Clickable images

[Trev501]

Hi All, sorry for the ambiguous title but I am not sure of the correct terminology for what I want to do. Basically, my need is to be able to click anywhere on an image (picture or diagram) and be able to open a separate file dependent upon where i have clicked. For example, if the image is a plan photograph of an engineering site, say a waterworks, then I would like to be able to mouse over an area of the site and click to take me on to further information which may be a menu of options or another file.

Having looked through the info I have I guess this may make use of layers but I have been unable to see quite how it would be done. Is it possible, and if so, can someone give me a pointer or two please?

Many thanks,
Trev

[Spinny]

Could you put shapes over the clickable areas with no fill or line color, and link those shapes to the appropriate URL? You could probably even have pop-ups with labels and/or info when people moused over them.

[gwpriester]

Spinny is correct Trev. Basically you are creating a hot spot. It is a very simple solution to what you are trying to accomplish.

[Trev501]

Thanks guys I'll try again. I really needed confirmation that what I was trying to do was achievable and you have given me that. I'll let you know if/when I'm successful :-) Thanks again, Trev

[Spinny]

Here's a sample. The main page has a world map where five major continent areas are clickable and each takes you to a specific page. I did it in Xara Xtreme Pro 5, which doesn't appear to have a "save as .web" setting so hopefully you can open it.

[Trev501]

Thanks Spinny thats exactly what I want to do. The trouble is, I can't see how you did it! I do need to export to preview to see the effect, but when in 'edit' mode for want of a better word, I can't see how the invisible rectangles/shapes have been produced.
My apologies if I sound like an idiot :-) but I am tearing my hair out over what is probably something staring me in the face! I'm using the Magix version of Xtreme Web Designer 5 by the way. Thanks again, Trev

[Spinny]

Trev, when you select an object you can then go down to the color bar across the bottom of the screen and click a color swatch to make the object's fill that color. One of the swatches is "no color." Likewise you can right-click the swatch and it will let you set the line color.

Just set up your map like you want, and once everything is linked up and working to your satisfaction you go back and de-color all the objects you've linked. You can still select "invisible" objects by dragging a selection marquee around where you know them to be.

[Trev501]

Thanks Spinny, I'm getting there albeit slowly! I have managed to create my own clickable area and link it to another page satisfactorily. I also managed to make it transparent. I have some difficulty though in locating the transparent objects on screen. I have tried dragging the selection marker (I have to hold shift else the map is dragged off the page) This just produces a small dot at the top left corner of each transparent object. I have been unable to select any of the objects using this though.

The only way I succeeded was by using the 'set view quality' slider at the top of the page. Reducing this to zero removes the map but leaves the rectangles visible I can however now select the object and when I return the slider back to its original position the selection (dots at each corner and side)remains visible. A bit ungainly but it works; there must be an easier way though?
Thanks again, Trev

[Spinny]

I would make my life easier and not make the click areas transparent until the very, very last thing, after they're all set up and tested and working perfectly.

[Spinny]

Another life-easing thing would be to lock the background map so it can't be selected. I'm not sure whether (or how) you could do that in WD, but you could check the help files to see.