When you first start Atomix Buttons, the Preview Window (the window containing a white area) will appear blank.
You can add a button into the Preview Panel by either using the "New Bitmap" button or the "New Button -- Launch Wizard" button.
We will start by using the wizard. Click the "New Button -- Launch Wizard" button. A dialog will appears.
To create a button, we need to provide the wizard with 2 images. You can select an existing image with the "Select" Button. Otherwise you can draw one using the "Create" button.
For now, we will create a button image for Step 1 of the wizard. So choose "Create". The program Image Maker will now be launched. This launching can take quite some time, depending on the number of fonts installed on your system.
After Image Maker is launched, you will be guided through a series of steps in creating your button image. The first step lets you choose a pre-defined style. The second step allows you to customize you button. Finally , you will be asked to save your created image.
Simply choose "Next","Next","Next" if you are not sure what to do here. After the last "Next" button, provide a filename to save your image when a Save Dialog appears.
You will now be back to the original wizard panel. Repeat the same process for Step 2 by choosing "Create" again. This time, choose a different pre-defined style before clicking the "Next" button.
click "Next", "Next" and save your second image.
Your button is now ready. Click the "Done" button to close the wizard.
Test your button by clicking the "Play" button. Move your mouse over the button in the Preview window to see how it changes.
Click "Stop" to return to edit mode.
Tutorial 2 -- Building the Applet
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After you have create your first button, you can edit its properties by selecting the "Button" panel from the TabPane.
In this panel you can
1)choose what kind of effects you want, like Blend, HueBlend, SlideRight etc.
2)choose the button behavior, Complete or Immediate. (i.e animation must complete or animation can return immediately when the mouse is removed from the button)
3)choose number of frames. A larger number of frames mean the animation will be smoother, but the applet will also require more memory.
4)choose the time delay in milliseconds within each frame.
After editing the properties, you can duplicate the button by clicking "Duplicate" a few times.
Finally, to build the applet, select the "Output" panel from the TabPane. Click the "Build HTML" button. You will be asked to choose an empty directory.
By default, the output directory is chosen. If this directory is empty, simply click the "Save" button to build the applet into the directory.
All the files required to be uploaded are now placed inside the directory. You can test it by loading the applet.html file in your internet browser.
