Need advice: Hiermenus for mockup for project bid

[Phil Powell]

I am one of 95 people on a project bid (I do freelance on the side), and the
potential buyer wants for each of us to produce a professional L&F mockup
based upon an existing site (http://www.mackay.qld.gov.au) for his
particular site (http://www.laidley.qld.gov.au) and I am trying to give him
what he wants, except that I am running into a snag:

Hiermenus.

I am unable to (and honestly unwilling to) purchase even the older versions
of HierMenus, and I happen to have an old, unsupported version of it
(3.10.3) lying around, however, it's incredibly buggy.

Has anyone ever worked with HierMenus before, preferably the older versions?
If so, how do I use it for a simple mockup? I cannot use any back-end
scripting languages, again, this is a mockup, not an actual dynamic page
(else, what ELSE would you all recommend I do?)? I cannot produce the code
for any of the pages since each .js file is over 200+ lines long (and there
are about 3 of them!). All this for a mockup!

I would love some advice as to how to handle this rather taxing dilemma.

Thanx
Phil

[Jeff Thies]

Maybe not what you want to hear...

I am one of 95 people on a project bid
I'd take that as a very bad sign!

Has anyone ever worked with HierMenus before, preferably the older versions? If so, how do I use it for a simple mockup? I cannot use any back-end
scripting languages, again, this is a mockup, not an actual dynamic page
(else, what ELSE would you all recommend I do?)? I cannot produce the code for any of the pages since each .js file is over 200+ lines long (and there are about 3 of them!).
I'd take that as a sign that it will be a continuing nightmare!

If you are adept at javascript, write one yourself. Once you toss out NS4,
it's fairly simple. Set the "styles" in your stylesheet, don't do this:

HM_Array10 = [[230,'HM_f_PlaceAtElement(\'menu_anchor_10\',\'left \')
','HM_f_PlaceAtElement(\'menu_anchor_10\',\'top\') +
16','#BFD7E1','#00678F','#00678F','#BFD7E1','#FFFF FF','#FFFFFF',0,0,0,1,0,0,
'null','null',0,0,1,1,],['Artspace
Mackay','/facilities/artspace_mackay',1,0,0],

All you need in this Array is the source ID, destination link name and href.
Put it in an external js file.

Surely there must be another js menu out there that isn't so complex! The
key to web design for larger sites is making them manageable. Somebody is
going to have to manage that!
All this for a mockup!
Send them screen shots. This is very common. Forget about the menu until you
have the job. You weren't going to build the entire site as a mockup were
you?

You need to sell them on whatever your strengths might be.

Cheers,
Jeff

I would love some advice as to how to handle this rather taxing dilemma.

Thanx
Phil

[The Nordic One]

Well not that I've won or lost yet, but.. I did submit a screenshot and
the buyer was completely unhappy with it and insists I boost his
"confidence" in my abilities by producing a working mockup with graphics
and the same menus as the Mackay site (which would be the HierMenus). I
can't write this on my own by scratch and all I have is 3.10.3 version
which is now unsupported.

You're basically telling me to bag this, aren't you? :(

Phil
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[MikeB]

"The Nordic One" <de*********************@null.com> wrote in message
news:3f*********************@news.frii.net...

Well not that I've won or lost yet, but.. I did submit a screenshot and
the buyer was completely unhappy with it and insists I boost his
"confidence" in my abilities by producing a working mockup with graphics
Are you certain you aren't being "pimped" for some free work ("working mockup" What the heck is
that????).
and the same menus as the Mackay site (which would be the HierMenus). I
can't write this on my own by scratch and all I have is 3.10.3 version
which is now unsupported.

You're basically telling me to bag this, aren't you? :(

Phil
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[Jeff Thies]

"The Nordic One" <de*********************@null.com> wrote in message
news:3f*********************@news.frii.net...

Well not that I've won or lost yet, but.. I did submit a screenshot and
the buyer was completely unhappy with it and insists I boost his
"confidence" in my abilities by producing a working mockup with graphics
and the same menus as the Mackay site (which would be the HierMenus).
I think they are looking for technical skills, more below...
I
can't write this on my own by scratch and all I have is 3.10.3 version
which is now unsupported.

You're basically telling me to bag this, aren't you? :(
Rather than risk being screwed over???

I just looked at the hier menu site:

http://www.webreference.com/dhtml/hi.../inprogress/5/

why don't you just snatch that and pay the licensing if you get the job.

I still think it's a nightmare!

The site in question appears to be database driven, do you have the skills
to do that? You'd have to convert it. And there's an online library catalog
search. Not a trivial undertaking!

Actually much of their site appears to be broken. Maybe they really need
someone to fix it?

I'd find a programmer you like and collaborate. With all due respect, you
can't do it all. Newsgroups with jobs in the title would be an appropriate
way to start.

Jeff

Phil
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[The Nordic One]

I would tend to lean toward that possibility. He is not just interested
in a "working mockup" with HierMenus, he also wants a lot of back-end
content-management work which I have an extensive background in
accomplishing, but I can't "demo" that since it's back-end work and
thus, he would be "pimping" for sure.

I could produce his working mockup for him w/o paying the licensing, but
"copyright infringement" is not something I want on my resume.

Phil
---------------------------------------
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javascript: Is Cool
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http://valsignalandet.com

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[The Nordic One]

I would snatch that and pay the licensing fees if I were allowed to bill
him for it; thus far he seems unwilling to allow that to be tacked onto
the fees, besides, it would be for a "working mockup" for him to DECIDE
if he even wants me to work on his project in the first place, thus I'd
be either paying out of pocket for something I may not even get
compensated to do, or hack it illegally and risk copyright infringement
violations for a project I may not even get compensated to do.

Get the general theme here? :(

---------------------------------------
The site in question appears to be database driven, do you have the
skills
to do that? You'd have to convert it. And there's an online library
catalog
search. Not a trivial undertaking!

Actually much of their site appears to be broken. Maybe they really need
someone to fix it?

I'd find a programmer you like and collaborate. With all due respect,
you
can't do it all. Newsgroups with jobs in the title would be an
appropriate
way to start.

Jeff
----------------------------------------

There is no question that I could do the programming end; I've even done
the programming end (TCL-based) using front-end HierMenus for a site
that's now defunct (otherwise I'd just point him that direction). He
also wants other more back-end stuff done that I couldn't create a
mockup (a working mockup of back-end work is just asking too much).

And, one last nugget of fun: he only wants ONE developer to do
everything.

Phil
---------------------------------------
TCL and PHP: The Superior Web Languages!
javascript: Is Cool
ASP: why?
http://valsignalandet.com

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[Jeff Thies]

> There is no question that I could do the programming end;

That's really what they need.

You know google returns pages and pages of hier menus. Why not just grab
one of those?

Jeff

I've even done
the programming end (TCL-based) using front-end HierMenus for a site
that's now defunct (otherwise I'd just point him that direction). He
also wants other more back-end stuff done that I couldn't create a
mockup (a working mockup of back-end work is just asking too much).

And, one last nugget of fun: he only wants ONE developer to do
everything.

Phil
---------------------------------------
TCL and PHP: The Superior Web Languages!
javascript: Is Cool
ASP: why?
http://valsignalandet.com

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