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NAVIGATION

What are navbars?
Navbars (short for navigation bars) are NetObjects Fusion-generated navigation aids that appear as a series of linked buttons in your Web pages. Navbars use the Primary and Secondary buttons defined in the currently applied style. You can customize navbars to display buttons for different levels of your Web site’s structure, to use button images from another site style, or to appear as text rather than as images. For more information about implementing navbars, see chapter 17 in the User Guide, Creating Navigation Bars and Banners.

Can I customize the links in the navbar?
You can set NetObjects Fusion navbars to display the First level of a Web site, the level above the current page, the same level as the current page, or the level below the current page. You can also specify whether or not NetObjects Fusion should include a link to the Web site’s Home page. To choose the level of your Web site that a navbar displays, select the navbar, and click the Site button in the Navigation Bar Properties palette. Select First, Parent, Current, or Child, according to the level of your Web site for which the navbar should display links. The level shown is always relative to the page on which the navbar is located.

If you want to link to external sites, or mix and match links to pages that are on different levels of your Web site, you need to make a custom navbar with the navigation bar tool. Place a navbar on the page and then in the Navigation Bar Properties palette, select the Custom radio button, then click the Options button. In the Custom Navigation Bar palette you can select links—Internal, External, or File. You can place the links in the order you would like, and change the text that appears on the Navigation button.

How can I split up the navbar or make it wrap to another line if it is too long?
Currently, you cannot break a navbar into more than one section or cause it to wrap to another line. There are three possibilities: you can make adjustments to the navbar’s text or images so that the single bar will fit into the desired location; you can choose to create your own custom navigation bar; or you can choose to get the LinkMaster component now available from Coolmaps, which allows you to control these type of changes.

To change images, you either need to apply a new image to your currently assigned SiteStyle for the navbar buttons, or replace the images in the navbar directly using Custom Images. For more information on how to perform these operations, see chapter 16  in the User Guide, Using SiteStyles, and chapter 17, Creating Navigation Bars and Banners.

To change the text information in a text navbar, you need to change the custom button name for the page. This is accessed by selecting the page for which you need to change the button name in Site view, then choosing the Custom Names button on the Page Properties palette. In the Custom Names dialog, fill in the desired name in the Navigation Button field.

To learn about the LinkMaster component, visit the Coolmaps site.

How can I make my navbars into rollover images?
NetObjects Fusion MX has the ability to place JavaScript automatically for you to turn your navbars into rollover images. To select the rollover option, select the navbar, and on the Navigation Bar Properties palette check the User rollover buttons checkbox. When you preview or publish your site, your navbars now dynamically change images when you mouse over them.

How can I change the images for my navbar or banner?
For any navbar or banner, you can apply any style available in the Style view. You can choose to use the assigned SiteStyle, or select any other style to mix and match the styles on your page. If you want, you can also change images by applying a new image to your currently assigned SiteStyle for the navbar buttons or banners. Additionally, you can replace the images in the navbar or banner directly using custom images. For more information on how to perform these operations, see chapter 16 in the User Guide, Using SiteStyles, and chapter 17, Creating Navigation Bars and Banners.

How can I change the words on my navbar or banner?
You can use the Custom Names feature to change the text appearing in banners and navbars. In the Site view, select the page for which you need to change the button or banner name, click the Custom Names button in the Properties palette, and type the desired text into the appropriate text boxes of the Custom Names dialog.

What do I do if one of my button images won’t show the text anymore?
If button images are not showing any text, this usually indicates that you replaced the auto-generated images used from styles with a custom image. Custom images can be added by double-clicking on a button image and choosing a new image at the Image Open dialog, or by clicking the Browse button on the Button Properties palette. When an image is chosen this way, it is copied to the folder for the currently assigned SiteStyle, and given a name that corresponds to the site name and page in which the image is being used. To return to using an auto-generated image with text on it, select the button and click the Default Image button on the Navigation  Button Properties palette. The custom button is removed, and the default style button with text returns. Custom buttons are set separately for regular and rollover buttons.

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PRINTING

What views does NetObjects Fusion allow me to print?
NetObjects Fusion allows you to print the Site Structure shown in the Site Structure view. In Site view you can select Print from the File menu to print the site structure. There is an option in Print Setup, Print to Fit, which will fit the entire structure of your site on to one page. You can also change the size and orientation of the page you wish to print in the Print Setup dialog.

For printing the pages, most browsers have the ability to print the currently displayed page. For any other view, you may use a screen capture of the view you wish to print.

What do I check if I print a page from a browser and nothing shows up?
Check to see if the page you are trying to print is a framed page. Browsers only can print one HTML page at a time. Since a framed page references multiple HTML files at once, you must print each individual element of a framed page separately. When the frameset page is selected, since it does not actually contain any content, no data is available for the printer to print.

What do I check if I print a page and it is not WYSIWYG to the browser display?
There are a number of reasons this could be happening. Here are a few of the most common problems:

  1. The content is cut off on the right side of the page.
    Browsers are configured to print to a certain page area. The printer can only print as much of the page as fits within this area. If the layout tables that define the page are larger than this area, the content that falls outside that area to the right is not printed. If you wish your entire page to be printed, you might want to consider changing the total width of your page layout so that it can fit within this area.
  2. The text overruns tables or does not wrap at the same places.
    Printing fonts can be different sizes than display fonts on a computer screen. This is the same problem that you can encounter when viewing a particular page on a different machine, or if you change the display font in your browser. If the printed output is not acceptable, you can adjust the size or dimensions of your text boxes so that the change between the display and the printer is acceptable. NOTE: Embedding elements inside text boxes can help alleviate problems caused by changing font sizes in relation to images and other page elements.
  3. Images are not printing properly.
    This is usually a problem with background images, and in some cases transparent images. These are issues caused by the way the particular browser and printer are configured to handle images. If you are concerned about how your images will look when printed, you should test them across all target browsers and a variety of printers to check the output quality.

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PUBLISHING

Do I need any special server extensions to publish with NetObjects Fusion?
NetObjects Fusion requires no special server-side software to publish your site. NetObjects Fusion only uploads HTML text files and any other assets that are assigned to your site. However, some components do require that compatible software be installed on the server to which you are publishing, if these components utilize other programs in order to perform certain functions. Make sure to check the documentation for the component or contact the component vendor for any server requirements.

What is the difference between Preview and Publish?
Preview generates HTML that references your assets where they exist on your computer. All links are created with absolute, local paths prefaced with the file:/// link prefix. In Preview, because of this local pathing, components are disabled.  (Version 4.0 browsers prohibit most Java applets from running under local conditions.) Preview automatically creates a directory named Preview in the site’s directory. The Preview directory contains all the HTML that is generated for the site, as well as a directory containing those images that NetObjects Fusion must generate, such as banners and navbar buttons.

Publish generates HTML that references your assets in the directory structure you specify in the Publish view. All assets are copied to these specified directories. The links to these assets are relative, which means that the directory containing all these assets and HTML files may be moved or copied to any location, and all links will still function properly.

What do I check if I get an error when publishing?
For a local publish, check to make sure you have enough hard drive space, and that your operating system will allow you to write to the directory specified.

For a remote publish, check to make sure your computer is connected to your network and your Base Directory is configured properly. You should also make sure that you have permissions to create directories in the location specified in your Base Directory and copy files to that location. Also, NetObjects Fusion cannot publish remotely through a firewall, proxy servers, or virtual directories. If you are having trouble uploading with NetObjects Fusion, first publish locally and try uploading your site using another FTP client such as WS_FTP or CuteFTP. If this upload attempt also fails, contact your server administrator or service provider. See also the FAQ, “What do I do if I receive a Remote Transfer Error?”

Can I configure my own Publish directories?
NetObjects Fusion MX allows you to completely customize how your non-component-related files get published. You can create new directories, move, rename, and delete existing directories, as well as move and rename existing files using the Windows Explorer-like interface of NetObjects Fusion MX’s Publish view. You can revert to one of three default Publish structures by selecting Setup in your Control bar in Publish view, and clicking on the Clear All Customizations button near the bottom of the Publish Setup dialog box. Components are always placed in their own directories and cannot be reconfigured.

Can I publish just the pages I’ve changed?
NetObjects Fusion MX allows you to publish selected individual pages, or selected site sections from the Publish Site dialog. To select one of these options, choose the radio button, then click on the right pointing arrow to get a mini-view of your site. Double-click on the page or section label to choose it for publishing. These settings are not saved when you return to the dialog; you must select the pages you wish to publish each time. These options generate the HTML and copy the assets for that selection only. To prevent assets that have not changed from being uploaded, check the Publish Changed Assets Only checkbox in the Publish Site dialog.

The Don’t Publish option in the Site view allows you to specify a page or pages to be excluded from the published site; this eliminates all links to these pages as if they do not exist.

Why does the Publish view list elements that aren’t in my assets list?
There are several reasons why the assets list is different than the publish list. First, the publish list does not show assets that are not in use. Since only in-use assets are published, those that are not in use do not show up in the Publish view. Second, the assets list does not show any image that is used by a style. Since these images are managed in the style area, they are not managed in the assets list. However, since they are published to your site, they do appear in the publish list. Additionally, some component assets must be determined upon Publish. After publishing your site, all component assets should be listed in both Assets and Publish view.

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SAVING and BACKUPS

Does NetObjects Fusion automatically save my site?
NetObjects Fusion, by default, is configured to automatically save your site file when you switch views (for example, from Page view to Site view) and when you close the file or quit the program. You can choose to disable this feature by choosing the Options selection in the Tools menu, and unchecking the AutoSave option in the Program tab. When the AutoSave preference is turned off, NetObjects Fusion does not save your site file unless you choose the Save option from the File menu. When the file is closed or the program is exited, NetObjects Fusion prompts you with a dialog asking you if you wish to save your changes. Turning off the AutoSave feature can improve the performance of the program, especially for larger site files.

When are backups made?
NetObjects Fusion, by default, is configured to automatically back up your site file when the file is closed and saved. If you choose not to save the file when the site is closed, no backup is made at that time. Backups are made after the compaction routine has checked the file for errors.

How can I set my backup information?
You can set your backup information by selecting the Site Settings selection from the Tools menu. Backup settings are located on the Backup tab. You can configure the number of backups, backup naming convention, and backup directory location in this tab. In addition, you can choose to disable automatic backups from this dialog box. It is recommended that to ensure your work is safely backed up, both the compaction and automatic backup options be left ON at all times.

How do I revert from a backup?
You revert from a backup by copying the backup site file up one level from the Backups directory to the directory with your site file. Then, double-click your backup file to start NetObjects Fusion. Because the backup file is named with a fairly long convention, it is often helpful to rename the file to something more manageable before launching NetObjects Fusion.

What other ways can I save or back up my site?
You can manually save/backup your site by switching to Site view and selecting Export as Template. This will cause NetObjects Fusion to export your site into a template. A template directory is a modular form of your site. It includes a copy of all your file assets, as well as a .nft file. The .nft file is a .nod file linked to file assets within the Template directory. To restore from a template, simply create a new site based on that template. The new site will access all file assets from the Template directory. For more information on working with templates, see chapter 4 in the User Guide, Working with Templates.

If you prefer to save an exact copy of your site file, you can select Save Site As... from the File menu in Site view. Unlike Exporting a Template, the site created by a Save Site As... is an exact duplicate of the site file, linking to file assets exactly as does the original .nod file. Save Site As... creates a new folder for your site file with the new name and copies over all assets located in the Assets directory, as well as all backups for that file. The newly named file is launched in the program and the old file is closed. For more information on Save Site As..., see chapter 3 in the User Guide, Creating and Managing Sites.

What is the .bak file?
The .bak file in the same directory as your .nod file is actually the working version of your .nod file. This is not a backup file; it is periodically used to update your .nod file. Do not use the .bak file for recovery purposes.

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STYLES

What are styles?
SiteStyles in NetObjects Fusion are a collection of graphical elements that can be used in your site to create a constant look and feel throughout the site. Style elements consist of a banner, two sets of navigation buttons, text colors, a datalist icon, a line, and a background image or color. Twenty-seven SiteStyles ship with NetObjects Fusion, but you can also create your own. In addition, styles from previous versions are available with the Online Styles feature in Style view. For more information on styles, how to create and edit them, see chapter 16 in the User Guide, Using SiteStyles.

What do I check if my style isn’t showing up in Page view?
First check to make sure that you have the correct style assigned in your Style view. Also check to make sure that your style is listed in the Style gallery in Style view. If not, you will need to add your style to the list. Select Add Local Style to List from the Style menu while in Style view. Select the .ssx file of the style you wish to add and click Open. The style is added to your list. You might encounter this sort of situation if you imported your site into a new site, or if you opened a template on another machine.

What do I do if one of my styles is missing from my list?
NetObjects Fusion saves the list of styles with the particular file you add it to. When you open another site, or create a new site, you only see those styles that were saved with that site. However, once a style is created, the style is created in the Styles folder in your NetObjects Fusion directory. All you need to do is add the style to the list that doesn’t include it. Select Add Local Style to list from the Style menu while in Style view. Select the .ssf file of the style that you wish to add and click Open. The style is added to your list.

What do I do if one of my button images won’t show the text anymore?
If button images are not showing any text, this usually indicates that you replaced the auto-generated images used from styles with a custom image. Custom images can be added by double-clicking on a button image and choosing a new image at the Image Open dialog, or by clicking the Browse button on the Button Properties palette. When an image is chosen this way, it is copied to the folder for the currently assigned SiteStyle, and given a name that corresponds to the site name and page in which the image is being used. To return to using an auto-generated image with text on it, select the button and click the Default Image button on the Navigation  Button Properties palette. The custom button is removed and the default style button with text returns. Custom buttons are set separately for regular and rollover buttons.

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TEMPLATES

What is a template?
NetObjects Fusion template (.nft) files are essentially the same as a NetObjects Fusion Web site (.nod) files, with one major exception. When you export a NetObjects Fusion site as a template, NetObjects Fusion places all of the site’s assets into a single Assets folder. NetObjects Fusion converts all absolute links to these assets (e.g., c:\windows\media\sound.wav) to relative links  (e.g., \assets\sound.wav). You can move the template file and its corresponding Assets folder to any machine, without breaking any asset links. For more information on templates and how to use them. see chapter 4 in the User Guide, Working with Templates.

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TEXT and IMAGES

How can I get a single-line carriage return instead of a double line?
To get a single-line carriage return, hit Shift+Enter. NetObjects Fusion follows the HTML convention that a hard return is the equivalent of a Paragraph Break <P>. Shift+Enter is the equivalent of the End of Line Break <BR>.

How can I anti-alias my text in an image?
NetObjects Fusion MX anti-aliases both PostScript Type 1 and True Type fonts if you have turned on Font Smoothing under Windows 95 Plus Pack, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows NT. If you are using ATM on Windows 95 and do not have the Plus Pack, only PostScript Type 1 fonts can be anti-aliased.

Does NetObjects Fusion support animated GIFs, progressive JPGs, and other special GIF and JPG formats?
NetObjects Fusion MX supports animated GIFs, progressive JPGs, and other GIF and JPG formats such as custom palettes, transparency, and interlacing. For non-GIF or -JPG formatted images, NetObjects Fusion converts these to either the GIF or JPG format. However, NetObjects Fusion uses a fixed 216-color palette for GIFs and a fixed-quality compression for JPG. If you wish to control the palette or compression of your images, you should convert them to the GIF or JPG format prior to importing them into NetObjects Fusion.

Why are my auto-generated GIFs and JPGs so much larger than my originals?
NetObjects Fusion uses a Web-safe 216-color palette for all GIFs and a fixed-quality compression for all JPGs it generates. This means that it does not use the original palette colors or compression quality. The quality NetObjects maintains for its images is high to try to preserve as much fidelity to the original as possible. However, as a result of trying to preserve the quality of the image, the file size is correspondingly larger. If you wish to control the palette colors or the compression of all images in your site, you need to create custom images in a image editing tool such as Adobe PhotoShop, instead of using the NetObjects Fusion built-in facility. For information on how to add custom images to your navbars and banners, see chapter 17 in the User Guide, Creating Navigation Bars and Banners.

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TOOLS and PALETTES

What tools are available in NetObjects Fusion MX?
There are five default toolbars available in NetObjects Fusion MX: Standard, Advanced, Web Tools, NetObjects Components, and Forms.

Standard Toolbar: Select, Zoom, Services, Text, Picture, Table, Layout Region, Form Area, Navigation Bar, Banner, Draw Object, and Lines.

Advanced Toolbar: Rich Media, Java tool, ActiveX Control, Data List, and External HTML.

Web Tools Toolbar: Anchor, Link, HTML, and Span.

NetObjects Components Toolbar: Ad Banner, DynaButton, Picture Loader, Forms Handler, Go Menu, Picture Rollover, Rotating Picture, Screen Door, SiteMapper, Ticker Tape, and Time Based Picture.

Forms Toolbar: Button, Checkbox, Radio Button, Edit Field, Multi-Line Edit Field, and ComboBox.

For a description of each of these tools, see chapter 1 in the User Guide, NetObjects Fusion Basics.

In addition to the NetObjects Components Toolbar, third-party component toolbars may also be available in the listing of Components in the View Toolbars menu option. Which toolbars appear here is determined by the third-party components installed in the NetObjects Fusion MX/Components directory.

How can I hide the tools and palettes?
From the View menu, check either Properties Palettes or Toolbars submenu. If a check appears next to the toolbar or palette name, this indicates that the toolbar or palette is currently being shown on the NetObjects Fusion desktop. To hide a toolbar or palette that is currently being shown, click it. This removes the check mark from next to the name and hides the palette or toolbar. You can also click the “x” that appears in the upper right hand corner of the window. This closes the palette or toolbar. To shrink the Properties palette to display just its title bar, click the minimize button; click the button again to restore the full display.

What is the Object Tree?
The Object Tree allows you to locate and rename objects on a page. This is especially helpful when you are working with layered or hidden objects. If you add several of the same type of objects, NetObjects Fusion numbers each object in the order in which the objects are placed.

Can I make the palettes smaller?
The Properties palette is resized through the Use  small fonts Option from the Tools menu. This option is checked by default in a new NetObjects Fusion site. The Properties palette cannot be made any smaller than when using small fonts, but can be minimized or hidden. If your palettes appear cut off, or you can not access some buttons on a palette, please see solution S1302 in our online Knowledgebase.

The Object Tree and toolbars can be resized by moving your cursor to one of the sides or corners of the box. When your cursor becomes a double-arrow line, click and hold the mouse key down while you resize the palette.

The toolbars additionally can be docked on any edge of the display window. Click on the title bar to drag to a dockable location. To undock a toolbar, click and drag on the double line to the left or at the top.

Why do I have all these strange toolbars in my list of Component Tools?
NetObjects Fusion MX creates toolbars based on the location of the .nfx files in the Components directory:

  1. If you have placed all your .nfx files along with related files into the root of the Components directory, NetObjects Fusion creates a single toolbar for all those components.
  2. If you have placed each .nfx file along with related files into their own separate folder in the Components directory, then each component receives its own toolbar named after the name of the folder.

To change the content of the toolbars, you may create your own directories in the Components directory and place those .nfx files you wish to be in that toolbar within those directories. Make sure to include all related files. For additional information on how to modify the components toolbars, see solution S1525 in our online Knowledgebase.

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UPGRADING/MIGRATING FROM 4.0x OR 5.0x

Does the upgrade require version 4.0x or 5.0x to be installed?
The Upgrade version of NetObjects Fusion MX does not require that any previous version be installed on the machine. If you are upgrading from version 4.0x, you are prompted for your 4.0x serial number followed by your new MX serial number. If you are upgrading from version 5.0x, you are prompted for your 5.0x serial number followed by your new MX serial number. If you do happen to have version 5.0x installed on the same machine you are installing version MX, the installer does not prompt you for the 5.0x serial number.

Where can I find my MX serial number?
The MX serial number is located on the registration card shipped in the box. All serial numbers for the different bundled products (if serial numbers are required) can be found on two stickers at the bottom of the inside fold of the registration card, or are included in the order confirmation email that you received from the NetObjects Online Store.

Where can I find my 5.0x serial number?
Your version 5.0x serial number is located on the sticker on your half of the NetObjects Fusion 5 registration card. Also, you can launch NetObjects Fusion 5.0, and select About NetObjects Fusion... from the Help menu. The serial number you entered when you first installed NetObjects Fusion 5.0 appears at the bottom of the window.

What do I do if I have lost my serial number?
If you do not have a serial number for any product please contact NetObjects Customer Service.

    U.S. and Canada: 888-449-6400
    International: 001 512 434 1523

For all other questions or inquiries, please email info@netobjects.com.

How can I bring my 4.0x or 5.0x sites into NetObjects Fusion MX?
If you have existing site files (.nod, .nft) that originated in NetObjects Fusion for Windows versions 4.0, 4.0.1, 5.0, 5.0.1, 5.0.2, or 5.0.2a, follow one of the two sets of instructions below. Also, refer to the If You Are Upgrading... chapter in the Building Business Web Sites.

  1. If you want to migrate a .nod file, first copy the site’s folder into the NetObjects Fusion MX\User Sites folder. Be sure to make a copy, because once you open the site in MX, you cannot reopen it in the previous version. After you copy the site’s folder, launch NetObjects Fusion MX, select Open Site from the File menu, and open the .nod file.
    When a dialog appears telling you that the file was created in an older version of NetObjects Fusion, click Yes to open a copy of the file, then give it a new name. When you open, preview, publish, or navigate through the copy of this site, you might see dialogs that warn you about instability. If this occurs, please use the Re-Optimize feature on your site file.
    If the style elements for the site appear blank, select Add Style to List from the Style menu in Style view, and open the missing style’s .ssf file, located in its style folder. The style folder might be in the Styles folder of the previous installation directory.
  2. If you want to migrate a template (.nft) file, first copy the template as described in the procedure outlined in section 1 above. Then, in NetObjects Fusion MX, you can either import the template as a section of your site, or base a new site on the template by opening the template directly. You might be prompted to open the template file directly before inserting it or basing a new site on it.

For more information, view the Readme.html file located in your NetObjects Fusion MX/Readme directory.

What are some known issues migrating 4.0x or 5.0x site files into MX?
There are several issues that have come to our attention as things to watch for when you are bringing 4.0x or 5.0x site files forward into version MX. The solution numbers listed below can be found in our online
Knowledgebase.

  1. Tables in sites created in previous versions change formatting after migration. When migrating a site from a previous version into NetObjects Fusion MX, tables contained within that site may grow slightly in size, and cell alignments may be altered. Additionally, tables migrated from version 3.0 sites have the row height checkbox checked, fixing the height of the rows in the table. This is due to more precise implementation of table code in the new Table tool. The new tool provides more diverse formatting, as well as fixes for inaccuracies that existed in previous version’s abilities to properly calculate table sizes in the page layout. If your site contains tables, make sure to look over the pages containing tables to verify that the layout and properties are correct. Solutions S1521, S1538.
  2. When migrating a site from a previous version into NetObjects Fusion MX, global preferences are not kept. This is because certain preferences are recorded in the specific registry settings for the program. When you install a new program, these preferences are set to the default settings in the new registry entries. For information on which preferences are global and which are not, see chapter 2 of the User Guide,  Setting Application Options. Solution S1522.
  3. Assets referenced from within a previous version’s NetObjects Fusion directory are not retained after migration. If a site created in a previous version of NetObjects Fusion has assets that are referenced to any of the subfolders of the original installation directory, these assets show up as missing when the file is opened in NetObjects Fusion MX. The reason for this is because the internal directory structure has changed between the previous version of NetObjects Fusion and version MX. To avoid this problem, export your site as a template in the original version. Then open a new site based on this template in that version. Once the new site has been saved, open the new site in NetObjects Fusion MX. All the assets show up as expected. Solutions S1523, S1524.

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