FP98: How to Create a Custom Image for the Hit Counter

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To create a custom image for the FrontPage hit counter, follow these steps:

1. Open any image editing program that is capable of saving files as .GIF images, such as Microsoft Image composer.
   
   The hit counter works only with .GIF images.
2. Create an image that is 200 pixels wide and 40 pixels high.
3. Evenly place text for the numbers 0 through 9 from left to right.
   
   If your image editor program has the ability to place a grid on the image, you may want to use this feature to better align the text. In this example, the graphic for each number is 20 pixels wide.
   
   The numbers should be lined up as follows:

   0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

4. After you are satisfied with the look and alignment of your image, save the image as a .GIF image. For the file name, use Custom.gif .

After you create the image, import the image into your FrontPage Web. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open your Web in FrontPage Explorer.
2. In the Folders view, make sure that your images folder is the open folder. If it is not, click the folder in the All Folders pane to open it.
3. On the File menu, click Import.
4. In the "Import File to FrontPage Web" dialog box, click Add File.
5. In the "Add File to Import List" dialog box, locate the Custom.gif file on your hard disk, select the file, and click Open.
6. In the "Import File to FrontPage Web" dialog box, click OK.

The file has been imported to your Web; however, you must add a counter to your page. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In FrontPage Explorer, double-click the page in which you want to insert the counter.
2. In FrontPage Editor, click your page to place the insertion point in the location in which you want the hit counter to appear.
3. On the Insert menu, click Active Elements and click Hit Counter.
4. In the Hit Counter Properties dialog box, click Custom Image.
5. In the Custom Image text box, type images/custom.gif .
6. Save the page.
7. To test the counter, click File and click Preview In Browser.

NOTE: You may have to edit the image in your image editing program several times to get the placement and look of the numbers correct. The size of the image doesn't matter to the hit counter, but it is a good idea to create images that have widths that are divisible by 10.

   Example: 100 pixels, 200 pixels, 300 pixels.