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Half the fun of this site is the cool features and we use three specific types of effects: Flash, DHTML, and Java. Let me say right off the bat that the site is best viewed using Internet Explorer 5.0 or above with your screen set to 800x600 and the Gill Sans MT font installed. You can still enjoy it with different settings or a different browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape); although to be able to see and use the effects, you may have to change some settings in or update some plug-ins.
So the question is, do you have what you need? Click on the links below to find out how each of these items will affect your site viewing and what to do about it!
First let's do the fonts. Basically, we use Gill Sans MT as our main font. If it doesn't show up and you want to have it, you can download it HERE. When you click on the link, a File Download… or Save As… box will appear. Save the file to your hard drive (remember where you put it!). Then go to your Control Panel and choose Fonts. When the Fonts folder opens (listing all your fonts), choose File – Install New Font. The Add Fonts window will pop up – mine looks like this:
Use the window in the lower left corner to navigate to the folder where you saved the font. When you get there, the name of the font will appear in the window at the top.
Click once on the name to select it and hit OK. The font will install into your fonts folder.
Now let's look at style sheets. Basically, these are a pre-set design for pages that a web designer sets up. It includes items such as page colors, font style, font size, font color, and many more. Internet Explorer automatically uses style sheets. Netscape doesn't. To enable your style sheets in Netscape, do the following:
There are only a few pages where music will be an issue. If you don't have what you need, a box will pop up telling you that you should download the Quicktime Music and Instruments (or something similar to that). Go ahead and do it.
If you don't want the music to play, there is a tiny midi player located at the bottom of the pages with music. Just click on the pause button to stop it (I know music can really get irritating otherwise! LOL!!!)
Many sites use Flash effects and Macromedia's Shockwave Flash plug-in allows your browser to load these effects so you can see them. It is installed with most browsers, but is a free download (if for some reason you don't have it or need an updated version). If our Flash effects or games aren't working correctly, you will need to download and install the latest version of Shockwave HERE. (It's a very simple process!)
A quick explanation of DHTML is that it is a dynamic version of HTML (the programming language all web pages are written in) that is much more versatile than the regular version. Most DTHML effects only work in:
Internet Explorer 4 or higher Netscape 6 or higher
So if you are not using a browser that falls in that range, you just won't be able to see any of the DHTML effects - sorry! If you want to update your existing version of Internet Explorer or just switch to it completely (which I finally gave in and did and am MUCH happier with it than Netscape), go HERE for the free download.
Java is a scripting language that allows web designers to set up actions on their sites that are based on user input. In other words, it lets us make things like the drop-down menus, polls, and games in which you choose an action and we pre-program what result will happen. You need to be very careful how you set up your Java permissions, so I'm providing specific instructions below to allow you to use the site's features without putting your computer at a security risk. If they aren't helpful enough, email me with your browser type and version and I will try to get you specific directions for your system. I'll warn you ahead of time that I'm a pretty busy person and they may take a few days, but I'll try to answer in a timely manner. J
How you set up Java permission depends on your browser so …
If you're using Netscape, click HERE.
If you're using Internet Explorer, click HERE.
If you're using LINUX, I'm sorry, but I have NO idea how to set up anything in that. You'll have to wing it. L
The directions I'm providing are taken from Netscape version 4.7 (I heard too many nasty things about 6 to ever bother upgrading). Even if you are using a lower or higher version of Netscape, the steps you take to be able to use our Java effects should be very similar.
There are two settings you will need to change.
Enable Java Making the changes to this setting will allow you to see some of our cooler effects. If you don't make this change, you won't notice any errors messages, they just won't load.
Enable JavaScript Making changes to this setting is most important because it allows you to use the drop-down menus to navigate the site. It also will permit you to play some of the games, watch certain slideshows, and enjoy some of our more interesting effects. If you run into a WARNING message on a page, it is because this setting needs to be changed.
Do the following:
The directions I'm providing are taken from IE version 6.0. But even if you're using a lower version, you should still use a similar method to change your settings.
There are two settings you will need to change.
Microsoft VM Making the changes to this setting will allow you to see some of our cooler effects. If you don't make this change, you will run into this message:
Scripting Making changes to this setting is most important because it allows you to use the drop-down menus to navigate the site. It also will permit you to play some of the games, watch certain slideshows, and enjoy some of our more interesting effects. If you run into a WARNING message on a page, it is because this setting needs to be changed.
Do the following:
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