Help Index
SlideShow Setup Help Index

Overview

File Type

Controls

Directory For Bitmaps

Current Directory

Bitmaps In Directory

Delay Time

Current Selections

Add Button

REM Button

Add All Button

REM All Button

Copyright © Brian Noyes 1993.


Overview

The Slideshow program is intended as a simple alternative to the standard "flying toasters" or shooting stars type screen saver.  If you, like me, enjoy having pictures of people, scenery, animals, etc., on your screen as a pleasant backdrop, then this program will be a good alternative to a screen saver for the idle time on your computer.

You have already obviously run the Setup program.  If you select OK after making your selections, these selections will be saved to a file named slidshow.ini in your Windows directory.  If the Slidshow.exe program is run, it will look for this .ini file to figure out what files to display with how long of a delay.  If the file is not found, it will default to all bitmaps in the windows directory with a 15 second delay between slides.

This is a setup program to customize the SlideShow Program to display only bitmaps you, the user, select, and with a delay time that you select.  Using the control objects in the Setup dialog, you can customize the application to display which bitmaps you want, in what order, and with what delay time between slides.

Once the setup program has been run, run slidshow.exe for the show!  Hit any button or the left mouse button or Alt-F4 to exit the show.

This program is intended for large (almost full screen or full screen) bitmaps, and is currently only implemented for windows bitmaps.  WARNING:  OS/2 bitmaps will cause General Protection Faults and terminate the program!  Possible future versions will include other graphics file format support.

There are several good sources for obtaining a multitude of pictures in areas of your own interest.  One is the Compuserve Graphics libraries (GO GRAPHICS), and the other is Internet FTP sites, such as wuarchive.wustl.edu.  These files are normally saved as GIF file format (*.gif), but can quickly and easily be converted to Windows bitmap format by using one of the many shareware and freeware graphics file format converters available at these same sites.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this program, please contact me on CompuServe (71551,3517) or at noyes@wasp.aa.nps.navy.mil if before June 94.

This program is Copyrighted by Brian Noyes © 1993.


File Type

This version of SlideShow only supports Windows bitmaps.  If the pictures you wish to display are not of this file format, it is suggested that you obtain a graphics file format converter from either CompuServe Graphics Forum (GO GRAPHICS), or Internet FTP sites (such as wuarchive.wustl.edu, ftp.cica.indiana.edu, etc.).   OS/2 bitmaps will cause a general protection fault and dump the program.


Directory For Bitmaps

This list box allows you to click your way through your directories and drives like most "File|Open" boxes.  Just double click on the drive or directory you want to switch to and the directories will change accordingly.  Clicking on [..] will back you up one directory.


Search Button
Current Directory

This shows you what the currently selected dirtectory is.


Bitmaps In Directory

This list box will display all bitmaps found in the directory shown in the "Current Directory"..  As a default, it will display all bitmaps in the last directory selected when Setup was last run.  Or if Setup is being run for the first time, it will display all the bitmaps in the Windows directory.


Delay Time

Just type in the desired number of seconds you wish to have the program wait before switching slides, and when you select OK, it will be saved in the slidshow.ini file.

Considerations:  To fast of a delay time will  wear out your hard drive.  Also, if too short (less than 5-10 seconds), the file may not be completely loaded and displayed by the time the next switch is commanded, resulting in unsmooth transitions between slides.


Current Selections

This list box will display the current bitmap selections you have chosen.  Add files to it using the buttons in the middle (Add, Add All, Rem, Rem All) along with selecting files in the "Bitmaps In Directory" list box.  Select Files by pointing at them with the mouse or tab'ing to that control and using the arrow keys.

Whatever files are listed in this box will be saved to the slidshow.ini file if OK is selected, and will be redisplayed next time Setup is run.  Selected files need not be in the same directory or even drive, since the entire path is saved by the program.

As a default, no files are selected the first time Setup is run, and if Setup has been run previously, the files selected last time are displayed.


Add

This button will copy the currently selected file in the "Bitmaps In Directory" box to the "Current Selections" box, along with its path information.


REM

This button will remove the currently selected file from the list in the "Current Selections" box.


Add All

This button will add all bitmaps listed in the current directory (all files in the "Bitmaps In Directory" box) to the "Current Selections" list.


REM All

This Button will remove all selections from the "Current Selections" box.