Distributing hybrid CD?
The Staff
Hi all. I've been using Authorware since version 2.0 on the PC, but
have only recently had to look into producing stuff for delivery on both
PC and Mac platforms. The project I'm currently on needs to work on
Windows '95/NT and Macintosh. I've got APW 4.0.3 and have managed to
get individual pieces working on the Mac, but to create an effective
hybrid CD I need both PC and Mac versions to work with Xtras, and with
minimal user demand. I've set up Autorun on the PC which is OK, but how
do you get a Mac to autorun (or equivalent?), or even have it so the
user just has to click on one icon (rather than open up the RunAPM, then
select the packaged file). I can't purchase a separate Mac version of
AW, but surely somehow you can get the Mac to run the piece you want
from one (prefereably none) double-click?
Also, with Xtras... where can you get hold of the XMCD equivalent of the
PC UCD's? Will these automatically work with the packaged file? I'm
loading in a huge external bitmap using Dib.u32, but funnily enough this
doesn't work on the Mac. Help anyone?
Jonathan Seal
Multimedia Producer
Fergus Geraghty
Hi Jonathan,
Sorry to hear about your difficulties........
If you log on to this web site..it will help you with the Autorun feature
for MAC and perhaps the extras problem.....
http://www.updatestage.com/xtras/xtradownloads.html
Hope it helps...
Fergus
Jeff Von Ward
Jonathan:
The following technote will show you how to make a double-clickable
Mac packaged piece using FileTypers and the Windows version of AW:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/authorware/ts/documents/crossplatdeliv.htm
To answer your question about XCMDs and UCDs, most UCDs *don't* have a
Macintosh equivalent XCMD. I know of no DIB.XCMD, for instance.
However, assuming that you do find two with the same name (such as
FTP.XCMD/UCD, ODBC.XCMD/UCD, or COPYFILE.XCMD/UCD), the function calls
should be the same; meaning you should be able to merely substitute
the crossplatform equivalent at runtime and achieve the same
functionality.
Happy Authoring,
Jeff
On Thu, 02 Jul 1998 10:54:32 +0100, The Staff <ma...@firstcreative.com>
wrote:
> I can't purchase a separate Mac version of
>AW, but surely somehow you can get the Mac to run the piece you want
>from one (prefereably none) double-click?
>
>Also, with Xtras... where can you get hold of the XMCD equivalent of the
>PC UCD's? Will these automatically work with the packaged file? I'm
>loading in a huge external bitmap using Dib.u32, but funnily enough this
>doesn't work on the Mac. Help anyone?
>
>Jonathan Seal
>Multimedia Producer
>
M A C R O M E D I A
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Von Ward, Technical Support, Authorware
jvw...@macromedia.com http://www.macromedia.com/support/
______________________________________________________________________
Please respond to public forum and not private e-mail.
Responses to the public forum are more effective for everyone.
The Staff
Cheers for the FileTyper tip Jeff (I'm trying it at the moment)! However, about
the Xtras problem...
Jeff Von Ward wrote:
> Jonathan:
>
> To answer your question about XCMDs and UCDs, most UCDs *don't* have a
> Macintosh equivalent XCMD. I know of no DIB.XCMD, for instance.
>
In which case, do you know of *any* Xtra for both Mac & PC (same name
presumably) that will load up a large external image? I'm importing a very long
picture (~5000 x 480), but it doesn't have to be a .bmp format, just whatever
can work on both platforms. I've tried importing the files directly, but
Authorware can't handle an internal file that large.
Also, where can you get hold of the basic Xtras in Mac format (e.g. the
euivalent of Cover.u32 etc..) that come on the CD. Obviously I don't have
APM4.x, but presumably we're still allowed access to Mac Xtras for hybrid CD
production?
Thanks in advance
Jonathan Seal
Multimedia Producer
Jeff Von Ward
Jonathan:
Have you tried using the image as an external file? The following
technote shows how to do it for external audio and video but it also
works for images:
http://www.macromedia.com/support/authorware/ts/documents/varpaths.htm
Drag a display icon to the flowline, double click on it, and then
under the insert>image you should type in the variable pathname (see
technote) in the file section.
The rough equivalent (there is no real equivalent to cover.u32 for the
Mac) is called BackgroundeR. It can be found at the following URL:
ftp://ftp.nmc.csulb.edu/pub/xcmds/backgrounder_stack.sit.hqx
Most of the necessary crossplatform components (including the Xtras)
reside on the Authoware CD. If you own the Windows version, they're in
the following directory:
CD:\AWARE4\MAC\RUNA4M
This is a bin-hexed file that needs to be unstuffed on the Macintosh.
The rest of the crossplatform pieces can be downloaded from the
following URL:
http://download.macromedia.com/pub/updates/AW4Comp.hqx
Happy Authoring,
Jeff
On Fri, 03 Jul 1998 08:46:15 +0100, The Staff <ma...@firstcreative.com>
wrote:
>Cheers for the FileTyper tip Jeff (I'm trying it at the moment)! However, about
M A C R O M E D I A
The Staff
so no xtra needed, hooray - :)
However, the cover / backgrounder issue is still rearing its ugly head. As I only
have the PC version of Authorware (with all the necessary cross-platform components)
I can't doctor the file on the Mac to accept a different Xtra than Cover.u32. The
Cover function doesn't create a *problem*, it just doesn't work, and presumably, as I
haven't loaded a Mac Xtra on the PC, it won't magically detect it at runtime on the
Mac. Is it possible to get a PC to load a Mac Xtra specifically for when it is
running on a Mac? If not, how on earth can I get the (presumed simple!) effect of
covering the background on both PC and Mac, without spending huge amounts of money on
another version of Authorware 4?
Thinking about it... what would probably be really useful to people would be a list
of standard Xtras they can get that are cross-platform compatible, and therefore they
can know which Xtras to stick to when designing for hybrid use. I've run into this
problem previously when trying to create a simple install utility on PC and Mac.
Help anyone?
Thanks in advance,
Jonathan Seal,
Multimedia Producer.
Jeff Von Ward wrote:
> Drag a display icon to the flowline, double click on it, and then
> under the insert>image you should type in the variable pathname (see
> technote) in the file section.
and later...
Jeff Von Ward
I know of no way to call BackgroundeR.XCMD except through the
Macintosh version of Authorware. Prior to version 4 of AW, a
crossplatform content creator *had* to have both versions of the
program (which is still, by the way, the case with Director) so we are
making progress, however incremental it may seem.
Many serious crossplatform authors still consider owning both versions
of the program necessary rather than optional in terms of the
flexibility and increased productivity it provides them in dealing
with these OS-specific type issues.
On a final note, I would encourage you to email your feature request
to wish-au...@macromedia.com if you would like to have it
considered for future releases of the program.
Happy Authoring,
Jeff
On Tue, 07 Jul 1998 11:46:39 +0100, The Staff <ma...@firstcreative.com>
wrote:
>Thanks for the pseudo-external file trick Jeff... That worked fine on both platforms,
>so no xtra needed, hooray - :)
>
>However, the cover / backgrounder issue is still rearing its ugly head. As I only
>have the PC version of Authorware (with all the necessary cross-platform components)
>I can't doctor the file on the Mac to accept a different Xtra than Cover.u32. The
>Cover function doesn't create a *problem*, it just doesn't work, and presumably, as I
>haven't loaded a Mac Xtra on the PC, it won't magically detect it at runtime on the
>Mac. Is it possible to get a PC to load a Mac Xtra specifically for when it is
>running on a Mac? If not, how on earth can I get the (presumed simple!) effect of
>covering the background on both PC and Mac, without spending huge amounts of money on
>another version of Authorware 4?
M A C R O M E D I A