Copyright: Help file Copyright (C) 1995 Todd C. Wilson


Map THIS! Help Contents

The FREEWARE Image Map Editor for the World Wide Web.

Written and copyrighted (C) 1995 by Todd C. Wilson / Molly Penguin Software. Please read the legal disclaimer.

If you don't know by now, you can find out more about Map THIS! and the advantages of Map This over similar programs. You should also read the System Requirements, the Release Notes, and the Limitations.

This program will only be of use to you if you are running a Web Page and if your Web Server supports "image maps". Not all do, and some systems place restrictions on what kind of image maps can be used, and almost all servers handle image maps differently. Before continuing, you should contact your system administrator to find this information out. If you are running your own web server, consult your documentation. This help file does attempt to give a general, "broad" impression of image maps, but cannot cover every little detail.


About Map THIS!
About Map This

Map This is, in a nutshell, a program to create and edit World Wide Web image maps. On your tour around the Web, you may have seen things like this:

Clicking on the different items - say, the second glyph, which looks like an "information" icon, might bring up information about the person running that particular Web page. Clicking on the first one might take you to the next page in the information base, while the third one could send email to the author of the web page.

The idea is that you (or someone else) has created a graphic - be it a simple navigation bar like this, or a larger and more complicated graphic. Obviously, it takes some skill to create a decent looking graphic. Map This can't do that, obviously (computers can't create - yet), but it can do the boring, painstaking, and prone-to-error work of "mapping out" the locations that you want the image map to respond to user's clicks.

The "official" method (from NCSA and CERN HTTPD tutorial pages, two of the most widely used HTTPD servers) of creating image maps is to use a painting program, such as Paintbrush, XV, Lview, or whatever, to find the "points" that define the map. Then you have to write them down, and type them into a specially formatted text file to place on your server. Talk about a lot of work!

Map This takes care of all the "where is this" stuff, in a graphical, user-friendly (for the most part) way. You can drag-n-plot your rectangles, circles, and polygons to your heart's content, reshape them, and then set up what they point to. And you can see what goes on, as you do it. A true WYSIWYG image map creator program!


Advantages of Map THIS!
Advantages of Map This

There are other "mappers" out there for Windows; however, Map This has some spiffy features that the others I've seen lack:

It's absolutely, totally, FREE!

It's faster than most others.

Written as a Win32 app - runs under Win32s, NT, or Win95.

Supports moving and reshaping (even point addition/deletion) of Polygons.

Handles GIF's of almost any size (up to 1280x768).

Handles interlaced GIFs.

Doesn't require a TrueColor video board - can operate from 16 colors to 16 million colors.

Handles multiple open files at once.

Keeps a tracking header comment block in the image map file.

Keeps track of the GIF that goes with the map by way of a special comment line.

Supports descriptions per each area, and one for the entire map.

Opens existing map files that you might have.

Docking/floating toolbars.

Supports both NCSA and CERN data file formats..

Listing of the areas, alongside with the GIF.

Allows you to save or load as either .MAP or .IMP files.

Supports user-definable Snap-To Grids.

Allows the creation of "Guides" - predefined areas suitable for image "thumbnail" maps.

Built-in Email Feedback allows you to contact the author with bug reports and suggestions.

Tests your map as you work on it for missing URL's and obscured or 'hidden" areas.


Win32s is Microsoft's free extension to Windows 3.1 & 3.11. It allows you to run some 32-bit apps under "regular" windows. Map This was tested using version 1.25. Where to find it.


Win32s can be downloaded by using the following URL:  ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/softlib/mslfiles/pw1118.exe


Map This was developed under Windows NT Workstation version 3.51. It should work under previous versions (3.1/3.5) of NT Workstation and Server.


Map This runs as a native Windows 95 application. Map This has been tested using Windows 95 Final Beta April, Final Beta June, and the August 24th "Gold Master" release.


Who wrote it?

Map This was written by Todd C. Wilson. It is Copyright © 1995 by Molly Penguin Software.

You can contact Todd by using the built-in Email Support function, or by emailing him at:

tc@galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu

And you can surf to his tasty series of web pages at:

http://galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu/tc

This program is totally FREE! No charge to you to use it or pass it on to others. I only ask a few things (hehehe):

If you played with this program and thought it stunk, email me and tell me why!

If you used this program and loved it, email me and thank me!

If you used this program to create a map page, email me and tell me the URL (and send me a copy of the map file, please).

If you plan to put this on a CD collection, please consider giving me a copy of the CD - I believe it would be only fair.

Be sure to read the License Restriction.


Todd C. Wilson

email:	tc@galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu

home page:	http://galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu/tc


Why free?

The main reason is that too many programmers believe that they can make a living writing crappy shareware and charge $25-$75 for it. I have also gotten a LOT of enjoyment out Internet over the last fifteen years, and had some slack time on my hands. So I came up with something that people could possibly use.

I could go on and on about the utter abuse of shareware, on both sides of the fence (authors vs. users), but I'd probably bore you to death. If you really must hear me vent my spleen, feel free to email me!

Be sure to read the license restrictions and copyright notice.


The Dreaded License Restriction

This program is FREE. There is no charge to use, copy, or distribute this program. You may place this program on ANY file transfer site, of ANY kind. You may give it to your friends. You may delete it. You may use it to wrap fish in.

You may NOT attempt to turn this program into a virus carrier. If you suspect that you have an infected program, contact the person you got it from and then contact me.

This program is provided AS-IS. See below for more legal-speak. Or you can read my version of a disclaimer.

If you wish to include this on a CD collection, put it on a disk that is to be included with a book, or bundle this with other software, please contact me. I almost always say "yes", and would appreciate a free copy of the book/disk/program for my collection.

Exception: FTP sites such as Oakland, Garbo, Cica, etc., who create CD collections on an annual or semi-annual basis in order to cover operating costs do not have to ask permission. Permission was granted the instant the program was upload (most sites have a paragraph covering this, but why not get it all in there?).

The really ugly part (you can skip it, it's there for the lawyers):

THIS PRODUCT (MAP THIS) IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TODD C. WILSON AND MOLLY PENGUIN SOFTWARE FURTHER DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED OR STATED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS PRODUCT AND DOCUMENTATION REMAINS WITH RECIPIENT. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL TODD C. WILSON AND/OR MOLLY PENGUIN SOFTWARE OR THEIR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, RECURSIVE, OR OTHER DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, PERSONAL INJURY, DISRUPTION OF FAMILY LIFE, OR OTHER PECUNIARY LOSS) ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PRODUCT, EVEN IF TODD C. WILSON AND/OR MOLLY PENGUIN SOFTWARE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO THE RECIPIENT.

LET IT BE KNOW THAT THE USER OF THIS PROGRAM HAS PAID TODD C. WILSON AND MOLLY PENGUIN SOFTWARE THE SUM TOTAL OF $0.00 FOR THE UNLIMITED AND UNRESTRICTED USE OF THIS PROGRAM. ANY DAMAGES AWARDED SHALL NOT BE IN EXCESS OF SAID AMOUNT.


My Personal Disclaimer

If the legal disclaimer leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you might prefer this one:

DISCLAIMER: This program and documentation reflects the thoughts, opinions, ideas, and body odor of myself; it does not reflect the thoughts, opinions, ideas, and/or body odor of my company, my friends, my wife, my daughter, my fish, my roses, my dog, or my trash. All rights reserved, all lefts reserved. This software is subject to change without notice. Bits are slightly enlarged to show detail. Any resemblance to actual software, running or hung, is unintentional and purely coincidental. Hand wash only, tumble dry on low heat. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. No substitutions allowed. For a limited time only. Type hard, you are making five copies. This software is a void pointer to null where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted. Software is provided "as is" without any warranties expressed or implied. User assumes full liabilities. Not liable for damages due to use or misuse or inability to understand. An equal opportunity electron employer. No shirt, no shoes, no software. Quantities are limited while supplies last. Quality may vary. Since software is hand-crafted, there will be slight differences in each object. If defects are discovered, do not attempt to fix them yourself, but return to an authorized service center. No Parking. No Standing. No Spitting. Posted no Bills. Parental Advisory - explicit source code. No one under 17 admitted. Keep away from sunlight, pets, and small children. Limit one per family. No money down. No purchase necessary. Cache and carry. You do not need to be present to win. Some assembly and C++ required. Batteries not included. Action figures sold separately. Take a number please. Preservatives added to improve freshness. Safety goggles must be worn at all times. Hard hat area. Sealed for your protection. Call before you dig. EXTERN use only. If a rash, redness, irritation, or swelling develops, discontinue use and consult your magic eight ball. Use only with proper ventilation. Avoid extreme temperatures. Store in a cool dry place. Refrigerate after opening. Keep away from open flames and avoid inhaling fumes. Avoid contact with eyes. Do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. If this software begins to smoke, run, do not walk, towards the nearest exit. Do not place near any magnetic source. Smoking this software may be hazardous to your health. You are not in Kansas any more. Code used in this software was made from 100% recycled electrons. Prosecutors will be violated. No animals were used to test the runtime performance of this software. No extra salt, MSG, artificial color or flavoring added. If ingested, do not induce vomiting. If symptoms persist, delete yourself immediately. If you suspect an overloaded operator, destroy immediately. Constantly volatile when exposed to static pointers. The white zone is for passenger loading and unloading only. Possible penalties for early withdrawal. Free software offer valid only at participating FTP sites. Slightly higher outside of the continental US. Allow four to six seconds for delivery. The white zone is for passenger loading and unloading only. Motor vehicles only. Actually, I am a mouse in the middle of an incredibly complicated plot to take over the world. This disclaimer does not cover hurricane, lightning, tornado, volcanic eruption, earthquake, flood, and other Acts of Bob, misuse, neglect, repair, attempted modification, bugs in the code, damage from improper installation, incorrect line voltage, cosmic rays, missing or altered serial numbers, attempting to actually run the software, sonic boom vibrations, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, and incidents related to airplane crash, ship sinking, motor vehicle accidents, leaky roof, alien attack, broken glass, falling rocks, mud slides, forest fire, flying squirrels, verbal assaults, or house arrest. Other restrictions may apply. Your mileage may vary.


What is Molly Penguin Software?

It's the pseudo-company that I release freeware under. The name directly refers to my wife and my daughter. "Molly" is the phonetic pronunciation of "mali", which means "small". Therefor, Molly Penguin means "small penguin". There's a lot more story behind all of this, but I sense that you are bored enough as it is...


System Requirements

Map This is a 32-bit program. This means it runs as a native Windows NT or Windows 95 application - much faster than a 16-bit program. In order to get Map This to run under Windows 3.1 or 3.11, you must have the Win32s extension installed. The normal function of Map This does not require an Internet connection or even WinSock to be installed.

However, if you wish to use the Email Support function, you must have WinSock installed and be connected to Internet in some fashion. If you don't know what WinSock is, or are confused about Internet and email and all those strange words, STOP NOW. You will get NOTHING out of this program - it is not for you!


Limitations of Map This

Map This is a pretty decent program for what you paid for it. But let's face it, it was written by one person with input from some others, and reflects what I think is "cool" and "useful".

Map This is, as mentioned, a 32-bit program. I do not feel this is a true limit because of the proliferation of Windows NT, Win95, and Win32s.

Map This only uses a mouse as input. It's a semi-CAD program, after all.

Map This does not do truly stringent checking of the values for the areas. You can have "offscreen" areas that will never be hit.

Map This supports up to 1024 areas per map. It will generate an error if you try to add more areas or load a map file that has more than this.

Each polygon area is allowed up to 64 points. Some Web Servers put a lower limit - I know of one that only allows up to 16 points.

The scrolling of the image when you are zoomed-in is slow.

There is no built-in testing of the image map. It does, however, show you each area's URL as you go over it.

There is no Cut/Copy/Paste or Undo.


Release Notes
Release notes for version 1.10.0

Version 1.10 advances several areas of the program, and fixes the few bugs and oversights that existed in 1.0.

Memory:

This was the biggest improvement of the program. Under Win32s, you could easily run out of resources with a decent sized map (if you run NT like any sane person does, you'd never have this problem). Map This 1.10 now uses more "temporary" GDI objects, and does very aggressive memory management (yes, it does take a little more code, and yes, it does slow the program down a little - very little) If you watch the resource percentage value, you may suddenly see it dip from about 70% to 54% - and then jump back up.

Polygons:

Another area of work is in dealing with Polygons. Map This 1.10 allows you to add and delete points from a polygon using the right mouse button. There was also one bug fix in that if you saved a map in a zoomed-out state, the polygon values were all screwed up.

Grids:

Snap-To Grids are supported by the program. You can control how big they are, where they start, and how they look like. This affects the mouse movement when you make a new area or drag an old one.

Guides:

Another feature of Map This 1.10 is that it can create "Guides" or "Template" of regular rectangular areas. I put this in because I was creating a bunch of thumbnail maps and was getting very tired of doing it by hand.

Preferences:

You can now customize the colors used for the lines "styles", and select the default image map type (CERN or NCSA).

New Areas:

By default, Map This does not prompt you for new area info. Some people like it this way. Some don't. You can turn this on or off.

Context/Right-Click:

Right-clicking in the map between the areas will bring up the control menu of the common things - select tool, zoom in/out, grids, etc. Right-clicking on an area will let you delete the area, move it up or down in the map list, or edit the area's info. Right-clicking on a Polygon point will do the same, but also allow you to delete the point. Right-clicking on a Polygon line gives you the option to insert a new point.

Background Area Checking:

Map This will also check your areas out for you if you don't move the mouse for a tiny amount of time (this is called "idle time checking" - Word 6.0 does this with its "background repaginate"). If an area is missing a URL, you will get a warning icon in the status bar. If you have an area that is obscured, you will get an unhappy face in the status bar.

Status Bar:

The status bar is now fully enabled instead of the plain vanilla one in 1.00.5 - it now shows the zoom level, the mouse position in the map, and the size of the movement. It also shows the warning icon (missing URL) and the unhappy icon (area obscured). Moving the mouse onto these icons will put up a tool-tip text box telling you what is wrong.

Shift key:

In order to "grab" those obscured areas, you either have to shuffle the list or move the area covering the other one out of the way. But if you hold the shift key down, Map This will scan the area list in reverse, allowing you to grab that bad area.

CERN map files:

The CERN format does not support comments in the file. Map This 1.10 works around this by placing specially formatted "rectangle" areas in the list.


Things to be done to the program
Things to still be done to the program

1.	Check the boundaries of the areas to see if they fit within the GIF when loading (although it is not illegal to have "offscreen" areas) and warn you.

2.	Allow "points" to be used (closest-point-wins scheme) for NCSA maps.

3.	Put some code in to allow Map This to mesh with the Win95 shell. This really depends on what I think of Win95 after the final release, and how sick I get of the hype.

4.	Cut/Copy/Paste/Undo.


The Image Map file format

They say a picture tells a thousand words. Okay, here is two shots of the same clickable map image, one as you see it and one as the server sees it (I apologize for the quality):

Note: if you see these graphics as if they are "stacked", then you should maximize your window.

The one on the left is what you see when you browse your system. The one on the right is what the system sees - the red blocks are the "areas" that are set up to refer to some type of URL command.

Image map files are just text files that describe the areas of the image. They consist of a keyword (rect, circle, polygon), the URL, and the points that make up each of the areas.

Under NCSA, lines that start with a pound sign (#) are considered comments, and are ignored by the system. The CERN software does not support comments, and will abort the image map if it finds one. Map This works around this by placing special "offscreen" areas in the map file.

The NCSA format describes the following five keyword types for image map files (the CERN format is very similar. See NCSA vs. CERN):

default URL

This is the default or "background" URL to execute. This is used when the user clicks in an area that is not defined.

rect URL x1,y1 x2,y2

Rectangle. If the mouse click is within the rectangle enclosed by x1y1 and x2y2, the URL given is used.

circle URL cx,cy ex,ey

Circle. CX and CY define the center of the circle, and ex,ey define a point on the edge. The NCSA format does not mention that the circle can be an ovoid (i.e.: an oval or egg-shaped object). If the difference between ex & cx or ey & cy is less than 2, then Map This considers the circle a "round" object, and adjusts the points accordingly. If the difference between ex & cx or ey & cy is greater than 2, then Map This considers the object an ovoid and does not adjust it.

Circles have a very limited use, since most objects are either square-shaped or irregular shaped.

poly URL x1,y1 x2,y2 x3,y3 ... xn,yn

Polygon. This is an irregularly shaped object of 3 points or more. Map This will reject any polygon that has less than 3 points - this defines either a point or a line. The NCSA specification does not require the last point of the polygon to come back to the first point - it is assumed to be closed. Map This closes the polygon if needed, since both the NCSA and Windows specification on polygon outlines are either incorrectly documented or incorrectly implemented. The CERN specification explicitly states "if the path given is not closed...the first and last...pairs will be connected".

For very twisty polygons (say, one that is shaped similar to a sand-filled hourglass), you may get "holes" in the polygon. This is due to the way the system interprets the enclosing area. The best solution is to either simplify the polygon or define overlapping polygons.

point URL x1,y1

Map This does not currently support the point method. The CERN format also does not support the point method. The idea behind a point is to have more than one point in the display and the closest one to the mouse click wins, if the mouse did not click in another area. Points are evaluated last. Using a point will cause the system to ignore the default URL. A later version of Map This may support the point method if enough people ask for it.

Areas in the image map are evaluated in the order that they appear. If the first area covers the entire image, then that will get all the mouse clicks. This is the simplest way of ordering the image map, and creates the possibility of overlapping areas. It also creates the possibility of "dead" areas - areas that are completely covered by previous areas in the list. Map This will check for these dead or obscured areas and alert you with the unhappy green face in the status bar. See Dead Areas for more information.

Here is an example image map file (NCSA format) created by hand:

default none.html

poly blob.html 298,93 251,26 300,0 453,0 511,48 511,101 474,65 420,55 358,88

poly table.html 117,96 116,267 172,283 192,299 247,254 242,101

poly rod.html 11,0 26,225 18,261 83,270 109,264 110,97 105,0

poly floor.html 0,383 82,383 82,271 2,267

rect post.html 83,284 180,383

poly railroad.html 175,320 227,383 347,268 345,166

poly stairs.html 223,383 371,261 511,341 511,383

poly dude.html 307,199 245,177 239,115 511,91 511,121 292,144 346,166

And here is one created using Map This:

#$MTIMFH

#$TITLE:Country Lake

#$PATH:c:\src\mapthis\examples

#$GIF:LAKE.GIF

#$FORMAT:NCSA

#$EOH

default tryagain.html

rect door.html 213,296 289,336

circle liferaft.html 499,355 513,367

poly lake.html 637,362 551,366 550,373 545,375 448,366 371,367 347,367 336,367 293,356 256,352 0,356 0,477 642,478 637,365 637,362

# Table

rect lunch.htm 125,308 167,335

rect boat.html 350,335 539,365

rect boat.html 452,295 538,334

rect biff.html 424,300 449,333

# The lady in the pink shirt

rect lady.htm 332,275 362,323

rect house.html 87,204 290,338

rect house.html 292,261 325,328

poly roof.html 97,173 88,199 290,201 283,174 97,173

poly roof.html 292,225 292,259 332,257 319,228 292,228 294,224 292,225

# the left mountain

poly mountain.html 0,136 81,197 80,335 0,335 0,216 0,136

# The right mountain

poly mountain.htm 294,205 294,223 324,227 329,317 632,320 638,102 582,57 488,128 469,123 310,200 294,205

As you can see, you get similar results, but Map This makes working with the files a lot easier.


Differences between NCSA and CERN image map formats

Besides the difficulties in getting image map files into the server and getting them working correctly, the image map files are different enough to cause headache when porting from one system to another. Map This can read and write both formats - in fact, you can load in one format and save in another!

The differences between the two formats boil down to the way the areas are represented in the lines in the file.

Here's how NCSA shows it:

rect http://furball.com 50,23 75,96

And this is how CERN does it:

rect (50,23) (75,96) http://furball.com

Fun, right? Try writing a loader that can handle both formats without any user input!

The "keywords" also differ a little between NCSA and CERN:

NCSA	CERN

default	default,def

rect	rectangle,rect

circle	circle,circ

poly	polygon,poly

point	n/a

#comment	n/a

If you save the map as a CERN file, Map This will use the full name of the area instead of the abbreviation. I.E.: polygon instead of poly.

CERN also has a tighter restriction on the circle method: it only allows TRUE circles. CERN takes the center point and a radius; NCSA takes the center point and a point on the edge of the circle (which most people abuse to become ovals). When Map This has to convert from NCSA to CERN, it will convert the NCSA "oval" to a CERN "circle" that covers the most area. So if you have a fat oval under NCSA, you will get a LARGE circle under CERN!

As you can see, CERN does not allow comments. This poses a problem for Map This, since it wants to "hide" information in those comment lines in order to pull information out (like where the graphic is at). This was solved by using "offscreen" areas. See CERN Comments for more information.


Comment lines in NCSA image map files

The NCSA format supports comment lines. The CERN format does not. These NCSA comment lines are simply lines that start with the pound sign ("#"), and are not processed by the server - the rest of the line is ignored. Very much like REM statements in Basic, or // lines in C++. For CERN maps, Map This abuses my knowledge of the CERN software in order to emulate comment lines.

Map This uses some special "comment leads" to flag directives to the program. This allows Map This to bury information in the map file that the Web Server ignores, but Map This can extract to simplify maintaining the map file.


Comment lines in CERN image map files

The "official" CERN format does not support comment lines. Some server software that can read CERN maps, however, do allow comment lines. Most don't. This makes putting the special tracking information in CERN map files an interesting challenge.

One solution that seems to work is using the fact that the CERN software does not check the range of the values given for an area. This allows Map This to, in effect, "bury" information in "offscreen" rectangles.

Map This looks for lines that start with the following:

rect (4096,4096) (4096,4096) mt:

Lines such as these are processed almost exactly the same as NCSA comment lines by Map This: they are used to hold the header information and area comments.

One other thing sets the CERN map apart: the CERN software "breaks" the line on spaces, tabs, returns, linefeeds, and the left- and right-parentheses. These characters are therefor encoded using the standard HTML encoding of %xy, where xy is the hex value of the character be encoded. Map This decodes such lines back into human readable text.

The upshot of all of this jumping about is to allow Map This the ability to "bridge" the two image map formats with little or no human manipulation of the "raw" image map file, and at the same time, not cause (hopefully) the server to crash.


What is HTTPD?

HTTPD stands for http "Demon". It's the program that is run on a computer to act as the "web server". When some is referring to their "server" or "web server", they mean HTTPD. There are several flavors of web servers, but most either confirm to NCSA or CERN style of image maps.


What is a URL?

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is a "command" to the Web Server to tell it what kind of information to get and where to get it from. These commands usually start with "http" for web pages, "ftp" for file transfers, "gopher" for gopher services, "news" for UseNet news, and "mailto" to send a mail letter. Examples.


What is a URL?

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It is a "command" to the Web Server to tell it what kind of information to get and where to get it from. These commands usually start with "http" for web pages, "ftp" for file transfers, "gopher" for gopher services, "news" for UseNet news, and "mailto" to send a mail letter. Examples.


Examples of some URL's

(you can click on each URL type to get more info):

http://www.microsoft.com/

This is a Web page run by Microsoft

http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/samantha/table-of-contents.html

This is the Travels with Samantha book/photo tour.

ftp://oak.oakland.edu/simtel/win3/eudora/eudrm144.zip

This will FTP to the Oakland ftp server and retrieve the manual to Eudora 1.44

gopher://gopher.creaf.com/

Gopher to Creative Lab's server.

news:rec.humor.funny

Goes to the UseNet newsgroup rec.humor.funny

mailto:pres@whitehouse.gov

Ask for a tax break!


The HTTP URL

This refers to HyperText Transport Protocol. Which is a fancy way of saying "visit the web page, stupid!". http always has one of these two forms:

http://SERVER.NAME

http://SERVER.NAME/FILEPATH

The "server name" is the complete name of the server. For example, www.microsoft.com or galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu (say that with a mouthful of cookies). The server name may be OPTIONALLY followed by a colon and a number - this refers to the "port" that the target system is listening for a connection on. You usually don't need to add this "port" option - most systems are set to use the default port value of 80. If you think your server is configured differently, contact your system administrator.

"File path" refers to how to get to the file or directory. This depends on where the data is set up. If you are running your own personal page out of your user directory, you will probably use:

~joe/file.html

"Joe" is you, "file.html" is the filename. The last part of the filename is important. Like DOS, HTTPD servers use the dot-name to figure out what the file really is! You usually want to keep it .html unless you have special requirements. However, since each server is configured differently due to the system, you should ask your system administrator about personal web pages, and how relative links work. If you get very, very stuck, feel free to email me.


The FTP URL

File Transfer Protocol. I would prefer is this was called "leech". It's just a way to retrieve a file from the sever to your machine. The format of FTP is this:

ftp://SERVER.NAME/FILEPATH

The "server name" is the complete name of the server. For example. ftp.microsoft.com or oak.oakland.edu. The server name may be OPTIONALLY followed by a colon and a number - this refers to the "port" that the target system is listening for a connection on. You usually don't need to add this "port" option - most systems are set to use the default port value of 23. However, sometimes the server may be running in a non-standard configuration, so you should contact your system administrator if you have problems.

"File path" refers to how to get to the file or directory. This depends on where the file is stored from the FTP root directory (usually PUB for public). For example, on Oakland, you could use simtel/win3/network to get into the network directory, or simtel/win3/graphics/00index.txt to retrieve the index listing.


The GOPHER URL

Gopher is a yet another way to retrieve information. It arrived just before World Wide Web hit the scene, so it never really took off to the point that a lot of systems are running it. Gopher is sort of between FTP and HTTP in the way it handles information. Like FTP, Gopher presents information as files and directories. Like HTTP, it can refer to information that is elsewhere on the system or not even on the same network (pointing to a file in England for example).

Using Gopher commands is just like FTP or HTTPD:

gopher://SERVER.NAME/FILEPATH

The "server name" is the complete name of the server.

"File path" refers to how to get to the file or directory.


The NEWS URL

This is UseNet news. In order for this to work correctly, the USER must have news access and be able to read it over the World Wide Web; you do not. For example, Galadriel doesn't have a news feed (too much bandwidth and we get it elsewhere), but I can refer information to alt.rec.foods all I want.

The format of news is:

news:NEWSGROUP

Where NEWSGROUP is a full newsgroup name. Just copy this from the list that you are using.


The MAILTO URL

The mailto tag is very limited. All it does is tell the browser software the user is using to start a mail message to the person specified in the mailto tag. There is no facility in the current HTML specification to supply subject or default text.

The format of mailto is:

mailto:USER@SYSTEM.NAME

Where USER is the user name (duh) and SYSTEM.NAME is the name of the system where the user has the mail account. You can usually copy-and-paste email addresses from newsgroup posts or email letters in here.

Since it is perfectly legal to give the mailto with only a user name, beware: if you do so, the system will use the SYSTEM.NAME of where the user is from, not where you are from. So if you do this:

mailto:admin

The hapless user will cheerfully send a letter to his admin asking why the web page is broken and where are all the dirty pictures?


Setting up the Server

Creating the image map is only part of the job - the other part is getting the server to recognize your map and use it in the manner you expect.

It would be nice if I could just say "Put this line in your page and all will be fine", but I can't. There are at least several thousand severs running out there, and all have been configured differently.

I will give you some general tips:

First:	Do not assume you can run image maps. Some systems put restrictions on maps for whatever reason. Some systems forbid image maps altogether. Just because you have a web page doesn't mean you can do image maps.

Second:	What works for one system may not work for the next one. Some server software requires the image maps to be processed through a special program. Others require the name of the image map file to end with ".MAP" (this is fairly common). Most of the more recent severs have the image map program built into the software, so you don't need to do anything special.

Third:	When in doubt, email your system administrator. He or she should be able to give you the info or point you to it.

Fourth:	Do NOT post messages to the newsgroups asking for help UNTIL you try your system admin. We don't run your system and have no clue as to what your software is. Even I cannot help you very much in this regard.


Map This Toolbar

Map This is, by design, loaded with features and tools to make creating and maintaining image maps pretty simple. Using these tools is very straight-forward matter.

There is really only one main toolbar in use during your map editing session. This toolbar appears with each open map, and is the standard "floating" Windows toolbar. You can "grab" it with the mouse and "tear it off" or reposition it along any parts of the window.

Other related subjects: New Image Map; Right-Click; Guides; Grid Settings; Map Info; Area List; Edit Area Information; Using the drawing tools.


The rectangle tool lets you draw simple rectangle areas on the map.


The circle tool lets you draw circular or oval areas on the map.


The polygon tool allows you to draw free-form areas. These areas can contain up to 64 points.


The arrow tool lets you move areas and enables the right-click on the areas.


Select Zoom In to "get closer" to the map and the graphic. You can go up to 8:1 resolution.


Zoom Out "moves you away" from the map, until you are at the normal view.


Click the Save button or press control-S to save your work. Same thing as selecting File->Save.


The Delete tool removes the currently selected area. Once it is gone, it is GONE.


Select the Grid to turn the current grid on or off. Select Goodies->Grid Settings to define the grid.


The Map Info item lets you change the map information and settings.


This tool toggles the Area List dialog on and off.


Allows you to edit the currently selected Area's Information. Same as double-clicking with the arrow tool on an area.


Using the drawing tools

Map This has three drawing tool and one general purpose editing tool for you to use. These tools are shown as different cursors on the screen.

The Rectangle tool is used to create rectangles in the map. You create new rectangles by moving the cursor to where you want one corner to be at, pressing and holding the left mouse button, and dragging the cursor to the opposite corner. Release the mouse button when you are done. A rectangle "ghost" is drawn on the screen in real-time as you go.

The Circle or Oval tool is used to create round areas in the map. It is used just the same as the rectangle tool.

The Polygon tool is used to create non-uniform areas. Very handle to react to something that is shaped like a boat for example. You start a new polygon area by moving the mouse to the first point, and clicking the left mouse button once. Move the cursor to the next point - you will see a "ghost" line tracking from the starting point to where the cursor is. Click the left mouse button once to add this point into the polygon and start the next line. You end your polygon creation by either double-clicking the left mouse button where you want the last point to be, or bring the cursor very close to the starting point and clicking once.

All three tools can be used to reshape their areas by moving the cursor over one of the "handles" (the gray or black squares on the outline of the area) and pressing and holding the left mouse button. Moving the mouse will then move that handle in the appropriate way and reshape the area. Release the mouse button when finished.

The Arrow tool is used to move areas in addition to allowing you to change their size and shape. To move the area, position the cursor to where it changes into a 4-way arrow. Press and hold the left mouse button and move the mouse to where you want the area to be moved to. Release the mouse button to "drop" the area in its new place.

The Arrow tool can also be used just like the other three tools to reshape the areas. Just grab the area's handle, and press and hold to move.

The Arrow tool also has a right-click menu when you move the cursor over an area. This area's outline changes color to indicate that this area is being looked at - this is called a "flyby". Right-click to bring up a popup menu that lets you edit this area's info, delete it, or rearrange it in the map list.

The Polygon and Arrow tool also allow you to right-click when on a polygon line or point to add new points or delete old points from that polygon.

When you are creating a new area, resizing or reshaping an old area, or moving an area, you can cancel your movement by either clicking the right mouse button or pressing the Escape (ESC) key on the keyboard. If you are holding the left mouse button down, you may have to keep holding it down and click the right mouse button at the same time. Some mice do not support this, and for some people, this is uncomfortable or physically impossible. In this case, press the Escape key on the keyboard to cancel the change or creation.


Keyboard controls

Sometimes it's easier and faster to work with the areas with the keyboard. This is especially true when you are putting in a lot of URLs all at once. Map This has some keyboard control that allows you to edit things a little easier and quicker.

Left arrow key:

Takes you to the previous area in the list. If you are at the first area, takes to you to the last one.

Right arrow key or Tab key:

Takes you to the next area in the list. If you are at the last area, brings you back to the first one.

Return key or Spacebar:

Brings up the Edit Area Information dialog box. Same as double-clicking the area.

Delete key or Backspace key:

Deletes the area. You will not be prompted.


Creating a new image map

When you create a new image map, you must supply a GIF to act as the visual part of the map. All image maps require a GIF background. This is defined in the NCSA and CERN standard for image maps. It doesn't make much sense to try to create a map file on a white background - you need to see what you're doing!

The GIF doesn't have to be in the same directory or hard drive as your image map file - Map This keeps a recording of where the GIF was last known to be at so that it can load it the next time you edit your map file.

Once the GIF is loaded and decompressed (this is very quick), the document window opens up showing the image and the toolbar. By default, the arrow tool is selected. Click the rectangle, the circle, or the polygon tool to create new areas.


Opening an existing image map

Map This will allow you to open maps that you have created, and previously existing maps that were designed for the CERN or NCSA servers. The Map This distribution archive contains both the CERN and NCSA example maps and images (Fish for NCSA, and Dragons for CERN).

If you open a map that Map This did not create, then you will get a message box asking you to locate the GIF that goes along with the map. If Map This did save the map file that you are opening, there are special tags buried in the map file to help Map This locate the GIF file.


Map file not created by Map THIS!
Map file not created by Map This

When Map This writes out the image map file, it includes either some special comment lines for NCSA maps or special offscreen rectangles for CERN maps. These special lines define what GIF file was used and where it was last located. If you are importing an existing image map file, these lines are obviously not there, so Map This has no way of knowing which GIF goes with what map. It's your job to point Map This at the right file.

If you point Map This at the wrong file, well, you'll have to close the map and re-open it to get the right one. Map This can't tell if its got the right image or not.


Unable to locate GIF

Map This maintains two special comment lines in the image map file when it writes it out to the disk: the filename of the GIF, and where the GIF was at when the map was saved. If the GIF or the map is moved on the disk (say, from one directory to another), Map This will try to look in the directory where the map is currently at, and where the GIF was last known to be at. If both of these fail, Map This gives up and asks you to find the GIF for it. If you manage to give it the wrong GIF, you will have to close the map and re-open it. The new location of the GIF file is not recorded unless you re-save the image map file.


Editing the image map general information
Editing the image map's general information

For each image map file, there is only one required line: the default URL to execute if the user clicks outside of any defined area. You can think of this as the "background" URL, if you wish.

The other pieces of information - Title, Author, Description - are all optional, and have nothing to do with the actual function of the image map.

You can click on some areas of this graphic for more information:


This is the filename of the map file. If nothing is here, then the map is brand-new and has never been saved. This is for informational purposes only.


This is the filename of the GIF file. This is for informational purposes only.


Title of the mapfile. This field is not required by the Web Server, but is used so that you know what it is.


Author. Your name here. Optional.


Description of the map file. This field is optional, and can be used to describe what you are doing with this map file. Can be several lines long. The Web Server will not use this field.


This is the default URL. Required by most Web Servers. You must give it the complete URL to whatever resource you wish to activate when the user clicks outside of any defined area.


Image map format. I know of two formats: NCSA and CERN. If you know of any others, email me and I'll put them in!


Click this to cancel your input.


Click this to accept the data.


The Area List Box

You can have Map This bring up a floating window of your areas to get an idea of what each one is. This List Box allows you to re-order the areas, delete them, and edit their information. It also shows which areas are missing URL's by placing a warning icon next to each area.


Brings up the Area Info dialog box for the currently selected area.


You can grab this to drag the window around.


Standard system menu. Double-click or choose "close" to close this window.


Shows the URL link for this area.


List of the areas.


Currently selected area.


Areas with the warning icon or highlighted in red are missing their URLs.


The Right-Click Menu

The right mouse button is the "context menu" button. You click it to bring up a floating or "popup" menu. This menu changes depending on the tool and where you have clicked.

If you have the polygon or the arrow tool selected, clicking on a polygon line will give you the option to insert a new point. Clicking on a polygon's point will give you the option to remove that point.

Right-clicking inside of any area will bring up a four-item menu that allows you to edit the area information, delete the area, or move it up or down in the list.

Right-clicking outside of all the areas (in a part of the map that has no areas) will allow you to change tools, zoom in or out, edit the map info and access the other menu/toolbar items.


This is a sub-menu allowing you to change the tool you are using. The currently selected tool (in this case, the Arrow tool) is indicated with a dot in front of the name. See also Rectangle tool, Circle tool, Polygon tool, Arrow tool.


Inserting a point in a polygon place another point on the line. You can then move this point to change or enhance the shape of the polygon.


Deleting a point from a polygon removes that point and causes the lines connection the point to the rest of the polygon to "snap back" to the other two points.


Placing the polygon or arrow cursor on or very close to a polygon line will let you make a new point on that line.


Moving the polygon or arrow cursor onto a polygon point will let you delete that point from the polygon.


Placing the cursor (any type) between the areas gives you access to this popup menu.


When the arrow tool is in use and you place the cursor on an area, the area's outline changes color and the cursor becomes a 4-way arrow.


Editing Area Data

When the arrow tool is selected, you can (a) double-click on an area; (b) click once and select the pencil tool; or (c) right-click to show a pop-up menu. Any of these actions will bring up the Edit Area Info dialog box. This dialog shows information about the area, such as the type, position, and size, and allows you to enter the URL for it, and the optional comment.

Click on one of the hot spots in the image below for some more info:


This is the URL that is to be used when the user clicks on this area. Required by the Web Server. You must give it the complete URL to whatever resource you wish to activate.


Comment about this area. This comment is never presented to the user, and the Web Server will ignore it. Can be up to 200 characters long.


This shows what type of area this area is. Rectangle, circle, or polygon. The type of area defines how the server and Map This use the data that is attached to this area. The position and size also reflect the type. This is for informational purposes only.


This is the position of the area. For rectangles, this is the upper-left to the bottom right. For circles, this is the center point. For polygons, this is the smallest rectangle that covers the entire area. This is for informational purposes only.


This is the dimensions of the area. This depends upon the area type. For rectangles, this is the width and height. For circles, this the radius along both the X and Y axis's. For polygons, this is the total number of points. This is for informational purposes only.


Click this to accept the changes.


Click this to reject the changes


Click this to delete the area from the list.


Click this to move the area up in the list. Areas higher (lower numbered) are checked first.


Click this to move the area down in the list. Areas lower (higher numbered) are checked last.


Snap-To Grids

Grids are great tools in getting things lined up. Enabling the Grid causes Map This to force all your mouse input to whatever "granularity" that you specify. For example, if you tell Map This that you want a grid that is space 30 pixels across and 10 pixels down, then you will only be able to place points at 0, 30, 60, 90 etc. across the X-axis, and 0, 10, 20, 30, etc. down the Y-axis.

Map This also has a very interesting feature of specify the starting position for the grid. This means that you can have the grid at 5, 35, 65, 95 across and 1, 11, 21, 31 down if you wish.


This box turns the Grid on or off. This is the same as selecting the Toolbar button or the menu item.


This sets the width of Grid granularity. For example, if you enter 50 here, then the mouse position is constrained to 0, 50, 100, 150, etc., across the X-axis.


This sets the height Grid granularity. If you set this to 25, then the mouse position is constrained to 0, 25, 50, 75, etc., up and down the Y-axis.


This sets the starting left-side of the Grid. Using this allows you to set where the Grid starts at. If you set this to 3, and the width to 10, then the Grid is 3, 13, 23, 33, etc.


This sets the starting top side of the Grid. Using this allows you to set where the Grid starts at. If you set this to 2, and the height is 15, then the Grid is 2, 17, 32, 47, etc.


Click this to accept the changes. Your settings will be put into effect and saved in either your User Registry (Win95 or NT) or to the INI file (Win16) for later use.


Click this to reject the changes.


Creating and using Guides

Quite often, I find that people (myself include) want to make a clickable map based on thumbnail images. While you can do this using the standard "make a rectangle" procedure, it's tiresome. And the results are not very uniform.

This is where the Guides option comes it. This dialog box allows you enter in information to tell Map This to create a series of rectangles, starting at a certain point, being so tall and so wide, so many across and down, and oh yes, space them this far apart.

The Guide box will not allow you to create Guides if the Guides will appear outside of the image, or you attempt to create more than 1024 of them.

One handy feature of the Guide dialog box is to define the Base URL for each of these new areas. This Base URL can be just the common part leading up to whatever, or you can do one very interesting thing: put the special "%d" character sequence in the line to have the program put the area number in each of the URL's that is creates.

If you have a Base URL like this:

http://system.com/images/graphic%d.gif

Then for each new area, the %d will be replaced with the area number. For example, area 1 will have:

http://system.com/images/graphic1.gif

And area 42 will have:

http://system.com/images/graphic1.gif

You are only allowed to have one %d in the entire Base URL. Yes, it is based on the ANSI C "printf" function, and no, you only get one, and only a number. Sorry.

(If you try to put something like %s or %dbob%d, Map This will assume that you meant to do that and will NOT put in the area numbers).


This displays the size of the image that you are working with. It is shown for informational purposes only.


This shows the area that will be "covered" by the Guide boxes. If this goes to red (or the red-compliment of your window text color), then you will not be able to create the Guides.


This is the width of each Guide box.


This is the height of each Guide box.


This is the left starting point for the Guides. You can use this to start the Guides away from the left side of the image.


This is the top starting point for the Guides. You can use this to start the Guides away from the top of the image.


This is how much additional space to put between the Guides as they go left-to-right across the image.


This is how much additional space to put between the Guides as they go down the image.


This is how many Guides to put across the image.


How many Guides to put down the image.


Click this to accept your values and create the Guides. Your settings will be saved so you can use them next time.


Click this to not create any Guides.


If you wish, you can put in a Base URL that will be put in each new Guide. To have the Guide generator put the area number in this, simply place one %d character sequence in the string.


Preferences

The Preferences dialog allows you to change the behavior and appearance of Map This. In this dialog, you can set the default map type for new image maps, whether or not to prompt for area information when you create a new area, if the default URL is really needed or not, and the colors of the outlines of the areas.

For more information, click on the areas below


Default map type for new image maps. You can change this per each map in the Map Info dialog.


If this is set, then Map This will automatically bring up the Area Info dialog each time you create a new area.


Most servers require the default URL to be specified. If yours doesn't, and you don't care if you have it or not, clear this box.


Select this to cancel your changes.


Select this to save your changes.


The default color is what is used to draw the area outlines when they are not selected nor being highlighted during a "flyby".


The selected color is what is used to draw the area outline when it is the selected area. Only used when the arrow tool is selected.


The flyby color is used to highlight an area when you move the arrow tool over an area.


This is what the line will look like when it is used.