Hotspot properties dialog box


You use the Hotspot properties dialog box to choose the type for new image hotspots and to control properties of existing hotspot.  To learn more, see “Adding hotspots to your panoramas” in Chapter 7, “Making a virtual tour.”

·         To create a new hotspot — Choose a hotspot type under the Create hotspot heading and then click or click-drag on the image.

·         To view and/or modify the properties of an existing hotspot — choose the Selection tool under the Create hotspot heading and then select the hotspot by clicking it.

·         To move hotspots — Select one or more hotspots, place the cursor over a selected hotspots and click-drag to move them.

·         To delete hotspots — Select one or more hotspots and then choose the Delete selected command from the Edit menu or press the DELETE key.

Create hotspot
Chooses the type for new image hotspots.  After selecting a hotspot type, the next mouse-click or click-drag on the image creates a new hotspot of the chosen type.  After creating a hotspot, the Create hotspot choice returns to the selection arrow.

The size and appearance of the active region for each type of hotspot are determined by the particular export format used.  See “Export image file formats” in Chapter 9, “Image file formats” for more information.

This button

Means this

Chooses the Selection tool.  Clicking or click-dragging on the image selects one or more hotspots.  See Chapter 8, “Working with image decorations” for more information.

Chooses the Spot tool.  Clicking on the image adds a Spot type hotspot at the mouse position.  Spot type hotspots identify a particular point on the image.

Chooses the Circle tool.  Click-dragging on the image draws a Circle type hotspot.

Chooses the Rectangle tool.  Click-dragging on the image draws a Rectangle type hotspot.

Chooses the Polygon tool.  Each click on the image adds a new point to the polygon.  You can insert, delete or move points using the Edit polygon controls.

Chooses the Bookmark tool.  Clicking on the image adds a Bookmark at the mouse position.  A bookmark identifies a particular point on the image.

Selected hotspot name
Controls the name of the hotspot or bookmark.  The Panorama Factory automatically assigns a name to each hotspot or bookmark, but the name can be changed by editing the text in this text field.

            The significance of this name is determined by the particular export format used.  See “Export image file formats” in Chapter 9, “Image file formats” for more information.

Hyperlink
Chooses the action to be performed when the user clicks a hotspot in the exported image.

URL — Specifies the URL (web address) that the hotspot will reference.  The URL can include a web page bookmark using the #bookmark notation.  The URL value corresponds to the “url” portion of the HREF= attribute in the HTML construction:

                              <A HREF=url>                  
or               <A HREF=url#bookmark>.

Bookmark — Specifies a web page bookmark within the page entered in the URL field.  To specify the top of the web page, leave the Bookmark value blank.  The Bookmark value corresponds to the “bookmark” portion of the HREF= attribute in the HTML construction:

                              <A HREF=url#bookmark>.

 Frame — The Frame is normally used if you are making web pages that use multiple frames.  This value specifies the target frame in which to open the URL.  You may leave the Frame blank to open the URL in the entire browser window.  The Frame value corresponds to the TARGET= attribute in the HTML construction:

                              <A HREF=url TARGET=frame>.

Edit polygon
These controls are enabled when a Polygon type hotspot is selected.  You can use these buttons to choose the polygon editing tool.

This button

This cursor

Means this

Chooses the Polygon Move tool.  To move the entire polygon, place the cursor over any line of the polygon.  The cursor changes to a move hand indicating that a click-drag will move the entire polygon.

Chooses the Point Move tool.  To move a point on the polygon, place the cursor over the point.  The cursor changes to a move pointer indicating that a click-drag will move the point.

Chooses the Point Insert tool.  To insert a new point into the polygon, place the cursor over any line of the polygon.  The cursor changes to an insert pointer indicating that a click-drag will insert a new point within the line.

Chooses the Point Delete tool.  To delete a point from the polygon, place the cursor over the point.  The cursor changes to a delete pointer indicating that a click will delete the point.

Bookmarks
Controls the bookmark attributes of a hotspot. Please note that the bookmark functions of hotspots are implemented with Javascript.  The person viewing the web page must enable Javascript for bookmarks to function.

This hotspot is also a bookmark — Selecting this checkbox makes the hotspot function as a bookmark.  If you embed the panorama in a web page, another hotspot can jump to this one using the #bookmark notation in its URL value.

This hotspot is the default view — Selecting this checkbox sets the hotspot as the default view.  When the web page containing this panorama is displayed, the viewer will jump to this hotspot if the page’s URL did not include a #bookmark notation.

Set tilt angle to zero — Ordinarily the bookmark sets pan, tilt and zoom so that the hotspot shape will fill the viewer.  If you select this checkbox, the bookmark will still set pan and zoom from the hotspot shape but it will set the tilt angle to zero so that the viewer will be looking straight ahead.  This usually provides a more natural view than tilting the view up or down.  In some cases it may not be possible to set the tilt angle to zero, for example when the entire panorama was made with the camera tilted down below the horizon.  In this situation the tilt angle is set as close to zero as possible.

Show hotspot
Determines whether the hotspot will be visible on the image. The following descriptions are suggestive of how the hotspot show attributes are intended to work, but the precise effects are interpreted by the particular export format used.  See “Export image file formats” in Chapter 9, “Image file formats” for more information.

Normal — Normal hotspots are invisible.  Some image viewers may provide a command to make them visible.

Popup — Popup hotspots are normally invisible.  Some viewers may show Popup hotspots when you move the cursor over their locations.

Always — These hotspots are always visible in viewers that recognize this attribute.

Hotspot color
Clicking the color well displays a Color chooser dialog box.  This color determines the color used to display the hotspot within The Panorama Factory.  Some viewers may recognize this attribute and display the hotspot in the selected color.  See “Export image file formats” in Chapter 9, “Image file formats” for more information.

 Text message
Some image viewers recognize this text message and display it under certain circumstances.  See “Export image file formats” in Chapter 9, “Image file formats” for more information.



© 1999-2009, Smoky City Design, LLC
Updated: March 6, 2009