Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How do I install the plugin?
  2. How do I install a plugin upgrade?
  3. How can my hotspot open a lightbox/fancybox slideshow?
  4. Can I replace an image I uploaded without losing the hotspots I created for it?
  5. Can I create irregular (meaning non-rectangular), polygon-shaped hotspots?
  6. Does it work with multi-site configurations?
  7. Does it work with the Genesis framework?
  8. How can I make the hover box stay fixed instead of following the mouse?
  9. Can I put a Hotspotter image into a sidebar widget (or some other non-standard place)?
  10. You haven’t answered my question!

  1. How do I install the plugin?

    The plugin may be easily installed in one of two ways:

    1. Automatic Installation
      Submit the plugin zip file on the Plugins → Add New page. View full instructions.
    2. Manual Installation
      Upload the unzipped plugin folder into your server’s wp-content/plugins directory, ensuring all created sub-directories are writable by your server. View full instructions.

  2. How do I install a plugin upgrade?

    If you attempt to upgrade using the Automatic Installation method described above, you’ll very likely see an error like “Destination folder already exists.” This is because WordPress currently will not automatically overwrite existing plugin files, even if you really mean to do so.

    Instead of using that method to install the newer version of the plugin, you’ll have to use the Manual Installation method described above, wherein you FTP the new plugin contents into your existing wp-content/plugins folder. (Installing the newer version of the plugin will not destroy any images you have previously uploaded.)

  3. How can my hotspot open a lightbox/fancybox slideshow?

    In the properties of your hotspot specify the URL of the first slideshow image and in the attributes specify rel="lightbox" where “lightbox” is a value you define for that particular slideshow.

    If you have additional images you’d like included in a given slideshow, simply add an <a> tag to your post with the corresponding image URL and the same rel attribute. That will instruct your lightbox/fancybox that those images are to be coupled with the primary image which is linked to by the hotspot.

  4. Can I replace an image I uploaded without losing the hotspots I created for it?

    There are plans to add support for uploading a replacement image, but until that is available, you can replace an existing image by uploading it via FTP into your wp-content/plugins/image-hot-spotter/images folder. Just ensure the new file name is the same and that it is not smaller in width/height than your hotspots require (or all sorts of unexpected things might happen).

  5. Can I create irregular (meaning non-rectangular), polygon-shaped hotspots?

    Yes, kind of. Due to the special features offered by Image Hotspotter, using custom shapes via a standard HTML image map is not possible because web browsers simply don’t support the functionality. In short, only rectangular shapes are available. However, as a workaround what you can do is create multiple, overlapping rectangular hotspots over the irregular area and assign the same attributes to each one. As long as you don’t enable a visible border on the hotspots, to the end-user it will seem to be one large, irregularly shaped hotspot.

  6. Does it work with multi-site configurations?

    Yes, Image Hotspotter has been tested with standard multi-site installations and it has proven to function as expected.

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  7. Does it work with the Genesis framework?

    Yes, Image Hotspotter has been reported by clients as having no issues working with Genesis.

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  8. How can I make the hover box stay fixed instead of following the mouse?

    The standard functionality of the hover box is to move with your mouse while it’s over a hotspot. If you are using a custom layout where you’d like the hover box to sit in a fixed position, you can use the block of JavaScript below by just adding it to the footer of the page with the hotspots. (Find an example of this in action via our Powered By page.) This custom code will position the hover box at the center of the hotspot. If you’re savvy with JavaScript you can modify the code to work on just a specific image or to change the position of the hover boxes if necessary.

    <script>
(function($){
  $(document).ready(function(){
    $(".imagehotspotter_caption_box").each(function(){
      var $that = $(this),
          $spot = $("#"+this.id.replace("caption_box", "spot")),
          os = $spot.offset(),
          w = parseFloat($spot.width()),
          h = parseFloat($spot.height());

      $spot.mousemove(function(){
        $spot.data('hovering', false);
        $that.css({top:os.top + (h / 2) ,left:os.left + (w / 2)});
      });
    });
  });
})(jQuery);
</script>

  9. Can I put a Hotspotter image into a sidebar widget (or some other non-standard place)?

    Actually, yes you can, however it’s a bit of a hack so it requires a little technical know-how. The issue is that WordPress does not allow you to filter sidebar widgets, so you cannot insert an Image Hotspotter short tag like [hotspotter-1] into the sidebar; those short tags are only converted in posts and pages.



    Thus, the trick to getting a fully-functional Hotspotter image into the sidebar is to first generate it via a post/page then to copy the generated code into the sidebar. Specifically, these are the steps you can follow to achieve that goal:

    1. create your Hotspotter image and insert its short code into a post
    2. display that single post so the functional hotspots are generated
    3. view the source code of the generated single post page
    4. find all the HTML and JS Hotspotter code (you should be able to identify all of it by searching for imagehotspotter)
    5. copy that code and paste it into a sidebar widget

  10. You haven’t answered my question!

    Sorry! Please feel free to contact us with your question and we’ll be happy to assist you.