Sothink Glanda
October 17, 2001
|
By running your mouse over and clicking on the sample menu on the
left below, you get an idea of what you can do with Sothink
Glanda, a versatile program that allows users to create Flash
button movies without having to be a Flash expert.
|
In fact, using Glanda does not at all have the feel of working
with Flash. When you create a movie, the program allows you to
save it by copying the coding to the clipboard and the .swf files
to the folder on your hard drive without leaving the program.
That's the extent of Flash knowledge you need to take advantage
of Glanda.
The sample is a rather simplistic one, but the program offers
about 200 templates from which users can select that run the
gamut from simple to silly to suave. Beyond that, each of the
templates can be modified greatly to create thousands of
different possibilities.
Users begin by selecting the movie's parameters, including
height, width, background color, alignment, frames per second,
and whether or not you wish to have the effect loop or not.
Next, users select the "Button" menu, opening a number of
possibilities in several styles. To get additional options,
simply click on the "More" file-folder icon.
Each button is already made with normal, mouseover, and onclick
effects, a time-saving step Glanda provides that many such
programs do not. To add buttons, simply drag and drop them into
the movie frame. Alignment, spacing, and other modifications can
be made at the top menu, as well as selecting the preview mode to
see the results.
At this point, users can fine tune the fonts and word content
they wish to have displayed on their buttons. That includes font
size, color, face, and decoration. This is also the place to
adjust the text placement as it sits on the button.
Should the user not want to use an existing template, they can
choose to insert a shape create a button of their own, which they
can save as a template for future use. As with all graphics
created in Glanda, the button could then be resized by selecting
it and dragging the corner. That is also true for type.
The program also offers the ability to open multiple button menu
templates, rather than create a menu one button at time. There
are about 20 or so of these templates available. In addition, the
program allows the user to create their own by combining buttons
and images.
The user can then select the sound button and simply drag a file
over a button to apply that sound to it. Users can easily add
their own .wav or .mp3 sound clips.
The final step in the creation is choosing the "Info" button,
where users can apply a URL link and target for each of the menu
buttons.
After saving the menu from the "File" menu at the top of
the screen, the user can select the "Publish" button from
the same area. A box will popup with the complete code, and the
user simply selects the "Copy to Clipboard" button, then
the "click here to see the generated Flash file" and copy
it to the same directory that stores the HTML file in which you
will place the coding.
Glanda is a great little program for making Flash menus without
having to be stressed-out about working with Flash itself, making
it great for neophytes. It also has enough options to make it a
nice time-saving device for the experienced users, too.
What is it called again? Sothink Glanda
2001
|
Where can I get it?
http://www.sothink.com
|
How much does it cost? $30
|
How big is the download? 3.7 MB
|
Do I recommend it? It's a useful tool at
a very reasonable price. What's not to recommend?
|
|
