Using Adobe GoLive CS, Part 3

If you think the text variables feature between Photoshop and GoLive is sweet, hold on to your hats, because it gets even better when you bring ImageReady CS or Illustrator CS into the picture. Using ImageReady or Illustrator, not only can the topmost text layer act as a variable, but any text layer can be designated as a variable. Additionally, you can add a visibility variable to any image layer, meaning that in GoLive you can specify whether an image layer is turned on or off. For instructions on how to set up variables in ImageReady CS, refer to Chapter 6, "Using Adobe ImageReady CS." For instructions on how to set up variables in Illustrator CS, refer to Chapter 7, "Using Adobe Illustrator CS."

When you drag and drop an ImageReady CS Photoshop-format document or an Illustrator SVG file that contains variables into a GoLive page, the Variable Settings dialog box opens and allows you to choose which layers to make visible or invisible and which text strings to change. To enable a variable, check the Use box next to the variable's name. For image layers choose Visible or Invisible from the pop-up menu; for text layers type the desired text string into the input field (see Figure 9.70).

Figure 9.70 When you're using an ImageReady Photoshop-format file or an Illustrator SVG file, the Variable Settings dialog box lets you select the variables to use and which options to assign to each.

PDF Integration

In addition to GoLive's capability to generate PDF files from HTML pages, GoLive also tracks links in PDFs and allows you to create or edit links in PDFs. Double-click a PDF file in your Files list to preview the PDF, and then click the Link Editing button at the top of the window to enter the editing mode. Choose the New Link tool from the toolbar to draw links onto the PDF, or the Edit Links tool to edit existing links, and then set the link's attributes in the Inspector palette (see Figure 9.71).

Additionally, you can use a PDF as a Smart Object. This is especially useful if you'd like to create a thumbnail image of a PDF to use as a link to the full version. Drag and drop a PDF onto your GoLive page, and the PDF Options dialog box will appear, where you can select which page of the PDF you'd like to use for your target file (see Figure 9.72). Select the page and the orientation in the dialog box, and then click OK. When the Save for Web window opens, proceed as described in the "Photoshop Integration" section earlier in this chapter.

Figure 9.71 A PDF can be edited directly in GoLive CS using the tools that appear in the Main toolbar when you enter PDF link editing mode.

Figure 9.72 The PDF Options window.