Static linked content without using frames

[grahambae]

I'm in the process of building a standard two-column website with a
links menu on the left, and body content in the 2nd column.

The problem is that the website consists of hundreds of different
pages, and I don't want to have to edit every single page whenever
something changes in the menu.

I've tried using frames, but the problem is that the menu and body
content scroll independently, which is awful from a usability POV. I
tried using different javascript hacks to get around this problem, but
none of them have achieved the effect I want, partly because the left
side menu is quite long.

Is there any way that I can load static content from an html file
(e.g. menucontent.html) without using frames? Alternatively, is there
any other solution for my problem?

Here's a link to my site (in its current state, with tables instead of
frames):
http://www.onetopsoccer.com/contact.html

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

 

[rf]

Is there any way that I can load static content from an html file
(e.g. menucontent.html) without using frames? Alternatively, is there
any other solution for my problem?

Did you try looking? ;-)

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=include+one+file+in+another

 

[grahambae]

Did you try looking? ;-)

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=include+one+file+in+another

Hmmm, I never thought of using such basic search terms! I was
searching more along the lines of "embedded html content without
frames" and "embedded html content without javascript".

Thanks a lot, that really helps! I didn't know of the existence of SSI
at all, but from what I can see it's very powerful stuff.

Ok, so I can use SSI to embed html files that are stored locally on my
webspace, but now I have a new problem:

I'm planning to upload the pages to eBay by pasting the html straight
into the "Custom Pages" field. What that basically looks like is this:

http://stores.ebay.com/Onetop-Soccer

As you can see, I've got the basic menu-header-footer-content
structure, and I've replaced the first 3 of those with SSI includes,
but the problem now is that eBay doesn't accept my SSI includes (or
the javascript I use for the dropdown menus, for that matter), it just
shows a blank space where the embedded content should be.

Is there a more "eBay-friendly" method of achieving the same
objective? i.e. non server-side functions.

 

[rf]

I'm planning to upload the pages to eBay by pasting the html straight
into the "Custom Pages" field. What that basically looks like is this:

http://stores.ebay.com/Onetop-Soccer

Why are you hosting a site on ebay? Why not get a real host?

As you can see, I've got the basic menu-header-footer-content
structure, and I've replaced the first 3 of those with SSI includes,
but the problem now is that eBay doesn't accept my SSI includes (or

Quite possible. Ebay is not a real host.

the javascript I use for the dropdown menus, for that matter), it just

The javascript is client side and so has nothing to do with your host. If
ebay is actually managing to interfere with your javascript then it is
*really* time to get a real host.

shows a blank space where the embedded content should be.

That is what would happen if SSI were not supported.

Is there a more "eBay-friendly" method of achieving the same
objective? i.e. non server-side functions.

Preprocessor? It'l be in your google search.

 

[Bergamot]

Hmmm, I never thought of using such basic search terms!

Hmmm, you post from google groups, yet you didn't think to search the
newsgroup archives? You would have easily come upon a plethora of
similar discussions using various search words and phrases, such as:
http://groups.google.com/groups/search?lr=&safe=off&num=100&q=alternative+to+frames+group:alt.html

 

[grahambae]

I do have a real host on which SSI works, but since I don't yet have a
customer base for my products, I'm planning to just 'mirror' my pages
on eBay and use their selling tools and structure to post up my
product pages initially. Then when I'm ready to cut the umbilical and
have a fully independent site, I'll be golden.

It's not so much that the javascript malfunctions, but eBay won't
accept my html code if it includes <script type="text/javascript"
language="JavaScript" etc.> so I have to omit it before posting it.

eBay also has severe restrictions as to what an eBay store can
link to.  They simply do not want rf to have a javascript
dropdown menu on his ebay store, and if he figures out a way
around this and they find out, he could get booted.

Correct.

Hmmm, you post from google groups, yet you didn't think to search the
newsgroup archives? You would have easily come upon a plethora of
similar discussions using various search words and phrases, such as:http://groups.google.com/groups/search?lr=&safe=off&num=100&q=alterna...

I did search the newsgroup archives, but all of the results I trawled
through were just discussions about the pros and cons of using frames,
and the bottom line was "there are some situations where frams are
useful, but frame-based web pages are deprecated and are rarely the
best solution", which I already know.

What I'm asking now is a very specific question, which is basically
"is it possible to have embedded content from an external html file in
a fairly rigid framework like eBay Custom Pages, without using frames?"