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Web Integration > Publishing windowless content > About Z-index

About Z-index


In a web page, when several layers are superimposed, the Z-index ("z" is for depth) determines their order, from front to back.

In the following illustration, Krazee Bob is walking over the text; in the illustration on the left, his Z-index is higher than that of the text. On the right, we wanted him to appear under the text, so we reduced his Z-index.


When publishing AXEL content, the default Z-index is 0. You can modify Z-index in the Publishing Settings dialog before publishing your World. You can also change the Z-index in the HTML file after the stream file is published.

Netscape version 4 browsers handle layers differently than Internet Explorer or later Netscape versions. Netscape 4 does not respect the Z-index style parameter. Instead, the sequence in which the layers appear in the HTML code determines their background-to-foreground order. The layer whose element (usually a DIV) is placed first in the HTML will be in the background, subsequent layers will be closer to the front, and the layer whose element is coded last will be in the foreground.

In order to create layered pages that display correctly in all browsers, it is necessary both to include Z-index style parameters and to make sure that the layers are coded in sequence from back to front.

Z-index is not supported with IE and Macintosh. Therefore the windowless content always appears in front. With Netscape and Macintosh, you can change the sequencing within the source to get desired results.

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