Check for Hardware and Software Requirements

[sanewcomb]

Check for Hardware and Software Requirements

If it wouldn't add much overhead, I think a check for hardware (primarily the 32MB Video RAM requirement, possibly others) and software (minimum DirectX installed) would be preferred over program crashes and error messages. The aim being reducing the frustration users will encounter when they try to share their slideshows. The following is what actually happened to me recently.

After spending many hours crafting and perfecting a beautiful slideshow I emailed my friend with a link to the file.

Her first email stated "It downloaded and opened but I just saw some blue boxes with file names real big floating around the screen and there was music. Then it said it encountered an error and had to close." This description didn't tell me what might be going on. Thinking it was probably related to having an old version of DirectX I emailed and asked her to run dxdiag on her machine and email me the results. I also asked her to redownload the slideshow in case the download got messed up somehow.

Her second email said "I checked and I have Direct X 9.0c. It appears the entire 14.1 Mb downloaded. Like I said when i try to run it I get the music and a floating (in and out) and at angles, blue box that says Image Load Error: and then the file path for the picture ( like best/blackcanyon/....) Its weird. Maybe I don't have the right graphics?" This puzzled me, but then I remembered there were some minimum requirements for the video card. After searching the forum and finding a minimum of 32 MB Video RAM for PZR effects, I emailed her again trying to describe how she could check the amount of Video RAM.

Her third email said "Well, the mystery is solved. I only have 16 MB approximate total memory under the Display tab

The point I'm trying to make is tracking down the problem took considerable effort between two people pretty well versed with computers. I can't imagine trying to go through this with grandma or a tech-challenged person. If the program could check for the most likely to cause fatal errors before it runs the slideshow (or perhaps an exit note), I think it would save a lot of users and their friends frustration tracking down why it doesn't work. Plus, it really is bad coding ethic to have your program crash. It should either check for resources it needs to run ("This program requires DirectX 8.x or better....") or have error checking to prevent crashes.

To clarify, I'm not asking for a complete system analysis to see if the slideshow will run well on any given computer. I'm talking about checking for critical resources that, if not installed on the machine, leads to P2E crashing.

Steve

Tucson, AZ USA

edit: This was suppose to be posted to the beta #4 thread - sorry

[Conflow]

Hi Steve,

Yes I agree with you, because I have run into this problem, not once, but many times and it is terribly time-wasting to sort it out. Having said that it's been my experience that most (closed) 'Self-Executing Programs' simply don't check PC.Parameters before auto-execution and the rare ones that do, give a very terse message such as "Insufficient Memory" or "Unsupported Utility" or the like.

In the case of PTE it would be rather difficult to implement because a PTE.Show is of 'variable duration' with 'variable memory demands' and what would work on one PC (given its limitations) would not necessarily work on another PC with different limitations.

Then we have Graphic Card limitations never mind Direct-X and believe this or not, I have seen people run a PTE Show WITHOUT Sound because they never had a 'Desktop Stereo-Amplifier' connected to the PC and consequently never realised that the Show had a Soundtrack...stranger than fiction !

So you are asking PTE to check these resources:- Direct-X, Memory, Graphic Card, Colour Bits, Sound System and more... this would require a 'Resources Program' and let's be honest, those parameters are already laid down in the 'Help File' easily accessible from within the Program Folder.

Problem is, Users don't read the Help File, and haven't we all committed that sin, so where does that leave us ?

Brian.Conflow.

[alrobin]

Tom,

That is a good idea, and one that we will all have to follow if we want to distribute shows using v.5.

At one time I didn't think I would ever use the "video" feature of PTE, but since I enjoy the new PZR effects, and have fun using them, I suspect that I will be using the "video" capability of PTE on a regular basis after all. Especially now that wide-screen formats are supported.

[Igor]

Please don't worry about versions of DirectX, video memory and etc.

Now we're almost finished re-working of old CPU based graphical engine from v4.48 to v5.00

If slide show doesn't detect enough video card with at least 32 MB of video memory and DirectX 8.1 or higher, slide show will automatically use that second CPU based graphical engine. No error messages, of course. You even don't notice delay - slide show will start within 1 second as usually.

- If you have simple Fade, Circle and other effects and no Pan/Zoom effects. Your slide show created in v5.00 will work on any PCs as you earlier created slide show in v4.48

- If you created slide show with Pan/Zoom effects and various animation, and slideshow started on PC with old video card, or old version of DirectX slide show also will work without any errors. But obviously animation effects will work not enough smooth without hardware acceleration.

All this will appears in late betas of v5.00 before final release.

p.s. by the way, we require DirectX 8.1 and higher. This DirectX version already exists on ALL Windows XP based PCs during paste 5 years.

[sanewcomb]

- If you created slide show with Pan/Zoom effects and various animation, and slideshow started on PC with old video card, or old version of DirectX slide show also will work without any errors. But obviously animation effects will work not enough smooth without hardware acceleration.

Thanks Igor. I'm glad to hear the program will be making internal checks on the requirements and avoiding crashes. One of the difficulties in evaluating beta software is not knowing what the developers are (and have already done) behind the scenes.

Cheers,

Steve

Tucson, AZ USA

[Conflow]

Igor,

That's good News that you have achieved an 'Engine Auto-Switch' in PTE.5xx although I note you said there will be 'No Message' to indicate which routine the PC will be using.

My personal opinion is, thats going to create confusion and frustration like the 'User Key Code' problem which has rolled on for years. Thats the nature of all 'auto-selection' systems.

Suggestion:-

If there is 'No Message' surely it would be a simple matter to change the colour of the PTE.Main Program Window as follows,viz -

Example:-

Grey is the (old) 4x Routine

Green is the (new) 5x Routine

At least when a User switches between each routine its clearly indicated which one he/she is using.

This would make life so much easier for your +3000 Forum Members and your Current Users and most important of all - your New Users, with no previous experience of PTE. To me that makes practical sense.

Best regards,

Brian.Conflow

[Ken Cox]

what about colour blind people?

they all see things/colours differently

my ex manager - deceased -- had a chemical eng degree - we asked him how he titrated for tests -- he said he had a guy stand beside him to tell the endpoint

a buddie bought a white truck

another has 2 black Beemer's

they say they have no problems recognizing them:)

but for me to try and explain the colours in a picture i am wasting my time -- when i say click the red thing i have to show them

we are tryiing to get a beta 5 issue and now people are throwing another monkey wrench into the soup to see if Igor can hold their hands some more

people will not even do the MS monthly security updates -- and admin people in large co.'s have to run them first before they will install the updates on the systems

ken

[alrobin]

Suggestion:-

If there is 'No Message' surely it would be a simple matter to change the colour of the PTE.Main Program Window as follows,viz -

Example:-

Grey is the (old) 4x Routine

Green is the (new) 5x Routine

Brian,

My interpretation of what Igor suggested is that the program switch would be applied to the running of the "exe" file, not the project file. I don't think I would like to have a slideshow come up all in grey if I were trying to run someone's show on an old computer.

[Igor]

Al,

I forgot to say, I'll add option (to Project options | Screen) to force use of software graphical engine for created slideshow. In this case new hardware accelerated engine will not be used at all. It may be useful if you will create slide show with Dissolving effect only.

Brian, I would suggest a little another idea - PTE will ask author before *first creating* of EXE file what graphical engine he prefers.

[Conflow]

Brian,

My interpretation of what Igor suggested is that the program switch would be applied to the running of the "exe" file, not the project file. I don't think I would like to have a slideshow come up all in grey if I were trying to run someone's show on an old computer.

Hey Guys,

You are "reading too much" into my Posting ~ Below is what I suggested ~

Ken, Green is Clinically proven to be the most 'visible colour' even for Colourblind people

and I,m not throwing a spanner in the Works I'm simply trying to avoid confusion

when PTE.5 is finally released and I think Igor appreciated that suggestion !

Brian.Conflow.

Al,

I forgot to say, I'll add option (to Project options | Screen) to force use of software graphical engine for created slideshow. In this case new hardware accelerated engine will not be used at all. It may be useful if you will create slide show with Dissolving effect only.

Brian, I would suggest a little another idea - PTE will ask author before *first creating* of EXE file what graphical engine he prefers.

Igor,

That might be the most 'practical idea' because at that stage the 'User' has already 'Previewed' his Show

and would know what gives the best results ~ then its up to him.

It seemed that there is some 'misconception' about my suggestion so I posted an Example below.

Brian.

[bmccammon]

As a colorblind person all I can say is that I can definitely tell the difference between the two screens that Brian offers but if asked I'd say that the one on the right is Yellow, not Green. I'm not sure that the color idea has much strength.

[ronwil]

I too have a problem with colour recognition, particularly with grey and green. Whilst I can see the difference, in some cases I cannot say which is grey and which is green. In Brian's example it is easy to see the difference but like Bruce the one on the right has a definite yellow in its composition. I sometimes use the dropper tool in Photoshop to find out a colours composition.

Ron [uK]

[Conflow]

Bruce and Ron

Hello Guys,

The Images are purely 'off-the cuff' quick examples ~ the Green I was looking for was the 'Old 95 Green'

used by the Microsoft 95 Op.System. The simple reason being, that its part and parcel of all Win Op.Systems

just as the Grey colour is used by Microsoft and PTE and many others.

It was just a suggestion, so the User could determine which Routine the Beta.5xx had selected on PC System Test.

Brian.

[Ken Cox]

well maybe in his spare time Igor could enable the accessability option in windows control panel and flash the screen when you are doing something wrong and the put the appropriate message on screen

ken

[Conflow]

well maybe in his spare time Igor could enable the accessability option in windows control panel and flash the screen when you are doing something wrong and the put the appropriate message on screen

ken

Ken,

Your're impossible, there must be Irish in you somewhere ? that's some wish...

Brian.

[Ronniebootwest]

Come on fella's!

Remember the KIS(S) principle.

Ron

[Conflow]

Ken,

Your're impossible, there must be Irish in you somewhere ? that's some wish...

Brian.

Ken,

I hope you didn't pick me up wrong ~ If so I apologise ~ I was alluding to your remark about

Igor making Messages in 'Accessibility Options' ie:- My comment was ~ that's some wish (joke)

Thanks to Ronnie for bringing that to my attention....

Brian.

[alrobin]

I forgot to say, I'll add option (to Project options | Screen) to force use of software graphical engine for created slideshow.

Igor,

I think that would be a great idea, as some shows may be meaningless without the special effects used, in which case the author might prefer that if the viewer's pc cannot handle it, the show would just not be viewable. But the author would have to specify which engine should be used, as you suggest. If no engine were specified, then the program could choose which one would be most likely to run successfully.

The Images are purely 'off-the cuff' quick examples ~ the Green I was looking for was the 'Old 95 Green'

used by the Microsoft 95 Op.System. The simple reason being, that its part and parcel of all Win Op.Systems

just as the Grey colour is used by Microsoft and PTE and many others.

Brian,

"SnagIt" tells me it's

Red:219,

Green: 237, and

Blue:1 .

Definitely a shade of yellow, but leaning ever so slightly toward green in the spectrum!

Ronnie, don't be invoking the KISS rule on me here, now, will you!

[Conflow]

Al,

Many thanks for that info ~ I was actually looking for Microsoft Green for another job.

Brian.