Duplicate the JavaScript Button to Create a Navigation Bar

Fireworks makes it easy to create a number of buttons that look similar but have different links and text.

1

Open a new document in Fireworks and make it three times taller than your button--say, 160x400--to give you some room to work with.

Open the JavaScript version of your Fireworks button--buttonrollover.png.

Drag and drop the image from buttonrollover.png into your new document.

1

Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and drag the button down the page. By Alt/Option-dragging you move a copy of a selection.

Although this illustration shows space between the buttons, you'll probably want to put them right next to each other.

2 If the Object inspector is not visible, choose Window Menu > Object.
3 In the Object Inspector's Button Text text box, enter gifts (or whatever your second button will say).
A message box appears asking if you want to edit the active instance of the button, or all instances of the button. Because you duplicated the first button, you now have two instances of the same button. When you edit a button, Fireworks updates all the instances. In this case, you want to have two distinct buttons, so you'll choose to edit the current button.
4 Click Current.
5 Click the Link Wizard button in the Object inspector.
6 Click the Link tab and change the URL. Use a valid URL so that you can test the button when you preview the page in a browser.
7

Click OK. Notice that the text on the button has been updated.

Repeat for new buttons and then Export the Nav Bar.


Bibliography

  1. Based on Macromedia help files and online support.

Last revised: May 30, 2000 8:48 PM
Comments: jbutler@ua.edu