The General tab in the Properties dialog for a page allows you to specify the behaviour and ‘look and feel’ of the page itself. Many of the tabs in the General tab of the page also appear on the General tab for an object.
Note:
Use the General tab in the page Properties dialog to create a Master Page or to apply a Master Page to this page.
Use the Page Title box to enter the name for the page. Click inside the box and type your name, you are allowed to use spaces.
Note:
We recommend that you keep the name fairly short and descriptive, so that it will readily identifiable elsewhere in the publication.
Tick the Show page for checkbox if you want the page to display for a specific time and then to move to another page without any intervention from the user. Ticking this option will enable the options in this panel.
Note:
This option is particularly useful if you are creating standalone rolling demos but note that for synchronisation of lots of objects it is better to use a timeline.
Use the Time box in the Show page for panel if you want to alter the time this page will be displayed for. Use the spin buttons to increase or decrease the time by a second. Alternatively, type the time in minutes and seconds in the box.
Use the Goto this page when finished box in the Show page for panel to locate the next page displayed when the time is up. By default, the <Forward> option is selected – this moves to the next page in your publication. Click on the down arrow next to the box to list the special preset options as well as the names of all the pages in your location.
Use the Use words from text objects on page option if you want the program to compile an index of words that appear in Text objects on this page – see Creating an Index for more information.
Use the Use these custom keywords option if you want only the specific words you type in this box to be added to the index – see Creating an Index for more information.
Note:
You can combine both the options described in points 5 and 6 above, if required.
Use the Use Master Page option in the Master Pages panel if you want to apply a Master Page to this page. Selecting this option will highlight the box to the right of this option which contains the list of Master Pages in the current publication – see Using Master Pages for more information. Click on the down arrow next to the box to list the Master Pages.
Note:
When you apply a Master Page to a page, all of the objects on the master are shown on the current page. However, you cannot edit the objects contained in the master on the current page. To edit the objects, open the Master Page and make your changes – the changes will be reflected on every page that uses the master throughout the publication.
Use the This page can be a Master Page option in the Master Pages panel if you want to make this page a Master Page – see Using Master Pages for more information.
Note:
When you have made a page a Master Page, by ticking this option, the name of this page is added to the Master Page list so that other pages in your publication can select it for use – see point 7 above for more information.
Use the Objects from this page appear on top option in the Master Pages panel if you want the objects on the Master Page to appear over objects on the page using the master. This option is only available when the This page can be a Master Page option is ticked.
Note:
Think of the objects on a Master Page as one layer that is added to your current page; do you want the layer to be above or below the objects on the current page? For example, if your Master Page contains navigation objects they should always be visible (i.e. not have other objects overlapping them), in this case you may tick this option to ensure the buttons are always on top.
10. Click onthe Apply button to save your changes.
The General tab provides two useful features of particular note, the ability to:
make a page a Master Page or to use a master;
add words to an Index that can be used to search for pages in your publication.