Multiple EXE show

[JRR]

...

4. At the bottom of the PTE Window click on Project Options. Make sure in the dialog that appears with the following tabs, that the following are correctly adjusted:- MAIN TAB - Repeat show until ESC is pressed. ADVANCED TAB - Always show mouse cursor. SCREEN TAB - In version 6.0 fill in the details as you would for a sequence. EFFECTS TAB - Disable by clicking the two small boxes top right. C.OK. Save the Project by clicking File > Save.

...

Hope this helps, John

John:

Good summary (we all have our little ways of doing it slightly diffidently)

One word of caution - in PROJECT OPTIONS > SCREEN you want to have HARDWARE ACCELERATOR turned OFF. We have experiences with launched shows running behind the launch screen if it is left on.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi All

Since my initial post in this thread, I've produced 3 single show menus & 1 multi (6) show menu. I'm using 6.1 for the menus, the shows have been a mixture of 5.6 & 6.1, I have just checked the HE box on the menus and all have been left ticked, I haven't had any problems as yet. On the multi show menu I worded the buttons as I went and have not had any problems as yet, am I just lucky???

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

PS off to the camera club now, back after 10pm GMT.

[JRR]

Eric:

I would say lucky

Based on an example I was working on yesterday when I left the Hardware accelerator turned ON, one of 5 shows started behind the menu page, but not each time I tried it.

At our club in the fall, about 30% of the shows started behind the menu page when it had the Accelerator left ON

[fh1805]

Jim/Eric,

Are you using Run application... or Run Slideshow... to launch items off the menu? I use Run Slideshow... and leave D3D ticked ON in all sequences. But I do not put any animation on the menu sequence; only on the launched sequences. So far, I've had no problems.

regards,

Peter

[Johnwnjr]

Thank your for pointing out the two features in my ten steps to Making a Menu. I have edited the list and said untick 'Hardware Accelerator', and at the end of point 9 added 'to the background jpeg' - John

[JRR]

Jim/Eric,

Are you using Run application... or Run Slideshow... to launch items off the menu? I use Run Slideshow... and leave D3D ticked ON in all sequences. But I do not put any animation on the menu sequence; only on the launched sequences. So far, I've had no problems.

regards,

Peter

Peter:

I am using "Run Application" as not all the shows are ver 6. That was the same with the problem experienced at our Club in the fall. (Not all were PTE shows)

Running behind the menu page seems to be a random problem.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I'm using Run Application or Open File, no animation in menu & as yet no non PTE shows.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[JRR]

OK now what

I wanted "to get with the program" and run my menu shows in ver 6 using ver 6 shows so I could use RUN SLIDESHOW AND RETURN which has been discussed as being smoother.

I set up 5 (re-complied in ver 6) AV shows in a menu page using ver 6 and set the action to RUN SLIDESHOW AND RETURN.

I saved it as a .pte file and before creating a .exe file I wanted to check it so I clicked on PREVIEW.

The first show ran, but then as it returned to the menu page, up came the warning below.

I tried it a few more times and always got that message (except when I changed the action to RUN SLIDESHOW and then the first show ran and came back to the PTE program screen from which I had clicked on PREVIEW)

I said what the heck and created it anyway, and it worked ! Later edit:(See note below)

Does that mean that you can not run a ver 6 menu from PREVIEW, or am I missing something ?

Thx

[JRR]

I said the exe worked, but...

I used all ver 6 shows, and used ver 6 to create the menu, using the ACTION: RUN SLIDESHOW AND RETURN.

On my PC and "old" laptop, both Windows XP, the menu page worked smoothly, but when I ran it on the new laptop (Windows 7) the menu page came back at the end of each show, then flicked off and then back on.

When I switched the action to RUN APPLICATION OR OPEN FILE it ran OK on both XP and Win 7 (Although maybe not as smoothly as RUN SLIDESHOW AND RETURN on the XP)

[nobeefstu]

Jim,

Just as a note ... it should be possible to use D3D Hardware Acceleration in your v6 Menu when using same v6 Slideshows that are launched from the command Run Slideshow with Return.

The purpose of these 2 new commands was to address issues of excessive use/demand of GPU when using multitple slideshows with D3D enabled. It also stops the desktop flashback that was common with older version slideshows because the D3D was switching on/off for eash slideshow instance. The new commands only use one instance of D3D and therefore does not switch on/off between slideshows.

I dont know how Windows 7 deals with D3D on/off switches ... but I would first test building my v6 Menu with D3D enabled if you have not already done so to see any difference.

[JRR]

Thanks for thoughts Stu

I got up early this morning and re-built the menu show all over again.

I used five ver 6 shows (Hardware Acceleration ON although only one show has any animation)

Menu show had hardware acceleration ON (No animation in this show)

Bottomline ? It worked very smoothly on XP and Windows 7.

Only differences I can see between the new Menu and the old one:

- Hardware Acceleration ON in new Menu show, OFF in old menu show

- Object used to launch the shows was an invisible gif file. In the new show the name of that file appeared 5 times in the O&A window. In the old show, I used the same file, but in the O&A window it was called "Image 0", "Image 1", "Image 2", "Image 3", "Image 4". Those names were not put there by me, they came up automatically.

- I did not try to preview the Menu show, so I don't know if I would have gotten the corruption note that I got before.(see post 33 above)

Bottomline is that it works !!

The problem might have been the corruption (whatever it was) only affected Windows 7, not XP

[Laszlo K]

Well!

Thanks for All for the help.

I have gone over all the suggestions and played with them when I realized that I will need to create a multy layer platform ( window ), so I can launch the main entry window, that would acces another window with multiple thumbnails or buttons ( the people whose shows are to be shown ) and from there I can pick the persons collection of PTE's in another window.

Jim had the experience by creating a complex family tree and that process was what I was looking for ( similar to DVD menues ). Fortunately he leaves close by and an hour and half of working with him saved me a fair amount of head breaking.

This forum is a great way to learn.

Thanks again.

Laszlo

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I would add to Lazlo's comments, a great place to learn, so with that in mind- I have now created a six show menu & all seems to be working fine. One of the presenters who visited our club used a similar menu, one of his buttons was labelled "sound test" which when he clicked it started a piece of music and tested his remote speakers. Can anyone explain how this was done. When the music started the multi button menu stayed on screen as it should. I haven't yet tried to assign a music file but would assume if I select a piece of music & associate it to a spare button, the windows media player window would appear???

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[fh1805]

Eric,

In my Focus and Sound check sequence, which I run before every show that I present, I have set things up as follows:

The whole sequence is manually controlled via "Wait for a key press...". The mouse buttons are programmed Left=Next, Right=Previous. There is no music added via Project Options.

Slide 1 - Black Slide

Slide 2 - The focus check image with a button labelled Next

Slide 3 - The sound test image with a button labelled Stop

Slide 4 - Black Slide

The buttons are programmed to go to Next Slide. The music file is added to Slide 3 via Add Sound icon on the top toolbar.

The "play it" routine is: double-click to launch off the desktop, left click to advance from slide 1 to slide 2, check and adjust focus, click the Next button, check and adjust the sound level on the speakers, click the Stop button, either left click or Esc to get back to the desktop.

Once all the checks are complete I then launch the Menu sequence for the night's programme. This starts with a copy of the background image and I can leave this up on screen until I'm ready to get into the programme of sequences. So all my programme menus are two slide menus (the background image and then the thumbnails on the same background image)

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Thanks Peter, I'll give it a try.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1

[JRR]

here is a "utility" that I use to check sound, focus and “calibration”.

The image allows you to “calibrate” the projector for brightness/contrast so as to not blow the whites. Hopefully the computer/projector have been calibrated properly but if it was not done this is a useful check.

The bottom line on the left has squares of white and black that are ascending/descending 4 RGB points to Zero or 255

I have a jpg included 2 jpgs that explains the “calibration”

I should change the music and add a voice over section as well. That would check that the tone controls of the sound system are properly set for the narration

The utility starts on its own and stays on the screen until you hit ESC

[nobeefstu]

You are right Stu.

Especialy people of this forum will not accept limits and barriers, everything is there to strech far over than the original design intended to do.

Is like this simple plain slide show program of PTE turned into a massive super complex ( if you want to ) display vehicle.

I'm ancsious to see the Beta version.

Laszlo

The Holiday season upon us has slowed production down to a crawl ... but the PlayView exe list menu program has been tested on XP,Vista and Win7 and the final release is all ready except for Help and documentation. We all know how much people like to read Help files ... and how much I like to make them.

Hopefully it will be ready for upload early next week.

[nobeefstu]

Ok All ... PlayView is all finished and ready for download.

Have a Happy New Year !

See this post for details :

PlayView - Slide Show List Menu - WnSoft Forums

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11229

[Laszlo K]

Well to All who helped and looked on.

I finished my project which had started this topic. There are 76 PTE's, the work of 12 people. The total of 90 PTE's with 12 being control PTE's of the 76. One for the start up page that also has a button for sound check ( linked to a WAV file with multiple sounds and instruments including a THX sound). And another button to access the main distribution page with the photos of the participants. Click on a photo will take you to that individuals page were you can pck and choose of projects of that person.

I wish I would be able to share it with you, but it is 3.64 GB with all images removed and just the PTE's left in their respective folders my Rapidshare account could not take it.

I actually like the way it looks and works.

Thanks for all the help.

Laszlo

[Laszlo K]

Ok All ... PlayView is all finished and ready for download.

Have a Happy New Year !

See this post for details :

PlayView - Slide Show List Menu - WnSoft Forums

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11229

Hi Stu!

I tried your Player and it is really neat. I like the over all look to it.

I was looking for a Play button, then I realized that I have to double click on the title.

It works very well. Definitely a nice vehicle to use for multiple shows. Thanks.

I'm attaching 4 screen shots of the setup that I managed to put together with the help of all on this forum.

The first page has a music background, also an Audio chk button linked to a Wav file ( Mixed tones of music that I made up )

The Enter button takes you to the Second Page ( also has music background) with the photos of the people with projects. Each photo is a button that is linked to the Personal Page were each thumbnail is linked to the PTE project itself. And there are two of the personal pages from the 12.

Each time you hit Esc. will take you back a page.

This is great about this forum.

Laszlo

[8321]

I guess everyone knows http://www.typhoonsoftware.com/index.htm . I use it to package multiple slideshows with pdf's and images fairly securely into a single executable. Works like a charm.

Jeff

[Laszlo K]

Ok All ... PlayView is all finished and ready for download.

Have a Happy New Year !

See this post for details :

PlayView - Slide Show List Menu - WnSoft Forums

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11229

Hi Stu!

I used your viewer yesterday at the club but for some reason it would not see a PTE from the group, it did not show up in the window. Is it possible that it might have been done with a different version and that would take it out of the list?

Laszlo

[Ken Cox]

Laz

when i tested it , i used pte shows from the forum and beechbrook without a problem

a colllection of 40 exe's

i used zip playview v1 that i got dec 29 09

the exe is dec 28 09

ken

[Laszlo K]

I have tested it again today and got a message u nder the window in a red bar saying " RESTRICTED FILES ARE NOT LISTED" You click on this red bar and it will open a notebook page were there is an indication that there is something not right with the filename. The PTE plays OK without a hitch.

I placed the viewer icon on my desktop for a second check and opened up. It came up trying to load all PTE's on the machine and 6 files that had problem with.

See attachement.

I wonder what could be wrong with the name that make it restricted when all plays well. I have over 150 shows on my computer and the Collage were some of this shows are contain 90 of them.

Laszlo

PlayView_NoList.txt

[Ken Cox]

Laz

the way i tested, i put the exe in a folder containing a folder with the shows and click start and it searches within the main folder -

G:\1_P2E HOLDER\STU RAND TESTS\PlayView beta 1\FINAL PLAYVIEW 1

- it does not search outside the main folder

the main folder

G:\1_P2E HOLDER\STU RAND TESTS\PlayView beta 1

if you put the exe on the desktop it will search the entire system

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Desktop

looked at your error file and then looked at the help file

if i am reading it right then

Process : File Name RestrictionsPlayView will not list the following exe file names even if the name exists anywhere in its full file path string. File name is not case sensitive and includes upper and lower case letters.

• setup
• uninst
• install
• delete
• windows
• program
• you have the word windows in the file name
• try rename
• ken