Super Tools, Text effects
Supertoolz: Text effects

Text Effects add a bit of spice to your Web page. You can create crazy effects very easily. All involve moving text in various ways.

The following effects are available:

Jumpman  Mexican Wave  Bounce  Wavy  Spread	Credits  T2  Traveller  Warp  Dream Snake
What do you want to know how to do?

 Start the Text Effect SuperTool.

 Add a Text Effect to your document.

 Compile the Text Effect to your document.

Note

If you want more effects, have a look at ‘Swami’ from Sausage Software (http://www.sausage.com).


Compile the Text Effect to your Document

Click

The text effect will be copied to your HTML document, along with a class file. This class file has to be uploaded with document. Remember, it must be copied to the same directory as the document containing the text effect.

You can now preview your document using Internet Explorer or Netscape.


Where is the text effects plug-in?
Where is the Text Effects SuperTool?

 On the SuperToolz menu, click ‘Text Effects’.

If the SuperTool is not in the menu, you will need to install it.


How to Create a Text Effect

1	On the Supertoolz menu, click ‘Text Effects’.

2	Select the effect you want from the tabs on the dialog box.

3	Set up your text the way you want it with font, size, text color and background color.

4	Decide how you want your final applet to interact with your Web page and set up applet size and alignment in the ‘Applet Dimensions’ dialogue (right-hand end of the minor toolbar).

5	Set the effect parameters and the Scroll Speed Slider.

6	Preview your work with the ‘Preview’ button and "tweak" it until it's just the way you want it to be. Save your project  with the ‘Save’ button.

7	Compile your effect with the ‘Compile’ button. It will be automatically pasted into HotDog.


How to re-use previously designed text effects.

1	Open the document into which you want to insert your text effect.

2	On the Supertoolz menu, click ‘Text Effects’.

3	Click ‘Open’ on the Text Effects dialog box.

4	Select your previously designed project from the dialog box.

5	Open your project inside the Text Effects Plug-in.

6	Click ‘Compile’ and your text effect will be pasted into HotDog.


Jumpman

This effect makes each of the letters in your text jump up from the baseline on a random basis. You can control how high they jump.


Mexican Wave

Just like at the football, each letter in your text "stand up" and then "sit down" again, creating a wavelike effect. You can control the amplitude of the wave.


Bounce

This effect bounces your text string around inside the applet box. You can set the initial position in the box and the initial trajectory angle from this point.


Wavy

This effect sets up a traveling wave through your text from left to right.


Spread

This effect causes the letters in your text to move apart and then together. You can control how far apart they move during the cycle.


Scroller

The scroller effect scrolls multi-line text from left to right across the applet bounding box. You have to enter the multi-line text through a special entry field in the effect sub-screen.


Credits

Like in a film, each line of text scrolls upwards. You can have the text centered and change the speed of the scrolling. The higher the scroll speed, the faster the scrolling.


T2

Each letter flies into your phrase from the side of the applet, one at a time.


Traveller
Traveler

A gradual fading and brightening flows across your text.


Warp

Your text gets bigger and smaller by changing font size in an increment you determine.


Dream Snake

Your text resembles a snake, bouncing off the applet walls.


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Bold

Selects the Bold version of the typeface you are working with, if it exists with the typeface you are using.

  Overview


Italics

Selects the Italic version of the typeface you are working with, if it exists with the typeface you are using.

  Overview


Applet Size

This dialogue box controls how big the text applet will appear on your HTML page, and how it will interact with the text surrounding it on the page.

  Overview


Applet Size - Size

The Applet size parameters control the Width and Height of the Applet on the page, in absolute number of pixels.

  Overview


Applet Size - Horizontal and Vertical Gap

The Space between applet and its surrounding text parameters (Horizontal and Vertical) control the horizontal and vertical distances between the applet and any text around it on the HTML page layout into which it is inserted.

  Overview


Applet - Alignment

The Applet Alignment to a single line of text selections control the positioning of the text effect relative to preceding text on the HTML page.

  Overview


Background Color

Controls the background colour of the Applet bounding box as set up in the Applet size button. Just choose a colour from the displayed palette.

  Overview


Text Colour

Controls the colour of the text independently of the background. Just choose a colour from the displayed palette.

  Overview


Font

Selects a new name for the typeface you are working with. The text effect generator  provides five different typefaces for you to choose from.

  Overview


Size

Allows you to control the size of the font you are working with.

  Overview


Speed

The speed at which the text effects are displayed is controlled by the speed scroll bar. Initially leave the scrollbar at its default position and observe the speed and behavior of the text effects. Once you have a feel for the speed of the applet, adjust the speed scroll bar appropriately.

  Overview


Jump Step

The Jumpstep field controls the overall height of each letter's jump out of the line of text. Larger values mean higher jumps. The units are in pixels.

  Overview


Jump Vertical

The Vertical field controls how far each letter actually moves in each cycle of the effect. For a smooth effect, keep this to some fraction of the Jumpstep value. Large numbers mean large steps in each cycle and faster, if progressively jerkier, movement. Small numbers mean small steps in each cycle, but more cycles to reach the limit, for a smoother effect.

  Overview


Jump Random

The Random Jump (Yes|No) radio buttons control whether the letters are randomly selected for jumping, or whether the letter jump travels sequentially from left to right.

  Overview


Mexican Wave  Jump Height
Mexican Wave -  Jump Height

The Jump Height field controls the maximum amplitude of the Mexican Wave, or how high each letter will be allowed to jump as part of the wave. The height is measured in pixels.

  Overview


Mexican Wave Vertical
Mexican Wave - Vertical

The Vertical field controls how far each letter will move in each cycle of the effect. Large values mean faster vertical movement, tending towards jerkiness for very large numbers. Small values mean a smoother wave which takes longer to happen, and may need to be "pumped up" with the scroll speed slider.

  Overview


Bounce Start position
Bounce - Start Position

The starting position of your line of text in the box is controlled by the Start Position field in the subscreen. It denotes a position up the left hand side of the box from small numbers (bottom left) to large numbers (top left).

  Overview


Bounce Horizontal & Vertical
Bounce - Horizontal & Vertical

The angle of departure from this starting position is controlled by the ration of the Vertical field to the Horizontal field. For instance, a value of 5 in each field will result in a 45 degree departure angle from the starting position, and for all subsequent bounces.

The Vertical and Horizontal fields also control how far the text string moves in each cycle of the effect. Large values mean that it moves quickly around the box (and from bounce to bounce), while small one give a slower but smoother effect. Very large values can lead to jerkiness.

  Overview


Wavy Jump height
Wavy - Jump Height

The  JumpHeight field controls the maximum height that each letter in the text string will move up or down -- in physics, this is known as the amplitude of the wave, however, now is not the time for a discussion of  Schrodinger's wave equation.

  Overview


Wavy Vertical field
Wavy - Vertical Field

The Vertical field controls how far each letter in the text string will move in each cycle of the effect. For instance, if you choose a jump height of 21, and a vertical height of 7, three cycles will be required for each letter to reach their maximum and minimum height.

  Overview


Spread Distance

This controls how much space will be inserted or subtracted from the inter-character distance in your text string in each cycle of the effect.

In other words, it controls how far apart the letters will be at their maximum spacing, and as a result, how fast they move apart or come together. Very large values may lead to a somewhat jerky effect. Small numbers will require an increase in speed to get a smooth result that happens fast enough to be effective.

  Overview


Scroller Horizontal
Scroller - Horizontal

The Horizontal field controls how far the multiple lines of text will scroll horizontally in each cycle of the effect. Small values mean slow, smooth scrolling. Large values give faster scrolling which can become jerky for very large numbers.

  Overview


Compiling a Text Effect Project

After you have finished clicking Click on the compile button to paste the code for your text effects into HotDog

  Overview


Text Effects: Save
Saving a Text Effect File

This button allows you to save your current text effect project in a .SWM file so you can restore it later with the Open button.

  Overview


Text Effects: Opening a text effect file
Opening a Text Effect File

Presents you with a file selector dialogue allowing you to reload a previously saved .SWM file and continue working on it.

  Overview