12: The Wow Factor: Adding Multimedia and Page Effects in Java

Generator QR Code 2d barcode in Java 12: The Wow Factor: Adding Multimedia and Page Effects

In naming the Random Apparitions effect, I wonder if Yahoo! somehow teamed up with some word-of-the-day dictionary site to include a word in SiteBuilder that many people may not be familiar with Well, in case you are in that boat and don t know exactly what apparition means, let me give you the definition: An apparition is the appearance of something unexpected or ghostly Therefore, the Random Apparitions effect displays images on the Web page at random locations at random times It s all so unexpected! Follow these steps to add a Random Apparitions effect to your Web page: 1 Choose Insert Page Effects Random Apparitions from the main menu A Random Apparitions icon drops into the Page Effects pane, and the Random Apparitions Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 12-18

2 Choose an image that you want to appear randomly on your Web page You can use the Browse button to navigate to the image you wish to use 3 Enter the desired number of instances that you want to appear randomly at a given time 4 Click OK to save the effect The Random Apparitions icon in the Page Effects pane stores your effect settings You can preview the Random Apparitions by choosing File Preview in Browser from the main menu (or simply by pressing F12)

Most of the SiteBuilder page effects are designed to animate an image or string of text and have it move around on the page In contrast, the EdgeLocked Picture effect does just the opposite: It places an image on the edge of your browser window and then locks up the image and throws away the key, so to speak Therefore, even when the visitor scrolls down the page, the image remains stationed at the exact position in the browser window The Edge-Locked Picture effect is perhaps the most useful of the page effects, because it can be employed for practical purposes, even on business sites However, you must use it carefully and appropriately so that it does not become a nuisance to site visitors To add an Edge-Locked Picture effect to your Web page: 1 Choose Insert Page Effects Edge-Locked Picture from the main menu An Edge-Locked Picture icon drops into the Page Effects pane, and the Edge-Locked Picture Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 12-19

2 Choose an image that you want to set as the edge-locked picture on your Web page You can use the Browse button to navigate to the image you wish to use 3 Use the Position drop-down menu to specify the directional position that you want the picture to display in the browser window 4 Use the Offset X and Y boxes to tweak the exact positioning of the text The X and Y coordinates are always relative to the Position value 5 Click OK to save the effect The Edge-Locked Picture icon in the Page Effects pane stores your effect settings When you display the edge-locked picture in the browser, the picture stays put even when the page is scrolled (See Figure 12-20)

The IE Page Transitions effect provides animated transitions when you enter or leave a Web page If you ve ever seen transitions used in a PowerPoint slide presentation, then you have an idea what IE Page Transitions do The caveat, however, is the IE you see at the front of the name IE stands for Internet Explorer, which means that these effects work only in IE browsers Because IE has the vast majority of browser market share, most of your visitors will be able to see them, but you can t count on it, especially with the recent surge in popularity of the Mozilla Firefox browser To add an IE Page Transitions effect to your Web page, follow these steps: 1 Choose Insert Page Effects IE Page Transitions from the main menu An IE Page Transitions icon drops into the Page Effects pane, and the IE Page Transitions Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 12-21