MS Office Forum / Publisher / Web Design / September 2007
What do I do to my web site for MAC users be able to click on link
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Devra - 13 Sep 2007 22:18 GMT I have created a website on my Publisher 2007 and have uploaded it to the server. I have no problems with any of the links but anyone with a MAC cannot click on the links.
Is there a setting or settings that I need to change in order for MAC users to use my website?
Help, I can't figure this out!
DavidF - 14 Sep 2007 01:23 GMT Have them buy a PC. <g>
Getting full cross browser compatibility is a challenge with any program you use to build a web site. In most cases you can work through some of the issues with Publisher, but probably not all. All browsers will simply will not view all pages the same all the time. Ultimately if you want to approach full cross browser capability, then move to programs such as Web Expression.
With that said, and assuming that you are using Pub 2003 or 2007 then go to tools > options > web tab and uncheck "rely on VML..." and "allow png...". Also be sure to compress your images before you upload. Those thee changes alone will help and result in most Publisher pages viewing ok in IE and FF.
I would also suggest that you download and install FireFox, and test your sites with that browser. At least if your site views well with FF and IE, you will know that the vast majority of viewers will be ok.
If there are specific pages or parts of pages that are creating problems, then post the address of the page(s) and we will try to offer more help.
DavidF
>I have created a website on my Publisher 2007 and have uploaded it to the > server. I have no problems with any of the links but anyone with a MAC [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Help, I can't figure this out! Devra - 14 Sep 2007 15:36 GMT I have Publisher 2007. When I go to "tools" and then "options" and then the "web tab" the box to "allow png....." is already unchecked and there is nothing that says anything about "rely on VML....."
The only problems that I am aware of is they can't click on ANY links, thus not being able to navigate through the website. It's as if there are no links made, but I have checked on 3 computers (not MAC) that it works fine on.
Any other suggestions?
Devra
> Have them buy a PC. <g> > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > > > Help, I can't figure this out! DavidF - 14 Sep 2007 22:09 GMT Ok...you didn't specify which version of Publisher you were using and the "rely on vml..." option was removed in Pub 2007.
Please post the URL of the website, and we might be able to help you further.
Chances are the navbar is being turned into an image by the browser that doesn't work. This kills the links. If you are per chance putting the navbar on a master page, that would also mess things up...don't use a master page with Publisher web pages.
What you might have to do is build a textual menu and place it on your site, perhaps at the bottom that will work in all browsers...will explain further after viewing your site.
DavidF
>I have Publisher 2007. When I go to "tools" and then "options" and then >the [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] >> > >> > Help, I can't figure this out! Devra - 15 Sep 2007 22:00 GMT David,
I didn't use a normal navigation bar, I just put a box and typed the page names inside the box and created links to the other pages and also links within the pages to either e-mail or take them to another page on the site.
The website is: www.islandtimerealty.com
Thanks for your help! Devra
> Ok...you didn't specify which version of Publisher you were using and the > "rely on vml..." option was removed in Pub 2007. [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] > >> > > >> > Help, I can't figure this out! DavidF - 16 Sep 2007 04:31 GMT Devra,
By the way, I didn't read your original post very well. You did say that you were using Pub 2007 and I just didn't notice. I tend to assume people are using 2003 and thus the directions about VML...sorry.
You have fallen into the common trap of using print document formatting, fonts, and design techniques. Web pages are a different medium, and you can't convert everything you do on a print document to html. You have to change your mindset.
This is probably why the hyperlinks do not work on an MAC, or in FireFox as Mike points out. Everything including the links are converted to images in FF, and this kills the links.
You should design and test your Publisher webpages so that they work in both IE and in FF. If you accomplish that goal, then I would bet that your MAC friends will also find the links work.
The first thing you should do is download and install FireFox. http://en.www.mozilla.com/en/firefox/ It is a relatively small file size and a quick download...and is free. Then you can install it, but opt out of making it the default browser, so you can still use IE as the default.
Then when you want to test your Pub webpages in FF, just Publish to the Web and direct the html output, the index.htm file and the index_files folder, to your computer where you can easily find them. I use a folder on the Desktop. Then open FireFox and go to File > Open File and browse to where you put the index.htm file. This way you can preview and test the page before you upload it.
As you now have FF installed and have produced test files, when you open either your internet home page or the test "index.htm" file of your web site on your computer, try to left click, drag, select any text on the page and you will notice that you can't. It has all been converted to an image. And of course the hyperlinks are dead.
To fix your page so it will work in FF, you are going to have to change some stuff...and should probably redesign most of the page. First to the stuff:
Run the Design Checker in Publisher and see what it finds are design problems. It will likely find most of the things I noticed, and perhaps more.
First of all if you are using a Master Page in your document, then don't. This works fine in a print doc, but not a web doc. If you were using a master page and have fixed all the issues found by the design checker, then much of the rest of this reply may not apply.
You probably need to get rid of that green border. It appears that you drew lines around the content and in doing so you created one big image in FireFox. http://www.islandtimerealty.com/index_files/image408.gif This means everything within it is also converted to an image and that the page is forced to be as long as the image, even though the page length isn't needed. Publisher normally automatically ends the page after the last design element, and thus will produce custom length pages. In this case, you end up you forcing a 4608 pixel length page...the length of that border.
Another possible reason for everything being converted to an image is that you have apparently "covered" the background image that was in the original publication. It is in the code, and in the background, but it does not show on your page. Here is the background image: http://www.islandtimerealty.com/index_files/image321.gif
Here is the image that you "covered" the background with: http://www.islandtimerealty.com/index_files/image809.gif This is a white colored image that is 1344 X 4608! I am not sure how you did this, but if you added the image to cover the background or a white filled text box, that was the wrong approach. If you want a solid white background on your web pages go to Format > Background. Under Apply a background select the white color. That will replace image321.gif as the background image, and you will not need the white image or text box you added to the Pub document as a background. Fix this and you may fix the page length problem and everything turning into an image when you create the html.
The next problem to fix is the fonts you have chosen to use. Papyrus is not a web friendly font, and as a result Publisher converts it to an image, and kills the links. Change your nav bar button fonts to a web friendly font. Select the text, go to Format > Font and in the dialog make sure that Show only Web fonts are selected. Choose one of those. Test to see if this alone will fix the problem of killing the link in FF. You may also have to remove the border on those text boxes. If you prefer to use a non-web friendly font in a title or some other way, then might be ok if you are ok with it being an image. However, that text will probably look a little fuzzy as an image...and of course the search engine robots won't be able to index your page cuz they don't read images...your choice.
Now those are just the problems I caught on your home page...there may be more. Remember some things you do in print, just won't convert to html. Here is a good reference and though it is talking about formatting an email message in html, many if not most of the formatting issues it discusses also apply to web pages. So you can use this list to help you troubleshoot any other issues you have on your page(s). Reference: Tips and troubleshooting for sending a publication page as an e-mail message: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/HP010390591033.aspx?pid=CH062524821033
Now I also asserted that it would probably be a good idea to do a complete redesign. As you will already be making a lot of changes that will probably require you to change your layout, I would suggest that you reconsider your page width. If you purposely chose to make your page 1344 +/- pixels wide, then in my opinion that is a major mistake. That is way too wide.
If you go to Edit > Page Setup you will notice that you have three default web page widths of 600, 760 and new to Pub 2007, 984 pixel wide pages. And if you see these measurements in inches then back up a step and go to Tools Options and on the General Tab change the Measurement units to pixels from inches. It is much better to design a web page using pixels rather than inches. But I digress...there are reasons the widest default page width is only 984 pixels wide. The primary one being that pages wider than that are going to require horizontal scrolling on way too many users' computers. Yes, monitors are coming bigger and bigger, but think about the 14" and 15" screen laptop users. Chances are they are going to have to scroll sideways to read your page, and guess what...they won't. They will leave the page rather than deal with the hassle.
With this said, though you can probably make your pages work at their current width in FF and thus on MACs, since you are already redesigning and redoing much of the page anyway, I would suggest that you also change the width of your page to either 760 pixels wide or at most the 984 pixels and change your layout to fit that width. The people that view the page will thank you.
As you redesign, you should also read this: Understanding background padding in a Publisher web (aka white space) : http://msmvps.com/blogs/dbartosik/archive/2006/01/07/80563.aspx Until we figure out a way to do it with code, the best you can do is simulate centering your web page in 2007.
OK, now that I have written a small book, I will turn it over to you. I know I have suggested a lot of work, but if you want a functional web site, you will have to make changes. Work through what you can, and if you need more help please post back with the specific problem and the URL pointing to it, and we will try to help more.
Good luck.
DavidF
> David, > [quoted text clipped - 96 lines] >> >> > >> >> > Help, I can't figure this out! John G - 16 Sep 2007 05:48 GMT David, You deserve a medal for all the effort you put in to describing peoples problems for them and how to fix them. And this current reply should be available somewhere for all newbie's to read as it covers so many of the layout problems that plague people.
John G.
> Devra, > [quoted text clipped - 255 lines] >>> >> > >>> >> > Help, I can't figure this out! DavidF - 16 Sep 2007 14:36 GMT Yeah, I kind of got carried away on this one <g>, but thanks for the feedback.
I just hope that it helps vs. overloads Devra.
DavidF
> David, > You deserve a medal for all the effort you put in to describing peoples [quoted text clipped - 257 lines] >>>> >> > >>>> >> > Help, I can't figure this out! Devra - 16 Sep 2007 16:44 GMT Wow!!! You did go into great detail and you don't know how much I appreciate it. It is quite lengthy but yes, we do want a functional website. After all, that's what they're paying me for.
I'll just go step by step and give it a try. Thank you soooooooo much for this. If it still doesn't work I will have learned a wealth of information!
I'll let you know what happens!!! (It may be awhile.......)
Thanks Again! Devra
> Yeah, I kind of got carried away on this one <g>, but thanks for the > feedback. [quoted text clipped - 264 lines] > >>>> >> > > >>>> >> > Help, I can't figure this out! Devra - 17 Sep 2007 13:14 GMT David,
Just wanted to let you know that all of your efforts into helping me have paid off! I had it done by noon yesterday but was waiting for the owner of the website to make sure it worked correctly and it did!!!!
Your instructions were very simple and concise and I appreciate your help immensely!
Thank You Again!!! Devra
> Devra, > [quoted text clipped - 236 lines] > >> >> > > >> >> > Help, I can't figure this out! DavidF - 17 Sep 2007 13:37 GMT Devra,
Thanks for posting back. I see the links do work now in FF. Are you saying that they also work on a MAC now?
Would you please share with us which of the many different possible fixes I proposed actually did fix the problem with the links? It would be appreciated.
DavidF
> David, > [quoted text clipped - 322 lines] >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Help, I can't figure this out! Devra - 17 Sep 2007 21:28 GMT I downloaded Firefox like you suggested and took the border off from around the project on all of the pages and then changed my background to white. I hadn't used a Master Page so didn't have to do anything with that. I had already ran the Design Checker before and fixed everything it brought up. I thought about changing the width but decided against it but after Mike made the comment about it today I did make it narrower per your and his suggestion.
You had suggested changing the font but it showed that it was a Web font so I didn't change it. I haven't checked the website on another computer but if it shows up as a font I don't like then I'll change the font. Papyrus is the font they have on all of their stationery, that's why I used it.
Thanks again for your help. I hope that someone else gets some use out of this also.
Devra
It DOES work on the Mac's and they're very happy now!!!
> Devra, > [quoted text clipped - 284 lines] > >> >> >> use to build a web site. In most cases you can work through some of > >> >> >> the Mike Koewler - 17 Sep 2007 22:41 GMT Devra,
Papyrus is NOT a web safe font. It will display perfectly on your computer because you have it loaded, but for those who don't have it installed it will be replaced with something very similar to Times New Roman.
As far as the width, it is still the same. Personally, I would not make it over 960 pixels wide. That will still provide a scroll bar for about 28-32 percent of your visitors (maybe more - if older people are looking, they probably have a lower resolution so the type on their page is larger and easier to read), but at least the majority of people will not see a bar across the bottom.
I also urge you to view your Contact Us page in Mozilla. It is really messed up.
Mike
> I downloaded Firefox like you suggested and took the border off from around > the project on all of the pages and then changed my background to white. I [quoted text clipped - 303 lines] >>>>>>>>use to build a web site. In most cases you can work through some of >>>>>>>>the DavidF - 18 Sep 2007 03:47 GMT Devra,
Thanks for the report. Too often I make a best guess at how to fix a problem, and the OP never reports back as per the final solution. We are all here to learn, and it is appreciated that you took the time.
I presume that you are still adjusting your layout on a more narrow page width, as your site shows no change. I really think it is a smart decision. Read that article about padding that I gave you. It might give you some ideas about how to use that more narrow page more effectively.
I would also remind you one final time that web media is very different than print media. The way you approach it, the mindset is entirely different. Invest some time in learning about the fundamentals of webdesign if you plan on pursuing this. In fact if you do, I would expect that you quickly move away from Publisher. You can do a lot with it, but it has way too many limitations for a professional web designer. Anyway, there is lots of good information out there just a google away. To get you started, check this out in all your free time: http://www.webdesignfromscratch.com/
Good luck to you. Post back when you get the site redesigned. We are looking forward to a before and after <g>.
DavidF
>I downloaded Firefox like you suggested and took the border off from around > the project on all of the pages and then changed my background to white. [quoted text clipped - 361 lines] >> >> >> >> of >> >> >> >> the Mike Koewler - 17 Sep 2007 15:47 GMT Devra,
Yep, the links (except for the Web Cam) all seem to work in Mozilla. However, the page is too wide for me to view without a scroll bar and I'm running at 1024 resolution. Web stats suggest that only 30 percent or less of general users have a resolution higher than 1024, which mean over 2/3 of your visitors will have to scroll. One-third of those people will be using 800 px wide screen and they will quickly leave.
Mike
> David, > [quoted text clipped - 248 lines] >>>>>>> >>>>>>>Help, I can't figure this out! Mike Koewler - 15 Sep 2007 22:52 GMT Devra,
Your links don't work in Mozilla, which is a PC browser.
Mike
> I have created a website on my Publisher 2007 and have uploaded it to the > server. I have no problems with any of the links but anyone with a MAC [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Help, I can't figure this out! Devra - 15 Sep 2007 23:00 GMT What can I do to make them work? I've checked other PC's and it works okay on those. I'm at a loss and they need their website working right!!! I don't have alot of experience doing this yet. Some but not alot.
Devra
> Devra, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > > > Help, I can't figure this out! Rob Giordano (Crash) - 16 Sep 2007 01:20 GMT you won't get that site to work on a mac
 Signature ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rob Giordano Microsoft MVP Expression
| What can I do to make them work? I've checked other PC's and it works okay | on those. I'm at a loss and they need their website working right!!! I [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] | > > | > > Help, I can't figure this out!
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