Type applet

This applet creates a simple canvas into which various 'headlines' or messages appear in a typewriter fashion. Each message may have a URL associated with it so that clicking on the applet generates a new webpage. The applet may also be embellished with a background image and a 'typing sound' file.

Downloading

The applet may be downloaded for free by clicking on the TAR-file link below (read the FAQ if you're not sure what to do with a TAR file). The FAQ also has step by step instructions on how to embed an applet into your own webpage.

Type2.tar

Once unTARed, you should find the following classes (plus a '.jar' file if you want to use the archive= attribute in the <applet> tag):

Parameters

Below are descriptions of all the parameters you may use to customize the applets to your webpages. Be sure to enclose any parameters that contain white space in double-quotation marks. Most parameters have default values in case you do not specify your own values, but the first two parameters (AUTHOR and COPYRIGHT) are necessary. If you are not sure how to incorporate an applet into a webpage (with its parameter names and values), looks at the source of this webpage and the applet embedded for an example, or read the FAQ page.

  • AUTHOR: This parameter must appear exactly as follows: 
    <param name=AUTHOR value="Eric Harshbarger, http://www.ericharshbarger.org">

  • COPYRIGHT: This parameter must appear exactly as follows: 
    <param name=COPYRIGHT value="Type applet, Copyright 1998, Eric Harshbarger">

  • BACKGROUND: This parameter points to an image file that is used as a background to the applet. All the various texts of the applet will be painted on top of this image. Consult the FAQ page if you are unsure about what image formats you may use.

  • BGCOLOR: This parameter indicates the background color of the applet. Consult the FAQ page if you are unsure what format to use for the parameter's value.

  • BORDER: If set to 'in' or 'out', the background colored rectangle of the applet will appear to be indented into or raised from the webpage respectively. The default is 'none'.

  • BOTTOM.TO.TOP: If 'true' the first line of text will start at the bottom of the applet and scroll upward. If 'false', the first line will start typing at the top of the applet area. The default is 'true'.

  • CYCLES: The number of times ALL of the messages will be cycled through.

  • FGCOLOR: This parameter indicates the foreground color of the applet. Consult the FAQ page if you are unsure what format to use for the parameter's value.

  • FONTNAME: This is the name of the type of font used. Consult the FAQ page for more information.

  • FONTSIZE: This is the size of font used. Consult the FAQ page for more information.

  • FONTSTYLE: This is the style of font used. Consult the FAQ page for more information.

  • LINEBREAK: This parameter sets the character that will force linebreaks in the messages defined by TEXT.# and TEXTFILE parameters. The default character is the backslash, '\'.

  • MARGIN.BOTTOM: The number of pixels in the bottom margin when the words are typed into the applet. The default is the height of the applet (making the text flush with the bottom).

  • MARGIN.LEFT: The number of pixels in the left margin when the words are typed into the applet. The default is 0 (flush with the left edge).

  • MARGIN.RIGHT: The number of pixels in the right margin when the words are typed into the applet. The default is equal to the MARGIN.LEFT value.

  • MARGIN.TOP: The number of pixels in the top margin when the words are typed into the applet. The default is 0.

  • PAUSE: The number of milliseconds paused between separate TEXT messages.

  • SOUND.ACTIVATION: If set to 'enter', the SOUND.KEYSTROKE is played only when the mouse point is in the applet area. If 'auto', the sound plays all the time. If 'none', the sound is never played. The default is 'none'.

  • SOUND.KEYSTROKE: This parameter points to a sound file which is played whenever a letter is 'typed out'. Be sure to read the FAQ section of sound files. The default is that no sound is used. Note: If, when you install the Type applet on your page, the performance slows considerably when your mouse enters the applet and no sound plays, it is because the SOUND.KEYSTROKE parameter is not finding the sound file. To remedy: either remove the SOUND.KEYSTROKE parameter, or put the correct directory path to the sound file (assuming you have a sound file to use).

  • SPEED: The number of milliseconds between each typed letter.

  • TARGET: The targeted web browser frame for URLs spawned. The default is '_self' (the same frame the applet webpage is in). URLs are defined in the TEXT/TEXTFILE parameters.

  • TEXT.#: Multiple parameters which must start at TEXT.0 and continue successively (TEXT.1, TEXT.2...). Values should be the messages to be typed out by the applet followed by a comma (,) and the URL of the page which is spawned when the applet is clicked. For example: 
    "This is the message., http://www.url.com/"
    If no URL is desired, use the word 'null'. Line breaks in the typed message maybe forced by using the LINEBREAK character. If you want to force a blank line between two paragraphs, uses a LINBREAK-space-LINEBREAK combination.

  • TEXTFILE: Path to a textfile in which each line is equivalent to another TEXT.# entry. One line per message (again, line breaks forced with LINEBREAK character). URLs are indicated after a final comma. Messages from a TEXTFILE are cumulative to any TEXT.# parameters (and come after such messages in a cycle).
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