Template stretching to the right

Hi Deborah,

Yes, there is a New Design under beta by eBay, but that doesn't appear to be the problem.

My best guess at looking at the listing and doing some checks in the code....there may be one or more portions of the central main TABLE that lack complete or correct definitions. I'm seeing a few coding errors too, but I'm most curious at column and row span definitions, as some things just don't seem to add up. Example: I'm seeing there are 10 cells per row in some areas, but other portions show only 2, i.e. are missing a colspan to complete the row.

Can you post the original template code to the practiceboard?

Danno

Yes, Danno, I will post the code Friday evening; it would appear by your response times that evenings are when you are available!

Til then,
Deborah

Hi,

Yes, I'm generally around in evenngs or early mornings for "coffee challenge".

Danno

Hi,
Is it possible for practiceboard to be down? When I go there, either thru the link in the forum or through google, all I get is a blank page, and no way to paste my code in.

Hi,

Practiceboard was working, last I checked.

www.practiceboard.com

There is another site.

www.practicewriter.com

Both appears to be working at the time of this post.

Danno

Hi Danno,

Well, when I just tried practiceboard, the past box is now there, but it is not giving me an URL link that I can post here for you, so I used practicewriter (thank you for giving me that choice also, I was getting frustrated and my Dr's office DID NOT call my meds in this weekend!! LOL)

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?524A9

and, when I view one of my listings from ebay, my pics look really bad, distorted & not clear. Is my image code messed up also?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item...=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013

I'd like to launch some items tonight but no sense in doing it if the pics look awful!

Deb

Hi,

Did you notice it also wrapped the code at practiceboard? That info to right of the thumbs is usually at the bottom. I'll try to get to the bottom (pun intended ) of the problem, but it may not be today (sorry). I do recall assisting you with this template months ago. I recall you asking if more thumbs could be added. I think 3 more would work easily. If I can get a fix, would that add of 3 thumbs also appeal?

The distortion problem appears to be stretching on your images attempting to "fit" the sizes on the image boxes. I noted you are using an approximate 3:2 aspect ratio (ratio of height to width) on the main image and thumbs. However, some of the photos used are apparently not at that ratio. If you are using a professional digital camera, some do have the ability to set the aspect ratio. 4:3 is standard for most digital cams. 3:2 and 16:9 (wide-screen) are often used for professional, and I agree with 3:2 for model / photo-shoot of clothing. If your cam doesn't have the setting, are you doing cropping of the photos? If so, does your cropping software have 3:2 as a standard selection?

Quick way to check a photo is 3:2 aspect ratio: divide the height in pixels by width in pixels. The result should equal about 1.5.

Danno

Hi,
Had to run and get my meds, seriously!
I will check my pics ratio and see what I can come up with.

OH, and yes, I would love 3 more pic boxes...some vintage items deserve a lot of pics!

I do not have a pro camera. Would it be a quicker fix if I changed the size of the pic boxes to what comes out of the camera? So I checked, and the pics come out of the camera at 900 x 1200. I try not to have to crop, keeping it in mind when I am shooting.

Hi Deb,

The 900 x 1200 (or 1200 x 900) is the standard 4:3 aspect ratio for standard digital cams (including mine). That does explain why you are getting the "twiggy look" on shots. They are getting stretched vertical to fit the boxes. Yes, I know who Twiggy is....hehe

It's a tough question on whether it's better to not crop and use those striaght from the cam or crop to 3:2.

I would need to change the main image and thumbs for the 4:3 ratio. Not a problem. However, most clothing sellers are using 3:2, due it's elongation or bias to height vs. width. It does IMO work a little better for clothing ON A MODEL STANDING FOR PORTRAIT SHOT.

Cropping means every picture. There is cropping software that can always hit the 3:2 exactly, which can speed-up the process and make it exacting. Do you have any photo editing software with that cropping feature?

Your call on which you'd rather do.

Dan

Hi Danno!
I've spent the evening working on a new template, so let's just forget the one I linked to on practicewriter this afternoon.

While I haven't been able to figure out the .swf banner file upload, I was able to save a static image of one of the banner pages to the new template. It'll have to do for now.

I could use your help on this:

I've been busy trying to create a new description and measurement area. I think I have to do this in the listing editor...because when I tried to put the measurement table in the template, it then does not allow me to fill in the blanks, which I have to do for each garment.

I would like the rows of the table where I enter the measurements to have a colored background. The measurement table is within the description table, which also has a colored background (pale green). When I view this setup in the description editor on the one page lister everything has the green background, but when I view the listing through preview, the green background on the measurement table is not there AND the position of the measurement table moves to below the .jpg of "about the model", when in the description editor the measurement table is above the .jpg, which is where I would like it to be!!

http://PracticeWriter.com/?525D2

The link is not to the whole template, just the HTML that is in the description editor of the lister form.

I hope you understand what it is I am attempting to do!

I must've just messed it up, I just cut and pasted again, and now the measurement table is showing up ABOVE the .jpg when I preview!

DON'T YOU just love us puter dummies???

Hi Deb,

The green background is with a style that's applied only to the background of the text itself, and not that section. It's functioning sort of like a highlighter used on passages in a textbook. I don't know if that's the issue, or it's not appearing due to a problem with embedding.

To place background color on the TD elements in the table, you can use bgcolor="#code" on the TD as an attribute. You can also use style="background-color: #code;". I see you already are using the later on FONT (like the green).

The arrangement problem might be similar to the problems with the other template. I would vertically create rows <tr></tr> within that table to separate each of the stacked elements/features. Otherwise, they may not display correctly without structure to maintain order.

Example:

1. Row for the upper text description.
2. Row for the central About the Model box.
3. Row for the lower measurements table.

A single <td></td> for each of those main rows, and then tables within a TD, when appropriate, should maintain the structure correctly. The lower measurements table is a good example of table within TD.

There is a possible method to place numbers within the one-page lister's description section using JavaScript, and those numbers then fill the table that's in the template.

I do know a site where you can test upload the .swf file that's free (at least for testing up to certain usage limits at which point you can pay for use for full deployment). I believe photobucket doesn't support without payment for PRO account.

www.hotlinkfiles.com

I just moved an Auctiva member's music MP3s there, due to AOL no longer providing hosting.

Danno

Edit: And here is a start on rework of the other template.

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?52656

Hello Danno!
How is it possible that you are on at 4 a.m., as well as 8 a.m., etc?? Don't you ever sleep??

I worked on a new template I can live with for now, except for the size of the pics!

http://PracticeWriter.com/?52670

I don't know enough to fool with the [DESCRIPTION AND IMAGES] OR [DESCRIPTION] tags, in the template editor itself, so I used the image tags on the one page lister form.

I'd really like the pic on mouseover to be bigger, but at the same time, I like the way the pics on the left more or less line up horizontally with my description/measurement info which is on the right!

If you could take a look at making the mouseover pic bigger, that would really help!!

Deb

Sorry, I guess you also need a link to one of the actual auctions using this new template:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item...=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=013

As you can see on the code on practicewriter, there are no image tags on the template itself.

Hi,

It appears you're using Auctiva's standard thumbnail viewer and thumbs. That operates using the 400W x 300H main image and 80 x 80 size thumbs. The main image is based upon using the stored _tp version of images, which max at 400 x 300, as opposed to the originals _o which store at 1024 x 768. There isn't a simple method to fix that, other than complete code replacement in the template (like you're other template). Their thumb viewer relies on the supersize feature for the larger original images.

You can use the specific tag [IMGS_THUMBNAILS] within the code to firmly set its location, and provide any separation and structure with the other table.

I'm ususally in bed by 10 or 11 and up by 5 or 6 (Columbus time). I get alot done in the early hours over coffee.

Danno

I did the hotlinks thingy...

Uploaded the .swf file

Openend a new blank custom template and pasted the code in...save & preview shows the URL, but not the actual banner pic, so I am lost!

Hi Deb,

An .swf is actually a file that uses the Adobe shockwave flash player. You'd use an <object...> or <embed...> to play the flash.

I located a simple explantation page at Adobe support.

http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=Embedding_Flash

I note that Auctiva uses the "object" method for their Scrolling Gallery. In checking, it's possible you may need to use that method to avoid some browser issues. That article explains why.

Danno

Hi Deb,

Update for Measurements box.

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?527EA

Hope that helps.

Danno

Hi Danno,
I am checking out the tutorial on embedding the flash...as much as I googled, I didn't run across those directions, thanks!

On the measurement table, that looks great, again, much appreciation!

Did you take a look at the auction page and figure out a way to make the pic that enlarges on mouseover bigger?

That's my final hurdle for now!

Deb

HI!
I just downloaded some free image resizing software, that after research, will allow me to batch resize the pics...

My question is:

What pixel sizes do I want to select to obtain a 3:2 aspect ratio?

I really am trying to help myself also!
I found this formula:

To convert an image to a 3:2 ratio, divide the smallest pixel number by two, multiply that number by three, and replace the larger pixel number, the width of the image, with this new number. This will determine the correct Aspect Ratio for a 4 x 6-inch picture.

So, I changed the pics to 1350 x 900. I am going to run some through the old template and see if the pics look good. If they do, I will then copy and past the image code into the new template.

Does all this sound right?

Deb

Well, that didn't work! The software I used to convert the ratio also compressed the pics, so a 100% image was about 1x2 inches tall!

I found and used Fastone Photo resizer

Don't know why it didn't work!

Thankfully, I was smart enough to have saved the entire batch of pics first in their original size from last nite's shoot!

ACK to this computer stuff!

I went to gaze longingly at the template of another seller...and she just had a new one designed as well! I've copied the code from her template and linked to it below.

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?529E1

This is exactly how I would like my pictures to be in my new custom template!

How would I go about combining this code with what I have done so far on my own template?

Deb

Hi Deb,

I see your making progress in working-out the 3:2 issues.

Auctiva's thumbnail viewer has it's main image loading by stored 400 x 300 (landscape) pics and the thumbs are stored 80 x 80, so there's really no easy method to upscale their viewer, other than code changes and alternate picture links.

The link to listing code you gave is a very good example of a 3:2 viewer and thumbs. Those pics all appear to be exactly 3:2 at 430 x 645 and the thumbs are displayed at 70 x 105 by using the same picture, but forcing the image to thumb size using height and width in the code. Note the use of the darker grey on the background of the cells, so the pics have a very small mat surround.

You could certainly try to substitue your description and measurements elements to the right and replace theirs. They have six thumbs. You could also add another vertical row of thumbs for 12.

This seller is doing exactly what I suggested with either a pro cam or cropping software. To me, the 3:2 is perfect for modeling shots, and this is a perfect example of use.

Your old thumbviewer is actually very close to exactly what this example does. They are even using almost identical Java code for preLoad and imageChange.

Danno

Hi Danno,

This is as far as I have been able to get in attempting to incorporate the image coding into my template.

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?52A6F

I've attempted to see if the code actually is correct by selecting this as a template from the 1 pg lister, adding images, then previewing, but something is not working, as I cannot see my images in preview, just the broken link icon.

Any thoughts?

Hi,

Quick check.....

Looks like wrong tags. Example: You are using the [IMAGE1] instead of [IMAGE1_URL] for correct substition of a URL link in code. That's causing an incorrect code build.

Use your old template code as example.

Dan

Hi Deb,

If you're still having problems with that Shockwave file, post the URL and the height and width it's intended to display. I try to work-up the coding.

This Technote at Adobe is working for me, when I test a sample code with IE7, Firefox 3, and Safari 3.2 browsers.

http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_4150

Danno

HI Danno,
OK, I will change the code on the images...I spent all night last eve trying to take a crash course in CSS so I could work on my template...I think all I have to show for it is eyestrain!

As far as the shockwave file, I tabled that in favor of getting the pics in the listings looking good. I know that I uploaded the link to hotlinks, is that the url you need? I'd love it if you could work on that!

BTW, I live in OHIO as well, but I am not a BUCKEYE, but you will still help me, right?!??!?

Deb

Hi,

I'm not a Buckeye either. I'm from Iowa. I just work in Cyberspace from Columbus.

Yes, need the hotlinks URL for the file.

Danno

[URL=http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2063875_glper/658GreeneStreetFlashBanner.swf]

Link to my beautiful banner that won't flash!

http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2063875_glper/658GreeneStreetFlashBanner.swf

Sorry,

887 x 456 pixels size for shockwave banner.

This is what I have so far on the template.
http://www.auctiva.com/listings/intl_preview.aspx

Notice thumbnails are quite far away from enlarged mouseover! GACK!

I'm going to sign off for this evening...I do have a few items I need to ship yet before I can relaX!

Talk to you tomorrow...

Deb

I also can't find a place to put the [DESCRIPTION] TAG (next to the mouseovers)

Hi,

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?52B36

This is following Adobe's receipe. It did work with just the EMBED, but I'd stick with that codeset.

I tested it with IE7, Firefox 3, and Safari 3.2.

Danno

OH DANNO, you are the man! That is awesome that you figured out the shockwave!

I am now going to try to line up the images and the measurement table again this afternoon, wish me luck!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Deb

This is what I have so far:

http://practicewriter.com/vu/?52C08

http://PracticeWriter.com/?52C16

OK, this one has all the elements needed for the final template, but there is white space and probably nested table after nested table that I don't need, that were copied over from the pics code.

I see that the seller I am "borrowing" code from also "borrowed" code from another seller --(note the thrift.gif, etc, in the upper portion of the code referring to background pics)

I do not know how to remove all the white space and the nested tables that are not blank in my template; perhaps you will be able to take a look this p.m.?

Deb

I'm sorry, that should read the nested tables that ARE blank in my template!