MagicButton Overview

What does MagicButton do?

MagicButton creates Java applets without requiring any Java or HTML programming.

How do Java applets work?

The Java applets created by MagicButton require three things to run:
  • An HTML file which contains one or more <applet> tags.

    Note: A single HTML file can contain as many button applets as you like.
  • The Magic1b6.class file.   This is the Java program which displays the buttons.   It must be in the same folder as the HTML file.

    Note: Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape 4 use compressed forms of the Magic1b6.class file Magic1b6.jar

  • Any bitmaps or sound files used by the button project.   These files must also be in the same folder as the HTML file.
Don't worry if you don't understand this.   MagicButton will do all the work for you. When you press Build Applet, it will create a folder that contains all the necessary files for your button applet.   All you need to do is upload the contents of the folder to your web server.


MagicButton Features:

  • You can specify the size and position of each button.   Buttons may overlap each other.

  • The button applet background can be colored, or a bitmap.   Bitmap backgrounds can be scaled to fit the applet, centered or tiled.

  • Each button can be assigned a URL to link to when clicked, and a target frame.

  • Buttons can be behave like a Push Buttons or Radio Buttons.

  • All buttons have three states -- Up, Down and Mouse-Over.   You can assign different colors, bitmaps, sounds and text labels to each of these states.

  • You can test the button project at any time by pressing [Build Applet] -> [Test in Browser] button.
    You can setup as many browsers as you want by setting them in menu "Settings" -> "Browser Setup..."

  • Buttons can be duplicated, deleted or re-ordered. To re-order button click it with right mouse button and select "Bring To Front" or "Send Back"  

  • Text styles include: Bold and Italic text.   Text can be aligned to the center or you can specify a text offset manually.

  • Bitmaps can be in GIF or JPEG formats, and can be aligned to the left corner or center of the button.   The bitmap can also be scaled to fit the button.

  • Transparent GIF bitmaps can be used to create non-rectangular buttons.

  • Animated GIFs can be used to create animated buttons.  

    Note: Animated GIFs in Java applets are supported in IE4 (or later) and Netscape 4 (or later) only.

  • Sounds can be in AU. There is a utility to help you convert your WAV files to AU, just click "Tools" -> "Wav2Au Converter".
    And convert them to AU -- the only audio format supported by Java Applets.  You can assign different sounds for up, down and mouse-over states.

  • Buttons may be transparent or flat.  

  • A button can have no border.

  • Actions can be assigned to various events -- on entering a button, on leaving a button, and on a button press.   Actions include showing and hiding a button, setting the label or color of a button, and calling a JavaScript function.   You can assign multiple actions to a single event.

  • Button applets may be controlled by JavaScript code.  Applet methods are provided to hide/show a button, change the state of a button, and move/resize a button.  Button applets may also call JavaScript functions via a "javascript:functionname(a, b);" link, or via a "Call JavaScript" action.

  • When building the button applet MagicButton automatically generates the required Java and HTML code, and collects all the required images and sounds into an output folder.   You can then upload your applet.

  • MagicButton works best at resolution 800x600 and 65536 colors or up.