Run external application : relative path ?

[thedom]

I would like to make a slideshow with a first slideshow beeing a menu to launch several slideshows.

I have no problem to do so.

But I was wondering if it is possible to make a copy on a cd and if this menu slideshow can launch the other slideshows from the cd. How will it runs ?

May be I'm wrong, but I think you can't set relative path to start an external application and I guess you have to copy the exe files on the HD first to make it work... ?

Hope it makes sense.

Thank you for your help.

[Lin Evans]

Hi Dom,

If you mean a CD being played on a computer, the answer is yes, you can do this by simply placing the executable code for the programs to be called on the root with no folders. In fact if you place all code on the root then the program will have no problems finding and executing. I used to play movies from within my PTE slideshows by embedding Irfanview code which seamlessly opened and played a movie when called from a PTE created menu. Of course the same could have been accomplished without the menu.

I assume this is what you meant rather than using the CD played on a television, etc., as a DVD might be used.

Best regards,

Lin

I would like to make a slideshow with a first slideshow beeing a menu to launch several slideshows.

I have no problem to do so.

But I was wondering if it is possible to make a copy on a cd and that the slideshow can launched from it.

How will it runs ?

May be I'm wrong, but I think you can't set relative path to start an external application and I guess you have to copy the exe files on the HD first to make it work... ?

Hope it makes sense.

Thank you for your help.

[ksf]

Hi Dom,

I have produced several shows which are run from menus and sent them to other people on CD as you want to.

I create a specific folder directly on my C: drive then place all the pte exe files within that folder. When I create the menu.exe all the button objects point to that folder to find the appropriate show to run. I then copy the entire folder to the CD.

From experience I have found it works best if the other person copies the contents of the CD directly onto their C: drive, so replicating the file structure of my original. I provide instructions on the cd label for the person to create a desktop shortcut to the menu.exe screen and they can then run the shows at will. I do this because I have known instances of where shows have not run smoothly straight from the cd. I think it may be a result of different computer speeds, cd drive speeds, and read-ahead buffers, that sometimes causes a show to jerk if run from the cd, so I always recommend copying and running from the hard drive.

Hope this helps.

[Maureen]

replicating the file structure of my original

No need to replicate the file path on the host computer.

Simply place all the sequences and the menu in the same folder on the new computer.

However when you create the menu button to open the new sequence with your menu program, you must delete everything within the inverted commas except the file name.

Hope this is clear - no time to write more now.

Having a great time

Love Maureen

PS

Results of the Adelaide Australian AV festival will be available via Ian Bateman's web site!

[ronwil]

Dom, I wrote the following on 1 February 2007 under a topic "Where did my work go". As the show described in the last paragraph can be launched by downloading from my website, it follows that it could be copied from a CD.

I wrote this in a topic "Buttons" on 28 December 2003:

"This thread asking about buttons and the Object Editor has prompted me to place on the Beechbrook site a very short demonstration sequence for opening a show. It is called “Intro Demo”. Thank you Bill for your perseverance in helping me in finally getting a sequence on your site.

"I am grateful to Keith and Ian for their initial advice on how to use the Object Editor and to Nobeefstu and CC for pointing me in the right direction in the use of invisible buttons. The thread “Object Editor – Invisible Button Bounding Box” relating to the latter was on 11 October 2003. All of the images were prepared in Photoshop."

I am still using the method in 4.48 for introducing my programmes and am patiently awaiting the Object Editor to be opened in 5.0. My "Intro Demo" is still on the Beechbrook site and a more recent version on page 6 (Links) of my website (bottom left club logo link). The latter is a large folder containing my whole workings at that time. Open the folder and set the sequence running by clicking on the 06 on a yellow background icon. When this intro sequence ends run your mouse over the portraits and where a hand appears there is a sequence from that person. Click to open. See also my original thread on this latter sequence entitled "Versions 4.0 and 5.0 - Interim Arrangements" initiated 25 August 2006.

Ron [uK]

[alrobin]

However when you create the menu button to open the new sequence with your menu program, you must delete everything within the inverted commas except the file name.

Hi, Maureen,

Good to hear from you and hear that you survived the Adelaide competition judging (the "Aussies" can get get pretty upset when the "Pommies" come down and criticize their work! )

By the way, you don't have to delete the pathnames, as long as the files are all in the same folder - PTE will find them, even if the pathnames are wrong.

Also, Igor modified PTE v.4 in the last year or so to be able to "follow" the new path to images even if you move the folder to another drive or new location on your HD.

Good luck on the rest of your southern adventure - I hear that it is pretty hot and dry there right now - better stay near the ocean!