$(cpicName) Help - Generating Web Pages

The Web Page Generator allows you to easily produce fully functional web page indexes out of your images. <#if cpicPro> Using the Web Page Generator, you can create almost any type of web page index. 's powerful page generator is completely customizable. With the included themes, you can create dozens of different style pages. For ultimate control, you can even write your own web page themes. <#else> The standard Web Page Generator provides dozens of customizable options for creating pages with exactly the information you need. For added power and flexibility, try the advanced Web Page Generator found in CompuPic Pro! <#endif> | -->

What are Web Page Indexes?

Web page indexes are web pages which contain thumbnails of images. Clicking on any of the thumbnails takes you to the full size image. Web page indexes are an easy and familiar way to post collections of images on the Internet. Traditionally, many people have created web page indexes by hand using a text editor. The process of creating a web page index by hand is not only long and tedious, but adds the potential for mistakes. 's Web Page Generator makes the process of creating web page indexes as easy as pointing and clicking. With unparalleled flexibility, you can create web page indexes that fit seamlessly into any website. Using , you can create hundreds of web pages from thousands of images in just a few moments. | -->

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A web page index consists of four parts:

> - Thumbnail Pages - Thumbnail pages are html pages which show the thumbnails of the images which are part of this catalog. creates these pages based on the images you have selected and the theme you choose in the Web Page Generator.

> - Thumbnail Images - Thumbnail images are very similar to the thumbnails in the File List. These are smaller versions of the images themselves. Thumbnails used in are created at the actual size they appear on the screen. When viewing these pages over the Internet, you only have to download the smaller thumbnails -- not the full images. This means your pages will download faster. will automatically create these thumbnails from the images at the correct size.

> - Image Pages - When you click on a thumbnail in a thumbnail page, you can be taken to either the image itself, or a web page which displays the image. By wrapping each full image in a web page, you can include navigation with the image. This allows visitors to your website to jump to the next image in your collection without having to return to the thumbnail page. creates these pages for you based on the theme you choose. Just like thumbnail pages, the image pages are fully customizable.

> - Images - The images are simply copies of the images you selected to include in your web page index. will automatically copy all of these images to the destination folder for you, and will ensure that no file names conflict. If you would like to resize all of your images to a certain size, add borders, or convert files to a certain type, use the Advanced Batch Conversion utility on your images before you create your web pages.

's Web Page Generator includes a real time preview which shows the approximate result of your web page creation. This preview allows you to play with different themes, options, and designs without having to create hundreds of pages. <#else>

A web page index consists of four parts:

> - Thumbnail Pages - Thumbnail pages are html pages which show the thumbnails of the images which are part of this catalog. creates these pages based on the images you have selected and the options you choose in the Web Page Generator.

> - Thumbnail Images - Thumbnail images are very similar to the thumbnails in the File List. These are smaller versions of the images themselves. Thumbnails used in are created at the actual size they appear on the screen. When viewing these pages over the Internet, you only have to download the smaller thumbnails -- not the full images. This means your pages will download faster. will automatically create these thumbnails from the images at the correct size.

> - Image Pages - When you click on a thumbnail in a thumbnail page, you can be taken to either the image itself, or a web page which displays the image. By wrapping each full image in a web page, you can include navigation with the image. This allows visitors to your website to jump to the next image in your collection without having to return to the thumbnail page. creates these pages for you based on the options you choose. Just like thumbnail pages, the image pages are customizable.

> - Images - The images are simply copies of the images you selected to include in your web page index. will automatically copy all of these images to the destination folder for you, and will ensure that no file names conflict.

's Web Page Generator includes a real time preview which shows the approximate result of your web page creation. This preview allows you to try options without having to create hundreds of pages. <#endif>

Creating Web Page Indexes Creating web page indexes is very simple. As a minimum, there are just a few steps needed to create a web page index.

1. | Select the files you would like to create web pages from.
2. | Start the Web Page Generator by selecting Web Page Generator from the Internet menu. This will open the Web Page Generator interface. Within a few moments, a preview of your web page will appear.
3. | <#if cpicPro> Select the themes you would like to use for thumbnail pages and image pages. You may use different themes for each of page types. <#else> Select the type of image pages - either plain images (links on the thumbnail pages go directly to the images), or HTML image pages (links on the thumbnail pages go to web pages which contain the images). <#endif>
4. | Specify where you would like the web pages you are creating to be saved. The output options can be accessed by selecting Output Options from the drop down list at the top of the Web Page Generator interface. You may specify a different location for each part of the web page: the thumbnail web pages, the thumbnail graphic files, the image web pages, and the images themselves. If you specify a folder which does not exist, will prompt you to create the folder.
5. | Adjust any other options to achieve the desired appearance. These options are accessed by selecting an options category from the drop down list at the top of the Web Page Generator interface. <#if cpicPro> Options will be different for each theme. <#endif>
6. | Click the 'Create' button to create your web pages. The dialog will disappear, and the status bar in the main interface will indicate the progress. If you have the option to launch a web browser when complete turned on, your web browser will open to the first index page when the process is complete.

<#if cpicPro> Working With Themes uses themes to create web pages. A theme is simply a web page with special information that defines how to place thumbnails or images.

Several themes are included with . Each of the themes has it's own set of options and configurations.

Selecting Themes
You can select which theme you would like to use for both thumbnail pages and image pages. You do not need to use the same style theme for both - feel free to mix and match! Themes are selected using the drop down lists in the Web Page Generator. There are seperate theme selections for both thumbnail pages and image pages.

If you would like to use a theme which does not appear on this list (such as one you've download from the Internet, or created yourself), simply use the 'Browse' button located next to the drop down list. thumbnail themes have the extension .TTP, and image themes have the extension .ITP. Themes which you add by browsing will automatically be added to the selection list.

will even work with themes used by some other programs, such as ThumbsPlus(R) from Cerious Software. will frequently contain more options for an imported theme than the software which came with the theme. To use a theme from another program, simply open that theme using the 'Browse' button.

Theme Options
Each theme will have a unique set of options. You can access the configuration options by using the drop down list at the top of the Web Page Generator screen. Configuration options are categorized and listed according to which theme they affect (thumbnail theme or image theme).

Once you select an options category, the options for that category will appear in the window. As you change the options, the preview window will update to show the approximate look of the final output.

Since each theme contains different options, it is impossible to provide instructions for each theme and it's options. However, using 's real time preview, you can quickly see the effects of adjusting different options.

Creating Your Own Themes supports any number of themes, and you are not limited to the themes which come with this software.

's Web Page Generator uses themes which are based on standard HTML, and should be very familiar to anyone with experience building web pages. Themes are easy to create, and can be used to reproduce the look of almost any website.

There are no restrictions on how you can lay out thumbnails, meaning you can create themes with very unique thumbnail layouts and styles.

Complete documentation on creating your own thumbnail themes can be found in our Web Page theme Creation documentation. <#else> Setting Web Page Options The Web Page Generator has dozens of options to allow you to easily customize you web pages. The options are categorized, and can be accessed by selecting a category from the drop down list at the top of the Web Page Generator window.

Image Page Style
When you first load the Web Page Generator, you will be presented with the Themes option screen, where you can select the way you would like your images presented by choosing an option in the Image Page Style drop down list.

HTML Image Pages - A web page will be created for each image in the set. When a visitor clicks on a thumbnail in your index, they will be taken to the image page, which contains the image. By using web pages with your images, you can provide the user with navigation so they may move through the images without returning to the thumbnails.

No Image Pages - This option will link the thumbnails directly to the images, without wrapping them in HTML pages.

Output Options
The output options allow you to specify where the files are stored. All locations you specify must be on the same drive. will use relative links in the HTML so that your links will still work when the files are moved to your website.

The output options screen also includes settings for how the files are named.

Background (Thumb Pages)
You can change the background color of the thumbnail pages by using the color picker on the Background options page. If you would like to use an image as your background, select the 'Image' radio button and choose an image to use.

Text and Link Colors (Thumb Pages)
The Text and Link Colors page allows you to select colors to be used for text, links, visited links, and active links.

Heading and Title (Thumb Pages)
The Heading and Title options specify the title which will appear in the title bar of the web browser and the page heading which will appear above your thumbnails.

Thumbnail Layout (Thumb Pages)
The Thumbnail Layout options allow you to control the number of thumbnails per page and the size of the thumbnails.

Thumbnail Information (Thumb Pages)
Thumbnail pages can include many different types of information for each file. To specify which pieces of information are displayed, check or uncheck the various types of information in the Thumbnail Information options.

Navigation (Thumb Pages)
The Navigation options control how the page navigation on the thumbnail pages appears.

Background (Image Pages)
You can change the background color of the image pages by using the color picker on the Background options page. If you would like to use an image as your background, select the 'Image' radio button and choose an image to use.

Text and Link Colors (Image Pages)
The Text and Link Colors page allows you to select colors to be used for text, links, visited links, and active links on the image pages.

Heading and Title (Image Pages)
The Heading and Title options specify the title which will appear in the title bar of the web browser and the page heading which will appear above your images.

Navigation (Image Pages)
The Navigation options control how the page navigation on the image pages appears.

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Related Topics

- Creating Web Page Themes <#if cpicPro>
- Thumbnailing Web Pages
- Advanced Batch Conversions <#endif> <#if cpicPro> *ThumbsPlus is a registered trademark of Cerious Software. <#endif>