Creating a new nav button (executive theme)

[sean_jackson]

Hi all, I'm trying to add a couple of extra navigation buttons to my existing ones - to include an 'aboutus.htm' and more. I had a go at the knowledge base step through but am having no luck seeing any button materialise (!). I realise you can copy a design library layout that ends in '...Navigation Button' and somehow adapt it but I am at a loss to get to the end of the process

Any one point me towards a solution/instruction please? - regards. Sean

[Kiran]

Hi Sean,

Can you tell me which article on the knowledge base you are referring too, I'm afraid there is no detailed guide to achieve this, apart from the getting started gide (available via Help | Starter Guide).

Alternatively if you can expalin to us what you did we can correct you or see what you've done wrong.

Kind Regards

[sean_jackson]

Cheers for the reply Kiran - to answer your questions:


Can you tell me which article on the knowledge base you are referring too,


I was shown this:
http://knowledge.actinic.com/acatalo..._357.html#a560



Alternatively if you can expalin to us what you did we can correct you or see what you've done wrong.


Sure, I followed these instructions:

1. Go to 'Design | Library | Layouts'.

2. Locate the 'Navigation Icons' group and click on any layout in the list whose name ends in 'Image Navigation Button'.

3. Right-click on this layout and select 'New Layout'. Call your new layout whatever you want.

4. Customise the code as you see fit.
Image navigation button layouts have the following format:
<a href="http://url.to.link.to/" target="_self" onmouseover="SwapImage('image_name','rollover_image.gif')"

onmouseout="RestoreImage()"><img src="normal_image.gif" alt="Some alternative text" border="0" name="image_name" /></a>


..( i get to this point - having created and named a new layout from an existing Navigation Icon - and creating a link to my

chosen file ( by overwriting the blue code) - but am unsure how you then implement the intended nav button. Have Tried

inserting a layout in code view alongside the existing buttons but am not sure how to do this part?

Thanks for any help

[TraceyG]

Hi,

To insert the layout into your code (normally this would be on your overall layout), type in the variable 'NavigationIcon' (you will see a menu appear as you type so you can select the variable from the list). Then right-click on the variable and select 'Edit Appearance'. Select the layout that you created in the 'Use fixed layout' field and click 'OK'. You should then see your navigation button.

[sean_jackson]

Thanks Tracey - that's the best help i've had yet - have been v busy but am looking forward to following your advice here - will let know how...

thanks. Sean

[sean_jackson]

Ok, i've followed that and the upshot is I've ended up with a 2nd 'Contact Us' button alongside my existing one (executive theme) and when I try and code in the link to my 'aboutus.htm' page it overwrites both of them? - I'll keep persevering with it - thanks for the help so far. Sean

[TraceyG]

having created and named a new layout from an existing Navigation Icon

What did you call this layout? Can you post the code for this new layout please.

[sean_jackson]

Hi Tracey - Ok I've tried to summarise the process I'm using so here goes:

I used the Contact us CSS Button from the 'Layouts' of the Design library - right clicked > selected 'new layout' and called it 'About Us button'. Then I head over to my home page (using layout code view) and after the last variable (the original 'Contact us CSS Button') I type 'Nav...' and auto complete lets me select 'NavigationIcon' > then right click on that and select 'Edit Appearance' > click on the 'Used Fixed Layout' drop down and find my new 'About Us Button'and apply it. I'm then at the stage where I've got x2 'Contact Us' buttons in my page menu. I double click on this new variable to get this in the Layout Code View:

<a href="<actinic:variable name="SendMailPageLink" />" target="_self" class="link_menu"><actinic:variable name="SendMailText" /></a>


What I think i need to do is replace this code which contains the redundant variable s from my duplication of the original Nav Icon with code that will get me an anchor or variable link to my 'aboutus.htm' page - that's where Im up to.

Incidently I have already created an 'aboutus.htm' page that I already link to from my brochure menu (which I want to remove) - it gives this code when selected:

<a href="<actinic:variable name="BrochurePageURL" />" class="product_section"><actinic:variable name="BrochureName" /></a>

... but replacing my new variable code with this just causes the new button to display the text 'Home Page' in the standard red 'link text'? <example>


I'd like learn how to change the existing blue variable that says 'BrochurePageURL' to point to 'aboutus.htm' (rather than just hardcoding the link eg: http://www.mywebsiteaddress/acatalog/About_Us.htm


I know I'm missing out on some variable creation/understanding here or other coding logic but that's as far as I can take it at the moment.

further pointers/help much apreciated as ever. Sean

[TraceyG]

Hi Sean,

You have two options here. The quickest and easiest would be what you have done but use the following code for your 'AboutUs' button:

<a href="About_Us.html" target="_self" class="link_menu">About Us</a>

You can then use the article (Stopping Specific Brochure Pages from Appearing in the List ) from the Advanced User Guide to remove the link from the brochure list.

The other option is to do the following:

- create a new variable with the following options set:

Name: BrochureLinkPosition
Prompt: Position of Brochure Page Link
Place of Setting: Brochure
Type: List of Choices
Allow <Use Parent> as an option: ticked
on the 'Values' tab - create 2 options 'Top' and 'Sidebar'
Set 'Sidebar' as the 'Initial Value' and 'Top Level' Value on the 'Basic Definition' tab

- set the position on each brochure page that you have ('Sidebar' will be the default)
- at the end of your current top navigation bar in the overall layout, type in the variable 'BrochurePageList'
- double-click on this variable to go into the layout code for the list
- surround the 'BrochurePageLink' variable with the following condition:

<actinic:variable name="BrochureLinkPosition" /> == "Top"

- click 'Apply' and only the links that have 'Top' set for the 'Brochure Link Position' should appear
- find the code that currently displays the brochure pages in the sidebar navigation and go into the list layout for that and surround the variable with the following condition:

<actinic:variable name="BrochureLinkPosition" /> == "Sidebar"

- click 'Apply' and only the links that have 'Sidebar' set for the 'Brochure Link Position' should appear.

You can create new layouts for the brochure links so that the top navigation links look the same as your standard links. The code will be something like:

<a href="<actinic:variable name="BrochurePageURL" />" target="_self" class="link_menu"><actinic:variable name="BrochureName" /></a>

I hope this helps.

[sean_jackson]

thanks a lot Tracey - big help, turns out I was overlooking adding a class among other things, works fine using a hardcoded link now - though I want to try the other variable method you outlined as well.

My issue now is removing the old 'about us' link from the left hand brochure menu without losing my existing aboutus.html page - I'm pretty sure it's part of the Brochure Page List With Horizontal Dividers but i'm having no luck trying to edit this layout in regard to finding my aboutus link/reference - can you see how I'd get to it - and the other links in the that layout. As ever many thanks and I'm nearly where I want to be now thanks to the help.

regards. Sean

[sean_jackson]

My issue now is removing the old 'about us' link from the left hand brochure menu without losing my existing aboutus.html page

....I could not see a way of losing a created link from the left hand brochure menu so I cut it firstly hid it which wasn't suitable as it reappears when the aboutus nav button is pressed - so then I cut (deleted) it so the nav bar link still linked to it in my folder but it wasn't part of the file tree anymore - that was a backward step as I imagine editing it would be a new issue.

In essence I want my new nav button to link to an about us page (which is does fine already) but I need to dispense with the link to this page (aboutus) that exists in my brochure menu. I can't seem to find the right (variable?) code to deal with this - or maybe it's a block/if workaround I should be looking at

...persevearance = it will happen eventually

[sean_jackson]

duh, 'Stopping Specific Brochure Pages from Appearing in the List' in the AUG answered this issue - thanks again tracey as another thread reply of yours put me onto the AUG. I am becoming slowly more able to grasp variables I think (hope) . I am 1% nearer understanding as much as i want to