Styling the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper
The Horizontal Navigation Wrapper gives you the option of adding a background image behind your horizontal navigation, and/or adding a border around the set of buttons.
Note that adding a border or background image may interfere with the display of your Website Name and Website Tagline. If that happens, remove the border or background here, or choose a different template for your site.
Below is a screenshot of the toolbar for the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper, which you can only select by clicking on it in the menu at the left end of the toolbar section...
If you're ever unsure what a button does, hover over it for a second. Its function will appear as a tooltip.
Border
You can add (or remove) the border or parts of a border around the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper, change its width and color, and add rounded corners to one, some or all of the borders.
Border Width
- Click on the + button to increase the width of the border.
- Click on the – button to decrease the width of the border.
- Continue clicking to increase or decrease the border width.
After you select it from the menu, you'll notice the red dashed lines outlining the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper. If there's a border, it will be alongside all or any of those red dashed lines.
You can decrease the width to 0, effectively making the borders disappear. You'll see no borders next to the red dashed lines.
Click on the + button to increase the width of the border. This affects all the sides that have a border. You cannot increase the width of an individual border.
Click on the – button to decrease the width of the border.
The four buttons that indicate the left, right, top and bottom (discussed below) will also change. The dark edge around each button will disappear, indicating that the border has been turned off.
Border Color
- Click on the Color Palette button.
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Click on the palette to select a color. Use the rainbow slider to reach the color base you want to use in the palette.
Or enter a 6-character hex value. Or, if you've already saved colors, choose one from Your Custom Colors.
Or click on Reset to Template Default to go back to the original border color. - Click Set Border Color to save this selection. Click Cancel to close the tool and make no change.
You can make the border stand out more by changing its color. Use a color that's part of your template's overall color scheme.
If your template is mostly green, or brown, choosing a brown or green will likely suit your colors. But hot pink or bright red would not.
Click on the Color Palette button to open the color picker overlay.
Select a color from the palette by clicking anywhere on the palette, or by dragging the small circle.
To reach the palette's color base you want (e.g., red, purple, green, etc.), click on and drag the rainbow slider.
The palette color you select appears in the square on the right.
If you know the exact color you want for the border, type in the 6-character hex value in the text box next to the # symbol. Enter only letters and/or numbers -- don't add the # symbol. The color you want will then appear in the square on the right, above the hex value.
If you've selected at least one custom color, you'll be able to select a color from Your Custom Colors as well.
If, after a few color selections, you decide that you don't like any of them, you can start over again by clicking on Reset to Template Default. This will give the border the original color specified in the template's CSS file.
Once you're satisfied with the border color, click Set Border Color to save that selection. Or click Cancel to leave the tool without making any changes to the border color.
Borders On and Off
- Click on the left, right, top or bottom button to add or remove that part of the border.
You can have borders around all four sides of the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper, around just one, or around two or three.
Turn on a border, or turn an existing border off, by clicking on its button.
Advanced Styles
- Click on the gears button to open the Advanced Styles overlay.
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Click on any of the four corner buttons to activate rounded corners for that corner.
Or click on the + button to activate all four rounded corners. - Click on the + button to increase the radius of the curve. Clock on the – button to decrease the radius.
- Click on the Revert button to remove all rounded corner styling.
- Click on any of the Style buttons to add that type of border.
- Click on the first Style button to remove any border you added.
- Click on the X in the top left to close the overlay.
You can add rounded corners to the four corners of your boxes using the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper's Border advanced styles options.
You can also select the type of border you want (solid, dotted, etc.).
Rounded Corners
Your boxes do not need borders to round the corners, although visitors will only see the corners if you apply a border or a background color (see the Background section, below).
Click on the gears button to open the Advanced Styles overlay.
Click on any of the four rounded corner buttons to apply rounded corners to that particular corner. Or click on the + button to apply rounded corners to all of them.
Click on the + button to increase the radius (the curve) of the rounded corner(s). Click on the – button to decrease the radius.
Continue clicking on the – button to remove all the rounded corners. Or use the Revert button to remove them in one click and restore your Horizontal Navigation Wrapper style to its last saved state.
Border Style
You can also choose the type of border you'd like to have around your Horizontal Navigation Wrapper. There are four styles to choose from, plus no border (the first button).
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A regular solid border.
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A dashed (broken) border.
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A dotted border.
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A two-line border. Note that the space between the lines is "hollow" and will show part of any color or background image beneath it.
Important
If you turn a border on using one of these buttons (instead of the + button or selecting them individually), the border starts at a thickness of three pixels.
If you turn the border on with the + button, or select them individually, the border starts at a thickness of one pixel. Increase the thickness of the border to at least two pixels (three or more is best) to see the full effect of the border.
Background
You have several options for the background of your Horizontal Navigation Wrapper.
You can select a color from the color palette. You can upload a background image. You can also keep the background as is, with no changes, or revert to the default for your template.
You also have full control, in the Advanced Styles overlay, of the positioning and tiling of any background image that you upload.
Background Color
- Click on the Color Palette button.
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Click on the palette to select a color. Click on the rainbow slider to choose another color base for the palette.
Or enter a 6-character hex value. Or, if you've already saved colors, choose one from Your Custom Colors. Or select Transparent.
Or click on Reset to Template Default to go back to the original background color. - Click Set Background Color to save this selection. Click Cancel to close the tool and make no change.
Select a background color that suits your template's overall color scheme.
For example, if your template's color scheme is various shades of green, you may want to choose another shade of green. Or perhaps a brown color would work.
But a pink or a bright orange would not likely be a good choice.
Click on the color palette button to open the color picker.
Select your color by clicking on the palette or dragging the small circle around the palette. Click on the rainbow slider to reach the desired palette of colors.
Or you can enter a 6-character hex value for the color you want to use.
You can also choose from a color in Your Custom Colors, which is available after you've selected at least one custom color in any of the color pickers. Hover over any color to see where else in your design that you've used that color.
Another option is to choose Transparent. This will make the background beneath your callout text the color of the column where you put the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper.
Click on Set Background Color to save your change. The overlay window will close and your new background color will appear.
Upload Background Image
- Click on the Upload Image button.
- Click on the Browse button (Choose File if you're using Safari). Navigate to the desired background image and select it.
- Click on the Upload New Background Image button.
If you would like your horizontal menu to sit on something more than just a background color, you can upload an image.
Most background images are small images that are then "tiled," that is, they're repeated from left to right, or from top to bottom, or both.
So ensure that you have an image that looks good when repeated multiple times across and down the page, especially since each Horizontal Navigation Wrapper can have a different length (the width stays the same, after you set it, in the Width section).
You may have to experiment with different image widths and heights until you find the right image size that looks good when tiled.
Click on the Upload Image button (second from the left in the toolbar). This will open an overlay window...
Click on Browse (Choose File if you're using Safari) to locate the file. Click to select it.
Click on Upload New Background Image to upload it.
The overlay window will close. You'll see the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper with your new background image.
Remove Background Image
- Click on the Remove Image button.
If you uploaded a background image, but decide you'd like to have no image, you can remove it.
The background image appearing in the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper will disappear, leaving you with the current background color.
Reset
- Click on the Reset button.
You can also reset the background image changes you made. This resets only the background image settings.
It does not affect the text settings you made (above) or any other changes to your template.
Advanced Styles
- Click on the gears button to open the Advanced Styles overlay.
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Click on Position V and select from Top, Center and Bottom.
And/or click on Position H and select from Left, Center and Right. - Click again on the Down arrow button to deactivate tiling vertically. Click again on the Right arrow to deactivate tiling horizontally.
If you uploaded a background image, you have full control over it.
You can change the position of the image (Position V or Position H). Ignore the tiling options (Down arrow and Right arrow buttons).
For the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper, activate the tiling (there will be a border around the activated button) so that the image fills the entire Horizontal Navigation Wrapper.
This is especially important for vertical tiling, so that the image fills the height of the Horizontal Navigation Wrapper.