Ultamate Navigation Button trick!

JTPokie · Post by **JTPokie** » Sat Oct 05, 2002 5:35 pm

Ok.. Maybe not the ultimate... but cool.

While pondering the limitations of using ***tags*** for archive navigation, I was stuck on only being able to use one image for each nav Tag.

Then it hit me!

What I did was create totaly transparent gifs (invisable buttons) as my next_day.gif, previous_day.gif.. etc. In my case they are all 40 pixles high and 80 pixles wide.

The all I did was create a table with the background image of what I wanted the buttons to look like, and then put the ***tags*** in the appropriate cell!

ie...

<table body background="/images/toplink1.gif" width=700 height=40 alt"" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td width="20"></td>
<td width="80">***first_day***</td>
<td width="80">***previous_day***</td>
<td width="340"></td>
<td width="80">***next_day***</td>
<td width="80">***last_day***</td>
<td width="20"></td>
</tr>
</table>

This way I have simple nav tags above my comic and a more elaberate nav bar below it and am able to use the autokeen tags for both!

Check it out at http://geckonation.keenspace.com

Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Tim

Amendum....

I recieved a question about different sizes... I'm thinking that the tags can be grouped in tables to create buttons of any size

a 40 x 40 invisable next_day.gif button for the ***next_day*** tag for instance...

the tag could be used over and over to create a 80 X120 button or a 80 X 40 button. it's all in how the tables/cells are set up.

the possabilites are endless as long as you think it through first.

ie.. in the above example ***next_day*** ***next_day*** should create a next day button 40x80.

Think about it!

Tim

ZOMBIE USER 11268 · Post by **ZOMBIE USER 11268** » Sat Oct 05, 2002 6:54 pm

That is truly cool... once I come up with a background idea like yours, I'm gonna use that. There're other tricks too, but I can't think of them right now.

-chris 'c'

Nick Sacco · Post by **Nick Sacco** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:15 am

Site won't work, Pokie.

JTPokie · Post by **JTPokie** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:30 am

My site is new.. and therefore Spotty as noted by many users in several topics on this forum.

When it does work... feel free to take a look!

also.. I'm at work and on line on both msn messenger... yahoo messenger and aim if anyone wants to chat... Sunday til 5 est.

Tim

Tyndal · Post by **Tyndal** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 6:40 am

You're too clever for your own good.

Thanks for sharing that, I think it's very usable.

Now all we need is a way to do images of different sizes =/

JTPokie · Post by **JTPokie** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 9:56 am

see edited post (above) about different sizes!

Tim

Odd1 · Post by **Odd1** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 12:46 pm

That's very clever! I tried going to your site but it is down (again). I'll try back again later though because I'm very curious as to what you did with it.

JTPokie · Post by **JTPokie** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 12:53 pm

Odd1,

Cool... I look forward to your comments!

Tim

PS... love your avatar!

Tim

Taiwanimation · Post by **Taiwanimation** » Sun Oct 06, 2002 10:38 pm

Do sites go down when they are being updated? I don't think i had this problem with mine though.

Nick Sacco · Post by **Nick Sacco** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 4:18 am

Site still won't work. How odd.

Odd1 · Post by **Odd1** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 5:48 am

I managed to catch your site while it's working

I feel so special.

What you did with the navigation trick is very cool looking! But since you're using the same navigation graphics on both your dailytemplate and your indextemplate, where's the advantage?

As for your comic, I have some comments if you want them. First of all, the font size you're using for the dialogue is VERY large. Also, Comic Sans isn't the most original font to be using. You might consider downloading a free comic font from http://www.blambot.com.

Also, your comic doesn't seem to have much is the way of background. In the first strip it was nighttime, but after that you left out the starry night sky completely... Also there's nothing to illustrate the sand. Maybe a piece of washed up sea weed? A few shells? A starfish? Some texuring dots?

I think you're on the right track though! Keep it up.

Odd1 · Post by **Odd1** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 5:49 am

I was paging through the archive some more and suddenly it stopped working

now the main page isn't loading either. Sheesh.

JTPokie · Post by **JTPokie** » Mon Oct 07, 2002 7:08 am

Hey Odd1,

I've downloaded newe fonts for my comic... and i'm still fine tuning the font size...

The advantage, for me, of my button trick, is that the palm leaf and coconut graphic beneath the comic is a nav bar as well...

But that is just how i'm using it. posabilities are endless...

Tim

Smoot · Post by **Smoot** » Wed Oct 09, 2002 5:23 am

that's clever and all, but isn't it just a lot easier to put the tag in the appropriate cell and just leave them as normal images in your image folder rather then making them background images for the table and making it harder for yourself to see what's going on in your coding? there aren't size restrictions on the buttons that i don't know about are there?

JTPokie · Post by **JTPokie** » Wed Oct 09, 2002 7:08 am

Smoot..

The idea behind my tip is not to just have the words "next day" as the button, or just to be restricted to one image, one size, as the button/link.

understand?

If you want the generic default nav buttons/links more power to ya!

My Tip is for those that want the flexability of having whatever image they want, whatever size they want, and as many different images as they want (on different pages for example), as their nav buttons/links.

Get it?

Tim

Smoot · Post by **Smoot** » Wed Oct 09, 2002 9:29 pm

ooooooooooh, okay! i get you now!

thanks!
i'm sure if i knew this before i started designing everything then the layout of my page would be different. but after all that effort of understanding automated keenspace, it just makes me cringe if i think about changing it all over again ^_^;;
clever trick though. kudos.

Taiwanimation · Post by **Taiwanimation** » Fri Oct 11, 2002 6:59 pm

We ought to be able to make our own tags. The ***include bloobloobloo.html*** tag can only be used once per page (though it can be nested- perhaps even recursively, but don't try that one!)

Seven3 · Post by **Seven3** » Sat Oct 12, 2002 11:45 am

I'd got around that problem before using javascript (I didn't know the ***xxxx_day*** tags could be used more than once,) by slicing the dates out and and using them wherever. But this is nice, simple, and probably more compatible with older brower. Nice.

Nick Sacco · Post by **Nick Sacco** » Sat Oct 12, 2002 12:59 pm

And I STILL cannot access GeckoNation.

Seven3 · Post by **Seven3** » Sun Oct 13, 2002 6:57 pm

Well Nick, normally I'd try to help you by asking you your browser type and version and what error messages you're getting, but you see there's this conspiracy against you (and only you) from being able to see this site and... um... no, wait, it really is a browser issue, honest!

Ah, forget everything I just said.

That includes this, OK.

Er, um, I've got to go now, I think someone's here to see me. eep.

* click *

Comic Genesis Forums

Ultamate Navigation Button trick!

Ultamate Navigation Button trick!

Yay!

;)