what is necessary to ...

[Bubzeebub]

create a webpage that allows a user to see text on an object ahead of time. For example, if I want to a vanity license plate, I could type in the text and see the words on plate exactly as it would appear when it's done. What's needed to do that on a website?

[lZakl]

If you have PHP/GD you could do this very easily. All you would need to do is upload the background plate image, and using PHP you should be able to overlay text on top of that image and create a temporary JPG/PNG/GIF out of it. I have played with GD a little bit and it is pretty powerful, and has come a long way. I'd suggest looking into it... Just to a google search for "dynamic text php gd" (without quotes.)

Hope this helps, and good luck!

-- Zak

[rocknbil]

ImageMagick is also open source, and also has dynamic image compositing capabilities, including font manipulation. It can be a bear to install, but once installed it can do many image manupulation tasks. [imagemagick.org...]

[jorj]

use flash if you want it in real time (stick-me for further details)

[rocknbil]

ImageMagick and the GD libraries operate dynamically in real-time.

[jorj]

yes, but both are sever-side which implies submitting before seeing the result. Depending on the needs this can be a solution too.

[lZakl]

This is my opinion.. and only that... but I think all the time:

“Awww man! I have to hit submit! I hate when websites make me submit a form!”

How many forms are submitted by one person in a day? You submitted one when you posted here. This is something people are used to, and 99.999% (that IS exaggerated, just incase you were going to go all Jonnie Cochran on me ;0) ) don’t mind submitting a form to achieve results. A significantly higher percentage of people will either:

1) Not be able to use the flash.
2) Be annoyed by it’s mere presence, let alone having to use it.

I believe that Flash in this case would be a poor solution if you were trying to gain customers by this tool. Simply because it is not a “standard” and not everyone can see/use it. With PHP all the processing is done remotely.

Anyone with a graphical browser can view the PHP form, and you’d not ward off as many customers as if you did it in Flash.

Just thinking of “usability” versus “compatibility” versus “personal preference”...

So, now that I explained why I think the use of Flash is inappropriate, maybe you could explain what is wrong with someone entering their text in an input box, clicking submit and having a “popup” window, “next page” show them their item? Am am always willing to be enlightened :0)

-- Zak

<added> Then again, he could always to it the old fashioned way. "Send me your text, and I'll email you a picture of what it looks like." </added>

[jorj]

Ok Zak, here it is a straight answer:

1. server side app is not appropiate for his needs: "I could type in the text and see the words on plate exactly as it would appear when it's done"

2. Submitting takes seconds no matter what. And bandwith. And load the server. These will surely count for you as the webmaster because cost money, makes the user be upset for a lower performance if there is a heavy traffic, etc.

3. "A significantly higher percentage.."[wont use flash]. Let's be serious about that. Maybe you're talking about activex or java or shockwave but not the ones "..with a graphical browser"

4. Be sure that flash's usability beats everythig.

As a conclusion: if he is very handy he can make it in JavaScript.

Cheers

PS. I hate popups

<added>..or he can get a flash source to play with</added>

[lZakl]

App.. nope.. less than enlightened. *disappointed* No hard feelings though :0)

[jorj]

Glad that it is over. Sad that I did not convince you. Maybe next time. :=¦

[lZakl]

I am sorry, I just have to post this. This says to me that more than just a few peopled are annoyed, there is actually a program that blocks them...

[webmasterworld.com...]

[jorj]

That's ok. In the future people will feel safe blocking flash, activex, java, shockwave, or any other plugin which may carry some diversity or utility (or virus/ads as well) in a web page. And the internet will become flat again..or may be the end of it too?

[rocknbil]

OK this is not meant to be argumentive, but it's true nonetheless:

1. server side app is not appropiate for his needs: "I could type in the text and see the words on plate exactly as it would appear when it's done"

False. ImageMagick indeed supports postscript fonts and image compositing. I currently have a demo in place that allows the end user to not only upload their own pictures, it resizes them, composites them, colors the type and superimposes it into a single display image. Tested with image uploads exceeding 1.5 MB on a sattelite connection (which we all know is dialup with an Expensive Nametag) the user goes from page load to display in about 15 seconds.

Submitting takes seconds no matter what. And bandwith. And load the server. These will surely count for you as the webmaster because cost money, makes the user be upset for a lower performance if there is a heavy traffic, etc.

I only have the chance to access what could be considered "junk" servers by comparison to the best ones out there, and sharing hundreds of domains. This statement can't be taken into consideration without considering the load time of the flash object and all it's data links. At any rate, data is data, doen't matter if you load it up with Flash at the outset or piece it in in a form submission, it still has to get from point A to B.

3. "A significantly higher percentage.."[wont use flash]. Let's be serious about that. Maybe you're talking about activex or java or shockwave but not the ones "..with a graphical browser"

Trip on over to the Flash forum, there's more people complaining about Flash than anything at the moment, including some conversations about the fact that Flash does not COME with browsers and does indeed need to be installed.

4. Be sure that flash's usability beats everythig.

I have no idea what this means. :-)

Don't get the idea I'm knocking Flash, I use it all the time and love it, but there are more universal means by which to meet this end. I'd use Flash in a project like this only if it were an optional enhancement and not entire dependence on how it works.

[jorj]

You made me laugh: server-side image edit of 1.5mb images?! That's only good for a demo that it is possible but not for production.

"Let me put a text here , on the right..and upload"
"no, is not good, a little more ont the right..and upload"
"Yes, that's better. Now let's add some color on it..and upload"
....

Don't tell me about the "flash loading time". And nor about the flash forum (0.000000001% of internet users). I'm not a flash developer as my primary interest either, but a technology is a technology and a good aproach is having THIS tool on the client side. You do not admit it - that's ok. But please don't argue on techiques without having an open mind.

Cheers

By the way, ImageMagic and GD are great , no doubt of that.

[jomaxx]

With respect to the specific example given by the original poster, I would simply use PHP or Javascript to display the corresponding letters/numbers as .gif images over a background image of a license plate.

You could even consider doing away with the images and simply displaying CSS-formatted plain text over the background image.

This may not be appropriate for more complex applications, but it's going to be orders of magnitude faster than using either Flash or an image processing package.

[Bubzeebub]

Thank you all for the responses. For the record, the vanity plate example can be seen in action on the Maine State Website.

[informe.org...]

[rocknbil]

server-side image edit of 1.5mb images?!

That was used as an example, and it does appear that you are the one with the narrow only-one-solution-will-work scope.

[jorj]

still alive? :)