Novice in need of a bit of help

Question

The last time I put together a website was with Frontpage, so
this is the first time i've attempted to do serious work in DW.
I'm currently at a stage where i've done the website layout
in PS, have sliced it up in IR and am editing it in DW. I've also
done a Flash menu that i'm trying to integrate into DW.
I've run into a number of problems though:-
1. I can't seem to move the images around in DW - the center
of the website will be taken up by a white portion (where all the
text will go) and i've tried to delete that and put it back in as a
background image. But when I do that, the image that's directly
below it (a grey bar for the bottom of the website) get's pushed
up. I can't seem to move any of the images around. Is there a way
of locking all of the images, bar the one that's currently
selected, that I don't want to immediately move around (e.g. with
different layers in PS)?
2. When I try to import the Flash menu into DW, I can't move
it around either. It just sits in the spot it was inserted in.
Additionally, I can't find a way of giving the Flash menu a
transparent background. I just need the Flash buttons to sit over
the background image. Is that something I need to correct in Flash
or can I do that in DW?
3. When I eventually get the Flash menu sitting nice and
pretty on top of the background image, how do I link the Flash
buttons to the different pages?
4. How do I insert a pdf d/l function into the website?
There'll be a tonne of documents on there (it's for a small
accounting firm) and the client wants the ability to offer some of
the documents as pdf downloads.
Any help/advice'd concerning these issues would be greatly
appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

> I'm currently at a stage where i've done the website
layout in PS, have
> sliced
> it up in IR and am editing it in DW. I've also done a
Flash menu that i'm
> trying to integrate into DW.
While this is not surprising, it's a VERY bad start. One
should never use
HTML written by a graphics program for 'serious' work. It's
fragile, and
poorly formed, and will break at the slightest provocation.
I'd guess that
in excess of 20% of all the posts here are directly related
to the use of
such HTML.
In addition, Flash menus are bad business. You create a
monster for
yourself, since DW will not manage the links in that menu, in
the event that
files are named or moved from their current location. They
are also
inaccessible to those using screen assistive devices, and are
just downright
bad.
> 1. I can't seem to move the images around in DW - the
center of the
> website
> will be taken up by a white portion (where all the text
will go) and i've
> tried
> to delete that and put it back in as a background image.
But when I do
> that,
> the image that's directly below it (a grey bar for the
bottom of the
> website)
> get's pushed up. I can't seem to move any of the images
around. Is there
> a
> way of locking all of the images, bar the one that's
currently selected,
> that I
> don't want to immediately move around (e.g. with
different layers in PS)?
You are suffering from a well-known disease, called "trying
to build HTML
pages without knowing HTML", often also called "trying to use
an HTML
authoring program as if it were Microsoft Word". I'm not
trying to be
snarky here. You will just need to learn some HTML. When you
do this, you
will quickly discover that HTML doesn't allow you to just put
things on the
page as if it were a graphics program, or a printed page
layout program.
> 2. When I try to import the Flash menu into DW, I can't
move it around
> either.
> It just sits in the spot it was inserted in.
Additionally, I can't find a
> way
> of giving the Flash menu a transparent background. I
just need the Flash
> buttons to sit over the background image. Is that
something I need to
> correct
> in Flash or can I do that in DW?
See above. Also, to make Flash transparent is a trick. You
can use the
Flash
wmode parameter (however, Safari does not support this
properly!).
Adobe articles:
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_15523
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_14201
> 3. When I eventually get the Flash menu sitting nice and
pretty on top of
> the
> background image, how do I link the Flash buttons to the
different pages?
You have to do this in Flash, not HTML - another good reason
not to use
Flash Buttons.
> 4. How do I insert a pdf d/l function into the website?
There'll be a
> tonne
> of documents on there (it's for a small accounting firm)
and the client
> wants
> the ability to offer some of the documents as pdf
downloads.
Zip them, and link to the zipped document as you would to any
other file.
You can force a download, but that would require
server-scripting that I
don't think you are ready for yet.
Good luck - there's lots of help here to get you up to speed.
Don't be shy
about seeking it!
Murray --- ICQ 71997575
Adobe Community Expert
(If you *MUST* email me, don't LAUGH when you do so!)
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==================
"Lantonator" <[email protected]> wrote in
message
news:[email protected]...
> The last time I put together a website was with
Frontpage, so this is the
> first
> time i've attempted to do serious work in DW.
>
> I'm currently at a stage where i've done the website
layout in PS, have
> sliced
> it up in IR and am editing it in DW. I've also done a
Flash menu that i'm
> trying to integrate into DW.
>
> I've run into a number of problems though:-
>
> 1. I can't seem to move the images around in DW - the
center of the
> website
> will be taken up by a white portion (where all the text
will go) and i've
> tried
> to delete that and put it back in as a background image.
But when I do
> that,
> the image that's directly below it (a grey bar for the
bottom of the
> website)
> get's pushed up. I can't seem to move any of the images
around. Is there
> a
> way of locking all of the images, bar the one that's
currently selected,
> that I
> don't want to immediately move around (e.g. with
different layers in PS)?
>
> 2. When I try to import the Flash menu into DW, I can't
move it around
> either.
> It just sits in the spot it was inserted in.
Additionally, I can't find a
> way
> of giving the Flash menu a transparent background. I
just need the Flash
> buttons to sit over the background image. Is that
something I need to
> correct
> in Flash or can I do that in DW?
>
> 3. When I eventually get the Flash menu sitting nice and
pretty on top of
> the
> background image, how do I link the Flash buttons to the
different pages?
>
> 4. How do I insert a pdf d/l function into the website?
There'll be a
> tonne
> of documents on there (it's for a small accounting firm)
and the client
> wants
> the ability to offer some of the documents as pdf
downloads.
>
> Any help/advice'd concerning these issues would be
greatly appreciated,
> thanks.
>