Interactive Billboards

For Faster Customization use The Template Based on the Above Implementation.

Information about the applet and its parameters

Required Parameters

Parameter 1 (the "notice" tag) must be included in the applet tag in order for the applet to work. Most of the parameters will default if you fail to define them, at a minimum you must include the notice tag, description tags and specify associated images. Usually the easiest way to customize the applet is cut and paste the applet tag information used in the sample and modify it to fit your web page.

Defining Colors

This applet uses a simple RGB color scheme. To define a color in one of the color parameters use a value between 0 - 255 for the red, green, and blue components separated by commas and typed out in the correct r,g,b order. Below is a sample of how a color parameter should look, the example specifies several different sample colors for the "bgcolor" parameter.

WHITE: <param name="bgcolor" value="255,255,255">
GREEN: <param name="bgcolor" value="0,255,0">
BLACK: <param name="bgcolor" value="0,0,0">
YELLOW: <param name="bgcolor" value="255,255,0">
OFF WHITE: <param name="bgcolor" value="240,239,234">

The best way to choose the exact color you are looking for without having to guess the numbers is to access your systems Color Picker. Color Pickers usually allow you to drag the mouse over a rainbow type color grid to select a color, and show you the appropriate RGB values. In windows the Color Picker is accessible through MS Paint as well as a majority of the popular Imaging and HTML Authoring Software.

Defining Multiple Attributes with the same parameter name

Parameters used to customize a specific attribute are indicated using a range, such as "desc0" - "descN". To define a parameter for a specific attribute (available when noted as above), use "desc0" to define, in this case, the description for the first message - "desc3" would define the description for the fourth message, etc., etc.

Applet Coordinate System

The origin of the applets coordinate system is located at the upper left corner of the applet. The x (horizontal) coordinate starts at the left border with 0 and goes as far to the right as the applet is wide (defined with the width tag - see above). The y (vertical) coordinate starts at the top of the applet with 0 and goes down as far as the applet is high (defined with the height tag - see above).

The Applet Parameters

The Applet

Parameter 1
Attribute: Copyright notice.
param name="Notice"
value="Interactive Billboards, Copyright (c) 1997 OpenCube Technologies, Registered (Unique Key ID#)"
Note: This must be included for the applet to work.

Parameter 2
Attribute: Background Color
param name= "bgcolor"
Value=r,g,b - See above for more information on defining colors.
DEFAULT: WHITE

Parameter 3
Attribute: Default Status Bar Text when mouse is over applet
NOTE: The unregistered version does not allow for the customization of this parameter.
param name = "onsbtext"
value="X", where X is the message to appear in the status bar when the mouse is over the applet but not over a URL link.
DEFAULT: "OpenCube - Smooth Scroll Up II"

Parameter 4
Attribute: Default Status Bar Text when mouse is off applet
NOTE: The unregistered version does not allow for the customization of this parameter.
param name = "offsbtext"
value="X", where X is the message to appear in the status bar when the mouse is not over the applet.
DEFAULT: "Java By OpenCube"

Parameter 5
Attribute: Loading Images Message
param name = "loadmsg"
Value = X. Where X is the message to be displayed when the applet is initially starting and loading the billboard images.

Parameter 6
Attribute: Loading Images Text Color
param name = "loadcolor"
Value = r,g,b. Where r,g,b is the color of the loading messages text which is displayed when the applet is loading the billboard images.

Parameter 7
Attribute: Loading Images Text Size
param name = "loadsize"
Value = X, Where X is the size of the text to be used with the loading messages text which is displayed when the applet is loading the billboard images.

Parameter 8
Attribute: USE URL Links Anywhere
param name = "linkanywhere"
Value = true or false, True = yes, force the entire applet area to act as a URL link. (URL links are defined using the desturlN tag.) no = only link to the specified URL when the user clicks an image.
DEFAULT: false

Parameter 9
Attribute: Show Links in the Status Bar
param name = "showsblinks"
Value = true or false, True = yes, display the URL for all links in the status bar, false = no, do not display the URL of links in the status bar.
DEFAULT: false

Billboard Timing

Parameter 10
Attribute: Default Billboard Frame Timing
param name = "frametime"
Value = X, Where X is the default amount of time in seconds for all billboards to be displayed for.
DEFAULT: 2

Parameter 11
Attribute: Specific Billboard Frame Timing
param name = "frametime0" - "frametimeN"
Value = X, Where X is the specific amount of time in seconds for a billboard to be displayed for.

The Billboard Images

Note: Each billboard frame must use one image and one associated description. To leave a description blank you must still include the descN parameter, however use several space characters rather than a message.

Parameter 12
Attribute: Image File Locations and Names
param name = "imagefile0" - "imagefileN"
Value = X. Where X is the relative location and name of the image file to be displayed in the applet area. This must be defined relative to the location of the document containing the applet.

Parameter 13
Attribute: Default Image x (horizontal) locations
param name = "picx"
Value = X. Where X is the default horizontal location of the left edge for all images relative to left border of the applet.

Parameter 14
Attribute: Specific Image x (horizontal) locations
param name = "picx0" - "picxN"
Value = X. Where X is the horizontal location of the left edge of the image relative to the left border of the applet. If your applet width is defined as 100, picx="50" would place the left border of the image horizontally in the center of the applet.

Parameter 15
Attribute: Default Image y (vertical) locations
param name = "picy"
Value = X. Where X is the default vertical location of the top edge of the images relative to the top border of the applet.

Parameter 16
Attribute: Specific Image y (vertical) locations
param name = "picy0" - "picyN"
Value = X. Where X is the vertical location of the top edge of the image relative to the top border of the applet.

Defining the Highlight Images

Parameter 17
Attribute: Render Gray Scale Highlight of Image
param name = "hb&w"
Value = true or false, true = yes use gray scale highlight, false = no gray scale highlight
DEFAULT: false

Parameter 18
Attribute: Highlight Image Filter Color
param name = "himagecolor"
Value = r,g,b Where r,g,b is the red, green, and blue components of the highlight filter color. To highlight your image using a bright blue filter use 0,0,255, to highlight with a green filter use 0,255,0, or highlight with any color, a gray color will darken or lighten the image colors uniformly.
DEFAULT: yellow

Parameter 19
Attribute: Use Lighter Highlight
param name = "hlighten"
Value = true or false, true = yes use lightened highlight, false = no, use darkened highlight. Note: the color to highlight is defined using the "himagecolor" tag defined above, this tag simple further defines weather the highlight color will brighten or darken the image.
DEFAULT: false

Parameter 20
Attribute: Filter out background in highlighted image.
param name = "transparent"
Value = true or false, true = yes the highlighted image will not effect the color defined by the "transparentcolor" tag, (see below) false = no, the highlighted image will encompass the entire image area. Basically this setting allows you to highlight the picture area and not the entire square space of a gif or jpg image. Note: The image filtering will not ignore the transparent areas of gif. To make a color in a gif file transparent save it as a non transparent file then specify the color to ignore using the transparent color tag below.
DEFAULT: False

Parameter 21
Attribute: Transparent Color
param name = "transparentcolor"
Value = R,G,B. Where R,G,B defines the red, green, and blue components of the transparent color to be unaltered when highlighting the image. Note: the Filter out background, "transparent" tag must be set to true, as described above, in order to work. The transparent color will not work with transparent gif images, in order to highlight a transparent gif and filter out a certain color you must convert the gif image to non-transparent.
DEFAULT: White

The Associated Messages

Parameter 22
Attribute: Message
param name="desc0" - "descN"
value=X, where X is the message and optional title to be displayed with the associated image defined by the specific index. To define the message text and title text separate them with a vertical bar ('|'). e.g. My Title|this is the message associated with my title. You may also force a paragraph break in the body text with a vertical bar. To force a paragraph break in a description with no headline text start the message with a vertical bar, then subsequent vertical bars are recognized as paragraph breaks.
Note: Messages longer than the width of the applet are automatically put in a multi-line format. The title section of the message must be able to fit on one line.

Parameter 23
Attribute: Highlight Messages
param name="hldesc0" - "hldescN"
value=X, where X is the highlight message and optional title to be displayed when the mouse moves over the frames associated image. To define the message text and title text separate them with a vertical bar ('|'). e.g. My Title|this is the message associated with my title. You may also force a paragraph break in the body text with a vertical bar. To force a paragraph break in a description with no headline text start the message with a vertical bar, then subsequent vertical bars are recognized as paragraph breaks.
Note: Messages longer than the width of the applet are automatically put in a multi-line format. The title section of the message must be able to fit on one line.

Parameter 24
Attribute: Extra Title Space
param name = "extratitlespace"
Value = X. Where X the amount of extra title space measured in screen pixels to use between the title and paragraph areas of all messages.
DEFAULT: 0

Parameter 25
Attribute: Default Text Area Width
param name = "showwidth"
Value = X. Where X is the width of the text area to be displayed along with an image for each billboard.

Parameter 26
Attribute: Specific Text Area Width
param name = "showwidth0" - "showwidthN"
Value = X. Where X is the width of a specific text area to be displayed along with an image.

Parameter 27
Attribute: Default Text Area Height
param name = "showheight"
Value = X. Where X is the height of the text area to be displayed along with an image for each billboard.

Parameter 28
Attribute: Specific Text Area Height
param name = "showheight0" - "showheightN"
Value = X. Where X is the height of a specific text area to be displayed along with an image.

Parameter 29
Attribute: Default Text Area X (Horizontal) Location
param name = "showx"
Value = X. Where X is the default horizontal location at which to place the text area for all messages.

Parameter 30
Attribute: Specific Text Area X (Horizontal) Location
param name = "showx0" - "showxN"
Value = X. Where X is the horizontal location at which to place a specific text area.

Parameter 31
Attribute: Default Text Area Y (Vertical) Location
param name = "showy"
Value = X. Where X is the default vertical location at which to place the text area for all messages.

Parameter 32
Attribute: Specific Text Area Y (Vertical) Location
param name = "showy0" - "showyN"
Value = X. Where X is the vertical location at which to place the specific text area.

Title Text Formatting

Parameter 33
Attribute: Title Text Color
param name= "titletextcolor"
Value=r,g,b - See above for more information on defining colors.
DEFAULT: Red

Parameter 34
Attribute: Title Font Size
param name="titlesize"
value="X", where X is the font size to use for all titles.
DEFAULT: 16

Parameter 35
Attribute: Title Font Name
param name="titlefont"
value="X", where X is the name of a standard Java Font (Dialog, Helvetica, TimesRoman, Courier, Symbol)
DEFAULT: "Helvetical"

Parameter 36
Attribute: Title Font Style
param name="titlestyle"
value= bold, italic, bolditalic, plain
DEFAULT: plain

Paragraph Text Formatting

Parameter 37
Attribute: Paragraph Text Color
param name= "textcolor"
Value=r,g,b - See above for more information on defining colors.
DEFAULT: Red

Parameter 38
Attribute: Paragraph Font Size
param name="size"
value="X", where X is the font size to use for all paragraph sections of text.
DEFAULT: 16

Parameter 39
Attribute: Paragraph Font Name
param name="font"
value="X", where X is the name of a standard Java Font (Dialog, Helvetica, TimesRoman, Courier, Symbol)
DEFAULT: "Helvetical"

Parameter 40
Attribute: Font Style
param name="style"
value= bold, italic, bolditalic, plain
DEFAULT: plain

Parameter 41
Attribute: Default Horizontally Center Text
param name="xcentertext"
Value = true or false. true = yes center text, false = no left justify text
DEFAULT: false

Parameter 42
Attribute: Specific Horizontally Center Text
param name="xcentertext0" - "xcentertextN"
Value = true or false. true = yes center text, false = no left justify text

Parameter 43
Attribute: Default Vertically Center Text
param name="ycentertext"
Value = true or false. true = yes center text, false = no align top.
DEFAULT: false

Parameter 44
Attribute: Specific Vertical Center Text
param name="ycentertext0" - "ycentertextN"
Value = true or false. true = yes center text, false = no align top.

Parameter 45
Attribute: Left and Right Margin Width
param name="lrmargin"
Value = X, Where X is the width of both the left and right margin.
DEFAULT: 5

Messages that act as URL Links

Parameter 46
Attribute: Destination URL Link
param name="desturl0" - "desturlN"
Value = X, Where X is the location of the document to load relative to the location of the HTML document containing the applet (e.g. if the HTML page containing the applet is located at http://www.opencube.com and the document to load is located at http://www.opencube.com/myhtml/mydoc.htm then the desturlN value would be "myhtml/mydoc.htm"). Note: The desturlN tags directly correspond to the descN tags, setting desturl0 will add a link to the first message description identified in desc0, desturl1 uses a link with desc1, etc.

Parameter 47
Attribute: Default Load Destination URL Link Where? (Frame Targeting)
param name="loadwhere"
The "loadwhere" tag specifies where the document specified in the "desturlN" tags should be loaded. The default is "_self"

"_self" show in the current frame
"_parent" show in the parent frame
"_top" show in the top-most frame
"_blank" show in a new unnamed top-level window
"name" show in a new top-level window named name

Parameter 48
Attribute: Specific Load Destination URL Link Where? (Frame Targeting)
param name="loadwhere0" - "loadwhereN"
The "loadwhere" tag specifies where the document specified in the "desturlN" tag should be loaded. The default is specific with the default loadwhere tag described above

"_self" show in the current frame
"_parent" show in the parent frame
"_top" show in the top-most frame
"_blank" show in a new unnamed top-level window
"name" show in a new top-level window named name

Interactive Billboards, © 1997, OpenCube Technologies