About Frames

A frames page is a special kind of HTML page that divides the browser window into different areas called frames, each of which can display a different page.

For example, a frames page created by using the Banner and Contents frames page template contains three frames: Banner, Contents, and Main.

How a frames page works

A frames page itself contains no visible content: It's just a container that specifies which other pages to display and how to display them. When you click a hyperlink on a page displayed in one frame, the page pointed to by that hyperlink typically is displayed in another frame, called the target frame.

For example, a frames page created by using the Banner and Contents frames page template actually displays four pages simultaneously in the browser: the frames page and the pages displayed in each of the three frames. When you click a hyperlink in the Contents frame on the left, the page pointed to by that hyperlink opens in the Main frame.

How frames pages are used

Frames pages are often used for catalogs, lists of articles, or any other kind of page where clicking a hyperlink in one frame displays a page in another frame. Authors use frames pages because they contain built-in navigation and present a consistent user interface (that is, the structure and layout of frames).

For example, in frames pages based on the Banner and Contents frames page template, many companies use the Banner frame to display a corporate logo and the primary departments accessible on their web. In the following example, clicking the hyperlink labeled "Marketing" in the Banner frame displays a list of marketing team members in the Contents frame. Clicking the name of a team member in the Contents frame displays that person's home page in the Main frame.