I making a small webpage using notepad. I have a pretty good knowledge
of computers, but little knowledge of the specifics of web design.

What specifically I want is as follows:

1) When the mouse moves over an image of text I want the text to
rearrange itself to form another word. Basically when a visitor's
pointer moves over the word "contact" I want the letters to jumble
around or scramble themselves to create my email address.

This may not be an onMouseOver. It may be flash, it may be javascript,
it may be dhtml. I really don't know. I'm hoping you will.

Could you provide me with the following:

a) An explanation of what I'm looking for? i.e. flash, javascript, dhtml... etc.
b) Examples that I can learn from on the Internet
c) An example code I could copy or use

Really any of the three is fine. No need to spend much time. I'm
really just messing around, and don't know enough about the subject to
use the right keywords to search it out myself. I know I've seen what
I'm looking for many times, but when it counts its never there.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks

Howdy sigmundsix-ga,

It appears that JavaScript (and a series of GIFs or an animated
GIF) is the easiest way to go.

A great animated rollovers tutorial is on this JavaScript-FX page.
http://www.javascript-fx.com/general_help/ani_rollovers/help.html

"... show you how to convert an ordinary dull rollover into an
Animated Rollover."

Another tutorial, somewhat minimal, but it also covers doing a
"mouseout" operation as well.  From a York University page.
http://www.yorku.ca/facs-mm/stuff/presenting/www/rollslice.html

"Rollovers can be created fairly painlessly in ImageReady. The
programme will output all images and HTML/JavaScript code needed."

Even shorter, but to the point, is the workz.com example.
http://www.workz.com/cgi-bin/gt/tpl_page.html,content=1906&template=15

"One easy solution is to use a JavaScript rollover. It allows you to
include animation on your site while giving your audience control
over its display."

Some variations, using buttons, etc. from "Real's HowTo" pages.
http://www.rgagnon.com/jsdetails/js-0047.html

"Do simple animation"

Yet another example, this one from a Simon Fraser University page.
http://www.cs.sfu.ca/CourseCentral/365/li/material/slides/A47.html

Some animated images, and by looking at the source code for the
page (View, then Source under Internet Explorer) you can check
out the coding.  From the Buddycom web site.
http://www.buddycom.com/WebGuru/javascript/hover/index.html

"The top table has four cells arranged as two rows of two cells
each. Inside each cell is a self-contained ONMOUSEOVER, ONMOUSEOUT
action."

Don't know how to make an animated GIF?  A tutorial for just that
on the disordered.org web site.
http://www.disordered.org/Animate.html

At times there is a possible problem with image caching, and this
developer.irt.org message addresses a fix.
http://developer.irt.org/script/1471.htm

Don't want to create the animated images, but get a neat text effect?
Here is a way to achieve it from the earthwebdeveloper.com web site.
http://webdeveloper.earthweb.com/repository/javascripts/1999/11/07/JS_20788/script20788.html

The JavaScript code for the above is here:
http://webdeveloper.earthweb.com/webjs/jsimage/item.php/19381_viewit

If you need any clarification, free to ask.


Search Strategy:

Google search on: onmouseover animation
://www.google.com/search?q=onmouseover+animation

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

I think that I can make these work. Thanks

Anytime sigmundsix-ga!  THanks for the tip!

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher