Background resize

**gracehjs** · 22 April 2010, 11:06 PM

I started my web site using the beta theme and it has rectangles at the top and bottom. I am foreever changing the size of my pages and each time I have to fiddle with the bottom rectangle and the rectangle that overlays the background.
So, with the new features of WD6 I thought I could simplify this. I made the background a rounded rectangle and created a fill with that was dark at the top and bottom. It looked like it would work perfectly, but resizing the page does not resize the rectangle, so that did not work. Any suggestions?
My web site is gracehjs.com and attached it what I tried to do. Note that resizing the rectangle works fine, but not resizing the page.
Thanks

**steve.ledger** · 22 April 2010, 11:24 PM

Originally Posted by gracehjs

I made the background a rounded rectangle and created a fill with that was dark at the top and bottom. It looked like it would work perfectly, but resizing the page does not resize the rectangle, so that did not work. Any suggestions?

Works fine here Grace.

Here's what I did on a test page:
[1] dragged a colour on to the page area
[2] unlocked the page background layer
[3] applied a linear fill
[4] locked the page background again
[5] resized the page manually or via the Utilities>>Options>>page [tab]

**gracehjs** · 23 April 2010, 12:34 AM

But my fancy complex fill disappears from the bottom when I do that.

**steve.ledger** · 23 April 2010, 12:48 AM

Unlock the page background and re adjust the fill handle Grace.

**gracehjs** · 23 April 2010, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by sledger

Unlock the page background and re adjust the fill handle Grace.

Ah but thats what I did not want to do. If I resize the rectangle it works as I expected, but when I resize the page it does not resize the rectangle, it just loses part of it.

**steve.ledger** · 23 April 2010, 01:39 AM

Ah but thats what I did not want to do.

The page layer is a new special layer which did not exist as an unlockable/editable one in WD5.
I expect there are some unique technical reasons why it doesn't work quite the same as a normal filled rectangle as you want. Perhaps you could mention your preference as feature request in the Dear Xara Web Designer.. fourm?

**gracehjs** · 23 April 2010, 04:29 PM

Thanks, having slept on it I think I can live with it this way. I just need to resize the rectangle before the page size.

**jpdp** · 25 August 2010, 10:44 PM

Doesn't static page widths seem a bit old fashioned and limiting?
Have a look at point 9 on the page of Top 10 Web Design Mistakes.
I would have to agree that having a fixed width allows you to control just the way the page looks, but when I have a 24" monitor and I see a narrow 900px wide screen, it is a bit frustrating.

**steve.ledger** · 25 August 2010, 11:44 PM

Originally Posted by jpdp

Doesn't static page widths seem a bit old fashioned and limiting?

Not at all - quite the opposite infarct. Web2 sites are all static. Big corporate sites have been going this way for some time.
Look at blogs, they aren't old fashioned by any means.

Originally Posted by jpdp

Have a look at point 9 on the page of Top 10 Web Design Mistakes.

Isn't that site a bit old now? (by the way, it's also 'static' width design

)

Originally Posted by jpdp

I would have to agree that having a fixed width allows you to control just the way the page looks, but when I have a 24" monitor and I see a narrow 900px wide screen, it is a bit frustrating.

24" + monitors are mean't for displaying more than one window of content are they?
For example. I can have a browser window open, a Xara application and an instant messenger while still seeing the desktop clock and so on. Space isn't for filling with one thing is it???