need color change and text wrapping

Hello! Just installed CSS Menu Writer and am using the Bubble template. I would like to change the top menu bar from green to some shade of orange. I was able to do it for submenu 2 and 3 but not for the main menu (top) line. How do I do it? I am willing to change the code in CSS but am not a great expert at and and would appreciate very clear directions.

Also, 2 of my navigation buttons (on the top bar) need text wrapping but have been unable to figure that out also. Is there a way to do this?

Here's a link to my current work.
hometest.html

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks

Hi sorchard2000412016

The reason that it is difficult to adjust the colours in this scheme is that the top-level (level-0) menu background and hover state is made up of three image files, (rather than background-color), so the only way to change the rolll-over image appearance is to take the hover images (cssmw_images/left_hover.gif, cssmw_images/right_hover.gif and cssmw_images/center_hover.jpg) into photoshop or fireworks, and adjust the colours there, from green to orange.

It would be quite easy to change those files to match the design of the menu on your other pages (but in css, not flash).

For the same reason, although you could make the menu item texts wrap, the menu would have to be higher, so you would need to take the images into photoshop, convert the gifs mode from indexed color to RGB (so they will resize without degrading) then convert them back to indexed colour once they have been resized.

Looking at your page (IMHO) it would be more logical to move the Newsletter link/image to the left of your second horizontal menu (split cell) and merge the top two cells to provide the width that your menu ideally needs, and adjust the item widths in the css.

Post back if you need help with the buttons.

Thanks so much for your help!
Great suggestion about moving the newsletter signup box. I'm doing that now.
I'll work on changing the colors in fireworks. I'm so glad and thankful that you've helped me on this!
One more question:
I've looked through so much of the FAQ and support stuff but am still unclear: Once I insert the new menu unto my website, onto all the pages, is there a way that, in the future, if I make any changes on the menu, it will update globally across the website, instead of me changing every page's nav bar menu? I'm really concerned about this issue and look forward to your response.

Thanks again!

Hi sorchard2000412016,

I think the way to save future effort in maintaining a website (especially a large one) is to do a fair bit of forward planning.

I'm not sure how much of your site is to be redone, or how much is 'finished' as far as content is concerned.

Normally, one would create a page 'type' (i.e. 'Home Page' or 'Content Page') and include in that page all the elements that are going to be the same for duplicated pages (divs, header, footer, side columns etc.)

When the page type design has been finished (including a site menu) then that page would be saved as a template. You could end up with a template for each page 'type' that you foresee being used in the site in the future.

So if I had a Page (say a 'content' page) had added the header, the footer, a div for the navigation and the menu itself and the divs (or table) that form the layout style I want, I would go to the Dreamweaver menu and select 'File' > 'Save as Template', and when prompted to 'Update links?' I would click yes. This template would be automatically saved in a folder called 'Templates' in the site's root directory.

I would then, with the template open in Dreamweaver, select the various areas that I wanted to be 'Editable Regions' on any new page created from that template, and for each one selected, I would again go to the Dreamweaver menu and select 'Insert' > 'Template Objects' > 'Editable region', name the region and save the template. I would not include Header, Footer, Navbar or the Menu itself as editable regions, because they would (normally) be universally the same throughout the site.

The next step would be to create all the new pages from that template: (Dreamweaver Menu > File > New > Page from Template (select my template). All new pages would be created this way (from a template).

This is where your query gets answered:

With the site open in Dreamweaver, if I wanted to change something in the template in a 'non-created' editable region (i.e. a menu item) I would make the change and save the Template file. A dialogue box would then ask me if I wanted to update all the pages based on that template, and I would just need to click 'OK' for that change to be applied to all such pages, whether it be ten or a thousand - the pages don't need to be open, just existing in the Dreamweaver site definition, as created. Remember also, that you can have more than one such template for more that one page 'type'.

If, when you perfect your menu, you are able to do things this way, then I strongly recommend this method. It could save a lot of time and worry in the future.

There is another way that happens more-or-less automatically if you have a testing server set up on your local machine (ie XAMPP MAMP WAMPserver, IIS7) and your pages are all created as .php pages, but I won't go into that just now unless you need more info about it.

Neilo:
The term "webassist community moron" doesn't suit you! I really appreciate your patience and thoroughness in answering my questions. I'll do just as you suggest. You've been great!
It all makes sense!

Thanks!
sorchard

Cheers sorchard, you're welcome.