How do I automatically position my footer at the bottom of each page in XWD 6

[jgt1942]

I'm considering converting my 100+ page site using XWD 6 from Dreamweaver. Currently the footer is a PHP include and automatically floats up and down depending on the length of the page, see http://precisionmarbleinc.com/. As I under stand XWD the pages are static once they are created. I had planned on making the footer a repeating block of text on all of the pages (this would ensure that if I change the footer the change would be automatically applied to each page). However I don't know how to allow the footer to float if the pages are different lengths. Is there a way to do this? If so how (detail instructions, please)?

[jgt1942]

I just found the Tweak Set and it has something called "Dynamic page" and "Sticky footer" but the description leaves me TOTALLY confused. Is there a flash demo of this that I can watch? Or do better instruction exist?

[bjornkn]

AFAIK you should be able to keep a footer section attached to the bottom of your pages by using the standard "Repeat on all pages".
All objects above the mioddle will be positioned relative to the top pf the page, and all below the middle should psoition relative to the bottom edge, which takes care of pages of varying length.

[jgt1942]

AFAIK you should be able to keep a footer section attached to the bottom of your pages by using the standard "Repeat on all pages".
All objects above the mioddle will be positioned relative to the top pf the page, and all below the middle should psoition relative to the bottom edge, which takes care of pages of varying length.

This does not work for me. Either I'm doing something wrong (highly likely) or it just does not work. See http://precisionmarbleinc.com/test.htm at the footer.
In XWD I added the footer to this page (it looks OK), I repeated it on all pages (it is NOT at the bottom of each page, I had to manually move it to the correct postion). I published the page and the text on the website is going beyond the right boundry on all of the pages, see
http://precisionmarbleinc.com/test.htm
http://precisionmarbleinc.com/produc...ent-strips.htm
http://precisionmarbleinc.com/about.htm

Again I had to position it vertically but I did not change the width of the text box and in XWD it looks good but on the website it is consistantly bad on all pages.

[jgt1942]

OK I think I found the solution. I made the text box width narrower by about 7 pixels. Now it replicates on all pages at the bottom of the page and on the website the text is on the page but further to the right by about 12 pixels then it is in XWD 6.

I suspect this is a bug in XWD 6. I also suspect this might be the solution to the replicating issue I previously ask about.
Thanks for your help.

[zaphodeist]

How are you "narrowing" the text box? Do you mean the text area? It should be done with the text tool not the selector tool

[a_tranter]

... I had planned on making the footer a repeating block of text on all of the pages (this would ensure that if I change the footer the change would be automatically applied to each page). However I don't know how to allow the footer to float if the pages are different lengths. Is there a way to do this? If so how (detail instructions, please)?

My technique:
1. Create a footer on one page - position it on the page exactly as required (must be in the bottom half)
2. Make it repeat on all pages (pages can be any length - repeating objects in the bottom half of a page are positioned relative to the bottom of the page)
3. When you make a page shorter/longer don't bother dragging the footer up or down just go to another page, click on the footer and then use Arrange>Update repeating objects - the footer on the edited page should update to the correct position.

Top tips:
- Don't place the 'footer' on the background page - this should contain a rectangle only. Ideally this should be the background for your text as this page is stretched automatically with the page. Some of the website templates are poorly designed so the text background doesn't stretch with the background!
- It is very easy to accidentally move the background page or accidentally drag the page origin to a new position. I use all pages with the origin set to top left as it's easiest to reset - to do this turn on rulers and right click in the top left corner.
- Lock the background page layer to avoid selecting it.
- Create a blank 'master' page which you copy to create new pages. This should have the mouse off layer selected (so any typing/pasting goes on the correct layer!) and the background layer locked.

[gwpriester]

I use a very archaic method, I have a spacer that fits over my buttons at the bottom of the page. The top part of the spacer touches the last line of text and the bottom part of the spacer determines the space between the buttons and the bottom edge of the page. It would be nice to have this be automatic. Hmm? You just never know.

[a_tranter]

I use a very archaic method, I have a spacer that fits over my buttons at the bottom of the page. The top part of the spacer touches the last line of text and the bottom part of the spacer determines the space between the buttons and the bottom edge of the page. It would be nice to have this be automatic. Hmm? You just never know.

If they are the same on every page then my technique works:
Make the spacer and buttons a soft group then make them repeat on every page. Whenever you adjust a page length just go to the next or previous page, select the footer soft-group and use Arrange>update repeating objects - the footer on the edited page will move to the correct place.

NB. If you already have a footer (manually pasted) on every page this does involve deleting all except the master copy first!

Here is a website I manage, which I have just converted to Xara WD6, with a footer : flsso.org.uk
The entire footer here has no mouse-over effects so I simply grouped it (rather than soft-grouped it).