Contents
Projector Multimedia Screen Saver

Registration Order Form

About Projector

Detailed Help


Registration
Projector Order Form

USE FILE | PRINT TOPIC TO PRINT THIS FORM.

Buy Online:

•	Blues Café BBS - BBS# 214-638-1181 Use the Doors/In Five to Buy.

     Fax orders:  (214)-638-1189 Please include credit card info if desired.

Name:

Address Line 1:

Address Line 2:

City:

State:

Country:

ZIP:

Mail-In Information:

Number of Copies:         x US$20 + US$4.00 S&H per copy=

Please note registration name for each additional copy.

Mail to:

Bruce Nunnally, ATTN:Projector

1304 Todd Drive

Plano, TX, USA 75023-1911


About
About Projector

Price List, Owner Address, and other important STUFF

Additional copies of Projector can be licensed from the author by forwarding US$24.00 ($20 + $4 S&H) in check or money order to the following address:

Bruce Nunnally

In Five Software, Inc.

1304 Todd Drive

Plano, TX 75023-1911

You can also order online at the Blues Café BBS, with major credit cards, and/or fax in your order.   Please see Registration

Warranty and Claims

This software is provided as is, with no warranty whatsoever, implied or expressed, to perform or not perform in any manner or purpose or anything.  Where some minimum warranty is specified by law, that minimum warranty is provided.  Your mileage may vary.

Copyrights and Distribution

Projector.scr and Projector.hlp are Copyright Bruce W. Nunnally 1993, 1994.  The Video for Windows runtime is Copyright Microsoft.  AAPlay.dll and mciaap.drv are copyright Autodesk. The Graphics Interchange Format(c) is the Copyright property of CompuServe Incorporated. GIF(sm) is a Service Mark property of CompuServe Incorporated. WECJLIB.dll copyright Express Compression Laboratories 1993.  Projector may not be bundled with any other product without written permission from the author.  Cover art and Projector setup screen bitmap courtesy Marc Thompson.

JPEG Info

 WECJLIB.DLL is a FAST Jpeg file decompression library. The free version of this software is included with Projector. It only does 8-bit Bitmap decompressions, and performs a single quantization pass.  The registered version of WECJLIB can be purchased from:

Express Compression Laboratories,

  PO Box 367, Caulfield East, Vic 3145, Australia

  Email: ecl@werple.apana.org.au

To enable the registered version with Projector, change the line in the prjjpeg.ini file to read: FULL=1

About the Author

Projector was written by Bruce Nunnally to show pictures of his wife and 2 children.  Bruce and his family live in Plano, TX, USA, a suburb of Dallas.

Language

Projector was written using Turbo Pascal for Windows v1.5, from Borland.  The Borland Custom Control library is used for the setup screen appearance and some buttons.  The Genus FX Effects for Windows v1.0 is used for transitions.


Detailed Help

TABLE OF CONTENTS

HOW TO ADD A PICTURE OR MOVIE

HOW TO PREVIEW A FILE

HOW TO CHANGE THE DISPLAY TIME

HOW TO CHOOSE AN ENDING/SIZE FOR A PICTURE

HOW TO CHANGE THE WAY A MOVIE IS PLAYED

HOW TO STOP USING A  FILE

HOW TO ATTACH A SOUND CLIP TO A PICTURE OR ANIMATION

HOW TO REARRANGE THE PICTURE/MOVIE ORDER: UP AND DN

HOW TO SAVE AND LOAD SCRIPTS

HOW TO TURN ON AND USE PASSWORD PROTECTION

FILE CONVERSION

HOW TO USE HOT KEYS TO START OR SETUP PROJECTOR

HOW TO USE THE RANDOM AND RESUME SWITCHES

HOW TO ADD TEXT TO A FILE

HOW TO SELECT AN EFFECT FOR A FILE

HOW TO CHANGE TEXT AND EFFECT DEFAULTS

HOW TO DO THAT TRIVIA THING

HOW TO USE >COLOR< TO DO A COLOR WIPE

HOW TO USE >ADTEXT< FOR MORE TEXT


How to Add
HOW TO ADD A PICTURE OR MOVIE

Open the Projector setup (see How to Open Setup).  To the right of the setup screen, under the Available: window, is a drop-down list box.  This list box controls the type of files shown in the available window.  When AVI is shown in the list box, AVI type files (Movies) are shown.  When BMP is shown in the list box, BMP type files (Pictures) are shown, and so on.  All Multimedia files shows avi, bmp, fli, and flc files.  The Available window shows all the .BMP files which are in the current directory of the current disk drive., usually c:\windows in a standard Windows setup.  The window also contains subdirectories in [brackets], available drives in [brackets], and dots in brackets [..], (exit directory).  The items in brackets allow you to look in other directories or on other drives for .BMP files to use.

Let's assume for the moment that you see the file you want to add in the Available window.  Use the mouse to select the file, by clicking with the left mouse button on the file name in the Available window.  After you have selected the file name, use the left mouse button to push the USE button.  The selected picture has now been added to the end of the pictures in the current Script.  Choose Done button in the lower right hand corner of the Setup Dialog.

There is also a hidden feature available during ADD.  If you select the new picture or movie file from the Available window, then select a current file in the In Use window, then push the ADD button, the new picture or movie file will be added immediately after the file selected in the In Use window.

An additional button called USE ALL is provided.  If you press this button, all of the files in the Available window will be added to the using window.

The Browse button can be used to open a common dialog to allow you to select local or network files, either one at a time or multiselect.


How to Preview a file

Open the Setup (see How to Open Setup).  Choose the type of file to be previewed by using the drop-down list box under the Available: box.  Select the file to be previewed by clicking on the name of the file in the Available window with the left mouse button.  Push the Preview button, to preview the picture or movie.  A reduced size copy of the picture will be shown in the lower right part of the Setup dialog.  During a movie preview, the preview button will change to a stop button.  To stop the movie during preview, click once on the stop button with the left mouse button.

To clear a previewed picture, either select another picture to preview, or exit Setup.


How to Change the Display Time
HOW TO CHANGE THE IMAGE DELAY TIME

Select the file to change in the Using window.  The Image delay changes to the image delay for that file.  Use the up or down buttons next to the image delay to change it.  The image delay is unique for each file in the Using window.  The default image delay on add is 4 seconds.


How to Choose an Ending/Size
HOW TO CHOOSE SETTINGS FOR A PICTURE

You have a choice of whether to have a transition to end each picture file, and how to size each picture file.  Options involving Cut close to a black screen after the picture is shown for the display time.  Options involving Over overlay the next file on the same screen with the picture after it is shown for the display time.  Options involving AsIs place the center of the picture in the center of the screen, and then show as much of the picture as is possible at the current Windows video resolution.  If the picture is smaller than the screen, the entire picture is shown.  If the picture is larger than the screen, the center of the picture is shown.  Options involving Fill stretch or shrink the picture to exactly fill the screen.  If the aspect ratio of the picture is within 20% of 4:3, the picture will completely fill the screen.  If this is not true, the picture will be optimally sized on the screen given the aspect ratio of the picture.  The first option, Cut/AsIs, closes to black after showing the picture in a window at the dimensions of the picture.  The second option, Cut/Fill closes to black after showing the picture at the dimensions of the entire screen.  Overlay/AsIs overlays the next file on top of the picture, after displaying the picture in a window at the dimensions of the picture.  Likewise, Overlay/Fill overlays the next file on top of the picture, after displaying the picture at the dimensions of the entire screen.

In order to pick the ending/size you would like for each picture file, first open the Setup (see How to Open Setup).  To the Upper left part of the Setup dialog is the Using: Window.  This window shows the current picture and movie files that are being used.  Select the picture file you wish to change the end for in this window by clicking with the left mouse button on the name of the picture file.  If the picture name is not visible in the Using: window, use the scroll bar up or down arrows to the right of the Using: window to make the picture name visible, then select it.  Once you have selected the picture name you wish to change the ending for, the current ending/size for that picture will have a dot in its circle in the End Selected Slide with: window.  Click with the left mouse button in the circle next to the ending/size you would prefer for the selected picture.  Click on the done button to exit the Setup Dialog.


HOW TO CHANGE THE WAY A MOVIE IS PLAYED

Choose the movie by clicking with the left mouse button on the name of the movie in the Using: window.  The window immediately to the right of the Using: window now displays the options available for displaying movies.  There are four options:  Window x 2, Window, Fill Screen, and FullScreen.  Use the left mouse button to click in the circle next to the option you prefer.

Window x 2 and Window play the movie in a popup window at the current screen resolution and color capability.  Window plays the movie at the resolution it was captured (for example, 160 pixels in width by 120 pixels in height, 160x120).  Window x 2 plays the movie at twice its width and twice its height.  Fill Screen plays the movie in a window which completely fills the screen.  The advantages of Windowed playback are that it will support as many colors as your windows display driver and video board can display, up to True Color, and that time to next replay is quicker because Windows does not have to change video resolutions..  The disadvantage is that a greater number of pixels must be displayed to achieve the same screen size as a movie displayed using FullScreen mode, making windowed playback slower for the same size result.

For FullScreen playback, windows will shift the display to VGA 320x240 by 256 color mode and play the movie.  320x240 movies will play full screen, and 160x120 movies will fill half the screen.  The advantage of this mode is that it provides a large display and good speed for playback.  The disadvantage is that it is limited to 256 color playback.


HOW TO STOP USING A FILE

Open Setup, (see How to Open Setup).  Select the picture or movie you wish to stop using by clicking on the name of the picture or movie in the Using: window to the upper left of the Setup Dialog.  You may have to use the scroll bar to the right of the Using: window to move the name of the picture or movie into view, then select it by clicking with the left mouse button on the name of the picture or movie.  Note:  the Using: window only has a scroll bar if it needs one.  Now, push the Clear button.  The Clear button is found just to the right of the Using: window.  The selected picture or file has been removed from the current show.  Note that the picture or movie file has not been deleted from your disk drive or computer, only from the current script.  Choose the Done button in the bottom right hand corner of the Setup dialog to exit Setup.


HOW TO ATTACH A SOUND CLIP TO A FILE

Sound clips that end in .WAV or Midi files that end in .MID can be used with Projector.  If you have some sound clips that end in something else, please see File Conversion.

In order to use a sound clip, you must have either a Windows supported sound board, or a sound driver for the internal PC speaker installed.

Windows comes with several sound files, such as Tada.wav, and Canyon.mid.  To play the Tada sound with a picture, use the left mouse button to select the picture or animation by clicking on the name of the picture in the Using: window.  If the picture or animation currently has a Wav file Attached, the full path name of the WAV file will appear in the taller long rectangular box  beside the Attach button.  If no WAV file is currently attached to this picture or animation, None  will appear in the box.  Next, use the mouse to click on the down arrow on the right end of the Type: drop down list box just below the Play Wav button.   You are given a choice between MID, WAV, and All.  Choose WAV.

Now use the mouse to click on the down arrow on the right end of the Play: drop down list box.  A list of the .WAV files in the current WAV directory will be shown.  The current .WAV directory is shown in the first long rectangular box below the drop down list.  Unless you have changed the WAV drive/directory, it will say the c:\windows drive/directory.  This is the drive/directory where Tada.wav is usually located.  Choose Tada.wav from the drop down list.  The list retracts, leaving Tada.wav in the retracted list box.  Press the Play Wav button with the left mouse button.  Tada should play.  Use the left mouse button to press the Attach button to Attach the Tada.wav sound file to the selected picture or animation file.  Make sure that the [image] box does not have an X in it - if it does, no sounds will be played.  Choose the Done button to exit Setup, and the Test button from the Desktop to test the new show.

If you have chosen a WAV file, but now you don't like it any more, you can select None and Attach it to the picture.

When you select the drop down box below the Play Wav button, dots in brackets [..], drives in brackets [a], and directories in brackets [system] also appear.  You can use these items to look for Wav files in other drive/directories.  None can be used to choose no sounds (erase the current sound selection).

AVI files can have sound embedded in the movie file itself.  If Projector is already playing a sound file when the movie starts, or if a sound file is attached to a movie, the movie sounds will be supressed, and the currently playing sound file will continue.  If you want the AVI embedded sounds to play in this circumstance, attach >>AVI<<  as the sound file for the AVI file.  This indicates that the embedded AVI sounds will be played.


How to rearrange the movie order up or down
HOW TO REARRANGE THE PICTURE/MOVIE ORDER: UP AND DN

Use the left mouse button to select the picture or movie you wish to move by clicking on the name of the picture or movie in the Using window.  Push the UP button to move the picture or movie upward (so that it shows earlier) or the DOWN button to move the picture or movie downward (so that it shows later).  Select the next picture or movie to move.  Continue until the order of pictures and movies is perfect.


HOW TO SAVE AND LOAD SCRIPTS

Projector uses a custom script file format that ends in .SSS.  Only files written using the Projector Setup will be in this format.  In order to make a script file, Add or Delete pictures and movies until you get everything you want in the order you want.  Make sure you add sound clips for each picture, (movies have sound clips built in), and endings for each picture.  Now use the left mouse button to select the input rectangle immediately below the Save Script button, where the '*.SSS' is written.  Use the delete key to delete the *, and type in a good name for the current show, like 'Kids.SSS', or 'Animals.SSS', or 'Planes.SSS'.  Make sure you use 8 or fewer letters in the name, a dot (period), then SSS.  Use the left mouse button to push the Save Script button.  You just made a new script file!

After you have put together two or more custom scripts, you can use the Load Script function to swap between them.  Push the down button on the right end of the drop down list box directly below the Load Script button.  All the SSS files in the Windows directory (the directory your copy of Windows runs from, usually c:\windows) are shown.  Use the mouse to choose the script you would like to play.  Push the Load Script button.  The newly loaded script is now shown in the Using window.  Choose the Done button to exit setup.


HOW TO TURN ON AND USE PASSWORD PROTECTION

Open Projector Setup.  Use the left mouse button to Put an X in the box next to Password Protected.  The Set Password button will change from being greyed out to normal.  The password feature is now enabled.  The default password, if you have not changed it, is Bruce.  If you are happy with this password, push the Done button to exit Setup.  Push the test button to start the screen saver.  Wait until the first picture comes up, then move the mouse, or push the mouse button, or hit one of the keys on the keyboard.  Instead of instantly returning you to the desktop, a Security Check dialog is displayed.

The cursor is currently in the password box, so type in Bruce.  As soon as you type in the correct password, the Security Check will disappear, and Projector will take you to the Desktop.

A special feature of the Projector security check is that if the security check is started accidently, for instance, by your 15 month old son, after 10 seconds (or so) of inactivity the security dialog will automatically close, and the screen saver will begin again.

In order to change the default password, open the Projector Setup.  Use the left mouse button to put an X in the Password Protected box, if there is not already one there, and push the Set Password button.

The Projector Password Dialog will open.  Use the mouse to click on the input box next to the words Old Password.  Type in the current password, (Bruce, if you have never changed it).  The New Password and Retype New Password words and input boxes will change from grey to normal when you correctly type in the password in the Old Password input.

Now use the mouse to select the input box next to the words New Password: and type in the new password you would like to use.  Use the mouse to select the input box next to the words Retype New Password: and retype the new password.  Finally, use the left mouse button to push the Change Password button.  If you have succeeded, a confirmation dialog will be displayed.  Push the OK button on the confirmation dialog, then the Done button on the Projector Password dialog to close it.  Finally, push the Projector Setup dialog Done button to exit setup.


File conversions
FILE CONVERSION

Pictures: Picture files that end in .PCX can be converted to .BMP files using the Paintbrush program that comes with Windows.  In order to convert the file, load the file into Paintbrush, then save the file using File Save As, and specify one of the Bitmap formats.  You should choose the number of colors in the picture, or in your Windows video drivers, whichever is less.  If you are not sure, choose 256 colors bitmaps.  Paintbrush will save the file with the same first name, and the .BMP extension.

Similarly, you may encounter some BMP files which are not Windows 3 BMP files, such as OS/2 BMPs, or Windows 2 BMPs.  If you load these files into Paintbrush, then immediately save them, Paintbrush will update them to Windows 3 BMP files.

Files that do not have an extension of .BMP or .PCX must be converted using a custom conversion program.  Commercial file conversion and paint programs may be used for this purpose.

Sounds:  sounds that end with anything besides .WAV or .MID will require a file conversion program to convert them to WAV or MID files.  You can also make your own files, if you have a supported sound board and a microphone.

Movies:  Microsoft Video for Windows comes with a Macintosh conversion program to convert Apple Quicktime movies to AVI movies.  If you have QTW installed, however, Projector will play .mov files.  Video for Windows comes with a program called Videdit which may be used to convert DIB sequence animations to AVI format.


HOW TO USE HOT KEYS TO START OR SETUP PROJECTOR

The file Projector.scr is the core executable screen saver file.  Windows does not recognize .scr files as executables, so it will complain if you assign an icon to Projector.scr.  In order to teach Windows that .scr files can be programs, exit windows.  Use a text editor, such as Edit, which comes with Dos 5 and up, to edit Win.ini.  Win.ini is located in the Windows default directory.  Look for the line "Programs=com exe bat pif".  Add scr to the list, so that it reads "Programs=com exe bat pif scr".  Restart Windows.  Open a program group to put the Projector icons into, such as Accessories, or Games.  From the Program Manager menu, choose File|New.  Choose the program item button, then OK.

This opens the Program Item Properties Dialog.  For Description, Enter Projector.  For Command Line, enter Projector.scr.  For Working Directory, enter your windows subdirectory, usually C:\windows.  For Shortcut Key, enter the letter you would like to push with Control and Alt to start Projector.  I use 'Z' for Projector, and 'S' for Projector Setup.  In order to choose 'Z', click on Shortcut key, and push the letter 'Z' on your keyboard.  Windows will change the 'Z' to Control-Alt-Z.  Choose OK to close the dialog.  Now, whenever the Program Manager has the focus, if you hit Control-Alt-Z the Projector screen saver will start.  Choose File|New from the Program Manager menu again.  Choose Program Item again.  This time, for Description enter Setup.  For Command Line enter Projector.scr -c.  (Note: it must be a small case c).  For Working Directory enter your default windows directory, usually C:\Windows.  For Shortcut Key, choose any letter besides the one you chose before.  I use 'S' for Projector setup.  Push OK to exit the dialog.  Now, whenever the Program Manager has the focus, and you hit the Control, Alt, and S keys simultaneously, the Projector Setup screen will open.


How to use the random switch
HOW TO USE THE RANDOM OR RESUME SWITCHES

The random switch allows Projector to play multimedia files from the files in Use at random.  When this box is empty, Projector plays the files in the order they appear on the Setup screen.  When this box is checked, Projector plays the files at random.

The resume switch causes Projector to resume playback at the point it was interrupted.


How to attach text to a file
HOW TO ADD TEXT TO A FILE

Choose the file in the Using Window to add a text to.  Push the text button.  Type in the text to be displayed with the file.  Use the Font button to select font, color, size.  The Dropshadow button allows you to set the dropshadow color and size, so that the letters have a 3-D look.

On the text screen, a Yoffset can be designated to position the text exactly on the screen:

A Yoffset >0 is for a vertical offset down from the top of the screen.

A Yoffset =0 is for a vertical center.

A Yoffset<0 is for a vertical offset up from the bottom of the screen.

A Yoffset=999 is for a random vertical position.


How to select an effect for a file.
HOW TO SELECT AN EFFECT FOR A FILE

Choose the file in the Using Window.  Push the  Effect button.  Choose the type of effect in the upper left drop-down list box.  You can set the direction of the effect, and the granularity, and add a delay (for faster systems).


How to select defaults for the text and effects.
HOW TO CHANGE THE TEXT AND EFFECTS DEFAULTS

Projector assumes a default setting for each file when it is added to the Using Window.

These defaults can be changed.

If you want your beeper number to display on every file, for example, you can set the default text to your beeper number.  Then, whenever you add a file, that text will be added automatically.

Open the Projector Setup screen.  Before you select any files in the Using window, push the Text button.  Whatever text you add here now  will be the default text.

Similarly, if you push the Effects button immediately after opening the Setup screen, you can set the default effect to be assumed when a file is first added to the Using window.

The sliver button next to the Effects button allows you to change the effect that Projector uses to clear the desktop when Projector starts.


HOW TO DO THAT TRIVIA THING

You can select the Trivia Token in the Available window to add to your Using script.

The Trivia token causes a question to be asked at random from a Trivia text file.  The question is played overlaid on the previous file.

Put the name of the trivia file to be used as the text for the Trivia token.  You can select any font/color/size/dropshadow you like.  The default trivia file is prjvia.ini.  If you read the prjvia.ini with a text editor (notepad will do), it has documentation on the formats for the questions.

There are two possible effects when the trivia question highlights the correct/wrong answer: the wrong answers can be lined out, or the correct answer can be colored one color, and the wrong answers another color.

There is a switch in the prjpeg.ini file you can manually toggle if you want the line-out effect.  Please look at the prjpeg.ini file with a text editor.

To specify the color change thing, there are two choices - you can specify the color changes to be used after the name of the trivia file in the text for the trivia token, like this:

prjvia.ini;0,255,0,255,0,0

where prjvia.ini is the name of the trivia file,

; is a semicolon you have to put as a separator,

the 0,255,0 is the RGB (red green blue) color to be used for the correct answer,

and the 255,0,0 is the RGB color to be used for the wrong answers.

Or you can specify a default color set in the trivia file; please see the prjvia.ini file for info.

From the example ini file:

[General]

;format:

;  Questions=total number of questions.

Questions=10

;put results=1 for lineouts or results=0 for recolor

result=0

;color of correct answer in rgb if not specified in text

cred=0

cgreen=255

cblue=0

;color or wrong answers in rgb if not specified in text

wred=150

wblue=150

wgreen=150

[questions]

;format:

;  number=question

;  numbera=correct answer

;  numberb=incorrect answer

;  numberc=incorrect answer

;  Projector will randomize the answers on display.

1=What does the Latin lamelle mean?

1a=Knife Blade

1b=Omelet

1c=Aluminum

2={etc.}


How to do a color wipe
COLOR WIPES WITH >COLOR<

The >Color< Token in the Available window can be added to the Using Window to create a color wipe.  A color wipe is a graphic screen which consists of a transition from one color to another color.

First, add the >Color< token; next, select the >Color< token and push the Text button.  Choose color1 for the color to wipe from, and color2 for the color to wipe to.  Choose a direction for the wipe - note that anything else is much slower than horizontal due to approaches in the Windows GDI.

You can choose a transition, and text, for the color wipe as if it were a bitmap.


MORE TEXT WITH >ADTEXT<

The >Adtext< Token in the Available window can be added to the Using Window to add additional text to a file.  Each file can have a text attached to it, but the >Adtext< token lets you add additional lines of text with varied fonts and sizes and positions from the base text.

First, add the >Adtext< token; next, select the >Adtext< token and push the Text button.

A Yoffset >0 is for a vertical offset down from the top of the screen.

A Yoffset =0 is for a vertical center.

A Yoffset<0 is for a vertical offset up from the bottom of the screen.

A Yoffset=999 is for a random vertical position.