Frames - The Problems And Solutions

To the newbie frames appear to be a very elegent solution for serveral problems. They allow a single file to be updated so that a menu appears on multiple pages and they allow a menu to be static while the rest of the page scrolls. They are not without their side effects though. This page is a collection of links exploring the problems that frames introduce and replacement technologies that can do a better job.

• Problems with frames
• Replacing the layout aspects of frames
• Replacing the write-once read-many aspects of frames

Problems with frames

• Why XFrames are being proposed to replace Frames
• Why are frames so evil?
• Why Frames Suck (Most of the Time)
• Some Caveats with Using Frames
• Problems with using frames

Replacing the layout aspects of frames

See also my CSS resources page.

• Faking position: fixed; for IE 6 with pure CSS
• Faking position: fixed; for lots of browsers using client side scripting

Replacing the write-once read-many aspects of frames

Methods that require server side resources

• Server Side Includes
• The PHP include() function

Methods that do not require server side resources

• A C preprocessor
• PPWizard
• The Dolt

This site is built using a homebrew preprocessor. One day I might beat it into a shape where it can be published.