingly."
Aliza Sherman is an entrepreneur and author ofCybergrrl:A Woman's Guide to the World Wide Web(Ballantine Books).She is currently working on her next book and new company.