9 Replies Latest reply: Jun 27, 2011 5:43 PM by Bill Hunt RSS

    Link more than one textbox into a button?

    Bucketheadd Community Member

      How do I link 2 textboxes into one button so that when either is hovered by the cursor, both highlight and link to same spot.

       

      My menu is imported from CS5 PS.

       

      Thanks

        • 1. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
          Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

          If I understand what you wish to do, you can have multiple Text boxes in a Button. In the Button's Layer Set, you would just do the multiple Text boxes.

           

          The Button will obviously grow in size, so pay special attention that NO Buttons overlap. That is not allowed. The Button's active area will be a rectangle that incorporates ALL elements in it, with a few extra pixels around it. That is the Bounding Box that you see in Encore's Menu Editing Panel, when you Select a Button. Check in the Menu Editing Panel, by hittiing Ctrl+A (Select All), and look very closely at all of the Bounding Boxes. There cannot be even a 1 pixel overlap.

           

          Good luck,

           

          Hunt

          • 2. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
            Bucketheadd Community Member

            Bill,

             

            I did this but is there a way to make both text boxes highlight when only one is hovered or selected?  Right now they both link to the same place but they highlight independently.

             

            Thanks

            • 3. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
              Bucketheadd Community Member

              I could get around this if there was a way in PS to have different blending option settings to multiple sizes of text within a same textbox, but I don't think that is possible.

              • 4. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
                Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                Here is a look in PS, of a Menu, with an added Text box in the "Special Features" Button Layer Set:

                Second_Text_Encore_Menu.png

                 

                Here is that same Menu in Encore's Menu Editing Panel, with Select All (Ctrl+A). Note that the "Special Features" Bounding Box is much larger, than the other, unaltered Buttons. Also note, none of the Bounding Boxes overlap - very important!

                 

                Encore_Menu_Edit_01.png

                 

                Hope that this helps and good luck,

                 

                Hunt

                • 5. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
                  Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                  You will need to adjust/edit your Sub-picture Highlight to encompass both Text boxes.

                   

                  If you have say an underline, just Move it below the second Text box. If you have a Sub-picture Highlight that is a "box" around the Button, that needs to be edited to fit. It all depends on your Sub-picture Highlight.

                   

                  Can you post a screen-cap of your Menu, with the desired Button's Sub-picture Highlight showing?

                   

                  Good luck,

                   

                  Hunt

                  • 6. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
                    Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                    For just the Text, and NOT for the Sub-picture Highlight, you can use Styles, and Blending Modes. The Sub-picture Highlight is very limited, and can be JUST 2-bit color (either ON, or OFF), with limitations on the colors (in Encore, adjust this with Menu Color Sets), and Transparency (the opposite of PS's Opacity). Also, the Sub-picture Highlight will appear above all elements in the Button. There is no direct way around that. The Sub-picture Highlight cannot have Styles, or use Blending Modes.

                     

                    To get around those limitations of Button Sub-picture Highlights, one can cheat, and do duplicate Menus, where what the user sees as a Sub-picture Highlight is really a graphic. One would use Auto-activate on the Button in the real Menu, and that would take the user to the dupe Menu. Note: this does not work so smoothly and directly on a computer, as there is no Auto-activate. This is called the Rollover Effect, but again, does not Auto-activate on a computer, so does not look nearly so smooth, and the user much click the Button to see the effect.

                     

                    Hope that helps,

                     

                    Hunt

                    • 7. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
                      Bucketheadd Community Member

                      Sure, whats the best way to post a screen cap. I tried to paste to word then upload and even though it was under 2 mb's it didn't allow me

                      • 8. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
                        Bucketheadd Community Member

                        Okay I finally figured it out thanks to those special features screen caps

                         

                        Thanks a lot Bill, I learned something new!

                        • 9. Re: Link more than one textbox into a button?
                          Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                          This ARTICLE will give you one workflow.

                           

                          Good luck,

                           

                          Hunt