Copyright: Copyright © 1999 Indigo Rose Corporation


Introduction

  Related Topics...

Thank you for choosing AutoPlay Menu Studio!  You now have the quickest, easiest way to make professional AutoPlay menus at your fingertips.  This Help file will be useful to you as a quick way to get started as well as an invaluable reference as you use the program.

Who Should Use AutoPlay Menu Studio?

AutoPlay Menu Studio is designed for anyone distributing electronic content on CD-ROM.  Some examples are:

•	A front end for a software package.  The menu will allow the user to run the software’s install program, read the online documentation, jump to the technical support Web site, view or print the manual and so forth.

•	Computer Based Training (CBT) applications.  AutoPlay Menu Studio can do many of things that much more complicated and costly tools can do.  We just make it easier!

•	Application demos are easy to create - complete with screen shots, sounds, hyperlink areas, videos and much more.

•	An introduction screen to a multimedia presentation.  The menu will open up and provide a link to start the presentation from the CD-ROM, to jump to a Web site for more program details, and a link to send email to the makers of the presentation.

•	A front end for a CD-ROM that contains multiple products or demos.   The user will be able to read different descriptions of the products, see screen shots, run the products’ install routines and link to a Web site where they can order the products.

•	A directory for a CD-ROM full of documents.  The menu can contain links to each of the documents and allow the user to install the document viewer program if they don’t have it already.

Of course there are many, many more uses for AutoPlay Menu Studio.  The possibilities are limited only by your creativity.


System Requirements

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio requires the following minimum system configuration to operate properly:

AutoPlay Menu Studio Design Environment

•	Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, NT 5.0

•	Pentuim 166 or faster (recommended)

•	16 MB RAM

•	800x600 SVGA display

•	Video card set to 15 bit 32K color or greater (recommended)

•	Sound card (recommended)

•	Mouse

•	20 MB free hard drive space

AutoPlay Menu Studio Runtime

•	Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, NT 5.0

•	486 processor

•	8 MB RAM

•	640x480 SVGA display

•	Video card set to 8 bit 256 color or greater (recommended)

•	Sound card (recommended)

•	Mouse

•	2 MB free hard drive space


License Agreement

This is a legal agreement between Licensee and Indigo Rose Software Design Corporation ("Indigo Rose").  Indigo Rose is willing to license this software to you only upon the condition that you accept all of the terms and conditions contained in the following license agreement.  Please read the terms and conditions carefully as continuing with the setup procedure will indicate your acceptance of all of the terms and conditions of the license agreement ("agreement").  If you do not agree to the terms and conditions, Indigo Rose Software Design Corporation is unwilling to license the software to you.

Definitions

"Software" shall be taken as referring to the AutoPlay Menu Studio files supplied in the software archive and to any and all copies, updates, modifications, functionally-equivalent derivatives, or any parts or portions thereof.

"Licensor" shall be taken as referring to Indigo Rose Software Design Corporation.

"Licensee" shall be taken as referring to the person or business entity who purchased this License to use this Software or for whom such License was purchased.

Grant of License

Upon acceptance of the Agreement, as evidenced by opening the software envelope, performing the setup procedure or using the Software, Indigo Rose grants Licensee a non-transferable, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable license to use one copy of the enclosed software program (the "Software") on a single terminal connected to a single computer.  Licensee may not network the Software or otherwise use it on more than one computer terminal at the same time.  This Agreement gives Licensee the right to reproduce and distribute an unlimited number of copies of the menu systems generated by the Software, including the files created by the Software such as autorun.exe, autoplay.exe and autorun.inf, provided that you are distributing these files as an accompaniment to your software program.

Copyright

The Software and the accompanying documentation is protected by the copyright law of Canada and by international treaty provisions.  It may not be reproduced in any form save for the sole purpose of making a backup copy for archival purposes.  You may not reproduce the written documentation accompanying the Software.

Other Restrictions

You may not use, copy, modify, or transfer the Software or any copy, modification, or merged portion, in whole or in part, except as expressly provided for in this Agreement.  Licensee shall not decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the Software or attempt to do so.  Licensee shall not rent, lease, sublicense, or transfer the Software.

Proprietary Rights

Other than any license granted herein, Licensor retains exclusive proprietary rights (including all rights, title, and interest) in the Software.  Licensee agrees not to represent that the Licensor is affiliated with or approves of Licensee’s application software in any way.  Licensee shall not use Licensor’s name, trademarks, or any Licensor designation in association with Licensee’s application software.

Termination

This license is effective until terminated.  Licensee may terminate it at any time by destroying all copies of the Software covered by this Agreement and all support files generated by the Software.  It will also terminate if Licensee fails to comply with any term or condition of this Agreement.  Licensee agrees that upon such termination to destroy this Software, including all copies, functionally-equivalent derivatives, and all portions and modifications thereof in any form.

Warranties: Disclaimers

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR  PURPOSE.  THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS WITH YOU.  SHOULD THE SOFTWARE PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU (NOT INDIGO ROSE SOFTWARE DESIGN CORPORATION) ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION.

Indigo Rose does not warrant that the functions contained in this Software will meet your requirements or that the operation of this Software will be uninterrupted or error-free.  However, Indigo Rose does warrant the diskette on which the Software is furnished to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery to you.

Remedies: Limitations

Licensee’s sole and exclusive remedy against Licensor shall be, at Licensor’s sole discretion:

a.  the replacement of any diskette not meeting Indigo Rose’s "Limited Warranty" and which is returned to Indigo Rose, or

b.  if Indigo Rose is unable to deliver a replacement diskette which is free of defects in materials or workmanship, you may terminate this Agreement by returning this Software and your money will be refunded.

IN NO EVENT WILL INDIGO ROSE SOFTWARE DESIGN CORPORATION BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SALES, INJURY TO PERSON OR PROPERTY OR ANY OTHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS SOFTWARE EVEN IF INDIGO ROSE OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE(S) HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY OTHER PARTY.  IN NO EVENT SHALL LICENSOR’S LIABILITY EXCEED AMOUNTS PAID TO LICENSOR BY LICENSEE UNDER THE TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT.

General

Licensee may not sublicense, assign or otherwise transfer this License or Software except as expressly provided in this Agreement.  Any attempt to otherwise sublicense, assign, or transfer any of the rights, duties or obligations hereunder is expressly prohibited and will terminate this Agreement.

By running the setup procedure and installing the software, licensee acknowledges that licensee has read this agreement, understands it, and agrees to be bound by its terms and conditions.  Licensee further agrees that this is the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between us, which supersedes any proposal or prior agreement, oral or written, and any other communications between us relating to the subject matter of this agreement.

This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.


Technical Support

If you run into a problem or have a question about using the software, please let us know.  As a registered AutoPlay Menu Studio user you are entitled to free unlimited (within reason) technical support on our Web site and by email.  Annual dedicated support and update subscriptions are also available (see http://www.indigorose.com/autoplay or email support@indigorose.com for details).  For best service, we suggest you follow these steps in the order presented:

1.	Read the manual!  Many of your questions can be answered there.  If you do not have the printed manual, you can download it in Acrobat format from http://www.indigorose.com/autoplay.

2.	Refer to this Help file.

3.	Check out the support section of our web site for answers to common questions and to find out about the latest version of the program.  Please see http://www.indigorose.com/autoplay/support.html.

4.	Email your question to support@indigorose.com.  We check our email throughout the day so you can expect a quick reply.

When contacting us for technical support, it is important that you provide us with as much of the following information as possible.  This will ensure that you receive a timely and useful answer to your question.

1.	Your name, company name, email address, fax and phone numbers.

2.	Your AutoPlay Menu Studio serial number.  The serial number is printed on your AutoPlay Menu Studio diskette or on your registration letter.

3.	The exact version and build number of AutoPlay Menu Studio that you are using.  You can find this information by selecting Help | About from the menu.

4.	The operating system you are using for both the design and runtime environments.

5.	A detailed description of your question or problem.  If you are encountering an error message, we will need to know exactly when the error occurs and the exact wording of the error message.

6.	It is often very helpful if you attach the AutoPlay Menu Studio project file ("myproject.am2") to your email message so that our support technicians can open your project file and see exactly what you are doing.  Often times "a project file is worth a thousand words."


Quick Start Tutorial

  Related Topics...

This chapter is intended to give you a brief overview of AutoPlay Menu Studio’s features and to enable you to use AutoPlay Menu Studio quickly.  If you are a jump-right-in type this section is for you.  You can use the next (>>) and back (<<) buttons at the top of the Help window to go through the tutorial one step at a time.

Lesson 1 - Starting a New Project

Lesson 2 - Creating a Gradient Background

Lesson 3 - Creating a Text Button

Lesson 4 - Building the Menu

Lesson 5 - Setting the Action for a Button

Lesson 6 - Creating a New Page

Lesson 7 - Using an Image Background

Lesson 8 - Creating Image Buttons

Lesson 9 - Jumping to Other Pages

Lesson 10 - Jumping to a Web Site


Lesson 1 - Starting a New Project

  Related Topics...

The first thing that we need to do is to create a blank project to work with.  To start a new, blank project:

1.	Start AutoPlay Menu Studio.

2.	Press the Close button on the Tip of the Day screen.

3.	Click Cancel on the Template Gallery screen.

This will bring you to a blank window in which to start this tutorial.


Lesson 2 - Creating a Gradient Background

  Related Topics...

Next, we will create a background for the page that is more interesting than the default solid white.  To create a gradient background:

1.	Select Properties from the Page menu.

2.	Choose Gradient in the Type field.

3.	Choose your Foreground and Background colors.  The gradient will go from the foreground color at the top of the screen to the background color at the bottom.

4.	In the Title field, enter "My Test Menu" (without the quotes).

5.	Click OK to accept the changes.

Now your screen will display a nice gradient background for your menu.

Learn more about the available background options.


Lesson 3 - Creating a Text Button

  Related Topics...

This is where your menu gets interesting.  We will now start adding some objects.  The first object we create is a text button.  This button type is easy to use and very straight forward.

1.	Select Text... from the Object menu.

2.	Type "Exit the Menu" (without the quotes) in the Message field.

3.	Click the Select Font... button. Select Times New Roman as the Font, Bold Italic as the Font Style, 24 as the Size, and Red for the Color.  Click OK to accept the changes.

4.	Choose Yellow as the Highlight color.

5.	Click OK to create the button.

Learn more about Text buttons.


Lesson 4 - Building the Menu

  Related Topics...

Your new button now appears at the top left corner of the menu on the design screen.  It is time to build and test the menu to see how it works so far.

1.	Choose Build from the Project menu.  This will open the Build screen.

2.	We will keep all of the default settings.  The only thing that you may want to change is the Output Path option if you already use c:\output for something else on your system.  You can enter any directory and path that you like.  If the directory that you specify does not exist, it will be created for you.

3.	Click OK to start the build process.

When the build is complete, your menu will startup automatically so that you can test it.  Put the mouse over your text button and notice the color change and the highlight sound that plays.  Click on the button and notice the click sound.  Click the X in the top right corner of the menu to shut it down after you have finished testing it.

Now is also a good time to save your project.  To do this, choose Save As... from the File menu.  Save the project as "Test Menu.am2".

Learn more about building and testing your menu.


Lesson 5 - Setting the Action for a Button

  Related Topics...

Now let’s make the button actually do something.  Since the button says "Exit the Menu", we will make it do just that.  To set the Exit action for the button:

1.	Select the "Exit the Menu" button by clicking on it.

2.	Select Properties from the Object menu.  This will open the Text Button Properties screen.

3.	Click on the Action tab.

4.	For the Command field, select Exit.

5.	Click OK to accept the changes.

Now build and test your menu again.  This time you will see that when you click the Exit the Menu button, the menu will shutdown.

Learn more about actions.


Lesson 6 - Creating a New Page

  Related Topics...

One of the powerful new features of AutoPlay Menu Studio is the ability to create multiple page menus.  To create a new page:

1.	Select Add from the Page menu.

2.	The Rename Page dialog will be opened which allows you to name your page.  Enter "Page 2" (without the quotes) as the page name.

3.	Click OK to create the new page.

Your new page will appear and be selected in the design environment.  Notice that you can easily switch back and forth between pages by clicking on the page’s tab as illustrated below.

Learn more about pages.


Lesson 7 - Using an Image Background

  Related Topics...

Although the gradient backgrounds look good, they can be a little boring.  You may want to use a custom bitmap for your background.  To specify a custom bitmap:

1.	Click on the Page 2 tab.

2.	Select Properties from the Page menu.

3.	Select "Bitmap Image - Normal" in the Type field.

4.	For the Standard Image File, click on the button with the three dots, go to the Library\Backgrounds folder in your AutoPlay Menu Studio directory and select "clouds.pcx".

5.	For Title, type "Test Menu Page 2".

6.	Click OK to accept the options.

You’ll probably notice that the image is a bit grainy.  That is because you are viewing the image with Automatic Palette Management turned on.

You can make the image look much better by turning off the Automatic Palette Management feature.  To turn off Automatic Palette Management:

1.	Select Settings from the Project menu.

2.	Uncheck the Automatic Palette Management option.

3.	Click OK to accept the changes.

By turning off the Automatic Palette Management feature we told AutoPlay Menu Studio that we will manage our own palette.  That is, AutoPlay Menu Studio will not convert all of our standard images to a common palette.

Learn more about images, color depths, standard and true-color images and Automatic Palette Management.


Lesson 8 - Creating Image Buttons

  Related Topics...

Image buttons offer the most flexibility for the look and effect of a button.  To create an Image Button:

1.	Click on the Page 1 tab.

2.	Select Image... from the Object menu.  This will open the New Image Button screen.

3.	For the Normal Button Image option on the Standard tab, click the browse button ("...") and select "Next.pcx" from the Library\Buttons\Widgets folder.

4.	For the Highlight Button Image option on the Standard tab, click the browse button ("...") and select "Next High.pcx" from the Library\Buttons\Widgets folder.

5.	Click OK to create the button.

6.	Drag the newly created button to the bottom right part of the screen.

7.	Build and test your menu as described in Lesson 4.

We will not specify a True-Color image for this particular button because the image that we are using is 16-color and would not benefit by an increased color depth.  If you do go to the True-Color tab, you will see that the Same as standard image option has been chosen.

To learn more about Image buttons.


Lesson 9 - Jumping to Other Pages

  Related Topics...

Now that you have several pages going, you need a way to jump from one page to another.  To make the "Next >" button that we created in Lesson 8 jump to Page 2:

1.	Right-click on the "Next >" image button and select Object Properties... from the pop-up context menu.

2.	Click on the Action tab.

3.	Select Jump to Page in the Command field.

4.	Select Page 2 in the Target field.

5.	Click OK to accept the modifications.

6.	Build and test the menu as described in Lesson 4.

Now you will notice that the "Next >" button takes you to Page 2 when the menu is run.  To make it so that you can get back to Page 1 from Page 2, create an Image Button on Page 2 that jumps back to Page 1.  Follow the steps from Lesson 8 and 9 and use the "Back.pcx" and "Back High.pcx" from the Samples folder.  Place the "< Back" button in the lower left part of Page 2.

Learn more about Actions, and Image buttons.


Lesson 10 - Jumping to a Web Site

  Related Topics...

The final lesson will be to make a button that jumps to a Web site.  To make a text button that jumps to a Web site:

1.	Go to Page 2.

2.	Create a text button by following the steps in Lesson 3.  Use "Jump to http://www.indigorose.com" as the button text.

3.	Open the Text Button Properties screen by double-clicking on the new text button.

4.	Select the Action tab.

5.	Select "Open URL (Web Site)" for the Command.

6.	Enter "http://www.indigorose.com" (no quotes) in the Target field.

7.	Click OK to accept the changes.

8.	Make sure that you are connected to the Internet.

9.	Build and test the menu as described in Lesson 4.

This concludes the Quick Start Tutorial.  Please read the rest of this manual and the Help file as well to gain a good working knowledge of all of the product’s features.


The Development Environment

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio’s development environment is similar to that of other visual WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) tools.  Take time to familiarize yourself with the basic elements of the main screen before continuing on.

At the top of the screen is the menu bar.  The menu allows you to access all of AutoPlay Menu Studio’s commands.  Below the menu are the toolbars, which provide access to many of the commands as well.  To find out what a toolbar button does, position and hold the mouse over the button and a ToolTip will appear.  As well, a description of the button or menu command’s functionality will appear on the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

The design window is the large area of the main screen.  The design window contains tabs called pages.  This is where the visual designing of your menu takes place.  The design window will give you a good idea of what your menu will look like in the end.  In order to see exactly what it will look like, however, you should build and run your menu.  You will position "button objects" on the design window, which perform various actions.

The dotted and dashed line on each page represents the viewable area of your menu when you build it.  This is to act as a guideline so that you know how to place your objects.  You can change the size of the menu screen from the Project Settings screen.  You can turn off this line by setting the Show Window Size Outline option on the Preferences screen.


Setting Environment Preferences

  Related Topics...

There are several general environment preferences that can be set from the Preferences screen.  To open the Preferences screen, select Edit | Preferences.  The Preferences screen has the following fields:

Highlight   The default sound that will be used as the Highlight Sound for any new buttons that are created.  You can click on the browse button (the one with the three dots, "...") to open a dialog box that will let you browse your system for a sound file.  You can click the button with the speaker icon for a preview of your sound.

Click   The default sound that will be used as the Click Sound for any new buttons that are created.  You can click on the browse button beside this field to open a dialog that will let you browse your system for a sound file.  You can click the button with the speaker icon for a preview of your sound.

Temporary files directory   The directory on your hard drive where temporary files will be stored during the menu building process.  This directory should be located on a drive with at least 20MB of free disk space.

Execute menu after build is finished   If checked, the menu will be run once the build process is complete.

Show hyperlink outlines   If checked, hyperlink buttons will show up in the design environment as dashed lines.

Show window size outline   If checked, the dashed and dotted line that shows you the viewable area of your menu will be displayed.

Show Template Gallery at startup   If checked, the Template Gallery will appear when starting up the AutoPlay Menu Studio.  If you turn this option off, you can still start the Template Gallery at any time from Project | Template Gallery on the menu.


Understanding Graphic Images

  Related Topics...

In order to get the best results out of AutoPlay Menu Studio, it is important to have a good understanding of graphic images, palettes and color depths.  This section will provide a basis for understanding these concepts.


Palettes and Color Depths

  Related Topics...

There are three basic color image types used on Windows systems: 16-color (fixed system palette), 256-color (palletized) and 16 million color (non-palletized) images.

Palettes cause problems when you try to display multiple images with different palettes in the same window at the same time on a 256-color system. In that case, all images are forced to use the palette of the last loaded image, which will cause palette clashes and ugly effects.  This can occur in AutoPlay Menu Studio when you use images with different palettes for the background image and graphic buttons, for example.   This problem does not exist on non-palletized systems.

The only way to avoid these issues on palletized systems is to use one common palette for all of your standard images.  There are two ways to ensure that all of your standard images use the same palette in AutoPlay Menu Studio:

1.	Use an image-processing program to make sure that all of your 256 standard color images use the same palette.

2.	Turn on AutoPlay Menu Studio’s Automatic Palette Management feature.


How AutoPlay Menu Studio Handles Images

  Related Topics...

Since you want your menu to look good on all systems, AutoPlay Menu Studio always stores two copies of each image in your menu.  One image, the standard image, will be used on palletized (256 color) systems.  The other image, the true-color image, will be displayed on non-palletized systems.  At runtime your menu will determine what color depth the user is running at and display the appropriate image.

You will find the true-color and standard image options on the Background tab of the Page Properties screen and on the Standard and True-Color tabs of the Image Button Properties screen.

After specifying a standard image, several things will happen (in this order):

1.	The image that you specify will automatically be copied and used as the true-color image as well.  The image will not be changed in any way - an exact copy of the original will be made.

2.	If the image that you specified is greater than 256 colors, the standard image will be automatically reduced to 256 colors.

3.	If you have Automatic Palette Management turned on, the standard image will be mapped to a common palette.

If you don’t want to use a copy of the standard image for the true-color image, you can always specify a different true-color image on the True-Color tab (Image Button Properties screen) or the True-color image file field (Page Properties screen).

At design time, you can switch between viewing the standard and true-color images from the View menu.  Keep in mind though that you will only see a true representation of the standard images (read: Palette clashes) if your system is set to 8 bit 256 color.  And of course you will need it set higher if you want to properly see the True-Color images.


Automatic Palette Management

  Related Topics...

The Automatic Palette Management feature in AutoPlay Menu Studio is used to ensure that all of your standard images use a common palette when displayed on 256 color systems.  You can turn Automatic Palette Management on or off from the Project Settings screen.

Unless you are displaying only one graphic image per page or manually design your images to use a common palette, you should turn the Automatic Palette Management feature on.  Automatic Palette Management will not have an effect on non-palletized systems or your true-color images.


How to Get the Best Results from Your Images

  Related Topics...

There are several options for getting the best possible results from your images on the widest range of systems:

1.	Create all of your standard images as 256-color images with a common palette and turn off the Automatic Palette Management.  This will always look good on 256 color systems.

2.	Use a background image with hyperlink or text buttons.  If you only have one image per page, you can use a 256-color background image without worrying about the palette. Since hyperlink buttons are essentially transparent and text buttons use the built-in system colors, you will not need to worry about the palette at all.

Learn more about button objects.


What is a Project?

  Related Topics...

An AutoPlay Menu Studio project is a collection of the pages, objects and settings used to create one menu.  The project file is not the autoplay menu itself and you should not distribute it.  It is the document file that is used to hold project information that can be saved from and re-loaded into the AutoPlay Menu Studio development environment.  AutoPlay Menu Studio projects have the file extension ".am2".


The Project Template Gallery

  Related Topics...

The Project Template Gallery is a great way to get your AutoPlay Menu Studio project going as quickly as possible.  You can choose from a variety of menu styles and options, and then customize the starter project to meet your needs.

The Template Gallery is automatically displayed whenever you start AutoPlay Menu Studio (see Edit | Preferences to change this). You can also view it at any time by selecting Project | Template Gallery... from the menu.

Once you select a project template you will usually have to do some customizing before the project is ready.  You will especially need to make sure that you check each button’s actions to make sure that they are calling your files correctly.

New project templates will be made available from time to time.  Check out our web site for information on new templates and how to make your own.


Project Settings Screen

  Related Topics...

The Project Settings screen allows you to select some global settings that affect the appearance and functionality of your menu.  You can open the Project Settings screen by selecting Project | Settings from the menu or by right clicking on the background and selecting Project Settings.  The Project Settings screen has four tabs - General, Startup Page, Intro Video and Advanced.

The General tab has the following fields:

Show title bar   If checked, the title bar at the top of the menu screen will be displayed.  If unchecked, your menu will not have a title bar and its associated control buttons.  Uncheck this button with care!

Automatic palette management   If checked, AutoPlay Menu Studio will map all of your standard images to a common palette to avoid palette clashes on 256 color systems.  Please see Understanding Graphic Images for more details about palettes, color depths, standard images and Automatic Palette Management.

Explore drive if menu is disabled   If checked, the autoplay menu will launch Windows Explorer with the root directory of the CD displayed if the menu is disabled.  This means that if you have a hide option (see the Advanced tab) for the menu and it is met the menu will not be displayed but rather Windows Explorer will be opened instead.  This feature ensures that something will happen if the menu is disabled and the user double clicks on their CD-ROM drive icon.  If it isn't checked, nothing will happen if the menu is hidden and the user double-clicks on the CD-ROM drive icon.  If you do not enable this feature, the user can always right-click on their CD-ROM drive and select Open or Explore to view the CD's contents if they want.  Note that if this option is enabled, the Windows Explorer will come up every time that the CD is inserted as well.

Width/Height   The width and height in pixels of the menu screen at runtime.  This size includes the title bar (if you have chosen to show it) and the window borders.

The Startup Page tab allows you to select the menu’s startup page depending on the language of the user’s system.  See Multilingual Menu Support for more details about these options.

The Intro Video tab lets you display an AVI movie before your menu appears.  The Video tab has the following options:

AVI Video File   The full path and filename of the video that you want to play at startup.  The video must be in .avi format and it is highly recommended that you use a standard Codec when creating your movie file.  This will ensure playback on all systems.  Refer to your video editing software for more details.  You can click on the browse button ("...") to browse for your file.  You can click on the test button (the one with the camera on it) to preview the video using your system default avi player.

Background   The color of the screen background when playing the movie.

Volume   The volume to play back the video’s sound at.  100 is normal, 50 is ½ of normal, 0 is no sound, etc.  Minimum = 0, Maximum = 100.

Speed   The speed at which to playback the video.  100 is normal speed, 50 is ½ speed, 200 is twice normal speed.  Minimum = 0, Maximum = 200.   Keep in mind that video playback is very processor intensive.  Some systems may have trouble with an increased frame rate.

Display Size   The size of the video during playback.  Choose from:

Display Size	Effect
Normal	The video will be displayed at its normal default size.
Full Screen	The video will be proportionally resized to fill as much of the screen as possible.
Zoom	The video will be proportionally zoomed by the factor specified in the edit box below the option.  100 is normal size, 50 is ½ size, 200 is double the normal size.
Stretch	The video will be stretched to the Width and Height specified in the edit boxes below the option.

Note that the video will be automatically centered on the screen during playback.  The display size will dramatically affect the playback quality of your video.  Depending on the viewable size of the video, many systems will be using up most of their processing power just trying to show the video at normal size.  Obviously full screen video needs considerably more processing power.  A 200% zoom is generally as large as you will want to go for most practical purposes.  You will want to play around with these settings in order to achieve the best results for your situation.

Allow click to skip   If checked, the user will be able to bypass the video by left-clicking the mouse.

The Advanced tab allows you to set advanced settings for the menu such as the startup condition, a password and any registry changes that should be made when the menu is started.  Learn more about the Advanced tab options.


Introduction to Pages

  Related Topics...

The screens that appear in your menu are referred to as pages in AutoPlay Menu Studio’s design environment.  A tab represents each screen of your menu.  Each page has its own unique properties and objects.  This chapter will look at how to work with pages.


Creating New Pages

  Related Topics...

When you create a new project, the menu has just one page called "Page 1".  If you want to add a new page to your menu, select Page | Add from the menu.  A new page will be added to the end (furthest right) of the existing pages.


Renaming Pages

  Related Topics...

When new pages are created they are called "Untitled" by default.  You will want to rename these pages to something more meaningful.  To rename a page, select Page | Rename... from the menu.  You will be prompted for the new name.  Be sure to keep your page names unique!

When you rename a page all references to that page within AutoPlay Menu Studio will be automatically updated.  For example, if a page in your menu has a button that jumps to a page called "Page 3" and you rename "Page 3" to "My Page", the button that jumps to it will be updated to say "My Page".


Moving and Copying Pages

  Related Topics...

To move a page to a new position or create a copy of the page, select Page | Move or Copy.  This will open a dialog box allowing you to move the selected page to a new position or insert a copy of the page into the location you specify.


Deleting Pages

  Related Topics...

You can delete a page by selecting Page | Delete from the menu.  Please note that you cannot undo a page deletion, so make sure that you really want to delete the page before you do it.

If the page that you deleted is referenced by jump actions on other pages, you will need to make sure that you change those references to the deleted page as well.


Specifying the Startup Page

  Related Topics...

The first page that is displayed when the menu is run is determined by the Startup Page tab of the Project Settings screen.  By default, this will be the page called "Page 1".  You can change the startup page for individual languages or all languages on the Startup tab.


Page Properties

  Related Topics...

The Page Properties screen is where you can determine how a page looks and what a page does.  You can open the Page Properties screen for the currently selected page by:

1.	Double clicking on the page.

2.	Selecting Page | Properties from the menu.

3.	Right clicking on the page and selecting Page Properties... from the context menu.

Page Properties has four tabs:  Background, Sounds, Open and Close.

Background Tab

The Background tab has the following fields:

Type   The type of background that you want to use for your Window.  Choose from a variety of options such as gradients, patterns, solid colors and bitmap images.

Foreground   The color that will appear at the top of the screen when using the gradient background type.  If using a pattern, this will be the color of the pattern lines.

Background   The color that will appear at the bottom of the screen when using the Gradient background type.  If using the solid color background type, this will be the background color of the screen.  If you are using a bitmap background, this will be the color of the non-image area, if any.

Standard/True-Color Image File   The path and filename of the standard and true-color images that will be used as the background image.  If you do not specify a true-color image, the standard image will be used on non-palletized systems.  This option is only applicable if using a bitmap for the background.

Window Title   The text that will appear in the window’s title bar.

Sounds Tab

The Sounds tab specifies the sounds that will be used for the opening and closing of the page.  The Sounds tab contains the following fields:

Filename   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to use when the page opens/closes.  You can click the browse button ("...") to browse for the .wav file on your system.  Click the button with the speaker to test your sound.

Wait for playback   If checked, the sound will finish playing before any other events will occur.

One time   If checked, the page sound will only play once per session.

Open and Close Tabs

The Open and Close tabs are just Action tabs with one exception.  They have a One Time Only field.  If checked, the Open or Close action will only be executed once for that page per session.


Introduction to Objects

  Related Topics...

An object is any element that is placed on a page.  AutoPlay Menu Studio has three types of objects: Text buttons, Image buttons and Hyperlink buttons.

You can place an object on a page by selecting Object and then Image, Text or Hyperlink from the menu.  When you create a new object in this way, an object properties screen will open automatically.  This is where you set the sounds, actions, attributes and other settings for your new object.  Once you have completed your settings, click OK and the new object will appear on the screen.


Common Object Properties

  Related Topics...

All objects have four common properties tabs.  They are the Sounds tab, Action tab, Attributes tab and the Advanced tab.  Each of these common tabs are described in detail below:

Sounds Tab

The Sounds Tab allows you to choose the sounds that will play when the user passes the mouse pointer over the object or when the object is clicked.

Highlight sound file   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to hear when the mouse pointer passes over the object.  You can click the browse button to search your system for a .wav file.  Click the speaker button to test your sound.  Check the Wait for playback option if you want the sound to finish playing before any other event can occur.

Click sound file   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to hear when the object is clicked. You can click the browse button to search your system for a .wav file.  Click the speaker button to test your sound.  Check the Wait for playback option if you want the sound to finish playing before any other event can occur.

Action Tab

Here you select the action that will take place when the object is clicked.  Learn more about the Action tab.

Attributes Tab

The Attributes tab allows you to set some general properties of the object.  The following fields are available:

Name   The name of the object.  Useful for identifying the object.

Cursor   The look of the mouse pointer when it is positioned over the object.

Left   The number of pixels that the object is offset from the left side of the screen.  You can also change the position of an object by dragging and dropping it.

Top   The number of pixels that the object is offset from the top of the screen.

Width   The width of the object in pixels.  If this field is grayed out, the width is for informational purposes only and can not be changed from this screen.

Height   The height of the object in pixels.  If this field is grayed out, the width is for informational purposes only and can not be changed from this screen.

Advanced Tab

The Advanced tab allows you to set advanced options for the object, such as Passwords, the Show/Hide condition and the Registry Update.  Learn more about the Advanced tab and its functions.


Text Buttons

  Related Topics...

Text Buttons are quick and easy to design and they look good at all color depths.  Text Buttons have the Text tab in addition to the common object properties.  The Text tab allows you to set the attributes of the Text button.

Message   The text that you want to display.

Select Font   Opens a font dialog which allows you to choose the type and style of font to use for the button text.  You must use a True-Type font.  Please note that you will need to make sure that you have redistribution rights for the font that you choose.  Please contact the maker of the font for redistribution information.  It is always safe to use Arial, Times or Courier fonts since they are distributed with Windows.

Normal   The color of the text when the mouse pointer is not over it.

Highlight   The color of the text when the mouse pointer is over it.


Image Buttons

  Related Topics...

Image Buttons are buttons that display graphic images.  Since you design the images used, Image Buttons are extremely flexible and completely customizable.  Make sure that you have a good grasp of how to use images and palettes before using graphic buttons.  The Image Button screen has the Standard and True-Color tabs in addition to the common tabs.  The Standard and True-Color tabs are used to specify the Standard and True-Color images.

The Standard and True-Color tabs are exactly the same except for one option.  The True-Color tab has a box labeled Same as standard image which, if checked, uses the Standard image settings for the True-Color image.

Normal Button Image   The image that will appear when the mouse pointer is not over the button.  Specify the full path and filename of the image file in the first field.  Use the browse button to help locate the image file on your system.  Check the Transparent background box if you want the image’s background to be transparent.  By default, the color of the pixel in the upper left corner of the image will be used as the transparent color.  If you want to select a different color, click the Color... button.  The mouse pointer will turn into a crosshairs.  Then click on the color that you want to make transparent.

Highlight Button Image   The image that will appear when the mouse pointer is over the button.  The options are the same as those for the Normal Button Image.


Hyperlink Buttons

  Related Topics...

A Hyperlink button is used to turn a section of your background into a "hotspot".  In design mode, it will show up as a hollow box surrounded with a dashed line pattern (assuming that you have the Show hyperlink outlines option selected under Preferences).  The Hyperlink Button Properties screen contains only the four standard object tabs.  You can change the dimensions of the Hyperlink area either interactively or through the Properties screen.


Arranging and Aligning Objects

  Related Topics...

Once you have created your objects, you will need to arrange them on your page.  AutoPlay Menu Studio provides a number of features to help you with that task.

Selecting Objects

In order to perform any operation on an object(s), you must first select the object(s).  There are a couple of ways to select an object:

1.	Click an object with the left mouse button.  To select multiple objects, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on them.

2.	Click and hold down the left mouse button while dragging the  "rubber band" to completely include the object(s) you want to select.  Let go of the mouse button to complete your selection.

Moving Objects

To move a single object, click on the object and then drag and drop it in the desired position.  To move multiple objects, select them, hold down the Ctrl key and drag and drop them in the desired location.

Aligning Objects

Once you have selected your objects, you can use AutoPlay Menu Studio’s alignment tools to quickly arrange them.  All alignment tools are located under the Object menu.  The alignment tools allow you to space, align, center and order the objects.  Here is a list of the alignment functions available:

Command	Description	Applies to
Space Evenly > Across	Spaces the selected objects evenly horizontally across the screen.	multiple objects
Space Evenly > Down	Spaces the selected objects evenly vertically down the screen.	multiple objects
Align > Left	Aligns the left sides of the selected objects to the left side of the last object that you selected (the one that has the solid border when selected).	multiple objects
Align > Horiz. Center	Aligns the horizontal centers of the selected objects to the horizontal center of the last object that you selected (the one that has the solid border when selected).	multiple objects
Align > Right	Aligns the right sides of the selected objects to the right side of the last object that you selected (the one that has the solid border when selected).	multiple objects
Align > Top	Aligns the tops of the selected objects to the top of the last object that you selected (the one that has the solid border when selected).	multiple objects
Align > Vert. Center	Aligns the vertical centers of the selected objects to the vertical center of the last object that you selected (the one that has the solid border when selected).	multiple objects
Align > Bottom	Aligns the bottoms of the selected objects to the bottom of the last object that you selected (the one that has the solid border when selected).	multiple objects
Center on Form > Vertical	Centers the selected object(s) vertically on the page.	single and multiple objects
Center on Form > Horizontal	Centers the selected object(s) horizontally on the page.	single and multiple objects
Order > Bring to Front	Makes the selected object the top-most object on the page.  It will be displayed on top of any other objects below it.	single object
Order > Forward One	Brings the selected object forward one on the page.	single object
Order > Send to Back	Sends the selected object behind all other objects on the page.	single object
Order > Back One	Moves the selected object back one on the page.	single object


Introduction to Actions

  Related Topics...

Actions are the "heart and soul" of AutoPlay Menu Studio.  Actions make things happen when an object is clicked on or a page is displayed.  Actions can be assigned to any object - image buttons, text buttons and hyperlink buttons as well as to page open and close events.  Actions are defined on the Action tab (for buttons) or the Open and Close tabs (for pages).


Action Tab

  Related Topics...

The Action tab has the following fields:

Command   The action to perform.  The following commands are available:

Command	Description
None	No action will be performed.
Execute Program	Executes a program.
Open Document	Opens a document file.
Open URL (Web Site)	Opens an Internet URL.  This can be a Web site address (http://), ftp location (ftp://) or email address (mailto:).
Print Document	Prints a document.  The print verb must be supported by the viewer application.
Explore Folder	Opens a drive or directory using the Windows Explorer.
Play Multimedia	Opens and plays a multimedia file.
Custom Verb	Opens a file using a custom shell verb.
Jump to Page	Jumps to another page in the menu.
Exit	Exits the menu.

Target   The fully qualified name of the file to act upon.  In other words, this is the complete drive, directory and filename as it can be found when the menu is run.  In most cases you will not know the drive letter until runtime.  This is where the variable %SrcDrv% comes in handy.  It represents the drive letter of the user’s CD-ROM drive (or more precisely the drive that the menu is being run from).  So, for example, if you want to execute a program called setup.exe that will be located in the root of your CD-ROM, you would specify %SrcDrv%\setup.exe as the target.

Command line arguments   Any command line arguments that should be passed to the program named in Target File.

Working directory   The working directory of the program named in Target File.  If you do not specify a working directory, it will be the same as the Target file’s directory.

Shutdown after Action   If selected, the menu will be shut down after the action is initiated.

Mode   The run mode for the file named in Target.  Choose between Normal, Maximized or Minimized.

Custom Verb   This field will only be visible if Custom Verb is selected as the Command.  AutoPlay Menu Studio already supports common verbs like Open, Play and Print through the commands by those names.  The Custom Verb feature is for any other unanticipated verbs that you may run across.  Please refer to your application’s documentation to find out what, if any, custom shell actions are supported.


Jumping to Another Page

  Related Topics...

One of the powerful new features of AutoPlay Menu Studio is its support for multiple pages.  To get the most out of the software, it is important to know how to make your pages interact properly with one another.  To create an action that jumps from one page to another, select "Jump to Page" as the Command and enter the page name as the Target.

Example:

To create an action that jumps to a page called "Page 2", enter the following values in the action tab:

Field	Value
Command	Jump to Page
Target	Page 2
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Not Applicable
Shutdown after Action	Not Applicable


Running a Program

  Related Topics...

One of the most common applications of AutoPlay Menu Studio is to launch or execute programs.  This could be your installation program, your main executable or just about anything else you are distributing on your CD-ROM.  To create an action that executes a program, set the Command field to "Execute Program", then specify the path and filename of the program in the Target field.  Fill in the Arguments and Working Directory fields as required.

Example:

To set an action that executes an installation program called "setup.exe" which will be located in a subdirectory called "\install" on the CD-ROM, enter the following values in the Action tab:

Field	Value
Command	Execute Program
Target	%SrcDrv%\install\setup.exe
Command line arguments	<< Leave Blank >>
Working directory	%SrcDrv%\install
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked

Example:

There is a program called "viewer.exe" that is used to view XYZ data files.  There is an XYZ data file called datafile.xyz in a subdirectory of the CD-ROM called "\files\xyzfiles".  Viewer.exe will open a XYZ data file if the file is passed to it as a command line argument.  To open and view the datafile.xyz file using Viewer.exe, use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Execute Program
Target	%SrcDrv%\viewer.exe
Command line arguments	%SrcDrv%\files\xyzfiles\datafile.xyz
Working directory	%SrcDrv%\files\xyzfiles
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Opening a Document

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio can open any document that has an associated viewer installed on the system.  Standard document types include text files (*.txt), Word documents (*.doc), Write files (*.wri), Video (*.avi), Sound (*.wav), Rich Text (*.rtf) and Help files (*.hlp).  Of course, you can also install other viewers to extend this capability to meet your needs.

The "Open Document" command works just like choosing Start > Run in Windows.  This is called a shell execute.  The file is passed to the operating system, which then matches it up with a viewer.  This match is determined by the file’s extension (.txt for example).  Viewers register the types of documents that they handle with the operating system.  If you try to open a document that does not have a viewer associated with it, the file will not be opened.

What this means, is that if Windows does not ship with the viewer you require, then you must provide it for the user.  For example, .pdf files can not be opened unless an Acrobat viewer is installed.  Since this is not included in a standard Windows installation, you will probably want to include the viewer on your CD-ROM for those users who do not have it.

Example:

There is a Word for Windows document called "order.doc" which is located in the "\docs" subdirectory of the CD-ROM.  To open the file, you would use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Open Document
Target	%SrcDrv%\docs\order.doc
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Jumping to a Web Page

  Related Topics...

One of your company’s best marketing and informational tools may be its Web site.  AutoPlay Menu Studio allows you to leverage this valuable resource in your menu.

To open a Web page on the Internet, set the Command field to "Open URL (Web Site)" and specify the URL in the Target field.  The web page will be opened with the user’s default web browser.

Example:

To jump to the Indigo Rose Corporation web site, use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Open URL (Web Site)
Target	http://www.indigorose.com
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Sending Email

  Related Topics...

The email feature of AutoPlay Menu Studio is implemented through the "Open URL (Web Site)" command.  You just put mailto: and an email address in the Target field.  This will cause the user’s default email program to start up and send email to the specified address.

Example:

To start an email message addressed to support@yourdomain.com, use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Open URL (Web Site)
Target	mailto:support@yourdomain.com
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Exploring a Directory

  Related Topics...

It is very common to let users browse the contents of the CD-ROM.  To open the folder using Windows Explorer, set the Command field to "Explore Folder" and specify the directory path in the Target field.

Example:

To let the user explore the contents of the CD-ROM starting at the root directory, use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Explore Folder
Target	%SrcDrv%
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Printing a Document

  Related Topics...

The Print feature is great for allowing your users to print a manual, an order form or any other information you provide.  To print a document, set the Command field to "Print Document" and put the full path and filename in the Target field.

Note that the document’s viewer program must support the Print verb in order for this to work.  Most word processors and other document viewers support this verb, but be sure to try it out.  Consult your viewer documentation!

Example:

To print a document called "manual.doc" which is located in the "\docs" folder of the CD-ROM, use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Print Document
Target	%SrcDrv%\docs\manual.doc
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Minimized
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Playing a Multimedia File

  Related Topics...

Windows has many great built-in multimedia features that allow you to view .avi movies, .wav and .mid sound files and more.  AutoPlay Menu Studio allows you to open and start playing a multimedia file.  This is done using the "Play Multimedia" command

Example:

To open and play an .avi video called "intro.avi" from the "\media" folder on the CD-ROM, use the following Action tab values:

Field	Value
Command	Play Multimedia
Target	%SrcDrv%\media\intro.avi
Command line arguments	Not Applicable
Working directory	Not Applicable
Mode	Normal
Shutdown after Action	Unchecked


Custom Verbs

  Related Topics...

While the standard commands will handle most situations, certain viewers will support additional specialized verbs.  If you do run across such a program, select "Custom Verb" as the command.  Enter the verb command into the Custom verb field and fill in the other fields as appropriate.  You would have to find out from the application’s manufacturer if the product supports shell execute commands other than open, print and play.


Multilingual Menu Support

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio can automatically determine the default language of your user’s system at runtime (as set in Control Panel > Regional Settings).  Simply create your menu as usual, translating your pages as required.  For example, you might have pages called "English Start", "French Start", "Spanish Start" etc.  Each of these pages could then branch off to other localized pages, as required.  After creating these starting pages, you simply match them up with the language of your choice using the Startup Page tab.


Startup Page Tab

  Related Topics...

You can get to the Startup Page screen by selecting Project | Settings from the menu and clicking on the Startup Page tab.

The Startup Page tab consists of a grid with two columns:  Language and Page Name.

The Language column lists the available languages.  The Page Name column is where you can choose from the pages that are available in your menu.  The only language that may not be self-explanatory is the first one, "Neutral".  The page specified for Neutral will be displayed if the user has their system language set to neutral or if their system is in a language that you have not explicitly set a startup page for.  In the latter case, the language will have "<< Same as Neutral >>" listed as its startup page.  The page that is started is determined by the user’s system settings at runtime (as set in Control Panel > Regional Settings).


Variable Manager

  Related Topics...

The Variable Manager is used to load custom variables for use in AutoPlay Menu Studio.  These variables can be used in conditions, in the paths to programs or most anywhere that you can enter text in AutoPlay Menu Studio.

The custom variables are set at runtime with values obtained from the user’s System Registry.  This is an advanced feature of AutoPlay Menu Studio.  While extremely powerful, it also requires you to have a more in-depth knowledge of the operating system.  If you are unfamiliar with the use or format of the registration database, you will want to consult a book on the subject.  Once you know what you’re doing, this feature gives you a ton of flexibility.  It allows you to create a truly interactive, "smart" menu.

You open the Variable Manager by selecting Project | Variable Manager from the menu. The Variable Manager is a grid with five columns.  The columns are:

Variable   The variable name.  Click on the name to change it from its default.  Although you can name the variable virtually anything, there are a few guidelines to follow:

•	No two variables can have the same name.

•	A variable name cannot be the same as one of the built-in Variables.

•	All variable names must be at least 3 characters.

•	You should put percent (‘%’) signs on either side of the variable.  Although the program does not enforce this, we strongly suggest it as a way to differentiate between variables and plain text.

Main key   The main registry key to query for the variable’s value.

Sub key   The sub key to query for the variable’s value.  Be sure not to include a slash "\" at the beginning of the sub key.

Value name   The name of the value to get the data from.  If you want to get the "(Default)" value for a key, leave this field blank.  If you want to check for the existence of a key (as opposed to querying a value in the key), you can use the text "**KeyExists**" (without the quotes) in this field.  This will cause the menu to return "Yes" if the key specified in Main Key and Sub Key exists or the Default value if it does not exist.

Default   What to use if the value is not returned from the Registry.

Example:

Say that you want to check to see if a user’s system can view Adobe Acrobat files.  If it does, you want to hide the button that says "Install Adobe Acrobat Reader".  If it doesn’t have Adobe Acrobat support, you want to show the button.

The first step is to create a custom variable in the Variable Manager.  The second is to create a Hide Condition for the "Install Adobe Acrobat Reader" button.

To create the custom variable, open the Variable Manager and enter the following values across one row.

Column	Value
Variable	%AcrobatInstalled%
Main Key	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
Sub Key	.pdf
Value Name	Leave Blank
Default	No

This will read the key "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pdf" from the Registry and store the result in the variable named "%AcrobatInstalled%".  If Acrobat documents are supported on the system, a value describing the document type such as "AcroExch.Document" will be returned.  If the key can not be found (hence Acrobat isn’t supported), the default value "No" will be returned instead.

To set the hide condition for the "Install Adobe Acrobat Reader" button, click on the button and open its Properties screen.  Go to the Advanced tab.  Enable condition checking. Click on the Settings... button and enter the following values:

Field	Value
Value A	%AcrobatInstalled%
Operator	Not Equal
Value B	No


Advanced Tab

  Related Topics...

The Advanced tab contains advanced options for an object or the entire menu.  The advanced options include hiding the object (or the whole menu), setting a password for an object (or the whole menu) and setting Registry values after an object has been selected or the menu has been loaded.

You can set an object’s advanced options by opening the object’s Properties screen and clicking on the Advanced tab.  You can get to the menu’s advanced options by selecting Settings... from the Project menu and clicking on the Advanced tab.


Hiding an Object or the Menu Using Conditions

  Related Topics...

There may be times when you decide that you need to hide an object (or the whole menu) based on certain conditions.  This can be accomplished by using the Condition screen from the Advanced tab.

When you set a condition, you are telling the menu not to display that object (or the whole menu) if the condition is met.

To set a condition for an object:

•	Select the object.

•	Bring up the object’s Properties screen by double clicking, right clicking or by selecting Object | Properties from the menu.

•	Select the Advanced tab.

•	Turn on the checkbox that says Enable condition checking.

•	Click the Settings... button and set the condition.

To set a condition for the whole menu:

•	Bring up the menu’s Settings screen by selecting Project | Settings... from the menu.

•	Select the Advanced tab.

•	Turn on the checkbox that says Enable condition checking.

•	Click the Settings... button and set the condition.

See Also  Condition Screen


Setting a Password for an Action

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio’s password checking feature allows you to prompt the user for a password or serial number before performing an action or opening the menu.  This can be done through the Password screen on the Advanced tab.

AutoPlay Menu Studio maintains a global password (serial number) list that your entire project shares.  As well, you can set individual password lists for each object.  The menu password only uses the global list.  A password list is simply that - a list of all passwords that will be accepted for that particular object.

To set up a password list for an object:

•	Select the object.

•	Bring up the object’s properties screen by double clicking, right clicking or by selecting Object | Properties from the menu.

•	Select the Advanced tab.

•	Turn on the checkbox that says Enable password checking.

•	Click the Settings... button and set the password list.

To set up a password list for the entire menu:

•	Bring up the menu’s Settings screen by selecting Project | Settings... from the menu.

•	Select the Advanced tab.

•	Turn on the checkbox that says Enable password checking.

•	Click the Settings... button and set the password list.

See Also  Password Screen


Generate Passwords Screen

  Related Topics...

The Generate Passwords screen is opened from the Password screen on the Advanced tab.  The Generate Passwords screen contains the following fields:

Number of passwords to generate   The number of passwords to generate.

Generate sequential passwords   If selected, sequential passwords will be generated starting with the one specified in First password.

First password   The first password in the sequence.  The following rules apply to the first password:

•	Must consist only of alphanumeric characters and dashes ("A-Z", "a-z", "0-9", "-").

•	Cannot contain spaces.

•	Cannot start or end with a dash.

Generate random passwords   If selected, random passwords will be generated based on the mask entered in Password mask.

Password mask   A mask of the passwords to generate.  The following mask characters may be used:

Character	What will be generated
#	Random number
*	Uppercase letter ("A-Z")
@	Lowercase letter ("a-z")
?	Random number or uppercase letter ("A-Z", "0-9")
-	A dash character
A literal character	The literal character will be displayed

Examples:

Mask	Example of what could be generated
####-####-####-####	4754-8345-1970-4486
CDKEY-*****-???	CDKEY-KWNGV-H39
@####@####@	f7986j2658y
???-INDIGO-???-???	LA5-INDIGO-8W0-9FM
*@@@@@@	Gpnenos
PW-1998-######	PW-1998-348521


When and How to use Passwords

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio’s password feature is used to prevent an action from executing until a valid password or serial number is entered.  Now, you may be saying to yourself, "sure I can ask for a serial number before allowing them to run my software, but what’s to stop them from just browsing the CD-ROM and running it from there?".  There are two answers to that question, with increasing levels of security.

It really depends on how technically advanced your users are and the level of security that you require.  If you know that your users are unlikely to browse the CD-ROM manually in order to find the program or document that you are protecting, then this level of security may be sufficient.

If you need more security than this, you can combine the password feature with the update registry feature to achieve a more complete form of security.

Keep in mind that no software security method is foolproof, and there are certainly additional tools available with advanced encryption methods and protocols.  All of these solutions have tradeoffs in both cost and functionality.   The question becomes one of how much time and effort you want to put into your security system and what benefits will be achieved.  AutoPlay Menu Studio’s password and registry features give you a good place to start.

Here is a basic outline of how you could implement your security system with AutoPlay Menu Studio:

1.	Set a password for the action that runs your software (or the install routine, etc.)

2.	On the same button, set the Update Registry feature to write a value to the Registry.  This Registry change will only take place if the user correctly enters the password.

3.	Write your software in such a way that it will not operate unless that specific Registry value is in place.


Updating the Registry

  Related Topics...

AutoPlay Menu Studio’s registry update feature is used to make a change to the user’s Registry when a button is clicked or the menu is started.  The information that you write to the registry can be used in several ways:

•	Hide an option on a page of the menu.   For example, let’s say that you have an installer that you only want the user to run once from the CD.  Using the Update Registry, Variable Manager and Button Condition features you can hide the option after the first time the user runs it.

•	Use the information in another program.  Write information out to the Registry which can then be retrieved by your application.

Warning: This is an advanced feature of AutoPlay Menu Studio.  If you are unfamiliar with the format or function of the Windows Registry, you should consult a reference book on the subject before attempting to use this feature.  You can cause serious system problems if you corrupt the registry with invalid data!

To set the Registry Update for an object:

•	Select the object.

•	Bring up the object’s properties screen by double clicking, right clicking or by selecting Object | Properties from the menu.

•	Select the Advanced tab.

•	Turn on the checkbox that says Enable registry update.

•	Click the Settings... button and set the Registry Update.

To set the Registry Update for the entire menu:

•	Bring up the menu’s Settings screen by selecting Project | Settings... from the menu.

•	Select the Advanced tab.

•	Turn on the checkbox that says Enable registry update.

•	Click the Settings... button and set the Registry Update.

See Also  Registry Update Screen


How AutoPlay Menu Studio Builds a Menu

  Related Topics...

When AutoPlay Menu Studio builds a menu, it creates three to five core files (depending on whether you use the video function at startup) and converts all of your graphic, sound and video files.  You are then responsible for getting those files onto the CD-ROM along with your application and data files.  Here is a list of all files created by AutoPlay Menu Studio and their destinations on your CD-ROM:

Filename	Description	Destination
autorun.exe	The menu executable.	The root directory of the CD-ROM.
autorun.apm	The configuration settings for your menu.	The root directory of the CD-ROM.
autorun.inf	Handles the Windows AutoPlay functionality, which allows your menu to start up automatically.	The root directory of the CD-ROM.
startupv.exe	Used to run your startup video.	The root directory of the CD-ROM*.
startupv.ap1	The configuration file for the startup video.	The root directory of the CD-ROM*.
DATA\*.dav	Video files used in your menu.	The DATA subdirectory off of the root of your CD**.
DATA\*.dah DATA\*.dal	Image files used in your menu.	The DATA subdirectory off of the root of your CD**.
DATA\*.daw	Sound files used in your menu.	The DATA subdirectory off of the root of your CD**.

* This file will only be in your output directory if you configured the Startup Video option on the Project Settings screen.

** The DATA subdirectory may be called something other than DATA if you specified otherwise in the Store support files in subdirectory field on the Build screen.  If you turned off the Store support files in subdirectory option, these files will be stored in the same directory as the core files.


Building Your Menu

  Related Topics...

The very best way to create your menu is to have a separate drive that you can use to simulate your CD-ROM.  This could be a local hard drive (or partition), a network drive or a removable drive (such as Jaz or Zip drives).  Simply set up the drive to look like your resulting CD-ROM.  Once everything is working properly, it will be easy to create your master by burning the content "as-is" to your CD-R.

A good first step is to copy your application and data files to the drive that you are using.  Set up this drive with the idea that you will be copying the file structure verbatim to your CD.  For example, if your installation program is called Setup.exe and will be located in the "\install" subdirectory on the CD-ROM, you should copy it to the "\install" directory on your working drive.


Build Screen

  Related Topics...

The Build screen is opened when you select Project | Build from the main menu.  This screen sets the options that you will need in order to build your menu.

Executable filename   The filename of the menu executable.  While we recommend using the conventional "autorun.exe", you can rename it to something else, such as autoplay.exe, setup.exe, start.exe, etc.

Output path   The path to output the menu to.  You can use a directory like "C:\output" or build to the root of a drive (recommended) such as "E:\".

Store support files in subdirectory   If checked, you can specify the folder to store the menu’s data files (images, sounds etc.).  This folder is always relative to the Output path.  If unchecked, all of the data files will be stored in the same directory as your output file.

Create autorun.inf file    Required for the menu to start up automatically when the CD-ROM is inserted.  If selected, AutoPlay Menu Studio will create the autorun.inf file for you.  Windows 95/NT 4 and later look for this file in the root directory of any CD-ROM that is inserted into the CD-ROM drive.  This file contains commands that instruct the operating system on how to handle the CD-ROM.  In our case, it will tell the system to execute our menu.

Use external icon file   If checked, you can specify the full path and filename of in icon file (in standard .ICO format) that you want to use to represent your CD-ROM as seen from the Windows Explorer.  You will need to use a Windows icon resource editor to create this icon file.  If you leave the field blank, a default icon will be used.


Testing Your Menu

  Related Topics...

Once you have your testing drive set up properly and built your menu, the next step is to test it.  Make sure that you try out all of the buttons on your menu.  Try the menu at different color depths (256 color, true color, etc.) and resolutions (640 x 480, 800 x 600, etc.) to ensure that it looks good on a variety of systems.

Once your menu functions properly from your test drive, you are ready to burn a CD that you can take to other systems for testing.  Again, try out all of the options and make sure that the menu is functioning properly.  If you get any error messages or warnings, take note of them!  You should not get any error messages if everything is working correctly.  If you do, go back to AutoPlay Menu Studio, fix the problems, rebuild and test again.


Creating Your CD-ROM

  Related Topics...

The final step in creating your masterpiece is to actually create your master CD-ROM that will be used for distribution.  In some cases, your test CD-ROM may have functioned fine and becomes your final CD.  Other times you will do some fine-tuning and then burn your master CD-ROM.

When burning your master, think carefully about what format that you will use.  Many CD-ROM authors have packet writing or "rewriteable" software packages.  These are great for personal and test purpose, but are usually not the best choice for widespread distribution.  The problem is that many older CD-ROM drives do not support that format.

For the widest compatibility, we recommend that you use the ISO-9660 format.  This format will ensure your disk is compatible with the vast majority of CD-ROM drives.  Keep in mind that you will need to use "8.3" filenames if using the ISO-9660 format.  If you experience problems using any other format (such as Joliet), invariably our technical support solution will be to switch to ISO-9660 and avoid packet-writing software for your master disk.


Built-In Variables

Built-In Variables are used at design time to represent values that will be determined at run time.  These are things that we cannot know at design time because they will change from one computer to the next.  For example, the drive letter of the user’s CD-ROM drive may be D: or it may be E: etc.  In AutoPlay Menu Studio, we use the variable %SrcDrv% to represent the drive that the menu program is run from.

Variable	Description
%ColorDepth%	The user’s system color depth: 4 = 16 colors 8 = 256 colors 15 = 32K colors 16 = 64K colors 24 = 16M colors 32 = 32-bit color
%LastPW%	The last password that was successfully entered.
%OS%	The user’s operating system.  Returns "Windows" for Windows 95/98 or "WindowsNT" for all versions of Windows NT.
%ScreenHeight%	The user’s screen height in pixels.
%ScreenWidth%	The user’s screen width in pixels.
%SrcDrv%	The drive that the menu is run from.  (e.g. "D:")
%SrcDir%	The drive and directory that the menu is run from (e.g. "D:\menu1")
%SysDir%	The user’s Windows System directory.  (e.g. "C:\Windows\System")
%WinDir%	The user’s Windows directory.  (e.g. "C:\Windows")


Troubleshooting

AutoPlay Menu Studio and Windows 3.1

AutoPlay Menu Studio is a 32-bit product that will only run under Windows 95/98 or Windows NT.  It will not run under Windows 3.1 (even with Win32s installed).  The reason for this is that the Autoplay feature does not exist in Windows 3.1.  The best thing to do for your Windows 3.1 users is to just include a 16-bit Setup.exe file in the root directory.  Windows 3.1 users are used to searching for the install program anyhow.

If the AutoPlay Menu does not Startup

If your CD's autoplay menu does not appear to be working, run through the following diagnostics before seeking technical support:

1.  When you double-click on the autorun.exe file in the root of the CD-ROM, does the menu start up?

NO:  You did not copy all of the files over to the CD when you made it.

YES:  Go on to 2.

2.  Double-click on My Computer. Right-click on the CD-ROM icon. Does "AutoPlay" appear as a choice?

NO:  You did not include all of the required files. Explore the CD-ROM and make sure all of the following files are present:

•	autorun.inf7

•	autorun.exe

•	autorun.apm

•	DATA subdirectory and its contents

All of these files/folders must exist at the root level of the CD-ROM in order for the AutoPlay feature to function properly.

YES:  Go on to 3.

3.  Is the autoplay feature enabled for the CD-ROM drive?

NO: Enable the autoplay feature:

Windows 95

•	Select Start > Settings > Control Panel.

•	Double click the System icon to open the System Properties dialog.

•	Select the Device Manager tab.

•	Expand the CD-ROM node (it is usually the one at the top).

•	Select the appropriate CD-ROM drive and click the Properties button.

•	Select the Settings tab.

•	Check the box that says Auto insert notification.

•	Click OK to accept the change.

•	Reboot your system.

Windows NT

•	Edit the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom and change Autorun 0x0 to 0x1 to enable autorun. Doing this will change the setting for all users.

•	To change it only for the current user, edit the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and set the value NoDriveTypeAutoRun from 0xff to 0x95.

•	Reboot your system.

YES:  Go on to 4.

4.  Are you working on Windows NT with Power User or Administrator rights?

YES:  Go on to 5.

NO:  By default, only users logged on to Windows NT with Power User or Administrator rights are allowed to install software.  In Windows NT, files with the .inf extension are considered Setup Information files.  As a result, the Autorun.inf file is not initiated if you do not have Power User or Administrator rights.  To work around this issue, log on to Windows NT as a Power User or Administrator.

5.  Have you rebooted the system without the CD-ROM in the drive?

NO:  Reboot without the CD-ROM in the drive and only insert it once the system is running and you have logged in.

YES:  Go on to 6.

6.  Insert your Windows 95 CD-ROM (or any other CD-ROM that you know has an autoplay feature that works). Does that CD-ROM's autoplay feature work?

NO:  The autoplay feature is disabled (see Question 3) or not functioning on your system.

YES:  You have not created and/or copied your autoplay menu correctly.

7.  Do you have Multiple CD-ROM drives?

YES:  On some systems, the autoplay feature will only work on the first or master drive.

8.  Is your burner the only CD drive that you have?

YES:  Some packet writing drivers lock and ignore autoplay notification. Try your CD on another system or disable the packet drivers according to your drive/software documentation.

Using Long Filenames on Your CD-ROM

It is not generally a good idea to use long filenames or directory names on your CD-ROM.  The ISO-9660 CD-ROM format does not support long filenames and since it is the most widely accepted standard for CD-ROM, you should follow the 8.3 naming convention.  Although there are formats that do support long filenames such as Joliet, your CD may not be readable on some older drives and systems.

The Images Don’t Appear or the Sounds Don’t Play

If you burn your CD-ROM only to realize that your background image doesn’t appear or that your sounds don’t play, don’t panic.  This can happen if you don’t burn all of the data files to the CD.  Make sure that you have copied the DATA directory and it’s contents to the CD.  See page 69 for more details about file locations.


Sounds Tab

The Sounds Tab allows you to choose the sounds that will play when the user passes the mouse pointer over the object or when the object is clicked.

Highlight sound file   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to hear when the mouse pointer passes over the object.  You can click the browse button to search your system for a .wav file.  Click the speaker button to test your sound.

Wait for playback ..If checked, the highlight sound will finish playing before any other event can occur.

Click sound file   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to hear when the object is clicked. You can click the browse button to search your system for a .wav file.  Click the speaker button to test your sound.  Check the Wait for playback option if you want the sound to finish playing before any other event can occur.

Wait for playback ..If checked, the click sound will finish playing before any other event can occur.

See Also  Common Object Properties


Attributes tab

The Attributes tab allows you to set some general properties of the object.  The following fields are available:

Name   The name of the object.  Useful for identifying the object.

Cursor   The look of the mouse pointer when it is positioned over the object.

Left   The number of pixels that the object is offset from the left side of the screen.  You can also change the position of an object by dragging and dropping it.

Top   The number of pixels that the object is offset from the top of the screen.

Width   The width of the object in pixels.  This field is only displayed for the Hyperlink Button Properties screen.

Height   The height of the object in pixels.  This field is only displayed for the Hyperlink Button Properties screen.

See Also  Common Object Properties


Condition screen

The Condition screen contains the following fields:

Value A   The first value that you are comparing.  This can be a literal number or character string or you can use one of the built-in or Custom variables.

Operator   The logical operator that you want to use when comparing Value A to Value B.  Choose from Equals, Greater than, Less than, Greater than or Equal, Less than or Equal, or Not Equal.

Value B   The second value that you are comparing.  This can be a literal number or character string or you can use one of the built-in or Custom variables.

Example:

To make a condition that hides an object if the user’s operating system is Windows 95/98, enter the following values in the object’s condition screen:

Field	Value
Value A	%OS%
Operator	Equals
Value B	Windows

See Also  Hiding an Object or the Menu Using Conditions


Password Screen

The Password screen contains these items:

Message   The prompt that the user will see when asked for the password.

Valid passwords  Choose whether the object will use the Global list or the Local list.  The Global list is a list of passwords that is available to all objects in your menu as well as the menu itself.  The Local list is only available to that particular object.

Password List: A list of all valid passwords.  You can type in the passwords one by one, generate them with the Generate button or  import them from a text file.

Generate   Opens a dialog that allows you to quickly generate and enter random or sequential passwords.  Please see page 64 for more details about the Generate Passwords screen.

Export   Opens a dialog that prompts you for a filename and then saves your password list in ASCII text format.  Each password will be on its own line, followed by a carriage return-line feed pair.  You can then load the passwords into your favorite text editor, spreadsheet or database.  Invaluable for maintaining and tracking customer registration numbers.

Import   Opens a dialog that prompts you for the filename of a password list to import.  The file must be structured with one password per line, with a carriage return-line feed pair at the end of each line.  Passwords must consist of standard ASCII characters and be no longer than 100 characters.

Clear   Clears all of the items currently in the Password List.

See Also  Advanced Tab


Registry Update screen

The Registry Update screen contains the following fields:

Main   The main registry key.

Sub   The registry sub key.  Do not put a slash at the beginning of the key.

Name   The value name to set.

Type   The value type.  Choose between REG_DWORD (a number) or REG_SZ (a character string).

Data   The value to insert.

See Also  Updating the Registry


Standard Tab

Normal Button Image   The image that will appear when the mouse pointer is not over the button.  Specify the full path and filename of the image file in the first field.  Use the browse button to help locate the image file on your system.

Transparent background  If checked, the image’s background will be transparent.  To select the transparent color, click the Color... button.  The mouse pointer will turn into a crosshairs.  Then click on the color that you want to make transparent.

Highlight Button Image   The image that will appear when the mouse pointer is over the button.  Specify the full path and filename of the image file in the first field.  Use the browse button to help locate the image file on your system.

Transparent background  If checked, the image’s background will be transparent.  To select the transparent color, click the Color... button.  The mouse pointer will turn into a crosshairs.  Then click on the color that you want to make transparent.

See Also  Image Buttons


True-Color Tab

Same as standard Image   If checked, the same images will be used that were specified for the Standard image.

Normal Button Image   The image that will appear when the mouse pointer is not over the button.  Specify the full path and filename of the image file in the first field.  Use the browse button to help locate the image file on your system.

Transparent background  If checked, the image’s background will be transparent.  To select the transparent color, click the Color... button.  The mouse pointer will turn into a crosshairs.  Then click on the color that you want to make transparent.

Highlight Button Image   The image that will appear when the mouse pointer is over the button.  Specify the full path and filename of the image file in the first field.  Use the browse button to help locate the image file on your system.

Transparent background  If checked, the image’s background will be transparent.  To select the transparent color, click the Color... button.  The mouse pointer will turn into a crosshairs.  Then click on the color that you want to make transparent.

See Also  Image Buttons


Move Page Screen

This screen is used to move or copy a page.

Move selected page   Specifies the name of the page that will be moved or copied.

Before Page   Specify where you want to move or copy the page to.  The page will be moved in front of (to the left of on the design screen) the specified page.  Selecting (move to end) will move the page to the last position (furthest right on the the design screen).

Create a copy   If checked, the page will remain where it originally was and a copy of it will be inserted at the specified position.


Background Tab

The Background tab has the following fields:

Type   The type of background that you want to use for your Window.  Choose from a variety of options such as gradients, patterns, solid colors and bitmap images.

Foreground   The color that will appear at the top of the screen when using the gradient background type.  If using a pattern, this will be the color of the pattern lines.

Background   The color that will appear at the bottom of the screen when using the Gradient background type.  If using the solid color background type, this will be the background color of the screen.  If you are using a bitmap background, this will be the color of the non-image area, if any.

Standard/True-Color Image File   The path and filename of the standard and true-color images that will be used as the background image.  If you do not specify a true-color image, the standard image will be used on non-palletized systems.  Please see page 28 for more information about standard and true-color images.  This option is only applicable if using a bitmap for the background.

Window Title   The text that will appear in the window’s title bar.

See Also  Page Properties


Sounds Tab - Page Properties

The Sounds Tab allows you to choose the sounds that will play when the page is opened and closed.

Page Open

Filename   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to hear when the page is opened.  You can click the browse button to search your system for a .wav file.  Click the speaker button to test your sound.

Wait for playback ..If checked, the page open sound will finish playing before any other event can occur.

One Time   If checked, the sound will only be played once per session that the menu is run.  That is, the sound will play the first time the page is opened but it will not play again if the page is re-opened unless the menu is restarted first.

Page Close

Filename   The full path and filename to the sound that you want to hear when the page is closed.  You can click the browse button to search your system for a .wav file.  Click the speaker button to test your sound.

Wait for playback ..If checked, the page close sound will finish playing before any other event can occur.

One Time   If checked, the sound will only be played once per session that the menu is run.  That is, the sound will play the first time the page is closed but it will not play again if the page is re-opened unless the menu is restarted first.

See Also  Page Properties


Open Tab

Here you can specify what action, if any, will be performed when the page is opened.  The Open tab has the following fields:

Command   The action to perform.  The following commands are available:

Command	Description
None	No action will be performed.
Execute Program	Executes a program.
Open Document	Opens a document file.
Open URL (Web Site)	Opens an Internet URL.  This can be a Web site address (http://), ftp location (ftp://) or email address (mailto:).
Print Document	Prints a document.  The print verb must be supported by the viewer application.
Explore Folder	Opens a drive or directory using the Windows Explorer.
Play Multimedia	Opens and plays a multimedia file.
Custom Verb	Opens a file using a custom shell verb.
Jump to Page	Jumps to another page in the menu.
Exit	Exits the menu.

Target   The fully qualified name of the file to act upon.  In other words, this is the complete drive, directory and filename as it can be found when the menu is run.  In most cases you will not know the drive letter until runtime.  This is where the variable %SrcDrv% comes in handy.  It represents the drive letter of the user’s CD-ROM drive (or more precisely the drive that the menu is being run from).  So, for example, if you want to execute a program called setup.exe that will be located in the root of your CD-ROM, you would specify %SrcDrv%\setup.exe as the target.

Command line arguments   Any command line arguments that should be passed to the program named in Target File.

Working directory   The working directory of the program named in Target File.  If you do not specify a working directory, it will be the same as the Target file’s directory.

Shutdown after Action   If selected, the menu will be shut down after the action is initiated.

Mode   The run mode for the file named in Target.  Choose between Normal, Maximized or Minimized.

Custom Verb   This field will only be visible if Custom Verb is selected as the Command.  AutoPlay Menu Studio already supports common verbs like Open, Play and Print through the commands by those names.  The Custom Verb feature is for any other unanticipated verbs that you may run across.  Please refer to your application’s documentation to find out what, if any, custom shell actions are supported.

One time Action   If checked, the action will only be performed once per session that the menu is run.  That is, the action will run the first time the page is opened but it will not run again if the page is re-opened unless the menu is restarted first.

See Also  Page Properties


Close Tab

Here you can specify what action, if any, will be performed when the page is closed.  The Close tab has the following fields:

Command   The action to perform.  The following commands are available:

Command	Description
None	No action will be performed.
Execute Program	Executes a program.
Open Document	Opens a document file.
Open URL (Web Site)	Opens an Internet URL.  This can be a Web site address (http://), ftp location (ftp://) or email address (mailto:).
Print Document	Prints a document.  The print verb must be supported by the viewer application.
Explore Folder	Opens a drive or directory using the Windows Explorer.
Play Multimedia	Opens and plays a multimedia file.
Custom Verb	Opens a file using a custom shell verb.
Jump to Page	Jumps to another page in the menu.
Exit	Exits the menu.

Target   The fully qualified name of the file to act upon.  In other words, this is the complete drive, directory and filename as it can be found when the menu is run.  In most cases you will not know the drive letter until runtime.  This is where the variable %SrcDrv% comes in handy.  It represents the drive letter of the user’s CD-ROM drive (or more precisely the drive that the menu is being run from).  So, for example, if you want to execute a program called setup.exe that will be located in the root of your CD-ROM, you would specify %SrcDrv%\setup.exe as the target.

Command line arguments   Any command line arguments that should be passed to the program named in Target File.

Working directory   The working directory of the program named in Target File.  If you do not specify a working directory, it will be the same as the Target file’s directory.

Shutdown after Action   If selected, the menu will be shut down after the action is initiated.

Mode   The run mode for the file named in Target.  Choose between Normal, Maximized or Minimized.

Custom Verb   This field will only be visible if Custom Verb is selected as the Command.  AutoPlay Menu Studio already supports common verbs like Open, Play and Print through the commands by those names.  The Custom Verb feature is for any other unanticipated verbs that you may run across.  Please refer to your application’s documentation to find out what, if any, custom shell actions are supported.

One time Action   If checked, the action will only be performed once per session that the menu is run.  That is, the action will run the first time the page is closed but it will not run again if the page is re-opened unless the menu is restarted first.

See Also  Page Properties


General Tab - Project Settings

The General tab has the following fields:

Show title bar   If checked, the title bar at the top of the menu screen will be displayed.  If unchecked, your menu will not have a title bar and its associated control buttons.  Uncheck this button with care!

Automatic palette management   If checked, AutoPlay Menu Studio will map all of your standard images to a common palette to avoid palette clashes on 256 color systems.  Please see Understanding Graphic Images on page 27 for more details about palettes, color depths, standard images and Automatic Palette Management.

Explore drive if menu is disabled   If checked, the autoplay menu will launch Windows Explorer with the root directory of the CD displayed if the menu is disabled.  This means that if you have a hide option (see the Advanced tab) for the menu and it is met the menu will not be displayed but rather Windows Explorer will be opened instead.  This feature ensures that something will happen if the menu is disabled and the user double clicks on their CD-ROM drive icon.  If it isn't checked, nothing will happen if the menu is hidden and the user double-clicks on the CD-ROM drive icon.  If you do not enable this feature, the user can always right-click on their CD-ROM drive and select Open or Explore to view the CD's contents if they want.  Note that if this option is enabled, the Windows Explorer will come up every time that the CD is inserted as well.

Width/Height   The width and height in pixels of the menu screen at runtime.  This size includes the title bar (if you have chosen to show it) and the window borders.


Intro Video Tab

IMPORTANT VIDEO INFORMATION!  The video file you choose must be in .avi format and it is highly recommended that you use a standard Codec (Compressor/Decompressor) when creating your movie file.  If your .avi file requires a decompressor that does not ship with Windows 95, your users may not be able to view the video properly.  Since it is easy enought to choose a standard compressor when creating your video, we recommend that you do so.  Refer to your video editing software for more details.  As always, be sure to test your CD on a clean Windows 95 system (or your minimum required configuration) to ensure things work the way you intended.

The following Codecs ship with Windows:

•	Intel Indeo (IR31 or IR32)

•	Supermatch Cinepak

•	Microsoft RLE (MS-RLE)

•	Microsoft Video 1 (MS-CRAM)

The Intro Video tab lets you display an AVI movie before your menu appears.  The Video tab has the following options:

AVI Video File   The full path and filename of the video that you want to play at startup.  You can click on the browse button ("...") to browse for your file.  You can click on the test button (the one with the camera on it) to preview the video using your system default avi player.

Background   The color of the screen background when playing the movie.

Volume   The volume to play back the video’s sound at.  100 is normal, 50 is ½ of normal, 0 is no sound, etc.  Minimum = 0, Maximum = 100.

Speed   The speed at which to playback the video.  100 is normal speed, 50 is ½ speed, 200 is twice normal speed.  Minimum = 0, Maximum = 200.   Keep in mind that video playback is very processor intensive.  Some systems may have trouble with an increased frame rate.

Display Size   The size of the video during playback.  Choose from:

Display Size	Effect
Normal	The video will be displayed at its normal default size.
Full Screen	The video will be proportionally resized to fill as much of the screen as possible.
Zoom	The video will be proportionally zoomed by the factor specified in the edit box below the option.  100 is normal size, 50 is ½ size, 200 is double the normal size.
Stretch	The video will be stretched to the Width and Height specified in the edit boxes below the option.

Note that the video will be automatically centered on the screen during playback.  The display size will dramatically affect the playback quality of your video.  Depending on the viewable size of the video, many systems will be using up most of their processing power just trying to show the video at normal size.  Obviously full screen video needs considerably more processing power.  A 200% zoom is generally as large as you will want to go for most practical purposes.  You will want to play around with these settings in order to achieve the best results for your situation.

Allow click to skip   If checked, the user will be able to bypass the video by left-clicking the mouse.

Display as window   If checked, the video will run in a window centered on the screen - the screen's background will not change.  If unchecked, the video will still run in the center of the screen but the area outside of the video window will be filled with the Background color.

See Also  Project Settings


Ordering Information

Please note that all prices are listed in USA dollars.  Product specifications and pricing is subject to change without notice.

Benefits of Ordering

When you order AutoPlay Menu Studio you will receive:

•	AutoPlay Menu Studio program with the latest revisions and enhancements!

•	A license to distribute, royalty-free, the menus that you create with AutoPlay Menu Studio!

•	A professionally bound and printed manual with command reference, tutorial and much more!

•	No mention of our product or company name on your menu whatsoever!

•	Free email and Web based technical support for as long as you need it.

•	We keep you up to date by offering terrific pricing on upgrades to new versions and special deals on related products.

•	The peace of mind knowing your CD menu is created by Indigo Rose Corporation.  Our development tools are being used by thousands of developers all over the world and we have been producing Windows based development solutions since Windows 3.0 was just a baby!  We have been around and will continue to develop and support our development tools.

Pricing

AutoPlay Menu Studio is available for only $195.  It is licensed on a royalty-free, per developer basis.  Multiple license discounts and site licenses are available.  Purchase orders from qualified government, corporate, and educational institutions are terms Net 30 and subject to approval.  Please contact our sales department for details.

Freight Charges

Please see the shipping chart for shipping prices.

Secure Web Ordering and Electronic Delivery

You can order AutoPlay Menu Studio right now using our secure web server.  It's safe and easy.  Place your order 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.  You'll be using the full commercial version in record time!   Select "Help | Buy it Now - Online!" from the main menu, or point your web browser to...  http://www.indigorose.com/ordering.html.

Order by Fax

To order by fax, print the order form, fill it out and fax it to (204) 942-3421.

Order by Phone

To order by phone, have your VISA, MasterCard or American Express credit card ready and call toll-free 1-800-665-9668 (USA and Canada) or (204) 946-0263 (Worldwide).

Order by Mail

To order by mail, print the order form, fill it out and mail it along with your payment to the address at the bottom of this page.

Canadian Customers

All prices in this document are in USA dollars.  Please call us or see http://www.indigorose.com/orderformcdn.html for the latest Canadian funds pricing.

Contact Details

If you have any sales questions, please let us know.  Our contact information appears below.

123 Bannatyne Ave., Suite 230

Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3B 0R3

Orders:	(800) 665-9668

Phone:	(204) 946-0263

Fax:	(204) 942-3421

Email:	sales@indigorose.com

Web:	http://www.indigorose.com


Order Form
Indigo Rose Order Form

FAX: 204-942-3421

Ship To:

Name:

Company:

Address:

City:	                                                    	State:

Country:	                                                    	Zip:

Phone:	                                                    	Fax:

Email:

How did you find out about this product?

Method of Payment:

Checks cannot be accepted unless drawn on a USA or Canadian bank.  For wire transfer to our bank account, please contact us for details.  We also accept purchase orders from qualified corporate and educational accounts on terms Net 30 (subject to approval).  Canadian customers, please see our Web site for pricing in Canadian dollars.

___ VISA	___ MasterCard	___ American Express	     ___ Check	___ Wire Transfer

                                                                                                 /

Card #	Expiration Date

Cardholder's name

Signature - Cardholder will pay total amount shown to card issuer according to cardholder agreement with card issuer.

Product to Order and Pricing (All prices in US$):

Product	Qty	Price	Total
AutoPlay Menu Studio 2.0 Pro		$195.00
Upgrade from v1.x to 2.0 Pro (Please provide serial number)		$130.00
Setup Factory 4.0		$195.00
Combo Deal: AutoPlay Menu Studio 2.0 Pro and Setup Factory 4.0		$295.00
Duplication Factory 1.5		$29.95
* Shipping - $15/unit in USA or see Shipping Chart		Shipping *
		TOTAL (US$)

Serial number (if upgrading): ____________________________________________________

APMS20PRO-0199


Setup Factory 4.0

The Award Winning Point and Click Installer Builder

Whether you’re creating simple data files or full-featured applications, you need a professional software installer to finish it off.  You want your setup program to be bullet-proof and leave your customer with a good first impression.  And you certainly don’t want to waste time reading manuals and learning scripting languages.  That’s why thousands of developers have made Setup Factory their installer of choice.  Quite simply, it is the easiest to use setup builder available for the Windows platform.  Even if you know nothing about Windows installation routines, you can use Setup Factory.  It does everything you need and does it automatically.  No scripting.  No royalties.  No kidding.

Flexible and Powerful

The Project Wizard walks you through each step of the process.  Customize the setup to fit your needs using only your mouse.  Collect info.  Ask for a password.  You get the idea.  When you’re satisfied, click on the "Build" button.  Your files are compressed, the setup program is created and then everything gets combined into a single, self-contained setup.exe file.  This file can then be split over as many diskettes as needed, placed on a CD-ROM or put on a web site.

Special Features

Even though Setup Factory is easy to use, we sure didn’t sacrifice any flexibility.    It grows with your changing needs!  Just some of the features include:  Install files to any location  -  Create shortcut icons and folders  -  Selective install (Complete, Typical, Minimum, Custom)  -  Full featured uninstall  -  Build setups for Windows 95/NT and 3.1  -  Setup expiration dates, passwords and serial numbers  -  Automatic font registration  -  System configuration checking  -  Execute external programs as part of the setup (e.g. QuickTime, 3rd party setups etc.)  -  Automatic registration of OCX/ActiveX controls  -  Modify system files (bat/sys/ini/registry)  -  Background gradients and bitmap tiling  -  True multilingual support (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian etc.)  -  Customizable screens and messages  -  Intuitive, user-friendly setup process  -  Royalty-free!  -  Much more!

Supports Visual Basic, Delphi, C, C++, Macromedia Director, FoxPro, Asymetrix Toolbook, PowerBuilder and more.

Try it Out - Risk Free!

You can get a fully functional evaluation version and find out more information about Setup Factory at http://www.indigorose.com/setup.  Or, if you want to order it now, use the order form.


Duplication Factory

Duplication Factory is the easiest, most effective way to organize, catalog, duplicate and verify floppy disks. Using Duplication Factory, you will be able to create an "image" of a floppy disk and then store it on your hard drive.

This image can then be used to make many duplicate copies without ever having to read in the original disk again. Of course, speed isn’t everything - which is why Duplication Factory also features an optional verification mode to eliminate the possibility of data loss.

If even a single bit of data gets mangled, Duplication Factory will detect it. Quite simply, Duplication Factory is your complete diskette duplication solution.

Key Features

- Create Image Files from your Disks. The problem with DISKCOPY or other "free" methods of duplication is that you have to insert the original source disk every time you want to make a copy. Duplication Factory eliminates this problem by reading in the source disk and then storing an "image" of the disk’s data on your hard drive. You’ll never need to waste time reading in the original again!

- Organize and Catalog Your Masters. It’s easy to organize your disks using Duplication Factory. Once you create an image file, you can store it wherever you like. Using long filenames you’ll be able to easily remember what it is. No more madly searching your disk cases trying to find that elusive master you made a year ago. Now you just browse your hard drive, find the appropriate image and use Duplication Factory to make replicas of it.

- Make Exact Replicas. When Duplication Factory makes a copy, it really makes a copy! All of the data from the original diskette, right down to the label and serial number is retained. And since the duplication is performed on a sector-by-sector basis, your data is stored exactly how you left it.

- Convenient Projects. Once you have Duplication Factory ready to perform a particular task, you can save all of your settings as a project file. There’s even room for a complete description!

- Data Verification. Using advanced CRC-32 data integrity checking, Duplication Factory produces an exact replica every time. If even a single bit of data is altered, Duplication Factory will alert you to the problem. No more wasted time and money on sending out bad copies!

- Fast Duplication. Duplication Factory is fast! By eliminating the need to read in a source diskette every time you want to make a copy, Duplication Factory can save you hours of time. And, since it operates at the system level, you’ll find that straight copies are blazingly quick!

- Built-in Formatting. Duplication Factory allows you to format floppy diskettes either as a stand alone operation or "on the fly" when a bad disk is encountered.

- Easy to Use. Duplication Factory isn’t real fancy, it just works. There are no bells and whistles to slow you down, just a powerful and simple user interface. You probably won’t even need to read the manual or professional help file that are provided!

Free Evaluation Version

You can try out Duplication Factory today! Download a free evaluation version from http://www.indigorose.com/dupe.  Or, if you want to order it now, use the order form.


Shipping Chart

Federal Express

Indigo Rose Corporation ships all orders received before 2:00 PM Central Time for next business day delivery by Federal Express.  For customers outside the USA and Canada please allow 2-5 days for delivery.  Please note that shipping charges are subject to change without notice.  Please call, fax or see http://www.indigorose.com/freight.html for the latest prices.  For those customers outside the USA and Canada we can optionally ship your order by Postal Air Mail for US$10.00, but please be prepared to wait 3-6 weeks for delivery.

Destination	1st Unit	Each Add.
USA	$15.00	$8.00
Belgium, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Wales	$25.00	$10.00
Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan	$26.50	$10.00
Bahamas, Bermuda, Haiti, Mexico	$26.50	$12.00
Australia, Egypt, Isreal, Kuwait, Philippines, South Korea, New Zealand	$33.00	$18.00
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Guyana, Honduras, India, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela	$38.00	$18.00
Algeria, Bulgaria, Fiji, Hungary, Iceland, South Africa	$46.00	$20.00
Electronic Delivery Only

If you do not want the manual and disk shipped to you, you can have the software delivered electronically.  There is no charge for electronic delivery.  If you would like electronic delivery only, please specify "Email Only" in the Shipping field on the order form.  You will be sent download instructions for the software by email once your order has been processed (usually within one business day).  The email message that you receive will give you instructions of where to go and download the software, it will not contain the software itself.