Vertical Text Scroller



Upgrade Now!

Vertical Text Scroller now supports RGB colors, single or double clicked links, mouse over link highlighting, enhanced manual pause, and five special backgrounds!

Source and class files:

VertTextScroller.java
VertTextScroller.zip


This applet is freeware. To use the applet on your site, save the file VertTextScroller.zip by right clicking on the link and use the 'SAVE LINK AS' option, then UNZIP the file and put the class file in the same directory as your HTML file. A sample HTML file is included in the zip file. To customize the applet for your site, follow the procedures below.
HTML Example
<applet code="VertTextScroller.class" width="335" height="150"> <param name=numberOfLines value="23"> <param name=background value="white"> <param name=scrollDelay value="15"> <param name=lineSpace value="17"> <param name=linkFrame value="_top"> <param name=linkColor value="red"> <param name=manualPause value="0"> <param name=linkClick value="1"> <param name=sizeDefault value="17"> <param name=lineDefault value=" "> <param name=colorDefault value="black"> <param name=fontDefault value="Helvetica"> <param name=styleDefault value="PLAIN"> <param name=linkDefault value=" "> <param name=pauseValueDefault value="0"> <param name=lineOffsetDefault value="0"> <param name=line1 value="Free Vertical text scroller"> <param name=pauseValue1 value="7500"> <param name=style1 value="BOLD"> <param name=color1 value="red"> <param name=line2 value="If you're looking for a professional look"> <param name=line3 value="and feel for your web site, or your site's"> <param name=line4 value="getting a little cluttered and you need to"> <param name=line5 value="save some real estate, why pay for a"> <param name=line6 value="professional quality vertical text scroller"> <param name=line7 value="when this one is free?"> <param name=line10 value="Features"> <param name=pauseValue10 value="9500"> <param name=style10 value="BOLD"> <param name=color10 value="red"> <param name=line11 value="Professional quality smooth scrolling."> <param name=lineOffset11 value="10"> <param name=line12 value="Adjustable scrolling speed."> <param name=lineOffset12 value="10"> <param name=line13 value="Manual scrolling/pausing using your mouse."> <param name=lineOffset13 value="10"> <param name=line14 value="Automatic pausing at any line."> <param name=lineOffset14 value="10"> <param name=line15 value="Mouse over highlighted URL links."> <param name=lineOffset15 value="10"> <param name=line16 value="Many fonts, styles, and colors to choose."> <param name=lineOffset16 value="10"> <param name=line17 value="Param tag syntax checking for easy setup."> <param name=lineOffset17 value="10"> <param name=line18 value="And more..."> <param name=lineOffset18 value="10"> <param name=line20 value="To view another example of this applet"> <param name=pauseValue20 value="5500"> <param name=style20 value="BOLD"> <param name=color20 value="red"> <param name=lineOffset20 value="10"> <param name=line21 value="click the URL below"> <param name=style21 value="BOLD"> <param name=color21 value="red"> <param name=lineOffset21 value="80"> <param name=line23 value="Lou Schiano's home page"> <param name=color23 value="blue"> <param name=style23 value="ITALIC"> <param name=link23 value="http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/Bay/6879/"> <param name=lineOffset23 value="65"> </applet>

 Applet parameters

Required global parameters: 

    width and height 
    Change the width and height to indicate the size of the applet. 

    numberOfLines 
    This is the number of lines to display. 

    background 
    This is the background color of the applet. There are three different ways to specify this parameter: color name, by RGB color values, or by special multi-colored fade background name:

    To use a single colored background, use one of the following colors below: 

    black
    
    blue
    
    cyan
    
    darkGray
    
    gray
    
    green
    
    lightGray
    
    magenta
    
    orange
    
    pink
    
    red
    
    white
    
    yellow

    Or,  you can specify the red, green, and blue values for a unique RGB color: specify three number from 0 - 255 separated by commas.

    For example code this for the color red:
    <param name=background value="255,0,0">

    Or you can use one of the special multi-colored fade backgrounds, use one the following parameters: 

    
    special1  - black fade to green
    
    special2  - light blue fade to light green
    
    special3  - black fade to blue
    
    special4  - red fade to yellow
    
    special5  - black fade to red
    
    

    For example, to use the 'red fade to yellow' background (special4), code the background parameter as follows:
    <param name=background value="special4">

    scrollDelay 
    This controls the speed of the scroll, the lower the number the faster it scrolls. 

    lineSpace 
    This controls how much space is between each line vertically. 

    linkFrame 
    This controls which HTML frame to use when a hyperlink is clicked. Use this parameter like the HTML Target attribute, standard HTML frames "rules" apply.

    _self   - load in current frame. 
    
    _parent - load in parent frame.
    
    _top    - load in topmost frame.
    
    _blank  - load in new unnamed top-level frame.
    
    <other> - Show in new top level window named <other>.
    
    
    linkColor 
    This controls the color of the hyperlinked line when the mouse is placed over the line. Colors supported are the same as background. 

    manualPause
    This is the amount of time the scroll will pause when the applet is clicked on. To resume scrolling, click again. Entered in miliseconds - 5000 is 5 seconds.

    linkClick 
    This is the number of times to click on a hyperlinked line. Use either 1 or  2, for a single or double click.

Required default parameters: 
    sizeDefault 
    This is the default text size for each line. 

    lineDefault 
    This is the default text that is displayed for each line (usually the default is blank, and this is overridden). 

    colorDefault 
    This is the default color for all lines. Colors supported are the same as background. 

    fontDefault 
    This is the default font for all lines. Use one of the following below:

    Dialog
    
    Helvetica
    
    TimesRoman
    
    Courier
    
    
    styleDefault 
    This is the default font style for all lines. Use one of the following below: 
    
    PLAIN
    
    ITALIC
    
    BOLD
    
    
    linkDefault 
    This is the default URL for all lines (the default is usually blank). Enter as a standard URL: 
    
    http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/Bay/6879
    
    
    pauseValueDefault 
    This is the default pause value for all line (the default is usually zero). 

    lineOffsetDefault 
    This is the default starting position for all lines (starting at position zero).

Optional parameters (controls each individual line): 

    The same as the default parameters, just replace 'Default' with the line number, 
    for example: 

    To change the default text for the first line, use the parameter 'line1': 
    <param name=line1 value="Free Vertical text scroller">


Who's using this applet?

Vertical Text Scroller can be seen in action at several major websites, including: See how hundreds of other sites are using the applet: Search AltaVista

Easy Setup

The easiest way to set up the applet on your site is to start with the applet code in the sample HTML file found in VertTextScroller.zip. Use notepad and cut and paste the applet parameters from the sample HTML file into your HTML file. Then try it out, if it works, then customize it for your site. Please note, after you change the HTML file you must hit 'reload' on your browser to view the changes (sometimes you must close the browser and reopen it to see the changes).
Problems

If you just added the applet parameters to your HTML file and the applet doesn't load, try the following three steps:
  1. clear your browsers cache
  2. close your browser
  3. open your browser, and reload the page
Applet error: lineDefault value="null": 
If the applet displays the above error, this means the applet cannot find the required parameter lineDefault. View your HTML source in your browser (view > page source), the lineDefault parameter probably looks something like this: 
<param name=lineDefault>  NO space between the quotation marks.

It should have value="  " after it like this: 
<param name=lineDefaul value="   ">  At least ONE space between the quotation marks.

All the param tags MUST have a value. Some HTML generators like Microsoft Front Page and Claris Home Page have problems with value="" (no space betweem the quotes). These tags must be corrected, use notepad or your favorite text editor to fix the tags. 

Browser error: class VertTextScroller not found: 
If the applet doesn't start and your browser displays the error message above, make sure the file VertTextScroller.class is on your web server in the same directory as your HTML file. Also make sure it's spelled correctly, upper and lower case matter (spell it exactly like this: VertTextScroller.class).

If you can't fix the problem: 
Email me and include your sites URL and I'll take a look at it. 


What the scroller doesn't support

The following features are not supported by the applet:
  • background images
  • text file input of parameters
  • word wrap

  1