Graphical Menu Editor...

A Windows application for making menus
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Ruth
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Post by Ruth »

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I got it up. I made some changes. After making changes on the colors I finally decided I like them better on one page. So, I put them on one page, but put headers between the background/font colors and the border/separator colors.

The headerborder doesn't work. I put a note in the main layer about that.

I don't think the save data works either, I changed some colors and then tried the save data and view data and there was no change.

I tried to get margin to work, and I just can't figure out how to do that, same with openstyle, and menuwidth. I had them working in the other version, but can't get it working in this one. I wanted the menuwidth, the % menuwidth so that the menualign could be used. It can only be used with a menuwidth set to a percentage. In fact, it may only work in other than IE if the width is set to 100%, I haven't check.

All these files are the same name as yours so you probably don't want to download them over the top of yours.

Ruth
Last edited by Ruth on Fri Sep 30, 2005 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by ywfbi »

view data... Im gonna focus on the options and layout tonight.

As for now Im gonna leave the write to file part out (I'll leave the code in there if I choose to implement that later. Gonna have to think about that some more, will look into another cross browser compatable alternative.

I like the buttons on the top right of each page that works well, sorry but I dont like the color scheme, was thinking it should be more inline with the milonic site color scheme.
I would prefer that there was no scrolling on each page (at 1024 at least), well except the output data, I think you were really on track with seperating the colors onto 2 pages, but I love the banners you have put above each color group.
I dont think design area needs its own page, that should be incorporated into menu options, its just too empty by itself.

I just trimmed 28k off the index.htm, main.js is next for the axe!! 8) Load time is looking much better already! 5 seconds less already!
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Post by Ruth »

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Here you go. I was working on one colored like the demos. I can't find where to color the buttons on the image page.

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Last edited by Ruth on Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by ywfbi »

here is a table data entry from the image page....

Code: Select all

<td>
		<div class="maskclass"><input type="text" ID="onbgimage" .......></div>
		<input type="file" ID="Bonbgimage" .........>
	</td>
Due to security measures we cannot directly edit the file input field.
Thats why I put the "<div class="maskclass"><input type="text" in there, basically the file input field is hidden behind the layer onbgimage.
This enables me to change the file when I want to remove the path, or add the containing folder. To edit the button in theory you would add tags to the "<input type="file" ID="xxxx". That is the browse button. Off all inputs the browse seems to be the least flexable, let me know how you go.
look at this for help.
I'm having the night off, been hard at it for a while, Im gonna sit back and watch a movie, and let the brain just simmer for a change 8O
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Post by Ruth »

Hope you had a nice night off and a good movie :)

I did a new page. I prefer this color, it is the same as what is downloaded in the sample, so they see the same menu they got originally as to color. It is muted, but that means the color changes made will really stand out.

Pretty much everything is working. There's a note on the page about what isn't. I got menuwidth to work, which means menu align also works now, so they can set 100% menus. I took out screenposition. It was only working sometimes.

[Links removed no longer available]

EDIT: Forgot to say I decided not to do the buttons. There seems to be a lot involved, which means more code, so instead I left them all the default color except the top ones on each layer.

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Post by ywfbi »

Hello, yah movie night was great! Needed a break been working on this evrey night after work for quite a while now, well pretty much every night, I get distracted easily ;)
Menualign wont center, but hey I how much goes into this, dont worry I'll fix it up. Also I'll do the seperators, Tell ya what give me about a week to get these last thngs working and incorporate changes from each togeather since I've done alot of work since the version you've eddited.
All up theres about a dozen things that need work
Im gonna try and stay on track and stop adding extra do-dads, instead get everything working that we've got so far ;)
As to the browse file buttons style, that can come later if required. Its not that much code really, well relativly anyway :!:
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Post by Ruth »

Hi,

I'm going to put down what I think need to be working in addition to what is there. Screenposition, separatorheight and width [twice, see explanation below] menu margin.

Margin This really is a necessary property. Not only for layout but it can also be used in design to create interesting menus.

Screenposition is a 'matching' property to menualign. It sets fixed width menu alignment on the page.

Menualign works in IE, NN, FF, and OP which I tested. You must set a % width to use menualign. It aligns the menu 'items' inside the menu span behind them.

Separators Somehow what really needs to happen is to be able to have those properties in there twice once for horizontal and once for vertical. These properties can be applied to both orientations and when used that way can be a real design tool. i.e. swidth 2px and sheight 2px in a horizontal menu give you a 'dot' between items, used in conjunction with padding it's a real neat tool. Same in vertical, sheight 3px and swidth 15px align center gives you a short 'bar' between vertical items. So, if it could be done, two sections would be good.

Apply to horizontal menus separatorwidth separatorheight
Apply to vertical menus separatorwidth separatorheight

I haven't tested the Menu Contents section. That needs a good help explanation on how to use, I think. Or maybe it's just me. :?

Loading.js There is something wrong in Netscape 7.1. The entry page does not go away. It 'shrinks' up about 20% but stays over the editor page so it's not usable.

Just post when you get it working. I agree with you. If the above I listed can be made workable, all that is necessary is in there. Other things can be added as time goes on. What you have are the most used parameters and with them a complete menu can be designed. For now, if they want some of more 'obscure' things they can hand code the final file. The real need is for a 'visual' design tool and this is great :!: Thanks so much for all this and all the hard work.

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Post by Ruth »

:oops: I uploaded a new zip on that link. I had included the wrong main.js file. The new one has the working divides. Sorry.

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Post by ywfbi »

Ahh I see the menu does center with align, maybee I didnt have the width set right, sorry! I'll semi automate that one so the width setting isn't an issue.
I have an idea for seperators, I'll get that working and everything else on that last post.
The contents section is a work in progress, that will be the last feature to do since its the most involved, Im sure the layout can be improved on that page to make it more user friendly.
I've taken the loading.js out and put it inline, havn't tested with NS, but Im surprised everything else works since I havnt put in the correct code, maybee the latest NS uses getElementById, anyway the main.js needs several new functions to be fully compatable with all browsers (probibly just the earlier ones), thats not a biggie though.
Anyway once I have everything togeather we will have a base to work from.

EDIT: It would appear that the seperatorheight cant be used as we intend, by setting the height of vertical seperators (even by menu_data.js on a new sample) it automatically alters the height of the horiznotal submenu seperators (Hor menu only). This overides the seperatorsize value. There is no such problems with the vert menu as every seperator runs the same way. This problem doesn't exist with the "all horizontal menu" sample though, since again all seperators are vertical.
EDIT2: Using screenposition, works better than menualign. Width is optional. menubgcolor working.
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Post by Ruth »

Hi,

About menualign and screenpostion: I think of them as 'matching' properties which in essence do the same thing for different scenarios.

If you set a fixed width i.e. pixel width for the menuwidth, menualign will not work. The property to 'align' the menu in that circumstance is screenposition.

If you set a % width for the menu, screenposition will not work so to get the menu to center you need to use menualign.

This has something to do with the 100% span menu. What the menualign really does is to 'center' [or shift right or left] the menu items. I think of it as a box with items in it. The menu 'box' when using % expands, but the menu items in the box remain at their same widths, so the menualign shifts those items as a group when you use it.

I hope that made sense.

So, I see two choices, though I'm sure you can think of a lot more. Either set it up so the person can only set fixed width and use screen position, or set it up so they can use either % or fixed width and use both menualign and screenposition and I can put a tag on the boxes. I.E. menualign [use only if menuwidth is %] screenposition [use only if menuwidth is px] Actually, that adds a 'teaching' dimension to the editor :) Or fix it so that the corresponding property is active, if they use px then only screenposition will be active, if % only menualign will be active, though that may confuse some. Or, set up an alert which tells them which to use depending on what they put in the menuwidth.

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Post by Ruth »

I had a passing thought so figured I throw it out to you and let you think on it.

I wondered if it would be better to put the contents editing totally separate?

They output the design area which gives them what is there now, with the default menu as the 'menus' Then the content area would only output the actual menus, and that could be pasted into their menu_data file over the 'default' menus. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

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Post by ywfbi »

ok... I though Id already replied...

yes the menu is contained within a apparently unnamed layer (box) which is drawn upon calling drawmenus();

Your spot on with the width % and px changes, and also menualign within that layer. The useability side of it I have a think about, could go either way on that one.

Since this layer is drawn only once thats why you were having trouble getting screenposition to work, I had to alter it directly with each menu change like the border-since its the same layer.
Those are working with the link below.

The edit conents part of this would certinly be alot easier as a seperate entity, much less code and no stuffing around with arrays. Idealy it would be great if this could be a all-in-one solution, but I agree it needs work to become simplier to use, however I will try to get it working at a later stage.

EDIT: Just do away with the menualign altogeather. Screenposition works fine by itself. Besides the margin can give enough whitespace, and submenus open outside the layer anyway causing a bad look IMO. Besides the design area can give a background look anyway, I'll setup a border for that.
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Post by Ruth »

Hmmm, I didn't see the edit until now. I got both menualign and screenpostion to work along with the menuwidth. So, do you still want to eliminate align and menuwidth? I thought I had margin working [using your a. that you had for the screenposition] but it turns out it is actually just moving the menu down by whatever margin I set instead of putting a margin in the menu.

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Post by ywfbi »

Well whats the advantage of having a box around the menu? firstly it looks bad IMO, and secondly it makes submenus open (IMO) in the wrong place. By that reasoning I think we should do without width as a %age altogeather. This also applies to margin.
However margin can be done without any trouble, I'll set it up tonight anyway.
I can see value in setting width as a px value if required though. Not sure there.

When you altered the a. you were altering the 'menubuilder' layer, (the box containing the menu), this wouldnt output or be repeated by the menu_data.js in any way.

Ive also done away with the reset buttons on each page, I can implement them but dont think they're really nessicary. What do you think? If they are required what should they reset to? The menu_data or our default style? Both are possible with extra code.
Well Ive got enough to keep me going tonight.... :D
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Post by Ruth »

Hi,

You're right, within the editor using % doesn't look good because item offborders are on as default. A lot of people use the 100% because of site design layout, say a forum where the menu is setup to be horizontal 100% across the page, like the one in the blueglass and silver shadow color choices here. But I see no problem leaving it out if you don't want that as an option. Those are always things they can set up themselves. Now that talking about the item borders brings it to mind again, I was going to suggest that the default menu showing when first loaded does not have the item offborders showing, those are not part of the default download menu, just border and separator are in that one. But, whatever you think.

About the buttons, I've been going round about those. I think they are necessary, maybe we need to get them to sit in the same color bar where the layer name is but off to the right, and color them to match whatever color you decide you want for the editor. If they are colored to match the editor I think they will look pretty good.

EDIT: I just looked again at the editor, how about just small text links at the right in that colored bar with the layer name?

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Post by Ruth »

Hi,

I've been thinking about the width issue. I think maybe it should be left out totally and just leave in screenposition. The person would do in depth sizing, menuwidth, menuheight, itemwidth, itemheight, and things like swap3d, openstyle, etc., once the menu is designed and edited for content.

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Post by ywfbi »

Yes well this is the hard part, I can see valid reasoning for everything we've come up with. At the end of the day its gonna come down to who this is targeted at. Its really a functionality vs. user-frindly compromise when deciding what to include as settings.
How about a few initial setups on the main page :idea: , maybee a scroll list with menu samples that could be applied?

I will remove item borders, youre right the margin looks heaps better without them. Also I'll add swap 3D.

Colors need to be done yet, as well as seperators (thought I had done that??)
I'll do the reset links too, thinking Ill copy all menu data upon loading to a holding array. Then reset each page's contents from that when required. This means that if the user uses thier menu_data.js file it will reset to that instead of the default. Probibly the best way to go IMO.
Well thats enough for tonight, got RDO tomorrow, so I should get a fair bit done ;)
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Post by ywfbi »

Allo, Allo :!:

Well heres the latest update...
Ive reworked the internal layer layout to make it more cross browser compatable, this includes removing the list ( <ul> ) based menu with a css styled span menu. Much simplier!! Also removed a FF fix style I applied! Really was just bad css coding on my part!
Added a sample option on the main page, still needs work though to get it 100%. Its should be all but fully cross browser compatable.
How would you like to test NNav for me?
Have left width in, but only display align if width is set to %age.
Need to get reset working yet, also more on css styles to do.
Not to mention layout of each page, etc etc.
Work in progress.
Much more to go, but just not into it tonight, have another movie night planned! These things cant be rushed!

Side line... Ive just got Dreamweaver 8... WOW! I mean really WOW!
Did I say how much better it is than #4? Its heaps better than #4, really great by comparison-- not perfect but really good!
And I like dreamweaver 8, its heaps better than #4. Should have got it ages ago cause its heaps better than #4. Did I say how much I like the latest version???

Aint it funny how the small things can be so exciting!
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Post by Ruth »

Hi,

I will test for you in NN, but probably not for a couple of days. I'm down with the flu. Will post back when I test it.

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Post by ywfbi »

Yeah no stress there, Ive got alot on over the next couple of weeks. Progress will be virtually non-existant.
Zip Files below are up to date.
Will be back in contact when I have some free time again.
Hope you feel better soon :cry: , p.s. My mother always reccomended a nice strong bourbon! :lol:
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