Exit Button

[Newsgroup_User]

Does Presenter provide an "Exit" button?

Is there a way to add an Exit button in the course?

[Guest]

Hi,

That's an easy one 🙂 Here's a repost from the "power point scripts" topic (about 3 below this one on the forum, if you want to see the whole thing):


One of the most requested features on our first Breeze project was a "quit" button. The easiest way to do so in an HTML environment is to use the command

javascript: window.close();

Type this into the address bar on your browser, and hit return. Isn't that neat?

Okay, the scripting language in Flash (Actionscript) can simulate typing something in the address bar with the command

getURL ("javascript: window.close();");

...all we have to do is add that actionscript to the onRelease event handler for a button in Flash. Then, add the button to your PowerPoint before you use Presenter, and when the student clicks it... voila!



This same trick can be used to replace that MacroDobe© logo in the Breeze player. This time, when the user clicks the button, we'll use javascript to pop up an alert box with a clever message:

getURL ("javascript: alert('Aren't we clever?');";

This button has to be small, around 50 x 29 pixels, to properly replace the logo. To actually replace it, you need to publish your presentation to the hard drive like normal. Next, find the folder you published to, and place a copy of your "button.swf" file in the "data" subfolder. Then, edit (don't "open") the vconfig.xml file in the same subfolder using notepad. Near the top, you'll find an entry that says:

<uireplace name="logo" value= "" />

place the name of your button file between the quotation marks and save:

<uireplace name="logo" value= "button.swf" />

When you load up the training next time, the logo will have changed to your button.

You'll have to do this every time you publish the training, as Presenter deletes & recreates all those subfolders each time you do. BTW, MacroDobe© does offer a small applet to parse this xml file for you... but they want 5 grand per copy. I'm thinking notepad works just as well :)



cheers!

Marc B

[Newsgroup_User]

> That's an easy one 🙂 Here's a repost from the "power point scripts" topic
> (about 3 below this one on the forum, if you want to see the whole thing):
>
>
> One of the most requested features on our first Breeze project was a
> "quit"
> button. The easiest way to do so in an HTML environment is to use the
> command
>
> javascript: window.close();
>
> Type this into the address bar on your browser, and hit return. Isn't that
> neat?
>
> Okay, the scripting language in Flash (Actionscript) can simulate typing
> something in the address bar with the command
>
> getURL ("javascript: window.close();");
>
> ...all we have to do is add that actionscript to the onRelease event
> handler
> for a button in Flash. Then, add the button to your PowerPoint before you
> use
> Presenter, and when the student clicks it... voila!

I'm an advanced JavaScript guy, but no Flash experience (although I have
Flash CS3 on my workstation).

Can you post a URL to a sample button with the actionscript embedded, or
otherwise provide additional direction? I might be able to edit an existing
button's appearance but creating one from scratch...

KC

[Guest]

You don't have to make the button from scratch, although it's certainly not difficult if you'd like to try. Flash has lots of built-in buttons you can use if you just want to drop one in a presentation. You just give it an instance name (" myButton_btn") on the properties bar and then add the code I've provided in the last few posts (" myButton_btn.onRelease = function () { getURL.... } ") on a new layer of the main timeline.

If you're going to do anything with presenter beyond those crappy "wizards",
you're going to have to do it in Flash via actionscript. The good news is that it *IS* so very hack-able. And, learning actionscript in general should be no problem for someone who already knows javascript - you just need to get a handle on how the animation side works. I've found the H.O.T. series from Lynda.com, and the O'Reilly books, to be excellent for this.

If you really need code examples, I recommend www.actionscript.org, which has tons (and lets you try out the module online before wasting time downloading it).

[Newsgroup_User]

Thanks.

I was impressed with lynda.com with a prior 1 month subscription. Maybe
it's time to pony up for another.

Sam