play multiple pte after each other

[filip.debacker]

Hello everybody,

With my camera club, we show each year some slideshows.

We create them with PTE.

Everybody creates an exe of his show.

Is it possible to play these automatically after each other, without any 'weird screen' between them.

With 'werid screen' I mean: windows start menu of other stuff.

thanks!

Filip

[davegee]

Theoretically - Yes.

But because each PTE EXE file is coming from a different member it makes it more difficult.

It would probably be easier to create a MENU PTE EXE file which would allow for choosing each in turn without returning to the desktop.

DaveG

[filip.debacker]

That is just what we want to avoid.

We have 12 memebers in our club, each with a show.

On one evening of our exhibition, we show it 5 times in one evening,

so with a menu, there has to be a person who clicks on each button.

Filip

[xahu34]

... there has to be a person who clicks on each button.

Hello Filip,

You can proceed as follows: You create a show where hardware acceleration is turned off, and which shows nothing but 12 black images. Customize each image such that it starts one of your shows (Customize Slide, Field: Run external application). Under Win XP configure the taskbar such that it is not on top of other windows. Starting this new show (menu show) should start all your 12 shows without any further actions.

Kind regards

Xaver H.

Munich

[JRR]

Filip:

Not sure if this is what you want, but in Ver 4 we could "daisy chain" shows so that they ran one right after the other.

PROJECTIONS > ADVANCED > run application after....

Ver 5 seems to still have this option. (I still tend to be back in the dark ages and still use ver 4 most of the time :rolleyes: )

BUT this means that each show has to have this option turned on and the correction application to run after specified.

We did this technique in our Photo Club when three of us would put together what was really one show with three parts. In your case I suspect they are independent shows and this might not make sense for your situation.

When our club runs an AV night with independent shows we use the "menu" screen approach. Yes you need an operator to start each show, but it is clean start with no going back to the desktop, or file folder each time.

Xavier's solution is a neat one that I wish I had thought of in times gone by.

[Barry Beckham]

Filip

I fully understand what you are trying to do here, but I have to say my first thought when I read your query was that you probably need that gap don't you.

I think you need a minute or two between each show for it to flow better. Sitting through twelve shows without the ability to turn and make comment to other club members in between them, doesn't do it for me. I would appreciate just a short break.

What do others think?

[davegee]

I would think that about 20 minutes is the most I could stand without a break.

This, and the difficulties involved because each of the shows is by a different author, is why I recommended a MENU slide.

When a break is needed it is easy to pause between shows.

DaveG

[cjdnzl]

I would think that about 20 minutes is the most I could stand without a break.

This, and the difficulties involved because each of the shows is by a different author, is why I recommended a MENU slide.

When a break is needed it is easy to pause between shows.

DaveG

Would it not be easy to create an old-fashioned DOS-style batch file, and put a shortcut to the batch file on the desktop?

Do it in Notepad; a simple list of the program paths and titles and write the list to a batch file, like 'shows.bat'.

So, in Notepad,type in (for instance);

c:\shows\show1.exe

c:\shows\show2.exe

c:\shows\show3.exe

etc.

then go to File/Save as and save it as 'shows.bat' in whatever folder you want, then make a shortcut from the filename.

A batch file as above will run all programs one after the other until finished automatically. You can put a pause between shows if you like, with the 'pause' command.

batch file syntax is very simple and can probably found on the net if you want.

Colin

[davegee]

Hi Colin,

One of the original poster's requirements was that the desktop should not be shown between shows.

Does your BAT file acheive that? If so it is a good solution.

DaveG

[cjdnzl]

Hi Colin,

One of the original poster's requirements was that the desktop should not be shown between shows.

Does your BAT file acheive that? If so it is a good solution.

DaveG

Well, no, I don't think any way of running successive shows will prevent the desktop from showing between the last slide of one show and the beginning of the next, as the computer needs significant time to load the next program. Programs of, say, 20 to 80 to 90 megabytes need a few seconds to load. You might have to accept the interruption as inevitable.

Colin

[davegee]

That's the whole point of using a MENU show.

You then do not go back to the desktop, you go back to your plain black (or whatever) menu background before starting the next show.

I THINK(?) that was Filip's requirement.

Incidentally, where is Filip? Is he still with us?

DaveG

[fh1805]

It is my understanding that, assuming the BAT file technique will work as desired, the user of it must remember that all aspects of the pathname and filename MUST conform to DOS's naming conventions (i.e. a maximum of 8 alphanumeric characters - A-Z, 0-9). And, on trawling through my memory banks from many years ago, I seem to recall that there was a command (CLS ?) that you could use to clear the screen of everything except what the executed programs generated. I also seem to recall that Windows95 had an MS-DOS command line interface. I don't know whether Windows XP and Windows Vista have such a feature or not.

An alternative approach might be to code the show file names into a txt file (along the lines that Colin indicated above) and then read that txt file with a simple Visual Basic program that initiates each show in turn. I'm not a Visual Basic programmer so can't be sure of this. User tom95521 seems to be one of the forum's VB "experts", if he reads this thread perhaps he will clarify this point for us.

[filip.debacker]

Yes I'm here :-) I was away for a day, sorry...

We have decided to show 20 minutes of shows after each other.

Most visitors of exhibitions don't like to sit and watch for 40min or more I guess.

(Except the photography fans like we are?)

I tried the method of Xaver and Jim and it works fine!

The dos batch was my first attemp to shwo all the show after each other, even when you 'unlock' the taskbar it doenst work withou flickering.

I've also tried to make a program (.net application) with a black screen. It showed the black screen, but when you load an exe (pte show) it flickered.

There was no posibitity to turn this off.

thanks for the help! (an dsorry for late answer)

Filip

[CorVdK]

Hello Filip, Hello to all,

It can be done with PTE 5.1!

I made for the 50th anniversary of our camera club a complete lay-out of a chained sequence of EXE-files. Those EXE-files are not alone done by PTE, but also by m-Objects and Photodex-ProShow EXE-files are involved. About the flicker or other "waiting" problems between the shows: It's all depending on the power of the computer (we did it with a XP-computer Intel Pentium 4 3,2GHz, graphic card ATI 256MB Radeon x1950). The only flawty with "my methodology" is that before starting each show you see a fraction of a second the cursor on a black background (XP) or the "turning ring" of Vista.

Some basic tips before starting with a project like that, all providers of a show with PTE must be sure that:

1) their EXE-show is started and ended with a black slide

2) in <Project Options> <Show Settings> "Close show after last slide" is ticked, otherwise you have an endless loop, or you must push "ESC"

3) in <Project Options> <Advanced> "Hide mouse cursor during show" is choosen

If I get it straight, Filip want an endless projection of the shows.

Some questions Filip:

1) Do you want an intro, label, name of your camera club, first?

2) Do you want a break or pause in between?

Give us some more details please.

50th Anniversary of our camera club intro

This is the intro I made for the 50th Anniversary of our club. It's an EXE-file, that contains a background and the same background with the logo's, the titles of the shows, on that same backgound a button to launch the shows, in <Objects and Animation> <Common> "Action on mouse click - Run application or open file..." and point to (path) an "other" EXE-file to launch the shows.

Zip with .pte-file and used slides

That "other" EXE-file contains then, a black slide, possible backgrounds with titles before every show, after these again a black slide -timing 3 sec.- taking care of the loading of the next show, again a black slide (timing 2 sec.) with <Customize Slide> <Main> "Advanced Options" path to the "Run external application". You use the same combination of "support"-slides for every show you include in the chain. You end with a black slide or a slide with end credits.

If any questions...

Greetings,

Cor

[JPD]

The batch files doesn't run on all Operating system, for instance on Win 98.

The solution of Xaver is a good one, I just prefer to use PTE V4 to do that for 2 reasons, it use less calculation than V5 and it's possible to have a background on all the screen for all format of screen, what V5 can't do.

I used this method in an old slideshow "Corsica" and it's perfect.

[davegee]

Xaver's solution is, indeed, the BEST solution.

I have just tried a simple test using his instructions and it worked perfectly.

I also included Jean-Pierre's suggestion and made the "menu" slides 1920x1080 and the "show" slides 1024x768 which would allow for showing on all monitors up to 1920x1080 at "actual pixels" as well being suitable for projection on a 1024x768 projector.

I used 5.5.4 for both Menu and shows. I would like to test further to see if any problems exist with PZR etc.

Didn't Lyn originally suggest this a long time ago?

Many thanks Xaver.

DaveG.

[xahu34]

Xaver's solution is, indeed, the BEST solution.

It seems to be folklore, not my solution, used by many others before I even knew that PTE exists.

Best regards

Xaver

Munich

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi All

Our club is putting on 2 public shows this weekend, which is why I homed in on this post, can someone point me in the direction of making a basic menue slide as described in the previous posts, I'm assuming this would be a black or whatever slide with the separate created shows icons listed so all that is needed is to click each icon in turn. Please use mor than 4 words as I am relatively new and brief replies with a link to 50 odd pages of text lead to an early switch off and leave me cold.

Yachtsman1

[JPD]

Don't forget to use "Hidetaskbar" from Marcovello for this method.

[CorVdK]

I have just tried a simple test using his instructions and it worked perfectly.

It seems to me there are a lot of speculations here, but not facts. So far I have seen no example put into practice of all the suggestions that are mentioned. I mean a usable .pte file.

You can not achive any result by doing "a simple test". You have to put 10 or 12 completed EXE shows in a chain and then you can see what you get.

We have decided to show 20 minutes of shows after each other.

That is not the same as putting some blacks in a chain with some slides attached.

What's more, you must NOT turn off hardware acceleration (with PTE v5.1), because all your chained shows, the "support" EXE file with the instructions (and the optional intro if any) will begin to flicker, and the quality of your presentation will be zero if you have some animations.

The batch files doesn't run on all Operating system, for instance on Win 98.

Must the chained show run on a computer with Windows 98? I did not read that in any post.

Is it possible that someone post a finished .pte file of his findings to try it in practice. That will be a big help.

Thank you in advance.

Greetings,

Cor

[CorVdK]

Don't forget to use "Hidetaskbar" from Marcovello for this method.

Jean-Pierre,

Why we need that "Hidetaskbar" for?

In <Project Options> <Advanced> when you tick off "Show Navigation Bar" it is not shown.

Besides that, the chain of shows is moving one after another and there is no need to show a bar. You don't have to control that if everything is shown automatic.

I missed something here?

Greetings,

Cor

[davegee]

I am trying to upload a demo but this site is incredibly slow tonight and timing out frequently.

If I am successful please unzip folder to desktop and read the readme.

If not Ill try tomorrow.

DaveG

[xahu34]

Hello Cor,

If you use a master show just with black images (not daisy-chaining), which initiates the real shows, then turn off hardware acceleration, but only in this master show. The others which are started by slides of the master show (via "customize slide") should remain as they are. It may not be good to run 2 applications in parallel both of which use D3D.

If you do not take care for the taskbar (Windows XP), in the way I mentioned above, it will show up whenever a new show starts. Here the tool of Marcovelo can help.

Best regards

Xaver

Munich

[davegee]

I gave up on trying to upload, all sites seem to be getting problems here tonight.

However Mediafire worked at the third attempt:

Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?befycndhnvj

Demo Menu Show - read the readme.

DaveG

[Davidh12]

To those who asked

I don't know if this will help. Attached is a saved zip file of a menu show I use.

It has an introduction sequence then the menu slide with buttons calling the various exe shows (not included). Created in objects & animation.

Have a look. Hope it's helpful to those who asked.

You will notice in this show Hardware acceleration is turn off. As Xaver states above this is important in menu programs, can't remember the reason now, but there are problems if you don't. Which really means you should avoid animation in this menu show.

David

start_menu.zip