Gettings pics to show on a custom template

It sounds like a problem with the template using the Thumbnail image arrangement (my favorite). My best guess without seeing the code is some type of tag or code conflict that is preventing the lister from working correctly.

If you can post a copy of the template, it might give me and others a chance to spot any obvious errors. You can copy and paste the HTML code to the practiceboard website and post back the link it provides, when you use the "see HTML" button.

http://www.practiceboard.com/

Danno

Hi Danno,
Thank you for your response. The link to the template is

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9207933

I think for the question I originally posted, we figured out that I had to switch to external picture hosting, and then select the pics. So I uploaded the pics to photobucket and used their URL.

Tonight for the first time, I tried to do a listing using the new template, and when I PREVIEW, the listing is stretched all over the place, the pics are not in the right spots, the mouseover doesn't work ---is what you see in PREVIEW actually what you get when you post a listing?

Thanks for any and all help

Hi Danno,
thanks for your response
the link is:

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9207933

Hi Danno.
Thank you for your response.
The link is:

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9207933

On the pics, I think I figured out that I have to switch to external source to use them in the template.

Tonight for the first time, I tried to do a listing with the new template, and what I see in the PREVIEW window is a mess.

The listing is stretched, the pics don't show right, etc.

Is what is shown in Preview really what the listing will look like?

Why won't my reply show on this post?

Hi Danno.
Thank you for your response.
The link is:

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9207933

On the pics, I think I figured out that I have to switch to external source to use them in the template.

Tonight for the first time, I tried to do a listing with the new template, and what I see in the PREVIEW window is a mess.

The listing is stretched, the pics don't show right, etc.

Is what is shown in Preview really what the listing will look like?

Hi
Are my posts showing to everyone?

Seem to be showing now, posts would not show last night.

Danno, I hope you are not on vacation!!

Hi,

The Forum server took an unexpected vacation yesterday (tripping-out), so I'm doing some catch-up. I'll try to step through what you've posted and see what's what and post back ASAP.

Danno

Hi,

First thing I noticed is your coder is using the Auctiva image tags, like [IMAGE1], which work in tandem with the Auctiva one-page lister and correspond to select IMAGE1 through 24. I believe that specific tag is reserved for use only with images stored at Auctiva, and correlates to their 400x300 stored selection.

There are alternate tags for external hosted to Auctiva images of the form [IMAGE1_URL] (original size), [IMAGE1_URL400x300] (400 x 300 size), or [IMAGE1_URL96x96] (thumbnail size). You can select the type on the "Choose Image Type:" drop-list on the Template editor (lower left). You normally use those on the one-page by switching the lister to external hosted mode (the switch is under the image section in small print).

Danno

Hi Danno,
Oh, I am glad it was just an outage yesterday, it was so odd!

So what you are saying is that I have to go into the HTML and change the image html?

My coder is long gone...she really was just a graphic designer who did my headers for me, I asked her to do the template also, and I wish she had just told me it was outside her area of expertise.

So, is what I see in the preview what my listing would look like if I listed it? cuz, like I said it is stretched out all over the place.

Ok, so I have the template editor open in another window...um, I'm not sure which tags in the html to change

to me, it looks like I should choose image type:
Original Image URLs from the drop down, but I will wait for you to tell me for sure!

<!-- PUT THE URL TO EVERY THUMBNAIL YOU ARE ADDING, ORDER DOESNT MATTER -->
preLoad("",
"[IMAGE1]","[IMAGE2]","[IMAGE3]","[IMAGE4]","[IMAGE5]","[IMAGE6]","[IMAGE7]","[IMAGE8]","[IMAGE9]",

"");//


Should I change these tags to the 96x96 Image Urls?

Hi,

If you look at lower left on the template editor page, you'll see a drop-down list of the types of image URL tags (tags for substitution of URL links). It depends what type of image you need for each situation, e.g. use the 96x96 thumbnail for that purpose with result [IMAGE#_URL96x96] in the code. It depends which tag is needed for the different image sizes (my last post gave quick list). You're substituting the tags the coder did for a URL tag in each case. It's alot of code to parse through....

Ouch to your coder being gone. I'd suggest doing a little at a time and checking results with the lister, as you go. If the coder didn't know Auctiva's system, that would explain the tags. I normally don't use the URL tags, as I host my listing images at Auctiva. I just know what they do. Was the coder under the impression you were hosting the images at Auctiva?

Danno

Hi,

Just saw your last post (added while I was typing). That's a good code example and at least it was documented. The [IMAGE1] ---> [IMAGE1_URL96x96] as an example of change. To easily create the tag, use 96x96 Image URLs in the Choose Image Type box and click on Image 1 for that last example. If you place the cursor in the section of the code for the tag, it should insert the tag at the correct location. I'd plant it next to the old tag and then remove the old. If you get the wrong number, just change it in the code.

Danno

Since I requested that she give me thumbnails, that when moused over turn into a bigger pic on the left of the thumbnails, she said that I would have to host externally or give up the mouseover feature, which I really wanted.

So would I put the 96x96 Image URL tag in place of each [IMAGE 1, 2, etc] tag?

Then I can post the rest of the code that includes the mouseover command, and you can tell me what to put there, ha!

BTW, are u an Auctiva employe, or just a really nice guy?!?!?

Ok, I changed the previously posted code to the [IMAGE1_URL96x96], and did that for all of the images through image 9.

When I previewed in the lister, the pics were all lined up correctly - grid of thumbnails on the right, big pic on the left.

All the pic boxes still have the red X in them.

This is the next bit of code:

<td align="center" valign="top" width="112" height="155"><a target="_blank" href="[IMAGE1]"

I see IMAGE1 three times in this bit of code, and it repeats for each pic 1 through 9 ( nine placeholders for pics)

Now, in the above red code, I do not know what to change each IMAGE1 tag to.

That is where I need help!

Sorry, that should have read:

<td align="center" valign="top" width="112" height="155"><a target="_blank" href="[IMAGE1]"
onmouseover="imageChange('[IMAGE1]')"> <img src="[IMAGE1]"

3 IMAGE1 tags in this bit of code.

Hi,

I suggest trying to substitute for just the [IMAGE1] for a test and see if the large and thumb look correct with PREVIEW. Don't worry about the mouseover for the moment. I'm guessing the code is there already and it's only the tags that are a problem.

I'll try to load the code into my HTML editor for a look.

Danno

What should I change the first IMAGE1 tag to?

I don't know!

The width of 112 and height 155 are the thumb boxes on right as you see it on that first line. The change is to the big image on left and mouseover is doing the substitution of one URL for another. I'm thinking you should stick with the same 96x96 tag names regardless of size, as it appears the code does the sizing for display. It's more a tag than a real size for the purpose of use as a URL. I just thought it easier to pick one, and the thumbs won.

Danno

I went through and changed all the tags to the thumbnail tag for images 1 through 9.

No pics showing in the lister preview, even though I selected 3 image urls and saved them to the listing.

I think I am going to hang it up for tonight, my eyes are crossing!
Thank you, Danno!

Hi,

Since I had the code loaded, I used my editor's Find and Replace to change all the tags and ran a quick test through the template editor and lister. Hopefully, this code is workable. Copy and Paste the code back for a new template for test. Make sure you set the lister to External host mode to load each URL for each picture at photobucket.

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9217792

Danno

Hi,

I missed a tag (#2) on yesterday's fix. Here's an update for use as new template (copy and paste the code from practiceboard).

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9223824

To demo that it's working, I used my test images #1 - #9 in Portrait orientation on an Auctiva listing, and exported it to practiceboard. Those images are 4:3 aspect ratio, which are typical digital camera uncropped (hope that makes sense). As the practiceboard demos, mouseover is working fine.

http://www.practiceboard.com/?9223856

Danno

Hello Danno!

OMG, you did so much work on this, thank you!!!

On your last post there are 2 links to the correct code, should I copy and paste 1 0r 2 into a new custom template?

Sorry to be dense!

I tried to use a little gray matter, and I copied and pasted practiceboard link #1 into a new blank custom template, named Danno2,

and

ta, da!!

I don't know what you did, but you are the man!!

I had mouseover pics, no stretching and it looked great!!!

So my new template will forever be called Danno!!

I do have just one more question:

at the bottom of the listing, after the seller terms, there is another great big pic of the item for auction. Does that have to be there?

It looks huge in the listing preview!

Your coder actually did a good job, just used the wrong tags for implanting URL links. That's an easy mistake and at least not a difficult fix. Sorry I somehow missed one tag with Find and Replace with my editor, or you'd have had a fix a day earlier. I decided it was better to make sure it was a working template (with that fix), as you no longer had a coder around.

The picture at the bottom is the eBay free picture, which is a repeat of the "header" image designated in the lister. There is a trick to eliminate the image with a JavaScript (not mine), or you could not use a header. I believe you can still use gallery without header on the lister, which isn't a bad option with that large embedded image (repeat unnecessary). However, the image may also resize to a normal eBay 300x400 on the actual listing, due to eBay hosting the header. Have you actually done a listing using the new template?

Danno

Edit: Oh! and, also forgot to mention. You can load your Images to Auctiva and that will work too, i.e. no need to use photobucket. The [IMAGE#_URL] works for an Auctiva stored image by substituting it's URL for you. I used the tag for original image size for that reason (gives you more flexibility). In the lister DON'T SWITCH to External Hosted and just select the Images from your Auctiva Image library for #1 - #9. Try uploading your images to Auctiva for a test.

Oh, oh, oh, Danno!

YES, uploading my images to Auctiva works! I can't thank you enough; it looked like it was going to be a real time waster to use photobucket, 'cuz the URLs can only be copied and pasted one at a time!

You don't know how much you have helped me, and I really appreciate your time!

I do want to ask just one more thing. The coder only gave me 8 placeholders for the images, can I add more by just copying the code and adding 9, 10, etc, AND if I don't use all the placeholders, do the spots just not appear, or will there be a box with a red X in it for unused image holders. Say if I use 5 pics for a listing, will there be 3 red x boxes?

Hi,

My tests indicate there will be blank spaces for any unused image slots. It was coded well in anticipation of that need.

Your coder actually set up the template with 3 rows of 3 images each (9 total). You can continue the pattern, but there may be minor adjustments needed to the layout to accomodate more rows. Probably best done with an HTML editor with a little more horsepower than Auctiva's template editor.

Danno