 Cascading menus are everywhere: in operating systems, applications, Web browsers, and Web sites. Perhaps the most familiar example is the Start menu in Windows.
By definition, a cascading menu is one that opens up submenus. There's no rule governing how many levels of menus a cascading menu can contain. Windows' Start menu, for instance, can easily go four or five submenus deep, especially when you click All Programs. At the other extreme is the File menu in QuarkXpress, which yields only one submenu if you don't have an open file.
If you're using QuarkXPress to create Web layouts rather than print projects, you can insert cascading menus.
 Form The Frame
To begin, choose Cascading Menus from the Edit menu. Click New to open the Edit Cascading Menu dialog box, which contains two tabs that offer all the choices for defining your menu.|
A key component in creating a cascading menu is deciding which direction it will run.
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Type in a name for the menu in the Menu Name field, then select the Menu Properties tab. First, select a background color and style sheet from the appropriate drop-down menus. You'll notice that color options include "regular" colors, such as black and blue, and some with names such as Web Maroon or Web Dark Green. These are the names given to Web-safe colors, which are hues that will appear the same regardless of the monitor through which the Web page is displayed.
Next, enter a value in the Text Inset field. This determines how much space will separate the text in the menu from the edge of the menu.
Next up are the Menu Orientation and Box features. The first lets you run the menu vertically or horizontally, while the second lets you determine the height and width of the whole menu. If you choose the Auto values, QuarkXPress will size the box based on the font size and number of characters in the name of the menu or submenu item. If you choose the Auto values, QuarkXPress will size the box based on the font size and character count of the name of the item.
Your next two choices are for the menu's border and separator lines (those that fall between menu items). For each you'll need to specify a width, in pixels, and a color.
The last item on the Menu Properties tab is Opening Animation. Under Direction, you can choose which way the menu displays its content: from top-to-bottom or left-to-right, for example. If you select anything other than None, this activates the Speed field. Enter a value no greater than 10,000 to determine how much time (in milliseconds) elapses between when the menu is clicked and when it appears.
Finally, set the X and Y coordinates (in pixels) to determine how far the menu items should be offset from the menu.
Create Content
Now that you've created the frame for the menu, click the Menu Items subhead to fill in the content of the menu. Under Menu Structure, choose New and Menu Item and then give the item a name. If desired, you can create a hyperlink for that item by typing it in the Hyperlink field or choosing a URL type from the drop-down menu.
Once a menu item is specified, you can create submenu items. Choose New and Submenu, and then repeat the steps you followed to create the Menu Item.
Next, select a font color for the menu items, then a background color. These are the colors that will appear when a mouse pointer hovers over the item. Now make similar choices for your submenu items.
Click OK, and your cascading menu is complete.
Verify The Display
Now you are ready to use your cascading menu on the Web by applying it to an item that you've designated for exporting as a graphic. To so designate an item, click on it and then choose Item and Modify. On the Export tab, click the checkbox next to Convert to Graphic on Export.
With the item still selected, right-click and choose Cascading Menu from thecontext menu, or choose Cascading Menu from the Item menu. Pick the name of the cascading menu you just created or any other cascading menu available. A small icon will appear in the corner of the item.
Now, save the layout by choosing Preview HTML from the Page menu. This will open your file in your default Web browser so you can make sure the cascading menu displays as you intend it to. 
by Rachel Derowitsch |
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Cascading menus are everywhere: in operating systems, applications, Web browsers, and Web sites. Perhaps the most familiar example is the Start menu in Windows. 
