You can link to an URL or link multiple HotMedia files together through the hot link capability, making it easy to manage and refresh content. A hot link is a rectangular region in an animation frame that will either allow the user to launch a separate HotMedia in the same applet window, play a sound clip, or link to an URL.
You can only create a hot link in an animation frame (from the Animation tab). You cannot create links in the thumbnail. If your desired effect is that a HotMedia begins with hot link capabilities, you can create a HotMedia without a thumbail. In this case, the user experience will be a HotMedia that loads with active hot links.
Note: When no thumbnail is specified, the initial download (Java) will be larger as all the HotMedia class files will need to be loaded.
It is sometimes a good idea to create multiple HotMedias that are linked where only the first HotMedia has a thumbnail. In this way, the initial download is small -- but all subsequent HotMedias have active hot links as soon as they are loaded.
Note: Once the Java for the animation, etc. has been loaded, it is cached by the browser so there is no penalty for loading.
Hot links will automatically light
up as red rectangles when within a hot link region. Click on the boxed-in area that appears when you pass your mouse over the image below.
Another HotMedia appears!