Wibbleware.com - Java™ Applets for menus, navigation and innovative solutions

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Expand Menu Studio
*NEW* Construct and maintain multi-level menus with this complete menu solution. Includes a menu editor and 50 menu design templates.

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Mercury Buttons
Dynamically build graphical web buttons and tabs in just minutes. No images required!

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Fission Menu
Quickly turn a single image into a stylish themed panel of web buttons with the minimum of effort!

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eXpand
The classic 2-level menu applet. Dynamically expand sub-menus as you move over top-level menus.

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Create fantastic eye-catching lighting effects with the Spotlight applet.

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Abstract e-mail
Abstract offers a truly simple solution to protecting e-mail addresses on your site.

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Mercury - User Guide
3. The Fun Stuff

3.1 Button Style
The value of the Style parameter is used to determine the main graphical 'look' of the button or tab set you wish to generate. There are seven different styles you can use in conjunction with the button or tab face color as a general basis for your design.

Each basic style is demonstrated below:



For buttons or tabs that use styles 0, 1 and 2, the face color will be based entirely on just the value of the NormalColor1 parameter. However, for buttons or tabs that use the gradient styles 3, 4, 5 and 6, the face color will also be based on the value of the NormalColor2 parameter.

This was illustrated in the demonstration above. NormalColor1 was a mid-gray color and NormalColor2 was a dark green blue color. Notice that the NormalColor2 (dark green) was only noticeable in the later styles.

The applet code that would be added to your web page would go something like this:

 
<applet code="WibbleMercury.class" height=100 width=150>

<param name="Style" value="3">
<param name="NormalColor1" value="909090">
<param name="NormalColor2" value="0000FF">

<param name="Text_1" value="Test">
<param name="Page_1" value="http://www.wibbleware.com">

<b>This page requires a java-capable browser</b>
</applet>
 

The Style parameter is often used in conjunction with Texture Patterns, creating many more designs. See Combining Styles And Textures for further information.


3.2 Texture Pattern
A texture pattern can be mapped onto the button or tab face by specifying two parameter values; Texture and TStrength.

There are a variety of Textures to choose from



The TStrength value represents the percentage to use to merge the texture pattern with the button or tab face. This value ranges through -100 to +100. Negative values are darker, positive values are lighter (when specifying positive values, do not prefix them with a '+').

The texture patterns are often used in conjunction with Styles, creating many more button or tab designs. See Combining Styles And Textures for further information.

The following example shows how the Texture and TStrength parameters would be added to your web page:

 
<applet code="WibbleMercury.class" height=100 width=150>

<param name="NormalColor1" value="6080A0">
<param name="HighlightColor1" value="80a0d0">
<param name="Texture" value="0">
<param name="TStrength" value="-20">


<param name="Text_1" value="Test">
<param name="Page_1" value="http://www.wibbleware.com">

<b>This page requires a java-capable browser</b>
</applet>
 


3.3 Combining Styles and Textures
What's the difference between styles and texture patterns? Well, when the button or tab face is being drawn, the style is drawn on first using the specified colors. The texture pattern is then mapped onto the surface, before the button or tab text is displayed.

The intention is that the style will be the main graphical effect, with the texture pattern being used as a semi-transparent overlay. This is achieved by using fairly low TStrength parameter values.

For example, if we had a button created with this style:



...and we then applied a texture with a TStrength parameter value of - say - 30, we'd get the following result:



But if we had used a a TStrength parameter value of -50, we'd get this:



This shows that if we use TStrength values at the higher ends of the scale, we can end up dominating the final button or tab face with the texture, rather than just complimenting the style.


3.4 The Color Model
The color value is a hexadecimal number in the range 000000-FFFFFF. This range covers over 16 million possible colors. The way the color value is represented in this 6-digit hexadecimal format is very common. However, an explanation is provided here, just in case you haven't come across this type of color representation before.

The color model is comprised of red, green and blue values (known as RGB). The red value is defined in the first 2 hex digits, the green value in the middle 2, and the blue value in the last 2.

So, if a red value of 1, a green value of 2 and a blue value of 3 was required, the hexadecimal number would be "010203".

All very well, you may think, but what do all these value actually mean? Well, the individual RGB values range from 00-FF. Values at the lower range of this scale mean less of that color, values at the higher range of the scale mean more of that color.

If, for example, you wished to define a pure red color, you would want the highest possible red color (FF). When arranged in the RGB color model, this would be shown as FF0000 (red is FF, green is 00, and blue is 00).

Pure green would be 00FF00 (red is 00, green is FF, and blue is 00).

Pure blue would be 0000FF (red is 00, green is 00, and blue is FF).

The following color chart shows common colors and their values:

  FFFFFF  800080
000000FF00FF
808080808040
C0C0C0FFFF80
800000004040
FF000000FF80
8080000080FF
FFFF0080FFFF
008000004080
00FF008080FF
0080808000FF
00FFFFFF0080
000080804000
0000FFFF8040


 
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News

[March 2006]
EMS v2.4
Bundled with a GUI editor and 50 menu designs, this updated multi- level menu makes professional site navigation a breeze...

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[March 2005]
Product Updates
A number of product updates have been made...

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[April 2004]
Mercury v1.3
Two for one - Mercury can now create buttons AND tabs...

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[April 2004]
Fission v1.1
An update to Fission navigation menu, our alternative to HTML imagemaps...

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[March 2004]
Web Page Design
A beginners guide to designing web pages...

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