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El Scripto: web site enhancements created without programming

Hey! Want to add some extra functionality to your FrontPage 97 or FrontPage 98 generated web site, but baffled by the JavaScript scripting language? Frustrated by the various shortcomings of the FrontPage Editor? For a few dollars you can now buy a small program called El Scripto. The program slots into the Windows 95/NT version of FrontPage, giving you a brand new menu full of useful functions.

There are a total of fifteen functions supplied with El Scripto. Over the next few months, I'll be exploring these functions in a series of articles, and show how they can be used to add useful enhancements to a web site. In this first article I'll describe how to get El Scripto, plus a brief overview of the program's functions.

Features at a glance

The basic idea behind El Scripto is that it is a tool for adding JavaScript functions to web pages, without any knowledge of JavaScript being required. Although all of the El Scripto functions could be added to your own pages with some lines of JavaScript code, this does require quite a bit of programming knowledge. You can also find comfort with the fact that code generated by El Scripto will work safely with versions of Netscape 2.0 and above, and also with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and above.

Although there are a total of fifteen functions supplied with El Scripto, the following I find particularly useful:

Browser redirect. Many of my web sites are enhanced for fourth generation web browsers, so I can use this script to redirect fourth generation browsers to a new page.

Jump List. A Jump List is a form drop-down menu that allows your web site visitors to easily navigate to other pages.

Pop-up window. A pop-up window is a new browser window that is activated by clicking on a hyperlink, or an image, or maybe when the main window loads. As such, it is great for providing pop-up instructions, perhaps to help with filling in a form.

Navigate Back/Forward. This function allows you to place navigation buttons on your page. Such buttons are useful if you have a series of pages that should be viewed in a specific order (such as an image gallery).

How to use El Scripto

Once it is downloaded, you will find that the program comes with its own installer. Once installed, running the FrontPage editor will display a new menu between the Format and Tools menu items (see illustration below):

To insert an El Scripto function in a web page, simply move the cursor to the place on your web page where you would like the function to appear, then select the appropriate function from the El Scripto menu. A small window will then appear, containing controls for the various options available for that function:

Don't worry if you are unsure as to what the various options do - every function has a link to a Help file (in HTML format) and there is also a Preview mode for checking what the final function will look like in a web browser:

How to get El Scripto

First of all, you might like to take a look at the demonstration version of El Scripto. Download it from the El Scripto web site at http://www.elscripto.com/. Only the pop-up window and the text scroll components are fully functional in the demonstration version. You can, however, get a feel for how the other components work before purchasing the full retail version.

The El Scripto web site contains full details of how to order the program on CD-ROM (the current retail price is $34.95 - volume discounts are available). It is also possible to purchase the program directly over the Internet via a secure server, so you can get to work on your dynamic web pages without delay.

Full Disclosure: El Scripto is published by A Big Lime, which is the same company that publishes The Complete Webmaster. This article was written by an independent contractor of A Big Lime.

Author: Brett Burridge
Date: 06/04/1998

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