4. Using the editable content feature (with lessons that include this feature)
5. Troubleshooting
About the autoplayer
The LittleFingers Autoplayer is the "engine" that allows you to run the LittleFingers Classroom lessons, which are available for download from our website. The autoplayer is NOT necessary to run LittleFingers Software titles. The autoplayer was designed for use in school classrooms, allowing the teacher to decide which lessons should be (or not be) played during a session, and in what order the lessons will play.
Important: Please make sure the 'autodocs' file is in the same folder or directory as the autoplayer application. This file must ALWAYS be available to the autoplayer.
Setting up the lesson play order
Start up the autoplayer by double-clicking the icon on your desktop. The first time you run the autoplayer, a series of help screens will appear to familarize you with the functions of the autoplayer. These screens will not appear again once you quit the autoplayer for the first time.
On the main screen of the autoplayer, notice the circled 'R' toward the top of the screen. This symbol is your gateway to both registration of lessons and set-up of lesson play order. Hold down your command key (Mac) or control key (Windows), and click on the circled R.
To set the play order of lessons, click the 'Set-up Play Order' button. IMPORTANT: make sure all the lessons you want to add to the play list are in the same folder or directory as the autoplayer. You will see a list of lesson titles on the left side of the screen. These are the lessons you've placed in the folder with the autoplayer application. Click on the title of a lesson and then click 'Add' to add it to the play list. To remove a lesson from the play list, click on the title of the lesson in the field at right and then click 'Remove'. When you are done building your play list, click 'Apply'. You new lesson play order is saved, and you can return to the main autoplayer screen.
If you do not set a play order as outlined above, the autoplayer will simply play all the lessons in the current folder in alphabetical order by lesson title. If you have already set a lesson play order and you would like to revert back to having all lessons play in alphabetical order, just clear out the lesson play order field and click 'Apply'.
Registering your lessons
The Autoplayer application is free. The LittleFingers Classroom Series lessons are shareware. This means you can preview these lessons free for up to 30 days. If you decide to keep a lesson, you must register and pay for that lesson. Otherwise, you must delete it from your computer. Lesson prices are listed on the registration forms inside the autoplayer.
To register lessons, hold down your command key (Mac) or control key (Windows) and click on the circled 'R' on the main autoplayer screen. Then, click on the appropriate 'individual' or 'site license' button. Fill out and print the registration form. Individuals should mail this form along with payment to LittleFingers at the address shown on the form. Schools registering site licenses should mail this form to LittleFingers along with their purchase order if applicable.
Using the editable content feature
In lessons that offer editable content, do the following from the main title screen of the lesson: hold down your command key (Mac) or control key (Windows) and click on the lesson title. This takes you to the lesson editor, where you can enter your own content such as spelling words in Spell It Right, or sentences in Fact or Opinion, etc. Each time you edit the lesson, it deletes any previously entered content and replaces it with the new content you enter. If you are in the middle of editing and change your mind about replacing the content, just click the 'Revert to Saved' button. Once you click that 'Done' button, you've erased all previous content. You can also revert back to the default content that came with the lesson by clicking 'Revert to Default'.
Troubleshooting
If you are having trouble running either the LittleFingers Autoplayer or any of the lessons, first check to make sure all of the following are true:
1. You have downloaded the LittleFingers Autoplayer
2. You have downloaded at least one lesson
3. You have 'unstuffed' or 'unzipped' all the files using a decompression utility such as Stuffit (http://www.aladdin.com) for Mac or PKUnzip (http://www.pkware.com) for Windows
4. All the lesson files you've downloaded are in the same folder or directory as the LittleFingers Autoplayer application
5. The 'autodocs' file is in the same folder as the autoplayer application.
6. All the lesson filenames begin with the two letters LX
If all of the above are true yet you are still having trouble running the lessons, please read the following information on troubleshooting:
I set up a play order, but now I get a message that says "Where is file ...."
during play.
First of all, make sure the 'autodocs' file is in the same folder as the autoplayer. If the autoplayer can't find a lesson you've included in the play list, this means one of two things. The lesson filename has been changed since you set your play order, or the lesson is not in the same folder as the autoplayer application. If you know the file is in the same folder, try rebuilding your lesson play order.
I clicked on a lesson icon, but it won't run.
The lessons can't run by themselves. You need to download and run the LittleFingers Autoplayer application in order to access the lessons.
I can't find the registration form in the autoplayer to register lessons.
Since we didn't want little fingers finding their way to the registration form, the only way to get to the registration form is to hold down your command key (Mac) or control key (Windows) and click on the circled 'R' on the autoplayer main screen.
I can't find the lesson order set-up form in the autoplayer.
Hold down your command key (Mac) or control key (Windows) and click on the circled 'R' on the autoplayer main screen. This allows you to access the lesson order set-up screen.
The autoplayer is not playing all the lessons I've added to the play list.
The autoplayer will only load those lessons that are in the same folder or directory as the autoplayer application. The autoplayer searches for filenames that begin with LX, so if you have renamed any lesson files, make sure the first two characters are LX. In addition, if you have re-named any lesson files, you will have to go back and rebuild your play list.
Can I change the names of the lesson files?
It's not recommended, but yes, you can. The only part of the lesson filenames you shouldn't change are the first to characters LX . The rest of the filename you can change to whatever you want. Whatever appears after 'LX' in the filename is what will appear as the lesson title in the autoplayer. Note: if you set a play order and then change the title of a lesson, the autoplayer will not be able to find it. After you change the filename of a lesson, you must rebuild your play order list.
Can I run other applications from the autoplayer?
No. The autoplayer will not launch files other than LittleFingers lesson files. We recommend that you keep the autoplayer and the lesson files in a separate directory from all other applications on your desktop.
If you can't find the answer to your question in this README file, email LittleFingers at webmaster@littlefingers.com, and we will try to assist you.
