Dreamweaver

Insert a navigation bar

Before using the Insert Navigation Bar command, you must create a set of images for the display states of each navigation element. (It can be helpful to think of a navigation bar element as a button, because when clicked, it takes the user to another page.)

You can create a navigation bar, copy it to other pages in your site, use it with frames, and edit the page behaviors to show different states as pages are accessed.
  1. Do one of the following:

    • Select Insert > Image Objects > Navigation Bar.

    • In the Common category of the Insert bar, click the Images button and select Insert Navigation Bar.

  2. Complete the Insert Navigation Bar dialog box and click OK. Here is a partial list of options:
    Plus and Minus buttons
    Click Plus to insert an element; click Plus again to add another one. To delete an element, select it and click Minus.

    Element Name
    Type a name for a navigation bar element—for example, Home . Each element corresponds to a button with a set of up to four image states. Element names appear in the Nav Bar Elements list. Use the arrow buttons to arrange elements in the navigation bar.

    Up, Over, Down, and Over While Down
    Browse to select images for these four states. Only the Up image is required; other image states are optional.

    Alternate Text
    Enter a descriptive name for the element. Alternate text appears in place of images in text-only browsers or in browsers that download images manually. Screen readers read alternate text, and some browsers display alternate text when the user moves the pointer over the navigation bar element.

    When Clicked, Go To URL
    Click the Browse button to select a linked file to open, and then specify whether to open the file in the same window or in a frame. If the frame you want to target doesn’t appear in the menu, close the Insert Navigation Bar dialog box and name the frame in your document.

    Preload Images
    Select this option to download images as the page is downloaded. This option prevents delays when the user moves the pointer over rollover images.

    Show Down Image Initially
    Select this option for elements that you want to display initially in the Down state rather than the default Up state. For example, the Home element on the navigation bar should be in its Down state when the page is first downloaded. When you apply this option to an element, an asterisk appears after its name in the Nav Bar Elements list.

    Insert
    Specify whether to insert elements vertically or horizontally.

    Use Tables
    Select to insert elements as a table.