Preparing Slices For Export - MACROMEDIA FIREWORKS MX 2004-USING FIREWORKS Use Manual

Preparing slices for export

Using the Property inspector, you can make slices interactive by assigning links and targets to the
slices. You can also specify alternate text to be displayed in a browser while an image is loading.
In addition, you can choose an export file format to optimize a selected slice. If the Property
inspector is minimized, click the expander arrow in the lower right corner to see all
slice properties.
Slice properties in the Property inspector
Using the Property inspector or the Layers panel, you can give slices unique names. Fireworks uses
the name you specify to name the files that are generated from slicing upon export. If you don't
enter a slice name in the Property inspector or the Layers panel, Fireworks automatically names
slices for you upon export. You can change the auto-naming convention that Fireworks uses
through the HTML Setup dialog box.
Fireworks exports a sliced Fireworks document as an HTML file and a series of graphic files. You
can define properties for the exported HTML file using the HTML Setup dialog box.
Assigning URLs
A URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is the address of a specific page or file on the Internet.
When you assign a URL to a slice, users can navigate to that address by clicking the area defined
by the slice in their web browser.
To assign a URL to a selected slice:
•
Enter a URL in the Link text box of the Property inspector.
Tip: If you intend to reuse URLs, you can create a URL library in the URL panel and then store URLs
in the URL library. For more information, see
Entering alternate text
Alternate, or alt, text appears on the image placeholder while the image is downloading from the
web; it also substitutes for graphics that fail to download. In some newer versions of browsers, the
text also appears next to the pointer as a tooltip.
Entering brief, meaningful alternate text has become increasingly important in web design. A
growing number of visually impaired people are using screen-reading applications, which read
alternate text in a computer-generated voice as the pointer passes over graphics on a web page.
To specify alt text for a selected slice or hotspot:
•
In the Property inspector, type the text in the Alt Text box.
180 Chapter 9: Slices, Rollovers, and Hotspots
"Working with URLs" on page 164.