home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
HyperLib 1997 Winter - Disc 1
/
HYPERLIB-1997-Winter-CD1.ISO.7z
/
HYPERLIB-1997-Winter-CD1.ISO
/
オンラインウェア
/
MLT
/
Breeze 0.3 folder.sit
/
Breeze 0.3 folder
/
breeze_e-z-card documentation
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1996-03-05
|
31KB
|
764 lines
welcome to e-z-card and light breeze...
e-z-card helps you create electronic greeting cards.
light breeze helps you create multi-media presentations.
e-z-card and breeze are the same program,
except e-z-card is for small screens,
and light breeze is for regular-size screens.
e-z-cardユs creations are called メe-cardsモ, and
light breezeユs creations are called メpresentationsモ.
in most of this documentation, iユll call the program メbreezeモ,
and use the term メpresentationsモ, but these instructions
apply equally well to e-z-card as to light breeze.
if youユre an experienced user of the program,
you can probably skip directly to the end of this documentation,
and read the メfinalizing and distributingモ section and the
メchanges from earlier versions of e-z-cardモ section.
the methods of メunlockingモ the program and メfinalizingモ a presentation
have been changed, so make sure you read that section.
and there are a good many new and improved features in this version,
so you will want to read that section as well.
***********************************************************
general orientation to the program
***********************************************************
when you create a presentation in メbreezeモ, itユs a self-contained show:
the program stores most of the presentation materials inside itself.
(the sole exception is quicktime movies, which remain as independent files.)
this means that every copy of the program is an independent presentation.
(to create another presentation, you just make another copy of the program.)
every presentation is a single-file, standalone, executable mac application.
there are three メpalettesモ that contain the resources used in a presentation:
the メpicture paletteモ, the メsound paletteモ, and the メbackground paletteモ.
when you import these resources, they are put on the appropriate palette.
the palettes also let you remove unneeded resources from your presentation.
when your presentation is finished, you should remove all unused resources.
that makes the presentation smaller and minimizes modem transmission times.
breeze allows you to create presentations with up to 25 screens.
each screen can have text, 1 picture, 1 sound, and/or 1 movie
associated with it, as well as a colorful background pattern,
to make your presentations more vivid.
(an upcoming メproモ version of メbreezeモ will offer more capabilities.
for instance, it will allow up to 500 screens. and each screen will
be able to have multiple pictures, sounds, and movies on it.)
when you enter each screenユs text,
you can select from several fonts, sizes, styles, and colors.
each screenユs text can be left-justified, centered, or right-justified.
putting pictures of yours on a screen is easy.
you can paste them in right from the clipboard,
or read them in from files on your disk.
with メlight breezeモ, your pictures can be positioned
at the left, in the center, or on the right,
either at the top, in the middle, or at the bottom.
(in the メproモ version, they can be moved anywhere.)
but thereユs more to pictures than meets the eye.
they can also serve as メhot buttonsモ that
have various メactionsモ associated with them.
that means that when the user clicks them,
they can show a picture, play a sound, play a movie,
take you to another screen, or perform other actions.
each screen can have a sound associated with it,
so the sound is played when the screen is displayed.
or a sound can be associated with a hot button.
to import sounds into your presentation,
you can paste them in from the clipboard,
read them in from a sound file, or
import them from the resource fork of another file.
you can include sounds youユve downloaded or purchased.
and, if you can record sounds on your mac,
you can include those in your presentation, too.
some people, especially with powerbooks and/or system 7.5,
reported problems with sounds in earlier versions.
to the best of my knowledge, those problems have been
completely eliminated in the newest version.
if you still have problems with sounds,
or you encounter any other bugs,
please e-mail me, and iユll try and fix them.
my e-mail address: bowerbird@aol.com
each screen can have a quicktime movie associated with it,
so the movie dialog is displayed when the screen is shown.
a movie window can also be summoned with a hot button.
to run the movie, use the controller.
・ special navigation keys...
there are some メspecialモ keys you can use for navigation
when you are creating your presentation, in addition to
the cursor keys, which take you forward and back one screen.
esc: redraws the current screen.
home: takes you to the first screen.
end: takes you to the last screen.
tilda: takes you to the メboomerangモ screen,
(the screen that brought you to the current screen).
asterisk: takes you to the boomerang screen
plus: takes you forward one screen
minus: takes you backward one screen
these special navigation keys can also be used
by people viewing a finalized presentation.
***********************************************************
specific instructions for the menus in the program...
***********************************************************
the メtextモ menu...
use the メtextモ menu when you want to edit the text on a screen.
if you pull down the メtextモ menu, youユll see that the first item is メedit screen textモ.
note that the command-key shortcut to edit is command-e.
(command-key shortcuts, like command-q to quit, are great time-savers.)
when you choose メedit screen textモ, the background clears away from the text,
and youユll be able to edit the text on the screen.
if you make changes to the text on a screen, you must save them, and
you have to save the changes before going to another screen.
you save by choosing メsave this screenユs textモ under the メfileモ menu.
(itユs under the メfileモ menu because thatユs where メsaveモ is usually located.)
if you try to go to another screen without saving your changes,
the program will prompt you to save or abandon the changes.
when youユre editing the text, the first item under メtextモ becomes メstop editingモ.
so, when youユre done editing, choose that item and the background will return.
command-e is the command-key shortcut that allows you to stop editing.
this means that you can use command-e to メtoggleモ editing on and off.
press command-e several times, and youユll see how convenient it is.
itユs much faster than using the menu to switch editing on and off.
the メpictモ menu...
use the メpictモ menu to deal with pictures in your presentations.
to specify the picture that is displayed on a screen,
choose the メselect the picture for this screenモ item.
this brings up the メpicture paletteモ.
then, just click a picture to select it.
since メlight breezeモ only allows one picture per screen, you can
switch from one picture to another by simply re-specifying the second.
choosing the メremove the picture from this screenモ item will do that.
if the picture is on the clipboard, you can paste it in to the palette.
or, if you have a picture thatユs been stored as a メpictモ file on disk,
you can メimportモ it onto the picture palette by choosing that item.
you can also import メpictモ resources saved inside a resource fork.
the other items on the メpictモ menu are for placement of the picture:
on the left, center, or right, and on the top, middle, or bottom.
the picture palette also lets you permanently remove items.
simply click the small メxモ button next to a picture,
and it will be immediately removed from the presentation.
you canユt メundoモ this action, so use it carefully.
・ import¥delete picts¥ppats
you can import picts (pictures) and ppats (backgrounds)
into your presentation using a very powerful feature
summoned by selecting the ヤimport¥delete picts¥ppatsモ item.
this feature lets you import picts and ppats from
the resource fork of other files, including applications.
it also lets you delete picts and ppats that are
already contained in your presentation.
the メhotモ menu...
pictures can serve as メhot buttonsモ that perform some action when clicked.
you turn a picture into a メhot buttonモ by using the メhotモ menu.
just select the appropriate item from the menu,
and the picture will perform that action when itユs clicked.
although the concept of メhot buttonsモ is very simple,
they are a powerful feature that lets you set up
some fairly complicated multi-media presentations.
this is also one of the areas where feedback is appreciated.
specifically, what kind of メhot buttonモ features would you like added?
good ideas will be incorporated into the メproモ version of メbreezeモ.
the メsndモ menu...
each screen can have a sound associated with it.
the sound will be played when the screen is shown.
in addition, sounds can be activated by a メhot buttonモ.
you can import sounds into your presentation
by simply pasting them in from the clipboard.
you can also import a sound by reading it in from a file on disk.
the file can be a mac sound file (メsfilモ file, with a メsnd モ resource),
or it can be a file that has sounds stored in its resource fork.
if you have sounds in other formats, youユll need to convert them first;
there are various shareware programs that will do such conversions.
the メmoovモ menu...
use the メmoovモ menu to associate a quicktime movie with a screen,
so the quicktime window is displayed when the screen is shown.
choose メselect the movie for this screen...モ, and specify the file.
when the quicktime window is displayed, move it where you want it,
and click its メcloseモ box to ヤlock inユ that position for future display.
(to redraw the screen right away to check it, press the メescapeモ key.)
the quicktime movie file must accompany the presentation ム
movies arenユt automatically incorporated into the presentation.
at runtime, the movie must be in the some folder as the presentation.
thereユs no メmovie paletteモ because movies arenユt stored internally.
you can also specify that a メhot buttonモ display the movie window.
choose メdisplay a movie...モ under the メhotモ menu, and specify the file.
as above, move the window where you want it to be displayed,
and then click its メcloseモ box to save that position for future display.
quicktime incorporates メmidiモ music, so quicktime movies
can be used in an メaudio-onlyモ mode to deliver a soundtrack.
if you want to use an メaudio-onlyモ quicktime movie,
select the メoff-screen - audio onlyモ item under the メmoovモ menu.
you can also use this for a movie that has video, too,
if you just want the audio to play without displaying the video.
to return a movie to the screen after having moved it offscreen,
just select the メcenter onscreenモ item under the メmoovモ menu.
if you choose the メoffscreenモ or メonscreenモ items while
a メhot movieモ is being displayed
(i.e., a movie that was activated by a hot button),
then it is the メhot movieモ that will be moved accordingly.
the メmiscモ menu...
the メmiscモ menu allows you to select screen backgrounds for your presentation,
メblankモ unnecessary screens, and メjumpモ to any screen.
to メjumpモ to any screen, just select the corresponding item for that screen.
if your presentation needs less than 25 screens, you can メblankモ unwanted screens
by selecting メblank this screenモ. the blanked screen is still displayed while you are
in メcreate-a-presentationモ mode, in case you change your mind and decide to use it.
however, it will not be displayed when you are in メrecipientモ mode,
or after you メfinalizeモ your presentation.
choose the メselect background...モ item to choose backgrounds.
choosing this summons up the メbackground paletteモ.
to select a particular background, just click it.
メbreezeモ uses メppatモ resources for its backgrounds.
there are literally thousands of ppats in the a.o.l. libraries that you can
download and import into your presentation to use as backgrounds.
once imported, the ppats are be displayed on the background palette.
you can find these ppats by going to keyword メmutモ, clicking the
メsoftware librariesモ button, then opening the メresourcesモ folder,
and then opening one of the メbackgrounds and patternsモ folders.
you can also use quickfind to search the libraries for メppatモ
and any other keyword you might want (such as メsoothingモ).
ppats are often also described as メtexturesモ or メsystem backgroundsモ.
in addition, there are programs that allow you to create your own ppats,
make ppats from picts, etc. well-known programs are メtexture installerモ,
メppat toolモ, and メpict2ppatモ. (note that texture installer ppats must be
uncompressed before they are imported, or they make the program crash.)
you can easily import these ppats into your presentation by
choosing the メimport¥delete picts¥ppatsモ item under the メfileモ menu.
once imported, the ppats are displayed on the background palette.
the background palette also lets you delete unwanted ppats.
just click the メxモ button next to an unwanted background,
and it will be immediately and permanently removed.
sometimes the backgrounds will メdisappearモ
from the boxes on the background palette.
to make them reappear, just click the メredrawモ button.
there are メ<-モ and メ->モ buttons on the background palette.
clicking them will cause the program to go one screen
backward or forward through the presentation.
this means you can pull up the palette a single time,
and assign backgrounds to every screen in the presentation.
this is very convenient, and will save you a lot of time.
it is much faster than summoning the palette on each screen.
you can also choose a solid color for a screenユs background.
you use the color picker to specify the background color.
you can summon the color picker from the メbackgroundモ palette,
by clicking the メcolorモ button. when you get the color picker,
just click inside the color wheel to specify a particular color.
you can adjust the brightness or darkness of the color wheel
by using the scrollbar youユll find to the right of the color wheel.
when youユve got the color you want, click the メokモ button.
note that you can also summon the color picker
without first calling up the メbackgroundモ palette,
by selecting the メbackground colorモ item under the メfileモ menu.
the メfileモ menu...
・ the first item under the メfileモ menu is メsave this screenユs textモ.
obviously, you use this item when youユre done editing the text on a screen.
・ the next item is メturn sounds offモ. when youユre creating a presentation,
sounds can be irritating, so this item lets you turn them off temporarily.
・ the next item is メswitch to recipient display modeモ.
this option switches you out of メcreate-a-presentationモ mode
and into the end-user mode that your recipient will see.
the メswitchモ to recipient mode is temporary. once you re-enter the program,
you will again be in the メcreate-a-presentationモ mode, not recipient mode.
to permanently prepare a presentation for distribution, you must メfinalizeモ it.
・ there are also items to control the type of display mode for the presentation:
(1) メactive user modeモ assumes there is an active user controlling the display,
so a screen is displayed until the user dismisses it by clicking one of the
メarrowモ buttons at the bottom, or a hot button that displays a new screen.
(2) メkiosk modeモ assumes an active user, but will switch to メslideshow modeモ
if no keypress or mouseclick has been detected in a certain time
(which you specify). if user input resumes, メkioskモ mode responds to that.
(3) メslideshow modeモ allows no user input, except:
(a) command-period to quit,
(b) command-q to quit, or
(c) a press of the letter メqモ to quit.
because メslideshow modeモ is relatively limited,
you will probably want to use メkiosk modeモ in most cases.
・ the メkiosk and slideshow settings...モ item brings up a window that lets you
control the various options for the kiosk and slideshow modes. these include:
how long each slide is displayed,
how much time without input before kiosk mode goes into slideshow mode,
whether the presentation loops or not, etc.
the メfileモ menu contains a メbackground colorモ item that lets you
assign a solid background color to the current screen.
there is also an item to メimport¥delete picts¥ppatsモ, which was discussed above.
also under the メfileモ menu are items to メswitch to recipient display modeモ and
メfinalize the presentationモ. these items are discussed fully in the next section.
***********************************************************
finalizing your presention, and distributing it...
***********************************************************
this version of the program, sent only to registered users,
automatically comes up in the メunlockedモ mode.
so, when you are done creating a presentation,
you should first remove all unused resources from the file,
then make a backup copy of the presentation, and
then メfinalizeモ the presentation by choosing the
メfinalize presentationモ item under the メfileモ menu.
(once you メfinalizeモ a presentation, you canユt edit it.
thatユs why you should make a backup copy first.)
make sure you remove all unused pictures, sounds,
and backgrounds before you メfinalizeモ a presentation.
this decreases the size of the presentation, and minimizes
the modem transmission time for you and all recipients.
you can still メpreviewモ a presentation thatユs in-progress,
to see how the recipient will see it, by choosing the
メswitch to recipient display modeモ item under メfileモ.
(to switch back, click the "x" in the upper-right corner.)
when you switch to recipient display mode,
however, the switch is only temporary.
to switch back and forth from recipient display mode,
just click the small メoモ button in the upper-right corner.
switching to recipient display mode
is different from メfinalizingモ a presentation,
because メfinalizingモ is permanent.
remember to メfinalizeモ your presentation before you send it out.
メbreezeモ presentations can be メattachedモ to an a.o.l. e-mail,
and thereby sent directly to any other a.o.l. subscriber.
they can also be uploaded to a.o.l. libraries, for download by others.
presentations made by メbreezeモ are regular mac applications,
so they can execute on any mac running system 6.0.5 or later.
(they can only execute on p.c.ユs which can run mac programs.)
メbreezeモ presentations require a 640*480 color monitor.
(they will run on a black-and-white monitor of that size, too,
but obviously the colored backgrounds wonユt be displayed.)
presentations canユt be sent over the internet as-is, because
they are binary files. to send a presentation over the internet,
it must first be メuu-encodedモ as a 7-bit メasciiモ file.
then, upon receipt, the recipient must メuu-decodeモ the file,
which turns it back into an 8-bit binary application.
the a.o.l. libraries contain many programs that do this encoding.
search the libraries for メuuencodeモ and you will find them.
(these programs will also give you a more detailed explanation.)
***********************************************************
summary
***********************************************************
multi-media programs donユt have to be difficult.
they donユt need to require tons of memory.
and the presentations they create
donユt have to be huge and memory-hungry either.
メbreezeモ shows how easy multi-media can be.
itユs a small program, both in hard-disk-footprint
and ram-required terms,
and it creates small files that will run on virtually any mac.
***********************************************************
e-mail me
***********************************************************
as always, please feel free to e-mail me at
bowerbird@aol.com
if you have any questions, comments,
suggestions, or whatever...
ム bowerbird
there are two more sections.
the first is a list of changes from earlier versions of e-z-card.
if you used an earlier version, you should read this section,
so you know whatユs different in this improved version.
the last section is a blurb on other programs iユve written.
***********************************************************
for people upgrading from earlier versions of e-z-card...
***********************************************************
for people who used earlier versions of e-z-card,
there is a new method of メunlockingモ e-z-card,
and メfinalizingモ the presentation you have created.
this method is described below, in the メfinalizing and distributingモ section,
so make sure you read that.
listed below are explanations of the new features in this version:
・ a presentation can now have 25 screens instead of 10
・ support for quicktime movies has been incorporated
・ メhot picturesモ can perform an action when clicked
・ ability to import background patterns
・ ability to import picts stored as resources
・ window to manage backgrounds and pictures
・ can use color picker for a solid color background
・ can use cursor keys on picture and sound palettes
・ メblank all screensモ option for starting a new presentation
・ new メkioskモ and メslideshowモ display modes
・ miscellaneous small changes throughout
・ new method of メunlockingモ and メfinalizingモ
・ fix for powerbook and/or system 7.5 sound problems
・ a presentation can now have 25 screens instead of 10
well, this one is pretty self-explanatory:
two and a half times as many screens.
with more screens, planning becomes important.
and, if you wonユt be using all 25 screens,
i recommend leaving a few blank screens
in between the screens you do use,
so you can easily メinsertモ a screen
between two existing screens.
・ support for quicktime movies
a quicktime movie can now be associated with a screen.
with this new support for quicktime movies,
e-z-card now becomes a full multi-media program.
・ メhot picturesモ that perform some action when clicked
another multi-media feature introduced in this
new version of e-z-card is メhot picturesモ.
you can specify that the picture assigned to a screen
is a メhot pictureモ that performs an action when clicked.
(see the メhotモ menu for a list of possible actions.)
for instance, if you choose メplay a soundモ,
youユll be asked to specify which sound. then,
when the user clicks the picture, that sound will play.
so you might have a picture of your daughter that
says メhi grandma!モ when her grandma clicks it.
・ ability to import background patterns
this version of e-z-card lets you
import background patterns from another file.
backgrounds are メppatモ resources, and there are
thousands of them available in the a.o.l. libraries.
just select メimport¥delete picts¥ppatsモ under メfileモ,
and click the メimport backgroundsモ button.
then, specify the file that contains the backgrounds
you would like to import. the program メsteps throughモ
the backgrounds, letting you メimportモ or メskipモ each one.
you can import backgrounds from an old version of the program.
・ ability to import picts stored as resources
the same window that lets you import backgrounds also lets you
import picts that are stored in the resource fork of another file.
click the メimport pictsモ button, specify a file, and youユre on your way.
itユs okay to experiment with this feature. many programs,
for instance, have picts inside them that you could import.
even though you might not have much need for picts
from another program, it can be fun to look at them.
you can import picts from an older version of the program.
・ window to manage pictures and backgrounds
the window that lets you import picts and ppats from another file
also lets you delete picts and ppats from the current presentation.
you should always delete all unused resources before メfinalizingモ
your presentation to minimize modem transmission time,
both for you and the recipients of your presentations.
of course, you can also do these deletions by
using the picture and background palettes,
where you just click the small メxモ button
next to a particular picture or background
to remove it permanently from the card.
but the メimport¥deleteモ window gives you another way to do it..
・ use color picker to specify a solid color background
in previous versions of e-z-card,
you could only specify a pattern for the background.
in this version, you can select a solid color
to be used as the background for any screen.
choose メbackground colorモ under メfileモ and then
use the color-picker to specify a particular color;
you have a wide range of colors to choose from.
you can also summon the color picker from the background palette,
by clicking on the メcolorモ button that you find there.
note that the メsliderモ button at the right side of the color wheel
can be used to adjust the brightness or darkness of the wheel.
・ use cursor keys on picture and sound palettes
in previous versions, the background palette had メ<-モ and メ->モ buttons
that let you move backward and forward through your presentation.
(the cursor keys will do the trick too.)
these buttons were so handy that i added them to the
picture and sound palettes, and the メimport¥deleteモ window.
this means that you can just summon a palette one time,
and step through all the screens in the entire presentation.
this is much easier than calling up the palette for each screen.
・ a メblank all screensモ option to start a new presentation
in the past, with only 10 screens in a presentation,
it wasnユt a big deal to メblankモ (or erase) each screen.
with 25 screens, itユs a bit of a hassle, so i added a
メblank all screensモ option (under メmiscモ)
that allows you to start a new presentation very easily.
this option is only available from the first screen,
and it actually blanks all screens except the first.
(youユve gotta have one non-blank screen on a presentation.)
as before, you can メun-blankモ a screen by simply
adding text, background, picture, sound, or movie.
・ new メkioskモ and メslideshowモ modes
this version of e-z-card has different メdisplay modesモ.
previous versions had only メactive user modeモ,
where the user navigates by clicking the arrow buttons.
this version introduces メkioskモ and メslideshowモ modes.
choose メkiosk and slideshow settingsモ under メfileモ, and
examine the options there to learn about these modes.
メslideshow modeモ allows no user input at all.
the program steps through the screens automatically.
you can set it so each screen will display for a fixed time,
or for a variable time based on the number of text lines.
メkiosk modeモ allows user input, but it switches to メslideshow modeモ
if no user input is detected after a certain time (which you specify).
you can have the presentation play once, or loop.
(to quit, just press command-q or command-period.)
if you donユt understand these modes, just donユt use them.
・ assorted small changes
a number of small changes were made
throughout this version of the program
to make it more stable and user-friendly,
so it should be even more pleasant than before.
however, it sometimes happens that making changes
like these introduces new bugs to the program.
so if you encounter any difficulties,
please let me know via e-mail right away.
***********************************************************
iユve written some other programs you might like.
***********************************************************
one of them is called メe-zine-makerモ.
(an e-zine is an electronic magazine.)
e-zine-maker is similar to e-z-card, except
it has features specialized for an e-zine.
another program of mine is called メlogユoユlogsモ.
logユoユlogs is a program that helps you
manage メsystem logsモ created by a.o.l.
these programs are described more fully below.
you can download them from the a.o.l. libraries;
just do quickfind, and search for メbowerbirdモ.
メe-zine-makerモ
e-zine-maker (e-z-m) creates an electronic magazine.
just import text and pictures from disk files,
or paste them in from the clipboard,
and e-z-m formats your e-zine automatically
into a standalone, self-contained mac application.
e-z-m allows you to customize the menu-bar
with menus appropriate for your particular e-zine.
e-z-m also lets you have your own メsplashモ screen,
メabout...モ screen, and メexitモ screen, and
gives you the same メppatモ backgrounds.
e-z-m makes it easy for you to make an e-zine,
but it also makes your e-zine convenient for readers.
in addition to the menus you configure,
which can give an excellent メoverviewモ of the e-zine,
your readers can also use cursor keys to navigate,
or convenient buttons can take them to the main sections
of the e-zine, with more buttons for individual articles.
thereユs also a メfind...モ function that lets the reader
search for specific text within the e-zine.
e-z-m makes electronic magazines fun and easy.
メlogユoユlogsモ
logユoユlogs (lユoユl) helps you manage your system logs.
when you save your a.o.l. online sessions to disk,
メsystem logsモ are the files where the text is stored.
if you donユt regularly use system logs,
youユre paying far too much for a.o.l.,
because you can read system logs offline for free,
and save good stuff (instead of going to get it again).
however, itユs not very convenient to use system logs.
they are limited to 32k, so even a short online session
can generate a number of separate files.
and itユs difficult to find specific text in a system log,
because a.o.l. doesnユt have a メfind...モ command.
lユoユl can consolidate hundreds of system logs into itself.
it displays messages individually for easy reading,
and cursor-keys take you from message to message.
you can delete undesired messages with a single key.
since you keep only wanted messages, the power of
your archives is concentrated. and you save disk space.
lユoユl lets you follow message メthreadsモ automatically,
and a メheader modeモ lets you scan message headers
so you can quickly browse through all your messages.
you also get a sophisticated メfind...モ function that
can search for up to 8 different strings simultaneously.
individual messages can be annotated and re-saved,
and you can copy them to the clipboard or a disk file.