Action on mouse click to launch files

[Guest adri]

Whilst this is a very useful feature which I use often, it is rather cumbersome to update when you copy your presentation to another folder or drive. You then need to update all the links manually.

Is there any way that these links could be updated automatically in the background when one copies the project or exe to a new location, e.g. backup or USB drive or DVD?

thanks

Roel

[davegee]

Backup in ZIP?

DG

[tom95521]

I think you are talking about starting a slideshow from within a slideshow? I always use relative paths (actually no path) instead of absolute paths (drive letter:\folder\file).

The backup to zip is one method to do this but it does not stop you from using absolute paths which makes the linked slideshows dependent on a single location on the hard drive/network.

Tom

[Guest adri]

Tom, please elaborate on "relative path".

I am using the feature to start slide shows within an existing show. It all works fine when you don't make any changes to your folders. The moment you move or copy the show containing the links to another location, you need to recreate all the links. I am looking at suggestions how not to have to do that.

e.g. all is on my pc and working fine. I then copy to USB drive to take to the club. In order for matters to work on the club computer, I need to have the project too and then update all the links first before starting the presentation. This is laborious and time consuming. Not even backup zip will solve this.

R

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Tom, please elaborate on "relative path".

I am using the feature to start slide shows within an existing show. It all works fine when you don't make any changes to your folders. The moment you move or copy the show containing the links to another location, you need to recreate all the links. I am looking at suggestions how not to have to do that.

e.g. all is on my pc and working fine. I then copy to USB drive to take to the club. In order for matters to work on the club computer, I need to have the project too and then update all the links first before starting the presentation. This is laborious and time consuming. Not even backup zip will solve this.

R

I have the same problem, it was reported some time ago but I'm not sure if has been addressed.

Yachtsman1.

[PGA]

Within the Menu or Starter sequence, refer to each of the other sequences by just its name (e.g. abc.exe, xyz.exe - no drive or path info). Publish your "Menu" or "Starter" sequence into a folder (any folder). Publish all the other sequences into the same folder. Then simply copy that folder on to your USB thumb drive. Launch your Menu or Starter sequence from that folder and all the links will then work - without having to be rebuilt.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

. Launch your Menu or Starter sequence from that folder and all the links will then work - without having to be rebuilt.

regards,

Peter

Peter

I beg to differ, I noticed & reported this when 8 came on board. I have tried it on 3 separate occasions with 3 subsequent issues with the same result. If I transfer the master folder containing everything associated with that menu, exes, pictures, music via a pen drive to my laptop with the same series of 8, I have to re-authorise the links to each item in the menu.

A short description of the sequences of events.

1 create folder, add pictures music etc.

2 Add exes to be controlled by the menu. Launch PTE menu show with an opening sequence & a list of names of exes as text items to a picture slide, authorise all exes using the run "application or open file" in the O&A common tab.

3. Publish menu exe.

4. Copy folder to pen drive, transfer from pen drive to LT.

5. Finally create shortcut from menu exe to LT's desktop. Operate shortcut, menu opens, click on 1st exe name, programme stalls.

Solution, open LT folder, open PTE menu show, re-authorise all exes, publish new menu exe, shortcut to desk top.

Everything operates as normal.

Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

These pictures illustrate the menu construction.

Yachtsman1.

[tom95521]

Hi Eric,

Does it run ok if you do not use the desktop shortcut?

If that works try setting the shortcut property start in option to set your current working directory to the slideshow folder?

Tom

[PGA]

Eric,

It is always going to stall in your scenario. Even though your Menu sits in the same folder as the other sequences, the shortcut that you launch it with is on the desktop. As far as Windows is concerned you have launched off the desktop - but the other sequences aren't on the desktop. You can prove this by copying one of the sequences out onto the desktop.

Everything has to be in one place and you must launch from inside that place. This isn't a PTE thing; it's a Windows thing.

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Eric,

Does it run ok if you do not use the desktop shortcut?

If that works try setting the shortcut property start in option to set your current working directory to the slideshow folder?

Tom

Hi Tom & Peter

I assume what you are suggesting will work, however I am just using the same format I have used for the last 3 years, before 8 it worked, or possibly before I downloaded the current W7 updates, which corresponded with my new PC which has a different version of W7 Professional, which maybe what Peter is inferring in his explanation. It would appear I now have to use the workaround described in my post. The reason I use it this way, I have 20 viewers listening to a music track I have on my desktop, time comes for the show, I close the music, click on the menu exe & it launches. Your suggestion would mean 2 or more steps before the show launches, which at a nervous time, with my finger trembling on the mouse, could go wrong, with my way, one click & I'm away.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[PGA]

Eric,

Why not turn your "waiting music" into another sequence triggered off the menu? When you "Esc" out of that, you will be returned to your menu (just like any other sequence) and you are there, ready to launch the first "real" sequence of your evening. That's my way of working: the entire evening is run from the menu.

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Peter

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM not sure, will give it a try if I ever get out to take some pics for a show, maybe after our Kent trip.

Eric

Yachtsman1

[Barry Beckham]

Listen to what Peter is saying. He's right and if he wasn't how could I make a sample of a menu and put it on a disk or in a download for anyone else in the world to run.

It works fine and the proble here is your paths are wrong

[Guest Yachtsman1]

How come it worked last year???

Yachtsman1.

[Barry Beckham]

Hard to argue with indepth logic like that. Was it a leap year ?

This will be very hard for you to accept, but you did something WRONG with the paths to the slide shows. Think of the web. One letter wrong in the address, or a comma typed instead of a dot and the computer cannot find the site. Its looking in the wrong place.

When you build menus, the address string is the vital part, but if we browse for them, we often get an address string like D/slideshows/2014/mystuff/the jackass.exe

All you need in the string is "the jackass.exe" if you put everything in one folder.

[Jacek Stary]

if you give it a path after the transfer will not work. Clear a path, leaving only the file name. Then when you move the entire folder will work everywhere. Just do not know how to remove the path to the music.

[nobeefstu]

Roel,

Tom, please elaborate on "relative path".

I am using the feature to start slide shows within an existing show. It all works fine when you don't make any changes to your folders. The moment you move or copy the show containing the links to another location, you need to recreate all the links. I am looking at suggestions how not to have to do that.

e.g. all is on my pc and working fine. I then copy to USB drive to take to the club. In order for matters to work on the club computer, I need to have the project too and then update all the links first before starting the presentation. This is laborious and time consuming. Not even backup zip will solve this.

R

Whether using absolute(full) paths or relative paths ... when moving/copying the EXE slideshows to another PC ... make sure you copy all the EXE slideshows into the same single folder (use no multiple folders).

*PTE will always resort to look for the relative path if no absolute(full) paths exist. Therefore copy all EXE slideshows to the same folder on the other PC.

* Another issue to look out for when transfering EXE slideshows to another PC ... make sure the Security file properties of all the EXE files are unblocked. Click Unblock button and Apply button if its displayed for each file. Otherwise if the file is blocked ... the slideshow wont launch properly.

* It may be necessary for the menu EXE launching these other EXE slideshows to have Non Exclusive Full Screen Mode enabled within the Project Options | Screen tab. Otherwise the launched EXE may not display ontop and run under the menu EXE. This is system dependent ... but it doesnt seem to promote unwanted effects when using this function on all OS.

[Jacek Stary]

where it is? .."...................................... the Security file properties of all the EXE files are unblocked......"

[nobeefstu]

Jacek,

When you right-click the compiled slideshow EXE a pop-up menu appears. Click Properties. The slideshow EXE properties window will appear. The General tab will display the Security warning information if the file needs to be unblocked. This is not a PTE option ... its a Windows file procedure.

*see attached example

* files made on your PC wont display or have this warning and need not be unblocked for use. It deals with files you download, transfer, or receive from other locations.

* So after the slideshow EXE files have been copied to another PC ... then you check the file properties and unblock if necessary.

[Jacek Stary]

my file is different from your

[nobeefstu]

Jacek,

Not all EXE files display this Security measure to Unblock. Your file indicates the file is already unblocked because there is no display of a Security measure to perform.

You can easily identify a file that has not been unblocked because a Open File - Security Window is displayed prior to the execution of the file. See attachment

To avoid this Open File - Security Window interrupting the slideshow.EXE during playback ... Unblock the file(s) prior to your exhibition.

[Guest adri]

Thanks for all the help. It all boils down to proper file management.

What I was hoping to achieve does not seem to be possible:

To hide all the EXE's except for the Menu show so that one could share the show more freely.

There is software that would hide files or folders whilst still having them accessible but they appear only to work on your own pc and not on a USB drive.

To achieve this would be of benefit to any competition/salon organiser.

Roel

[nobeefstu]

Roel,

To hide all the EXE's except for the Menu show so that one could share the show more freely.

* If you want users to see only the menu.EXE and not the others .... you could just give those other EXE filles Hidden Attributes in its file properties. If the other users PC has its System settings set to Donot show hidden files, they wont see them on the USB. However if they have Show Hidden Files ... they will faintly see them. You have no control over the Sys settings on the other users PC.

* You could just create a short-cut from the menu.EXE to the desktop prior to the exhibition .... and no one (including you) need see the USB files.

[Jacek Stary]

I just always do
I have to show 10 exe files
I am doing a desktop shortcut to the file start.exe.

start.exe opens me 1.exe,
and 1.exe opens 2.exe
2.exe opens 3.exe ....... etc

but viewers see only a shortcut to the start.exe
placed on your desktop
do not see 1.exe, 2.exe, etc.