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In Web sensitive images are frequently used to get some effects when
defined areas are enabled by the pointer. Obviously the most used effect
is a dynamic link to another web page when one of the sensitive areas is
clicked on. This “filter” allows you to design easily
sensitive areas within an image. Web site design softwares have this as a
standard function. In GIMP you can do this in a similar
way.
This plug-in lets you design graphically and friendly all areas you
want to delimit over your displayed image. You get the relevant part
of html tags that must be merged into the right place in your page html
code. You can define some actions linked to these areas too.
This is a complex tool which is not completely described here
(it works about like Web page makers offering this function). However
we want to describe here some of the most current handlings. If you
want, you can find a more complete descriptions in Grokking the GIMP
with the
link [GROKKING02].
14.2.2.
Activate the filter
From an image window, you can find this filter through
→ →
The window is a small one, but you can magnify it.
The main useful areas are:
-
completely on the left are vertically displayed icons, one for
pointing, three for calling tools to generate various shape areas,
one to edit zone properties, and finally one to erase a selected
zone; you can call these functions with the Mapping menu,
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just on the right is your working area where you can draw all the
shapes areas you want with the relevant tools,
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on the right is displayed an icon vertical set; its use is obvious
but a help pop-up gives you some information about each function,
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finally, even on the right is a display area, as a property list of
the created areas. A click on one item of the list selects
automatically the corresponding shape in the working area,
The menu bar is similar to the image window menu bar, only a few menus
or menu entries are different:
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File
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Save; Save As
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Contrary to other filters, this plug-in doesn't make an
image but a text file. So you must save your work in a
text format.
![[Tip]](images/tip.png)
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Tip |
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With
→
you can preview this text file content.
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Open; Open recent
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In the plug-in you can open the saved text file. The
areas defined in your file will be loaded and
overdisplayed; if the displayed image is not the
original one or not with the same size,
GIMP will ask you for adapting the
scale.
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Edit
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Edit area info
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In the settings dialog you can edit the area information
of a selected area. This dialog will pop up automatically
whenever you create a new area.
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View
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This menu offers you special functions:
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Area list
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Here you can hide or show the selection area.
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Source
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Here you see the raw data as you would save it to or read
it from a file.
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Color; Grayscale
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You can select the image mode here and work with a
Grayscale display.
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Mapping
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You will seldom use this menu, since you can more easily access
selection tools by clicking on icons on the left of the working
area.
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Arrow
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The arrow here represents the Move tool. When activated
tool is selected, you can select and move an area on the
image.
With a polygon, you can use the arrow to move one of
the red points. Right-click on a segment between two
red points to open a pop-up menu that offers, with
several others, the possibility to add a new point. If
you right-click on a red point, you can remove it.
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Rectangle; Circle; Polygon
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These tools let you create various shape areas: click on
the image, move the pointer, and click again.
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Edit Map Info
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With this simple dialog you can enter some items, which
will be written to the resulting output file; either as
comments (Author,
Description)
or as attribute values of the HTML tags
(Image name,
Title,
Default URL).
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Tools
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With the “Tools” menu
you can create guides and even regularly spaced rectangular areas.
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Grid; Grid settings
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Here you can enable and disable the image grid or
configure some grid properties.
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Use GIMP guides; Create guides
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The guide lines are created at the border of the image but
can be moved around by clicking on the red squares on each
line something similar to the GIMP guide lines. By using
the guides you are able to create active rectangles in the
image.
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Create guides
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Instead of creating geometrical shapes to select the
active areas you may use an array of rectangles, each
representing an active area, by clicking on the
“Create guides”. In the menu popping
up you set the width and height of the rectangles, the
space between them, the number of rows and
columns, and the upper and left startpoint for the array.
All messures are in pixels. If you are not satisfied with
the result you may adjust each rectangle by moving the
red squares as usual.
Most entries here are just shortcuts for some functions already
described. Exceptions:
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Move to Front; Send to Back
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Here you can move an area entry to the bottom (“Move to
Front”) or top (“Send to Back”)
of the area list.
14.2.3.3.
The Working Area
In the main area of the imagemap window, on the left side, you will
find your working area where you can draw all the shapes areas you
want with the relevant tools.
Beside the working area there are vertically displayed icons, one for
pointing, three for calling tools to generate various shape areas, one
to edit zone properties, and finally one to erase a selected zone; you
can call these functions with the Mapping menu too.
![[Caution]](images/caution.png)
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Caution |
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Note that the areas should not overlap.
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14.2.3.4.
The selection area
On the right is a display area, as a property list of the created
areas. A click on one item of the list selects automatically the
corresponding shape in the working area, then you can modify it.
Beside the display are is an icon vertical set; its use is obvious
but a help pop-up gives you some information about each function,
Unfortunately, the arrow symbols for moving a list entry up or down do
not work here.
But of course you carefully avoided to create overlapping areas, so
you do not use these functions at all.
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