DAZZLER Help Index

Menus

Overview

File menu

Edit menu

Presentation menu

Run menu

View menu

Settings menu

Utilities menu

Window menu

Help menu

Objects

Overview

Tasks

Events

Actions

Responses


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and document.

To move the window, drag the title bar.  Note: You can also move dialog boxes by dragging their title bars.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

Application Control-menu button

Document Control-menu button

Maximize button

Minimize button

Name of the application

Name of the document

Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the document.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the document.


Size command

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


Move command

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.


Minimize command

Use this command to reduce the DAZZLER window to an icon.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the minimize icon [image] on the title bar.


Maximize command

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the maximize icon [image] on the title bar; or double-click the title bar.


Next Window command

Use this command to switch to the next open document window.  DAZZLER determines which window is next according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F6


Previous Window command

Use this command to switch to the previous open document window.  DAZZLER determines which window is previous according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+CTRL+F6


Close command

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.

Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.

Note:  If you have multiple windows open for a single document, the Close command on the document Control menu closes only one window at a time.  You can close all windows at once with the Close command on the File menu.

Shortcuts

Keys: 	CTRL+F4 closes a document window

ALT+F4 closes the Dazzler type window or dialog box


Restore command

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Switch to command

Use this command to display a list of all open applications.  Use this "Task List" to switch to or close an application on the list.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+ESC

Dialog Box Options

When you choose the Switch To command, you will be presented with a dialog box with the following options:

Task List

Select the application you want to switch to or close.

Switch To

Makes the selected application active.

End Task

Closes the selected application.

Canncel

Closes the Task List box.

Cascade

Arranges open applications so they overlap and you can see each title bar.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Tile

Arranges open applications into windows that do not overlap.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Arrange Icons

Arranges the icons of all minimized applications across the bottom of the screen.


Ruler command

No help is available for this topic.


Choose Color dialog box

No help is available for this topic.


Find command

No help is available for this topic.


Find dialog box

No help is available for this topic.


Replace command

No help is available for this topic.


Replace dialog box

No help is available for this topic.


Repeat command

Use this command to repeat the last editing command carried out.  The Repeat menu item changes to Can't Repeat if you cannot repeat your last action.

Shortcut

Key:	F4


Clear command

No help is available for this topic.


Clear All command

No help is available for this topic.


Next Pane

No help is available for this topic.


Prev Pane

No help is available for this topic.


Modifying the Document

No help is available for this topic.


No Help Available

No help is available for this area of the window.


No Help Available

No help is available for this message box.


No help is available for this topic.


Open File Dialog Box
File Open Dialog Box

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open.  This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open.

Drives

Select the drive in which DAZZLER stores the file that you want to open.

Directories

Select the directory in which DAZZLER stores the file that you want to open.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Print Dialog Box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This is the active printer and printer connection.  Choose the Setup option to change the printer and printer connection.

Setup

Displays a Print Setup dialog box, so  you can select a printer and printer connection.

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

All	Prints the entire document.

Selection	Prints the currently selected text.

Pages	Prints the range of pages you specify in the From and To boxes.

Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print for the above page range.

Collate Copies

Prints copies in page number order, instead of separated multiple copies of each page.

Print Quality

Select the quality of the printing.  Generally, lower quality printing takes less time to produce.


Print Progress Dialog

The Printing dialog box is shown during the time that DAZZLER is sending output to the printer.  The page number indicates the progress of the printing.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


Print Setup Object Dialog Box
Print Setup Dialog Box

The following options allow you to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.  Choose the Default Printer; or choose the Specific Printer option and select one of the current installed printers shown in the box.  You install printers and configure ports using the Windows Control Panel.

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

Select the size of paper that the document is to be printed on.

Paper Source

Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources.  Specify the tray here.

Options

Displays a dialog box where you can make additional choices about printing, specific to the type of printer you have selected.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Paste Link command

No help is available for this topic.


Links command

Use this command to display a  Links dialog box which lets you edit links between your document and other documents.

This command is unavailable if you have no links in your document.


Links dialog box

No help is available for this topic.


Object verb

No help is available for this topic.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Double-click the object with the left mouse button.


Insert New Object Command

Inserts and embeds an object, such as a chart or an equation in a document. The application in which the object was created becomes active on the screen.

Select the object you want to insert into your document using the Insert New Object dialog box.


Insert New Object Dialog Box

Object Type

This list shows all the applications on the computer which have registered themselves as being OLE compliant and hence can be used by the Dazzler OLE2 action. The applications listed here may not actually be available on your computer - the application itself may have been deleted without being fully un-installed.

Having chosen an application document type to use, now decide if an existing document should be used or whether a new one should be created.

Create New (default)

Choose this option if an entirely new object is to be created (e.g., a new word processed document).

Create From File

Choose this option if and existing object is to used (e.g., an existing word processed document).

Display As Icon

Check this box if the OLE object is to appear as an icon in the Presentation Window which the user can click on to display the document, picture, etc. Leave this box unchecked if the document itself is to appear in the Presentation Window.

When the OK button is clicked, Dazzler will spend a few moments establishing the OLE link and then the following dialog box will appear:


Change Icon Dialog Box

The following dialog box appears:

Current

Use the icon currently selected.

Default

This option selects the default icon for the application which created the OLE object.

From File

Any icon can be used to represent the OLE object in the Presentation Window. Choose the From File option and browse for the application which contains the required icon using the Browse... button. The icons available in a selected file will be shown in the box below the From File option. Click on the one required to select it.

Note: this process is very similar to changing the icons of items in Program Manager.

Label

Text can be entered here which will appear underneath the icon in the Presentation Window. This is equivalent to labeling icons in Program Manger groups.


Convert Dialog Box

Converts an object of one type into another (e.g., from a Paintbrush file to a Device Independent Bitmap (DIB) file).


Paste Special dialog box

No help is available for this topic.


Update Command

Click on a menu item in the Menu Structure box to edit its text in the text box. Press the Update button to change the menu structure to reflect the modification.


Save Copy As... command

No help is available for this topic.


Embedded Object Resize Bar

No help is available for this topic.


Responses - overview
Responses

Having used the actions to ‘build’ the screen display to show to the user (for example, a picture with some text on it), the responses specify how the user can interact with the system. Each response is linked to another task which will be carried out if that response is activated. Some responses (Check Button, Drag, Grid, Hot Spot, HyperText, Menu, Push Button) can also be assigned 'right' and 'wrong' for logging user performance.

A task can have multiple responses associated with it. The response that is actually carried out is the one whose conditions are met first. For example, if there is a Pause Response and a User Input Response attached to the same task, then if the time period defined in the Pause expires before the user has pressed the correct keys, the presentation will branch to the task specified in the Pause Response rather than the one specified in the User Input response.

'Deluxe' refers to features available only in the Dazzler Deluxe edition.

There are nearly twenty types of response, providing a rich set of properties with which to control presentations and presentations. Some are common to all, or most, responses, whilst others are unique to a particular one. Each property is described in the relevant section. One area which is common to many responses is the ability to modify variable values, carry out calculations and evaluate functions. These are advanced features of Dazzler Deluxe and are described in the next section.

Branch

Check/Radio Button

Conditional Branch

Drag Object

Editor Input

Frame

Grid

Hot Spot

Hypertext

Keyboard

Listbox/Combobox

Menu

Mouse

Notification

Pause

Push Button

Rich Text Editor


Variables

Before a presentation branches to a specified task, variable values can be set, calculations can be carried out, and functions can be evaluated. In many of the Response dialog boxes, a ‘Set Variables’ button is available; pressing this will display the following edit box:

This edit box is used to enter the variable calculation. Variable names can be typed in directly or inserted from the variables dialog box by clicking the browse button. This will show the list of all the variables available within the presentation, both the built-in ones and those added using the Presentation/Variables menu (see above), as well as the functions and operators which can be used with the variables:

Multiple variables can be set within the same response by putting each calculation on a different line. Functions and arithmetic operations can be carried out on the variables. See the full description of the use of variables under Variables Action.

Precedence is from left to right, although expressions can be associated using parentheses ().

An example of a variable equation would be:

NumberOfAttempts = NumberOfAttempts + 1

You can validate equations using the Presentation /Validate menu option.


Branch Response

Description

Use this to go immediately to another part of the presentation without waiting for a response from the user.

Properties

Icon Text - the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

If Activated:

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions, , carry out calculations and execute functions, before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions, displayed by pressing the task browse button.


Check/Radio Button Response
Check/Radio Button Response (Deluxe)

Description

Check boxes and radio buttons can be used to allow the user to select one or more possible answers.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Title -the text which will appear next to the radio button or check box. Variables may be used.

Location - specify the position of the check box or radio button and its associated title in the Presentation Window.

Type - choose how the object will appear and behave:

Check Box

A cross is drawn when the user clicks on the box, indicating that it is set. It is removed when clicked on again. Each check box acts independently of any others on the screen.

Radio Button

A circle is filled when the user clicks on it, indicating that it is set. It is unfilled when another radio button in the group is clicked on (see Start of Group below).

If Checked - if the check box or radio button is set when the task is completed, the response may be logged (right, wrong, or not applicable) and variable values can be modified using the Set Variables button.

Attributes Tab

Bk Colour... - select this box to enable selection of a fill-colour from the combobox for the rectangle defined for the object (when not selected, the fill-colour will be transparent).

Left Justify - the title text will appear to the left of the radio button or check box.

Right Justify - the title text will appear to the right of the radio button or check box.

Start of Group - select this option to begin a new radio button group, which causes all the button responses defined in the task from this point on to act together (until the next Start of Group, if applicable) - only one button within a group will be selected at any time.

Initially Checked - a radio button or check box can be set to its 'on' state when first displayed in the Presentation Window (although only one button in a group of radio buttons can be ‘on’ at any one time). The options are:

Always

The check box or button will be on when first shown.

If True

The check box or button will only be set when first shown if the given variable expression is true. Variable names can be typed in directly or inserted by using the browse button.

Font Tab

Coordinates Tab


Font Tab

Specify the font type, style, size, effects and colour to be used for the object.


Coordinates Tab

Provides control over object coordinates, the layer on which it is placed, and whether the object is locked. Object coordinates may be explicit values; alternatively, variables may be entered into these edit boxes.

Layers allow the Presentation Window to contain objects at different ‘levels’. By providing the ability to clear specific layers, a high degree of control of the course can be achieved - variables may not be used for this property).

Locking simply prevents the developer accidentally moving an object - it has no effect on the course.


Conditional Branch Response
Conditional Branch (Deluxe)

Description

This response checks the value of variables, such as student scores, and will branch to a different part of the course if a particular expression is true. It is always checked first in a task with several responses, even if on the screen it is not shown as the first response icon.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Branch If: - enter the expression to test for in this edit box. Variable names can be typed in directly or by using the browse button. Note that there is an implicit 'if' in all Conditional Branch responses so it is not necessary to type it into the expression.

An example expression would look like this:

StudentScore > 50 and QuestionsRepeated <= 10

If Activated:

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions, displayed by pressing the task browse button.


Drag Object Response
Drag Object Response (Deluxe)

Description

Using this response, a Drop Area or Path can be defined which will trigger the branching specified in the response. Multiple Drag Object responses can be used within one task, enabling several items on the screen to be moved around by the user.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Object - to use the Drag Object response, first of all select an object the user will be able to drag, by clicking on the Object browse button. A list of the objects currently available in the Presentation Window will be displayed. Select the object to be dragged from the list.

Note: Only objects currently loaded into the Presentation Window will be shown in the object list. To load appropriate objects, highlight the relevant task and select Run/Current from the menu, or click on the ‘Test Current Task’ [image] icon to load the objects before setting properties.

Type - use this drop down combo box to choose how the user can move the object specified. The middle part of the dialog will change to reflect additional features for that option:

Move Freely - the object (picture, text, shape, etc.) can be dragged anywhere within the Presentation Window.

Additional attributes:

Drop Area - press the Define... button to create a rectangle in the Presentation Window. If the user releases the mouse button when the dragged object is directly on top of the drop area, the response branching will be triggered. In this way the drop area acts as an invisible hot spot, triggered by the dropping of an object rather than a click of the mouse.

Hot Spot - Dazzler uses the top left corner of the object as the hot spot which is used to determine if the object has been released within the Drop Area. To change this behaviour so that a different part of the object is used as the hot spot, enter offset values in the X and Y boxes. Positive x values (in pixels) move the hotspot to the right. Positive y values (in pixels) move the hotspot down. Variables can be used here.

Move Along Path - the object can only be dragged along a path. Press the Define... button to create the path in the Presentation Window. Each click of the mouse will create one point on the path. Double-click to finish the path.

Additional attributes:

Scaled Path Data - attributes can be used in conjunction with the built-in variables to detect how far along the path the user released the object:

Base - specifies the numeric start point of the path (e.g. 0).

End - specifies the numeric end point of the path (e.g. 100). If the user releases the object half way along the path, the variable DragScaleValue will contain the value 50, given a Base value of 0 and an End value of 100.

Valid Range - activates the response branching. Use the From and To boxes to specify whether Dazzler should log the response as right or wrong (e.g. in the above example, if the valid range is set as being from 50 to 75, releasing the dragged object from half to three quarters of the way along the path would cause a ‘Right’ response to be logged). Anywhere else would log a ‘Wrong’ response. Either one would activate the response branching to the specified task. Variables can be used here.

Move Within Rectangle

Press the Define... button to create a rectangle in the Presentation Window which will create a boundary for the dragged object. The user may drag it anywhere inside the rectangle, but will be unable to move it outside.

Additional attributes:

There are no additional attributes that can be specified when using the Move Within Rectangle option.

If Activated:

Log As  - options are right, wrong, and N/A (Default).

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.


Editor Input Response
Editor Input Response (Deluxe)

Description

This displays a standard edit box on the screen so that the user can type in answers which can be assigned to variables for later use.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Location - click the Define… button to draw a rectangle in the Presentation Window for the edit box.

Assign to variable - choose a variable from the list which will be used to store the text entered into the edit box. Both built-in variables and those created through the Course/Variables menu item can be used.

Initially displayed - check this option if the edit box is to be filled with the current value of the variable, with which it has been associated, when it is first displayed.

Attributes Tab

Bk Colour... - use this to select a fill-colour for the edit box.

Single Line/Multiple Line - these options specify whether the user is allowed to enter more than one line of text into the box.

Vertical Scroll Bar - if a multiple line edit box is chosen, check this option to show a vertical scroll bar allowing more lines of text than can fit into the box to be entered and viewed.

Horizontal Scroll Bar - if a multiple line edit box is chosen, select this option to show a horizontal scroll bar allowing longer lines of text to be entered and viewed.

Border - select this option if the edit box is to appear with a border around it.

Read Only - select this if you want to display the value of a variable in the edit box, but you don't want the user to be able to alter it or type anything else in.

The following options specify how the typed-in text is to be displayed:

Case insensitive - any letters entered will appear as a combination of upper & lower case.

Password - as letters and numbers are entered, they will just be shown as a series of '*' characters in the edit box. The full text can still be assigned to a variable, for password checking, for example.

Upper Case - any letters entered will automatically be converted to UPPER CASE.

Lower Case - any letters entered will automatically be converted to lower case.

Justify - these options specify in which way the text will appear in the edit box - aligned to the left, right or centre.

Initially Highlighted - select this option if the text in the edit box is to be highlighted, and hence selected, when the edit box becomes active. Any text typed into the box will then overwrite the current contents. If this option is not checked, the cursor will be placed at the beginning of the text in the edit box, but the text will not be selected.

Character Limit - specifies the maximum number of characters which can be entered into the edit box.

Control Tab

These options determine which keys can be used to move from one Editor response to another. This is useful for simulating the way in which various computer systems work.

Previous Field/Next Field - select the key, or combination of keys, which will move to the previous/next Editor Input response on the screen. The default key combination is the Shift + Tab and Tab keys, respectively, as used in Windows applicationsKeys can be toggled on and off.  The ‘next/previous’ sequence is the order in which responses appear in the response list, rather than as displayed on the screen.

Mask Tab

These attributes provide a way of imposing a template on the Editor Input response, restricting the sequence of letters and numbers which the response will accept. This provides a way of ensuring the user enters data in the correct format, for telephone numbers and codes, for example.

Mask - enter the sequence representing the allowed input using the following codes:

9 -	Only a number from 0 to 9 can be typed in at this point in the sequence.

A -	Only a letter can be typed, either in upper or lower case.

N -	Any letter, either in upper or lower case, or number from 0 to 9 can be typed.

L -	any letter entered will be converted to lower case.

U -	any letter entered will be converted to upper case.

X -	Any letter, number or special ASCII character can be typed.

\  -	Literal character e.g \N would display the letter N and not treat it as the Any Letter mask.

If an invalid key is pressed, it will not be accepted and the cursor will remain where it is in the edit box until a valid key is pressed.

Prompt - if a character is entered in this box, then the number of characters in the mask will be shown in the edit box using this character. The default character is the underscore ‘_’. Thus if the Mask 9LU is used, the Editor Input would appear initially with ‘___’ in the box.

Auto Advance - if this option is checked, when a valid series of characters has been entered according to the mask specified, the cursor will automatically move to the next Editor Input response in the task, ready for characters to be typed there. If it is not checked, the cursor will remain in the Editor Input box and not move to the next one until the keys specified in the Control settings are pressed.

Font Tab

Coordinates Tab


Frame Response
Frame Response (Deluxe)

Description

This response will detect and respond to an object having reached a particular point.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Playing Object - select the object to be monitored.

Note: Only objects currently loaded into the Presentation Window will be shown in the list. To load appropriate objects, highlight the relevant task and select Run/Current from the menu, or click on the ‘Test Current Task’ icon to select an object.

Note: audio objects will need to be typed in directly as they do not appear explicitly in the Presentation Window.

Wait for: use this box to specify at which point the response should activate, moving on to the task specified in the ‘If Activated…’ property below.

If Activated:

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.


Grid Response
Grid Response (Deluxe)

Description

If many hot spots are needed (for instance, overlaying a map), the grid response provides a convenient way to do this. A rectangle can be defined and divided into a number of rows and columns. Each element of the grid, when clicked on, can lead to a different task in the presentation.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Grid - the options under this heading apply to the grid as a whole:

Rows - the number of rows in the grid.

Columns - the number of columns in the grid.

Rectangle - select the Define… button to draw a region in the Presentation Window to contain the grid. The rows and columns will be automatically scaled to fit the grid defined.

Cell - the options under this heading refer to specific cells in the grid. The top left cell is at row 1, column 1.

Row -select the row of a particular cell by typing in its row number.

Column - select the column of a particular cell by typing in its row number.

If Activated (note: these properties are specified for each cell):

Log As  - options are right, wrong, and N/A (Default).

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions by pressing the task browse button.

Attributes Tab

Show Grid - select this option, once a bounding rectangle has been defined, to show the grid as a series of dotted lines in the Presentation Window.

Invert Cell - if this option is checked, as the user moves the cursor over the grid cell (without clicking), the area defined by the cell will change colour, showing the inverse colours of whatever picture, etc., lies behind it.

Show Cursor - select this option to change the cursor from the standard arrow to something different whenever it is moved over the grid. In this way, users can be given an indication of where they can click in the Presentation Window. The default new cursor is a pointing hand, but any .CUR or .ANI file can be selected by pressing the Load... button and browsing for the file.

Coordinates Tab


Hot Spot Response

Description

Use this response to create hot spots in the Presentation Window. If the user clicks the mouse on this spot, or presses a key assigned to that region, the presentation will move on to the task defined in the response. This is how photographs can be made interactive, for example. Clicks in a region can be logged as 'right' or 'wrong'.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Type - click the Define… button to draw an area in the Presentation Window. Once an area has been defined, the button text changes to Modify, allowing the size and position of the hot spot to be changed. There are two types of hot spot that can be defined in this way:

Rectangle (default) - clicking and dragging the cursor in the Presentation Window will create a rectangular hot spot, similar to creating a rectangle with the Graphics Shape action.

Polygon - using this option, each click of the mouse will define a corner of a polygon hot spot in the Presentation Window. Double click the left mouse button to close the shape.

If Activated:

Log As  - options are right, wrong, and N/A (Default) and flash zero, once, or three times.

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.

Attributes Tab

Show Outline - select this option, once a region has been defined, to show the boundary of the region as a dotted line in the Presentation Window.

Invert - if this option is checked, as the user moves the cursor over the hot spot (without clicking), the area defined by the hot spot will change colour, showing the inverse colours of whatever picture, etc., lies behind the hot spot.

Show Cursor - select this option, once a hot spot has been defined, to change the cursor from the standard arrow to something different whenever it is moved over the area. In this way, users can be given an indication of where they can click in the Presentation Window. The default new cursor is a pointing hand, but any .CUR or .ANI file can be selected by pressing the Load... button and browsing for the file.

Mouse:

Left (Default) - select this to detect the left mouse button.

Right - select this to detect the right mouse button.

Choose one of these options to specify what kind of mouse click will trigger the response:

Button Down (Default) - the response will be activated as soon as the user pushes the relevant mouse button down.

Button Up - the response will not be activated until the user releases the relevant mouse button.

Double Click - activate the response if the user double-clicks on the relevant mouse button.

Keyboard Tab

Choose one of these options to specify what kind of key press will trigger the response:

None (Default) - only mouse clicks in the hot spot will activate the response.

Any Key - the response will be activated if the user presses any key on the keyboard.

Specific Keys - the response will only be activated if one of the specified keys is pressed. These can be any visible key displayed in the edit box and/or the special keys, such as function keys.

Coordinates Tab


Hypertext Response

Description

This response works in combination with the Rich Text Action. Hypertext responses are generated automatically when a Rich Text action is created. One response will be created for each item of hypertext on the screen. In this way, the presentation will react to the hypertext which is clicked on by carrying out the appropriate response. Selections can be logged as 'right' or 'wrong'.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Hypertext: - this is an edit box which contains the hypertext link which will activate this response.

If Activated:

Log As  - options are right, wrong, and N/A (Default).

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.

After specifying relevant properties and clicking on OK, the following dialog box will be displayed, allowing the developer to specify the required behaviour:


Keyboard Response

Description

Wait for the user to press any, or a particular, key.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Keyboard - choose one of these options to specify what kind of key press to look out for:

Any Key (Default)

The response will be activated if the user presses any key on the keyboard.

Specific Keys

The response will only be activated if one of the specified keys is pressed. Type a keyboard letter or number into the edit box (specify multiple allowable keys using a comma), or click on the name in the list of special keys, such as function keys.

Note: Push Button responses can have their own keyboard processing - for example, short cut keys can be assigned to them. Care should be taken when mixing Keyboard Input responses with Push Buttons.

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.


Listbox/Combobox Response
Listbox/Combobox Response (Deluxe)

Description

This provides a way of letting users choose from a listbox or pop-down combo box. The items in the list can be specified by typing directly into the Fill With box, or by inserting variables so that the choices presented to the user can be changed dynamically. The choice made can also be stored in a variable for later use, for instance by a Conditional Branch Response.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Type - there are two ways to show the user the contents of the list contained in this response:

List Box

The list will fill the rectangle defined for the object. If there are more items in the list than can be fitted into the rectangle, a vertical scroll bar allow access to the others.

Combo Box

If space on the screen is at a premium, the combo box type will display only the current selection in a box equivalent to the height of the chosen font. Pressing the button on the right of the box will drop down the list of other items. The size of the drop down box will be restricted to the defined rectangle. If all the entries in the list cannot be fitted into this space, a vertical scroll bar will be added to allow access to the others.

Location - select the Define… button to draw a rectangle in the Presentation Window for the list box.

Fill With - this box contains the items to be shown in the list box or combo box. The entries can either be typed in, for instance:

Apples

Oranges

Pears

Alternatively, variables can be inserted so that the contents of the list box can be changed as the course runs; for instance, to show the results of a database query (using the optional ODBC toolkit). Click the browse button to bring up the variables dialog box and choose from the list of built-in variables and those added through the Presentation /Variables menu item.

Delimited By: - by default, different items for the list box are shown on separate lines in the Fill With box. The delimiter between the items is the Carriage Return/ Enter (CR) character. There are times, however, when it is more useful to separate the items by another character, for instance a comma ‘,’ especially when using variables. Thus, the list shown above could be entered in this case as:

Apples, Oranges, Pears

Initially Select: - when the list box or combo box is first shown, no particular item in the list will be highlighted by default. Use this option to specify which entry (either text or a variable) will be shown highlighted when the task is activated.

Assign Selection to: - choose a variable from the list which will be used to store the text of the item chosen from the listbox response. Both built-in variables and those created through the Presentation /Variables menu item can be used.

Attributes Tab

Sorted - select this option to re-arrange the items in the list in alphabetical order rather than the order they are shown in the Fill With box.

Border - select this option to show a black border of one pixel around the list of items.

Multiple Selection - check this option to allow more than one selection to be made from the list.

Vert Scroll Bar - if all the entries in the list cannot be fitted into the defined area, a vertical scroll bar will be added if this option is checked to allow access to the others.

Horiz Scroll Bar - if some of the entries in the list are wider than the defined area, a horizontal scroll bar will be added if this option is checked to allow the whole of the text of an item to be viewed.

Background Colour: - use this to select a fill-colour for the edit box.

Font Tab

Coordinates Tab


Menu Response
Menu Response (Deluxe)

Description

This is a matching response to the Menu Action. When the user selects an option from those defined in the Menu Action, the response which has been associated with that item will be activated.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Menu Selected - enter the menu item text (checking for upper and lower case) or choose the menu item which will trigger this response from the drop down list, if a menu has already been loaded into the Presentation Window.

If Activated:

Log As  - options are right, wrong, and N/A (Default).

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.


Mouse Response

Description

Wait for the user to click a mouse button.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Button

Left (Default) - select this to detect the left mouse button being pressed.

Right - select this to detect the right mouse button being pressed.

Action

Choose one of these options to specify what kind of mouse click will trigger the response:

Button Down (Default) - the response will be activated as soon as the user pushes the relevant mouse button down.

Button Up - the response will not be activated until the user releases the relevant mouse button.

Double Click - activate the response if the user double-clicks on the relevant mouse button.

If Activated:

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions, before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.


Notification Response

Description

This response waits to be notified that certain actions have been completed. Movies (both digital video clips and animations), Sound and ODBC actions can be used with this response - the next task will not be activated until the action has finished what it is doing. This response can also be combined with other responses, so the user can interrupt a video clip with a button or key rather than having to wait for it to play all the way through. Note: this response will only be triggered if the Notify When Complete attribute is set in the required action.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Sound/Movie file complete - select this box if the response should be triggered when a Sound action or Movie File action sends notification that the playing of the sound or movie has been completed.

Move Object complete - select this box if the response should be triggered when a Move Object action sends notification that the movement of the object has been completed.

External Application Closed - select this box if the response should be triggered when an external application, activated with the ‘Launch Another Application’ action, is closed.

ODBC - No more records - select this box if the response should be triggered when the ODBC action (available with the add-on Database Toolkit) sends notification that no more records can be found, according to the current search criteria.

FTP Download Complete - select this box if the response should be triggered when the FTP download is complete.

HTML Page Load Complete - select this box if the response should be triggered when the HTML Page Load is complete.

If Activated:

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.


Pause Response
Pause

Description

Wait for a period of time, defined in seconds, before moving on to another task.

Properties

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Time - type in the amount of time to wait before moving on to the task specified in Resulting Action. The shortest time which can be specified is 0.01 seconds. A variable can be inserted here so that the length of the pause would depend on the value in the variable when the response is activated (to insert a variable, simply type the name directly into the ‘Pause for ‘ edit box).

If Activated:

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.


Push Button Response

Description

This is one of the most commonly used responses. It places a button with text at a location on the screen. When the user presses it, the presentation moves on to the specified task. Button pushes can also be logged as 'right' or 'wrong'.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Text - type in the text to appear on the button here. Put the '&' character before a letter to be used as a shortcut key. For example, if the text on the button is "&Continue", the button will have 'Continue' written on it with the 'C' underlined, indicating that the user can press the C key (upper or lower case) to activate the button as if it had been clicked with the mouse.

Location - select the Modify... button to change the shape and position of the button. The default 'Continue' button is positioned at the bottom centre of the Presentation Window.

If Activated:

Log As  - options are right, wrong, and N/A (Default).

Set Variables - modify value(s) of variable(s), carry out calculations and execute functions,  before proceeding as below.

Next Task - go to the task immediately following this one.

Branch to Task Tag Number - go to a specific task number. This can be specified directly in the edit box or selected from a list of task numbers and their descriptions displayed by pressing the task browse button.

Do Attached Action(s) Only - carry out the actions linked directly to this response.

Standard Button Tab

The appearance of the button itself, its colour and depth, can be modified using the following attributes:

Face - the colour of the main part of the button. Default value is light grey.

Highlight Colour - the colour of the left and top edges of the button. Default colour is white.

Shadow Colour - the colour of the right and bottom edges of the button.

Shadow Width - the width of the edges of the button in pixel units. Default value is 2.

Has Border - select this box to put a black border one pixel wide around the button.

Picture on Button

Image File

Pictures can be put on buttons instead of text. Press the browse button to find the picture to be displayed. Supported file formats can be previewed in the file browser by checking the Show Preview option.

Note: the same issues relating to colour palettes apply to pictures on buttons as they do for pictures displayed through the Graphics Image action. The Palette action can be used to control the way colour palettes of picture buttons are handled. Images will be centred and ‘clipped’ to the face rectangle.

Transparent Colour

Transparent colour options are:

None - no transparent colour.

Auto - autoset using the top left pixel colour.

Custom - user specified.

Custom Button Tab

Pictures can be put on individual ‘states’ of buttons instead of text. Press the browse button to find the picture to be displayed. Supported file formats can be previewed in the file browser by checking the Show Preview option.

Note: the same issues relating to colour palettes apply to pictures on buttons as they do for pictures displayed through the Graphics Image action. The Palette action can be used to control the way colour palettes of picture buttons are handled.

Up/Down/Over Image - specify the images which will be displayed on the button when it is in a normal (up) state, a pressed (down) state, and when the mouse cursor is over it, respectively.

Transparent Colour - options are:

None - no transparent colour.

Auto - autoset using the top left pixel colour.

Custom - each image can have a transparent colour, which can be set when the ‘focus’ is on the relevant filename edit box.

Font Tab

Coordinates Tab


Rich Text Editor Response

Description

This displays an edit box on the screen so that the user can enter ‘rich text format’ textwhich can be assigned to variables for later use.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text -the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Location - click the Define… button to draw a rectangle in the Presentation Window for the edit box.

Assign to variable - choose a variable from the list which will be used to store the text entered into the edit box. Both built-in variables and those created through the Presentation /Variables menu item can be used.

Initially displayed - check this option if the edit box is to be filled with the current value of the variable, with which it has been associated, when it is first displayed.

Attributes Tab

Background Colour: - use this to select a fill-colour for the edit box.

Vert Scroll Bar - select this option to show a vertical scroll bar allowing more lines of text than can fit into the box - when this option is not selected, only a single line of text may be entered.

Horiz Scroll Bar - select this option to show a horizontal scroll bar allowing longer lines of text to be entered and viewed.

Border - select this option if the edit box is to appear with a border around it.

Read Only - select this if you want to display the value of a variable in the edit box, but you don't want the user to be able to alter it or type anything else in.

Word Wrap - select this option if words are to wrap around to the next line if they would otherwise exceed the boundary of the edit window.

Enable Editor Menu - with this option checked, the user, at run-time, will be able to invoke editor commands with a ‘right mouse click’.

Default Font Tab

Coordinates Tab


Task Tag List

Displays a list of task numbers and their descriptions, used in your presentation.


Insert Variable

Shows a list of all the available variables, both those built-in and those added via the Presentation /Variable menu.


Events - overview
Events (Deluxe only)

Events are used when it is necessary for part of the presentation to be activated by some occurrence, typically outside of the normal flow of execution of the presentation - examples include a message from another Windows application, a variable defined in the presentation reaching a certain value, or a menu option being selected by a user. Events deliberately interrupt the flow of the presentation.

Since events are used far less frequently than actions and responses, placeholders for them do not automatically appear in the structure of a task created within the presentation. However, dragging and dropping an event icon onto the task will cause it to be displayed within the structure. Four event types are available, as shown below:

Demon Event

Keyboard Event

Menu Event

Time Event


Demon Event

Description

A task with an active demon event will be executed when the variable expression in the demon becomes true. It interrupts the normal flow, allowing the presentation to react to scores rising above a certain level, for example.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Execute when the following expression is TRUE

Enter the expression to test for in this edit box. Variable names can be typed in directly or inserted from the variables browse button. The variables browse button can be used to insert variable names, functions and operators. The following logical operators can be used in expressions:

and	and

or	or

equal to	=

not equal to	<>

greater than	>

greater than or equal to	>=

less than	<

less than or equal to	<=

Note that there is an implicit 'if' in all Demon Events, so it is not necessary to type it in the expression. An example expression would look like this:

StudentScore > 50 and QuestionsRepeated <= 10

Active Tab


Active Tab

The Event is active by default (i.e., if the specified event occurs, the task to which this event is attached will be carried out). If it should only be active under certain conditions, then enter an expression in the If Expression is TRUE edit box at the bottom of the dialog box. An example might be:

ColourDepth > 16

The variables browse button can be used to insert variable names and functions.


Keyboard Event

Description

A Keyboard Event will trigger a task to which it is attached when a defined key (or keys), is pressed by the user.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text - the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Key Pressed:

Any Key - activated when any key press is detected.

Specific Keys - activated only when a specified key (or combination of keys) is pressed.

Active Tab


Menu Event

Description

A Menu Event will trigger a task to which it is attached when a specific menu item is selected by the user (see also Menu Action and Menu Response).

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text - the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Menu Selected: the menu item which will activate the task to which the event is attached.

Active Tab


Time Event

Description

A Time Event will trigger a task to which it is attached when a specific period of time has elapsed.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text - the text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Execute After: the task to which this event is attached will be executed when the specified time period has elapsed.

Active Tab


Actions - overview
Actions

Actions provide some of the most visible part of Dazzler. They show things in the Presentation Window, from simple text through to digital video. Despite the range of actions available, they are all controlled up in a similar way - drag an action from the icon window and drop it onto the appropriate task. Then double click on the action icon and a dialog box appears showing the unique characteristics of that action - the position of the picture, its file name, etc. You can have multiple actions in each task. They will be performed in the order in which they are shown in the Presentation Window, top to bottom. They will all be carried out before any responses attached to the task are performed.

'Deluxe' refers to features available only in the Dazzler Deluxe edition.

Clear Object Action

DDE Action

DLL Action

FTP Action

Graphics Image Action

Graphics Shape Action

HTML Action

Launch Application Action

MCI Command Script Action

Menu Action

Rich Text Action

Move Object Action

Movie Action

ODBC Action

OLE 2 Object Action

Palette Action

Plain Text Action

Preload Action

Print Action

Read from File Action

Run Another Presentation Action

Sound Action

Set Variables/Functions Action

Widget Action

Window Action

Write to File Action


Clear Object Action

Description

This action clears all, or part of, the Presentation Window.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Clear

Specifies how much of the Presentation Window will be cleared by this action:

Entire Window

Everything in the Presentation Window will be cleared, including animations and movies, but not items placed on locked layers (see Window Action for information on locked layers - see also ‘Clear objects by name’ property, below).

Area/Objects/Layers

The specified area, objects, and/or layers will be cleared (see Area/Objects/Layers tab below).

Transition Only

This option is used in the special case where objects are to appear on the screen at the same time with the same effect. It does NOT clear the objects - it shows them at the same time. Use this option to add a transition effect to an area or to a group of objects in the Presentation Window.

Note: This is not the same as adding transition effects to the individual objects since then they would be displayed sequentially in the order in which they appear in the task.

Area/Objects/Layers Tab

Clear area

Use the Define button to specify an area of the screen to be cleared. Any object completely enclosed by the area specified will be cleared. Any animations or movies playing in this area will be stopped and removed.

Clear layers

Use this option to identify object layers that will be cleared.

Clear objects by name

Use this option to identify specific objects within the Presentation Window that will be cleared. Clicking on the button will display all available objects. This is the only ‘Clear’ option which can remove objects placed on locked layers.

Transition Tab


Transition Tab

Effects

When part of the Presentation Window is cleared, either by area or by object, the clearing can be accompanied by a transition effect. Choose the required effect from the list.

Attributes

Step Size

Specifies how many pixels will be jumped at each increment of the effect - a higher figure will make the effect more rapid, but less smooth.

Speed

Specifies how long each step will take. It can be specified either from the descriptive list Very Slow/Slow/Medium/Fast/Very Fast or, more accurately, using the mSecs between steps option which specifies the speed of the effect in milli-seconds. The smaller the value, the faster the effect will happen. Set the value to 0 to execute the effect as fast as the computer can achieve.

Wait Until Complete

Complete this action before processing the next action/task.


DDE Action
DDE Action (Deluxe)

Description

Dynamic Data Exchange is a powerful way for Windows programs to communicate with each other. With this command an application such as Microsoft Excel can be requested to load a particular spreadsheet and carry out certain actions. Usually the whole 'macro' language of the package being controlled can be used in DDE commands. Refer to the specific application's reference manual for details of its DDE command set, including the Server and Topic names.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Connection

Select which application the DDE 'conversation' refers to:

Connect

Start a new DDE conversation.

Disconnect

End a current DDE conversation.

Current

Continue with a DDE conversation which has been started earlier.

Server Name

The DDE name of the other application in the conversation (e.g. “WINWORD” ). Check the Reference Manual of the other application for this information.

Topic Name

The DDE name of the type of conversation being held with the other application (e.g. “SYSTEM”). Check the Reference Manual of the other application for this information.

Send Data

Once a DDE conversation has been opened between Dazzler and the other application, data can be sent to the other application, for example to open a file or to run a particular command. Select the Send Data check box, choose the type of data to be sent ( only TEXT is supported in Dazzler) and enter the command in the edit box. For example:

[FileOpen.Name = “C:\CONFIG.SYS”] .

Variables can also be used in data commands.

Request Data

Since DDE conversations are two way, Dazzler can ask the other application to supply data, for example the value of a particular cell in a spreadsheet.

Item Name

Enter the request for the data to be passed back. Check the Reference Manual of the other application for this information.

Assign To

The data passed back can be assigned to a Dazzler variable. Use the popup list to select the variable to be used to store the data.


DLL Action
DLL Action (Deluxe)

Description

Dynamic Link Libraries, or DLLs, are computer programs containing specific functions which can be called from other programs whenever they are needed. Windows itself consists of a vast array of functions stored in DLLs. These and other DLLs, usually written in the C or C++ programming languages, can be accessed directly from Dazzler using the DLL Action. To use the DLL Action you must know the function names contained in the DLL you want to use and the parameters those functions need. For example, to make a DLL function call to Windows itself to display a Message Box with some text in it, the following settings would be used.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Module Name

The file name of the DLL itself.

Function Name

The name of the function within the DLL which is to be called from the action.

Return type

Specifies what type of information will be expected to be returned by the function within the DLL. Possible values are :

none

string

byte

word

long

float

Assign Return to:

Select a variable which will store the data returned by the function called in the DLL. Click the down arrow to show a list of all the available variables, both those built-in and those added via the Presentation /Variable menu.

Parameters

The data passed into the function, whether directly as values, or as variables, for example:

Parameters:{WindowHandle} , “This is a test message” , “Title Text” , 1.

The above function call expects: int, string, string, int

A full description of the functions in the DLLs which make up Windows can be found in the Microsoft Windows Programming Reference Manuals.


FTP Action

Description

Read files over an intranet or the Internet. Once downloaded, files can be used by Dazzler. To use this action you need to know the name of the FTP server to which you want to connect (e.g. ftp.microsoft.com).

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Server

The name of the server to which a connection is to be made.

Files:

Source Path is the name of the file and its directory on the FTP server.

Destination Path is the name and location of the file and its directory when it is copied to your local computer.

Transfer Type

Select either ASCII or binary.

User Details Tab

User Name and Password

These fields provide the means to access an available site.

Anonymous Logon

Check this box to allow access to a site without a User Name and Password; only restricted access rights to the site will be given. Your Internet/Intranet administrator should be able to give you more details.

Attributes Tab

Action Attributes

Wait Until Complete - the next action will not be started until the FTP activity launched from this action has been completed.

Notify When Complete - check this box to trigger an Action Complete response when the FTP activity launched from this action has been completed. Thus all the actions in the task will be carried out, but the next task will not be performed until the FTP activity has finished.

Destination File Attributes

Operating system attributes which may be set for the destination file(s).


Graphics Image Action

Description

This action is used for displaying pictures and drawings, stored in a variety of formats, such as bitmaps on the computer's disk or Kodak PhotoCD from a compact disk. You can define where in the Presentation Window the picture will appear and also any effects, such as wipes, dissolves, and so on, to be used.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Display

This list box allows the selection of different types of graphics images. The best format to use for storing a given image will depend on several factors - what kind of image it is (line drawing, photograph, etc.) and how much space is available for storing it.

Picture

Selects raster format images of the following formats:

BMP

PCX

TIFF

TARGA

JPEG

Postscript EPS

Compuserve PNG

Windows Metafile

Photoshop PSD

Macintosh PICT

WordPerfect

SUN Raster

Drawing

Drawings differ from pictures in the way that the images are stored. Drawings are in vector format. They contain instructions about how to draw the image rather than simply storing a snapshot of the image itself. For this reason, drawing files tend to be far smaller than picture files. They can also be drawn at any size without loss of quality. They are particularly suited to diagrams and line drawings. Only WMF (Windows Metafile) format is supported in Version 3.1. Diagrams can be saved in this format from most drawing packages such as Micrografix Designer and Lotus Freelance for Windows.

Photo CD Image

Dazzler Deluxe has support for images stored on Kodak Photo CDs. Up to 100 photographs derived from slides, negatives or undeveloped film can be put onto one CD at low cost, making it an attractive way for trainers and designers to be able to incorporate photographs into Dazzler presentations and presentations. You can select which photograph is to be used and at what size from the Browse button in the dialog box. Images can also be saved as bitmaps on the hard disk as well.

Location

Press the Define to position the picture in the Presentation Window, having chosen a picture Filename. Click and drag the mouse from the position for the top-left of the picture down to the bottom right. As the cursor is dragged across the screen the specified picture will appear. After releasing the mouse button, the picture can be can be dragged around the screen and its area changed by dragging the ‘handles’ at the corners and side of the picture. To return to the setup dialog box for the picture, simply double click on it and the tabbed dialog box will re-appear.

Filename

Click the browse button to display the standard file open dialog box. Check the Preview box to show a miniature view of the picture highlighted in the file list. Pop down the List Files of Type combo box to select pictures of a particular format (see above).

Attributes Tab

Transparent Colour

Using this option, a colour can be selected from the drop-down combo box. If this colour is present in the picture being shown, it will become transparent and whatever is behind the picture at that point will show through. Transparent colour options are:

None - no transparent colour.

Auto - autoset using the top left pixel colour.

Custom - user specified.

Note: 256 colour mode - for this option to work correctly a Palette Action must be inserted before the Graphics Image action and set to Use System Default. This will fix the range of colours so that Dazzler can identify the transparent colour correctly.

Stretch to fit

The picture will be stretched horizontally and vertically to fit the window or rectangle defined. This option is best used with simple 16 colour bitmaps - high colour photographs may appear severely distorted using this option, depending on the performance of your graphics card. The speed of display of the picture will also be slower using this option.

Remove Covered Objects

If this is selected then any object covered by the Graphics Image, such as another picture or text, will be removed automatically from the computer’s memory if it is completely covered. Sometimes, however, the object should not be removed because it will be used later. For instance, a Move Object action might move it into view from behind the picture. In this case Remove Covered Objects should not be checked.

Source Origin Offset

These values are used where the image origin is to be placed at some point other than the default (i.e., top left).

Coordinates Tab

Transition Tab


Graphics Shape Action

Description

Sometimes it is useful to be able to add a box, line or border to a screen without having to create a picture file for it. This can be achieved with the Graphics Shape action using the dialog box below:

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Shape

Select the shape to be drawn from this list box. The options are:

Line

Rectangle

Rounded Rectangle - rectangle with rounded corners. The 'roundness' of the corners can be modified by clicking and dragging the square ‘handle’ which appears at the bottom right inside the rounded rectangle.

Ellipse - ellipse drawn within boundaries of defined rectangle.

Polygon - click the mouse to define each point in the polygon. Double-click to complete it.

Location

Select this option to define the borders for the graphics shape in the Presentation Window. Click the Define button and click and drag the cursor.

Line Attributes Tab

Line Style

Drop down combo box allows selection of solid, dotted line or shape boundary.

Line Colour

Drop down combo box allows selection of colour of line or shape boundary. The basic 16 colours are shown in the list, with a Customize option at the bottom, allowing a colour to be mixed from the entire palette range, (up to 16.7 million colours if supported by the graphics hardware).

Line Width

Specifies width in pixels of line or shape boundary.

Arrow head

Specifies the style of the line.

Fill Attributes Tab

Fill Style:

No Fill - only an outline of the shape will be displayed.

Pattern - With this button enabled, a pattern fill may be selected from the combobox.

Gradient - specifies the direction and colours (using the ‘From colour’ and ‘To colour’ propereties) used for filling the shape.

Coordinates Tab

Transition Tab


HTML Action
HTML

Description

The HTML Action has been added to let you incorporate live web sites directly into your presentations, either from an intranet or the Internet in general. All you need to do is select Get and enter the address (URL) of the site you want to link to (e.g. http://www.linotype.co.uk). Having specified an address, you can press the Preview button to view the site. Your default Windows Internet link will be invoked (e.g., if you’re using a dial up connection to Demon, then the modem will dial Demon and establish a connection).

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Get:

URL - the site address which is to be accessed.

Location - the position in the Presentation Window where the relevant page will be displayed.

Define/Modify - used to specify the position of the object in the Presentation Window.

Preview - used to test whether the address is valid and accessible.

Browse - used to browse for the desired site.

Modify

Checking this button, and selecting a task icon from the combobox, will allow a previously defined HTML action to be modified, rather than invoking a new one - see the Control Tab properties below. Available HTML objects will only appear in the combobox if they are currently loaded into the Presentation Window. Click on the ‘Run Current’ task icon in the button bar to load relevant objects. Alternatively, the name of the relevant object can be entered explicitly.

Attributes Tab

Wait Until Complete - the next action will not be started until the FTP activity launched from this action has been completed.

Notify When Complete - check this box to trigger an Action Complete response when the FTP activity launched from this action has been completed. Thus all the actions in the task will be carried out, but the next task will not be performed until the FTP activity has finished.

Control Tab

These options are available if the ‘Modify’ property in the General Tab is selected, and will allow control of an existing connection:

Get New Page - the address of the new page to be accessed.

Go Back, etc. - simulates the commands generally available in a Web Browser.

Coordinates Tab


Launch Application Action
Launch Application Action (Deluxe)

Description

This action allows another application to be started. For example, the Windows calculator could be invoked when the user has calculations to perform during the presentation.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Program

The name of the program to be run.

Command Line

Program-specific parameters which may be used to control

Attributes Tab

Show

Determines how the application will appear when it is run:

Maximized - the application window will fill the whole screen.

Normal - the application window will appear the size it would if started from its own icon.

Minimized - the application will appear as an icon at the bottom of the screen as if it had been started and the minimize button selected from its title bar.

Hidden - the application will run without being displayed on the screen. In this case, the application must be capable of automatically closing itself as Dazzler will not be able to do this.

Attributes

Bring forward if already active - if the application is already running when this action is activated, the application will be moved forward to appear on top of all other active windows, including the Presentation Window.

Wait Until Complete - the next action will not be started until the application launched from this action has been closed.

Notify When Complete - check this box to trigger an Action Complete response when the application launched from this action has been closed. Thus all the actions in the task will be carried out, but the next task will not be performed until the other application has finished.


MCI Command Script Action
MCI Command Script Action (Deluxe)

Description

Microsoft's MultiMedia Control Interface is a general way of issuing commands to perform multimedia functions. Usually, Dazzler does all the work of using these commands for you - the Actions take care of it. However, this action is available if you want to issue MCI instructions directly from the presentation yourself.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

MCI Command Script

Enter the text of the MCI commands in this edit box. Refer to the relevant manufacturer's reference manual for the actual MCI commands required to control a particular piece of hardware or software. Several commands can be used within the same action - simply type them on different lines in the edit box. Dazzler Variable values can also be used in the scripts, e.g. {WindowHandle}.


Menu Action
Menu Action (Deluxe)

Description

This action is used to create and modify Windows-style menus beneath the Title Bar in the Presentation Window. The Menu Response can then be used to detect which menu item has been selected by the user. The menu bar created with this action will remain attached to the Title Bar across presentations. To remove the menu bar entirely, use a new menu action with no menu items created.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Menu Structure

This box shows graphically the structure of the menu bar being created by the Menu Action. As menu items are added, modified or removed, the structure shown in the box will change.

Text

Type the name of the new menu item here, or click on the item in the Menu Structure box to display the text of the menu item for editing. To provide a keyboard short-cut for the menu item, insert an ampersand (‘&’) character before the shortcut letter. For example, a menu item Exit can have x as a shortcut key by typing E&xit in the Text box.

Separator

A line can be inserted between menu items in a particular menu by checking the Separator box and pressing the Add button, to add the line after the item currently highlighted in the Menu Structure box, or the Insert button to add it before. Note: this item only becomes available when at least one item has been added to a menu.

Add

Press this button to add a new menu item as a sub-menu of the currently highlighted item. Thus if the default Main item is selected in the Menu Structure box, pressing Add with the text File in the text box would create a new menu called File. Adding again with Print entered as text when File is highlighted would add a menu item as part of the File menu. Highlight File again to add another item (e.g., Exit).

Thus, a menu structure like this:

will create a menu like this in the Presentation Window when the presentation is run:

Update

Click on a menu item in the Menu Structure box to edit its text in the text box. Press the Update button to change the menu structure to reflect the modification.

Insert

Click on a menu item in the Menu Structure box. Enter the text of the new menu item in the Text box, or check the Separator box. Press the Update button to change the menu structure to reflect the modification.

Delete

Click on a menu item in the Menu Structure box. Press the Delete button to remove it from the menu structure.

Disable if:

A disabled menu item (one which appears in light grey) is used in Windows applications to indicate that a feature normally accessible from a menu item is unavailable at that point. In Dazzler, to disable (‘grey out’) a menu item in the Presentation Window when a certain variable expression is true at any point during the running of the presentation, highlight the required item in the Menu Structure box and click on the Attributes tab. Enter the variable expression in the Disabled If edit box. Click the variable browse button to display the standard Insert Variable/Function dialog box (see Variables Action for more details).

Example:

Create a text variable called PrintMenu from the Presentation/Variables menu item. Create a menu item in the Menu Action called Print. Set the attributes of the Disabled If box as follows:

PrintMenu =“Disabled”.

Now, whenever the PrintMenu variable is set to Disabled in the presentation, the Print menu will be greyed-out. If PrintMenu is set to any other value (e.g., Enabled), the Print menu will not be greyed out.

Checked if:

A checked menu item (one with a tick beside it) is used in Windows applications to indicate that a particular feature is enabled. In Dazzler, to add a tick (check) to a menu item in the Presentation Window when a certain variable expression is true anywhere in the presentation, highlight the required item in the Menu Structure box and click on the Attributes tab. Enter the variable expression in the Checked If edit box. Click the variable browse button to display the standard Insert Variable/Function dialog box (see Variables Action for more details).

Example:

Create a text variable called FullScreenMenu from the Presentation/Variables menu item. Create a menu item in the Menu Action called Full Screen. Set the attributes of the Disabled If box as follows:

FullScreenMenu =“Checked”.

Now, whenever the FullScreenMenu variable is set to Checked in the presentation, the Full Screen menu will have a tick beside it. If FullScreenMenu is set to any other value (e.g., NotChecked), the FullScreen menu will appear without a tick beside it.

See also: Menu Response, Menu Event


Rich Text Action

Description

Rich Text Actions allow you to combine fonts and styles within one single text action. There is direct on-screen editing. Define an area, double-click on it and start typing. The font toolbar will appear, allowing you to make changes to the text font as you go, just like a word processor.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Location

Define - select this option to draw a boundary in the Presentation Window for the text to appear in - the text may be entered and modified directly within the boundary using the displayed formatting controls and the right mouse button.

Run Editor - select this option to start the rich text editor to create formatted text.

Load from File

Select this box in order to be able to specify a file which will be loaded and displayed at run-time.

Attributes Tab

Scrollable - select this option to display scroll bars within the window if there is too much text to display in the window.

Word Wrap - select this option to wrap words onto the next line if they will not fit entirely on the current line.

Bullet Indent: - specify the indent depth for bullet text.

Bk Colour

Selecting this box will allow a colour to be chosen from the combobox. The basic 16 colours are shown in the list, with a Customize option at the bottom, allowing a colour to be mixed from the entire palette range, up to 16.7 million colours if supported by the graphics hardware. The defined area for the text action will appear in this colour, with the text appearing on top in the colour selected with the Font button.

Shadow

A drop shadow can be added to the text to give it a ‘floating 3D effect’, by checking the Shadow check box. Transitions will not work with this option. The colour and depth of the shadow can be altered using:

Colour

This drop-down combo box provides a choice of shadow colours. The basic 16 colours are shown in the list, with a Customize option at the bottom, allowing a colour to be mixed from the entire palette range, up to 16.7 million colours if supported by the graphics hardware.

X Offset

This specifies by how many pixels to the right of the text the shadow will appear. The default is 3. Negative values move the shadow to the left (e.g., a value of -10 will put the shadow 10 pixels to the left). The range permitted is -50 to +50

Y Offset

This specifies by how many pixels below the text the shadow will appear. The default is 3. Negative values move the shadow up above the text (e.g. a value of -10 will put the shadow 10 pixels towards the top of the screen). The range permitted is -50 to +50

HyperText Font Tab

Coordinates Tab

Transition Tab


Move Object Action

Description

Any action object - Pictures, Text, Graphics Shape, Widgets and even Movie Files can move along paths. These paths can be defined as point-to-point, points representing a path, points indicating a (Bezier) curve and so on.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Move Object

To use the Move Object Action, first of all select an object to move by clicking on the Move Object browse button. A list of the currently available objects will be shown.

Type

Choose the type of path to be followed:

Follow Path - as defined by clicking the mouse once on each point in the path having pressed the Define... button. Bezier curves can then be introduced in the path by double clicking on two points on the path, changing them from squares to circles. The points can then be dragged to define the degree of the curve.

Point To Point - moves the object directly from one defined point to another.

Point On Scaled Path - moves the object to a point along a defined path determined by a value on a scale. The range of the scale (e.g., 0 to 100) is set using the Base and End edit boxes. Position determines how far along the scaled path the object will be positioned.

Move To - moves the object to a specific point determined by the X and Y values. If the Speed setting is set to 0 the object will be relocated to the point immediately without the user noticing any movement.

Path

Press the Define button to allow the path of the object to be specified.

Attributes Tab

Notify when complete

Check this box to trigger an Action Complete response when the object has reached the end of its path. Thus all the actions in the task will be carried out, but the next task will not be performed until the movement of the object across the Presentation Window has finished.

Wait until complete

Check this box if Dazzler should wait until the object movement has finished before moving on to the next action or response in the task, or to activate a new task.

Use top left

Check this box if Dazzler should use the top left point of the object to calculate move commands (by default, Dazzler will use the centre point of the object).

Speed

Use the Speed setting to determine how long the object will take to complete the chosen path. Dazzler will test the performance of the computer running the presentation before this action is activated. This allows it to determine the maximum number of steps which can be drawn from one end of the path to another in the time specified. Thus on a computer with a fast graphics card a larger number of steps will be possible, making the movement appear more fluid. On a slower computer, there will be fewer steps possible and so the movement will appear to be more broken-up.

Play Count - select this option to enable the Move action to be carried out a specific number of times.

Auto Repeat - select this option to enable the Move action to be carried out repeatedly, until terminated by another action.


Movie Action

Description

Digital video and animations stored on computer disk can be played back using this action.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Load

Filename:

Select the movie file to be played. The file browser includes a Preview option to allow movie files to be viewed before inserting them into the presentation.

Location:

Specifies where the video or animation is to appear in the Presentation Window. Click the Define button to define a rectangle for the movie to appear in. The first frame of the movie file will be shown as the rectangle is drawn.

Using:

Choose the type of control:

Media Control Interface (MCI)

Active Movie

Modify

Modify the properties of an existing Movie Action, rather than starting a new one. Available Movie objects will only appear in the combobox if they are currently loaded into the Presentation Window. Click on the ‘Run Current’ task icon in the button bar to load relevant objects. Alternatively, the name of the relevant object can be entered explicitly.

Attributes Tab

Wait until complete

Check this box if Dazzler should wait until the movie has finished before moving on to the next action in the task, or to wait for a Response or activate a new task.

Notify when complete

Check this box to trigger an Action Complete response when the movie has finished playing. Thus, all the actions in the task will be carried out, but the next task will not be performed until the Movie File has finished.

Use Optimum Size

A Video for Windows file usually has an optimum size (often the size at which it was recorded) which will give the best quality playback without stretching and distortion.

Stream from disk (Deluxe)

This option becomes available when playing Autodesk Animator files. If it is checked, the animation will be played directly from disk rather than loaded into memory. This can be useful for very large animation files. For smaller animations, do not check this option - in this way the animation will be loaded into memory and will usually run more smoothly than if it is run from disk.

Remove Covered Objects

If this is selected then any object covered by the movie, such as another picture or text, will be removed automatically from the computer’s memory if it is completely covered. Sometimes, however, the object should not be removed because it will be used later. For instance, a Move Object action might move it into view from behind the video. In this case, Remove Covered Objects should not be checked.

Show Play Bar

Check this option to give the user control of the video playing in the Presentation Window. The movie will play back with a control bar at the bottom of its defined rectangle. This has a position bar which indicates progress through the movie and also provides the user with a way of moving to particular points in the movie by dragging the slider bar. A Play/Stop button is also inserted at the bottom left of the defined rectangle, allowing the user to stop and start the movie (note: not available for Autodesk Animator files).

Playback Tab

Play	Play the movie from the current position.

Play>>	From - sets the start point for the playback of the movie.

Seek>>	To - moves to the specified point in the movie. If in ‘Play’ mode, the movie will appear on screen in ‘fast-forward’.

Pause	Pause the movie at the current location. The image will continue to be displayed on screen.

Stop	Stop playing the movie and remove the image from the screen.

Goto Start	Move to the beginning of the movie file. If in ‘Play’ mode, begin playing from start.

Goto End	Move to the end of the movie file. If in ‘Play’ mode, begin playing from start, dependent upon ‘Play Count’ and ‘Auto Repeat’ values - see below.

Play Count	The number of times the movie file is to be repeated.

Auto Repeat	Repeat the movie file indefinitely, until interrupted by another action.

Set Speed	For some types of movie files the speed of playback can be set. The higher the number of frames per second, the faster the movie will run. The maximum speed achievable will depend on the performance of your computer system. Autodesk Animator movie speeds are set in frames per second. The playback speed of other digital video types is set on a scale of 0 to 200, with 100 being the default ‘normal’ setting. This figure can only be varied if supported by the particular digital video driver being used. It is supported by Video For Windows, but not by some other digital video types.

Volume Tab

Set Volume

The following options are available for Active Movie files:

Balance - set the left/right speaker balance.

Level - set the volume level.

Coordinates Tab


ODBC Action
ODBC (Delux)

Description

The ODBC Action provides a link between a Dazzler presentation and any database which supports the Microsoft Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC) standard, such as Microsoft Access and SQL Server. Numbers, text and pictures can be stored in the database and loaded into Dazzler variables for use in Dazzler actions. Product catalogues and kiosk applications are an obvious use for this optional module.

There are several steps involved in creating an ODBC database link to Dazzler:

1.	Ensure that the ODBC driver for the database package you are using (such as Access) is installed on your computer and that the actual database containing your data is registered - refer to the database documentation for details on how to install ODBC drivers.

2.	Create an ODBC Variable in Dazzler to store the required data from the database. Use the Presentation/Variables menu option and create a variable using the ODBC Record Set type:

Choose the Setup button to specify which particular registered database should be used and which tables and fields are needed. Dazzler will display the ODBC data sources installed on your computer together with their associated record sets when one is selected from the Data Source list:

Click on OK and Dazzler will then automatically create variables based on the fields selected for use in a Dazzler presentation.

3.	To get the data from the database, use the ODBC Action. The simplest way to get the first record in the database is to open using the Open and Execute Query option (without having to specify a query).

Properties

General Tab

Execute Query Tab

Select ‘fields’ from table

Issue standard SQL queries - see relevant database documentation.

Attributes Tab

Access

Determines what Dazzler is allowed to do to the database. The options are:

Read Only

Read and Add Only

Read, Write, Add and Delete

Open Mode

Determines the flexibility of access to records within the dtabase (see relavant database documentation). The options are:

Dynamic - the most flexible, but slowest method,

Static - the fastest, but least flexible,

Forward Only (read only) - a compromise over the above two, but only permits forward-reading of records.

4.	Use the variables in other actions. For example, to show a photograph from the database using the Graphics Image Action, just enclose the relevant variable name in parentheses { ... }. For example:


OLE 2 Action
OLE 2 Object Action (Delux)

Description

Dazzler allows you to embed information such as pictures and text from other Windows applications which support OLE2. For example, a Microsoft Word Document can be added to the Presentation Window, complete with transition effects, as if it were a “native” Dazzler object. The user will be able to see the embedded objects, even if they do not have the application which created it installed on their computer. However, if they do, they will also be able to edit the object in place in the Dazzler Presentation Window, if the check box is set in the OLE2 Action setup.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Type

Shows the name of the application which created the object being used.

Location Modify...

The object being inserted will have a default size and position, initially based on the size of the object itself (e.g., the width of the picture or the dimensions of the document). To move and resize the object, click this button. The Presentation Window will appear showing the OLE object. The handles at the edges of the object can be moved to resize the object as if it were a native Dazzler object such as a Graphics Image or Text.

Edit

To change the information contained in the OLE object using the application which created it, click on the Edit button. For example, a document created in Microsoft Word could be modified in Word itself. The application which created the document must be present on the computer to do this. However, it is NOT necessary for the end user to have the application installed on their computer to be able to see the document, picture, etc. in the Dazzler presentation when it is run.

Convert

Converts an object of one type into another (e.g., from a Paintbrush file to a Device Independent Bitmap (DIB) file).

Change Icon

If the Display As Icon option in the Insert Object dialog box has been selected, then the icon which appears in the Presentation Window can be chosen with this option.  (See Change Icon dialog box)

Attributes Tab

There are two ways to display the OLE object in the Presentation Window:

Display Contents

The document or picture itself is shown in the Presentation Window. It acts like a native Dazzler object so that transition effects can be applied to it.

Display As Icon

The OLE object is shown only as an icon in the Presentation Window. If Enable Inline Editing is selected, the user can double-click on the icon to display the object itself loaded into the application which created it. The application which created the object must be present on the user’s computer to do this.

Enable Inline Editing

If this option is checked, then if the user has the application which created the object installed on their computer, they can double click on the object in the Presentation Window to edit the object directly in the application which created it. The menus and button bar of the application will be shown in the Dazzler Presentation Window. Clicking anywhere else in the Presentation Window will return control to Dazzler.

Coordinates Tab

Transition Tab


Palette Action
Palette

Description

The palette action’s main role is to try to overcome problems in the way in which Windows handles 256 colour pictures.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Dynamic

This default setting replicates the intrinsic behaviour of Version 2 as described above.

Lock current

The current pallate is used, regardless of pictures subsequently loaded.

Use System Default

This will prevent palette switching by simply using the standard Windows ‘rainbow’ palette which contains shades of all colours.

Use Palette from File

This forces Windows to use the palette from a particular picture file. Thus if a series of pictures contain similar colours, the palette from one of them can be loaded using the Palette Actions and then the pictures displayed using the Graphics Image Action. No ‘flashing’ will be seen, but the accuracy of the colours in the pictures will depend on how close their colour palettes are to the one loaded in the Palette Action (this is similar to the ‘Lock current’ property above).

Palettes can be loaded from BMP, RDI or PAL files.


Plain Text Action

Description

This action displays text in any available font, colour and size. The text can either be entered into the action itself, or pasted from a text file.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Text

Type in the text which will appear in the Presentation Window here. Values of variables can also be included by typing in the name of the variable in parentheses {...} e.g., Your name is {UserName}, or by selecting a variable from variables browse button at the bottom of the dialog box.

Location

Select this option to draw a boundary in the Presentation Window for the text to appear in. Click the Define button and click and drag the cursor. The text will start at the top left of the rectangle and may extend beyond the limits of the rectangle depending on the font size and amount of text.

Attributes Tab

Bk Colour

Checking this box will allow a colour to be chosen from the drop-down combo-box. The basic 16 colours are shown in the list, with a Customize option at the bottom, allowing a colour to be mixed from the entire palette range, up to 16.7 million colours if supported by the graphics hardware. The defined area for the text action will appear in this colour, with the text appearing on top in the colour selected with the Font button.

Justify

This drop-down combo-box determines how the text will be placed within the defined area:

Left - the text will be aligned along the left hand edge of the rectangle or window.

Centre - the text will be centred in the rectangle or window.

Right - the text will be aligned along the right hand edge of the rectangle or window.

Angle - the angle, in degrees, at which the text will be displayed. Only single lines of text will be shown.

Shadow

A drop shadow can be added to the text to give it a ‘floating 3D effect’, by checking the Shadow check box. The colour and depth of the shadow can be altered using:

Colour

This drop-down combo box provides a choice of shadow colours. The basic 16 colours are shown in the list, with a Customize option at the bottom, allowing a colour to be mixed from the entire palette range, up to 16.7 million colours if supported by the graphics hardware.

X Offset

This specifies by how many pixels to the right of the text the shadow will appear. The default is 3. Negative values move the shadow to the left (e.g., a value of -10 will put the shadow 10 pixels to the left). The range permitted is -50 to +50

Y Offset

This specifies by how many pixels below the text the shadow will appear. The default is 3. Negative values move the shadow up above the text (e.g. a value of -10 will put the shadow 10 pixels towards the top of the screen). The range permitted is -50 to +50

Font Tab

Coordinates Tab

Transition Tab


Preload Action
Preload

Description

Dazzler Deluxe enables developers to minimize disk access times loading large/compressed images by pre-loading pictures so that when another Graphics Action refers to that picture, it will be available immediately for display in the Presentation Window without any loading or decompression delays.

Properties

Preload file

The name of the file to be preloaded. There are two options for pre-loading:

Now

Dazzler will pre-load the image immediately at this point in the presentation. Thus it is up to the courseware developer to decide if the pre-loading would interrupt any other process (such as the playing of a digital video file).

In Background (default)

The picture specified will be loaded when nothing else is happening in the presentation - i.e., Dazzler will load it in-between other activities.

Note: Two Graphics Image actions are needed for the pre-loading to work correctly: One to do the pre-loading at a point in the presentation, the other actually to show the image when it is needed. It is not enough simply to check the Pre-load option at the point when the Graphics Image should be shown.


Print Action
Print

Description

Anything displayed in the Presentation Window can be printed during the presentation using this command (except movies, edit boxes and list boxes).

Properties

Method

Use these radio buttons to determine how the Presentation Window will fit onto the printed page:

Best Fit

The window image will be printed as it appears on the screen with no stretching. The maximum width of the page will be used.

Stretch to Page

The window image will be stretched so that it fills the whole printed page in both width and height.

Scale

The window image will be reduced proportionally from 100%, which is equivalent to Best Fit, downwards.

Margins

The interactive diagram gives a view of where the window image will appear on the page. Increasing the size of the top margin will move the printed image downwards. The unit of measurement is specified in the Windows environment settings.


Read from File Action
Read from File Action (Deluxe)

Description

Dazzler provides a Read from File Action. Text can be read from a file and assigned to a variable. (See GetElement function description for details of how to extract parts of the file once its has been read).

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Read from File

Type in a file name or click the file browse button to specify the file to be read from the action.

Assign to Variable

The text read from the specified file can be stored in a variable for use elsewhere in the presentation. Click on the down-arrow which will reveal the list of all the variables available within the presentation, both the built-in ones and those added using the Presentation/Variables menu.


Run Another Presentation Action
Run Another Presentation

Description

Presentations can be built as a series of modules stored as individual Dazzler presentations. They can then be linked together by this action. This helps in the construction and maintenance of larger presentations.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Presentation Filename

Click the browse button to select the Dazzler presentation to be run from this action.

Jump to task tag

Enter a specific task tag number of the new presentation from which execution will begin (variables can be used here). If not enabled, the presentation will run from the beginning.

Attributes Tab

The choices here determine how the two presentations will be linked.

Leave Current Presentation Loaded

The new presentation will be loaded and run, but the presentation from which it is called will be kept in memory for later use.

Close Current Presentation

The new presentation will be loaded and run, and the presentation from which it is called will be removed from memory. If it is needed later on, it will be loaded from disk.

Return when complete

Select this option to resume the current presentation when the one being called has finished. The presentation will continue with the responses of the current task in the presentation (any remaining actions will not be executed). Check the Unload option to remove the presentation from memory when it has finished.

Unload Presentation Only

If there is a presentation loaded into memory which is no longer needed, use this option to unload it. The presentation selected will not be run; it will simply be removed from memory.


Sound Action

Description

With a Windows-compatible sound card (see System Requirements), sound files can be played back from the computer's disk. In addition, you can select tracks from an audio CD in a CD-ROM drive or play MIDI music files with a compatible device.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Play

System Beep

To create a simple alert use this option to sound the default beep on the computer, however it is configured.

Sound File

If the computer is equipped with a Windows-supported sound card, Dazzler can play back sound files through it.

Compact Disc

A CD-ROM player connected to the computer, usually via a SCSI interface, can play back audio compact discs.

Using:

Choose the type of control:

Media Control Interface (MCI)

Active Movie

Filename

Enter, or browse for, the filename required.

Modify

Modify the properties of an existing Sound Action, rather than starting a new one. As these do not ‘appear’ in the Presentation Window, the relevant Sound Action must be explicitly typed into the edit box.

Attributes Tab

These check boxes determine how the audio will behave during the action:

Wait until complete

The next action will not be started until the current audio action has been completed - the audio device has complete control if this option is chosen.

Notify When Complete

Check this box to trigger an Action Complete response when the sound has finished playing. Thus, all the actions in the task will be carried out, but the next task will not be performed until the sound has reached the end of its playback.

Playback Tab

The following playback options are available:

Play	Play the sound file from the current position.

Play>>	From - sets the start point for the playback of the sound file.

Seek>>	To - moves to the specified point in the sound file.

Pause	Suspend current playing - maintain position.

Stop	Terminate playing the sound file.

Goto Start	Move to the beginning of the sound file. If in ‘Play’ mode, begin playing from start.

Goto End	Move to the end of the sound file. If in ‘Play’ mode, begin playing from start, dependent upon ‘Play Count’ and ‘Auto Repeat’ values - see below.

Record>>	Record audio input - see Record Tab, below.

Play Count	The number of times the movie file is to be repeated.

Auto Repeat	Repeat the movie file indefinitely, until interrupted by another action.

CD Playback Tab

If Compact Disc is chosen as the Play source, then the start and end tracks can be specified (From, To) as Track number, Minutes and Seconds into track.

Volume Tab

The volume level at which a sound file is played back can be set if this box is checked and if this feature is supported by the sound card software drivers - refer to the sound card documentation. The range of values is from 0% (quietest) to 100% (loudest) - a value can be entered, or the slider bar may be dragged with the mouse. If this option is not checked, the default volume for the sound card is used.

Balance is controlled in a similar way, with values ranging from -100 (full left) to +100 (full right). This option is only availableif the Active Movie option is selected (see General Tab above).

Record Tab

These settings are used when the Sound action is used to record sound digitally at this point in the presentation (these properties are enabled when the Playback option is set to”Record”. See Playback Tab above).

Note: Not all audio devices allow the recording attributes to be set.

Record In

Determines if one or two channels will be recorded. The options are:

Mono

Stereo	(if a stereo sound card is being used). Stereo sound files are larger than mono ones.

Sample Size

Specifies how many bits of information will be used to digitise the sound. The options are:

8 Bit (Default)

16 Bit	Sound files recorded in 16 bit will sound clearer, but the file size will be larger than those recorded using 8 bit.

Record Quality

Specifies the sample rate for digitising the sound. The higher the sample rate, the wider the range of sound frequencies which will be recorded, and hence the higher the audio playback quality for some types of sound. Higher sample rates create larger sound files.

11 kHz	The lowest quality, adequate for speech.

22 kHz	Medium quality, suitable for high quality voice reproduction and music.

44 kHz	Full audio CD quality sound. Suitable for the highest quality sound.


Set Variables/Functions Action
Set Variables/Functions Action (Deluxe)

Description

As an advanced feature, variables can store information during a presentation and can be used in a variety of ways. Sophisticated scoring schemes can be created by assigning different values to variables, depending on which answer the user selects.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Set Variables

This edit box is used to enter the variable calculation. Variable names can be typed in directly or inserted from the browse button This will show a dialog box listing all the variables available within the presentation, both the built-in ones and those added using the Presentation/Variables menu. Functions and operations can also be chosen from the lists in the dialog box.

Several variables can be set within the same action by putting each calculation on a different line.

In the following descriptions the terminology is as follows:

<string> refers to a text string - characters and numbers between double quotes””,

For example,”This is a string with numbers 123”. A variable name can also be substituted and the contents of that variable will be used. Functions themselves can also be used within functions.

<pos> is a numeric position, for example the position of the second word (“is”) in the above sentence is 2.

<delim> is a text character delimiter which divides up a string. The default delimiter is the Carriage Return (‘Enter’) character found between two lines of text. It could, however, be specified as the space”” character so that a sentence can be scanned.

Parameters in square brackets [] are optional.

In the following example TextVar is a Text variable, NumVar is Numeric and DateVar is an Actual Date/Time type variable, defined using the Presentation/Variables menu option.

The result of a function is returned for storage in a variable.

Example:

TextVar = LowerCase(“This Is A Test” )

TextVar will contain the text “this is a test”.

or, using a variable

TextVar1 =“This Is A Test”

TextVar = LowerCase( TextVar1 )

again, TextVar will contain the text “this is a test”.

This function could also be used within another function:

TextVar1 =“This Is A Test”

TextVar = UpperCase( LowerCase( TextVar1 ) )

this time TextVar will contain the text “THIS IS A TEST”.

Functions

Lower Case( <string> )

Converts a string to lower case characters only:

Example

ResultVar = LowerCase(“This Is A Test” )

ResultVar will contain the text”this is a test”.

Upper Case( <string> )

Converts a string to upper case characters only:

Example

ResultVar = UpperCase(“This Is A Test” )

ResultVar will contain the text”THIS IS A TEST”

String Length( <string> )

Finds the number of characters in a string of text.

Example

NumVar = StringLength(“This Is A Test” )

NumVar will contain the number 14

SubString( <string>, <start>, <end> )

Gets part of a text string. <start> is the position before the start of the required part and <end> is the number of characters in the SubString.

Example

TextVar = SubString( “This Is A Test” , 5, 4 )

TextVar will contain”Is A”

StripTrailing( <string> )

Removes any blank spaces at the end of a text string.

Example

TextVar = StripTrailing( “   This Is A Test    “)

TextVar will contain(“    This Is A Test” )

StripLeading( <string> )

Removes any blank spaces at the beginning of a text string.

Example

TextVar = StripLeading( “    This Is A Test    “)

TextVar will contain”This Is A Test “

Find( <string>, <find> )

Returns the position number, from the start of the text, of the <find> string when the text is searched left to right.

Example

NumVar = Find(“This Is A Test”,”Is” )

NumVar contains the number 6.

ReverseFind(<string>, <find> )

Returns the position number, from the start of the text, of the <find> string when the text is searched right to left.

Replace( <string>, <replace>, <with> )

Replaces part of a string with another string.

Example

TextVar = Replace(“This Is A Test” ,”A” ,”Another” )

TextVar will contain”This Is Another Test” .

GetElement( <string>, <start pos> [ , <end pos> , [delim] ] )

Returns part of a string as defined by a start position and end position number when that string is divided up by a string delimiter. ( n.b. the <to> and <delim> are optional - the default is the first point a carriage return is encountered)

Example 1

TextVar = GetElement(“This Is A Test”, 2, 3,”” )

TextVar will contain”Is A”.

Example 2

The following text file was read into a text variable TextVar1 using the Read From File action and processed:

“This is line number 1

This is line number 2”

The default settings of GetElement could be used to get the second line:

TextVar = GetElement( TextVar1, 2 , 2 )

This is turn could be processed to get the fourth word

TextVar = GetElement( TextVar, 4, 4,”” )

TextVar will now contain the text”number”

This could all have been combined into one expression:

TextVar = GetElement( GetElement( TextVar1, 2) , 4, 4,”” )

although there will be no noticeable increase in the speed of your presentation by combining expressions in this way.

FindElement( <string>, <find> [ , delim] )

Example

NumVar = FindElement(“This Is A Test”,”Is” ,”” )

NumVar will now contain 2.

DeleteElement( <string>, <pos>[,to,[delim]])

Removes elements of a string based on a delimiter.

Example

TextVar = DeleteElement(“This Is A Test”, 1, 3,”” )

TextVar will contain”Test”

ReplaceElement(<string>,<pos>,<with>[,delim])

Replaces an element of a text string based on its position as defined by a delimiter.

Example

TextVar = ReplaceElement(“This Is A Test”, 2,”Another”,”” )

TextVar will now contain”This is Another Test”

InsertElement(<string>,<pos>,<with>[,delim])

Inserts a new element into a text string before a position defined according to a delimiter.

Example

TextVar = InsertElement(“This Is A Test”, 4,”Further” ,”” )

TextVar will now contain”This Is A Further Test”.

ElementCount(<string>, [<delim>])

Returns the number of elements in a text string defined according to a delimiter.

Example

NumVar = ElementCount(“This Is A Test”,”” )

NumVar will contain 4

Random(<max>)

Returns a number chosen randomly from 1 to <max>.

Example

NumVar = Random( 25 )

NumVar will contain a number chosen at random from 1 to 25.

Date and time functions

GetCurrentDate()

Gets the current date from the computer.

GetYear([date])

Returns the year as a number (e.g., 1995).

GetMonth([date])

Returns the month as a number (e.g., 6 for June).

GetMonthName([date])

Returns the name of the month (e.g.,”July”).

GetDay([date])

Returns the day of the month as a number (from 1 to 31).

GetDayName([date])

Returns the name of the day of the week (e.g.,”Monday”).

GetHour([time|date])

Returns the hours of the current time as a number (from 0 to 23).

GetMinutes([time|date])

Returns the minutes of the current time as a number (from 0 to 59).

GetSeconds([time|date])

Returns the seconds of the current time as a number (from 0 to 59).

ShowCursor(<1|0>)

This hides or reveals the screen cursor (usually an arrow ).

0 = Hide

1 = Show

Example

ShowCursor( 1 )

IfThenElse(<Condition>,<CommandThen>, <CommandElse> )

Returns variable values according to a logic test of a variable expression.

Example

TestDone = IfThenElse( StudentScore >= 75,”Done” ,”Not Done” )

If StudentScore is less than 75, TestDone will contain the value”Not Done”, otherwise it will contain”Done”. (n.b., the variables used must be created using the Presentation/Variables menu first of all).

Quit( <presentation|application> )

Forces a presentation or application to end.

e.g Quit(“PRESENTATION.DZL”) or Quit(“Application.EXE” ).

PlaySound(<filename>[,wait])

This function can be used as a side effect to responses. For example, if a button has the Set Variables part of its set-up dialog box with the following function in it:

PlaySound(“CLICK.WAV” )

every time that button is pressed, the sound file will be played. This can be useful for giving the user better feedback from the interface of a presentation or presentation.

MciCommand(<string>[,<return string>])

This function sends commands using the Microsoft Multimedia Control Interface standard - see MCI Action for more details.

CreateDirectory(<directoy>)

Creates a new directory with the name specified

Example

CreateDirectory(“C:\DAZZLER\TEST” )

If the full path is not specified, the directory in which Dazzler is stored will be used as the root. Thus, if the presentation is saved in C:\DAZZLER\PRESENTATIONS, the function CreateDirectory(“TEST” ) would create a directory: C:\DAZZLER\PRESENTATIONS\TEST.

DeleteFile(<filename>)

Deletes the specified file - no”Are you sure?” message is given.

Example

DeleteFile(“C:\DAZZLER\TEST\TEMP.TXT” )

CopyFile(<old file>,<new file>)

Makes a copy of a file. No warning is given if <new file> already exists.

Example

CopyFile(“C:\DAZZLER\TEST\TEMP.TXT” ,”C:\DAZZLER\TESTING.TXT” )

RenameFile(<old file>,<new file>)

Changes the name of a file. No warning is given if <new file> already exists.

Example

RenameFile(“C:\DAZZLER\TEST\TEMP.TXT”,”C:\DAZZLER\TESTING.TXT”)

Arithmetic Functions

Abs(<x>)

Int(<x>)

Sqrt(<x>)

Mod(<x>,<y>)

RoundUp(<x>)

RoundDown(<x>)

Cos(<x>)

Sin(<x>)

Tan(<x>)

Acos(<x>)

Asin(<x>)

Atan(<x>)

Exp(<x>)

Log(<x>)

Log10(<x>)

Edit Functions

Applies to text currently highlighted in an edit box.

Copy()

Cut()

Paste()

Operators

Arithmetic can be carried out on the variables. The operators supported in Dazzler Deluxe are as follows:

Not equal to 	<>

Greater than or equal to 	>=

Greater than	>

Less than or equal to	<=

Less than	<

Equal to	=

Addition	+

Subtraction	-

Multiplication	*

Division	/

Exponential	^

logic operators: 	and

or

Precedence is from left to right although expressions can be associated using parentheses.

An example of a variable equation would be :

PercentageWrong = (QuestionsWrong / NoOfQuestions) * 100

Equations can be validated using the Presentation/Validate menu option.

In Dazzler, numeric variables can be converted to text ones by using the”=“ operator as follows:

TextVar = NumVar

Text can also be joined together using the”+” operator.

TextVar =“Hello” +”World”

TextVar will now contain the text”Hello World”

Text and numeric variables can be combined:

NumVar = 3

NumVar = NumVar + 1

(NumVar will now contain the number 4)

TextVar = NumVar

TextVar1 =“C:\DAZZLER\PIC” + TextVar +”.BMP”

TextVar1 will now contain the text:”C:\DAZZLER\PIC4.BMP”, which could be used as a file name {TextVar1} in the Graphics Image Action as follows.


Widget Action
Widget Action (Deluxe)

Description

A sequence of bitmaps can be shown at a defined location. The time taken to complete one cycle of the bitmaps in the sequence is specified in seconds and fractions of seconds.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Location

Select this option to define the position for the bitmap sequence in the Presentation Window. Click the Define/Modify button and click and drag the cursor.

Widget

This group specifies the pictures to be moved in the animation and how they will appear on the screen.

Sequence

Click the Add.. button to add the required file to the sequence list. The bitmaps in this list will be displayed one after another in a loop. In this way, for example, cartoon-type animations can be created and moved about the screen with the Move Object action (bitmaps can be created in Windows Paintbrush - for small pictures, capture an area and select Edit/Copy To to save them as bitmaps). To change the sequence, highlight a bitmap name in the listbox and press the Move Up or Move Down button, as appropriate. To remove a bitmap from the sequence, highlight its name in the listbox and press the Delete button.

Contains

The number of images contained in the file. For example, with a value of 4, the picture will be shown as a sequence of four quarters, before moving on to the next image file.

Transparent Colour

Sometimes bitmaps in the sequence contain pictures created against a background colour. When the sequence is run this colour should not appear. For example, for a cartoon sequence displayed on top of a photograph, only the cartoon character should be shown, not the solid colour on which it was painted. Options are None, Auto, and Custom (user defined). This setting applies only to an individual bitmap in the sequence. The process must be repeated for each one in turn.

Attributes Tab

Animate every:

The time taken to display all the bitmaps in the sequence is specified in seconds and fractions of seconds.

Auto Repeat

With this option selected, the widget sequence will repeat indefinitely, until interrupted by another task.

Play Count

With this option selected, the widget sequence will repeat the specified number of times.

Coordinates Tab


Window Action

Description

Use this to define the attributes of the Presentation Window.

Properties

General Tab

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Look

These options determine how the Presentation Window will appear on the screen:

Centred

The Presentation Window will be centred, horizontally and vertically, within the display screen.

Keep Existing Size/Position

The Presentation Window size remains as it is. In this way, the other attributes of the window, such as its colour, can be changed without affecting its size.

Maximized

The window will fill the screen with the title bar at the top.

Floating

The Presentation Window is positioned according to values (or variables) set in the Coordinates Tab (see below).

Hidden

The Presentation Window is hidden if this is checked. This feature can be used to hide the presentation for a period of time while another program is running.

Attributes Tab

Apply Style Change

Select this option to apply the changes specified in this tab when. Deselect this option when the Window action is to ignore these settings - typically, this is used when the Window action has been created to modify other available attributes (e.g., the Layer Control tab).

Show Title Bar/Title

With the Show Title Bar selected, text entered in the Title edit box will appear in the title bar of the Presentation Window, if one has been defined. The value of a variable may also be used (for example, {StudentName}). See the Presentation/Variables menu item and the Variables Action.

Minimize Box

When this is checked, the Presentation Window will have a Minimize Box in the top right hand corner, allowing the user to minimize, or iconize, the Presentation Window.

Maximize Box

When this is checked the Presentation Window will have a Maximize Box in the top right hand corner, allowing the user to maximize the Presentation Window.

Show Scroll Bars

When this is checked, both vertical and horizontal scroll bars are added to the Presentation Window. In this way, images larger than the defined screen size can be scrolled by the user. Buttons, Hot Spots, etc., attached to the Presentation Window will also scroll. Use this option in conjunction with Drawing Area Size settings.

Sizable Border

When this is checked, the Presentation Window will have a border with which the user can resize the window using the mouse.

Background Colour

Checking this option will allow the background colour of the Presentation Window to be specified using the combobox.

Virtual Size Tab

Drawing Area Size

This defines the area of the Presentation Window that can be used for displaying pictures, text, etc. If the Drawing Area Size is larger than the actual Presentation Window, then the scroll bar option should be used.

Auto (default)

The Drawing Area is automatically set to the same size as the Presentation Window.

Fixed Size

Width and Height values can be given, starting at the top, left corner of the Presentation Window. In this way, the area available for the objects placed in the Presentation Window can be larger than the Window itself. A large picture could be shown using the Graphics Image action and the user could scroll across it if the Scroll Bars option is set. Any Hot Spots, text etc., on top of the picture will also move as the drawing area is scrolled.

Auto Scroll

This defines whether mouse movement will control the virtual window on the screen.

On Mouse Move

This will cause the picture to scroll as the mouse approaches the limits of the window (this will be activated as the mouse approaches the relevant ‘scroll margin’ defined - see below).

When Dragging Objects

This will cause the picture to scroll as the dragged object approaches the limits of the window (this will be activated as the mouse approaches the relevant ‘scroll margin’ - see below).

Horizontal and Vertical Scroll Margins

These define the areas that, if the mouse pointer enters, will cause the window to scroll in the appropriate direction.

Layer Control Tab

These properties control which layers of the window are removed in response to a clear action. By default, all layers except the background are removed. Selecting the ‘Apply Layer Locks’ will allow specific levels to ignore the clear action. Note that this lock will be ignored for objects explicitly referenced by name (see Clear Action).

Coordinates Tab

Provides control over winow coordinates. These may be explicit values or variables may be entered into these edit boxes.


Write Action
Write to File Action (Deluxe)

Description

Text and variable values can be written out to a text file using the Write to File action for use in other applications, such as spreadsheets.

Properties

Icon Text

The text which will be used to label the icon in the presentation. It will not be seen by the user.

Write

This edit box is used to enter the variable values to be written to the file and the format they will appear in. Variable names can be typed in directly, enclosed by {...}, or inserted from the variables browse button which will reveal the list of all the variables available within the presentation, both the built-in ones and those added using the Presentation/Variables menu. More than one line can be entered. The variable values can be separated by any characters: commas are useful for reading the text file produced into spreadsheets and databases. This format is known as CSV (comma-separated-variables).

Example:

{StudentName},{StudentID},{StudentScore}.

File name

Type in a file name or click the file browse button to specify the file to be written to by the action.

Attributes

Create New - if this radio button is selected, any existing data in a file with this name will be overwritten.

Append - if this radio button is selected, any existing data in the file will be retained and the new data added after it. In this way, results for different parts of a presentation could be written to the same file.


Menus

This section provides a detailed description of each of the menu options in the Dazzler Development Environment. Each menu item is listed according to its position in the default configuration - this configuration may be modified by the user, as described later. Many of the more commonly used menu options have an associated icon in the toolbar, enabling more rapid access. In the sections which follow, these icons are shown beside their respective menu options.

'Deluxe' refers to features available only in the Dazzler Deluxe edition.

File

The menu options under this heading deal with the saving, loading and printing of presentations.

New

Open

Close

Close All

Save

Save As

Save All

Send

Package

Page Setup

Print Preview

Print

Print Setup

Exit

Edit

The options in this menu are for copying and pasting tasks and their components, both within the same presentation and between presentations.

Add

Insert

Undo

Redo

Cut

Copy

Paste

Delete

Toggle Breakpoint

Presentation

This menu deals with settings and functions specific to the current presentation (i.e., the one in the active Design Window).

Variables

Paths

Validate

Renumber Tasks

Strip Drive/Path Names

Strip Drive Letters

Remove All Breakpoints

Run

Runs the presentation from the first task onwards. This is how the user would experience the presentation from the run-time system.

From Start

From Current

Current

View

This menu deals with making parts of the Dazzler development environment visible.

Show Presentation Window

Hide Presentation Window

Toolbar

Status Bar

Events Bar

Actions Bar

Responses Bar

Messages

Settings

This menu deals with the general setup of Dazzler and the hardware it controls. All these settings are stored with the Dazzler Development Environment and not the presentations created with it, so the presentations are independent of the particular hardware used to create the presentation.

System Font

Snap to Grid

Utilities Menu

Debug Trace

Options

Style Sheets

Development Mode

Normal

HTML

Java

Utilities

This menu consists of one standard item plus whatever other items have been added from the Settings/Utilities Menu option (see above).

Capture

Window

New Window

Tile Horizontally

Tile Vertically

Cascade

Arrange Icons

Dual Window Development Mode

Help

Tip of the Day

Index

Using Help

About Dazzler


File New
New

Creates a new presentation in a Design Window. Multiple presentations may be open simultaneously. A new presentation is given the name PresentationX, etc., until it is saved for the first time.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+N


File Open
Open...

Loads a previously saved file. The standard File Open dialog box is displayed for choosing which Dazzler presentation to load.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+O


File Close
Close

Closes the presentation in the currently active presentation window. If there are unsaved changes in that presentation, then a Save dialog box will be displayed.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+F4


File Close All
Close All

Closes all the open presentations. If there are unsaved changes in any of the presentations, then a Save dialog box will be displayed.


File Save
Save

Saves the presentation in the currently active Design Window to disk. If this is the first time the presentation has been saved, then the standard File Save As dialog box will be displayed (see below).

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+S


File Save As
Save As...

Saves the presentation in the currently active Design Window to disk. A File Save As dialog box will be displayed, allowing a drive, directory and file name to be chosen, as well as the format of the file to be saved.

Normal

Saves the presentation file so that it can be opened by any Dazzler Developer System or Run-Time Player.

Read Only

Saves the presentation file so that it can be read by any Dazzler Developer System, but any changes made to it cannot be saved. A presentation saved in this way can be executed by the Run-Time Player.

Protected

Saves the file so that it cannot be read by any Dazzler Developer System. It can be executed by the Run-Time Player. Note: Once a file is encrypted, it cannot be loaded into the Developer System again.

Password Protected

This option will prompt the user to enter and confirm a case-sensitive password. The file can only be opened using this password, although it can be executed by the Run-Time Player.


File Save All
Save All

Saves the presentations in all the Design Windows, starting with the first presentation created. If any of the presentations do not already have a file name, the usual File Save As dialog box will appear.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


File Send
Send

Allows the presentation to be sent via electronic mail (if available) to nominated recipients.


File Package
Package

The Package Wizard provides a step by step guide to the packaging of completed presentations and creation of distribution images. Target distribution media can be diskette, CD or directly via a network.


File Page Setup
Page Setup

Header - the text which will appear at the top of the page. The default is File: &f , where &f represents the name of the file in full.

Footer - the text which will appear at the bottom of the page. The default is Page: &p , where &p is the page number, starting at 1.


File Print Preview
Print Preview

Shows how the presentation structure will look when it is printed, page by page. Three levels of zoom are available.

When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which one or two pages will be displayed in their printed format.  The print preview toolbar offers you options to view either one or two pages at a time; move back and forth through the document; zoom in and out of pages; and initiate a print job.


File Print
Print

Prints the currently active presentation structure to the selected printer.

This command presents a Print dialog box, where you may specify the range of pages to be printed, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other printer setup options.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+P


Print Preview Toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the print dialog box, to start a print job.

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


File Print Setup
Print Setup...

Displays the standard Windows Print Setup dialog box from which the printer to be used can be selected, as well as the paper size, orientation and any other features specific to the chosen printer.


File 1, 2, 3, 4 command
1, 2, 3, 4 command (File menu)

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four documents you closed.  Choose the number that corresponds with the document you want to open.


File Exit
Exit

Closes down Dazzler. If any changes to presentations remain unsaved, a dialog box will appear asking if changes should be saved for each presentation which has changed.

Note: Beneath the Exit option a list of the most recently used files will be shown. Selecting one of these will load the appropriate presentation into a Design Window.


Edit Add
Add

Adds a new task to the end of the current presentation.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+End


Edit Insert
Insert

Inserts a new task in the current presentation before the currently highlighted task.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+Ins


Edit Undo
Undo

Cancels the last change to the presentation.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+Z


Edit Redo
Redo

Re-instates the effects of the last ‘Undo’.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+Y


Edit Cut
Cut

Removes the currently highlighted task, event, action or response. It can then be pasted elsewhere within any open presentation (see below).

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+X


Edit Copy
Copy

Copies the currently highlighted task, event, action or response. It can then be pasted elsewhere within any open presentation (see below).

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+C


Edit Paste
Paste

nserts a previously cut or copied task, event, action or response (see above) before the currently highlighted one. If a task is highlighted and an action is pasted onto it, the action will appear at the end of the task's list of actions. The same rule applies to events and responses.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	CTRL+V


Edit Delete
Delete

Completely removes the currently highlighted task, event, action or response. It cannot then be pasted back into a presentation.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :

Keys:	Del


Edit Toggle Breakpoint
Toggle Breakpoint

Inserts or removes a breakpoint at the current task. Breakpoints are provided as a debugging tool, allowing the developer to interrupt the flow of the presentation, ascertain the values of relevant variables, and generally track down problems with the presentation structure. Tasks with breakpoints are highlighted in red. The cursor must be on the task icon (not an event, action, or response contained within it) in order to set or unset the breakpoint (unless using the ‘Remove All Breakpoints’ menu option - see below).

When run, the presentation will execute up to the point immediately prior to a breakpoint, at which time options will be provided to continue, stop, and view variable values. The breakpoint reached will depend on the flow of the presentation.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F9


Presentation Variables
Variables (Deluxe)

Variables are an advanced feature used to store information needed by the presentation (to carry out performance monitoring, for example). Dazzler has many frequently used variables already built in. Some, such as PercentageCorrect, are automatically updated by the system as the presentation is run. Others, such as the ones you create yourself, can be manipulated and used within the presentation.

The Variables set-up dialog box looks like this:

There are two types of variables - Local ones, which only store information for the currently active presentation, and Global ones, which store information available to all presentation modules.

Local

CourseDrive

Contains the drive on which the current presentation is saved , as text. (e.g., C:).

CoursePath

Contains the complete path of the current presentation, as text. (e.g., C:\DAZ\DEMOS\).

Course Title

Contains the title of the presentation as specified in the Icon Text of the presentation icon. Change this by double-clicking on the icon text of the presentation icon in the Design Window.

CurrentTaskTag

Contains the number of the current task.

NoOfQuestions

Dazzler keeps track of which tasks have responses which are logged as right or wrong. These tasks are counted as questions.

PercentageCorrect

Dazzler automatically calculates a student score, based on the number of questions (defined above) correctly answered. If a question is repeated, but answered correctly eventually, it will still be counted as being 100% correct as if the student had got it right first time.

PreviousTaskTag

Contains the number of the previous task.

QuestionsAnswered

Dazzler keeps track of the number of questions (as defined above) which were actually answered by the student.

QuestionsCorrect

Stores the number of questions (as defined above) which were answered correctly by the student (as defined by the Log As option in the response).

QuestionsRepeated

Stores the number of questions which were asked more than once. It does not store how many times a particular question was asked.

QuestionsWrong

Stores the number of questions (as defined above) which were answered incorrectly by the student (as defined by the Log As option in the response).

StudentID

This variable can be used to store the user’s ID in conjunction with an Editor Input response.

StudentName

This variable can be used to store the user’s name in conjunction with an Editor Input response.

TaskTag

This variable can be set to a task number. In any response, the [-2] Task Tag Variable can be selected in the Branch to Task Tag Number list. When the response is activated the presentation will branch to the task set in TaskTag. Thus the branching can be controlled dynamically through variable values.

Global

These are global variables which have been defined by the presentation developer. Specify a name and type information, and click on the Add button to add the variable to the list of those which will be available to presentations.

All Global

Shows all the variables specified as being global (see above), including the ones pre-defined in Dazzler.

ActualDate

Contains the current date as set on the computer.

ActualTime

Contains the current time as set on the computer.

CD_Drive

Contains the drive letter of the first available CD drive.

ClickX

Contains the number of pixels from the left hand edge of the Presentation Window where the mouse button was last pressed down.

ClickY

Contains the number of pixels from the top edge of the Presentation Window where the mouse button was last pressed down.

ColourDepth

Contains the number of colours the computer can use to show pictures, measured in bits per pixel. 4 = 16 colours, 8 = 256 colours, 24 = 16.7 million colours. This variable can be used in conjunction with the Conditional Branch response to test the capabilities of a computer at run-time and act appropriately.

CourseTime

Only required for compatibility with earlier versions of Dazzler.

CR

Inserts a carriage return character.

DraggedObjectName

The Icon Text of the last object dragged using the Drag Object response. (e.g., “Picture - TEST.BMP”).

DragScaleValue

This is used in conjunction with the Drag Object response. It stores the value of the point on the defined scale at which the dragged object was released.

ErrorMessage

Contains the text of error messages returned by Windows (e.g., MCI errors).

ErrorNumber

Contains the numeric value of error messages returned by Windows. It is normally 0; anything greater than 0 indicates an error. This can be used within a presentation to check for errors. (e.g., a Demon event can be set to trigger if ErrorNumber > 0).

InstanceHandle

Stores the Dazzler application handle, used for linking Dazzler to other programs (e.g., via the DLL action).

MciReturnData

Text returned from an MCI action (e.g., getting the current frame position).

ObjectFromX

Pixel value of the original coordinates of the last dragged object from top left, measured from the left hand side of the Presentation Window to the center of the object.

ObjectFromY

Pixel value of the original coordinates of the last dragged object from top left, measured from the top side of the Presentation Window to the center of the object.

ObjectToX

Pixel value of the new coordinates of the last dragged object from top left, measured from the left hand side of the Presentation Window to the center of the object.

ObjectToY

Pixel value of the new coordinates of the last dragged object from top left, measured from the top side of the Presentation Window to the center of the object.

PreloadBufferSize

The amount of RAM set aside for the pre-loading of Graphics Images. The default is 1MB, but can be changed by assigning a new value (in MB units) to this variable.

ReleaseX

Contains the number of pixels from the left hand edge of the Presentation Window where the mouse button was last released.

ReleaseY

Contains the number of pixels from the top edge of the Presentation Window where the mouse button was last released.

ScreenWidth

The horizontal resolution of the screen measured in pixels (e.g., 640, 800 etc.). It will vary depending on Windows’ setup.

WindowHandle

Stores the handle of the Dazzler Presentation Window, used for linking Dazzler to other programs (e.g., via the DLL action).

WindowsVersion

Stores the number of the current version of Microsoft Windows.

To add a new variable to the presentation, such as JobTitle, which can then be used in conjunction with an Editor Input response to prompt the student to type in a job title, follow these steps:

1.  Type the variable name JobTitle in to the Name box.

2.  From the Type 'combo box', select the type of the variable by clicking the down arrow and selecting from the list shown.

Text type is used to store text information, such as JobTitle.

Numeric for numbers, which can be used later in calculations. The Display Numeric to ‘n’ decimal places can be used to specify the accuracy to which the number is displayed.

Absolute Date/Time type for storing today's date in various formats. The Format section of the dialog provides a way of selecting the way in which the date and time information will be displayed.

Several common formats are given in the drop-down list. The Custom options allows you to tailor the format to your own requirements.

The formatting codes are as follows:

Format	Description

%a	Abbreviated weekday name

%A	Full weekday name

%b	Abbreviated month name

%B	Full month name

%c	Date and time representation appropriate for the locale

%d	Day of the month as a decimal number (01-31)

%H	Hour in 24-hour format (00-23)

%I	Hour in 12-hour format (01-12)

%j	Day of the year as a decimal number (001-366)

%m	Month as a decimal number (01-12)

%M	Minute as a decimal number (00-59)

%p	Current locale's AM/PM indicator for a 12-hour clock

%S	Second as a decimal number (00-59)

%U	Week of the year as a decimal number, with Sunday as the first day of the week (00-51)

%w	Weekday as a decimal number (0-6; Sunday is 0)

%W	Week of the year as a decimal number, with Monday as the first day of the week (00-51)

%x	Date representation for current locale

%X	Time representation for current locale

%y	Year without the century as a decimal number (00-99)

%Y	Year with the century as a decimal number

%Z	Time zone name or abbreviation; no characters if time zone is unknown

%%	Percent sign

Example:

To set up a variable DisplayDate to display dates in the form “Monday, 10 June 96”, choose Absolute Date/Time in the Type box and select Custom from the Date/Time list. Enter the following text in the edit box in the Format section:

%A  , %d %B %y

Relative Time

Use this variable type when times need to be stored and compared, for example the presentation start and end times. The Format section of the dialog provides a way of selecting the way in which the time information will be displayed. Several common formats are given in the drop-down list. The Custom options allow you to tailor the format to your own requirements.

%D	Total days stored in variable

%H	Hours in the current day

%M	Minutes in the current hour

%S	Seconds in the current minute

%%	Percent sign

Example

To store hours and minutes only, choose Relative Time in the Type box, select Custom from the Date/Time list. Enter the following text in the edit box in the Format section:

%H : %M

ODBC Record Set is used in conjunction with the optional Database Toolkit to store information retrieved from a database. The ODBC Record Set / Setup part of the dialog box deals with choosing which tables, records and fields of a chosen database should be used. See Appendix B for details.

Binary

This variable type in used in conjunction with the ODBC Toolkit to store data from Binary Large OBjects (BLOBS) such as bitmaps.

3.  If the presentation uses other Dazzler presentations as it runs, (see Actions - Run Another Presentation), click on the Global button at the top of the dialog box, before adding a new variable, so that the variable can be used by all the presentations. Global variables remain active within Dazzler even if the presentation that created them is closed.

Note the All Globals option displays all the built in system variables, such as ScreenWidth, which are available at all times.

4.  If the variable is numeric, then choose how many decimal places should be used to display the variable. For example, 2 decimal places would show a value as 3.00, 0 places would show it as 3 alone.

To add this newly created variable to the list of available variables, click on the >>Add>> button. To remove a variable from the list on the right, highlight it and click the <<Delete<< button. If any changes are made to the properties of a variable, click the Update button for the changes to take effect. You will be prompted to save any remaining changes on exit.

See also: 	Actions - Variables

and all Responses

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


Presentation Paths
Paths...(Deluxe)

This menu item provides a way of stating which directories should be searched when Dazzler is trying to locate files requested in a Dazzler presentation. If a path is not specified with the file, Dazzler will first look in the same directory as the presentation (.DZL) file. If it can’t find it there, it will search according to the operating system directives. It will then look in the directories listed in the Search Order box, below:

To add a directory in which Dazzler should look when trying to locate information, press the browse button and use the Select Directory dialog to find the required directory. Click OK when the right directory has been found. Now press the Add button in the Path Variables dialog to add the directory to the search sequence. When more than one directory has been added, the order of searching can be altered using the Move Up / Move Down buttons. A directory can be removed from the search list by highlighting it and pressing Delete. Paths only need to be set up in the first presentation. The settings will remain active until Dazzler itself is closed, even if the presentation that set the paths is closed.


Presentation Validate
Validate (Deluxe)

This feature checks a presentation for inconsistencies that could cause problems when the presentation is run. There are two types of message given by the Validate option. One is just a warning that you may have overlooked something. For instance, in the example below, there is a warning because a task has been added to a presentation, but no actions or responses have been added to it. The task will thus do nothing in the presentation, but neither will it cause any harm, so it is flagged as a warning.

The other type, errors, are obviously more serious. In the example, a file specified in an action couldn't be found. This could occur for a number of reasons:

1.	the file has been deleted or moved,

2.	the directory path of the file has been removed from the presentation through the use of the Strip path names from objects feature (see below) but the file hasn't been moved into the current directory.

This facility provides a useful, though not exhaustive, check on a presentation before it is distributed or published for use.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


Presentation Renumber Tasks
Renumber Tasks...

After much editing of a presentation, the task numbers can become untidy. The Renumber tasks option goes through the whole presentation, renumbering the tasks from top to bottom and re-assigning the branches in responses accordingly. The starting number and step increment can be specified in the dialog box for this option.


Presentation Strip Drive/Path Names & Drive Letters
Strip Drive/Path Names & Strip Drive Letters

It is sometimes useful when building a presentation to include picture, sound and video files stored on different parts of a disk or network. When the presentation is ready for use or distribution, these files ideally need to reside in one directory on the hard disk or on a floppy disk. However, even after the files are gathered together in one place, the presentation might still contain explicit references to where the files originated. This will cause problems when the presentation is run on a different machine. The Strip paths options remove just the drive or both the drive and directory references, but both leave the actual file name itself intact.

Strip Drive/Path Names

All references to drives and directories are removed. Dazzler will assume that all objects reside in the same directory as the presentation itself.

Strip Drive Letters

Only references to drive letters will be removed. The directory paths will be left. In this way, a presentation which uses separate directories for pictures, sound and digital video, for example, can be transferred to another drive with this structure intact.

See also :	Settings/Preferences

Presentation/Validate


Presentation Remove All Breakpoints
Remove All Breakpoints

Remove all breakpoints set on tasks within the presentation.


Run From Start
From Start

Runs the presentation from the first task onwards. This is how the student would experience the presentation from the run-time system.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


Run From Current
From Current

Runs the presentation from the currently highlighted task (click once on a task to make it the current task).


Run Current
Current

This executes the currently highlighted task and only that task. In this way objects can be loaded into the Presentation Window ready for use in the Object Browse functions of various actions and responses, such as the Clear and Move Object Actions and the Drag Object Response.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


View Show Presentation Window
Show Presentation Window

Reveals the Presentation Window (showing how the presentation will look to the student) by placing it on top of whatever windows are already on the screen.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F2


View Hide Presentation Window
Hide Presentation Window

Removes the Presentation Window from the screen.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F3


View Toolbar
Toolbar

Show/hide the main toolbar. Click to toggle between on and off.

See Toolbar for help on using the toolbar.


Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The toolbar provides quick mouse access to many tools used in DAZZLER.

Click	To

   	Open a new document.

   	Open an existing document.  DAZZLER displays the Open dialog box, in which you can locate and open the desired file.

   	Save the active document or template with its current name.  If you have not named the document, DAZZLER displays the Save As dialog box.

   	Saves the presentations in all the Design Windows, starting with the first presentation created. If any of the presentations do not already have a file name, the usual File Save As dialog box will appear.

   	Adds a new task to the end of the current presentation.

   	Inserts a new task in the current presentation before the currently highlighted task.

   	Removes the currently highlighted task, event, action or response.

   	Copies the currently highlighted task, event, action or response.

   	Inserts a previously cut or copied task, event, action or response before the currently highlighted one.

   	Cancels the last change to the presentation.

   	Re-instates the effects of the last ‘Undo’.

   	Completely removes the currently highlighted task, event, action or response.

   	Runs the presentation from the first task onwards.

   	This executes the currently highlighted task and only that task.

   	This feature checks a presentation for inconsistencies that could cause problems when the presentation is run.

   	Opens the Variables set-up dialog box.

   	Toggle Development Environment Mode.

   	Displays the copyright notice and version number of your copy of DAZZLER.


View Status Bar
Status Bar

Show/hide the Status Bar at the bottom of the main Dazzler window. This provides a brief description of each menu item as the cursor moves through the menus and also the progress of the saving and loading of presentations. Click to toggle between on and off.


View Events Bar
Events Bar

Show/hide the Events Bar. Click to toggle between on and off.


View Actions Bar
Actions Bar

Show/hide the Actions Bar. Click to toggle between on and off.


View Responses Bar
Responses Bar

Show/hide the Response Bar. Click to toggle between on and off.


View Messages
Messages

If the Messages box is iconized or is hidden behind other windows, it will be shown, restored to normal size, on top, when this option is selected.


Settings System Font
System Font...

This allows a font to be chosen which the Dazzler development environment will use to label the icons. It has no effect on the presentation itself, but can help readability, both on the screen and on paper, when the presentation is printed out. The standard Windows font dialog box is used, although the font colour is set to black.


Settings Snap to Grid
Snap to Grid...

When positioning text, buttons, etc., in the Presentation Window, it can be useful to use the grid option to ease the task of aligning objects on the screen. Check the Show check box to show the grid in the Presentation Window when modifying the position of objects. Check the Snap to Grid check box in the dialog box to force the objects to align themselves with the grid when they are moved. The coarseness of the grid can be changed with the Width and Height  boxes.


Settings Utilities Menu
Utilities Menu...

The Utilities menu is used to launch other applications which may be of use when creating a Dazzler presentation (for instance a paint program). The items which appear on the Utilities menu can be selected using the Utilities Menu option dialog box:

Click the Add button to browse for an application to add to the menu. The standard Windows file browse dialog box is used. When the .exe file has been found (for example, PBRUSH.EXE in the Windows directory for Paintbrush), the path and file name will automatically be displayed in the Command Line box. The text which appears in the Utilities menu can be changed using the Menu Text box. The '&' character in front of any letter in the menu text will indicate a keyboard shortcut for that menu item. Any item can be removed from the menu by highlighting it in the Menu Contents list and clicking the Delete button.


Settings Debug Trace
Debug Trace... (Deluxe)

The Debug Trace menu option enables you to monitor how a presentation runs. The sequence, tasks and, optionally, their timing, can be viewed, either in the Messages Window, or, if the Trace to File option is set, they can be written to a specified file for later analysis. Create New will overwrite any previous trace information stored in the file; Append will add the new trace to the end of the one stored.

If neither the Timed nor the Detailed options are set, then the trace will consist of a list of the tasks used when the presentation ran, in the sequence in which they were called.

The Timed option, when checked, will add information, in seconds, about when a task was called, beginning from time zero when the presentation starts.

The Detailed option provides additional debug information, if available.


Settings Options
Options...

This provides configuration options for the Dazzler Development Environment, as shown below (each option may be toggled on or off):

General

Show Open File dialog at startup

Show MCI Errors

Play movies when defining locations

Automatic text editing for new objects

Automatic properties dialog for new objects

Files

Always Create Backup Course

Prompt to Save Changes on Exit

Automatic save every X minutes

Courses

Show Task Tag Numbers

Show Response Branching

Include Full Path with Object File Names

Self Document Objects

Confirm Drag Drop Operations


Settings Style Sheets
Style Sheets

Every event, action, and response has a range of its properties selected by default. In general, these have been found to be the most frequently used settings. Using the Style Sheet option, it is possible to develop a library of different property configurations for each event, action, and response. By setting any of these as ‘default’ will cause the settings to be used whenever a new instance of that object is created.

New Button


Settings Development Mode
Development Mode

The Development Environment can be configured to suit different target ‘publishing media’, as follows:

Normal -	all objects (events, actions, and responses) are available for creating presentations to be run directly on a PC.

HTML -	available objects will be reduced to those which are supported within HTML pages. Currently, these are:

Graphics Image Action

Graphics Shape Action

HTML Action

Movie Action

Plain Text Action

Rich Text Action

Sound Action

Window Action

Hot Spot Response

Push Button Response

Java -	available objects will be reduced to those which are supported within HTML pages. Currently, these are:

Clear Object Action

Graphics Image Action

Graphics Shape Action

HTML Action

Move Object Action

Movie Action

Plain Text Action

Sound Action

Widget Action

Window Action

Branch Response

Drag Object Response

Frame Location Response

Hot Spot Response

Keyboard Response

Mouse Response

Pause Response

Push Button Response


Utilities Capture
Capture

This menu option provides a way of capturing a screen, or part of a screen and saving it as a bitmap for use directly in a Dazzler presentation, creating a Graphics Action in the process if required.

The options on the left hand side of the Capture dialog box refer to different parts of the Microsoft Windows interface.

Window

An entire window, including Title Bar and Menu Bar, selected by clicking anywhere in the required Window.

Client Area

The inside of a window, excluding Title Bar and Menu Bar, selected by clicking anywhere inside the required Window.

Rectangle

An area of the screen defined by clicking and dragging the mouse.

Active Window

The window currently on top of all others , (e.g., a dialog box).

Desktop

The entire Windows environment, including background and active applications.

The other options are as follows:

Hide Dazzler

When the OK button is pressed, Dazzler itself will be hidden, until the required screen snapshot has been taken by clicking the mouse on the required screen. The standard Save As dialog box will appear, to save the screen picture, at which point Dazzler will re-appear.

Create Graphics Action

If this option has been checked, then a Graphics Action will be added to the currently highlighted task in the current presentation, configured to show the screen picture file just created.

Acquire Image

This option can be selected in order to acquire an image directly from a scanner, if this facility is available on the PC.


Window New
New Window

Creates a copy of the currently active presentation window.


Window Tile Horizontally/Vertically
Tile Horizontally / Tile Vertically

Arranges all the Design and Icon Windows on the screen so that each can be seen - the more windows present, the less of the contents of each window will be displayed.


Window Cascade
Cascade

This will stack all the Design and Icon Windows from top left towards bottom right.


Window Arrange Icons
Arrange Icons

If any windows have been minimized, and hence are shown as icons in the main Dazzler window, this option will tidy them up, arranging them from bottom left of the window.


1, 2, ... command

DAZZLER displays a list of currently open document windows at the bottom of the Window menu.  A check mark appears in front of the document name of the active window.  Choose a document from this list to make its window active.


Window Dual Window Development Mode
Dual Window Development Mode

This option allows the Development Environment and the Presentation Window to be displayed side by side, so that the effects of tasks created in the Development Environment can be seen immediately in the Presentation Window without having to ‘toggle’ between them.

The other items listed beneath these menu items are the currently open Design Windows in Dazzler. Click on the name of the presentation to bring it to the top.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


Tip of the Day

Displays tips about using DAZZLER.

Did You Know...

Displays a tip about using a DAZZLER feature.

Show Tips At Startup

Displays a tip every time you start DAZZLER. If you don’t want to display tips when you start DAZZLER, clear this check box.

Next Tip

Displays the next tip in the list.


Help Index

Use this command to display the opening screen of Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using DAZZLER and various types of reference information.

Once you open Help, you can click the Contents button whenever you want to return to the opening screen.

Shortcuts

Keys:	F1


Help using
Using Help

Use this command for instructions about using Help.


Help About
About Dazzler

Use this command to display the copyright notice and version number of your copy of DAZZLER.

Shortcuts

Tool Bar Equivalent :


Objects

This section describes in detail the options available for each of the objects used to build a presentation.

'Deluxe' refers to features available only in Dazzler Deluxe edition.

The right mouse button can often be used to perform certain activities available elsewhere. Right clicking on any object will display a menu of available options, similar to that shown below:

Simply highlight the desired option and click with the left mouse button.

Tasks

Events

Actions

Responses


Tasks

A Presentation (represented by the [image] icon in a Design Window) consists of a series of Tasks - things that will happen during the presentation. Each task in turn may comprise three types of component (Events, Actions and Responses - collectively referred to as Objects) described in the following sections. An object is added to a task by clicking on the Object icon in the relevant Icon Bar (Event, Action or Response Bar) and dragging it to the appropriate task in the presentation structure.

A presentation can be displayed within its Design Window with varying levels of detail. Click once to the left of the presentation icon to hide all associated tasks. Click once on the control to the left of a Task icon in a presentation to hide or reveal its structure. Double-click on the name next to a Task icon in a presentation to bring up the following dialog box:

Type in a name for the task in the edit box. This is used to label the task in the presentation. It is not seen by the user, but can help the developer enormously in making the presentation structure easier to read and understand.