Creating hotspots and image maps:

Go to the home page of most any Web site, and chances are you will find an image map. An image map is a graphic or group of graphics that appears on a Web page and has special areas called hotspots. The Web page's HTML file defines each hotspot's size and location.

When the pointer rolls over a hotspot, the pointer changes to a small hand. Clicking a hotspot typically opens a Web page by referencing the URL that is assigned to it in the HTML code.

Making an image map in Fireworks follows these general steps:

Building the image map in the Fireworks PNG document

Exporting the graphic and HTML files

Placing the image map HTML in the appropriate place in your Web site or within another HTML file

Creating hotspots:

After you identify areas on your source graphic that would make good hotspots, you can create the hotspots and then assign URL links to them. You can draw hotspots or create a hotspot by tracing objects.

To draw a rectangular or circular hotspot:

1 Open the source graphic.

2 Choose the Rectangle Hotspot tool or the Circle Hotspot.

3 Drag the Hotspot tool to draw a hotspot over an area of the source graphic. Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Macintosh) to draw rectangles or circles from a centerpoint.