FrontPage generates or uses a number of hidden files and folders to automate web development. These primarily apply to FP 2002 or lower, but when working on a site that uses the FrontPage extensions (contains themes, navigation buttons or other components), they are also used with FP 2003.
FrontPage Hidden Folders Defined
(These folders can only be seen when your web/site settings have been adjusted to view hidden files & folders)
_overlay – Overlay files for text on GIF and navigation buttons. These files are transparent GIFs that are overlaid on top of button or banner images to build a complete text on GIF or navigation button composite image.
_derived – Files that are dynamically generated by FrontPage and that can be regenerated at any time, such as *.htx files created by the Search component and composite text on GIF images.
_borders – Shared border definition files that are included in pages that use shared borders. (Top.htm, Left.htm, Right.htm, Bottom.htm)
_fpclass – Compiled Java class files that implement some FrontPage-based features.
_themes – Files used for each theme Themes storage. Each theme that is applied to a web is uploaded into a uniquely named subfolder of the _themes directory.
_private – This folder is created in each FrontPage-extended web. It is intended to contain user files that are not viewable by a site visitor.
_vti_bin – FrontPage Server Extensions executable files for run-time, authoring, and security functionality. On some servers, these files are not present.
_vti_bot – Used for custom FrontPage-based components (WebBots) created using the FrontPage SDK. This folder contains the implementations of custom components. Custom components installed in these directories are optionally downloaded to the author’s machine when that component is inserted by the author.
_vti_cnf – For each HTML page and graphics file in a FrontPage-extended web, there is a configuration file of the same name. Each configuration page contains a set of name-value pairs, identifying such things as the last author to edit a page or the editor associated with a file.
_vti_pvt _x_todo.htm – Contains the current settings of the To Do list.
_x_todoh.htm – Contains the changes to the To Do list.
_vti_map – Contains image map files.
_vti_script *.idq – Query files created by the FrontPage Search component when using Index Server on IIS.
_vti_txt – This folder contains text indexes for the WAIS search engine only. It is not used by Index Server on IIS.
fpdb – When FrontPage creates a Microsoft Access database as part of the Save to Database form handler, it stores it in this folder. Also, the sample database included in FrontPage is stored in this folder.
FrontPage Hidden & Server Files Defined
(These files can only be seen when your web/site settings have been adjusted to view hidden files & folders, or if you are a Webhost running FrontPage Extensions.)
Access.cnf Contains HTTP server-specific access control information
Administrators.pwd Encrypted names and passwords of administrators. On Netscape servers only.
Authors.pwd Encrypted names and passwords of authors. On Netscape servers only.
Bots.cnf Used for custom FrontPage-based components (WebBots) created using the FrontPage SDK.
Botinfs.cnf Custom FrontPage-based components (WebBots) information listing
Deptodoc.btr Dependency database for the web.
Doctodep.btr Dependency database for the web.
Fpcount.exe Run-time portion of the Hit Counter component.
Frontpg.lck Root web only. Lock file to keep Web server resources from being accessed simultaneously.
Linkinfo.cnf Back links for URLs not in the current web.
Service.cnf Contains meta-information about the web.
Service.grp Lists the members of the Administrator and Author groups. Used only for CERN and NCSA servers.
Service.pwd Contains the encrypted password files. Not used on IIS and WebSite servers.
Service.stp Contains the absolute file-system path to the FrontPage-extended web’s Service.pwd and Service.grp files. Used only for CERN and NCSA servers.
Services.cnf Contains the list of subwebs.
Services.org File used as the basis for Services.cnf when reinstalling the server extensions, so that subwebs are not created as subdirectories of the root web.
Service.lck Lock file to keep web resources from being accessed simultaneously. Should be a zero-byte file at idle time.
Structure.cnf Contains FrontPage-extended web navigational information storage.
Svcacl.cnf File used to store whether subwebs have unique permissions settings and any IP address restrictions, so that when reinstalling the server extensions the correct permissions settings are reapplied to any subwebs.
Users.pwd Encrypted names and passwords of end-users. On Netscape servers only.
Uniqueperm.cnf The presence of this file indicates that the subweb has unique permissions settings, as opposed to permissions that it inherited from the root web. Present only in subwebs. Used on IIS only.
Writeto.cnf Back links for files that can be written to by users of the web, such as Save Results form handler result files. Files that can be written to by users of the web have a looser security setting than regular web content.
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