RE: What's involved with image mapping?

It can be done by hand using your normal graphics editor
to note the coordinates of the "hot areas", and composing
the matching html by hand. Or you could use a free/shareware
image map tool to do the grunt work. These let you select areas
while viewing the image and will create the correct html coding
for you. All the above is dealing with client side image maps.

http://www.acn.purdue.edu/docs/html/imagemap/index.html
has a simple example/tutorial.

These days I think image slicing and tables are the more common
way to do what you want. The image is cut into discrete chunks
and re-assembled in a table, each chunk becomes a simple hyperlink.

Again programs such as Macromedia Fireworks have automated tools
to do all the grunt work for you, or freeware tools such as
Picture Dicer will do the cutting and table generation.

Peter Williams
LAN Support/Webmaster
williams(at)hendersons.com.au

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org [mailto:owner-hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org]On
> Behalf Of Eugene Gruhler
> Subject: What's involved with image mapping?
>
> I've been asked about the feasibility of putting company facility
> locations
> on a US map image (for an intranet site) and on click, to display a state
> map page with location(s) and other relevant info (name, address, phone,
> hours, etc.) displayed.
>
> I've avoided image maps as being fancy 'flash' rather than the best way to
> navigate sites, but this request seems to be the type of intuitive useage
> that image maps are best suited for....<grin>
>
> I'm asking for advice from the resident pro's as to the
> procedures involved
> and any problems and pitfalls that can be avoided, and whether specific
> programs to generate the maps are either required, recommended, or not
> necessary, along with recommendations for specific software.
>
> Since this is on the company clock and nickle (penny?<sigh>) I'm
> willing and
> able to invest the time to learn the "how to's" of image mapping,
> and how to
> make it ADA-compliant...
>

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