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***********************************************************************
Welcome to NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 for Windows 95/NT
***********************************************************************
NetObjects Fusion is one smart product for three tough jobs: designing,
building and updating Web sites. NetObjects Fusion 2.0 includes more
than 100 new customer-requested features and enhancements. NetObjects
Fusion 2.0.1, a maintenance release of 2.0, was issued on 5/9/97.
NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2, a maintenance release of 2.0.1, is designed
specifically to enhance stability.
Please carefully read the release notes below before using this
software. This information includes details about usage, installation
and site migration.
We hope that you like the improvements we've made in 2.0.2.
Thanks from all of us at NetObjects.
***********************************************************************
For the most current information on NetObjects Fusion, please refer to
the NetObjects Web site at:
http://www.netobjects.com
Our Web site has the latest product updates, frequently asked
questions (FAQs), usage notes, newsgroups, and support information.
You can send us feedback about the product or questions about how
to make the most of a NetObjects Fusion site via our newsgroups by
pointing your newsreader to news.netobjects.com. You can also send
email to support@netobjects.com.
Table of Contents
=================
A) System Requirements
B) Uninstalling a previous version of NetObjects Fusion
C) Installing NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2
D) Migrating site files from NetObjects Fusion 1.0
E) Migrating site files from NetObjects Fusion 2.0 or 2.0.1
F) Putting certain JavaScripts in your layouts
G) Acadia Infuse
H) Usage - YOU MUST READ THIS!
I) Accessing Technical Support
A) System Requirements
======================
-Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.5x (or later)
-486/66 PC (for best performance, a Pentium is strongly recommended)
-A minimum of 16 MB of RAM (24 MB on Windows 95 and 32MB on
Windows NT is strongly recommended)
-80 MB of available hard-disk space for full installation (20 MB
for minimum installation)
-A minimum of 20 MB of hard disk must be available as virtual memory
for NetObjects Fusion after installation
-Graphics display capable of 800 X 600 at 256 colors
-TCP/IP compliance with WinSock version 1.1 or later for
Internet connectivity
-32-bit ODBC drivers for external database connectivity
-A mouse is highly recommended
You will also need a Web browser installed on your machine.
NetObjects Fusion is optimized for:
a) Netscape Navigator 2.01 and higher
b) Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.1 and higher
c) Other HTML 3.x compatible browsers
NOTE: 16 bit browsers do not support the long HTML file names often
generated by NetObjects Fusion. Therefore, local (i.e., non-http)
viewing of your generated site may be affected if you use a 16-bit
browser.
If you are using an Internet service provider (ISP) to host your
site, please consult with them for specific support and
documentation before publishing your site.
B) Uninstalling a Previous Version of NetObjects Fusion
=======================================================
For Windows 95 and NT 4.0 Users: To uninstall NetObjects Fusion,
launch Add/Remove Programs from your Control Panel and select
NetObjects Fusion 2.0 or 2.0.1. The Uninstaller will not delete any
site files (.nod) you have created and will leave the \User Sites
folder intact.
For NT 3.51 Users: Click on the Uninstall Icon in the NetObjects Fusion
program group. The Uninstaller will not delete any site files (.nod)
you have created and will leave the \User Sites folder intact.
During Uninstallation, if you encounter a message asking to confirm the
removal of any .dll or system files, we recommend that you choose Yes.
NOTE: If you have made custom styles and wish to reuse them, please
make a back up of them or move them out of the \Styles folder. If
you do not, they will be deleted during the uninstall process.
C) Installing NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2
=====================================
There are several ways to install NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2.
Please choose the scenario below that is most appropriate for you:
-----------
1) You have never installed NetObjects Fusion before:
If you have downloaded the trial version of NetObjects Fusion from the
Web, double click on the exe file. If you downloaded the segmented version
of this exe, make sure you have all FOUR segments and then double click on
the FIRST exe. Launching this .exe (1 of 4) will begin the unzip process.
When the first segment is unzipped, you will need to close the unzipping
application and then double click on the SECOND .exe (2 of 4). Continue
until you have double clicked on the FOURTH exe (4 of 4). After the fourth
exe is unzipped, NetObjects Fusion will automatically install from a /temp
folder.
If you have a NetObjects Fusion CD-ROM, insert it in your CD-ROM
drive. From the File Manager or Windows Explorer, double-click on
the CD-ROM icon. Then double-click on the file named setup.exe.
Please follow the on screen installation directions. The necessary
files will be installed by default in C:\NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2\.
-----------
2) You are currently running the shipping version of NetObjects
Fusion 2.0 or 2.0.1:
Run the 2.0.2 UPDATER.
Double click on setup.exe
The 2.0.2 Installer splash screen will appear.
Click Next
Click Yes
Click Next
Then, you will be presented with a dialog box that asks you to find
the drive and the path where Fusion.exe resides. This .exe can be
from either 2.0 or 2.0.1
Click OK.
Click Next
Click OK
NOTE to Windows 95 users: After installation, your desktop icon and
start menu item for NetObjects Fusion will be changed to "NetObjects
Fusion 2.0.2." However, your existing folder name will remain the same.
Be sure to read section E) below concerning 2.0 and 2.0.1 site
migration before using 2.0.2.
-----------
3) You are currently running the trial version of NetObjects Fusion
2.0 or 2.0.1 and it has not yet timed out:
Uninstall your trial version. This will free up disk space and
will keep your \User Sites folder intact.
Run the 2.0.2 TRIAL Installer.
See the detailed steps in #1 above.
After you launch 2.0.2, your clock will refresh to 30 days.
Be sure to read section E) below concerning 2.0 and 2.0.1 site
migration before using 2.0.2.
-----------
4) You unlocked your trial version of 2.0 or 2.0.1 by working with
our customer service representatives:
Contact Customer Service to get the CD-ROM. Do NOT use the Updater.
Uninstall 2.0 or 2.0.1. This will free up disk space and will keep
your \User Sites folder intact.
Be sure to read section E) below concerning 2.0 and 2.0.1 site
migration before using 2.0.2.
-----------
5) You are currently running the shipping version of NetObjects
Fusion 1.0:
Contact Customer Service to get the CD-ROM. Do NOT use the Updater.
Uninstall 1.0. This will free up disk space and will keep your
1.0 \User Sites folder intact.
Contact Customer Service to get the CD-ROM. Do NOT use the Updater.
Be sure to read section D) below concerning 1.0 site migration
before using 2.0.2.
-----------
6) You were running a trial version of NetObjects Fusion 1.0 and
it has timed out:
Uninstall 1.0. This will free up disk space and will keep your
1.0 \User Sites folder intact.
Run the 2.0.2 TRIAL Installer.
Double click on setup.exe and follow the on-screen instructions.
Since 2.0.2 is a radical change from 1.0, we want you to fully
experience it for a full 30 days.
Be sure to read section D) below concerning 1.0 site migration
before using 2.0.2.
-----------
When installing the Shipping version of 2.0.2 from CD-ROM, when you
get to the NetObjects Fusion Selection dialog, you have 3 options
during the install process: Full (this is selected by default), Compact,
and Custom. For Windows NT 3.51 users, if you choose either the Compact
or Custom options and wish to add more components like Parts, Styles, or
Templates in the future, you will need to Uninstall 2.0.2 and then Reinstall
using the default (Full) option. If you are Windows NT 3.51 user, dragging
over folders and files from the CD-ROM's /Extras folder is not recommended.
D) Migrating site files from NetObjects Fusion 1.0
==================================================
Please understand that 1.0 files are prone to instability.
We highly recommend that you rebuild your 1.0 sites in 2.0.2. However,
if you absolutely must migrate your 1.0 sites to 2.0.2, follow the
below procedure.
1) Make a copy of your .nod in NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2
a) Open NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2.
b) Select File | Open Site, find and select your 1.0 .nod file, and click
Open. A warning dialog appears asking if you would like to open a copy
instead.
c) Click Yes.
d) Enter a descriptive name for the .nod copy, and save it in the same
directory as the original .nod. Your .nod file opens in NetObjects Fusion
2.0.2.
2) Import the copy of your .nod into a new 2.0.2 site.
a) Select File | New Site, enter a descriptive name for your new upgraded
site, and click OK.
b) In Site view, select File | Import Section, click "Other," and open
your .nod copy. (Choose "NetObjects Fusion Files (*.nod)" in the
Files of Type dropdown menu.)
c) In the Import Section dialog, click OK and wait until the site is
imported.
Your site is now in NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2, but has two home pages, and
has the Plain SiteStyle.
3) Remove the extra home page from your new upgraded site.
a) Click on the second home page from the top, and go to Page view.
b) In the Layout tab of the Properties palette, note the name of the
current MasterBorder.
c) Click on the layout area, select Edit | Select All, and then select
Edit | Copy to copy all the contents.
d) Go the top Home page in Page view, click in the upper left of the Layout
and select Edit | Paste.
e) In the Layout tab of the Properties palette, select the same
MasterBorder that was applied to the second Home page.
f) In Site view, move all the pages on the third level to the right of the
first (top) Home page.
g) Once the second Home page has no children, click on it and press "Delete."
4) Apply the original style to the site.
a) In Style view, if the style appears blank in the Style Gallery, select
File | Import Style, find and open the style's .ssf file, and it will be
imported into the current file.
b) Click on the style you imported and click "Set Style."
Once 1.0 sites have been opened in NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 they are *NOT*
backward compatible and cannot be used with NetObjects Fusion 1.0 for Windows
or Macintosh. They are also *NOT* backward compatible with NetObjects Fusion
2.0.1 for Windows or Macintosh.
NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 ships with SiteStyles that are different from those
that ship with 1.0's. If you want to continue using .nod files which use 1.0
SiteStyles, first manually copy all their style folders from either the CD-ROM's
/1.0 Styles folder or the /Styles folder that was installed with NetObjects Fusion
1.0 to the NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 Styles folder. Then, in Style view, select
Edit | Update Styles List.
E) Migrating site files from NetObjects Fusion 2.0 or 2.0.1
===========================================================
If you have existing site files that were made in 2.0 and 2.0.1, you have
two options:
1) Open them using File | Open Site... from the site view
When you do this, you will be presented with a dialog saying that the file
was created in an older version of NetObjects Fusion. 2.0.2 will then make
a copy and then ask you to name the site again.
When you open, preview, publish, or navigate through the copy of this site, you
may receive dialogs that warn you about instability.
If you get any of these dialogs, the site became unstable in a PREVIOUS version
of NetObjects Fusion. To rectify this situation you have a number of choices:
- Exit 2.0.2 and use the procedure in #2 below.
- Exit 2.0.2 and create a new site based from your previously published HTML.
This technique requires manual cleanup. For example, the spacer images (auto-
generated GIFs) will appear as thin lines on all your pages and will need to
be deleted.
- Exit 2.0.2 and create a new blank site, then, recreate the site from scratch.
2) Open it in a new way. First, create a new blank site. Then, select your
home page in site view and use File | Import Section... and locate your site
file. The remaining procedure is detailed in recover.txt. This text file is
located in your /NetObjects Fusion (2.0.2) folder.
F) Putting certain JavaScripts in your layouts
==============================================
The JavaScript functions document.write() and document.writeln() will
not work in Navigator 2.x or 3.x when NetObjects Fusion generates your
pages with a nested table structure. Whether you optimize your table
structure for columns or rows, NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 will generate
all pages with a nested table structure by default. To disable nested
table structure generation, simply add a special comment to your
Layout or MasterBorder script before your JavaScript. This comment is
available in a text file called Comment.txt which is located in the
\NetObjects System folder.
To ensure that JavaScript functions such as document.write() and
document.writeln() will work inside NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 tables,
please follow this procedure:
1. Right-click on the MasterBorder or Layout
2. Choose Master Script or Layout Script from the pop-up menu
3. Click in the BEGINNING OF BODY field in the Script dialog box
4. Click the Insert button at the top of the dialog box
5. Select Comment.txt from the \NetObjects System folder
6. Click OK (Alternatively, you may simply type <!--NOSMARTTABLES-->
to accomplish steps 4-6)
7. Add your document.write() or other text-based JavaScript function
anywhere on the page after this comment
8. Click OK
G) Acadia Infuse
================
The full shipping version of NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 for Windows
includes the Acadia Infuse 1.0, the award-winning JavaScript and
LiveWire script editor from Acadia Software. With Infuse you can
add client and server side scripting to your NetObjects Fusion web
site. Acadia Infuse enables you to rapidly create JavaScript scripts
and develop LiveWire applications within a visual, drag-and-drop editing
environment. To install Infuse, insert the NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 CD-ROM
and go to the \Acadia Infuse folder. Then, double click on setup.exe.
Learn more about Acadia Infuse from http://www.acadians.com.
H) Usage - YOU MUST READ THIS!
==============================
1) NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2, is not optimized for very large Web sites.
If your site is more than 250 pages, we recommend that you divide it into
multiple sites of less than 250 pages. You can then connect them by using
External Links.
2) Some JavaScript functions may need to be moved from the body of the document
into the head (either the Inside Head Tag field or the Beginning of Body field
of the Layout Script dialog box). There is a bug in Netscape Navigator where
certain JavaScript functions defined in nested tables get ignored. Since we are
now using nested tables, some functions might not work when they are defined
inside the body. Refer to section F above for more information.
3) After importing HTML, some of the pages may have overlapping elements.
To fix this, we recommend the following:
a) Adjust the proportional and/or monospace font size in the
Preferences dialog to match the original settings that were
used when designing the site.
b) In Page view, select Page | Select Overlapping
Elements. All overlapping elements will be selected
for you so that you can easily identify them. You can then
deselect the group and reposition elements accordingly.
4) After choosing Auto-resize Margins in the Page tab of the Preferences dialog,
your MasterBorders will resize as you move objects against the borders of the
Layout. You can also click on layout borders and drag them to resize.
5) When importing a local HTML site, make sure to fill out the domain name field.
This will ensure that pages and links in the imported pages are correctly handled
as internal objects.
6) External HTML pages will be published into a folder called \MY_HTML. Be
sure that all of your links and assets refer to the correct folder upon
publishing. NetObjects Fusion will not automatically move the assets.
7) Several Components (e.g., Time-based Picture, Rotating Picture, Dynabuttons)
rely on java. After Previewing, you may not be able to see them on your HTML
pages depending on your browser. If this happens, try Staging Locally and then
opening the HTML. If this still happens, try Publishing Remotely to a web server.
Also, please be aware that Rotating Picture will not work if ANY of the images
contain spaces in their filenames. Prior to using the Rotating Picture component,
make sure you first confirm your pictures' filenames in File Manager or Windows
Explorer.
8) When using transparent GIFs, be sure that the colors of the foreground
image AND the transparent color are from the 216 Color Web Palette. This
palette is available from the Netscape Web site.
9) The Save Site As command in the Site View's File menu is the way to save your
NOD file under a different name. For this new NOD file to have correct assets
pathing, you must save it to the SAME site folder as your original nod. Once you
do a Save Site As, and you wish to work on the nod you just saved, you will need
to close your original nod and open the new nod using File | Open. If you save as
to a different location, then all asset pathing information will be lost. If you
wish to save to a different location, we highly recommend that you use the Export
Template command from the Site View's file menu.
10) If you add custom words to the spell checker dictionary, you'll need to
change the path for the dictionary file (.dic). To do this invoke the spell
checker and click the Options... button. Change the path of the Personal
Dictionary File to the actual path of Fusion.exe. Depending on how you
installed 2.0.2, this may or may not be required.
11) NetObjects Fusion sites are designed to be worked on locally. Please make
sure that you have sufficient disk space to store your nod and associated files
on the same hard disk where NetObjects Fusion is installed. Working from a network
drive or a removable drive such as a Syquest, SyJet, Jaz, or Zip is to be avoided.
Some customers have chosen to mount their removable drives as fixed disks.
Although this is less risky, NetObjects strongly recommends against it.
12) Progressive JPEGS do not work consistently with NetObjects Fusion. Make
sure you do NOT use them with either the Picture tool or as a Background Picture.
If P-JPEGS are background pictures of a HTML site you wish to import, or if you
have a Progressive JPEG and wish to use it, save it as a regular JPEG in the
Paint Program of your choice and then bring it into NetObjects Fusion.
Another way to use Progressive JPEGS is to make a blank text box
that is the same size as the image. Then, using an Element Script, href the
Progressive JPEG manually. If you choose this option, you will need to also
manually place the image in the \assets folder for publishing.
13) NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 has an updated Help Topics menu item. It is the
most recent reference guide available for the product. Please refer to Help |
Help Topics... if you have usage questions.
14) Active X control warning: NetObjects Fusion allows customers to place
Active X controls on the page and visually edit their parameters. NetObjects
does not have control over the quality of the various Controls that may be
installed on your system. Please be aware that the following controls are
known to cause instability when placed on your NetObjects Fusion page:
- Microsoft Forms 2.0 Multipage
- Microsoft Forms 2.0 Frame
15) When exporting sites as templates that contain either the Rotating Picture
or Sitemapper component, please note that if you import the exported site into
another site, you may experience problems. If you do, simply delete the
component and place it again using the Tools Palette.
16) When naming your pages in Site View or in the banner and button fields
of the Custom Names dialog box, please keep your names less than 100 characters.
If you do not, you run the risk of causing NOD file instability.
17) NetObjects Fusion no longer relies on the .bak file for backup.
However, a temporary file called sitename.nod.bak is created while your
NOD file is open and being edited. As soon as you exit and your site is
completely closed, this .bak file is deleted. Please rely on the new automatic
backup feature which places backup NOD files in a folder called /Backups. If
you ever need to use a backup NOD file, be sure to first drag it from /Backups
into your /User Sites/Sitename folder before opening so all the assets will be
pathed correctly.
18) The default method of closing a NetObjects Fusion site now involves compacting
the NOD file. This occurs by default when exiting NetObjects Fusion or opening
a different 2.0.2 site. When compact starts, NetObjects Fusion is still working
even though the program may no longer be visible on your screen. The program lets
you know that it is still working with a progress dialog box. If you attempt to multi-
task when this dialog box is present, you may experience some sluggishness. If this
sluggishness exists, it is only temporary and will last as long as takes to compact.
A typical compaction takes 30 seconds but can be up to 2 minutes if the site is 100 pages.
***IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOT END TASK OR SHUT DOWN WINDOWS DURING COMPACTION!
If you do, you will cause your NOD file to become unstable. If you wish to
avoid sluggishness during closing, go to the Edit | Preferences | Backup Tab and
de-select [ ] Compact database upon exit. If you do this, you will *NOT* benefit
from database verification during compaction.
I) Accessing Technical Support
===============================
NetObjects provides several newsgroups for direct contact with NetObjects
Technical Support. Our newsgroups are also an excellent source of
information from other NetObjects Fusion customers. For access to the
NetObjects Fusion newsgroups you can enter the following URL into your
favorite newsreader software or browser:
newsreader: news://www.netobjects.com/
browser: http://www.netobjects.com/html/boards.html
NetObjects Support also has a library of Usage Notes on a wide range of
topics. The Usage Notes provide extensive step by step instructions for
many of the most popular requests from our customers. The index for the
Usage Notes can be found at:
http://www.netobjects.com/support/usage_notes/index.html
You can also receive assistance from technical support by sending
e-mail to:
support@netobjects.com
Thank you from everyone at NetObjects.