How to display multiple shows on a PC

[Eric Athroll]

Hi

I copy my PTE Shows onto a USB Flash Drive to show on other PCs and Laptops with attached Digital Projectors.

I would like to be able to open up a screen filling image of my choice containing the links (icons) to the shows rather than just opening the USB Flash Drive folder to access them, similar to the top menu on a DVD. After the sequence is finished I would like it to then revert to this "top menu" style desktop image.

Can this be done and is there any existing guide that would explain how to do this?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Lin Evans]

Hi Eric,

I don't see any reason why this would be any different than doing this on a hard disk except there is a limit on USB flash drive in terms of the number of files in the root. I'm not certain what this limit is, but I doubt you would exceed it.

Essentially, you create a "menu" in the following way. Open PTE and start a new slideshow containing only the one slide you wish to use as the backdrop for your menu.

Use your editor to create small image "icons" to be used to call each slideshow and load them as "objects" and place them on the main image as you like. If you don't want them to be little "squares" or "buttons" then create them as PNG files with transparency and they can appear to "float" on the surface of your menu.

Each of these little "icons" or "objects" then will be assigned with the Objects and Animations "Common Tab" the "Action on Mouse Click" to "Run Slideshow With Return."

Place all your slideshows on the "root" rather than in folders because the cascading nature of peripheral devices may assign different device names. When you then click on an Icon, the slideshow it calls will run and after the end your "menu" will again return.

I would also make at least one icon and assign it to "Exit," etc.

That's really all there is to it...

Best regards,

Lin

[Ronniebootwest]

Hello Eric,

Sounds like you want to make a 'One Page Menu'

There are a number of ways you can do this.

I made a pdf tutorial on how to create a menu in PTE Version 5. Have a look on my web site Here

Ron West

[Esc]

On Beechbrook.com you can download Andrew Chadwicks AV Show Menu Tutorial Tutorial.

And a lot of other useful Tutorials and Utilities...

/Lennart

[Eric Athroll]

Hi guys

Many thanks for the prompt response and the links to the tutorials you have suggested.

[Scorpion]

Bearing in mind Lin's advice, should you wish to create sub folders on a USB flash drive yet remain independant of the drive letter, you can use the form

".\Subfolder 1\Subfolder 2 etc\Slideshow .exe", where ".\" represents the folder in which the Menu.exe file is located.

For example - D:\Menu (Menu.exe) \Holidays\2009\Majorca.exe - would be entered in your menu as file location ".\Holidays\2009\Majorca.exe"

The important thing to remember is that all subfolders must be parented on the folder in which the Menu.exe file is located.

[fh1805]

Bearing in mind Lin's advice, should you wish to create sub folders on a USB flash drive yet remain independant of the drive letter, you can use the form

".\Subfolder 1\Subfolder 2 etc\Slideshow .exe", where ".\" represents the folder in which the Menu.exe file is located.

For example - D:\Menu (Menu.exe) \Holidays\2009\Majorca.exe - would be entered in your menu as file location ".\Holidays\2009\Majorca.exe"

The important thing to remember is that all subfolders must be parented on the folder in which the Menu.exe file is located.

Once again, this old dog has been taught a new trick! Thanks, Scorpion.

regards,

Peter

[nobeefstu]

Eric,

I would think your own question could be one simple method to build a effective menu.

... similar to the top menu on a DVD.

Use VideoBuilder's dvd menu features. Select a menu template, add your selected .pte file(s), select a frame for the image, set a name, and take a screenshot of each of the page(s).

**Theres no need to proceed to the burning dvd stage.

Use the screenshot images as your slides in your Menu slideshow. Add invisible links to the individual image frames ... or whatever linking method you prefer.

I would think once you have a dvd menu template that suits your needs (you may have to create special one initially) ... this method could prove to be quick to build while still being visual and effective.

[Eric Athroll]

Thanks for the further suggestions and information.

I have tried the method in Andrew Chadwick's tutorials and it works fine with some slight difference between PTE Versions.

I tested it on a couple of sequences and it only took about 30 minutes to pick up the salient point from the tutorial and apply them to PTE 6 - brilliant. So easy when you know how!!!