Autoshape problem

Using PP2K.

I'm using some autoshapes as invisible "links" to allow the user to go
to another slide. I draw the autoshape with no text and no border and
position it on top of a picture. When the user moves the mouse over
it, the "pointing hand" appears and, if the user clicks, he is taken
to the proper slide.

This all works as intended except in some instances, the autoshape
seems to be "hollow". That is, the "edges" of the autoshape will react
as explained above but the inner area of the autoshape seems not to
exist (no pointing hand / no reaction to a mouse click).

It's even this way while editing the slide inside Powerpoint itself.
It is difficult to "select" the autoshape because it seems as if it
has only "edges" - there is no "middle" to it.

If I copy one of the shapes that behave normally and paste it
somewhere, it's behavior changes - the original behaves normally but
the copy is "hollow".

Can someone tell me what the heck is going on here?

Martin,
This is something people run into quite frequently on PPT 2002 and 2003.
Many of us find it better to use fill color on the shape, but then set the
transparency to a very high number. That way, there is still a fill there to
click, but it doesn't show. (I tend to go with 90% to 95% for the
transparency number.)

Try it and let us know if that helps...

--
Kathryn Jacobs, Microsoft MVP PowerPoint and OneNote
Get PowerPoint answers at http://www.powerpointanswers.com
Cook anything outdoors with http://www.outdoorcook.com
Get OneNote answers at http://www.onenoteanswers.com

I believe life is meant to be lived. But:
if we live without making a difference, it makes no difference that we lived


"Martin" wrote in message
...
Using PP2K.

I'm using some autoshapes as invisible "links" to allow the user to go
to another slide. I draw the autoshape with no text and no border and
position it on top of a picture. When the user moves the mouse over
it, the "pointing hand" appears and, if the user clicks, he is taken
to the proper slide.

This all works as intended except in some instances, the autoshape
seems to be "hollow". That is, the "edges" of the autoshape will react
as explained above but the inner area of the autoshape seems not to
exist (no pointing hand / no reaction to a mouse click).

It's even this way while editing the slide inside Powerpoint itself.
It is difficult to "select" the autoshape because it seems as if it
has only "edges" - there is no "middle" to it.

If I copy one of the shapes that behave normally and paste it
somewhere, it's behavior changes - the original behaves normally but
the copy is "hollow".

Can someone tell me what the heck is going on here?

Ok, that worked - sort of.

In PP2K, the option is to make the fill color "semi-transparent" or
not. Fortunately, in most of my situation, this is good enough. There
are a couple of places however, where the link _has_ to be
transparent. Guess I'm stuck on those.

This whole problem is weird though. I'm updating an old presentation
that was created on this same computer and I never encountered this
problem before. Strange...

BTW, thanks for the quick reply.


On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:38:29 -0700, "Kathy J"
wrote:

Martin,
This is something people run into quite frequently on PPT 2002 and 2003.
Many of us find it better to use fill color on the shape, but then set the
transparency to a very high number. That way, there is still a fill there to
click, but it doesn't show. (I tend to go with 90% to 95% for the
transparency number.)

Try it and let us know if that helps...

A thought: Where the link has to be transparent, can you set it to the
background and send it behind whatever needs to show from underneath it?

--
Kathryn Jacobs, Microsoft MVP PowerPoint and OneNote
Author of Kathy Jacobs on PowerPoint - Available now from Holy Macro! Books
Get PowerPoint answers at http://www.powerpointanswers.com
Featured Presenter at PPT 2004 - http://www.pptlive/com

I believe life is meant to be lived. But:
if we live without making a difference, it makes no difference that we lived


"Martin" wrote in message
news
Ok, that worked - sort of.

In PP2K, the option is to make the fill color "semi-transparent" or
not. Fortunately, in most of my situation, this is good enough. There
are a couple of places however, where the link _has_ to be
transparent. Guess I'm stuck on those.

This whole problem is weird though. I'm updating an old presentation
that was created on this same computer and I never encountered this
problem before. Strange...

BTW, thanks for the quick reply.


On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:38:29 -0700, "Kathy J"
wrote:

Martin,
This is something people run into quite frequently on PPT 2002 and 2003.
Many of us find it better to use fill color on the shape, but then set
the
transparency to a very high number. That way, there is still a fill there
to
click, but it doesn't show. (I tend to go with 90% to 95% for the
transparency number.)

Try it and let us know if that helps...

Silly question I'm sure but why aren't you just hyperlinking the picture.
Presumably it's just part of the picture that you want hyperlinked? Perhaps
another way would be to produce a transparent GIF or PNG and import and use
that?

John
"Martin" wrote in message
...
Using PP2K.

I'm using some autoshapes as invisible "links" to allow the user to go
to another slide. I draw the autoshape with no text and no border and
position it on top of a picture. When the user moves the mouse over
it, the "pointing hand" appears and, if the user clicks, he is taken
to the proper slide.

This all works as intended except in some instances, the autoshape
seems to be "hollow". That is, the "edges" of the autoshape will react
as explained above but the inner area of the autoshape seems not to
exist (no pointing hand / no reaction to a mouse click).

It's even this way while editing the slide inside Powerpoint itself.
It is difficult to "select" the autoshape because it seems as if it
has only "edges" - there is no "middle" to it.

If I copy one of the shapes that behave normally and paste it
somewhere, it's behavior changes - the original behaves normally but
the copy is "hollow".

Can someone tell me what the heck is going on here?

why don't you hyperlink the actual picture?

Martin wrote:

Ok, that worked - sort of.

In PP2K, the option is to make the fill color "semi-transparent" or
not. Fortunately, in most of my situation, this is good enough. There
are a couple of places however, where the link _has_ to be
transparent. Guess I'm stuck on those.

This whole problem is weird though. I'm updating an old presentation
that was created on this same computer and I never encountered this
problem before. Strange...

BTW, thanks for the quick reply.


On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:38:29 -0700, "Kathy J"
wrote:


Martin,
This is something people run into quite frequently on PPT 2002 and 2003.
Many of us find it better to use fill color on the shape, but then set the
transparency to a very high number. That way, there is still a fill there to
click, but it doesn't show. (I tend to go with 90% to 95% for the
transparency number.)

Try it and let us know if that helps...



--
Marko Jotic, MMCT Holdings Int. Inc.
"Common sense is anything but common".
From the notebooks of Lazarus Long. Robert A. Heinlein.
Handmade knives, antique designs, exotic materials at
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