A
PageCharmer applet is customized by changing control properties in its corresponding
AppletSet'r.
Values
can be changed by selecting, deleting, and then typing in a new value to a field
property, or by selecting a new value from a pop-up list.
Note
that the "Return" key must be pressed after typing in a new value (not
necessary when a value is selected from a pop-up list). If your keyboard does not
have a key labeled "Return", press the key marked "Enter" that's
next to the alphabet keys on your keyboard (not the Enter key next to the numbers
on your keyboard, this key usually has a different ASCII code associated with it).
Don't
use the "Enter" key (sometimes also labeled "Return") next to
the number keypad on your keyboard. Doing so will add an invisible character to the
value. (If you accidentally press this key, simply backspace, or select the entire
value and retype.)
Each
change made to an applet is viewed in real-time.
Resize
your browser window to the desired size before making changes to the values in the
AppletSet'r. If you are using Netscape 3.0 for Macintosh, resizing during or
after you have completed the customization of an applet will force the AppletSet'r
to revert the applet to its default values.
The
"HTML" button at the bottom of the AppletSet'r display generates all the
HTML code necessary for the customized applet to run when the applet functions as
desired; simply click this button, then copy and paste
the generated HTML code from the window into your Web page. The applet will appear
exactly where you paste the code. You must make sure your Web site is organized properly
in order for the code to find the applets, and any associated .gif files and .au
files. For more information on how these files should be organized and uploaded to
your Web site, see the section titled "Organizing
Directories and Uploading."
This is an example of an applet with its corresponding AppetSet'r.
The applet size is controlled by the Width and Height properties in each
AppletSet'r. These attributes vary from applet to applet, see the following for more
details.
LiveG-Button:
the Width and Height properties change automatically.
LiveGT-Button:
the Width and Height properties change automatically.
LiveT-Button:
the Width and Height properties change to your specifications.
LiveG-Ticker:
the Width and Height properties change to your specifications.
LiveT-Ticker:
the Width and Height properties change to your specifications.
LiveG-Marquee:
the Width and Height properties change to your specifications.
LiveT-Marquee:
the Size property changes to small, medium or large. Note: In the LiveT-Marquee,
the frame "Size" and "BGImage" size need to match. See the Step-by-Step
Instructions: LiveT-Marquee for more details.
LiveG-Map:
the Width and Height properties change to your specifications.
LiveT-Map:
the Width and Height properties change to your specifications.
While using a PageCharmer applet and its corresponding AppletSet'r, the
applet remains centered within a gray rectangle called the "Canvas." Changes
made to the applet's Width and Height properties do not affect the size of the Canvas.
Ultimately, only the customized applet will be used in a Web page. The Canvas is
only used as the working space during the customization process.
Since the Canvas is your work area it must always be as big or bigger
than your applet. It is sometimes necessary to change the Canvas size to allow for
larger applets (or to change a vertically oriented applet to a horizontal orientation,
and vice-versa).
To change the Canvas size, you will need to open the .html file used to
display the PageCharmer applet and corresponding AppletSet'r. These files can be
found in the directory named "Data" located within the "PageCharmer"directory on your hard drive. The files are named: "liveg_button.html, liveg_map_horiz.html,
liveg_map_vert.html, liveg_marquee.html, etc. The following example shows how to
change the Canvas size for the liveg_button.html file but the same steps can be taken
to change the canvas size of any other applet.
Most PageCharmer applets have the ability to change colors in the AppletSet'r.
Color properties can be selected from a pop-up menu; which contains the basic Java
colors. By selecting "other" and then entering in any hexadecimal color
code, you can create different colors.
A hexadecimal color value uses a six digit format, which can be thought
of as three hexadecimal values representing Red, Green, and Blue. Each hexadecimal
value consists of two digits where the minimum value is "00" and the maximum
value is "FF" (in decimal, this equals a range from 0 to 255) Using this
simple color system, over 16 million color combinations are possible.
If you are not familiar with Red, Green, Blue color mixing, or the hexadecimal
number system, you can quickly see how these colors are created by selecting several
colors from an AppletSet'r color pop-up menu then reviewing the hexadecimal color
values. Notice how each set of two digits represent the relative intensity of a color.
A low value, 00, indicates a dark value. But FF, indicates a bright
value. Keep in mind that 000000 is black and FFFFFF is white.
Tip: When you have a specific RGB color that you want to include in your applet, point your browser to Mediarama. They convert RGB colors and even show you what your colors will look like together on a Web page as well as provide you with the correct hexadecimal code to use.
Some PageCharmer applets have the ability to change the "BGColor"(background color) of the applet--not the Applet Canvas. The full versatility of
this option becomes clear when you have a transparent
GIF image in the foreground or background.
Tip:In the LiveG-Ticker and LiveG-Marquee you can use transparent background and foreground images, then use the "BGColor"(background color) as yet another layer to the applet. The "BGColor" must always be a solid color and be chosen from one of the basic colors in the pop-up menu or entered using a hexadecimal color value.
Applets that have either horizontal or vertical movement capabilities
utilize the notation "X" for horizontal and "Y" for vertical.
X and Y values can be entered as positive, negative, or zero values, as follows:
A
positive value in an X field will move the object from left to right.
A
negative value in an X field will move the object from right to left.
A
positive value in a Y field will move the object from top to bottom.
A
negative value in a Y field will move the object from bottom to top.
A
zero value in an X field will center the object horizontally.
A
zero value in a Y field will center the object vertically.
All of the AppletSet'rs have an "HREF" field. This property
represents the URL (address) that the browser loads when the applet is clicked on.
Use the list below for a reference to different types of URLs:
other
pages, not on your computer -- http://www.outthere.com/whatever.html
local
pages, on your computer -- whatever.html
electronic
mail -- mailto:somebody@outthere.edu
an
FTP site -- ftp://ftp.outthere.edu
a
Gopher site -- gopher://gopher.outthere.edu
a
Usenet newsgroup -- news://news.outthere.edu
To create a link from an applet in a frame, to a page that is not in a
frame, you must use the "Target" value. Use the list below for a reference:
_top
-- this will cause the URL specified in the HREF to load into the entire browser
window, thus removing any frames.
_blank
-- this will cause the URL specified in the HREF to load into a new unnamed browser
window.
_self
-- This will cause the URL specified in the HREF to load over the current window.
_parent
-- this will cause the URL specified in the HREF to load into the frame set's parent
window.
_name
-- (name = title of frame) this will cause the URL specified in the HREF to load
into a specified window.
Each applet, with an active URL field, can display a message at the bottom
of most browser windows. This is done by filling in the "Status" field
with your desired text message. The text will appear every time the applet is rolled
over by the cursor. Use it to inform the viewer the destination of the link, the
title of the next page, or anything else that you would like.
