What difference does "pause slide show when window inactive"

[Ed Overstreet]

I did search the forum for "pause slide show" but the only thread that the search returned was not relevant to my question, so here goes. Maybe this has been asked before, but darned if I can find the thread in this forum.

I'm preparing a presentation to my photo club on PTE. I've always left "pause slide show when window becomes inactive" clicked On in my Project Options, I don't remember now why I started doing this. I've word-searched both the 5.6 user manual and Lin and Jeff's excellent 5.0 manual, and I don't see any discussion in either source of why one might (or might not) use this feature and when.

Can anyone tell me please what difference this Project Options setting would make, and when or in what circumstances? I just know this question is going to come up in my presentation in March (JRR in reviewing part of my presentation has already raised the question, and he doesn't know the answer either).

Thanks.

[fh1805]

Hi Ed,

I would suspect, but do not know for certain, that if you are running the sequence as an EXE file in "Windowed mode" (as opposed to full screen) and you switch to a different software product's window, the PTE sequence will pause at that point and await you re-activating the EXE file's window.

regards,

Peter

[Ed Overstreet]

Hi Ed,

I would suspect, but do not know for certain, that if you are running the sequence as an EXE file in "Windowed mode" (as opposed to full screen) and you switch to a different software product's window, the PTE sequence will pause at that point and await you re-activating the EXE file's window.

regards,

Peter

Thanks Peter. That makes sense to me, hope it's true. I never create PTE shows to be run in Windowed mode and never try to run them that way, so that might explain why it doesn't matter whether I set this or not.

Unless someone else comes up with a different explanation, that's what I'll suggest to folks in my presentation.

[xahu34]

Hi Ed,

Even in full screen mode you can use Alt+Tab to switch to other applications. When you do this during a running PTE show (and if "pause slide show when window becomes inactive" has been selected), the show will stop while the chosen other application window is active.

Best regards,

Xaver

[JRR]

Thanks Peter and Xaver

I though it had to do with Power Saver and maybe screen saver as a running PTE AV show does not "register" as the computer doing anything and unless I set the laptop to Presentation, or set my power saving settings to a longer time, the screen goes blank, but the show continues.

Not that I would expect to ALT-TAB while a show is running, I'll turn that function on in the future

[Ed Overstreet]

Thanks Xaver. As I've already suggested to JRR and a couple of other AV organizers in our club, my inclination is to leave the "pause slide show" box always ticked On. I don't see how it can hurt, and from what Peter and Xaver have said it would help in some situations, so why not leave it on?

I'm designing a template show for new members to AV in our club, so they can just open the template (with certain Project Options settings and two black slides, one for the beginning and one for the end of the show) and build their first show from that. Simplifies the Project Options stuff for them, just safer to give them something we know won't get them into trouble and tell them to leave the Project Options settings alone until they've had some experience with the software or have at least read and understood the user manual. Hence these questions, just to make sure I'm not giving people some "cookbook" settings that might get them into trouble on their very first show. Sounds like this one is a safe setting for a "cookbook" template, probably for any template really. I have trouble imagining when I wouldn't want the show to pause if I were to toggle to another window.

[nobeefstu]

Ed,

Basically the inactive term applies to a window not in focus. A window can become inactive by running another file, program, or just clicking the desktop or taskbar buttons with the mouse ... this new action now becomes the focus or active window.

Of course when running a Full Screen show ... one can not click the desktop with the mouse.

[MikeL117]

Hi All

Just a quick thought. If you are running full screen with a dual monitor set-up you may want to access the other screen to,say, enter a comment or something while reviewing the AV. If this option is set the the show will pause if not set it will continue (with a little glitch).

Not a scenario that will apply to most people but may confuse the few that do use it.

Mike