Now that you have installed this, the next question you should be asking is where are they and how can you use them? That may not be as obvious as you think it should be but most programs will tell you where to look for them in Dreamweaver. So, if you notice here, this is my advanced random image extension and when I click on it in the extensions manager, I see that there are a little instruction from the programmer about how to use it and if I keep scrolling down, the last thing most extensions creators give you a really nifty little instruction at the very end about where you can find an extension in the program.

So, when we open Dreamweaver and try to use this, we are going to look under the command menu for this advance random image. Now, depending on the extension you downloaded, it may be in a completely different place in Dreamweaver. So, you really do have to check with the programmers instructions. The flash buttons of course we are going to find in the flash button option. And we will look at those flash buttons after we use this random image generator.

So, I am going to command tab over to Dreamweaver here on the Mac, if you are on a PC of course that is Alt+Tab. If you do not have Dreamweaver open, just launch it like you would in the other time and you want to make sure you have the dive side loaded in the files panel. You can do that by going to manage sites and loading it form lesson one. This is the same website we work with in lesson one and the same version of that site. So, you do not need to reload it if you already got it there. Just make sure it is selected so that the files and folders are visible. If the side definition dialogue comes up, just click okay if you know everything is set properly and open the index file so that the main page is visible.

As we saw in the extensions manager, our new extension should be under the command menu and this new Chaosweaver.com option. Now, if you do not see this here, you may need to close Dreamweaver and restart it. Some extensions require restarting the program, some do not. But if you do not see it when you open the program, that is the first thing you should try. So I am going to launch advanced random images. And notice I get this little helper application now. It is working within Dreamweaver but it is really a separate piece of programming code. It has a number of options and each extension that you use will work differently but I am going to show you how to use this one and what you will learn in using this one should help you figure out others more easily.

I am going to insert a random image on the front of this page. But first I have to make room for it so let me cancel so I can come over here to this image on the left and I am just going to select and delete this image and then I am going to insert a random image slide show in this space so that when you view this page in a browser, a series of images cycles through here. So, to do that, I want to open up my random images generator again. Now, the first thing I get to choose is what kind of random image I want to generate. Random image just selects any image and prints it up there statically.

Daily image as the name implies lets you change images everyday. That can be a nice feature if you want your page to look refreshed on a daily basis when people come back after day. And then sequential slide show and random slideshow, pretty obvious, I am going to choose random slideshow so that it randomly selects from the collection of images I am going to load into it. The default on this program for slide shows is five second, I am going to get four. So, it is just a touch faster than that. And I am going to select the images I want by clicking this plus sign. Finding the images. Now, I am in my dive site folder in the thumbnails folder and I am doing a slideshow about the list here. So, I am going to select the series of thumbnails from my list collection.

Now, these are numbered and in order because it is easier for me to put the page together in the later lesson. But remember, this program it is going to randomly select this, so, we will get a different mix of images each time.

Unfortunately, you cannot shift click in this program so you will have to load each image one at a time. But once you get them all there, you actually are done if all you are doing is a random slide show. If you are generating a different image each day, then you can set these properties specifically for the image that will be on the page. You can only set the dimensions, alt text boarder etcetera if one image is going to display at a time because I am showing a series of images, this options are not available for this option.

Again, each extension that you download is going to work differently and you will get better tutorials and more helpful information from some creators than others. Let us click okay and see what happens. It is giving me a warning that says I would not see this on my page unless I have visual aids, invisible elements checked. That is a preference setting.

Remember, if you are using a Mac like I am in this lesson, you want to go in Dreamweaver preferences. If you are on a PC, edit preferences. And you want that visual aids invisible elements checked to be able to see this on your screen.