"Main image" of a slide

[ealford]

I am still at the early stages of learning to use PTE and from time to time check out some feature (menu, property option, etc.). While I am quite delighted with the software, I am puzzled by a few things; "Main Image" is one of them.

Q1. What does the designation of an image as the slide's "Main image" do? (It doesn't seem to make a difference if one ignores the matter of which image is the Main Image).

Q2. Whatever it actually does, what is the (intended) purpose of specifying an image as the "Main image" of a slide?

Q3. (Related to Q1 & Q2) You can designate another image in the slide as the "Main image". Why would one want to change which image is designated as the "Main image"?

[i find that the first image file used to create a slide (via "Add slide") automatically gets designated as the "Main image" -- the Main image box in its Properties panel gets ticked. You can designate an image added later to the slide as the "Main image", simply by clicking on the "Main image" box in its Properties panel]

Q4. (Related to Q2) You can have only one main image -- makes sense! But also you can have no Main image, simply by unclicking the "Main image" box of the currently designated Main image. Having no image designated as the Main image does not appear to matter at all (but see Q6) -- shouldn't it?

Q5. In the list of Hotkeys (p.80 of the User's Guide) it says: "Alt+S - Replace Main Image". I don't get this action when I press Alt-S (in Version 5.6 or Version 6.0 Beta 18). What should happen?

Q6. If you delete every object currently on a slide, you will have an empty slide, and of course no "Main image". However, the slide is not deleted and remains with whatever caption (name?) it had. [Check its thumbnail in slide list]. That caption is the same as the name of an image file. If you change that name, you will be changing the name of that image file, even though that image is no longer part of that slide. A flaw in the design of the program?

[i recognise that the behaviour noted in Q6 is unlikely to occur in practice. It does relate to a matter I noted in another thread "Renaming Slides", about changing the captions/names of slides without affecting the name of any picture file].

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Many thanks for any clarification you can provide.

Ernest

[thedom]

Q1. What does the designation of an image as the slide's "Main image" do? (It doesn't seem to make a difference if one ignores the matter of which image is the Main Image).

Q2. Whatever it actually does, what is the (intended) purpose of specifying an image as the "Main image" of a slide?

Q3. (Related to Q1 & Q2) You can designate another image in the slide as the "Main image". Why would one want to change which image is designated as the "Main image"?

[i find that the first image file used to create a slide (via "Add slide") automatically gets designated as the "Main image" -- the Main image box in its Properties panel gets ticked. You can designate an image added later to the slide as the "Main image", simply by clicking on the "Main image" box in its Properties panel]

The image you designate as "Main Image" of the slide : the file name of this image will be displayed in the main window.

Can be useful if you have a lot of images per slide.

If you desactivate the options "Show real slide in mini player" and/or "Show real slide in Slide List", that's the image itself that will be displayed in the mini player/and or in the slide list.

To desactivate this option can be useful for old computers. To do so, go to "View" > "Advanced options".

Q4. (Related to Q2) You can have only one main image -- makes sense! But also you can have no Main image, simply by unclicking the "Main image" box of the currently designated Main image. Having no image designated as the Main image does not appear to matter at all (but see Q6) -- shouldn't it?

It's a normal behaviour. It allows you to make a color slide (solid or even gradient) without having to make it in a photo editor.

Q5. In the list of Hotkeys (p.80 of the User's Guide) it says: "Alt+S - Replace Main Image". I don't get this action when I press Alt-S (in Version 5.6 or Version 6.0 Beta 18). What should happen?

I confirm ALT+S doesn't set the image selected as Main Image.

But it will set the image to "Cover slide" (instead of "Fit to slide").

You have to select a keypoint of this image first.

It has the same effect for every types of object, even for text objects.

To see the difference, set your screen ratio to 16:9 and press ALT+S for a 4:3 or 3:2 image.

Q6. If you delete every object currently on a slide, you will have an empty slide, and of course no "Main image". However, the slide is not deleted and remains with whatever caption (name?) it had. [Check its thumbnail in slide list]. That caption is the same as the name of an image file. If you change that name, you will be changing the name of that image file, even though that image is no longer part of that slide. A flaw in the design of the program?

I think so.

[fh1805]

Ernest,

I can speak only of the external implications of the "Main Image". There may well be coding implications within the software which have no externally perceived impact.

The "Main Image" is the one that appears as a thumbnail in the Slide List along the bottom of the PTE main window. If you have an image made up of objects each of which fades up into view during the duration of the slide you may want to change the "Main Image" designator to be an object other than the first that you added (which may not be the first to be seen).

Having no "Main Image" is technically permitted but not recommended. I seem to recall that there have been instances in the past of folks getting themselves in a mess by not having a "Main Image".

In Q5, which User Guide were you quoting from? Lin Evans and Jeff Evans work that was based on v5.0 or the official User Guide?

Re Q6: changing the name of an object (via the Common tab of the O&A window does not rename the image file. The name given via the Common tab is simply a name of your choice for that object. If all objects shave been deleted you are, essentially, just giving a name to a "place-holder".

PTE does not copy the image files into the project file. It simply adds "pointers" to their whereabouts. Only when you use the Create option does PTE actually go and get a copy of the appropriate image file from your hard disk drive and place it in the exe file.

Hope this helps further your understanding.

regards,

Peter

[ealford]

To thedom:

Re: Q1, Q2, Q3

From what you say, it appears that the primary (if not sole) purpose of specifying an image as the "Main image" is to have the name of its file displayed in the main window. This seems to be a side effect of ticking the "Main image" box on the Properties page of that image object. I can't help feeling there is much more to the "Main image" setting.

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Re: Q4 ("...having no Main image does not matter at all ... shouldn't it?")

You said: "It's a normal behaviour. It allows you to make a color slide (solid or even gradient) without having to make it in a photo editor".

I did not know that you could do this from within PTE alone. I must try it out, though I am not sure why it should require unclicking "Main image".

Re. Q5: So it appears that the User Guide is incorrect about what Alt-S does. Perhaps the next version of that Guide will have this corrected.

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To fh1805:

You said "Having no "Main Image" is technically permitted but not recommended". Until I have a reasonably clear idea of the purpose and function of the "Main image" designation, I will leave the "Main image" setting alone, except when exploring the features of PTE!

You ask which User Guide I referred to. It's the one that I downloaded from this site, so presumably the official one. I have come across mention of an "unofficial Users Guide" but have still to find a location that makes it available.

Re. Q6: I was referring to the name/caption that appears under each slide thumbnail in the slides list and not to the name of an object in a slide. The slide name/caption may be changed via Rename in the Slide drop-down menu.

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Thank you both for your replies, which are greatly appreciated.

Ernest

[fh1805]

Re. Q6: I was referring to the name/caption that appears under each slide thumbnail in the slides list and not to the name of an object in a slide. The slide name/caption may be changed via Rename in the Slide drop-down menu.

Ernest,

Using Rename in this manner has the effect of changing the file name of that image file as it is stored on your hard drive. You are not just changing a displayed label. You are changing the actual file name. If, elsewhere in your sequence, you use this same file as an object on some other "Main Image" you will have destroyed PTE's ability to find and resolve the file reference and will get errors reported. The nature of these errors is such that they will, almost certainly, cause great confusion in your mind. (We've had numerous pleas for help on this forum concerning "missing images").

Tread carefully when thinking of using Rename on your image files.

regards,

Peter

[ealford]

Ernest,

Using Rename in this manner has the effect of changing the file name of that image file as it is stored on your hard drive. You are not just changing a displayed label. You are changing the actual file name. If, elsewhere in your sequence, you use this same file as an object on some other "Main Image" you will have destroyed PTE's ability to find and resolve the file reference and will get errors reported. The nature of these errors is such that they will, almost certainly, cause great confusion in your mind. (We've had numerous pleas for help on this forum concerning "missing images").

Tread carefully when thinking of using Rename on your image files.

regards,

Peter

Peter,

I agree entirely. But surely we need to be warned off using Rename because the conception behind it is flawed and needs changing. Should we avoid altering the "Main image" designation in a slide for the same reason?

However, I am far too new to PTE to be confident about the need to make particular changes to it, but it seems to me that this may be a candidate:

** the names/captions of slides should be made independent of the names of image files (with the option of using the latter as slide names/captions if we wish). Also, it should not be possible (at it currently is) to retain the name of an image file as the name/caption of a slide even though the image has been deleted from that slide.

Perhaps something also needs to be done about "Main image". But I am not sure about this, for I have yet to understand what the point is of being able to specify one of the images in a slide as the "main image".

Ernest

[davegee]

Ernest,

While I am uncertain as to the "official" "real" answer to your question here is an example of where the "Main Image" designation comes in handy.

I frequently add an image (any image) and then delete it in the Objects Pane to create a blank slide.

However, in the slide list the name of the ORIGINAL image remains even though it is no longer visible in the slide and has no meaning whatsoever.

If I now add a PNG title in O&A as an object I can designate that PNG as the main image and thus the PNG name will become the "Main Image" title in the slide list.

There are other ways of creating blank slides and other explanations for "Main Image" but that's just one example.

DG

P.S. I believe it has been stated that RENAME is a WINDOWS function and when used outside of PTE no warning exists about the implications of renaming. So why should there be one within PTE? It relies, as do many other Windows functions, on the familiarity of the user with the operating system.

[nobeefstu]

There is some program/file logistics that utilize and require the designation of a Main Image. You may not need them ... but the program and .pte file uses its item reference. In brief:

-If you uncheck Advanced Options| Show Real Slide in Slide List you will only see the Main Image in the Slide List and not the rest of objects in that Slide. Most users today probably use this option enabled and want to see all the objects.

- The only way PTE initally adds a new slide to the Slide List is by using a image file which is by default termed the Main Image. You can uncheck, remove the Main Image ... but the Main Image reference item is still utilized by the program and written in the .pte file.

- Several versions ago PTE required the Main Image of a Slide to always be available in your Windows files even if you removed it or unchecked it from your objects. It was saved along with your other image files when you made a Template or Backup zip ... if this Main Image file was missing the project so notified you and could not proceed. Today, the removed Main Image object is not saved along with the Template or Backup zip but its reference is still retained and used by program and pte file.

I aggree some things need a bit of clean-up in this area since the evolution of old to new and current version.

Thats a start anyway.