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1992-09-04
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║ `P A R T T W O : AN INTRODUCTION` ║
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║ If you wish to skip to a specific topic, go to the ║
║ `hotword` and `=Click= or [═╝]` ║
║ `MULTIMEDIA* BASICS* SHOW* SHOW-WIN* DELAY*` ║
║ `DELAY-KB* KEY* <APPENDIX.#1>*` ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
:AN INTRODUCTION TO MULTIMEDIA
First, let's get one thing straight. This next part is an
explanation of exactly what `MULTIMEDIA` is and what it does. If you
want to skip this and go straight to the nitty and the gritty, put
your cursor on the hotword, `BASICS*` and either `=Click= or [═╝]`
and you're there before you can take your finger off the key. If
you'd like to read through a section with some rough descriptions of
what you can do with graphics and check out a few short demos,
`=Click= or [═╝]` on `MULTIMEDIA*` and `=SCAT= !`
~What is MULTIMEDIA ?~
~What can it do for you ?~
~How do you use it ?~
You know, it really doesn't matter what business you are in ...
what your profession or job is ... `every single human being on earth`
`is a Sales-person` in one form or another. The medical practitioner
`"sells"` his patients on the idea that he/she knows how to relieve your
aches and pains and make the hurt go away. The shop owner `sells`
his/her goods and wares to the public. The telephone company `"sells"`
the idea that they [`~and they, alone~`] can offer you the fastest, most
efficient and most economical telephone service. The Politician is
probably The Greatest Salesman of them all. The Politician at
election time generally tries to `sell` the public a load of raw
horse-manure while making the people think they are smelling the
pleasant aroma of Sweet Roses. Teachers `"sell"` facts and ideas to
students. Preachers `"sell"` religion. `Selling, after all, is the art`
`of capturing someone's attention; then ~convincing~ them of a specific`
`idea, ideal or fact.`
Before I go any further, let me say a word about selling ... any
kind of selling. With most folks, Sales-people have a bad
reputation. That's really sad, when you think about it. There isn't
a store, a business or an office that could stay solvent for thirty
days if it wasn't for Sales-people. You wouldn't be wearing the
clothes on your body if someone hadn't sold them to you. However, in
Sales, as in other businesses, sometimes people spend a bit too much
time worrying about ~THE BOTTOM LINE~ ... `the profit ! ~Bean-Counters !~`
Two of my favorite business authors have said basically the same
thing, but in slightly different ways. I'll pass it along to you,
for whatever it's worth.
In a seminar in 1989, `Jay Abraham` said, `"Marketing, or making a`
`profit, is what happens while you are being good to your customers."`
In short, ~stop watching `THE BOTTOM LINE~`. Help the people with whom
you are dealing. They'll tell their friends and their friends will
tell friends and pretty soon you'll have more profit than you know how
to count. `Zig Ziglar`, America's foremost Sales Spokesman, put it in a
slightly different way. He said, `"You can have everything you`
`want` ... ~if~ `you just help enough other people to get what they`
`want."` Same principle; different words. I hope this is what we
accomplish with this text. O.k., I'm off the soap-box. No more
preaching ... `~until the next time.~`
:A SHORT HISTORY LESSON.
`MULTIMEDIA` uses sight and sound in innovative ways to capture
the viewer's attention, present information or make a point. As the
program author, `Orlando Dare` says, "Imagine turning dull meetings
and boring classrooms into show-stopping, eye-popping presentations
and tutorials, complete with speech, music, special effects and high
quality graphic images."
Presentation programs are not new. They've been around for some
years now. However, most high quality presentation programs cost
several hundred dollars or more.
Presentation-quality graphics programs within the Shareware
market have been slow in coming, but the progress has been steady.
Lacking multi-million dollar Research & Development Labs, the
Shareware authors first developed screen capture programs with a
carousel or slide-show replay capability. Then someone began to work
on computer-generated speech [while gracefully ignoring the tinny
sounds that emerged from silver dollar-sized PC speakers.] Many of us
learned to program musical notes in Gee-Whiz Basic, but it wasn't
until `Neil Rubenking` of Support Group, Inc. created `PianoMan` [tm] and
`John D. Brink` of Blackhawk Data Corporation introduced his `PLUS` music
program that we had stand-alone, executable music files.
Of course, TheSoft Corporation introduced `THEDRAW` as an ANSI
Graphics Paint Program some years ago, giving us the capability of
creating colorful screen displays. At some point, someone tried
putting whole bucket-loads of ANSI screens in a batch file so that
they would scroll past, one after another. The Poor Man's
Presentation Program was born !
That more-or-less brings us up to today, doesn't it ? Now we
have digitized human speech, sound and music boards that can be
plugged into your PC like popping a piece of bread into the
toaster ... What's next ?
:MULTIMEDIA
I'd like to start of with a few basics, but before I do, let's
have a real short demonstration of the different things you can do
with `MULTIMEDIA Graphics`. {I'll hold off on `Voice` sounds until a
bit later, o.k. ?} `If` your PC has a VGA card, put your Mouse Cursor
on `<VPIC1.BAT>*` and we'll run through a quick demo. (If you're not
using the ratty rodent, use your `[Tab]` key to jump to it, then
press `[Enter]`.
The purpose of that little demonstrations was `=NOT=` to show-off
any high-level programming skills. `Far from it !` First of all,
`MULTIMEDIA` does not `USE` any high-level programming. That's the
whole point of the program ! You don't have to be a rocket scientist
to use it. The real purpose of the demo was to show you that
`MULTIMEDIA is not limited` to just using "GIF" files. In
`VPIC1.BAT`, I used a text file called TYPE.TXT, an ASCII Graphics
file that I created using `FormGen 3.30` and called GRAFIKFX.DOC, an
ANSI Graphics file I swiped from a friend's copy of `THEDRAW` called
FLAGS.ANS, a GIF file called JUPITERS.GIF and my own computer
company's logo in a file called ID.COM.
NOTE: I'm sure that sooner or later someone will mention the fact
that `MULTIMEDIA` programs will show both `GIF` and `PCX` files. I am
well aware of that. However, as both formats require a VGA Graphics
Card to view, it hardly matters, does it ? Also, should you use the
`MULTIMEDIA 1` programs to create a GIF file from a PCX file, I'm sure
you'll be quick to note that the average GIF is somewhat smaller than
its identical PCX. So, if you convert your PCX files to GIF, why keep
the bulkier PCX files on your hard-disk ? Just a thought.
The `MULTIMEDIA` screen-clearing programs {ZOOM.EXE, SCROLL.EXE,
etc} do not function at all when you are using Text, ASCII or ANSI
Graphics. So, I used a program called `CLR.EXE` [by DolSOFT
Creations] and another program called `MELT.COM` to achieve all of the
effects you saw in clearing the ANSI/ASCII screens. {A complete list
of every program we use and/or recommend can be found in the Appendix
file of this document. Go to `<APPENDIX.#1>*` and `=Click= or [═╝].`
Any time you see it and `DART` will beam you up at Warp 10
HyperSpeed. Press the Backspace key to return you to where you were.}
:BASICS
`MULTI-MEDIA` is a series of programs that are held together and
"driven" by a batch file that you write. `It's that simple.`
What type of word processor or text editor should you use ? To
be quite honest, it doesn't matter too much which one you use as long
as you can "save" the file as a pure, ASCII Text with no imbedded
control codes. I've used `Ami Pro 2.0` by the Samna Division of Lotus
Development, EDIT.COM that came with `MS-DOS 5.0` and half a dozen
others. The Registered Version of `MULTIMEDIA` even has a built-in
Text Editor you can use. My favorite happens to be `BlackBeard`,
version 7.46 which I recently downloaded from the Madison PCUG PCBoard
in Madison, Wisconsin. If you'd like to learn more about `Ami Pro`,
or `Blackbeard` ... if you haven't registered your copy of
`MULTI-MEDIA 1` and would like to know more about it, go to
`<APPENDIX.#1>*`, `=Click= or [═╝]` and you're outta here. `DART`
will transport you there at lightspeed. When you've finished reading
that, press the `[Backspace]` key and `DART` will return you right to
this spot. Also, for your convenience, I have put the registration
forms for `MULTI-GRAFIX` (this file), `MULTI-MEDIA 1` and `DART` at the
end of `MULTI-1.#2.` If you want to print out the Registration Forms
for any one or all three of these programs, you may do so at that
time.
Using the batch file you create and the inter-active software in
MultiMedia 1, you can link pictures, sound, music and even overlay GIF
files with text (without altering the GIF file at all.) Let's look at
a few basic demonstrations and see how they are put together. As
before, if your PC has a VGA Card and monitor, go to `<VPIC2.BAT>*`
and `=Click= or [═╝]`.
First, let's look at the tools we have at hand. We'll start with
the graphics display modes. If you've got a specific program that you
are wondering how to use, pick it out below. Put your cursor on the
appropriate `hotword` and either `=Click= or [═╝]`.
`SHOW*` `SHOW-WIN*` `DELAY*` `DELAY-KB*` `KEY*`
If you want to skip this and go directly to the next file, put
your cursor on `<MULTI-1.#2>*` and either `=Click= or [═╝]`.
:SHOW
SHOW.EXE will display graphic image files. It doesn't slide onto the
screen, ooze down or up. The Command Line "SHOW FILENAME.GIF" in
your driver batch will pop the image on-screen with little or no
fanfare. The manual indicates that SHOW.EXE supports PCX, GIF, PIC,
TIFF and TGA [Targa] files. However, in the interest of hard-disk
space economy, it's usually better to convert your files to GIF.
:SHOW-WIN
`SHOW-WIN.EXE` displays your VGA graphics using a scroll-down
effect. Rather than using one of the clearing procedures listed
below, you can use SHOW-WIN to scroll down, covering an image that is
already on-screen. {This only works well if the image that you are
scrolling down is as large as or larger than the image already
on-screen. Otherwise, you'll have bits and pieces of the first
graphic sticking out from beneath the edges of the second graphic.
Bad Berries !} The Command Line is ~SHOW-WIN FILENAME.EXT.~
SHOW-WIN can also be used to deliberately overlay a smaller
graphic onto a larger one. An example of this is the way that the
open mouth [MOUTHOP1.GIF] is over-layed on BLUEYES.GIF to give the
illusion that the model's mouth is opening and closing during speech.
Using this method, you have to include both the X and Y screen
coordinates so that the image fits properly. The Command Line is
~SHOW-WIN FILENAME.EXT X Y~ (where X and Y represent the screen
coordinates. If you are not certain of the coordinates, you might
create a batch file to test this. Try this.
`COPY CON TEST.BAT`
`@ECHO OFF`
`CLS`
`SHOW %1.GIF`
`SHOW-WIN %2.GIF %3 %4`
`DELAY 3`
`ZOOM OUT`
Now, you might start with the X and Y coordinates that were used
in `EXAMPLE1.BAT` included with your `MULTI-MEDIA 1` Program. So, your
command line would be something like this.
~ TEST FILENAME SMALFILE 76 142~
Look at the overlay on the screen. Is it where you want it ? If
not, then press F3. DOS will echo your last command onscreen.
Backspace over the X and Y coordinates and change them a little bit.
Look at the new location of the small file. Is it closer or farther
away to the target location. It may take a bit of time to get it
exactly where you want it, but once you get the feel of it, it gets
easier. You just have to play with it for awhile ... and while
you're playing, you're learning. Just remember that the X coordinates
refer to the horizontal starting point of the image; the Y refers to
the vertical.
:DELAY
`DELAY.EXE` gives a "wait" command to your batch file so that it will
pause for a specified period before executing the next command in
the batch. The Command Line ~DELAY 5~ indicates that your PC should
wait for five seconds before executing the next command in line. The
Command Line DELAY with no number following will cause the program
to refer to its default level, which is 1 second. 30 Seconds is the
maximum delay time enabled by DELAY.EXE. You can use DELAY for other
batch file operations outside of `MULTI-MEDIA 1`, too.
:DELAY-KB
`DELAY-KB.EXE` is similar to DELAY.EXE, but with a few important
changes. First of all, the maximum "wait" period is extended to 300
Seconds. While pressing any keys during the wait period on DELAY
could cause you some problems, DELAY-KB.EXE is designed so that the
delay can be deliberately interrupted by pressing any key. The
Command Line for DELAY-KB.EXE is ~DELAY-KB NN~ (where NN represents
the number of seconds delay you desire.)
:KEY
`KEY.EXE` will cause the batch file to halt completely until the user
presses any key. Once the User depresses a key, the batch file will
resume with the next Command Line.
The Command Line ~KEY 123Q~ causes the batch file to halt completely
while waiting for a User Response. This uses DOS ERRORLEVEL messages
to accomplish the tasks that you set up within the driver batch
file. As an example ....
COPY CON MENU.BAT
@ECHO OFF This keeps any command from echoing.
CLS Clears screen
:MENU-AGAIN This is the DOS "Label" you create.
TEXTMODE Puts MULTIMEDIA in text mode.
SHOW-WIN PROGRAMZ.GIF Displays graphics menu file.
KEY 123456789Q Activates KEY.EXE
IF ERRORLEVEL 10 GOTO QUIT Sets ERRORLEVEL Search parameters.
IF ERRORLEVEL 9 GOTO MENU9 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 8 GOTO MENU8 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 7 GOTO MENU7 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 6 GOTO MENU6 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 5 GOTO MENU5 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 4 GOTO MENU4 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO MENU3 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 2 GOTO MENU2 Ditto
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO MENU1 Ditto
GOTO MENU-AGAIN Refreshes Menu screen.
:MENU1 Label for MENU 1.
SAY THANKYOU PC Greets User.
REM FILE EXPRESS For your information.
CALL C:\BATS\FILEX.BAT Activates enabling batch file.
GOTO MENU-AGAIN Returns to Menu screen.
:MENU2 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM EXPRESS CALC
CALL C:\BATCH\EXCALC.BAT
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU3 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM EXPRESS CHECK
CALL C:\BATCH\CHEKBOOK.BAT
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU4 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM PAINT SHOW PLUS
CALL C:\BATCH\PAINT.BAT
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU5 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM NEWSMASTER II
CALL C:\BATCH\NEWS
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU6 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM PRINTMASTER PLUS
CALL C:\BATCH\PMASTER.BAT
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU7 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM GRAPHWORKS
CALL C:\BATCH\GRAPHICS.BAT
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU8 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM MULTI-MEDIA 1
C:\MULTI1\MENU.EXE
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:MENU9 Ditto
SAY THANKYOU
REM WINDOWS
C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM
GOTO MENU-AGAIN
:QUIT Closing Menu Label; Return to DOS.
SAY BYE PC farewell.
CD\ Returns to Root Directory.
CLS Clears screen.
:SPECIAL NOTE.
If your batch file contains less than 10 labels (or menu items),
"Q" is not listed as "Q" in the "KEY" command line. If, for example,
you have two menu lines plus "Quit" (as we do in the sample ----.OOP
file in VPIC1), the command is KEY 123. The "Quit" line is the last
number used (i.e. 3, in this case.) So your ERRORLEVEL line would
read "IF ERRORLEVEL 3 GOTO QUIT". Actually, as you will see in the
User's Manual file supplied with the Registered Copy of MULTIMEDIA,
"KEY" can accept up to 40 ERRORLEVEL lines.
Of course, you create your own Menu graphics image to fit the
names of the functions you wish this program to follow. Rather than
fiddle with a GIF file, I created the menu screen on my PC using
THEDRAW, saving the finished menu to a COM File, so my first line of
MENU-AGAIN simply reads MENU.COM. Now that we have talked about using
the various programs to put image files on-screen, let's move on to
the topic of clearing them off the screen. To do this, please put
your cursor on `<MULTI-1.#2>*` and `=Click= or [═╝].`