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Cleaning up Front Page code

Suppose you've just upgraded from FrontPage to Dreamweaver, or you've taken over responsibility for a site that was produced in FrontPage. It isn't long before you realize that you have a mess on your hands. Your source code is strewn with proprietary codes such, as <!--mstheme--> and <!--msnavigation-->. If you have "View Invisible Elements" turned on, this will pockmark your page with yellow comment tags, so your layout view will look like this:

Not pretty, is it?

Fortunately, a Dreamweaver extension, the "Cleanup FrontPage HTML Sitewide" Extension, is available to help you clean up this mess. Unfortunately, you have to download and install it yourself.

Download the extension from the Dreamweaver Exchange. You will have to register to download the extension. If you are already registered, the extension is here.

Double-click the file that you have downloaded, and follow the simple instructions. To clean up pages that were made in Front Page, go to Dreamweaver's Commands menu and select "Clean Up FrontPage HTML Sitewide." A dialog box, strangely named "Reports," appears. Check the box next to "Clean Up FrontPage HTML," then click the "Run" button. The Extension cleans your page and then displays a "Results" window, which you can either scrutinize for technical results, or simply close.

Note: My experience with eariler versions of this Extension is that it works beautifully when cleaning a single page, but it can be cantankerous when using on an entire site. So make sure you select "Current document" from the "Report on" menu at the top of the "Reports" window, unless you are feeling adventurous. Back up site before doing so, so you can start over if necessary.

Also Note: The Extension has stripped mouse-over navigation buttons from some pages that I have processed. Be careful when using this extension, and alway work from a copy of your material, not from an original.

Yet Another Note: This Extension is fine for cleaning a relatively static FrontPage page, but is not suitable for converting an entire FrontPage site to a static site. For this more complicated task, see my page Converting a FrontPage site to a static site. After following the instructions there, return to this page for clean-up.

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