Button, button ...

[Ken Anderson]

I've been working on a fairly simple site with a row of nav buttons across the top, but I've done something to screw up the functionality. I'm attaching the .WEB file hoping someone can help me get this working properly.

Although the MouseOff and MouseOver layers should have the buttons directly on top of each other, I've moved the MouseOver layer (yellow text) down a bit so I can better see both sets of buttons.

Problem on MouseOff layer ...

The buttons respond to the mouse, showing the little hand with pointing finger, but the TEXT on the buttons is not responding. I've tried grouping, soft grouping, and no group ... same result. I need the text to be part of the button. I started with a template, but removed text from the buttons, so I could work on placement for client approval, figuring I'd go back and add the text later. Maybe that was a mistake.

Problem on MouseOver layer ...

The text on the MouseOver layer shows when I'm in design mode, but it disappears on preview. I've looked to see if it's a layering issue, i.e. move text to front, but that doesn't seem to solve it.

When finished, I want the MouseOver state to "flip" the lighting from the top of the button to the bottom (that's working), and the text to change from white to yellow.

Thanks in advance to the folks who help steer me in the right direction with this website.

[cursor]

First, all of your MouseOff elements have no Web Properties > Link assigned. A link MUST be assigned if the button elements are to sport a rollover behavior.

Second, you've soft grouped all of your MouseOff componets together ("16 objexts (Soft Group) on layer MouseOff"), but haven't addressed those on the MouseOver layer.

Third, you've soft grouped all of your MouseOver components together ("16 objexts (Soft Group) on layer MouseOver") but haven't addressed thos on the MouseOff layer.

[cursor]

Upon further review, I see that you do have some links assigned, but you only have them assigned to the background rectangle (on both the MouseOff and MouseOver layers). Instead, consider this:

• Make MouseOff graphic, then add text, then Group the two elements.
• Clone the group, the move the clone to the MouseOver layer.
• Marquee-select the two groups on two layers (check the status line), then 'Apply soft group'.
• Change your text.
• Assign a link.
• Preview your functioning button.
• Duplicate buttons as required.
• Edit the button labels as desired.

[cursor]

I've repaired your first button. Take a good comparative look. If you like, you can simply duplicate the functioning button across, replacing the others. Then, of course, change the text elements and the applied links. Note that since the Home button is properly soft-grouped, you'll only have to change the text on one of the two layers, and the other layer will be changed automatically.

[Ken Anderson]

Thank you! I think I just kept digging deeper and deeper ... I'd started work on this quite some time ago, and had apparently deleted the MouseOver layer, so was trying to rebuild it, and getting lost in the groupings.

Thanks! I'll have a go at it this evening. Perversely, I learn more when I have a challenge ... XWD is so easy that if you pretty much stick with the templates, they just work ... it's in recovering from a botch that I learn how things fit together.