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  1. #1
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    Oct 2016
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    Default Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    I have just created my first website with Xara web designer premium. I based it on the free template that came with the trial version although I am now using the paid-for version.
    I noticed that the mobile version of the site has a site menu button that works by hovering rather than clicking. This seems a bit strange to me since smartphones are touch screen devices and hovering doesn't work on them. On my own phone a short press doesn't work and a long press brings up the phone's contextual right click menu. Admittedly, if I close that menu the site menu is open underneath it but I don't find this very user friendly.
    I would like to create a menu button for the mobile version of the site, which when clicked, opens the full menu. I have tried to do this by creating a new layer above the mouse-over layer called popup. However, whatever I try, Xara won't let me put a nav bar on this layer, it always defaults and pastes to the Mouse off layer.
    So then, having read a bit more, I thought maybe I could undo the soft group that the nav bar actually is, and move the bit currently on the mouse-over layer on to the popup layer. But it won't let me do that either.

    I would be very grateful if somebody could tell me the simplest way to create a menu which opens when a single button is clicked on a mobile device. Surely this must be possible?
    As an aside, I wonder why this isn't the default design for a mobile nav bar/button?

    If you want to check out the site in question, it is here: http://hornerartstudio.com

    Thank you in anticipation.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Your Post was in moderation as you are not allowed to Post an external site until you've posted a few more times.
    I released this one as it is a link to a Xara-design site.

    Acorn
    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  4. #4
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    SW England
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Acorn - installed Xara software: Cloud+/Pro+ and most others back through time (to CC's Artworks). Contact for technical remediation/consultancy for your web designs.
    When we provide assistance, your responses are valuable as they benefit the community. TG Nuggets you might like. Report faults: Xara Cloud+/Pro+/Magix Legacy; Xara KB & Chat

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
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    13

    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Hello Acorn, sorry about that. I'm used to threads where if you have a problem with a particular site, the immediate response is "post a link so we can see what you mean".

    I've looked at the links you provided, but they seem to be suggesting the exact same situation I have at the moment.

    After I created the original post, I discovered that the soft group of the nav bar is actually about 3 layers deep and if you ungroup them all, you can then move the bottom one. (I'm using the term "layers" generically here not refering to the layers in the website). I haven't taken this any further yet because I was waiting to see if I got any suggestions from here.

    In the meantime however, I have tested the site on an android phone (my own phone is a windows phone) and the button seems to work just fine, so maybe I should stop worrying about it.

    Thanks for your time, but if anybody else has any other suggestions, I'm all ears.

    Kind regards.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Placitas, New Mexico, USA
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Here is an example of a sample site I did where the drop down menus are on individual layers http://gwpriester.com/menu-test/

    I created my own buttons instead of using a pre-built nav bar. It requires more effort but the result in my opinion is well worth it.

    Each layer can have it's own MouseOver layer, but you need to distinguish it with a number so MouseOver-1, MouseOver-2 etc.

    MouseOver-2
    Menu-2
    MouseOver-1
    Menu-1
    MouseOver
    MouseOff

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Quote Originally Posted by gwpriester View Post
    Here is an example of a sample site I did where the drop down menus are on individual layers http://gwpriester.com/menu-test/

    I created my own buttons instead of using a pre-built nav bar. It requires more effort but the result in my opinion is well worth it.

    Each layer can have it's own MouseOver layer, but you need to distinguish it with a number so MouseOver-1, MouseOver-2 etc.

    MouseOver-2
    Menu-2
    MouseOver-1
    Menu-1
    MouseOver
    MouseOff
    GW, Thank you for the effort you have taken here, but the site on the link you provided doesn't seem to have a mobile version and it's the mobile version I'm concerned with.
    As you know, there's no such thing as a mouse-over on a touch screen, so neither your buttons, nor the mobile nav button provided in the free template work properly on a Windows phone.
    What I would like to provide is a button on the mobile site, which when tapped, opens the drop-down menu. I find I have to long press the button, which has the disadvantage of also opening the phone's contextual menu - i.e. open in new tab; copy link etc etc.
    As mentioned in my last post above, I have tested the site on an android phone too and it seems to work on that when the button is tapped, but not on a Windows phone. (I could have a minor rant here about how Windows phone users are widely discriminated against but I'll avoid the temptation).

    I have been playing a little bit with the Xara software, and contrary to what I said in my last post, I can't actually dismantle a ready made nav bar into its component parts - the soft grouping won't all ungroup. However I have done it with a button, moved the part of the button on the mouse-over layer onto a new layer; re-assembled the button and turned it into a nav bar. Finally I made the button on the mouse-off layer link to the new layer in the hope that I would now have to tap the button to get the menu to open. Although I haven't uploaded it and therefore haven't tested it on a phone; I have tested it on my PC with a narrow browser window and it still opens the menu on hover rather than on click. I find this quite frustrating!....

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Ah, my bad. I did not understand your question.

    I had a Windows phone for a few years. I wanted to be supportive. But for whatever reasons, the Windows phones never went over as well as the Androids even though they have good features.

    I still think you can build your menu with layers. I used a menu layer to build a menu for my site www.gwpriester.com. I'd be curious if the buttons work on the Windows phone.

    I think it should be possible to link to layers to create the effect of a drop down or pop up menu. Have you tried this?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
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    13

    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    Hello Gary, I looked at your site on the Windows phone, the menu drops down just fine, but the links on the menu don't work. Seems weird, I assume these are just simple links? I found the same thing happened with a site I looked at in a thread that Acorn sent me to above. The site was for Shutterqueen (daren't post a link in case I get into trouble again). The person who created that site had built his/her own "menu" on a pop-up layer just using graphics and simple links. The main menu button on the mouse off layer linked to the layer the menu was on. Again, the menu appeared on tapping the button but most of the links wouldn't work. Even more strangely, there was usually one link on each page that would work, so you could sort of find your way around the site by limping from page to page.
    No idea if there is a solution to this or whether I should raise the Windows phone issue with Support. I know Windows phones aren't a huge proportion of the market, but I'm sure I read somewhere recently that in some countries they have as much of the market as Apple and nobody would dream of designing something that wouldn't work on an i-phone/i-pad.

    I have just revisited the above mentioned thread and I see there have been some more posts which I need to work my way through. If you are interested the thread is here http://www.talkgraphics.com/showthre...266#post563266

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Why can't I put a nav bar on a pop up layer?

    The links work OK on my iPhone 6s but it is not easy. You have to tap them with just the right amount of pressure.

 

 

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