Can't see photograph when previewing/stretchy page

[SteveP]

Hi All

I've been away from Xara for a while, but returned to see the recently launched Web Designer 9. I like it!

I've been experimenting with the features using the 64 bit trial version. All is working fine except TWO things that I can't seem to get my head around

1. Photos placed in my web-design don't show when I preview the web-site. Am I doing something wrong? I'm adding the photos from the gallery of (few) samples

2. Stretchy header panel - I want to create a website where the header panel (the part that contains the menus, date, website name etc) on all pages expands to fill the width of the browser window. I thought it was a simple matter of adding a rectangle and then choosing 'position on page' and then 'stretch with page'. I've tried this but the header is the same width as the page - and when I expand or contract the browser, the header does NOT grow or shrink. Have I misunderstood the function.

I've attached the WD9 file, if that helps someone work out what I'm trying to do

[Acorn]

Move the photo on your Cars page to the MouseOff layer.

It is stretchy when you alter the button headings - your menubar is a collection of stretchy buttons.
To make it fit the width of the page you would need to scale it up or alter the size of the font on the buttons or increase the spacing between buttons.

Acorn

[GerryI]

It sounds more like you want a header panel to continue to the left and right of the "page" filling the width of the browser window. If this is the case then try drawing a rectangle of the same colour as the header panel on the pasteboard background layer, making it extend a bit beyond the left and right edges of the page, and then using the "right click menu" option to make the background object fill the browser width. There have been lots of usability improvements in the area of webpage backgrounds in WD9, I suggest you check out Gary Priester's "first look" review at http://xaraxone.magix.net/XWD9/index.htm and then check out the WD9 help file (and also search in this forum for background related topics as there have been a few since the launch).

Gerry

[SteveP]

Thanks Acorn, thanks Gerry - I'll follow your suggestions and report back.

Cheers

Steve

[SteveP]

Thanks again for your help Acorn. Putting the pic on the MouseOff layer did the trick.

So, what's the significance of that layer? Should I always put stuff there?

Cheers

Steve

[SteveP]

Hi again Gerry

Thanks again for your help with my 'stretchy' question. your suggestion worked perfectly (but why does the black rectangle sit BEHIND everything else? Even using the' arrange' - 'bring to front' doesn't make it sit in front of my purple page.

I guess I got a bit confused between the functions: 'fill browser width' and 'stretch with page'.

Cheers for the intro link

Steve

[Acorn]

Thanks again for your help Acorn. Putting the pic on the MouseOff layer did the trick.

So, what's the significance of that layer? Should I always put stuff there?

Cheers

Steve

You have a visible layer that always shows everything on it, MouseOff.
You can then soft group items (linked over different layers), MouseOff and MouseOver, so that when they have a linkover or mouseover event, the item on the MouseOver layer is shown.
This is how you get buttons to change as you move over then.

The items soft grouped do not have to be the same and you can invoke whole layers of things on a click, e.g., designing a large tabbed area.

Acorn