Building a web page "catalog"

[carlcnc]

Almost finished with my first attempt at a web site,
the last thing I need is to have a page with several outline shapes that can be dn-loaded,
anyone know how this is done?
could you point me to some "how to" info/sources ??
thanks
Carl

[rcnewcomb]

Do you mean something like this?
Catalog (http://www.222artisans.com/doors.php?material=Paduk)
or this?
3D Catalog (http://artisans222.carvecatalog.com/)

[carlcnc]

Randall
no not jpg, I need to have ai,eps,or dxf ;
ie vectored files
found hundreds of how tos for jpg,gif,etc but nothing on storing vector formats that a client can dnload. I have talked with several "web designers"
none of them seemed to know what a vector file is!
thanks
Carl

[ssflyer]

Carl,

"Web designers" - most are nothing more than amateurs that do basic HTML...

They are just files - but ai,eps and dxf files themselves won't show on a web page. Probably a good idea to make a separate directory on the server for your vector files - makes it easier to manage, then upload jpegs or pngs that illustrate what the file contains, and link the images to the actual files. The images can be on any page you like. When they click, they will be offered the "Save" dialog.

What are you using to design the site with? Can we take a look at your site,yet? ;)

Hope this helps,
Ron

[shoeshine]

The easiest way to handle it is to zip the files and then just place them in a folder on your server. Then you can link to them just like any other html link (text or image). When the user hits the link they will be prompted to download the file.

There are a hundred more complicated ways to handle it with PHP, CGI scripts, database, etc.. but they are really only needed when you want specific data handling.

and any "web designer" that doesnt know what a vector file is, should not be designing your page anyway.

[carlcnc]

Hi Guys
thanks for the input,
My only real puter skills are creating 21/2d
drawings and running th router.
site is not ready for primetime,
I thought I couldn't do it so I paid someone,
got burned. then a relative volunteered ,that didn't work out.
So I bought webpagemaker. pretty easy really.
I'm getting there!

[myxpykalix]

Carl,
go to http://www.bravaviewer.com/ and download "free dwg viewer". It will display your dxf file & will also allow you to "save view as"
into a jpg representation like this:

6933
saves it with name like "airforceeagle_dxf.jpg"

[carlcnc]

Jack
thanks for the link,
I am starting to "see clearly now"with
"a little help from my friends"
Carl

[myxpykalix]

i thought your name was carl, not "Joe".....

[carlcnc]

Jack
damn only 6 cups of coffee[by 530 am] and my alter egos start poppin out ! used to take 10 or 12!

[robtown]

You need small .jpg's of the outline (thumbnails) and the actual vector files must be uploaded to your website.

You will probably need to put each vector file in a zip file, or another option is to make them into .pdf's (Vector can import .pdf).

Your webpage will display the thumbnails and you can link the thumbnail images to the vector files.

Any web or print designer you talk to that doesn't know what a vector file is, needs to be digging ditches, not calling themselves a web designer.