Pages not centered

[jcaywood]

http://www.courtapproveddefensivedriving.com/

I have a problem this morning with one of my sites. It is not a new site - I've had it 2-3 years but just having the problem this morning.

The pages are not centering on the screen - everything is to the left. They have been okay previously and a few still are now (or were) but I cannot find what is different about them. I am using BV12.

I have built the pages from the left, Properties show 'Center this page horizonally', I've tried locking the text boxes on the page, I've republished, but nothing helps. I've searched the forum but have not found the solution.

Using IE9, only the few pages I have re-published show to the left. In FF17.0.1 all the pages show to the left, and in Chrome 23.0.1271.92m all pages are to the left.

When I Preview the page it is centered. When I publish the page is to the left.
I have several other sites and they are all centered.

I have looked at the tutorials again to no avail.
If I use a page width of 1100 and move the text box to 300, the page appears centered. http://www.courtapproveddefensivedri...y_beaumont.php
(I only moved the main text box to the right).
However, my page is built 800 wide and the page width is 800. This site has a few hundred pages and I'd hate to have to correct every page.

Any ideas on what is causing this problem and how I can correct it? Thanks

[Vasili]

Re: Pages not centered

Apparently you are losing sight of the basics of page layout since you do not have a defined Page Area or contrasting Background to offer an overall perspective prior to publishing.

If your page width is set to 800 pixels wide, you must still position your page outline (usually a Shape to act as a "page" that contrasts a background, in this case a Shape that is 800 pixels wide) to the top-left position in the Workpane, as this is the 0/0 point all Rules and margins begin at. This assures that the 'Page' will in fact be wholly Centered when published. Any element you place upon or "within" this page area will be exactly as positioned, in respect to the overall page.

Since you are not using a bottom 'layer' Shape as a page area to define a page, you are confusing yourself as to how the Page is constructed altogether: as it is now, your image is in the top-most position and defines the "corner" of your page, and the remainder of your Page Text is "orphaned" and without balance not having a reference.

To aid you in understanding this concept and to offer a better reference in laying out your pages when not using a background, I suggest you simply create a white square Shape with a thin black border outline 600 pixels wide and using the Workpane Rulers set it at the TOP and 100 pixels to the right (which leave a corresponding margin of 100 pixels to the right of the page margin) in your BlueVoda Workpane, and then click on the Shape to "SEND TO BACK" (change the order so it becomes the bottom-most layer in your page).
The outline of the Shape will allow you to properly "see" the page margins and overall perspective to better lay out your elements, beginning with your Image (which is supposed to have the appearance of being 'off the page' to the left) being placed OUTSIDE and to the left of your Shape border in the 100 pixel wide "gutter" and then placing/balancing all your TEXT within the borders of the Shape. Once you are satisfied with the manner in which the page is laid out, click once on the Shape and delete it, and then publish the page normally.

The 800 pixel wide page will then be Centered in the browser precisely as laid out.

[jcaywood]

Re: Pages not centered

I've added the shape not did not move anything else. When I design the page I do take into account the width of the page - I just don't insert a shape to tell me that. With the shape inserted and not deleted it appears to me that everything lines up on my BV page but not when I publish. The published page is considerably wider than 800 and considerably longer than 2050. I thought perhaps I had an element placed somewhere on the page but I don't find it using CTL=A.
I have built several sites and they were all done basically the same way. Maybe a 900 width, etc but I'm not having a problem with them. Did I not understand you or leave a step out? ANy other ideas? Thanks.

[Vasili]

Re: Pages not centered

You have published the page with the Shape still showing, and apparently forgot to publish it with "Center page horizontally in browser" .... you are not getting the concept.

1. Your image is 94 pixels wide, which is why I simply suggested 100 pixel spacing above.
2. If you page is supposed to be 1000 pixels wide and is in fact set in Page Properties as 100 pixels wide, then your Shape needs be 800 pixels wide (100 pixels for each "gutter" either side of the Shape which thus becomes the visual guide of the "Center" of your page).
3. Set the 800 pixel wide Shape to the TOP, and to the RIGHT 100 pixels, so it appears corresponding to the Top Ruler to spread between 100 and 900.
4. Set the image to the LEFT of the Shape and OUTSIDE the border within the 100 pixel gutter.
5. Lay out your text and other elements WITHIN the Shape borders in a balanced manner.
6. Select CENTER Page horizontally in Page Properties.
7. Click on and Delete the 800 pixel wide Shape.
8. Publish the page.

This is not supposed to be this difficult to do! You have the Steps outlined here twice now ...

[jcaywood]

Re: Pages not centered

To further confuse me, this is happening in some browsers on all the pages and not just the ones I have republished today. But only on this site.

[jcaywood]

Re: Pages not centered

My reply was just lost. I clicked Post Quick Reply and it disappeared...
I created a shape 600 pixels wide for my 800 pixel wide page. I placed it at 100 pixels from the top left. I rearranged my text to make sure it fits into the 600 pixel shape. I left the shape outline just for reference. Here's the page I published:
http://www.courtapproveddefensivedriving.com/index1.php (Just overlook the garbled words, etc, I can fix that after I get the page centered). What this gives me is a page with 100 pixel gutter on the left side of the page and about 1000 blank pixels on the right. The image on the bottom on the page may be hard to read but it shows that Properties as set to 'Center...horizontally" It also shows the height (2050) and width (800) of the page - but that is not what I see online.
I guess I don't know your concept of building a site, but I am not a professional - and never will be. I have always built from the top left corner and they basically have satisfied me. Im sure there is so much I can learn and I try to learn something every day. I"m sorta proud of my sites even without understanding the concept of building a site. They have been good enough for me with my limited knowledge.
What I really need is just to determine why my pages are centering on this one site, and how to correct it. I have published pages on other sites today and they are okay. So yes, I'm lost.

[Vasili]

Re: Pages not centered

There is SOMETHING extending outside to the right of the page boundaries (800 wide) that is causing the page to "reform" flush-left, effectively cancelling the setting "Center this page horizontally in browser" ....... and I suspect it is the navigation you have at the bottom of the page (although you have the Link labels 'Centered' the outside borders of the "menu" itself is likely wider than 800 pixels wide).
Could also be your Image2 ... although it visually may appear within the margins, the entire image including the transparent background must be placed within page margins (as set in Page Properties) also. The Image is 125 pixels wide, so you must make allowances for the entire image when finding a balanced placement.

[jcaywood]

Re: Pages not centered

I checked the entire page using a width of 7000 and height of 18000 - with CTL-A but didnt' find anything. So I got this wild idea about publishing the page to another site. So it's at http://www.aycock-alumni.com/index1.php and it's centered. Could it be something I need to contact Support about? Thanks

[Vasili]

Re: Pages not centered

No ... this only proves that you were not Saving the page properly before Publishing: when using BV12, you cannot duplicate pages simply by making changes to a page and then using the SAVE PAGE AS method, as all dynamic elements (Menus, Lightbox, etc.) must be individually embedded onto pages anew and not merely "re-saved" from a previously saved page if the function and formatting is to be preserved.

This is the logic behind using a basic page design as a 'Template' and using the COPY+PASTE method to individually and uniquely place each static Dynamic element (Menu, Lightbox, etc.) on pages prior to Saving them once, and then publishing them.

[jcaywood]

Re: Pages not centered

Would that apply to these pages? They were published back in 2009 and most pages have had no modifications since then yet in FF and Chrome they all show to the left. I don't believe those pages have ever seen BV12.

[Tom Finley]

Re: Pages not centered

Jerry, you likely need to rebuild this page from scratch. It has more than one head div and more than one body div.

[Vasili]

Re: Pages not centered

It has more than one head div and more than one body div.

Proof the page was "opened" using BV12 and the formatting "conversion" was automatically (and irrecoverably) applied ....

It is not a new site - I've had it 2-3 years but just having the problem this morning. I am (now) using BV12. I've republished, but nothing helps.

As Tom suggested (and in the interests of keeping things simple and understandably workable), you are probably better off just re-creating the page anew from scratch in BV12 and re-publishing it.