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RE: graphic slices

for

From: julian.rickards@ndm.gov.on.ca
Date: Jan 21, 2003 10:19AM

It is fine as far as I am concerned but with a couple of codacils.

1) Watch for total file size - if some of your audience uses slower dialup
modems, this can be an annoyance to say the least. If there are some slices
with a flat color in them, consider replacing the graphic in the slice with
a smaller (cropped) copy of the graphic and setting it as a background
graphic rather than a foreground graphic: the background graphic will repeat
to fill the space. If you have multiple slices that one background graphic
can be used, don't create multiple copies of it, use only one. To create
"opportunities" to use this method, use your slicing judiciously to create
these flat regions.

2) Anywhere there is a foreground graphic that is simply decoration, set the
alt text to alt="" (quotation marks right against each other without a
space) and non-visual browsers will ignore these.

You use the term slice which is a Fireworks term so I am taking a guess
here. It may not be possible to apply the empty alt to decorative slices
from within Fireworks, you may have to hand-code it.

Secondly, regarding my first point, again in Fireworks, you are not be able
to create background graphics. You will have to allow Fireworks to create
the foreground graphics for you. Then, using Fireworks, take the flat
foreground graphics, crop them to smaller versions. In HTML, remove the img
tag from the flat graphic cells and set the cell to use the cropped graphic
as a background graphic. Leave the height and widths of the cells as they
were.

HTH,

Jules

-----Original Message-----
From: Tony Trott [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 11:19 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: graphic slices


Hi, all.

I'm curious about the idea of designing a homepage with graphics. It seems
to me that this would not be a good idea as it would be quite inaccessible
to screenreaders and if the graphics are raster graphics they will be
distorted when enlarged. Also, having a lot of text in a graphic also can
easily lead to abuse of the alt-text requirement.

I'm asking this because I have seen and heard a lot of people talking about
designing with sliced graphics. As I said, it seems like a bad idea to me
but I admit I could be wrong. What do you think of this idea of designing a
homepage with only graphics?

Tony


Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
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Springfield, VA 22150
U.S.A.

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