Menus to Jump

[MikeV99]

The manual says, "As demonstrated in some online tutorials, you may even create your own menus to jump to any slide in the slideshow." Which tutorials demo that feature? Is it something that one can do within PTE, or does one have to use an additional application?

I am toying around with a how one might create an index for archived images stored on a DVD. For example, lets say one wants to store 100 images (as jpeg or whatever files) on an archival DVD (not a video DVD, just copy the files to the DVD). One could mount that DVD on a PC, and use anyone of several different image viewer to find and view one of the files. However, lets say one wants to see a specific image. Based on the paragraph quoted above, can one use a PTE exe to find and view anyone of those stored images. Maybe create contact sheets showing thumbnails of the images with their relative number that are stored on the DVD? One could also print a copy of those same contact sheets as a means to quickly view what is on each DVD. Then could one would specify which image to view while running the PTE exe?

Can something such as this be done? Using PTE alone or with an additional application? That would really be neat if it can "easily" be accomplished. Would the images have to be in the compiled exe or could they be stored as the original file format? (My apologies if my explanation is a little unclear; just trying to visualize what I want and whether it is feasible.)

Advice or ideas?

Thanks

Mike

[fh1805]

Manual control of the flow of PTE sequence(s) can be achieved in many ways. The first requirement is to ensure that in Project Options...Main tab you checked the box "Wait for a key press or mouse click to show next slide". Doing this ensures that all time-based slide changing is disabled. This does not turn off animation within an individual image.

The next step is to realise that the main image, and every object placed on it, can, independently of each other, be programmed to react to a mouse click. This feature is found by selecting an image from the Slide List and then going into Objects & Animation. Now take the Common tab and click on the button labelled "Action on Mouse click". The options thus displayed are available on each and every object that is placed on the main image as well as on the main image itself. This doesn't seem to be given much coverage in the PTE User Guide. (Jeff Evans/Lin Evans, if you're reading this and agree that it needs further coverage, please feel free to plagiarise these words)

The possible options on mouse click are:

None - As it implies, no action is taken.

Exit - The sequence is terminated at this slide and control is returned to whatever called this exe file; e.g. to the menu exe file that drove this exe file or to the Windows desktop if the exe was launched from there.

Next slide - Advances to the next main image. Any animation programmed on the triggering slide is not allowed to complete. The advance takes immediate effect.

Previous slide - As for "Next slide" but stepping one slide back in the sequence. Any animation programmed on the triggering slide is not allowed to complete. The step back takes immediate effect. This option does not play the sequence in reverse. It steps back to the beginning of the previous slide and plays that in a forwards direction.

Help - No experience. I've never used this option.

Go to first slide - Jumps back to the start point of the first image in the sequence. Any animation programmed on the triggering slide is not allowed to complete. The jump back takes immediate effect.

Go to slide number... - Gives an input field in which you key the relative slide number that you wish to jump to. The target slide can be any slide anywhere in the sequence. Any animation programmed on the triggering slide is not allowed to complete. The jump takes immediate effect. Be aware of the following limitation in the current release (v5.1) of PTE. If you program your sequence using this option and then add an extra slide into the middle of the sequence, these relative numbers are not automatically recalculated. You have to work through the entire sequence checking and correcting these numbers. I've previously asked Igor to include this in a future release. It's a real pain having to do that rework on a one hour lecture with maybe 200+ images.

Open Web page... - No experience, but I expect it asks you to supply the URL of the web page.

Write e-mail... - No experience but I expect it opens your Windows default e-mail program in a new e-mail item

Run application or open file... - Gives you an input field in which you supply the name of the program you want it to run or the file you want it to open. This is a very powerful feature for anyone preparing demo sessions. You can use it to break out into e.g. Word, Excel, Windows Explorer, Photoshop, another PTE sequence - absolutely anything. When you close the application thus launched, you are returned to this point of departure in your PTE sequence. The input field comes with standard Browse capability to let you find the application or file. If you are building a menu in PTE to drive other PTE sequences, don't use browse. Instead give all your exe files shortish names, free of any spaces and special characters and just key their basic name into the field eg AVSequence1.exe. Then, provided you keep all your exe files, including the menu exe file, in the same folder you can move them all from one PC to another and all the links will work.

Print picture/slide - No experience. I don't know what the interlock might be, if any, between this and the Project Options...Advanced tab items to do with allowing/prohibiting the printing of slides.

Run application and exit - This works the same as "Run application or open file..." except that the triggering PTE sequence is terminated as soon as the new application is given control.

Hope this helps to explain what is going on. As with all of these wonderful PTE features, the best way to find out is to set up little test sequences and explore for yourself. Have fun, everyone!

[nobeefstu]

Mike,

I am toying around with a how one might create an index for archived images stored on a DVD.

The Pte executable will not load any external files/images for view or editing within the Pte screen. It will Run external files/images with default or specified programs ... as long as the specified programs are installed on the users PC.

The quickest and most efficient way to provide your access function is to build a Html image index. Many popular image/editing programs do this easily and to your needs. This way any user can always view your image index because of the universal Html format. You will Run the relative Html page as needed.

[MikeV99]

Peter,

I see you have done this a time or two. Thank you for the information, it is now enshrined in a word doco in my PTE folder.

If you program your sequence using this option and then add an extra slide into the middle of the sequence, these relative numbers are not automatically recalculated.

Ouch -- that could be a real pain.

It even more complicated than that if one considers my initial thinking. Create contact sheets with thumbnails with the relative number as part of the image name. One looks at a contact sheet image, sees the relative number, clicks the mouse using the Go to slide number... action, puts in the number and away it goes. Very nice.

Or, if each thumbnail could be placed on an image as an object with a "Jump" associated with it, then could not one just click on the thumbnail to go to the selected image? That would require that PTE inserts the relative number into the jump rather than the user. Is that possible?

How are you handling giving your user the slide number to put into the query?

Speaking of documentation updates, I have read the 4.4.2 Delete Slide/Insert Slide buttons section several times and seem to know less each time. I assume this relates to the discussion above.

Run application or open file... If one inserts a file name, rather than application name, I assume the result will be as though the file name were double clicked in Windows Explorer (i.e., it starts the application associated with the file extension)?

In your experience using the jump technique, does the compilation of the exe have any compression? I could see a very large exe file being created if one had a lot of images and action items.

If sufficient room exists on the DVD-Data one could also include a folder containing the original image files for archival purposes?

Do you know if a source project file illustrating this feature is available?

I saw a tutorial somewhere that discussed creating a DVD-Video that contained a PTE exe so that one could view it on a TV or run the exe on a PC. That might be an interesting combination.

Is what I am saying making any sense? Is it feasible using PTE?

Maybe I should work on creating an archival exe as discussed in this thread before doing the DVD-Video. Dumb question ... if one creates the exe as discussed with the "jump" features (navigation bar) and click on thumbnail object one would normally Create EXE. If one took the project and did a Create DVD-Video, what would happen with all the navigation items associated with objects having mouse clicks since one does not have a mouse on a TV?

Wow, I gotta go think about this some more and try some things out.

Thank you very much. Your comments have been most useful and have triggered a lot of my gray matter into a frenzy of activity.

Mike

[MikeV99]

The Pte executable will not load any external files/images for view or editing within the Pte screen. It will Run external files/images with default or specified programs ... as long as the specified programs are installed on the users PC.

The quickest and most efficient way to provide your access function is to build a Html image index. Many popular image/editing programs do this easily and to your needs. This way any user can always view your image index because of the universal Html format. You will Run the relative Html page as needed.

Would not that mean that the image would be viewed in whatever browser is installed on the user's PC? It is certainly an option. I was trying to avoid XML or VB6 sort of things and hoping to do it all within PTE. Also, I am not a real big fan of most browsers.

It is certainly an option to think about though.

Thanks.

Mike

[nobeefstu]

Mike,

Would not that mean that the image would be viewed in whatever browser is installed on the user's PC?

Yes ... whatever the Html files default opening program. If you select a specified program ... you run risk of other users not having it installed.

I saw a tutorial somewhere that discussed creating a DVD-Video that contained a PTE exe so that one could view it on a TV or run the exe on a PC. That might be an interesting combination.

Exe Show & DVD Show on DVD disc - WnSoft Forums

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7797

[fh1805]

Mike,

When considering my previous (long and detailed) post, please bear in mind the following:

We have different requirements.

- You seem to me to be wanting to store material on DVD and access it directly off the DVD by either (both?) TV playback or (and?) PC playback. I am way out of my depth on DVDs. I don't use them.

- I want to be able to give an evening's entertainment to audiences by playing sequences off the laptop, through a digital projector.

I came to PTE from the world of slide/tape sequences. I'm an amateur, not a professional, photographer; so I have no need to produce DVDs of proofs to give to my clients - I don't have that kind of client. I have no family; so I have no need to prepare DVDs that they can watch on their TVs. Moreover, as I read the numerous posts about the problems of burning DVDs that don't work the way the user wants, I get the impression that the whole DVD subject is riddled with excessive technical complexity and lack of a single, clearly defined standard. In other words it looks to me like one huge can of worms that I'm better off keeping out of.