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Frames Problems
Frames
pose many problems, and have only a small set of features. Since few
Webmasters understand the full and profound problems with using frames,
I've gotten together with some other Webmasters and put together this
list.
- Frames
sites are either hard or impossible for search engines to index. If
you use frames, people will have a hard time finding your Web site.
The following do not index frames sites:
Inktomi http://support.inktomi.com/Search_Engine/Product_Info/FAQ/searchfaq.html#frames
Excite http://www.excite.com/Info/listing2.html
Lycos http://www.lycos.com/help/yoursite.html
Altavista appears not to index frame sites.
All of these engines can index a <NOFRAMES> portion of your
site.
- If
you reload a frameset, you get the original pages. If you've been
navigating in the frameset and reload, you'll be back at the home
page for that frameset.
- You
cannot jump to an anchor on a page that is inside a frameset.
- Most
people do not expect a scrollbar in the middle of the page. Scrolling
navigation bars can be very confusing.
- Your
customers can jump out of your frameset at any time by doing a "Open
frame in new window". Unless you've put navigation tools in your
main content frame, people will have to close that window and return
to your frameset.
- You
have to remember to turn off the frameset for outbound links (to other
Web sites).
- A particular
page within a frames site cannot be bookmarked. This forces your customers
to waste time re-navigating your site every time they visit.
- When
using frames, you effectively disable use of the "Go" menu in Netscape
for navigation - your customers can't jump back multiple pages, can
only use back arrow (IE Works fine, however)
- Frames
cause printing issues on older browsers, which tend to print the frame
clicked in last, or if not default to top-left, which is generally
not the frame you want to print.
- There
is limited space on the screen, and frames often take up too much
space. A big title frame across the top might be appropriate for the
homepage, but not on every page of the site.
- The
most confusing thing you can to with your user interface is to change
the rules of navigation arbitrarily. Consistency is important for
you customers to know how to get around your site. Frames change all
those rules, which only serves to irritate people.
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