When you register, you can access NetObjects WebSupport, which is where you can get help with any problem within one business day. Registering NetObjects Fusion online will enable you to qualify immediately for WebSupport.
By registering NetObjects Fusion 4.0, you will also receive a free set of twelve additional SiteStyles; that's twelve more ways to control the look and feel of your Web sites. Furthermore, you will also be able to receive, if you wish, a regular NetObjects newsletter with tips, tricks and ideas on building Web sites, as well as information on new product releases.
- 90-MHz or faster Pentium-based PC
- Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0
- Before installation: 50 MB of available hard disk space for compact installation, 100 MB for full installation; after installation: 60 MB of available hard disk space as virtual memory
- 32 MB of RAM
- 32-bit ODBC drivers for external database connectivity
- TCP/IP compliance for Internet connectivity
- Display capable of 800 x 600 pixels at 256 colors or more
- CD-ROM drive
- Mouse or compatible pointing device
- A Web browser: Netscape Navigator 2.01 or later, Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.1 or later, or another browser compatible with HTML 3.0 or later
C) Migrating site files from NetObjects Fusion 2.x & 3.x for Windows
If you have existing site files (*.NOD, *.NFT) that originated in NetObjects Fusion for Windows versions: 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 3.0, 3.0.1 or 2.0.2 PE or 2.0.2i (single-byte) international, follow one of the two sets of instructions below. Also refer to the "If You Are Upgrading..." chapter of the Building Business Web Sites book.
1) If you want to migrate a .NOD file, first copy the site's folder into the NetObjects Fusion 4.0\User Sites folder. Be sure to make a copy, because once you open the site in 4.0, you cannot reopen it in the previous version.
After you copy the site's folder, launch NetObjects Fusion 4.0, select Open Site from the File menu, and open the .NOD file. If you see the Welcome to NetObjects Fusion dialog, choose Open a NetObjects Fusion Site and browse to the .NOD file.
When a dialog appears telling you that the file was created in an older version of NetObjects Fusion, click Yes to open a copy of the file, then give it a new name.
When you open, preview, publish, or navigate through the copy of this site, you might see dialogs that warn you about instability. If this occurs, please consult recover.txt located in the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 directory.
If the style elements for the site appear blank, select Add Style to List from the Style menu in Style view, and open the missing style's .ssf file, located in it's style folder. The style folder might be in the Styles folder of the previous installation directory
2) If you want to migrate a template (.NFT) file, first copy the template as described in the procedure outlined in section 1) above. Then, in NetObjects Fusion 4.0, you can either import the template as a section of your site or base a new site on the template by opening the template directly. You might be prompted to open the template file directly before inserting it or basing a new site on it.
D) Migrating site files from other NetObjects products
1) NetObjects Fusion for Macintosh 2.x and 3.x template (*.NFT) files.
To successfully transfer a site from a Macintosh to a PC, first export the site as a template. Then, from the File menu in NetObjects Fusion 4.0, either choose Insert Template to add it to an existing site, or choose New Site>From Template to base a new site from the template.
If you migrate a Macintosh NetObjects Fusion 3.0 site that contains special characters in data objects, you must retype those characters.
2) NetObjects TeamFusion template (*.NFT)
Because a NetObjects TeamFusion 1.0 or 3.0 site file resides on an authoring server, you must first export the site as a template. Then, from the File menu in NetObjects Fusion 4.0, you can either choose Insert Template to add it to an existing site, or choose New Site>From Template to base a new site from the template.
If you want to use any SiteStyles that ship with NetObjects TeamFusion or custom styles that you created in TeamFusion, you must use Windows Explorer to manually copy them from the authoring server to the computer where NetObjects Fusion 4.0 is installed. (You can also export styles via Style view in TeamFusion Client.) Copy the SiteStyle folders to your new Styles folder, then select Update Styles List from the Style menu in Style view.
3) NetObjects Fusion 1.0 for Macintosh or Windows.
You CANNOT open 1.0 sites in NetObjects Fusion 4.0. You must first open 1.0 sites (*.NOD, *.NFT) in NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2 and then follow the appropriate procedure outlined above. If you own a copy of NetObjects Fusion 1.0, you are eligible for a free upgrade to NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2. You then must purchase an upgrade to NetObjects Fusion 4.0. To obtain a free upgrade to NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2, please call our customer service number at 1-888-449-6400 if you are in the U.S., or 1-512-434-1523 if you are outside the U.S.
4) NetObjects Fusion 2.0.2i (double-byte versions, Japanese, Chinese, etc.).
You can open 2.02i sites in NetObjects Fusion 4.0 (English), but NetObjects does not recommend that you do so because you may lose the double-byte characters.
E) Essential Usage Notes (NetObjects highly recommends that you read this section before launching NetObjects Fusion 4.0):
In this section you will find usage notes on the following:
- Application
- Migration
- Browser Compatibility
- Components
- Importing HTML
- Publish
- Actions
- Table Tool
- Images
- Java and ActiveX
- Data Objects
- Assets
- International
NetObjects Fusion 4.0 is optimized for Web sites containing 500 pages or less. If your site contains more than 500 pages, NetObjects recommends that you divide it into multiple sites of less than 500 pages each. You can then connect them by using External links. For ideas on how to achieve this, refer to http://www.netobjects.com/howsite.
NetObjects Fusion sites should reside on your local hard drive. Make sure that you have sufficient disk space to store your .NOD file and associated files on the same hard disk where NetObjects Fusion is installed. Avoid working from a network drive or a removable drive such as SyQuest and Iomega drives. Some customers choose to mount their removable drives as fixed disks. Although this is less risky, NetObjects strongly recommends against it.
Because NetObjects Fusion 4.0 is not an MDI application, you should not run two concurrent sessions. If you do, you run the risk of poor performance and possible file instability. Components especially should not be copied and pasted between two concurrent sessions of NetObjects Fusion 4.0.
NetObjects Fusion creates a temporary file called sitename.NOD.bak 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. The automatic backup feature places backup NOD files in a folder called \Backups. If you ever need to use a backup NOD file, be sure to drag it from \Backups into your \User Sites\Sitename folder before opening it so all the assets will be pathed correctly.
NetObjects Fusion automatically saves a backup copy of your site when the file is closed. By default the total number of backups kept is set to 2. NetObjects recommends that you increase this number for added protection against crashes or unforeseen problems with the file or system. A good number of backups is 5, though the total number you keep should be consistent with the amount of disk space available.
You can improve performance in NetObjects Fusion 4.0 by choosing to deactivate the Auto Save option in the Edit | Preferences dialog. The Auto Save function saves your site automatically every time you switch views. By deactivating this function, you can improve the performance time when moving through the product. If you do choose to deactivate this function, be aware that NetObjects Fusion only saves information to the temp file when you select Save from the File menu and it does not automatically save your site when you exit, but instead prompts you to save changes..
The default method of closing a NetObjects Fusion site involves compacting the NOD file. This occurs when you exit NetObjects Fusion or open a different site. When compaction starts, NetObjects Fusion 4.0 lets you know that it is still working by displaying a progress dialog box. If you do not see this progress dialog box immediately, it might be obscured by other open windows on your screen. If you attempt to multi-task when this dialog box is present, you might experience slow performance. If this sluggishness exists, it is only temporary and lasts as long as it takes NetObjects Fusion to compact. A typical compaction takes 30 seconds but can be up to 2 minutes if the site consists of hundreds of pages.
WARNING: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT NOT TO END TASK OR SHUT DOWN WINDOWS DURING THE COMPACTION PROCESS.
If you wish to avoid sluggishness during closing, select Preferences from the Edit menu, and on the Backup Tab, clear the Compact database upon exit option. If you do this, note that you will not benefit from database verification during compaction. NetObjects does not recommend that you turn off Compaction.
The F5 key causes screen refresh in most areas of the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 application. If you notice that certain elements seem not to have updated or refreshed properly, press F5 to refresh the view.
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If your site contains tables, make sure you look over the pages containing tables to verify that the layout and properties are correct. This is due to the more precise implementation of table code in the new table tool. The new tool provides more diverse formatting, as well as fixes for inaccuracies which existed in the previous tool's abilities to properly calculate table sizes in the page layout. If your site contains tables, make sure you look over the pages containing tables to verify that the layout is correct.
When you migrate a site from a previous version into NetObjects Fusion 4.0, global preferences are not retained. Global preferences are associated with the application, not the site. When you install a new version, global preferences are reset to the default settings. For information on which preferences are global and which are not, please refer to the Setting Preferences chapter in your User Guide PDF file or in online help.
If a site created in a previous version of NetObjects Fusion has assets that are located in any of the sub folders of the original installation directory, these assets show up as missing when you open the file in NetObjects Fusion 4.0. This is because the directory structure changed between the previous version of NetObjects Fusion and version 4.0. To avoid this problem, export your site as a template using the original version of NetObjects Fusion. Then, in NetObjects Fusion 4.0, create a new site based on this template. All the assets should show up as expected.
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BROWSER COMPATIBILITY Usage Notes:
The JavaScript functions document.write() and document.writeln() do not work in Navigator 2.x or 3.x when NetObjects Fusion generates your pages using the Nested Tables HTML output method. If you are using these scripts, be sure to output your site using the Regular Tables method in Publish view and/or Page view.
Avoid using Netscape Navigator 4.05 to preview, or publish locally, sites with actions. A security feature in that version prevents actions from working correctly when you preview or publish locally.
NetObjects Fusion output might not look or function as expected when viewed under the beta releases of Internet Explorer 5.0. Since IE 5.0 is currently beta software, it is incomplete and may change in functionality as bugs are fixed. NetObjects Fusion's output cannot be coded against software that may contain bugs yet to be fixed. Some issues in IE 5.0 are:
- Set Clip actions do not function and return JavaScript(void) errors in IE 5.0b.
- Bring Forward/Send Backward, Bring to Front/Send to Back and Set Z-Position do not function in IE 5.0b.
NetObjects Fusion includes files of type *.au and *.wav in the sample files on the installation CD. When you use an .au or .wav file as a background sound on a page, you might see errors in Netscape Navigator 3.01-3.03 when you preview the page. Netscape Navigator 3.04 handles these files correctly. Also, Netscape Navigator 4.04 and 4.05 do not play *.wav or *.midi as background sounds.
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To view NetObjects Fusion components you must first publish your site, either locally or remotely. If you preview, you see a placeholder graphic in the generated HTML page reminding you that you need to publish to view the actual component. This graphic is placed in the same space that the component will occupy on the published page. When publishing locally, some components might not function correctly if they rely on server-side functionality or extensions.
NetObjects Fusion's Components Toolbar always returns to a default position when the product is launched and the toolbar is displayed. This is because NetObjects Fusion component menus are dynamically updated after you install new components on your machine. When the program is started, NetObjects Fusion automatically checks for new components and updates the View | Toolbars > Component Tools menu in Page view with the new component toolbar names.
The Message Board component uses cookies to function correctly. For the component to function properly your site visitors must have cookies turned on in their browser settings.
Live Wire components are not supported in NetObjects Fusion 4.0.
The Domino to Fusion Connector (DFC) version 1.0 and 1.1 is not compatible with NetObjects Fusion 4.0. A new version of the Connector should soon be available on the NetObjects Web site. Warning: if a site containing these components is opened in NetObjects Fusion 4.0, a crash will result.
Some components no longer accept accented characters within text display areas. This includes the SiteMapper and the TickerTape components.
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HTML files that you plan to import should not contain spaces, accented, double-byte, or illegal characters such as %,*&;. in their file names. Additionally, source files referenced in the HTML code (e.g., pictures, applets) should not contain spaces or illegal characters such as %,*&;. in their file names.
Some remote sites use "robots", special scripts, to restrict HTML importation. NetObjects Fusion 4.0 cannot import these sites and informs you if the site is using robots. Additionally, some remote sites are protected behind firewalls or proxy servers, or do not expose their Web servers to anonymous FTP connections. If any of these occur, you must log into your server using your regular FTP client and download the site to a local drive before importing. Then you can import the site by selecting the Local(on this computer or network) option in the Import Web Site dialog.
Importing HTML that contains tags outside the HTML 3.2 specification is not supported (e.g. CSS Text style tags, Layer tags, CSS Positioning tags). If you import HTML with unsupported tags, text and source files appear in Page view but the original layout is not maintained. You can then reposition the text and source files manually.
If you import a Web site that contains frames, the frames are not converted to AutoFrames. Instead, the content for each frame is placed on a separate page. The frameset is the parent for these pages. This parent is referenced as an external HTML object. The parent and child pages are labeled accordingly in Site view. To reuse this content, you must copy the content from the separate pages and paste it onto one page.
You cannot import Web pages encoded in UTF-7 or UTF-8. If you do so, when you view the pages in Page view, you see messages that tell you corrupted text blocks on the page were converted to ASCII. Many of your characters will show up correctly in the text box, but there will be extra garbage characters in the text box as well. You can re-edit each text box to remove all the garbage characters and to reapply the formatting. If possible, try importing a version of the page that is encoded in a different character set.
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Now with NetObjects Fusion, you can publish the entire site, only a site section, or only an individual page. However, in order to take advantage of this new feature, the site must be published in its entirety first. If the whole site has not first been published, the resulting pages may contain broken links.
Because many components assets are tracked at the site level, some component files are published to the server regardless of whether the page which contains them has been selected to be published or not. The components which exhibit this behavior include:
- Ad Banner
- Message Board
- Site Mapper
- DynaButtons
- Picture Rollover
You cannot publish external files that have accented characters or double-byte characters in their path name. Once your site is published to a Web server, URLs to Web pages cannot contain these characters, and there is no way of mapping them to something acceptable during publish. To work around this problem, use Windows Explorer to change the file name to something with plain ASCII characters only, then go back into the product and link to the external file again with the ASCII-only name.
NetObjects Fusion no longer generates character-entity equivalents for extended ASCII characters, such as ü for the u-umlaut character. These entities are no longer required for modern servers, and are not supported in all international character sets. Because you can now choose the character set for generated HTML in NetObjects Fusion, it is no longer necessary to generate special character-entities.
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Do not use numbers or special characters in custom action messages. This might result in JavaScript errors.
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The table tool in NetObjects Fusion now supports all HTML table features including rowspan and colspan, alignment options, embedded objects, and cell formatting. For more information on how to use the new table tool, consult the Table Tool chapter in the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 User Guide PDF.
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NetObjects Fusion 4.0 anti-aliases fonts in navigation bars, banners and other auto-generated images by relying on a combination of internal and system resources. The two technologies that our customers can use are Microsoft Font Smoother and Adobe Type Manager (ATM). One of these must be activated on your system to ensure that all font types can be Anti-Aliased within NetObjects Fusion.
When you use transparent GIFs, be sure that the colors of the foreground image AND the transparent color are both from the 216 Color Browser Safe Web Palette. This palette is included in the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 color picker.
When you use transparency colors in style images, it is important to choose colors carefully so anti-aliasing of fonts works correctly. Because anti-aliasing works by creating a gradient between two colors, and because NetObjects Fusion's automatic generation of images utilizes a fixed color palette, if colors in an image are too close in value to the transparent color which text is anti-aliased against, portions of the image may be assigned as transparent erroneously. Test all images which use transparency with the anti-aliased text color of choice before publishing your site to the Web.
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ActiveX control warning: NetObjects Fusion lets customers place ActiveX controls on the page and visually edit their parameters. However NetObjects does not have control over the quality of the various controls (.OCX files) that are installed on your system. For example, the following ActiveX controls are known to cause problems with NetObjects Fusion 4.0:
- MapViewProperty crashes when you place the control on the page.
- Microsoft Forms 2.0 Frame control crashes when you place the control on the page.
- Early versions of Real Media player ActiveX controls return the error "unable to insert the specified control dialog box" and the control cannot be placed.
- Multipage ActiveX control returns error "unable to insert the specified control dialog box" and the control cannot be placed.
If you cannot place an ActiveX control correctly on a page or if it causes a crash, revert the site to the last saved backup. To place a control that couldn't be placed using the ActiveX tool, use another method to create HTML with the ActiveX control (such as Microsoft's ControlPad utility), then place that HTML using the External HTML tool in Page view.
ActiveX controls that require source files (e.g., Adobe Acrobat PDF, Macromedia Shockwave Flash) do not publish correctly unless you add the source file using Assets view first. Click the Files tab in Assets view and then click the New button. Give the source file a name and then browse for it. Be sure to select "Always Publish File." Then in Publish view, be sure to put the source file in the same folder as the .ocx file. Since this requires assets pathing, you need to publish locally or remotely to test these types of ActiveX controls.
In order to properly view Java Beans in Netscape browsers, you must have Navigator 4.06 or later. Earlier versions of Navigator do not display the Beans correctly.
Currently, importing a template file that contains Java Beans does not automatically transfer the Beans to the proper Beans folder in the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 directory structure. You must copy all Beans used in a particular template to your Beans folder before you import the template that contains the Beans. If the Beans are not present in the Beans folder, they are not imported and you must place them on the pages again after placing them in the NetObjects Fusion 4.0\Java\Beans folder.
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Data Fields are not designed to be embedded in containers such as text boxes or table cells. Since text boxes and tables are always treated as objects when placed in stacked pages, data fields which are embedded inside them do not properly update from stacked page to stacked page. WARNING: there are known crashes associated with placing data fields into text boxes or table cells. These are:
When multiple data fields are placed in a text or table container, NetObjects Fusion can crash when the page is Control-Previewed. Additionally the pages may fail to publish.
Using undo after creating a data field inside a text or table container can result in a crash.
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NetObjects Fusion 4.0 allows you to mark any file asset in your Assets view to always be published even when that asset is not In Use. If an asset is marked as "always publish" it is placed by default in the root of your site's directory structure. You can choose to move the location of this asset to any folder in your output directory structure after it has been placed initially. Assets which are marked as "always publish" are NOT marked as In Use, so if you choose to delete all your unused assets, files marked as "always publish" are also deleted.
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If you set your page character set to UTF-7 and you attempt to change the size of the text in a text box to something greater than 12 point, the size change does not show up in the published HTML. Sizes smaller than 12 work fine, but sizes larger than 12 do not. To work around this issue, use UTF-8 as your page character set. UTF-8 supports exactly the same set of characters as UTF-7 and does not exhibit the font size problem.
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