Creating Multiple Buttons at Once

[len_chan]

OK, this feels like a really dumb question considering how long I've puttered around with web stuff. I must be using the wrong search terms in Google (and this forum).

Anyway, my question is:

What are some recommended ways to create multiple images for buttons at once?

It's shockingly easy to do this in Frontpage; but I use Dreamweaver for the templates and PHP for the rest. I'm probably overlooking something, somewhere.

Is there a simple sample for overlaying text on a common graphic using CSS1?

Thanks in advance,

Leonard

[K. Wolfe]

Im not getting what your asking....

[len_chan]

Im not getting what your asking....

OK, maybe I wasn't too clear.

Say, I want to create some sort of navigational bar where they're all "buttons" with different text on them - "Home", "About", "News", etc. Different text, same graphic behind the text.

What's an efficient way to create this?

Creating the buttons manually the first time is OK, but it becomes a maintenance issue because every time I decide to change the graphic, or add a new button, or even change the font a whole new set of buttons has to be created.

[K. Wolfe]

ok
There are multiple ways to do this, heres a few:
If you want the text to be a plain arial or verdana, something normal, then you can have just the backround of the image saved, then created X amount of tables with the backround image of your button in each one. If you have text that is requiered to be an image because maybe its a weird text that not everyone will have, then make your button without the text. Just make a new layer with your first text, save it, change the text, save it, etc.
Another way is to duplicate your button and move it over to the side as it should show on your website, place the text overtop and slice the image.
Let me know if this answers your question or if im way off, the 1st idea i posted will be the easiest to do as long as you can handle using regular browser text.

[len_chan]

Wolfe,

Thanks for the response. In the past, I've generally used the "text in separate layers" thing. It feels horridly inefficient though. Creating each layer, adjusting the text, aligning it, saving/exporting, then repeating for each button (sometimes 2x for rollover effects) is quite monotonous. Never mind deciding a week later to change the text color to blue or something and having to do it all over again.

LC

[inter4design]

i recommed that you use css. Redefine the a:link selector tag so that it uses a background image. You can then modify the a:hover selector tag to duplicate the same properties as the a:link tag and just change the background image and that will create a nice rollover effect.

[CapitalWebHost]

See this is the problem when people use Front Page....you don't LEARN how to do nothing bout click buttons..lol.

That was one of the reasons I stopped using it....was too full of proprietary crap, made horrible HTML, non-complient, buggy as heck.

I know use DW and even though it has some of those "quickie" features, I hardly use them, but even when I do, the code is standard HTML. Not to mention DW is great when working on CSS layours...not perfect but damn close.