The WebDev Buzz

While uploading the files for the website, a person may decide that he will need to add icons. Some web hosts have a bank of icon images that are available to their clients. A person may use these icon images. But he runs the risk of choosing an icon that is already used (and associated) with another website. This is why some website owners decide to have their own icons.

Before, custom icons are not usually accepted by browsers. But nowadays, most browsers can now support custom icons. Websites can now place custom icons into the URL boxes of browsers. Although it will take some work, the process does not require a person to have an IQ over 200. The process needs only three major steps:

1. Obtain the required software and plug-inThe software is the program that can save an image file in the .ico format. Since this format is the standard icon format for Windows, any computer with Windows will have an icon editor. For the users of Mac, several icon editors can handle the .ico format. Besides this, there are freeware and shareware that can be easily obtained. With the software, a Photoshop plug-in, either for Mac or PC will be needed. This plug-in will enable an image created in Photoshop to be saved in the .ico format. This plug-in may be obtained from the www.telegraphics.com.au for about $10.
2. Create the iconThe dimensions of the icon should be 16 x 16 pixels. This is the amount of space available in a URL box. If the dimensions are larger, the icon image will be automatically reduced, resulting to a distorted image. If the dimensions are smaller (which rarely happens), the icon will be enlarged, making the image blurred. Since it is quite challenging to place enough details into 16 x 16 pixels, the image should be simple. This means that using a WPDFD logo won’t be feasible. A larger image may be resized to 16 x 16. This will not produce a good image, but it can be used as a guide to create a smaller one. The .ico files can be saved in 16 or 156 colors. However, most browsers use the 16 color palette. Thus, it is safer to use this palette too, in creating the icon image.
3. Upload the icon fileOnce the icon image is created, it must be uploaded. The .ico file must join the directory of the home page. Otherwise, if placed in the images directory, the icon will not appear. Then, on each page, where the icon must appear, there must be a link to it. This part can be arduous and time consuming. But some website editors have the capacity to conduct a site-wide search so that the will be replaced with .

Once the three steps are done, you are now ready to view the custom icon. If it doesn’t show, refresh the page.