I'm editing my web site and it does not preview correctly in my browser. Why?

Many Web site designers/builders work on their site locally rather than directly on the server. Unfortunately, we have heard from a number of people having trouble previewing these local-based sites in their browser. This is a very common issue and can occur with any editor, but it tends to be most pronounced when previewing in Microsoft Internet Explorer mostly due to security settings. The following are a few tips and links I feel may be helpful to those of you facing this problem.

Quick Fix
Try Previewing in Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/). There are fewer problems with local content in Firefox.

Next Step
If the Quick Fix does not work: Publish your site to a Web Server.
Note: You can publish to a Subweb to test your pages.
Please see: http://www.pixelmill.com/support/kb101213.htm
And http://www.pixelmill.com/support/kb101117.htm

A More Sophisticated Approach
Install a Web server to your local machine that you can publish your pages to:
XP Home: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304197
XP Professional: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/features/iis.mspx or
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/iiiisin2.mspx?mfr=true
Windows Vista: http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/10aac45e-e993-42a2-bf93-275375d662631033.mspx?mfr=true

Why do these problems occur?
Please see: Internet Explorer Local Machine Zone Lockdown
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457150.aspx#EHAA

You may also have local viewing issues with PowerPoint.
Please see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/878463/en-us

PixelMill Launches More Than 4,500 Royalty Free Music Tracks From Jupiterimages

Multi-media Options Flourish For Developers In Web Template Field

(DAVIS, CALIF.) – Advancing its strategy to provide more creative and dynamic multi-media product options for developers’ Web design needs, PixelMill.com today announced it released a new online catalog at www.pixelmill.com featuring access to more than 4,500 royalty free music tracks from Jupiterimages.

PixelMill’s offering of Jupiterimages’ music tracks is an extension of the two companies’ new agency agreement, whereby PixelMill already distributes images from Jupiterimages for use in Web templates.

PixelMill introduced the music track option because Web technology and the bandwidth for audio and video have improved to the point that the option is viable, cost-effective and readily accessible. Music track solutions, combined with video, images and other add-on options, are bringing significant value to small and medium-sized businesses seeking to enrich their online presence. As a result, site builders using Web templates as a base may now add to their suite of semi-custom site-building options, royalty free music tracks that can be used for such purposes as in-site commercials, banner ads, dynamic header graphics, and a host of other interactive marketing approaches Web surfers have come to expect.

PixelMill.com, a one-stop online store featuring high quality templates, images, video, audio, add-ons, platform-specific solutions, training, and custom services for developers' Web design needs, introduced the innovative music tracks purchase option to continue increasing its blend of innovative multi-media options for use with Web templates (pre-designed Web site layouts). In the new era of digital and modular design solutions, PixelMill seeks to combine a variety of technologies to enable designers to more efficiently and affordably create compelling Web sites.

According to PixelMill Chief Executive Officer Jason Reckers, “Adding royalty free music tracks is a natural progression for PixelMill and our customers as we help them to not only create great looking sites or presentations, but also helping them create a more exciting and interactive multi-media experience for their intended Web visitors.”

As the use of Web templates has become a viable option for both new and experienced Web site designers and developers, PixelMill has increased the delivery of complete solutions that will help anyone, with a little time and resources, learn how to add quality multimedia to their site our presentation. Audio tracks were the next natural step as they are increasingly being used as background music for PowerPoint presentations, in the production of recorded commercials, seminars, Webinars, Flash movies, image slide shows and as Web site background music (using a player that allows the customer to start and stop the music).

With regard to music tracks, "royalty-free music," in contrast with "rights-managed" music, allow developers to pay a one-time fee to use the track as many times as desired (as long as usage falls within the license agreement). Rights-managed tracks usually involve users having to track all the ways that the track will be used, and the pricing may be affected by how the track is used, and how many times it is played or displayed, as the designer usually is required to pay royalties to the artist for each use. With royalty-free tracks, each track may be used without any additional tracking.

PixelMill, established in 1998, serves as the Web's central source of solutions for Web site builders. PixelMill's extensive digital library features high quality, guaranteed royalty free and free of copyright concerns, templates and tools with more than 2,500 Web, Microsoft® Expression® Web, SharePoint Designer, Adobe® Dreamweaver®, FrontPage®, and HTML templates, more than 2,000 PowerPoint® templates, over 9,000 stock images, and over 4,500 royalty free music tracks.

New method to embed Flash

I've been keeping my eye on the developments that Geoff Starnes (author of the SWFObject fix, which is what we currently use in products at PIxelMill) and Bobby van der Sluis (author of UFO, another popular Flash embed fix) are making with SWFFix, which is now up to 0.3 alpha.

While SWFObject has been very useful for both providing alternative content and combating the IE "click to activate" message, it ultimately depends on Javascript being enabled for the Flash substitution to work properly. It's very possible that there are people who have the proper Flash player plugin but who have Javscript disabled; those people wouldn't be able to view the Flash that is substituted by Javascript.

If you want to try out the SWFFix code, visit the development blog and download the code and view documentation at Google Code. PixelMill will transition to SWFFix in future products once it is released.

You can read a thorough discussion about various ways to embed Flash into a web page, which leads to why Starnes and van der Sluis have started working on the SWFFix at A List Apart.

PixelMill Becomes Member of ProStores Design Certification Program

(DAVIS, CALIF.) - PixelMill.com today announced it is a Certified Designer under the ProStores Design Certification Program, created to expand the network of Web developers and designers versed in creating stores for ProStores merchants.

ProStores, an eBay Company that allows small- and medium-sized businesses to create professional online stores, customized with their own branding and domain name introduced its e-commerce platform certification program in June 2007. ProStores Design Certification Program offers existing and prospective merchants with a progressive, qualified resource of clean, easy-to-navigate and professional-looking stores built specifically for them. Those securing ProStores certification have demonstrated proficiency in designing ProStores sites to exacting specifications.

Earning ProStores certification further fixes PixelMill.com's position as the Web's central source of professional solutions for the broader Web development community. In addition to becoming a 'ProStores Certified Designer' merchant solution with over 40 ready-to-use and 250 ready-to-convert ProStores-enabled e-commerce Web templates, PixelMill offers an extensive array of high quality templates, images, video, audio, add-ons, platform-specific solutions, training, and custom services for developers' Web design needs, including custom design solutions to ProStores merchants.

PixelMill for years has served as a top Web resource for Webinars, education and training programs to support products, services and matters relating to Web site design. PixelMill also authors and publishes its own series of on-site and downloadable tutorials for a wide array of products, tools and resources to make site building quick and easy.

"ProStores offers the unique combination of an affordable solution with virtually unlimited flexibility in store design," said PixelMill Chief Executive Officer Jason Reckers. "As an authoritative source of training programs itself, PixelMill heartily supports ProStores' e-commerce Web design certification program because it ultimately maintains and improves quality industry standards that bring greater value to merchants, as well as to the customers they serve."

PixelMill, established in 1998, serves as the Web's central source of solutions for web site builders. PixelMill's extensive digital library features high quality, guaranteed royalty free and free of copyright concerns, templates and tools with more than 2,000 Web, Microsoft Expression Web, SharePoint Designer, Adobe Dreamweaver, FrontPage, and HTML templates, more than 1,800 PowerPoint templates, over 9,000 stock images, and over 4,500 royalty free music tracks.

PixelMill Newsletter - July 2007

If you missed our email newsletter, we encourage you to take a look at our July 2007 Newsletter online.

July 2007 Newsletter

This month's newsletter delivers the first of many upcoming opportunities. Both ProStores and eBay Stores have created new Certified Designer programs. We have worked with both ProStores and eBay Stores in the early stages of these programs, and feel that both programs will be ideal additions to your portfolio. I encourage you to read more about these opportunities, below.

Also, Corrie continues her series on CSS with a focus on CSS Layout. "More than just changing some colors and fonts, CSS layout involves setting dimensions and learning the "box model,"..." Box model? What's that? Take a look at Corrie's article, and she will set you on the right track.

We hope you find these articles and all of our newsletters valuable to you and your business.

July 2007 Newsletter

The PixelMill newsletter features articles, tutorials, helpful tips, industry news from trusted 3rd-party sites, links to our featured blogs for the month, and much more.

To receive the newsletter by email you can either edit your account information to receive the newsletter, or you can sign-up using our Constant Contact account using the following link: Sign up for the PixelMill Email Newsletter