Do you use Custom windows, Startup window?

[Igor]

Hi,

Does anybody use Startup window, Help window or custom windows?

We think to remove these features in v9.0, because they complicate PicturesToExe and rarely used.

What you think?

[davegee]

I never use them.

DG

[Barry Beckham]

I started to use them quite a bit on the samples and demo's I made to accompany a tutorial video, but I stopped when I realised that not all options would run in a Mac. For tutorials, I found them great for setting the scene of what was to be dealt with in that presentation and showing what was actually achieved. It also forced the viewer to stop and take in any info I wanted to get across. It was also helpful to provide links to related subjects and web pages.

However, your right and I cannot recall seeing them used in any PTE presentation that I have seen, so even though I used them a fair bit, I would not mourn their loss. I also use dedicated menu creation software where I can do the same thing. You could spend weeks programming all the stuff you need and I doubt it would encourage any extra sales of the software. Whereas, keeping it simple will

[Lin Evans]

I use the feature to pop-up names of people in a group when an invisible frame over the head of the individual is mouse clicked, but as you say, it's a rarely used feature and one could always run an older version of PTE if that particular feature is needed. I would say that probably it would be fine to eliminate this feature on a new version of PTE as long as users have access to older versions if they find it necessary.

Lin

[jt49]

I sometimes use a Startup Window with a copyright declaration. Of course, I know that there are workarounds

Regards,

jt

[ppenen]

I never use this option.

Regards

Pierre

[Bert]

Never use them.

Bert

[nobeefstu]

Igor,

I really find the Custom Window and Help Window a useful feature on many projects. The F1 key to initiate the Window pop-up works wonderful for training guides and additional menu options for client/users.

Most of my productions/projects are manually operated by the user where the feature(s) are a asset to manual operation. The use of these features have little benefit to Users of automatic productions/projects.

I do not often use the StartUp Window. Only on some on Demo productions.

I would hate to see the Custom Window and Help Window feature be abandoned. This would then complicate my setup routine to have instant Window pop-ups.

[JudyKay]

I fiddled with it, thought it was a good idea, but never actually used it.

[MUR]

I don't use it

MUR

[tom95521]

I quit using pop up windows when the save image option was removed. I now use print screen to capture slides.

Tom

[Tonton Bruno]

I use it in 10 projects a year.

These projects are non-synchronised projects à la Powerpoint for lectures.

When the teacher juges it necessary, He hits the F1 key to display a map or a shema.

Of course, I regret to not be able to put animations in this kind of view, but at least this kind of view exists.

For a lecture "Iron architecture in Paris during the XIXth century", I used 20 different help windows to locate the different buildings in Paris, and these windows were accessible by a button in the right corner of each view.

[Tonton Bruno]

I use the feature to pop-up names of people in a group when an invisible frame over the head of the individual is mouse clicked, but as you say, it's a rarely used feature and one could always run an older version of PTE if that particular feature is needed. I would say that probably it would be fine to eliminate this feature on a new version of PTE as long as users have access to older versions if they find it necessary.

Lin

Hi, Lin.

You can also suggest me to use Powerpoint for my lectures !

[baumettes]

I use it sometime to add some informations about the show.

[Lin Evans]

I think before a decision is made on whether or not to remove this feature - developers should consider the future direction of PicturesToExe. If it is to be primarily marketed only as a tool for the audio visual enthusiast, photographer, etc., then having this feature is not of compelling importance. On the other hand, if there is any inclination to expand PTE into the presentation tool arena, then it may not be a good idea to remove it because it serves a very valuable purpose in that regard.

Primarily, PTE lacks an ability to comfortably deal with text to make it competitive in many venues to products like PowerPoint. It alows the user to perform sophisticated manipulation of objects, audio, video and still images in ways which PowerPoint can't do or does poorly. If better text handling were incorporated, I believe a real tangible expansion market exists especially in educational institutions where a number of teachers, professors, etc., are presently using it successfully even with the limitations.

If this feature is removed, then its usefulness for this venu is substantially reduced or even eliminated. So the question must be asked about the future direction for PicturesToExe? Do the developers want to concentrate on the present market or perhaps enhance the opportunities to move into new markets?

Best regards,

Lin

[tom95521]

I wonder if run slideshow (window mode) might provide a adequate substitute for existing pop up windows? I think this is what jt49 mentioned above

Tom

[Lin Evans]

Hi Tom,

In short, no. It's not the same or even similar. For example let's say I have a picture with 30 people or a map with multiple locations and I want to pop up either a name or perhaps a picture of this area on the map. With the existing feature it's extremely easy to just put a small frame over the landmark on the map or surrounding the head of each person in the picture. Then click on that area on the map or on the head of the person and have the ID or photo appear. Click again and it goes away. No need for having 30 or more executable files which each add a substantial amount of overall resource load. It's really a great feature which is really helpful to people doing presentations and can't really be replaced by run slideshow with return... Doing it with run slideshow would, in a word be a kludge solution.

Best regards,

Lin

[Aginum]

I think before a decision is made on whether or not to remove this feature - developers should consider the future direction of PicturesToExe

+1

[tom95521]

As much as I would like to see PicturesToExe take away some of Microsoft's PowerPoint customers I just don't see that happening unless PicturesToExe can do all of the following:

1. Import and convert existing PowerPoint slideshows into PTE format.
2. Save in a data only file format so there are no possible malware false alarms (no .exe or .bin file format). Like I have mentioned before this requires a separate player.
3. PowerPoint (if I am not mistaken) also runs on a Mac so you should also have the PTE editor and player work on OS X.

The main problem is PowerPoint is part of Microsoft Office which is almost everywhere in the Higher Ed academic (academic pricing) and business market in the U.S. (maybe not Europe and Asia). There are many books and tutorials on how to use PowerPoint. Google also has a free PowerPoint like program (Google Slides) that has not had much success against PowerPoint. If Google can't beat Microsoft with free software chances are nobody else can either.

Tom

[Lin Evans]

There are presently teachers and professors using PTE in academic institutions so perhaps not as much reluctance there as in big business where PowerPoint rules. But there are good reasons why this venue is not a completely improbable market for expansion in the future. Who knows which direction PTE may take in terms of file format in the future. Also there are many presentation possibilities beyond large business and university level academic institutions such as elementary education. Apple made their stock in trade by infesting schools early on with their products and those children grew into the present generation and kept their interest in Apple because it's what they grew up with. But if there is any interest at all in exploring this potential market, then care must be taken about what features to keep and which to lose I think.

Best regards,

Lin

[Igor]

Hi all,

Thanks for your opinions!

We will not hurry with deletion of custom windows without a good replacement. Don't worry.

Our main technical difficulties are related with Startup window. As I understood this feature is not often used?

Regarding custom windows and possible alternate solution in future. We could add possibility to show/hide usual objects on the action (mouse click). Also we could improve opacity control to hide a group of objects using one opacity parameter without complicated masks. A possibility to make invisible a group of objects in the O&A editor (not in a real show) better organize work with objects.

[nobeefstu]

Igor,

Our main technical difficulties are related with Startup window. As I understood this feature is not often used?

There are currently workarounds to simulate a StartUp Window fairly easy if needed ... so I personally see no real issue to eliminate the feature. With your future proposed add-a-slide feature, this would technically appear to resolve using a workaround.

The proposed alternate solutions to Custom Windows looks promising to facilitate the needs. If possible ... try to retain a F1 key function or some hot key execution in your planning stages.

Thanks

[Tonton Bruno]

We could add possibility to show/hide usual objects on the action (mouse click). Also we could improve opacity control to hide a group of objects using one opacity parameter without complicated masks. A possibility to make invisible a group of objects in the O&A editor (not in a real show) better organize work with objects.

Hi, Igor.

this would be a good solution, allowing us to show/hide a map or a glossary.

May be you remember I asked two years ago for the capability to have secondary shows accessible like sub-programs, with a kind of GoSub-Return command. This would be something very usefull, and may be such an implementation would not be too much difficult in version 9.