[zensan]

Hi there. I purchased dreamweaver (creative suite 3) and trying to build my e-commerce site with it. I created web button images in CorelDraw x3 (for rollover) but when I export it, it always comes with the rectangle white background (my button is "sideway oval looking" button). When I use sample buttons that came with dreamweaver, I can specify the background color so when I insert the image it would match with the background color and I can get rid of the white rectangle that way... Could anybody tell me how to get rid of the background rectangle and just export the button shape to the dreamweaver? If it is already discussed, please let me know which thread I sould read. Thanks

 

[gspotstudio]

How are you exporting your graphic? Remember, jpg's don't allow for transparency so that could explain your white background. Gif's do allow for transparency but I've never liked the look. Try exporting as a png 8 bit, i think, you should get a quality similar to jpg with transparency of gif.

 

[zensan]

How are you exporting your graphic? Remember, jpg's don't allow for transparency so that could explain your white background. Gif's do allow for transparency but I've never liked the look. Try exporting as a png 8 bit, i think, you should get a quality similar to jpg with transparency of gif.

Thanks for the tip. I exported as JPEG. at first time. I tried exporting as a png 8 bit but during the process, I kind got lost on how to go about with the transparency part (with eyedrop) dialog... and I still got the white rectangle. I will need to study more on how to use the program, I guess. I made nice buttons using CorelDRAW so I was hoping that I could do something within the CorelDraw (cut out the background and save it kind of way) so that I could simply export as png 8 bit. I am still new to Dreamweaver as well so it might take time but I will get there. Thanks again for the input.

 

[Dwomers]

Thanks for the tip. I exported as JPEG. at first time. I tried exporting as a png 8 bit but during the process, I kind got lost on how to go about with the transparency part (with eyedrop) dialog... and I still got the white rectangle. I will need to study more on how to use the program, I guess. I made nice buttons using CorelDRAW so I was hoping that I could do something within the CorelDraw (cut out the background and save it kind of way) so that I could simply export as png 8 bit. I am still new to Dreamweaver as well so it might take time but I will get there. Thanks again for the input.

Pretty daring approcach designing the site yourself. I'm a full time web developer/programmer, so keep us posted with how it goes - and feel free to ask anything

 

[zensan]

Pretty daring approcach designing the site yourself. I'm a full time web developer/programmer, so keep us posted with how it goes - and feel free to ask anything

Thanks! So far, I am learning EVERYTHING from YouTube how to make website (he he he ). I should be reading more books I guess but YouTube is so easy to search and I can learn so many things from those videos! I used CorelDrawX3 and made web buttons (about 40 of them because of rollover images), company logo and with dreamweaver, made tables and put editable regions so I can create templates. I am trying to make 6 or 7 pages and one of them will be my online store page using OScommerce. I am trying to build my online site with lots of contents.

This week I am going to make light box (big one so that my t-shirts/hoodies will fit in - using CPVC pipes for frames and wax paper, lights,etc learned from YouTube of course and use my brand new FUJI Digital Camera in full swing! Learning about MySQL database, and configuring website are my biggest hardle so far but I just feel that I need to learn these in order to run my online business... I am keep telling myself "There is no such a thing as BIG problem, it is just a lot of small problems in a big pile - I just need to solve it one at a time". Poeple from this forum inspire me everyday! I worked on my website until 3 a.m. yesterday (after my fiscal year end paper work for the other business is done and kids were fed, bathed and tucked in bed...) but I can't complain because I am having so much fun!

 

[zensan]

P.S. I exported my buttons all in 96 x 20 pixels, 72 dpi JPEG file and I just used one side of column background white so my bule buttons (round corner rectangle shape) look good without white box behind it. In the future I will learn how to get rid of the thing but so far I am happy with it. I put other part of the table with colorful texts, images. There it is - one problem solved (1,000 more to go)! LOL

 

[lindsayanng]

Umm.. you are going to have some HUGE issues if you are trying to build an ENTIRE e-commerce site using dreamweaver. I mean, if you plan on ahaving a merchant account, stock tracking capabilites, order tracking, customer databases and all that, you cant just do that in dreamweaver.. You need to use PHP code and a mysql database.

 

[zensan]

Umm.. you are going to have some HUGE issues if you are trying to build an ENTIRE e-commerce site using dreamweaver. I mean, if you plan on ahaving a merchant account, stock tracking capabilites, order tracking, customer databases and all that, you cant just do that in dreamweaver.. You need to use PHP code and a mysql database.

I am very new to this so please be patient with me but what I thought was that I make template page and make home, about us, shipping infor, contact us and so on with dreamweaver and one page called online store I will link to my oscommerce page with my t-shirts uploaded and paypal account and so on... Is it correct understanding or, am I thinking something totally wrong way??? my webhosting company (Netfirms) has e-commerce plan called Commerce Pro and it is (I think) basically OScommerce.

 

[pwapparel]

For most carts, you can use premade templates and then customize those with your own images. You can use Dreamweaver to create the HTML of the content pages: Home, About Us, Contact, etc. (known as static) but the cart will deal with creating the product pages (known as dynamic) itself.

I hope this doesn't confuse you.

 

[zensan]

For most carts, you can use premade templates and then customize those with your own images. You can use Dreamweaver to create the HTML of the content pages: Home, About Us, Contact, etc. (known as static) but the cart will deal with creating the product pages (known as dynamic) itself.

I hope this doesn't confuse you.

Thanks for the info. My plan was to create static pages (Home, Contact us, Shipping Info, etc.) with Dreamweaver and from the Home page, make a link for Online Store which is OScommerce base store. Since I am planning to add sports related topics in several pages in my website, I thougt it would be easier for me to use dreamweaver and create those extra pages and simply link the oscommerce together and sell my products... Of course, selling my products is my main goal but I want to build my site so that it is resourceful and people would visit even they are not looking for t-shirts and hoodies.

So... is it better to download a template and edit within the template?? Can I add many of simple pages within the template?

I am quite overwelmed by this and I am not expert (I just know basic HTML code and build my website 10 years ago with hand coded pages) but I hope I make this online store up and running soon.

 

[gspotstudio]

I would get the shopping cart system and template up and running first. Most of them (OScommerce, ZenCart) already account for the static pages you want to add. If not for some reason it's easy to add them but by capitalizing on a template it creates less work for you. Find a template close to what you like and start modifying it til you create something you really like.

 

[Dwomers]

For someone with little or no web design experiance ZenCart or simlar systems would be the best idea. That or someone like Web Hosting - Web Hosting Company UK - Fasthosts (web hosting company) offer a hosting ecommerce site, designed and filled for a monthly fee? Not the greatest website on earth by any means but a more managable solution than ZenCart perhaps?

 

[zensan]

Thank you for the tips. I think I will look for a template (I have seen a lot of OScommerce templates for the T-shirt website) and customize it and add pages there. I should learn more about web design but to make it look professional, I will need spend 20 years learning all that so I should use template for my website. Thanks again for all the input

 

[lindsayanng]

yea. you actually would NOT want to make those "static" pages in dreamweaver because HTML uses hard coded links.. So you link would looklike

 

[zensan]

Wow, thank you for the detailed info so much to learn...