Fireworks??

[roman]

I've currently dicovered hierarchical drop down menu working in IE and NN. Not in opera. hierarchical dhtml drop down menu

My brother digged out some software generating such menus claiming to work in all 3 browsers, but it's shareware without export to real code untill you buy it.

[rheaton]

When I was doing some interface design, I evaluated several java menu creators. The best tool for making, quick, eaasy to edit Java Applet Menus I found was a little app called 1 cool Button Tool. And it is. Small, fast, efficient. (Sound like something else?) $29 and you can get a trial copy here: http://www.buttontool.com/

Check out the samples. Particularly the "Drag and Drop" one featuring Mike Tyson. Very creative as well as hilarious. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[James Loudon]

I've been using Fireworks since V2. I now have V3 and it loads quickly and is very useful. Havn't found the need to upgrade to V4. Fireworks 4 makes drop down and flyout menus a breeze, but with a bit of work, Dreamweaver and GoLive will do that for you. FW3 is a superb tool for image optimisation and batch processing. I find that it's easier to make complex rollovers with FW than it is with Xara or Image Ready. Plus if you use Dreamweaver, it integrates nicely with it. As does Xara. Well worth having IMHO. But its just a tool. Like the Real Draw thread - use what works best for you.

[stlewis]

- Dreamweaver and Fireworks, as I'm a find-some-code-and-tweak-programmer. I am happy with Fireworks 4's menus. 4 (but check the earlier versions)has some neat wizards for popups - you can choose colours, gradients, font characteristics etc, and generate from that. They are editable so you can add or change at will.

As said elsewhere, it can co-exist with Xara - they are different beasties. However, would I buy it if I didn't need Dreamweaver? No. I don't need it enough, personally.

www.thelondonhouse.co.uk

[lucx]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> DHTML is not for me till everyone agrees on standards <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you´re worried about compatibility, you may re-consider using Java. Java roll-overs may work with current browsers (which install java by default) but Windows XP will not have Java pre-installed
(link). People on modem connections may be hesitant to bother with the 5MB download (7 Mb for Opera).

[Oscar]

I am sorry that people here started comparing Xara and Fireworks.
I had an impression that you are asking about Fireworks in general not in comparison with Xara or something else.
Sure I guess you can do all that in Xara, I just use for web Fireworks since it beter sits in my hand for that task (however it is being more expensive tan Xara), hope it isn't a sin :-)

[ivivi]

Thanks all for the great input.
Brian, your tutorial is awesome. But while I am awed, it takes you ten long pages (or is it steps -- I stopped counting after step 3) to explain how to do it. I came to Xara to get away from long complicated workarounds and too many clicks.
I'm looking for an app that brings XX like simplicity to free form drop downs.
The Ulead stuff looks really nice, but it seems a bit formulaic. I mean does it allow to to go free-form like the Talkgraphics entry menu??
Also, their pop-up windows with examples seemed to take a long time to load --- maybe its just my slow connection on the island? Have you actually used them on sites?
But the best so far thanks.
Dmagician that stuff looks powerful but complicated to me.
I'm just a crossover designer who likes to make websites and I don't want to scramble my head with too much code if I can help it. Too much stress when things go wrong.
Ric thanks for the tip, but I'm unable to raise the CoolButton site --- just get a "The page cannot be displayed" --- is it my ISP or are they down?
[I also can't raise Adobe.com, but thought the Russians had probably taken it down??]
Simon & James -- thanks for your good input. Have you guys checked out the Ulead Menu Applet?
Seems it might be easier to learn as I have no MM experience? Your thoughts welcomed.
Alex --> personally I think that Gates is an a**hole. Firstly, I really wonder if anyone is going to put up with his gestapo-like registration system for this new XP. I'm happy with my Win98SE and have no intentiaon of moving to XP unless I'm dragged kicking & screaming to it.
His track record is to provide too-buggy OS releases that achieve little but forcing you buy faster processors & more memory.
Secondly, if Gates thinks he can stop the Java tide then maybe he is starting to believe himself more God than Man. Someone offers me a browser without Java its like offering me a car with one wheel missing. Would I buy it --- no thanks. Put the other wheel on and maybe I'll have a look.
It really amuses me that he thinks he can kill off Java simply by refusing to put it in his next OS.
Hey Oscar --- no need to apologise. It's all so friendly & positive on this forum, I've been waiting for some of that good old human agression to slip out --- till recently it's been confined to attacking pretty much anything that's not XX.
It's good to get it out --- maybe less time in front of the screen and more time in the gym boxing and then we could be polite all the time??!

Thanks all so far.

So who knows how the TalkGraphics entry menu was done??

Bill

Stuck in a tropical island paradise!

[Erik Heyninck]

if I interpreted the code correctly.

That is one of the advantages of the Opera browser: you can take a peep at the code of the page, even if it is a frames page.

About XP: I think that as long as the operating system you use does the job, there is no need to change. I am shure that, generally speaking, 2000 is more stable than 98SE, but all my software works well with 98SE, except for XaraX that often has its fits of hysteria, and I have some software that can't work under 2K, so why change?

About the initial question: when you make websites, you will finally return to the source, and that is learn the basics of HTML and more. Believe me: it gives you lots of self-confidence, and it is NOT difficult to learn. You may want to take a look at:


http://www.w3schools.com

interactive learning of HTML, Javascript et all, and for free.

I have and use and like Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Flash, and they do their job. But knowing what *should* be there in the code and seeing what *is*, makes it clear that Macromedia adds unnecessary items. Look at the code, and you'll find "MM" everywhere.

Slicing I prefer doing by hand as I've got a Japanese Katana [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] , I mean: make the selections, write down the sizes, make a table in html and insert the slices in the cells. But then, I seldom work under deadline pressure as hours don't count for me. (I don't care to work for 14 hours a day, but hate being under pressure for five minutes)

Compare it with a car: some people prefer automatic gear, some don't. Luckily we can still choose between the two.

If you don't work against time, time often works for you.

[roman]

I also started my career with wysiyg and ended in text editor, it acutally lasted 5 years until I've realised that. I was studying at university so I didn't work on webdesign fulltime.

Sure now I'm feel very very comfortable as I don't need to ask my brother to optimise my code or remove the things I don't understand causing that page which displays good in IE looks bad in NN...

[rheaton]

"Ric thanks for the tip, but I'm unable to raise the CoolButton site --- just get a "The page cannot be displayed" --- is it my ISP or are they down?" - Bill, I just clicked the URL and loaded the page. Maybe they had the server offline because of the Red Worm scare. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Ric