Image Maps

[Bernard]

My understanding of HTML coding is not as strong as I would like. What is the recommended method of qualifying links from an image map?

Right now I've got one ALT tag for the image that is mapped, but I would prefer to add some qualifying text for each link. The code on my site looks something like:

<p><img src="../images/mainmenu.jpg" width="127" height="120" usemap="#Map" border="0" alt="Our company, Services, eTaskMaker project planning software, ATC Professional project management software, Links, Contact Us menu">
<map name="Map">
<area shape="rect" coords="1,11,78,24" href="ourcompany.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="-3,28,49,39" href="services.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="-2,44,81,59" href="etaskmaker.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="0,61,107,74" href="atc.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="-5,79,30,93" href="links.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="-2,96,61,109" href="contactus.html">
</map>
<br>
</p>

[robwatts]

<img src="../images/mainmenu.jpg" width="127" height="120" usemap="#Map" border="0" >
<map name="Map">
<area shape="rect" coords="1,11,78,24" href="ourcompany.html"
alt="all about our company" title="all about our company">
etc
etc
</map>



HTH

[polarmate]

I found that FP 2002 removes the ALT attribute for the area tag even though I have 'preserve code' turned on. It might be something goofy that I am doing but it happened consistently and repeatedly. So if you use FP and want to retain these, then I would recommend you edit your code using some other editor.

[robwatts]

Hi PolarMate

I haven't used FP but have read posts suggesting that it creates bloaty code with non standard tags. Is this true?
If its removing your Alt tags from Image maps then, well, thats simply outrageous! :D

BTW, notepad rocks ;)

[Bernard]

Rob,

Thanks! :bigwave:

[polarmate]

Previous versions of FP were awful. They ate up my ASP code. I am quite happy with FP2002 though. I like to use FP mainly to get the design elements into place and then switch to Visual InterDev for coding. I have no clue where the code bloat is as I do not use themes or the Dynamic HTML code it spews. If there is any code, I write it myself. I believe it is called hand-coding. I have never been able to get over that term.

I think the folks that scream code bloat are the ones that rely on the tool to generate script. I use standard tags and don't really see where there is additional stuff. I have seen non-standard MS proprietary tags when I get documents that were previously Word documents that have since been saved as HTML using CompactHTML. But then FP did not create those documents. The only time I got upset with FP2002 was when it refused to let me add ALT attributes to the area tag.

I get stuff from my graphics designers who works with Fireworks and DW. There is so much awful and unnecessary code in there as is an incredible amount of nesting of tables. Need to align something - oh yeah, just bung in another table and another and another. Ugh. I pretty much discard everything except the images and I recreate the layout using FP.

So to me, code bloat is a non-issue as I remain a programmer and I use the tool just for getting my layout the way I need it to be. After that, sometimes I am too lazy to switch over to VD and continue coding in FP, using it as I would I guess any other text editor. The advantage it has over Notepad is that I can switch to the 'Normal' view and see whether I messed up anything visually.

So in the ultimate analysis, I am really missing something here when folks shout code bloat but I think I am happier for it cos I just don't see it!!:)

[robwatts]

Thanks for the feedback on FP2002. :)

I think much of what youve said indicates that perhaps older versions of FP did have substanstial issues, that have given people like me, a pre determined view on *all* future versions.

I recall playing with FP back in 99 when I was looking at wysiwyg programs, although at that time I may have had a bit of an anti m$ outlook so perhaps didn't give it the attention I could have and switched my interests to more fashionable programs that were prevalent at the time.

I hear what you are saying with regard to having the facility to switch between the raw code and the visual layout, I often use UltraDev which gives you a split view option so that half the screen is code, and the other half is visual. Damn handy for checking that what you think you are coding, is actually how you want it to look. Wysiwyg's are also handy for creating a quick layout or template, why type out hundreds of keystrokes when you can achieve the same in one or two?

I guess the bottom line is to use what ever works for you, and sod what the critics say. :)

[stevew]

I guess the bottom line is to use what ever works for you, and sod what the critics say. Agree.
But as a "hand coder" (!!!) I find it much quicker and more flexible to code straight into Notepad than play around with DW or FP, then strip out the extra/mis-placed code.

I'd strongly recommend anyone with a programmer's brain to take this option -- sometimes people are swayed by the general PR that design packages are "the way", when for many, they can actually be a lesser alternative.

[polarmate]

Rob,

There are some issues being discussed here (http://www.cre8asiteforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2138) about FP server extensions on an Apache server but these folks seem to be talking about the older versions of FP. I have worked with FP only on IIS without any problems. Since one of the web developers I worked with liked to work directly on the server, I used the FP Publish function to maintain a full version on my local drives. It worked like a breeze except that I had to do it for each 'sub web' individually. Now I have a customized little script that looks for new files and only downloads those after archiving new ones with a date in the filename. It is bug-ridden but it works so I have let it be as is.

The last I heard about FP server extensions was that it is being made obsolete in the newest version of FP, the beta of which is available for download from MS. I still have to look at the latest version.

[robwatts]

yep, I think the extensions are essentially dll's that work fine with m$ products such as iis and windoze but require special config to work with nix and apache (not even sure if they can/will work with a nix/apache setup).

As for what these extensions enable, to be honest, I wouldn't even know the scope of their capability, as I simply haven't had a need to use/work with them.

Anything m$ can do open source can do better :D (I like to think!)

[Webmaster T]

Originally posted by robwatts
[B]Hi PolarMate

I haven't used FP but have read posts suggesting that it creates bloaty code with non standard tags. Is this true?
If its removing your Alt tags from Image maps then, well, thats simply outrageous! :DNon standards tags, none I know of and bloated code is as much the users fault as the programs. If you try and format font as you go it does a crappy job and bloats. Better to complete the doc and then add your formatting of text. Non standard or proprietary code is likely in some of the Style and affects which it produces , which I never use, I hand code them. The feature polarmate spoke of I have tried to use but IMO, it isn't very good. I believe, the alts in img maps can be just added by hand through the HTML view. I've done it in the past (probably on my personal site). In the newer versions I've found that if you edit the code outside of FP and import it FP generally excepts what it gets. If you try and do something while in FP, like add "alt" that it doesn't think should be there it will adjust it back. But the imp[ort function has steadily improved with each release.