Title:	D.A.C. Imaginary Alarm Clock with Volume Control
Sub-Title:	This clock is sure to wake you up at any time!
Description:	Up for auction is an attractive digital alarm clock with a variety of features and capabilities. Unlike many similar imaginary alarm clocks, this one comes complete with a volume adjuster, configurable snooze time, and four different tunes to wake you up in the morning! Even when the alarm is disabled, the current time will be presented to you 24 hours a day! If you are worried about loosing the alarm data if the clock gets unplugged, don't worry. This device can backup all settings of the clock by inserting an optional 9-volt battery into the back of it (battery not included). The power-chord included with this alarm clock is approximately six feet (6') long to allow for maximum flexibility. If you are the high bidder, I will include the original box and three-page manual along with this superb little gadget!

Entering The Optional Information

Condition:	Nearly mint, with box and manual.
Age:	Purchased new a year ago.
Comments:	This alarm clock does not exist!
Shipping Cost:	Refer to the shipping calculator.

After entering the optional information, be sure to check the box which reads: "Include Optional Information" otherwise none of the optional information will be displayed in the auction.

Adding Pictures

Now that we have the majority of the text information filled out, lets add some pictures. Begin by opening up the "Add Images" window. You can open this window a variety of ways, the easiest would be to press F2.

This is the point where you fetch your image(s) and specify the paths into the appropriate text fields. There are two methods of doing so, and the method of obtaining the correct image path will vary depending on if you are using HTTP or FTP-Based hosting. If the FTP feature of Dominant Ad Creator is enabled, you will be able to click the Browse button next to any image field and select the picture from your hard drive. If you are using HTTP hosting, you will need to obtain the remote image URL and paste it into the appropriate text field(s). For a much more informative tutorial about uploading images to a server, please refer the Uploading tutorial. I will use three images for this auction, and the links to them are below. For simplicity purposes, these images are hosted on my own server (HTTP-based).

If you wish to use these same images for the example ad, copy the links above and paste them in the appropriate boxes in the "Add Pictures" window. The paste button will easily allow you to paste the contents of the clipboard into the appropriate text box. Once you have them all pasted, the window should look similar to the one below. After inserting the pictures you want to insert into your ad, click OK.

Note: You may wish to browse through the templates and select the one you wish to use BEFORE inserting pictures. If you have five images inserted into the current template, but then select a template which can only support one picture, the other pictures will be removed from the picture list and will need to be re-entered.

Setting Up The Preferences

We now have the images and text done, so lets configure the preferences. Click on the Preferences button (F4) to open the preferences window. Now enter YOUR information that you wish to appear in your ad. All information entered in the Preferences window will be saved automatically when you click OK, so you never have to re-enter any information unless you need to modify or change a value. Here's what I set for the auction terms:

Auction Terms:

I will contact the winning bidder within 24 hours after the auction ends. If you do not respond to the e-mail or make the payment within four days, you will receive an eBay reminder to pay. If you still do not contact me within 10 days after that, you will receive negative feedback.

Now is also a good time to select the template you wish to use in the in the final ad. Click on the second tab of the preferences, browse through the templates, and observe the previews to decide which one would be best suited for the current auction. At any time, you can view a full-sized version of the template by clicking the "View Full-Sized Template" button. You can also see specific template information below each one, such as how many images the current template supports and how many customizable tables it contains. I will use template #16 (16.tpt) for this auction. You can also change the default font within the Preferences. Many people seem to enjoy Comic Sans MS, so I will use that font for this auction.

If you have access to an FTP server and know all details about it, you can enable the FTP feature and specify the proper settings in the lower half of the second Preferences tab. For this example, we will not use this feature.

The final tab deals with the integrated shipping calculator you can include in any of your auctions. For this example, I will include a simple USPS shipping calculator. If you plan on using this feature, you will need to specify your (ship-from) zip-code, the type of shipping calculator you wish to include, and any custom comments you wish to display in the calculator. Depending on the type you select, there may be additional parameters to specify.

After you have the preferences just the way you want them, hit the OK button. Since I enabled the shipping calculator, I now have to return to the main window and specify a weight value under the Optional Information frame. I selected 2 pounds for this item.

Customizing The Template

In this example, I am using template 16. The default colors look alright, but I want to give this ad a completely different look. Let's now fully customize the template colors and appearance!

Begin by clicking on the Customize Template button (F3). This will open up a window allowing you to choose the colors and textures you wish to use in your ad. For the page background, I entered the path to a light-blue texture (http://www.auctionorbit.com/dac/dacpics/dacblue.jpg). I then changed the table colors to different shades of blue. You can also choose textures to use for the table backgrounds if you prefer.

Note: You may not know what colors will go where in the ad. The best way to find out is to preview the ad, then open the Customize Template window while still keeping the ad preview window open, so you can see which colors are being assigned to which sections of the template.

When you have the colors the way you want them, select OK. In addition, you can save the template's default colors to what you just specified by going to File > Save Template Settings. If you do so, the next time you open template 16 the blues will be the default color values.

Customizing The Main Text

Earlier, I had entered a title, sub-title, and description for the ad. What I am now going to do is make the text look more attractive. First I will change the color of the title and sub-title.

Click on the Colors Button corresponding to the title text (found on the first row down in the text settings). After the color dialog appears, clicking on the Colors Button that corresponds to the sub-title (second row down in the text settings). I selected a dark-blue for the sub-title and made the sub-title font size 5. I kept the description color black and left the font size at the default value of 3.

Now lets spice up the description text using the built-in html commands. Let's first split the description text into two sections. In this particular description, I want to split the content after the third sentence. First, move the text cursor to the position in the description where you wish to split the text, in this example it will be right after the third sentence. Now press the ENTER key twice to create a blank line between text before the cursor and the text after the cursor.

Next I added a few predefined HTML tags to text I wanted to emphasize. To do so, simply highlight the text and click on the appropriate HTML button to apply the formatting to the specified text. I would HIGHLY recommend not adding any special HTML formatting to the description until after the text is fully entered, as the HTML tags can sometimes make the description difficult to modify.

Adding Special Effects

The only thing left to do to make this ad complete is to add some special effects. Special effects are definitely not required, but can be used to enhance the appearance of an ad. In our example, we will add a bounce effect to the sub-title.

To add an effect, click on the EFFECTS menu, then select what effect you wish to insert. For the bouncing title, I clicked on: EFFECTS > SUB-TITLE > Scroll Text (Bounce). When previewed, the sub-title of the auction will bounce back-and-forth (Internet Explorer only). You can also add effects to the title or document itself by using the included functions.

What The Program Finally Looks Like

The Final Main Window

The Final Add Images Window

The Final Customize Template Window

The Final Preferences Window

[CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW THE AD LOOKS]

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