Creating a multi-state button
To create a multi-state button, you must first create a Button layout. A Button layout is a special kind of Interactive layout that has a separate page for each state of a multi-state button.
You can create the following types of multi-state buttons:
- Simple: A Simple button is always either up or down. Simple buttons are good for triggering a simple action (for example, playing a movie).
- Simple with Disable: A Simple with Disable button is a Simple button with an added state called Disable.
- On/Off: An On/Off button works like a toggle switch; each click switches it from On to Off or from Off to On.
- On/Off with Disable: An On/Off with Disable button is an On/Off button with an added state called Disable.
A multi-state button can have the following states in various combinations:
- Up: The end user has not clicked the button.
- Over: The mouse pointer is over the button, but the end user has not clicked the mouse.
- Down: The end user has clicked the button and it is still down.
- Hit: Defines the interactive area of the button. This state is not displayed; it simply provides an indication of where the button should be clickable and where it should not be clickable. You can think of this state as a “button mask.” If you leave this state blank, your button will not work.
- Disable: The button is not clickable.
Note: Because you can click an On/Off button in its Up state and in its Down state, On/Off buttons have two On states (On-Up, On-Down) and two Off states (Off-Up, Off-Down). However, you don’t have to create a different image for every button state if you don’t want to.
To construct a multi-state button in a Button layout:
- Create a Button object, as described in “Creating an object.” Make sure the Button object is selected.
- To create a Button layout, choose New from the Button drop-down menu. The New Interactive Layout dialog box displays.
- Give the layout a name and choose a button type from the Button Type drop-down menu, and then click OK. (The Width and Height are automatically copied from the Button object.)
- Make sure Window > Page Layout is checked. The Page Layout palette displays a page for each button state.
The Page Layout palette (Window > Page Layout) enables you to see and access each button state in a Button layout.
- Select a button state by double-clicking its page in the Page Layout palette, and then draw the button state with QuarkXPress page layout tools, or draw a picture box and import the button state as a graphic.
- Copy and paste the content from one button state to another so that both button states are identical. You can use the Page Layout palette to move between button states.
- Update the content of the button state.
- Repeat the previous three steps until you have designed each state of the button.
- If you want to specify that only part of the button’s area should be interactive (clickable), draw boxes in the Hit state where you want the button to be clicked.
- When you are finished, switch back to the Presentation layout using the layout tabs at the bottom of the window or by choosing Layout > Go To.
Note: You
can also create a Button layout the same way you create a Presentation layout by choosing File > New > Project or Layout > New. However, the usual way to create a Button layout is the approach described above. When you use this approach, the box size is automatically captured and used for the new Button layout.
can also create a Button layout the same way you create a Presentation layout by choosing File > New > Project or Layout > New. However, the usual way to create a Button layout is the approach described above. When you use this approach, the box size is automatically captured and used for the new Button layout.
Parent topic: Working with Button objects