Getting Started             

If this page looks like a painful read, you may prefer to use Elevator Designer, a 32-bit Windows® utility that provides a friendly visual interface for adding Elevator to your page, with built-in page previewing and easy editing of an existing <APPLET> tag.
  1. Place the program files (Elevator.jar, Elevator.cab, ryElevator.class, ryEVItem.class and ryStageFader.class) in the directory containing the HTML document into which you want to insert the applet (or into a different directory, and add the correct CODEBASE= attribute to the applet tag given below).

  2. Add the following applet tag to your HTML document in the position you want Elevator to appear:
    <APPLET CODE="ryElevator" ARCHIVE="Elevator.jar" WIDTH=162 HEIGHT=350>
    <param name=CabBase value="Elevator.cab">
    <param name=Copyright value="Elevator (c) 1999 Cool Focus [www.coolfocus.com]">
    <param name=Name value="UniqueName">
    <param name=Satellites value="no">
    <param name=BgColor value="000000">
    <param name=PanelColor value="404040">
    <param name=LocationColor value="404040">
    <param name=LocationTextColor value="00FF00">
    <param name=TextColor value="BDBDCE">
    <param name=FocusTextColor value="00FF00">
    <param name=PressTextColor value="00B000">
    <param name=SelectTextColor value="FFFF00">
    <param name=VertLineColor value="404040">
    <param name=IconColor value="BDBDCE">
    <param name=FocusIconColor value="00FF00">
    <param name=PressIconColor value="808080">
    <param name=ArrowColor value="BDBDCE">
    <param name=LineColor value="BDBDCE">
    <param name=SelectorColor value="403020">
    <param name=DefaultTarget value="main">
    <param name=3DBorder value="yes">
    <param name=FadeSpeed value="5">
    <param name=Font value="Dialog,Plain,12">
    <param name=ShowSelectors value="yes">
    <param name=ShowArrows value="yes">
    <param name=ShowLines value="yes">
    <param name=Sticky value="yes">
    <param name=HighlightedEntry value="0">
    <param name=ContentsText value="Front Page">
    <param name=UseHandCursor value="yes">

    </APPLET>

  3. Do the easy bit first - change the colors and other display options in the first block of parameters above to suit your own needs. Details of every parameter and value are given in detail in The Parameters Explained.

  4. The remaining steps on this page give a brief explanation of how the entries are formed. You can also take a look at the examples in this documentation and their HTML code to see how entries are added.

  5. Elevator uses a system of asterisk symbols (*) to denote which level an entry should be added to. Entries on the first level (visible when Elevator first starts) have no asterisk. Entries on the second level have one asterisk; on the third level, two asterisks; on the fourth level, three asterisks; and so on. The asterisks are placed before the text to be displayed (ie. the first items of the VALUE= attribute).

  6. In the example code below, only one entry (How to Register) will be shown when Elevator starts. Clicking that entry will show a second level containing Buy Online, Using PayMaster and More Purchase Options. Clicking on 'More Purchase Options' opens a third level containing Purchase by Check and Register with Cash.

    <param name=Item1 value="How to Register">
    <param name=Item2 value="*Buy Online">
    <param name=Item3 value="*Using PayMaster">
    <param name=Item4 value="*More Purchase Options">
    <param name=Item5 value="**Purchase by Check">
    <param name=Item6 value="**Register with Cash">

  7. The numbering of the Item parameters is vital. Elevator reads those parameters sequentially, and determines how to group each item it reads according to what item is at the next-lowest level. For example, the Purchase by Check and Register by Cash items are to be placed at the 3rd level, so Elevator checks to see which the last 2nd-level item was (More Purchase Options), and creates a third level menu for that item. Below, we've altered the Item numbers (and put them in numerical order for clarity). Now, the Purchase... and Register... options will be shown when the Using PayMaster item is clicked.
    <param name=Item1 value="How to Register">
    <param name=Item2 value="*Buy Online">
    <param name=Item3 value="*Using PayMaster">
    <param name=Item4 value="**Purchase by Check">
    <param name=Item5 value="**Register with Cash">
    <param name=Item6 value="*More Purchase Options">

  8. URL and Target parameters are added using the same number suffixes as the Item parameters. There are no asterisks to bother with for these parameters, so a URL for Item3 above could be: <param name=URL3 value="paymaster.htm">.