h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I saw my name mentioned so I felt obliged to join in.
The great thing about programming with JavaScript is that you don't really have to be a great programmer or even have to know the language really well. All you need to be able to do is understand how it works. You just need to be able to look at somebody else's script and say Ah ha! that's how it does it, and then be able to change it to your own needs. Mostly that's just a case of changing the address os a picture or an e-mail address or even a title, and seeing as most of that is done in HTML anyway it's not really all that difficult. There is a site that does Cut & Paste Scripts, where you are able to just browse through there index for something that does what you want, grab the script, follow the instructions that come with it on how to change it and voila, all cut and pasted and ready to use.
With regard to the long time down load for the pictures problem I'll need to have another look at the page first.

Oops, posted it twice!

pastey. do you have the URL for this "cut and paste" site?

much appreciated.

Right, I've had at look at your page enigmaniacs and heres a few suggestions to lower to download time.
1) Drop the sounds.
Not as harsh as it sounds, keep them by all means they're a nice touch, what I would suggest though is that rather than having them as embeded sounds (I think that's what you've done but I haven't looked at your code) have them as links to the sound. As embedded sounds the browser will download all the tunes to the hard drive while it's downloading the pictures and the text and this is a major slower. If you were to link to the sounds like you would to a picture, as in Play , then the tune would only download when the person looking at your page wanted to hear it.
2) Interlace your pictures.
I have no idea what graphics package you are using but see if it's possible to save your images as interlaced gifs. These download a bit at a time, so you get a very bad image very quickley and then as it continues to download it gets of a better quality, at least this way there is something to look at as you wait for the rest to download. If you are using someone elses' images (I forgot to look) then what you will need to do is to save them yourself to your ISP (I think most of them give web space) and change the link tags.
3) Animations stroll.
An animated picture (he says stating the obvious) is a series of still pictures. If your animation has ten frames then you are downloading ten images. Fortunatley you've stuck with the same animation a few times, so it's only downloaded once.

Other suggestions.
There is a JavaScript command called lowsource (I think). This works in a similar way to the interlaced gifs, in that it gives the viewer something to look at while the rest of the image is being downloaded. With this command you specify a small picture file (i.e. a black and white line drawing) and it will download and show that one first.

Hope I've helped.

Just routed it out for you.
http://www.infohiway.com/javascript/indexf.htm

Have fun.

Which would make you King in the world of the blind unless you were female and thereby doomed to spend the rest of your life deciding if you wanted to be a Princess or the Queen

I think I have had an EARFUL of this. I see I am going to have to keep an EYE on you two - Just remember my glass EYE is keeping an EYE on you, even when I am not around. BFN (ByeForNow) vegiman

My, isn't this a friendly page. Remember me, Vegiman? I like your page. Very nice.
Pop over to mine sometime. I've got quite an interesting survey going. See ya!

Hi Scumpit - long time no hear/read. I will I'll go over now.

Yeh I think I frightened the other two off - perhaps they thought I was cross or something.
Gone - vegiman

Okay, just dropped by to say 'Hi' as requested. I'm fairly new here and still feeling like a bit of an outsider. Doing my best to try and get into the whole 'community' thing.

Hi Queezer ( Did I remember you name right)

You find most of the natives don't bite - In Fact They Are Downright Friendly. Just be yourself and you will get along famously.

Anything you want to know just ask.
vegiman

pastey,

sorry i didn't respond to your assistance sooner but my toaster caught fire. no, really, it did!

i'm gonna have a go at some of your suggestions and see how it works out.

thanx for your help.

Dare I ask what you were doing with your toaster for it to catch fire?

attempting to make toast, of course. it's just as well though. the thing was a dinosaur and now i have an excuse to get a new one.

btw, i was wondering how one (i.e. myself) goes about interlacing pictures. i realize you have already posted me a brief tutorial regarding this but what are the commands? (if you don't mind me asking)

much appreciated.
-enigmaniacs

Is extremely cross the eye wit and repartee has been seen to

Can anyone tell me how to use my famous fish on my home page, to liven it up a bit?
Info on hyperlinks and paragraphs and an accurate replica furby voodoo doll for my personal use would also be appreciated.
HLPG
PS:Once I have all the info I need, I will stop bugging you all.

Oh my little hoopy one

Your not bugging anyone. You have an over zealous sense of humour and in most cases people will LoL with you. I suffer the same problem, but if I find if I have upset them I go back and say sorry, usually I find they are really LoL themselves.

Anyway back to your problem. It sounds like you are not used to copying a pasting. Fenny usually gives out a link for you to copy. You do this by:

Putting the mouse pointer at the beginning or at the end of the text you want to copy in this case the IMAGE LINK

Now: click the left mouse button AND HOLD IT DOWN.

Next: Move the mouse over the text you want to copy. It will change colour (highlighted).

Once all the text you want to copy is highlighted. LET GO OF THE MOUSE BUTTON

The text should stay highlighted. Check and make sure you have got it all.

Now go to the top of your browser where it says:

FILE EDIT VIEW etc.

Click on edit and you will be presented with a number of options - cut copy paste.

click on COPY

Walla you have just successfully copied your text.

What you have to do now, is go back to your home page and click on EDIT PAGE which is to be found in the goo on the left of your page.

Decide where you want to put your fish.

Now go to the top of the page and click on edit again, this time choose the option PASTE .

The link has now been put on your page
---------------------------------------

To get your Beeblebrox fish copy below and paste it to your page:



practice copying the above link before you go back to your own page to paste it.

The voodoo doll like Et's was found by MadMunk, he may be able to find you another. If it is just something eerie you want enigmaniacs at:
http://www.h2g2.com/U50431
may be able to help

Once you have done this why not put Jim Lynns link on your page. It will let you see who is on line. You will find it on my home page.
vegiman

Hi, vegiman
This is just the friendliest forum in the guide. I should come back here. I don't understand half of it, seeing as, along with my vow never to buy reebok classics was one to never understand what an HTML is. thorry.
I can play the flute, though. Jazz, and everything. I don't know if that's any consolation.

Byeeeee! Bugman.

Hi Bugsy nice of you to drop in. Don't worry, we all get a bit shakey when doing new things.

Just paly the old flute & relax. I will join you with my clarinet, although I must admit I haven't played much jazs. I'll pop over to you page at the weekend - more time to look around.
vegiman

Yes.

Thanks for the invite, Vegiman. Your home page has been of immense usefulness to me, and this forum (among others, of course) is a happy bunch! I've got your page bookmarked and constantly referred to, but I still haven't succeeded in reading enough of your articles. I will get around to this, but it's gonna take some time!

Regards,

Hypoman