I dare you... Options

[iampedro]

Create menu's like http://www.toyota.com/

[Hywel]

Do you mean the menus on the homepage with the little arrow that scrolls in from the left?

[iampedro]

Do you mean the menus on the homepage with the little arrow that scrolls in from the left?

Yes..

[iampedro]

You know that I ment the flash menu right.

[xfx]

Are you aware that if I create that menu with DMB (which will be quite easy to do) it won't have those animations, right?

[iampedro]

I understand that but I was wondering if the animations would be possible?

[xfx]

Possible? Probable...
Worth it? I don't think so... just imagine the amount of code that would be required to create those animations.

Attached is a project that mimics the Flash menus at Toyota.com using DHTML Menu Builder.

Attached File(s)

 menus.dmb ( 105.82K ) Number of downloads: 849

 

[Robert Joy]

Ok, I'm not sure if this really qualifies as a pulldown menu but do think there's any way to do something like this with DMB?

crazy

[xfx]

Wow... that looks awesome!

I guess I could modify the CollapsibleMenus AddIn so the menus are unfolded horizontally instead of vertically... but I guess it may no be worth the effort because those types of effects rely on the ability to animate the options (which is what makes the navigation at sanelikeme.com so cool) and animations use a lot of code when doing them with javascript -- also, javascript is not as fast as Flash so the animation will never look as smooth.

[Robert Joy]

Ya, I kind of figured it would be a bit much for DMB. DMB is an awesome tools and the developer (you) is an awesome person but doing something like that just is a bit much for any menu tool.

Well, if you get a bored and want to tackle this as a new project I won't object but I understand if you don't too!

Thanks Xavier,
Robert Joy
X-engineers V.P. of Engineering

Ok, I'm not sure if this really qualifies as a pulldown menu but do think there's any way to do something like this with DMB?

crazy

[xfx]

Well, thank you very much for the compliments.

I assure you that a couple of years ago I would have given it a try... just for the fun of it... unfortunately, these days I'm so extremely busy that I hardly have any time to do anything else

[andrewau]

Now heres one that I have seen done in ASP and flash. The collapsible panel is what I am referring to. Good luck.....!

http://www.flash-menus.com/xpanel.asp

[Hywel]

Isn't that a standard collapsible menu with some pretty graphics and a really annoying "click" sound effect? What does the ASP have to do with the menu? Is it just being called to populate the menu at load-time, or does it load the menu when a group is clicked? Either way, the Developers' Edition can do both those things, using Ajax for the latter option.

[xfx]

Those are called collapsible panels, not menus.
They have a VERY nice effect (I really like them).

As I think I've mentioned before, this type of navigation should be possible using the yet unreleased "DHTML SlideBar Builder".
Although collapsible menus are quite similar they do not product the same results.

[thewizkid]

I am new to menu design and want to be able to create pulldown menus, tabbed menus, collapsible menus and tree menus. I am hoping to find one product that can do all these types as my budget is limited. I am thinking of buying your Menu Builder program but I'm not sure that it can do all the type of menus I want?

The first type I want is a tree menu like this. I particularly like the "dotted line" effect, the use of icons and the fact that it is enclosed in a simple border. Another similar example is here. I think this one uses a background image for the "white/grey" border effect. Can your Menu Builder program produce either of these?

I also want to create a menu similar to the XP Panel-Style Menu. I think the basic XP Panel-Style menu is essentially a collapsible menu. I wish to expand on this concept to create a menu which is a combination of a collapsible menu and a tree menu. An example of a program able to create this style is here. I think someone else has posted this example for you to look at already and you have responded by saying that this menu is only possible using a separate program that isn't released yet. I haven't tried out your program yet so I am not 100% sure how it works but it looks like you have implemented both collapsible menus and tree menus with addins. Surely it would be possible for you to create an addin that could do both together? Or have misunderstood the whole thing?

I do hope you can clarify this as your menu program looks really good...

[xfx]

Dear thewizkid,

DHTML Menu Builder is a pulldown menu generator -- this means that its meant to design menus that "pulldown"... just like those on every single application you use.

Now, DHTML Menu Builder is a very versatile and extensible application and through the use of AddIns you can accomplish almost any navigation system with this program. Of course, non-pulldown menus generated by DHTML Menu Builder will never be as good as those generated by a dedicated application... but the question is: is there some application that creates tree-lie/collapsible/some-other-type of menus that can create all the others? DHTML Menu Builder is like having a one-for-all... where its strongest point is the generation of pull-down menus.

Now... here are some samples for the menu types that you are looking for:

• Tree-like menus created using the "File->Export As HTML" option:
  http://software.xfx.net/utilities/dmbuilde...ike/index.html#
• Tree-like menus created using the "Collapsible Menus" AddIn:
  http://software.xfx.net/utilities/dmbuilde...etl/index.html#
  
  The most important limitation in the tree-like menus generated by DHTML Menu Builder is the missing tree-lines... although I have seen samples created by other users that have been able to replicate them -- of course, it takes quite a lot of work to do so since it's something that is not directly supported by the program.
• The panel sample has been mentioned a lot in this forum and, just as you said, it is not possible to create using DHTML Menu Builder, not even with an AddIn.

If you are more interested in tree-like, collapsible and panel-like navigations I think you should consider an alternate product. I've always loved this one: http://www.bazon.net/mishoo/home.epl
I can see you easily creating astonishing tree-like, collapsible and panel-like menus with this tool.

Then, since its free, you could then use DHTML Menu Builder for your pulldown-menu needs

[thewizkid]

Thanks for your helpful response and your link to "Mishoo's" homepage. Unfortunately, the navbar program he used for this isn't free so I guess I need to continue my search.

I shall give DHTML Menu Builder a proper trial. It will certainly meet all my needs for pulldown menus and basic collapsible menus. And if it was possible for the "Collapsible Menus" AddIn to be "tweaked" to provide tree-lines, then I could use it to produce my tree menus as well. This would be brilliant! I know you're very busy but is there any way that you could look into this possibility please... please...please...

With regard to XP Panel-Style menus, I hope you do get time to develop the "DHTML SlideBar Builder" program. If you do, it would be great if this program could create both the basic type and the more complex type (collapsible panels with a tree submenu). I would definitely buy this program from you and I am sure there are other users who would too.

Thanks again..

[ggsm]

is it possible to make such an main menu without Flash? I can't beleave

click me

[xfx]

is it possible to make such an main menu without Flash? I can't beleave

click me

Well, that can be done... of course, without the animation... although if you want the animation effect you could either create as an image (animated GIF) or even as a small flash button (since DHTML Menu Builder supports using Flash movies as the background of menu items).

[Hyperbolik]

I have an example that I'm sure can be replicated, but my hope is that I can explain how I would like the menu to go one step further.

Example: www.mobilife.us

See attached for drawing of next steps. Basically when you mouse-over the meny I would like a sub-menu to appear under the original horizontal menu. This sub-menu would have like a drop down slight animanation, but would also look as though it was sliding out into the open from the | bar. Almost as if it's a marquee that suddenly stops to become the links. If you mouse-over a menu on the right side of the nav bar then the sub-menu should open down and to the left. If you mouse-over a menu on the left side of the nav bar then the sub-meny should open down and to the right.

I hope this makes sense. Basically it's the navigation part of the sub-menu that I think would be difficult.

Can this be done? If so... sign me up!

Attached image(s)