Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
I agree with the two of you.
If you want to use Xara Web Designer as a production tool (for realtively simple websites), and you don't want creation/maintenance nightmares, then seriously consider keeping everything on the MouseOff and MouseOver layers. Whatever you might place on the [multi-level]dropdown menus, consider putting on a secondary system, as a left-hand column menu. I'll have to work up an example.
While it has been challenging and enlightening learning this layering system, it representa way too much work for the Xara Web Designer's target market.
Perhaps tomorrow I'll construct an alternative navigation system (equal in fuction to what has already been constructed) that only involves the MouseOff and MouseOver layers (substantially simplifying web page creation).
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Certainly, third-level menus are not worth it. The proceedure delineated in post #18 would have to be duplicated for each and every 3rd level mini-menu strain. :eek:
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Hi,
I agree with Paul theat many menus on a website I leave the site fast...if not faster..than fast..
Jim
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Wow! That's a nicely detailed tutorial. I cannot wait till I get it in PDF or better yet in a detailed video. Bravo!
I do think however, that this illustrates the point suzzie1234 orginally made about there being so many steps. It is easy to get lost or frustrated when learning all this stuff. Personally, I still have alot of troubles when it comes to changing the text in the buttons. It is getting better now, but sometimes I still get lost.
I will continue learning it though. It is still easier for me to create with XWD than to take my XWD art and turn it into some sort of hand coded navbar.
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Quote:
Originally Posted by
robobugs
I do think however, that this illustrates the point suzzie1234 orginally made about there being so many steps.
Quite right, but this is a really old-fasioned way to navigate and you'll struggle to find any major website using menus like that - for good reason.
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Great job, Curtis. You must now have a complete grasp of layers and multi-level menus!
I hope that upcoming versions of XWD and Xtreme will contain the right (easy) tools to add levels to a menu. Despite the fact that multi-level menus have become less popular, there is still a need/use for them and sometimes they are preferable over a secondary menu (e.g., in the case of only two or three links).
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Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
You can have the similar access to a multi-page website, but without the complexity of popup layers (each with their own rollover layers). The attached example has the same eight top level buttons, and there is the same number of sub choices. In this case, however, only the MouseOff and MouseOver layers are used for navigation ... MUCH simpler.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pauland
but this is a really old-fasioned way to navigate and you'll struggle to find any major website using menus like that.
What formats are currently recognized as modern/evolved and efficient, Paul (or anyone else, for that matter).
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Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cursor
You can have the similar access to a multi-page website, but without the complexity of popup layers (each with their own rollover layers). The attached example has the same eight top level buttons, and there is the same number of sub choices. In this case, however, only the MouseOff and MouseOver layers are used for navigation ... MUCH simpler.
What formats are currently recognized as modern/evolved and efficient, Paul (or anyone else, for that matter).
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A common approach is to have a button bar with secondary choices that may appear horizontally under it or vertically on the left. It's possible to extend this to a third level with the left hand vertical buttons.
If you need to go deeper, then think carefully about the organisation.
As with all things, there's no guidelines that can't be broken. The really innovative sites turn this stuff on it's head.
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
Lots of people are complaining that this is much too much work ........ What are the alternatives? Do any of the standard web packages have a feature to simplify this? I'm asking because I have never seen any package that can create these complex drop down menu's on the fly, especially since the end users will probably need custom colours.
Re: Leaving XWD Because of Immense Frustration
With respect to improved implementation of navbars, note that covoxer (in April) indicated that "we are planing to add this feature in the following version." reference
I'm not sure when that will be, however.