With this tutorial I will discuss creating a dynamic multi toggle menu. I was unable to find a tutorial that demonstrate this so I decided to develop one myself. Many tutorials do discuss one toggle button, but not multi button toggle menu which can be a very effect feature within a website navigation and help increase user experience and site usability.

Below is a tutorial the outline the key steps towards developing dynamic a multi button toggle menu using ActionScript 3.0 in Flash CS3.

Demo:

View Preview

Step 1:

Create the button MovieClip and animation in Flash CS3 with it dynamic text fields for the button label. Draw any shape you like on the stage and convert it to a MovieClip. Edit that MovieClip with these features including three layers:

1. Title this layer ‘actionscript’ (if you like) with place three (3) keyframes each with an embedded stop(); ActionScript within the timeline. At frame #2 and #11, add a keyframe and give each keyframe a frame label “over” and “out” respectively. These will act as key entrance points for the MOUSE_OVER and MOUSE_OUT actions later on.

2. Title this 2nd layer ‘txt’ (if you like) and place a dynamic text field on the stage of this layer with the instance name ‘_label’. This will be the dynamic label for the buttons.

3. Title this layer ‘button’ (if you like). This layer will be the animation tween for the button itself. Animated the button in layer #3 with three (3) keyframes at frame number 1, 15, and 30. Basically the key here is to mimic the animation for the mouse over and mouse rollout states. From frame 1-15 represent when the mouse cursor is over the button and frames 16-30 represents when the mouse cursor exit the MovieClip button.

After this is complete, export that new create button MovieClip for ActionScript. Within the library, right click to access the Properties for that newly created MovieClip and check ‘Export for ActionScript.” This is vital and creates a class for that MoiveClip allowing it to be accessed externally with an ActionScript instead of “dragging” it to the stage. Within the Properties window give the Class the name ‘myButton’ (if you like). This will be the name of the class you will soon export.

Step 2:

Coding Array, Sprite, Loop, and Functions for dynamic multi toggle button menu. Return to main stage timeline and deleted the MovieClip button you just create from the stage. Since we are dynamically creating these buttons, there is no need for it on the stage. What will be needed is a variable to store the names of these buttons. So we will create an Array to store this information. Array is a variable that can store multi values.
The following is the rest of the code that creates a holder for these buttons, create the button base on the Array values and place them inside the holder, and then create the Functions for the buttons including:

1. //Array of buttons
2. var nav:Array = ["You","Me","Us"];
4. //this will be space need between button placement
5. var spacing:int = 10;
7. //container for buttons
8. var holder:Sprite = new Sprite();
9. addChild(holder);
10. //a loop that create a seperate button for each value in the Array
11. for (var i:int = 0; i < nav.length; i++) {
12. var mc:MovieClip = new myButton();
13. mc .x = spacing + i*(mc.width+spacing);
14. mc .y = stage.stageHeight/2;
15. mc._label .text = nav[i];
15. mc .name = nav[i];
16. holder .addChild(mc);
17. mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, over);
18. mc .addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, out);
19. mc .addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, toggleStuff);
20. mc.buttonMode = true;
21. mc._label.mouseEnabled = false;
22.}
24. //function for mouse over event
25. functionver(e:MouseEvent):void {
26. e.target.gotoAndPlay(“over”);
27.}
28. //function for mouse oout event
29. function out(e:MouseEvent):void {
30. e.target.gotoAndPlay(“out”);
31.}
32. //function toggling the buttons
33. function toggleStuff(e:MouseEvent):void {
35. //a loop that pprobagates the function to all button in holder 36. for (var i:int = 0; i<holder.numChildren; i++) {
37. var dummy:MovieClip;
38. dummy = holder.getChildAt(i) as MovieClip;
39. dummy.buttonMode = true;
40. dummy.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, over);
41. dummy .addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, out);
42. dummy.gotoAndStop(1);
43. }
44. //the var ‘clickedButton’ will represent the button recently clicked
46. var clickedButton:MovieClip;
47. clickedButton = e.target as MovieClip;
48. clickedButton.gotoAndStop(“on”);
49. clickedButton.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OVER, over);
50. clickedButton.removeEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_OUT, out);
51. clickedButton.buttonMode = false;
52. }

Dean Kamen is an inventor who is best known for developing the Segway. Recently he unveiled an invention he and his organization (DEKA) were currently developing for the Dept of Defense. Dean Kamen has engineered a sophisticated prosthetic robot arm for veterans who have lost their arms in battle. The immoral Iraq war waged by G. W. Bush has severely disfigured thousands of soldiers (excluding innocent Iraqi civilians). Dean Kamen was presented with a challenge to bring quasi relief to such soldiers. After years of collaborations, labor, and development, he presented this solution:

Video:

Remember that this great advancement in technology for this prosthetic arms took over two years to develop (and more when refinement and troubleshooting for future production is included). And even with that length of time, man hours, scientists, engineers, funding, mathematicians, neurologist, computer scientists, software developers, product designers, and other resources, Dean Kamen’s amazing prosthetic arm still cannot in any way compare nor match the perfection of a real human arm. Now if we were to ask Dean Kamen if such engineer and creativity can accidentally evolved over billion of years from random mistake especially since he personally knows what it took to develop, Dean Kamen may laugh at the notion.

But what took Dean Kamen over two years to mimic (and will take even more years to refine in the future) is still significantly inferior to what GOD literally creates within weeks! [1] Let prove ourselves grateful and remember the Creator who create things we sometimes forgot and are unmindful of.

[1] http://www.happyhealthypregnancy.com/info/sjmj/ArticleList.aspx?week=23&_nc=633479992708962777&_nockcheck=true
[2] http://www.37signals.com/svn/posts/1053-luke-dean-kamens-wonderful-prosthetic-robot-arm

Owning a Playstation3 to me is a good look for any gamer. I am a big Sony Playstation fan (a die hard Tekken addict) and although Xbox360 and the Nintendo Wii both have their advantages, PS3 have a exclusive selection of games that keeps me invested. So if you are familiar with PS3, you are aware of the cool background within the XMB (XrossMediaBar – an Emmy award-winning GUI developed by Sony [1]).

Today I will demonstrate how you can achieve this effect in Photoshop CS3. The XMB background simulates a transparent cluster of waves moving up and down. These effect can be achieve using creativity and two elements in Photoshop CS3 including the Shape Tool and Layer Styles.

Preview file:

Step 1: Create the Layer Style for the shape

Within Photoshop CS3 create a new document with a canvas dimension the same as your monitor resolution (if you like). I will be working with 1920 X 1200. Fill the default Background layer will black.

We need to create a new Style and will need to access the New Style option in order to do so. Since the default Background layer is lock we cannot access this option unless a layer is active and selected. So to unlock it, double click on the Background Layer to access the ‘New Layer’ and give it the name ‘BG’ (if you like). This unlocks that layer and now we have access to the New Style option.

Select that BG layer in the Layer Panel window and navigate to menu Layer > Layer Style > Blending Options . In the ‘Layer Style’ window under Blending Option change the Blend Mode to ‘Soft Light.’ Then follow these steps:

1. Check ‘Inner Glow’ Style and make these option changes:

Structure
Blend Mode = Screen
Opacity = 45%
Noise = 0
Color = white – 0%

Elements
Technique = Softer
Source = Edge
Choke = 0
Size = 29px

Quality
Contour (anti-aliased checked)
Range = 100%
Jitter = 0

2. Check ‘Gradient Overlay’ Style and make these option changes:

Blend Mode = normal
Opacity = 39%
Gradient = gray – white
Style = linear (align with layer checked)
Angel = 90
Scale = 67

Step 2: Draw shapes to mimic waves similar to PS3 background

Select the Pen Tool so we can begin drawing the shapes that will mimic the waves in the PS3 XMB background. The trick here is the draw the shapes the expands the actual canvas boundaries so we will need to zoom out sufficiently. To achieve that fluid motion of the PS3 background, draw elongated ‘Z’ like shapes with only the middle portion of the shape on canvas (see figure 1). We will do these about 2-3 times each with a slightly different flow yet maintaining the same fluidness and direction.

After those 2-3 shapes, you will draw 1-2 more. However the latter will have differences. They should be draw as an enclose shape that will be closer to the edge of the canvas (see figure 2). This gives the smoke like effect to the waves.

Step 3: Group that new shapes created then duplicate the Group

After you have drawn all shapes, select all those shapes layers in the Layer Panel window so they can be grouped. Group all these shape layer in one folder by clicking on the Layer Panel Options icon which is located in the upper right hand corner. Then navigate to “New group from Layer…”. You can call this group ‘shapes’ (if you like).

Duplicate this entire ‘shapes’ Group and change the names of this duplicated group folder to “blur”. In the folder Rasterize (by right click on the layer) all those shape layers.

Step 4: Making it Smooth like Silk

Apply a ‘Gaussian Blur’ to these recently Rasterized layers that equals 3.0 px to give it a smooth silky look.

Step 5: Adding Color

Create a new layer above all Group folders called ‘color’. We need a selection region that only contains the shapes on the canvas. To do so, we are going to select all the shapes on the canvas with the Marquee Tool simply by holding Crtl + Shift and clicking of each shape layer within the Shape Group folder. This is a shortcut to selecting elements on the canvas without drawing a selection region with the Marquee Tool.

In the new create layer titled ‘color’ (make sure it is highlighted in the Layer Panel window) and using the Marquee selection, fill the region with color with the hexadecimal number of A4AADE. Then reduce the Fill of the ‘color’ layer to 50%.

Step 6: Enjoy your newly created PS3 Background

By tweaking each of these previous steps, you can closely mimic that PS3 XMB background.

[1] http://www.emmyonline.org/emmy/advmedia_winners_release.html

Do you have faith in luck? In the Batman comic book, a character named Harvey Dent was tragically disfigured on the entire left side of his face. As a result, he became criminally insane expressing himself from the perspective of two personalities, a good side vs a bad side. To eliminate the conflict between his good and bad sides, Harvey Dent aka Two Face placed his faith luck. He determine all his actions and beliefs on the random lucky chance of a coin flip. But unlike Two Face, rational people considered it illogical to believe coincidental chance as the ultimate factor and simply do not (or cannot) put their faith in luck.

However, the essence of Atheism is the great reliance on luck. Atheism is the faith of luck where coincidental chance plays an important role in the creation of life, the universe, and all the great complexity and creativity within them. And although the beliefs in Atheism can vary widely from one atheist to another atheist, there are indeed two essential creeds to the belief system share by all atheists:

1. Accidental life
2.Lucky random mutations which evolved life (Theory of Evolution)

The difference between an agnostic, deist, or theist from an atheist is luck. An individual simply cannot claim to be an atheist unless that person posses a strong faith in luck.

Accidental life? Good Luck!

Although it has already been proven and calculated that the chance of accidental life and DNA (the blueprint information of life) is mathematically impossible, many atheists are committed to the belief that luck created life. Even if we ignored calculating the actual probability of atoms and subatomic particles joining to form more complex inanimate objects (which also cement this impossibility), to believe in mathematically impossible event like accidental life expresses great faith in luck from within the individual.

What is ironic about this belief is that if life can truly be merely accidental under certain coincidental conditions, many essential aspects to human living will not exist. The majority of food, drugs, chemistry, and other sciences fields actually base many technologies on this fundamental fact that life requires intentional development and not mere coincidental chances or accidents.

Evolution: Winning the Lottery Everyday for Billions of Years?

For those that may not know, The Theory of Evolution suggests that life accidentally evolved from random mistakes (mutations) and got pass on from generation to generation. The theory argues that the accumulation of adaptation and natural selection of these random mistakes can literally create a new life and species. Simply put, it can cause a monkey to evolve in a man, or a lizard to evolve into a bird.

Now for all practical purposes, the Theory of Evolution is mathematically impossible. Rashad Khalifa, an American Bio-Chemist calculating the probability of the sequence of nucleotides said, “…the probability of the haphazard creation of the exacting sequences of nucleotides into DNA is Zero, many times over.” [1] Believing DNA can “accidental” be created, arrange and rearrange, perverse, proofread, replicate, AND provide clear instructions to the development of life by luck chances expresses enormous faith in luck.

If you knew someone who refuses to work in hopes of finding a winning lottery ticket, you may consider it laughable. What if that same person not only hopes to find a winning lottery ticket, but to find one EVERYDAY for his entire lifespan? What would be your feelings towards such a person? Well this is what atheist believes with regards to life and its creation. Those organisms accidental found a “winning” combination of a billion letter lottery ticket consistently for billion and billion of years.

Plus, DNA is data language of instructions and the only proven source to data language is intelligence, is a Mind. All languages come from intelligence. Even geneticists use linguistics to analyze DNA as a language. The key feature within a design is information language since a design is the product of an idea from a mind implemented via data language. The mere fact that all life is based on a data language (DNA) proves that life has a Creator.

Also random changes (or mutations) to data languages has always proven harmful because it produces noise and lost of data. This is why all genetic mutations documented from scientific experiments are extremely harmful. This is another important fact atheist overlook in their faith of random lucky chances. Perry S. Marshall explains this point effectively and even developed a program to prove this point called RandomMutation.com. It can actually be argued that evolution is an intelligently guided programmed process since it is base on data language and random changes to such data cannot produce creative solutions like adaptation to particular environments etc.

Luck vs GOD

Elaborating on the analogy of Harvey Dent, the real reason many people may choose to become an atheist is due to a traumatic event (both natural or human disasters) that person may experience or witness in their life. It develops into a inner conflict similar to Two Face where an atheist have to find justification for the afflictions and disasters of this world. They cannot comprehend a GOD allowing or even having the audacity to even defend such events and claim it simply just luck.

Dr. Jeffrey Lang is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kansas who once lived a large part of his life as an atheist. In an interview posted in YouTube[2], Lang confesses that it was the abuses he experienced and witness form his stepfather that causes him to doubt GOD presence and eventually accepting Atheism. It wasn’t until his later life after reading the Quran and the arguments presented within that book did he willfully accept Submission as his religion.

The reason luck plays such a critical role in Atheism is because it eliminates reason, intent, and design. Creativity can only be expression through reason, intent, and design. Life and the universe express great creativity and it is this creativity thats stands as evidence for GOD existence and presence. It is much easier to disbelieve in GOD when creativity is eliminated from the development of life and the universe. It is only when reason and intent are eliminated can an atheist replaces GOD with luck and creativity with coincidence.

The dilemma Atheism face is that creation and development of life and universe has nothing to do with luck. Therefore one cannot passively dismiss the happiness and/or agonies of this life as merely ‘good luck’ vs ‘bad luck’. It is easy to examine the evidence, the universe, life, authentic scripture, and even our own selfs to find ample evidence for GOD. Mathematic probability would actually conclude that there is a very high probability of a Creator (GOD) than the atheistic view of accidental life and random lucky mutations evolving more complex life consistently for billion and billion of years. The burden is not proofing GOD because that is easy, but it is linking that GOD with a message. This is where many atheists fall short and tend place their faith in luck.

1. http://www.submission.info/quran/appendices/appendix31.html
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z73ohM_Rjw
3. related Quran verses: 19:35, 36:82

Have you ever notice that everyone can use an elevator successful? From kids to elders, anyone can enter an elevator and navigate to different floor without issues. This does not seem to be the case within WWW.

In the WWW, there is great diversity with website navigations. Some are success and other are not. Based on the particular audience, a website should implement a particular navigation method. However, there exists a navigation approach that can guarantee universal accessibility. Elevators use this method with great success. We will explain elevators’ navigation features and discussed why they work.

Let us consider the floors of a building as major web pages, sections, categories of your website. Elevators navigation feature contents crucial aspect that makes it a successful navigation menu of usability easy and accessible to all people without disabilities. These aspects included its toggle menus, progress notifications, and instant assistant. Within the design are three major aspect web designer should consider when design there website. Implement these feature within your site will dramatically increase user-friendly navigation and usability.

Toggle menus

Elevator button are toggle buttons. Toggle buttons are very effective because they notifying the user of his or her selection. This helps with navigation as users know their location within the site base on their selection and are more similar with these type of buttons in daily life experiences (especially using elevators). Unfortunately, this feature is not widely used on the WWW. I personally have developed an Action Script 3.0 tutorial on creating toggle menus. Many flash developers tend to present single toggle buttons instead of multi toggle menus.

Progress Notifications

The more technology advances, the more its user become impatience. This is the law with regards to the WWW. This is why progress notifications are somewhat mandatory with regards to content that needs to be loaded before being access. Elevators have solved this issue by having the floor tracker within the elevator. While the elevator goes up or down, a display informs the user of it progress before the destination (a particular floor). Most rich media application and flash website have similar features called progress bars or preloaders. It is not required for downloadable files since most browsers have built-in progress bars. However static website tends not to use this feature. I believe a large reason is because many web designers believe it can only be implemented in rich media site (like Flash or Silverlight based website). This is false; there are several scripts (especially Java Scripts) that can be applied to website to include preloaders for the users.

Implementing these essential features that are present in elevators menu will help user navigate within your website more effectively.