Feature Article
|
Web
Studio 3.0 Is Here!
The long-awaited upgrade is here at last! Web
Studio 3.0 delivers more than 50 new features and
enhancements.
At every step, from idea to upload, you're just seconds away
from showing off your work. And with Web Studio's familiar
"no learning curve" interface, you already know how to use
all the new features!
You can
upgrade to version 3.0 now for just $29.95!
New features include:
|
-
|
Familiar,
easy-to-use interface - the drag-and-drop
metaphor you know and love. The upgrade even
preserves version 2.0
custom settings.
|
|
-
|
HTML frames
- use them to add
navigation, shared objects to pages.
|
|
-
|
Instant
thumbnails - with links to the full-size
original images. Clicking a thumbnail opens a
new window containing the original graphic.
|
|
-
|
Rollover button
creation -
just select three graphics and make them an
active button.
|
|
-
|
Single-page
uploading - immediately upload just the
page you're working on (not the entire site).
Saves time, streamlines your workflow.
|
|
-
|
Trial publishing - preview single pages or
your entire site live on the web! Use it for testing
or to quickly share ideas with friends and family.
|
|
-
|
Textured text -
apply any image or texture to text.
|
|
-
|
Picture frames -
frame any image with a photorealistic
frame.
|
|
-
|
Well-behaved
text objects and hyperlinks - we listened
to your requests; text and links now act
precisely as you would expect under all
conditions.
|
|
-
|
More effects
- including "Special
FX", edge effects, enhanced drop shadow
(anti-aliases against colored backgrounds) and
new lighting effects.
|
|
-
|
New content
- with automatic download and installation from WebStudio.com.
|
|
-
|
Optional
integrated site hosting - 2X
faster than FTP, incremental uploading of
changed pages, and the easiest setup you've
ever seen!
|
|
|
bookmarktop |
|
Did You Know...
|
...that you
can easily add your own graphics to Web Studio Galleries?
Just drag and drop graphics into any of the
Dynamic Galleries from either Web Studio pages or any open
web browser page. Just press and hold the Ctrl and Shift
keys while you drag the graphic into a gallery. (If a
graphic has a link attached, the link is not added to the
gallery.)
...that Web Studio names your home page
automatically?
Web Studio automatically names your Home page "index.html".
Because of this, you shouldn't add this name yourself. This
is especially important if you are using Frames. To tell Web
Studio which page to use as your Home page, just right click
on the page’s name in the Page List. A Home icon will appear
to show that it's the new Home page, and Web Studio will
automatically name it "index.html".
...that spell checking text objects is
easy?
Just select the text objects you want to check
and choose Check Spelling from the Edit menu. If you Select
All first, the spell checker will check all of the text
objects on the page you’re editing. |
|
bookmark
top |
|
Tips & Techniques
|
How to
Create
Dazzling Text Effects
Web Studio 3.0 has a cool new capability built into the
Backgrounds Gallery. If you drop a background onto a text
object, it fills the characters of the text with that
background!
Tip #1 – Filling Text with an
Existing Background
 You can use Web Studio backgrounds to create stunning
display text. Just try these three steps:
Create Text
Create a text object and type your text into it.
Make it Big and Bold
For this effect to really shine, you’ll want to
make the text large, very large, and bold, very bold. So,
click on the Text Gallery and scroll through your font
collection. When you see the biggest, boldest font, drag it
onto your text object to change its font. Next, select the
text object by single clicking on it and go to the Format
Toolbar and choose a large font size, say 72. Resize the
text object if required.
Drag & Drop a Background on the
Text
Click on the Backgrounds tab and scroll through
the gallery until you find a colorful, cool looking
background. Drag it onto the text object, and your text is
filled with the background’s texture or image!
When you’re done admiring your new creation, choose Undo
from the Edit menu until the black text comes back, we’ll
need it for the next tip.
Tip #2 – Filling Text with Your
Digital Photo
You can also add your own digital photos to text. This uses
another great new Backgrounds Gallery feature…the ability to
add new backgrounds. Just try these three steps:
Copy Your Photo to the Clipboard
Copy your photo to the Windows clipboard from any
application. If you don’t have any, drag a photo from the
Photos Gallery on the page and choose Cut from the Edit
menu.
Paste Your Photo into the
Backgrounds Gallery
Now go back to the Backgrounds Gallery, right
click on to one of the background images in the gallery and
choose Paste. The photo shows up in the gallery. Guess what
comes next?
Drag & Drop Your Photo on the
Text
Drag your photo from the Backgrounds Gallery onto
the text object and the text is filled with the photo! |
|
bookmark
top |
|
"Cool Site of the Month" Contest
|
Got a cool site? Enter it in
our Site of the Month contest and win cool Web Studio prizes
and permanent recognition for your efforts!
How do I enter?
Just visit our on-line forum at www.webstudioforum.com,
register as a forum member, and then click on the Site of the Month link
to submit your URL. At
the entry deadline, the Web Studio Team will evaluate all of
the entries and pick a winner.
Exactly what can I win?
Winners get the following:
- a Web Studio 3.0 T-shirt
- permanent inclusion in our
User’s Gallery
- prominent mention in our
monthly email newsletter to the Web Studio user community
- a Web Studio Site of the
Month logo to post on your site
What
are the rules?
There are only three rules:
1. Your site must be created with Web Studio.
2. Your site content and links must be appropriate for
viewing by all ages.
3. You must be a registered
member of the Web Studio online forum.
What must winners be willing to do?
There are just two requirements:
1. Winners must answer questions about their sites in Site
of the Month discussion in the Web Studio forum.
2. Each winner must display the Web Studio Site of the Month
logo on their site for at least 30 days (with a link to
www.webstudio.com).
How does the Web Studio Team
evaluate sites?
We’re looking for sites that push the Web Studio envelope in
terms of usability, visual design, creative use of Web
Studio features – sites that make you say “wow” when the
home page appears. Is this your site? Enter today!
|
|
bookmark
top |
|
Manage Your
Subscription
|
You are receiving this
newsletter because you are a registered user of Web Studio
or because you indicated you are interested in learning
about products like Web Studio.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter, please
visit our
subscription management page. |
|
top |
|
|
|
|
President's Corner
|
|
Back to the
Beach Software recently acquired the Web Studio product from
Sierra Entertainment. We are now developing and marketing
Web Studio directly.
What does this mean to you as a Web Studio user?
Simply put, you'll see more product enhancements, more
quickly, and with better support than you previously
experienced. That's our promise to you, our valued
customers.
Wondering why we acquired Web Studio? It's
simple: we're the original authors, we know
the code and we love the product. As it turns out, so do Web
Studio users!
You don't have to be an MBA to understand that business
case. So stand by for exciting new product and service enhancements in the
coming months.
Steve
Cochard
President
Back to the Beach Software, LLC |
|
bookmark
top |
|
|
What's New
in Web Studio 3.0
|
Fully Integrated Site Hosting
One of the great new features in Web Studio is
fully-integrated web sited hosting and file uploading via
our seamless integration with our iHostStudio web site
hosting service.
The integration of Web Studio 3.0 and iHostStudio gives you
the easiest to use web development and hosting combination
available anywhere.
Three key advantages of the new integrated hosting and
uploading capabilty:
1. One Stop Shopping.
You can open, change and close your hosting account directly
within Web Studio. You can also purchase your own domain
name from within Web Studio. If you already own your own
domain name, you can transfer it to Web Studio hosting with
one click
2. We Handle the Annoying Details.
All of the technical details are handled
automatically. We handle complexities like IP addresses and
FTP instructions so you can spend your time on more
productive activities.
3. Your Site Uploads Twice as Fast.
Since Web Studio is fully integrated with iHostStudio, we’re
able to use special data transfer techniques that upload
your site at twice the normal speed. For even more speed,
you can upload just the changes since your last time you
published the site.
When you’re ready ,iHostStudio also offers a complete range
of more sophisticated services, including page visit
counters, email forms, secure forms, password protected
pages, personalized email accounts, daily backups and much
more.
The bottom line is that if you know your name and credit
card number, you know enough to use iHostStudio!. |
|
bookmark top |
|
|
What's New
Online
|
Due to popular demand, we've
added some new product versions and gear to our product
line. All can be ordered online at
www.webstudio.com.
Web Studio 3.0 CD. This
new CD contains the full Web Studio 3.0 product plus the Web
Studio 2.0 and 3.0 upgrade installers. To use any of these
versions, you must also have obtained a unique registration number
to activate the software (by purchasing a product license at www.webstudio.com).
The CD is priced at $10.00 (US) plus shipping and handling.
Web Studio 3.0
User Guide.
Printed manuals are now available. These are the complete
Web Studio 3.0 manual with spiral binding for convenient use
(lays flat on a desk). Price is $15.00 (US) plus shipping
and handling.
Boxed Web Studio 3.0. You can also order a boxed version of Web
Studio 3.0 which includes the Web Studio 3.0 CD and the User
Documentation in a plain box (suitable for gift wrapping).
You will receive your registration number at the time of
purchase. (You can also download Web Studio 3.0 right away
if you like and activate it with the registration number.)
Boxed Web Studio 3.0 is priced at $79.95 (US) plus shipping
and handling.
Web Studio 3.0 T-Shirt.
Our first item of Web Studio Gear is ready: the Web Studio
3.0 Wicked Cool Web Authoring T-shirt. Check out the site
for details. Price is $20.00 (US) plus shipping and
handling. |
|
bookmarktop |
|
|
HTML Corner
|
Creating
Links to Downloadable Files on Your Site
One of the questions most asked of Web Studio tech support
is how to add links that download files from a Web Studio
site.
Common examples of this on the web are links that,
when clicked, automatically download .ZIP and .EXE files or
display .PDF (Acrobat) files within the web browser.
There are two things that must be accomplished to create a
linked, downloadable file. First, upload the file to a known
location in your web site. Second, create a link to the file
via a graphic or text object.
In Web Studio, we can
accomplish both of these requirements by using the HTML
Object, which lets you specify both the file to upload
and the link that will access the file. Just follow these
three steps:
Add an HTML Object to Your Page
Click on the CoolStuff Tab and drag the HTML
object onto your page. The HTML object is the one to the
extreme left of the Gallery.
Attach the Downloadable File to the
HTML Object
Right click on the HTML Object and choose
Properties from the context menu that pops up. Then click on
the Attached Files tab in the Properties dialog. This is
where you add the file you want to download.
Click the Add
Files to List button. The Windows Open dialog appears.
Find the file you want to download, click on it and press the
Open button. The file is
now part of the HTML object on your page.
Create the Link to the Downloadable
File
To create the link, we’ll write some basic
HTML. Click on the HTML Content tab in the Properties dialog
and type the following HTML in the text box:
<a href= "$thisfolderurl$filename.zip">
Download my file
</a>
Change the “filename.zip” to the name of your file, make
sure you include the file extension, i.e. “.zip”. Leave
everything else alone: the dollar signs, the quotes, etc.
Now click on the OK button, go to the Preview menu and
preview the page. (If you don’t have Web Studio 3, preview
the site).
You should now see the “Download my file” text as a link on
the page. Move the mouse over the text and look at the
status bar at the bottom of the Web Studio Preview window.
You’ll see the URL to your file. Click on the link and it
will download the file (and possibly open it with the
application that created it).
That’s it! Your file is now accessible via a download link.
More HTML Ideas
You can also change the font, size and color of the link by
using a little HTML. Just enclose the HTML you already
created inside a <font> tag. It’s simple:
<font face=Arial, serif
color=red size=3>
<a href= "$thisfolderurl$filename.zip">
Download my file
</a>
</font>
You can also link to the file with a graphic by replacing
the “Download my file” text with an <img> image tag.
First, go back to the Properties dialog and click on the
Add
Files to List button again. This time find a graphic you’d
like to use for the button, select it, and click Open. Now
both the downloadable file and the graphic are part of the
HTML object.
Now click on the HTML Content tab, delete what’s there and
enter the following:
<a
href= "$thisfolderurl$filename.zip">
<img src="$thisfolderurl$image.gif" border="0">
</a>
This HTML puts the image on the page and adds the link to
it. Remember to substitute the name of your graphics file
for “image.gif”. Note that you should only use .GIF or .JPG
files since these are the two image formats most
internet browsers understand.
Final Thoughts
You can download just about any type of file this way. Some
files will actually display in the browser, like Adobe
Acrobat PDF files. Others will bring up a download dialog
for the user. Try this with .EXE files (applications), .PDFs,
.MP3 music files,
.DOC Word files, .XLS Excel files, anything!
Happy downloading!
|
|
top |
|
|
