What is it?
MasterBorder Notes
Modifying MasterBorders:resize/new/ rename/delete/change
Applying to a section

What is it?

When I first started making web pages, I used basic HTML programs.  Although many were "what you see is what you get," I was still forced to manually change links and graphics on each page, whenever I updated my site.  With over 100 pages to edit, you can imagine the work load. 

Well, I was happy (extremely happy) to discover that with Fusion, you only need to make the changes on one MasterBorder and all the appropriate pages with the same MasterBorder will change right along with it. 

So, a good grasp of the MasterBorder is definitely a major key to unlocking the power of Fusion's capabilities.   Like magic, a simple change to a MasterBorder and "Presto Change-Oh my," you have just reconstructed your whole site.  This simple process will truly give you the power to save hours upon hours of tedious layout labor.

Notice I said "a MasterBorder" and not "the MasterBorder."  You can have many different MasterBorders.   One for each particular section of your site is most common.  Think of it as a kind of uniform.  Different departments will wear a uniform to set them apart from the rest.  Your "sales" department may need a different MasterBorder than that of your "products" department and so on.  You simply place the graphics and links in one MasterBorder (such as the "SalesMasterBorder") and it will be applied to all the pages that use the same MasterBorder.

The simplest way to describe a MasterBorder is to see it as the "Margins" of your page.  Similar to a word processing program, you have a top, bottom, left and right margin.  The area colored in yellow (Fig. 1) is your MasterBorder. 

Fig. 1

MasterBorder Notes

 You can place the same elements into a MasterBorder that you can place into a Layout section.

 All changes made to a MasterBorder will affect all pages that use the same MasterBorder name.  So be careful when editing a MasterBorder on any particular page.

 All MasterBorders use the currently selected SiteStyle.  

 You can make as many MasterBorders as you want.

 You can further edit the Banners and Navigation buttons inside your MasterBorders.

Modifying MasterBorders

When you want to add text, graphics or links to your MasterBorder, you simply drop them in as you would in the Layout section.  But, when it comes to modifying the MasterBorder, you will want to use the MasterBorder Properties palette (fig. 2).

Fig. 2

From here, you can: resize, rename, delete, change, or make a new MasterBorder using the Add/Edit button (Fig. 3). 

Fig. 3

To open the MasterBorder Properties palette, left click anywhere inside a MasterBorder region or right click in the region and select MasterBorder Properties.

Sometimes it can be difficult locating your MasterBorder.  To make it easier, make sure you have Page Labels (Fig. 4 - Fig. 5) selected from the V iew menu.  The labels can be seen in the top left corner of the region. 

Fig. 4             Fig. 5

If you have ZeroMargins selected for your MasterBorder, you won't have a MasterBorder region to select.   In this case, simply left click anywhere in the gray area surrounding your page (or right click in the region and select MasterBorder Properties) to bring up the MasterBorder properties. 

The following lessons assume you now know how to open (or have already opened) the MasterBorder Properties palette (Fig. 2).

 

Resizing a MasterBorder

The first thing you'll probably want to learn is how to resize your MasterBorder.  There are two ways to do this:

1.  First, you can drag the handles (margin sizers) on either the horizontal or vertical ruler to the new position (fig. 6). 

Fig. 6

If the ruler is not visible, go to the View menu and select Rulers and Guides or the keys Ctrl+U.

2.  Second, you can manually enter the new dimensions required into a Margins field (or click the arrows) using the MasterBorders Properties palette (fig. 7).

Fig 7.

If an object is in the way, such as a banner occupying both the top and left margin, you cannot resize the MasterBorder until you move the object.

 

New MasterBorders

To create a new MasterBorder for a particular section, follow these steps:

1. Click the Add/Edit button (Fig. 3) on the MasterBorder Properties palette.  

2.  Click the Add button on the Edit MasterBorder List palette (Fig 8).

Fig. 8

3.  Type in a new name for your MasterBorder.  This should be something that you can recognize and have something to do with that particular section - such as "ProductsMasterBorder," or even just "Products."

4.  From the list, select a MasterBorder to base your new one on.  What this does is actually _copy_ the existing border, including all text and graphic contents so you can start from there, rather than from scratch. This comes in handy if you only need to change a few items, but want to keep most of the elements in the MasterBorder region the same.  Simply select the MasterBorder that you want to modify.  Be sure and make a new MasterBorder before you edit another one or it will affect all the pages with that same MasterBorder.

5.  Click OK

It is best to make new MasterBorders, instead of editing the DefaultMasterBorder.  In case you make a mistake you can revert to the DefaultMasterBorder and start over.

 

Rename a MasterBorder

If you simply want to give your MasterBorder a more distinct name, you can change it by doing the following:

1.  Make sure you have the MasterBorder Properties palette open (Fig. 2).

2.  Click the Add/Edit button ( Fig. 3).

3.  Then, select the MasterBorder you want to rename and click on the Rename button.

4.  Type in the new name and click OK.

The new name will then appear in the Edit MasterBorder List (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9

Delete a MasterBorder

To remove a MasterBorder you can delete it.  Whenever you delete a MasterBorder that is currently being used, Fusion resets the page to the ZeroMargins MasterBorder.

1.  Make sure you are on the appropriate page and you have the MasterBorder Properties palette open ( Fig. 2).

2.  Click the Add/Edit button (Fig. 3).

3.  Select the MasterBorder you want to delete and click on the Delete button. 

4.  After accepting the warning, click OK.

Change a MasterBorder

Let's say you have a MasterBorder for each section of your web site.  For example - Information, Products, Support, etc.  Whenever you create a new page in Fusion, you will need to assign a MasterBorder.  If the page was created in a specific section, it will have that section's MasterBorder by default.  However, you may want to change the MasterBorder on a particular page and use one of the other pre-created MasterBorders.  This is easy to do, just follow these steps:

1.  Make sure you are on the appropriate page and you have the MasterBorder Properties palette open (Fig. 2).

2.  Select the MasterBorder that you want to assign from the Name: drop-down list (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10

That's it.  The page will now contain the new MasterBorder and all of its elements.

Applying to a Section

Instead of setting MasterBorders page by page, you can apply a MasterBorder to a section of pages.  A section is any page and all its children, their children and so on (Fig. 11).  

Okay, that's it for this lesson.  Be sure and check back often for new Tewtorials.  Have Fun!

[Home] [Start Here] [ Plan] [Design] [ Build] [Grow] [Find] [New]