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Q143090: FP: Overview of WebBot Components

Article: Q143090
Product(s): Word Front Page
Version(s): ; MACINTOSH:1.0; WINDOWS:1.0,1.1
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbdta
Last Modified: 08-NOV-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft FrontPage 97 for Windows with Bonus Pack 
- Microsoft FrontPage for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1 
- Microsoft FrontPage for the Macintosh, version 1.0 
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For a Microsoft FrontPage 98 version of this article, see Q193955.

SUMMARY
=======

This article describes what a WebBot component is and lists the components that
are available. A WebBot component is a dynamic object on a Web page that is
evaluated when the page is saved or, in some cases, when the page is opened in a
Web browser.

The following WebBot components are available in FrontPage:

  WebBot Confirmation Field component
  WebBot Discussion component
  WebBot HTML Markup component
  WebBot Include component
  WebBot Registration component
  WebBot Save Results component
  WebBot Scheduled Image component
  WebBot Scheduled Include component
  WebBot Search component
  WebBot Substitution component
  WebBot Table of Contents component
  WebBot Timestamp component

MORE INFORMATION
================

WebBot Confirmation Field Component
-----------------------------------

The WebBot Confirmation Field component is a run-time component that is replaced
with the contents of a form field. It can be used to echo information, such as a
user's name or e-mail address, back to the user as confirmation of the values
they entered in a form. Another use for the WebBot Confirmation Field component
is to verify the name and mailing address of a user who has submitted a form.

WebBot Discussion Component
---------------------------

A WebBot Discussion component allows you to set up a discussion Web page. It
collects information from a form, formats it into an HTML page, and then adds
the page to a table of contents and to a text index. The WebBot Discussion
Component gathers information from the form and stores it in one of a selection
of formats, such as HTML or ASCII text. It is accessed from the Form Properties
dialog box.

WebBot HTML Markup Component
----------------------------

The WebBot HTML Markup component allows you to enter HTML tags that are not
directly supported or available in FrontPage Editor. For example, FrontPage
Editor versions 1.1 and 1.0 do not include support for table elements or the
marquee element. To enter either of these elements in FrontPage Editor, you must
use the WebBot HTML Markup component.

NOTE: Because FrontPage Editor 1.1 and 1.0 do not support these elements, these
elements will be preserved during export only; they will not be imported.
FrontPage does not verify that your markup is valid HTML.

WebBot Include Component
------------------------

The WebBot Include component is designed to replace itself with the contents of
another file. The most common use for the WebBot Include component is to place
the same text or graphic on every page in a multi-page Web. Examples of items
that you might want to appear on each page in your Web include: copyright
information, headers and footers, and product logos. The WebBot Include
component requires the URL of the file that contains the text and images to be
included on a page. Any modifications to the source document are automatically
sent to each page for which it is included.

WebBot Registration Component
-----------------------------

The WebBot Registration component allows you to automatically register users for
access to a service. It adds the user to the services's authentication database;
it can then gather information from the form and store it in one of a selection
of formats, such as HTML or ASCII text. The WebBot Registration component is
accessed from the Form Properties dialog box.

WebBot Save Results Component
-----------------------------

The WebBot Save Results component gathers information from a form and stores it
in one of a selection of formats (HTML, ASCII text). When you submit the form,
the WebBot Save Results component appends the form information to a specified
file in a specified format. It is accessed from the Form Properties dialog box.

WebBot Scheduled Image Component
--------------------------------

The WebBot Scheduled Image component is used when you plan to replace one image
with another within a specific time period. On the expiration date, the original
image is no longer displayed and another image takes its place or the place
where the image existed is left blank.

When you insert a WebBot Scheduled Image component, you need to enter the name of
the image and any alternate image to be included on the page. The image must be
from the current Web.

A WebBot Scheduled Image component runs when a change is made to your Web. To
ensure proper timing of the WebBot Scheduled Image component, make some changes
to your Web daily.

WebBot Scheduled Include Component
----------------------------------

The WebBot Scheduled Include Page component is used to insert the contents of a
file during a specified period of time. When the time period expires, the
contents of the file are no longer displayed. You can specify an optional page
to be included after a given date.

A WebBot Scheduled Include Page component is run when a change is made to your
Web. To ensure proper timing of the WebBot Scheduled Include Page component,
make some changes to your Web daily.

WebBot Search Component
-----------------------

Use the WebBot Search component to create a search form. The FrontPage Server
Extensions maintain a list of words found in each page in a Web. If the Web
includes a discussion group, FrontPage also maintains a dynamic list of words
found in each entry of the discussion group. At run-time, the form created by
the WebBot Search component returns a list of pages containing the words the
user entered in the form. The words can include Boolean constructs, such as and,
not, or, and parentheses.

WebBot Substitution Component
-----------------------------


The WebBot Substitution component allows you to type an abbreviation that will be
substituted by its expanded form. For example, you can set a variable, such as
HTML, to represent "HyperText Markup Language" (without the quotation marks).
Then, instead of writing out "HyperText Markup Language," you could type HTML,
and HTML will expand to "HyperText Markup Language" at run-time. You define the
variable as a parameter in the Web Settings dialog box (on the Tools menu, click
Web Settings) in FrontPage Explorer.

WebBot Table of Contents Component
----------------------------------

The WebBot Table of Contents component generates an outline of your Web. Each
time the Web content changes, the outline is updated. It does not create a table
of contents based on bookmarks. It uses the title element of the subpages to
generate the table of contents.

WebBot Timestamp Component
--------------------------

The WebBot Timestamp component inserts a date and time stamp that corresponds to
the last time the page was edited or automatically updated.

Additional query words: front page Vermeer substitution substituting replacing confirmation confirming reply echo annotate annotation comment

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbdta 
Technology        : kbHWMAC kbOSMAC kbFrontPageSearch kbZNotKeyword8 kbZNotKeyword kbFrontPage1xSearch kbFrontPage97Search kbFrontPageMac kbZNotKeyword3 kbFrontPage100 kbFrontPage110
Version           : :; MACINTOSH:1.0; WINDOWS:1.0,1.1
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbinfo

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