NetObjects Fusion 4.0 is the fastest, easiest way to turn your business into an e-business. E-business Web sites represent a convergence of e-publishing, e-commerce, and e-application functionality. Give customers and colleagues real-time information by connecting to company databases via popular application servers. Cash in on e-commerce with components for leading turnkey solutions. For lessons, examples, articles, and valuable reference information written in a fun, friendly way, be sure to visit eFuse.com.

Click the Action button for a quick tour of what's new in NetObjects Fusion 4.0.

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  • Built-in rollover buttons: You can add navigation buttons that automatically highlight when your site visitor's mouse rolls over them. You add rollover images when you define the style in Style view, where you can also see live previews of the rollover effect.
     
  • New sample sites: NetObjects Fusion includes several new, professionally designed sample sites. These sites come complete with content you can adapt for your own uses, and are designed to showcase such features as data objects, table layouts, forms, external HTML files, and DHTML Actions.
     
  • New SiteStyles collection: Every one of the more than 50 professionally designed SiteStyles is new in version 4.0, and all new SiteStyles include button rollover images. Use SiteStyles to give your site a unique look and feel; once you define one in Style view, the style is automatically applied throughout your site. Plus, all SiteStyles from previous versions of NetObjects Fusion are included on the CD-ROM.
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SiteStyles
• Built-in rollover buttons
• New sample  sites
• New SiteStyles

Built-in rollover buttons

  • Enhanced site import: NetObjects Fusion now supports more HTML table tags, so the layouts of any Web site you import are now more consistent with those of the original site. We've also simplified the process of importing external Web sites by combining the Import Local Web Site and Import Remote Web Site commands into one command.
     
  • Launch Site Wizard: You can now run installed NetObjects or third-party site components (such as the iCat E-commerce Wizard) in Site view by using the new Launch Site Wizard. For more information on components developed by our partners, visit the Companion Products section of the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 site.
     
  • Page and section character set: If you need expanded character sets for developing international sites, you can now specify the character set for a page or a section of pages in Site view. You can also set the default character set for the entire site in Publish view.
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• Enhanced site import
• Launch Site Wizard
• Character sets

Enhanced
site import

SiteStructure
Editor

Launch Site Wizard

  • Improved table tool: Now you can create tables any way you like with the table tool's powerful new interface. Merge and split cells; resize cells, rows, and columns by dragging handles in the ruler; and apply font and other attributes, and enter custom HTML, for a cell or an entire row or column at a time. The options available in the Properties palette give you more control over HTML generated for tables.
     
  • JavaBean tool: The new JavaBean tool lets you place JavaBeans on your page, access their parameters, and attach actions to them.
     
  • Screen Door component: Take advantage of browser-specific features while keeping your site accessible to those who don't have that browser. Simply place the Screen Door component on a page and specify which version of the page you  want site visitors to see if they're using a different browser. When those site visitors access the main page, they are automatically redirected to the page you specify, all without JavaScript coding.
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• Improved table tool
• JavaBean tool
• Screen Door component
Editor
Layout

Improved table tool

JavaBean
tool

Screen Door
component

  • Go Menu component: The Go Menu component lets you add a drop-down menu with items that are dynamically linked to other pages in your site, all without JavaScript coding. Your site visitors select from the drop-down menu to go to the linked page.
     
  • RTF conversion: NetObjects Fusion 4.0 has improved support for pasting or dragging and dropping RTF files, especially those containing tables. Support for pasting or dragging and dropping Microsoft Word and Excel files has also improved.
     
  • Background options: You can now apply both an image and a color to a background, rather than having to choose one or the other. If the image you want is a transparent GIF, the color you select shows through the transparent areas of the GIF.
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• Go Menu component
• RTF conversion
• Background options

RTF conversion

Layout
Editor

Go Menu component

Layout
Editor
• Easier asset selection
• Better frame control
• International features
  • Easier asset selection: When you place images, animations, or other objects on the page, the Open dialog box now gives you the option of selecting from a list of assets that are currently used in your site. You no longer have to locate the file on your hard drive each time you want to use the same asset.
     
  • Frame behavior: You now have greater control over setting frame parameters.
     
  • International features: In addition to character sets, you can also specify time, date, and number formats; spelling dictionary; and character set guidelines for importing HTML pages.
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Easier asset selection

• Dynamic database access
• E-commerce components
• Open API
architecture

Dynamic database access

E-commerce components

New NetObjects
Fusion API

New component
  • E-commerce components: Now you can drag and drop e-commerce elements that connect to an iCat Commerce Online server onto the NetObjects Fusion Layout Editor. Then use the IBM HotMedia component to make the online shopping experience more compelling by adding zoomable images, 3D objects, and similarly unique effects. For more information on components developed by our partners, visit the Companion Products section of the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 site.
  • New NetObjects Fusion API: Version 4.0 introduces a greatly expanded Java application programming interface. With this API, the introduction of NetObjects or third-party components or feature sets to NetObjects Fusion is completely seamless to you, the user. The new API supports Java Development Kit 1.1 and Swing 1.0, and includes the full Java Virtual Machine from Sun Microsystems.
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  • Dynamic database access: From Site view, you can use wizards to design applications that connect to databases or application servers, without programming. You can also drag and drop components right onto the page layout for live database connectivity via application servers from Allaire, Lotus, and Microsoft, and manage the design-time attributes from the Properties palette. For more information on components developed by our partners, visit the Companion Products section of the NetObjects Fusion 4.0 site.
  • Additional HTML output methods: You can now tailor the HTML generated by NetObjects Fusion for a specific browser, or you can choose either tables or Cascading Style Sheet Positioning (CSSP) and Layers for cross-browser compatibility. To take advantage of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x features, choose CSSP as the HTML output method; NetObjects Fusion will generate pure CSSP code. To take advantage of features in Netscape Communicator 4.x, choose to output HTML using Layers alone.
     
  • Greater control over generated HTML: You now have more control over the look and the content of generated HTML. You can also specify information to be included in the HTML, such as custom Meta tag information and descriptive comments.
     
  • Incremental publishing: Publish a page or a section of pages instead of republishing the entire site each time you make a change.
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• Additional HTML output methods
• Greater control over output
• Incremental publishing
HTML
publishing

Additional HTML
output methods

• Site character set
• Publish components
• Passive mode FTP
  • Site character set: You can set the default character set for the entire site in Publish view. Each new page you add to your site automatically inherits the default character set. 
     
  • Publish components: When you publish, you can now turn on or off any installed NetObjects or third-party Publish Components, such as the ColdFusion Publish Component. 
     
  • Passive mode FTP: In Publish view, you can now specify that files be transferred using passive mode FTP, which is sometimes required to transfer files through a firewall.
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publishing
HTML

Publish components

Bundled for
• Six powerful products
   complete the NetObjects
   Fusion business solution

Allaire® ColdFusion™
The new Allaire ColdFusion 4.0 Web application server is the fastest way to build and deliver scalable Web applications that integrate browser, server, and database technologies.

business

Allaire® HomeSite™
Allaire HomeSite, the award-winning HTML editing tool, lets you build great Web sites in less time while maintaining pure HTML.

Headspace® Beatnik™ ActionSet
Headspace Beatnik ActionSet lets you add interactive, high-quality music and sound to your Web sites -- without fussing with complex JavaScript and HTML code.

Live Picture® PhotoVista™
PhotoVista turns a series of snapshots into a  seamless panorama in minutes. Panoramic files are high-resolution and bandwidth-friendly  -- so your images download instantly.

Lotus® eSuite DevPack™
Using Lotus eSuite DevPack, application developers can turn static Web pages into robust interactive applications that provide easy access to and presentation of enterprise data.

NetStudio®
NetStudio is a picture processor -- a revolutionary Web graphics program that's as easy to use as a word processor.

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Netobjects Fusion 4.0 includes everything you need to get your business Web site up and running. With components included in NetObjects Fusion 4.0, you can easily incorporate technologies developed by our partners. Enrich your Web site by adding everything from cutting-edge sound libraries to legacy databases to a complete e-commerce solution. Find out more about how you can extend the functionality of NetObjects Fusion 4.0 with these companion products.

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NetObjects Fusion: The first, and still the best, visual
software product for building e-business sites.

What's New
NetObjects, Inc.