The terms on this page are arranged in the order they will be found in the MenuMachine Inspector. At right is a list of the features and terms in alphabetical order which will jump to the feature or concept on this page.
These are the areas covered below:
Edit Tab :: Format Tab :: Options Tab
Special Menu > MenuMachine menu
Objects Palette > MenuMachine object
Advanced Concepts
Click on the headings to jump to the page in the MenuMachine Documentation which explains that feature in detail.
Edit Tab
Edit Tab 1 2
The left Tab in the MenuMachine Inspector. On this tab you can setup, view and change the structure of your menu, edit the look of the menu by changing font and background colors, set up links for menu items and select images to use in menu items. This is where you edit individual menu items.
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Version
This displays the current version number of MenuMachine.
Identified in the top left of the logo area of the MenuMachine Inspector.
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Menu Preview
Edit Tab Displays a preview of the menu item that is currently selected in the tree view. You can click the preview to see what the menu item will look like when the mouse rolls over it.
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Menu Tree View
Edit Tab Displays a hierarchical view of the menu structure. Click the disclosure triangles to show and hide submenus attached to menu items. Click on a menu item's name to select it so that you can edit its attributes. Click the scroll arrows to scroll up and down inside the tree view (note that you can enlarge the tree view by enlarging the inspector).
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Move Menu Item 
Edit Tab Click these buttons to move a menu item up or down the current level of the menu hierarchy. Note that it is not possible to move menu items between different levels of the menu.
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Base Menu Resize Button 
Edit Tab This tool allows you to specify a total width and/or height for the base level of the menu. All menu items in the base level are resized to evenly fill the specified size. This is a good tool for building a menu to fit a pre-defined space.
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Copy Formats Button 
Edit Tab This tool allows you to copy the formatting to any other menu item or items in the menu structure. It presents a dialog allowing you to choose which attributes to copy to which menu items.
You can select the menu items that you wish to copy the formatting to by clicking the checkboxes. In the panel on the right hand side of the dialog, you can select which formatting elements to copy. Click OK and the selected formatting is applied to all the menu items that have been checked.
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Call Action Button 
Edit Tab This tool allows you to bind GoLive Actions to menu items. See the Using GoLive Actions with MenuMachine section of the MenuMachine documentation for more information about this advanced feature.
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Create Menu Button 
Edit Tab This tool duplicates the selected menu item, creating a new menu item at the same level of the menu structure.
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Create Submenu Button 
Edit Tab This tool duplicates the selected menu item, creating a new menu item as a sub-menu of the selected menu item.
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Delete Menu Item Button 
Edit Tab This tool deletes the selected menu item, including any sub-menus if present. You will be presented with a confirmation dialog before the deletion takes place.
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Menu Text Field
Edit Tab This is the text that will appear in the browser for the currently selected menu item. If the menu item uses images, this text will not be displayed, although it will continue to be visible in the tree view editor and will also be used to generate ALT and TITLE attributes for your menu images.
Menu Link
Edit Tab If enabled, this defines the link for the currently selected menu item.
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Menu Link Target
Edit Tab This specifies an optional target parameter for your menu item. Names of frames in open frameset pages as well as default frame names are available in the popup on the right. The target option is only available when a link is present.
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Menu Image
Edit Tab Allows you to use an image instead of text for the currently selected menu item. The image dimensions are set to the current size of the menu item. You can resize the menu item to fit the image using the image resizer tool next to the width and height fields below.
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Menu Image Rollover
Edit Tab If an image is being used for the current menu item, this allows you to specify an image to appear on rollover. It should be the same size as the menu image.
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Menu Width
Edit Tab Sets the width of the current menu item. Make sure that items in the same submenu all have the same width.
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Menu Height
Edit Tab Sets the height of the current menu item. If you make a narrow item but increase its height, the text can wrap inside the menu item.
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Set Menu to Image dimensions 
Edit Tab If the menu item uses an image, clicking this button will set the menu’s width and height to match the dimensions of the image.
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Menu Background Color
Edit Tab Use these color wells to set the background color of the selected menu item. The "Over" color sets the color to be used when the mouse is over the menu item.
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Menu Font Color
Edit Tab Use these color wells to set the font color of the selected menu item. The "over" color sets the color to be used when the mouse is over the menu item. If the menu item uses an image then this setting is ignored.
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Use transparent menu background 1 2
Edit Tab This option turns off the background and border of the currently selected menu item. It is designed specifically for use with transparent GIF images where you might not want a normal rectangular shape to the menu, although it can also be used to display plain text over an existing background of some sort.
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Format Tab
Format Tab
Format Tab The middle tab in the MenuMachine Inspector. The formatting tab allows you to set up global formatting options for the menu. You can either set the whole menu to use the same formatting or you can choose different options for the top level and sub-menus. Click this tab to bring see these options.
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Live Menu Preview
Format Tab Displays a preview of the menu item that is currently selected in the tree view. You can click the preview to see what the menu item will look like when the mouse rolls over it.
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Use different formatting for top level
Format Tab Formatting options set in this tab are global by default and affect all menu items. However, you can choose to specify different formatting for the top level of the menu. Selecting this checkbox enables and disables this ability. You then use the pop below to display either the top level or submenu formatting options.
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Formatting Popup   
Format Tab Make a selection to edit the top level or submenus.
The yellow foreground symbol indicates whether the top level or submenus or both are being edited.
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Border width
Format Tab Sets the width of menu borders.
Set to zero (0px) to disable borders.
Can affect top level or submenus or both.
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Border color
Format Tab Sets the color of menu borders.
Can affect top level or submenus or both.
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Border between items
Format Tab If this box is checked, menu items will be separated by a border.
If unchecked, the border will only appear around the entire menu block.
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Menu Font
Format Tab Specifies the font to use for menu items. Separate font names with commas (,).
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Font Size
Format Tab Specifies the font size and units to use for menu text. The use of pixel font units is recommended for best results.
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Font Style
Format Tab Use check boxes to specify whether bold and/or italic styles should be used for menu text.
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Text Alignment
Format Tab Sets the alignment of the text that appears inside each menu item.
Options are Left, Center, Right.
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Text Padding
Format Tab These settings control the distance in pixels that menu text is inset from the menu border. Set the padding in pixels from the left and top.
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Show arrows for submenus
Format Tab If this option is selected then MenuMachine will display arrows if a menu item has submenus. These arrows are small .gif files that will be automatically installed in your script library folder. You may change the .gif files to any other files of your choice.
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Options Tab
Options Tab
Options Tab The options tab contains global options to control the behavior of your menu. Click this tab to see these options.
It contains the powerful relative positioning options which allow you to break through the normal restrictions of floating box layout by allowing your menu to be positioned dynamically, thereby enabling liquid layout designs.
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Menu Overlap Preview
Options Tab Displays a preview of the menu item that is currently selected in the tree view. You can click the preview to see what the menu item will look like when the mouse rolls over it.
Note that the preview will show menu overlap when the preview option is checked in the menu overlap settings.
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Menu Orientation
Options Tab Allows you to specify whether the base level of the menu has a horizontal or vertical orientation. This setting does not affect submenus.
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Submenu Activation Method/Pop up Behavior
Options Tab This setting controls whether submenus will display when the user moves their mouse over the menu or whether they need to click the menu to activate the submenu.
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Menu Fade Delay
Options Tab This setting controls how long MenuMachine will leave submenus open after the mouse pointer has left the menu. The delay is measured in milliseconds, so for a one second delay you would set it to 1000.
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Menu Overlap
Options Tab These settings control how submenus are offset relative to their parent menu vertically and horizontally.
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Menu Overlap: All levels
Options Tab This sets the overlap amount for all submenus except for first-level menus when the menu bar is horizontal. The setting accepts percentage values so that differently-sized menus are positioned correctly.
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Menu Overlap: First level only
Options Tab This setting is designed to fine-tune the overlap for submenus directly under the top level when the menu bar is horizontal. This might be necessary if, for example, your top-level menus and submenus have very different border width settings, or perhaps for special effects purposes. The setting accepts pixel values.
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Menus Open Right to Left
Options Tab This option causes submenus to open to the left of the current menu item.
This option is only useful if the menu is set to the far right of the browser window and is not recommended since it works in the opposite fashion to what users expect.
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Menus Open From Bottom
Options Tab This option causes submenus to open from the bottom upwards. This option is useful if the menu is near the base of the page.
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Use external menumachine.js library
Options Tab Previous versions of MenuMachine required the menumachine.js library file to exist in the site script library folder (GeneratedItems folder) in the site folder. By deselecting this option you can choose to have the code from menumachine.js written directly into the page. However, support files such as the spacer.gif and menu triangle images must still be located in the site script library folder. Since this option adds significant code to each and every page it is disabled by default and its use is not recommended.
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Positioning menus
By default, MenuMachine menus will position themselves according to where you place the MenuMachine floating box on the page.
This floating box is absolutely positioned: it will always appear at exactly the same position relative to the top left corner of the page. While this is great for some sites, for other sites where the page content is centered in the browser or dynamically adjusts to the browser width you need more options.
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Relative Positioning
Options Tab MenuMachine has a variety of relative positioning options that can be set in the bottom section of the Options tab. These options allow you to override the position of the floating box that contains the menu.
The relative positioning options Horizontal and Vertical allow you to position the menu relative to the sides of the browser window or relative to the center of the page.
To use these options, check the box to the left of the popup menu to enable it, select the type of positioning you'd like and then, if required, set an offset value. The offset is the number of pixels you'd like the menu to be offset from the default left, center or right positions. You can enter a negative value for the offset.
The Scroll to maintain vertical position option will allow the menu to remain in the same location on the screen even when the browser is vertically scrolled. You can choose how smooth you would like the scrolling to appear. This option may not work well in all browsers (particularly older ones) due to DHTML rendering bugs in those browsers, so ensure you test your pages thoroughly after enabling it.
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Scroll to maintain vertical position
Options Tab This option will allow the menu to remain in the same location on the screen even when the browser is vertically scrolled. You can choose how smooth you would like the scrolling to appear. The menu will "float" to follow the page. You can choose various options which control how quickly the menu will try to regain its position. This option may not work well in all browsers (particularly older ones) due to DHTML rendering bugs in those browsers, so ensure you test your pages thoroughly after enabling it. This option is not compatible with the vertical relative positioning option.
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Lock to image position
Options Tab The Lock to image position option allows you to align the position of the menu to match that of an existing image on the page. The existing image may be in a table cell, so this is a handy way to make the menu fit into an existing layout. To use this feature, the image that you want to use must be named. Rollover images have an automatic name assigned to them by GoLive, but you can assign a name to any image.
If you are using GoLive 6.x: Name the image using the Inspector > More tab > Name field. Type in a name (e.g. lockimage). (Do not check the Is Form box.)
OR
If you are using GoLive CS: Name the image using the Inspector > Basic tab > Name / ID field. Type in the name (e.g. lockimage) and choose Name from the drop-down list next to the field.
Select the menu to invoke the MenuMachine Inspector, check the Lock to image position box and select the named image from the drop-down list. Preview in a browser.
To use Lock to image position, the MenuMachine floating box placeholder (little yellow box  ) must be placed as the last object in the page.
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Special menu > MenuMachine
Insert MenuMachine Object
Special menu > MenuMachine > Insert MenuMachine Object
This places a MenuMachine Object on the page. The menu object will be placed at the end of the <body> section of code. This is not the preferred method of placing the object. Drag and drop the MenuMachine object on the page from the Objects palette > Basic set for more predictable results.
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Fix Code Location
Special menu > MenuMachine > Fix Code Location
For best results, the MenuMachine floating box placeholder must be placed as the last object in the page. If you have accidentally placed the menu object elsewhere on the page, or placed it inside another element such as a table, you can use this command to automatically "fix" the menu code location. This DOES NOT change the actual position of the menu on the page, it simply corrects the source code. It is a good idea to use this command if you are in doubt.
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Parse MenuMachine Objects
Special menu > MenuMachine > Parse MenuMachine Objects
MenuMachine is a complex and sophisticated extension. It has been highly optimized for maximum performance while in use. However, certain operations may impact GoLive performance when complex menus have been defined.
When GoLive "parses" a page (such as when the page is opened or when switching from source to layout mode), MenuMachine has to build its own internal representation of the menu structure, including setting up links, displaying images and so on. Since complex menus can contain upward of 100 links, this processing can sometimes impact performance if you perform a lot of operations that cause GoLive to reparse.
If you have finished editing your menu, you can switch off parsing of the MenuMachine object to increase performance by unchecking the "Parse MenuMachine objects" menu in the Special menu> MenuMachine menu. Your menu will be replaced by a grey placeholder in the layout view. Note that link management for open pages containing MenuMachine objects is not available when parsing is switched off.
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Show site file warnings
Special menu > MenuMachine > Show site file warnings
When enabled, this option will present you with a warning page if you try to preview your page in a browser without first saving it into a GoLive site. It is a good idea to leave this option enabled.
This is the text of the message:
MenuMachine Warning!
The MenuMachine object on the page you are attempting to preview contains an invalid link to its support files. The menu may preview correctly in browsers on this computer but will stop working when you upload it to a web server.
This error is almost always found on pages which have not yet been saved or which have been saved when no site file is open in GoLive .
MenuMachine requires that you manage your files with a GoLive site file so that it is able to create its support files correctly.
If you don't know how to use a GoLive site file please see this link.
If you still have questions, please send an email to support.
Otherwise,
Click this link to continue to the preview of your page
You can disable this message in the Special menu > MenuMachine menu.
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Objects palette > Basic
MenuMachine Object 
To add a menu to a page, you can either choose the Special menu > MenuMachine > Insert MenuMachine Object command, or you can drag the MenuMachine object onto the page. Dragging the object is the preferred method.
You will find the MenuMachine object in the Basic tab of the Objects palette. You'll see the MenuMachine object appear on the page. The MenuMachine object is actually two objects - a special GoLive floating box that you use to position the menu and a custom menu object that represents the menu itself.
You MUST allow the floating box placeholder () to be the LAST item on the page. In particular, you should not place it inside another floating box or inside a table. If the placeholder object is not the last item in the page, the results will be unpredictable at best. If the menu is inside another element, a warning dialog will display to tell you that this is not recommended. You can use the Fix Code Location command (previously Fix Object Nesting in versions prior to 1.7) Special menu> MenuMachine > Fix Code Location to move the menu code to its correct position in the page flow.
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Advanced Concepts
menumachine.js
Using a .site File is important. If a page has not yet been saved or is not saved within a site, GoLive writes a local file path to the the master file in the MenuMachine extension folder. This is not reliable and will not work in all browsers and will not work when uploaded.
It is recommended that you always save your files into a site and that you save pages that use MenuMachine before previewing in a browser. MenuMachine requires a special script library to create menus in the browser.
When you create a page and save it in a site, this file (menumachine.js) is automatically created in the same folder as your normal GoLive script library, as specified in the GoLive preferences. You should not move or rename the menumachine.js file - it is required for MenuMachine to operate correctly. If the menu is not drawing in the browser, or you are receiving error messages, particularly "bbMenu is not defined", make sure that this file is in the correct location.
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Multiple menus
MenuMachine has the ability to work with multiple menu bars on the same page. This means you can have, for example, a horizontal menu across the top of the page as well as a vertical menu on the left.
Placing multiple menus is as simple as dragging a second (or third) menu object onto the page. Each menu can be independently edited by selecting the menu and then using the inspector.
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Z-Index, Layer ordering, Floating box layers
When using multiple menus, it is important to understand floating box layering. By default, all MenuMachine menus have a Z-Index value of 1000. The Z-Index is an arbitrary number that controls the stacking of floating boxes: basically, the higher the number, the closer the floating box will be to the "top" of the stack.
When floating boxes have the same Z-Index, the floating box whose placeholder is further down the page will be the one which appears on top.
(this is Menu 1's placeholder)
(this is Menu 2's placeholder)
In the above example, Menu 2 would overlap or be on top of Menu 1, simply because its placeholder is after the placeholder for Menu 1 in the page code.
The default for MenuMachine floating boxes is Z-Index: 1000. Click on the yellow placeholder or select the floating box border (around the menu) to see the floating box inspector. Change the Z-Index values to manually control the layer ordering. Remember, the higher the Z-Index, the closer to the "top" of the stack the menu will be.
Visit the documentation page for full illustrated instructions.
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Menus in Components, Templates or Stationery
MenuMachine menus are designed to work perfectly when used in GoLive Components and Templates. You do need to be aware of some special rules, however.
Positioning
You must ensure that you only position the menu in the component file itself. If you position the menu on the pages in which the component is placed, the position will be overwritten the next time the component is updated.
Placing components
When you place a component containing a MenuMachine object on a page it MUST be the last item on the page. For this reason we recommend placing ONLY MenuMachine objects (and no other HTML elements) in components designed to hold a menu.
Multiple Menus
If you are using two or more Components, each with a menu in them, you must rename the default floating box name (from bbML to something else) so each menu floating box has a different name. Otherwise they will clash when placed on the same final page.
See complete instructions for using a menu in a Template or Stationery here.
See complete instructions for using a menu in a Component here.
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GoLive Actions and MenuMachine
MenuMachine features excellent integration with GoLive Actions by providing a simple way to hook into this powerful inbuilt functionality.
To use GoLive Actions in MenuMachine menus, the actions must be configured as Head Actions set to trigger onCall. Then you can link the individual menu items to those Head Actions by using the Call Action button in the Edit Tab of the MenuMachine Inspector.
Visit the documentation page for full illustrated instructions.
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Support
On the Big Bang support forum you will find installation and usage support and troubleshooting tips, FAQs and links to tutorials and updates. Questions will normally be answered on the Support Forum within 24–48 hours. http://www.bigbangextensions.com/support
You may also email the MenuMachine support team..
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