User configurable images

[gnet]

Hi,

I am currently using the trial version of ams4 and will be purchasing the full version as soon as i know ams4 can handle what i want it to do.

My question is, is it possible to have a user configure their own images for displaying in the menu, i.e. have an ini file with image locations so they can custom configure their own menu objects such as the background image and certain buttons?

Shawn

[Corey]

Re: User configurable images

You can easily incorporate any custom images you like such as buttons and backgrounds directly in the design environment.

You can also use page inhertance to make all your pages automatically use a given set of custom elements, i.e. buttons and backgrounds. In other words you can make all your pages incorporate uniquely different images or the the same set of images, it's up to you...

As to the .ini file, none is necessary.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[gnet]

Re: User configurable images

Hi Corey,

I dont think I made myself clear. I am very familar with AMS, my question is that i want people i give the final compiled software to, to be able to change the menu to use their own images. I.e, my design will have a background image integrated into it but i want them to be able to change it by either editing the image or changing something in an ini file

[eric_darling]

Re: User configurable images

You mean like you can with ActionScript inside Flash? [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Click Here

[gnet]

Re: User configurable images

yeah basically. but i want the user to be able to use their own images that they can put in the directory /images/ under the ams program.

I dont think i could use flash since flash sits in front of all other objects on the page, and i need buttons over the background image.

[eric_darling]

Re: User configurable images

Hmmmm... So you want to be able to give users the option to place images on your distributed AMS disc... Or are you not distributing on CD-ROM? I don't get that. How do you expect to be able to allow users to put their own images on a CD-ROM that you give them? Just trying to get a handle on what it is specifically that you are trying to do here.

Flash can do buttons, and it can do them better than AMS if I dare say so. You can design the entire page in a single Flash SWF, including the buttons, and build them to trigger AMS actions. Corey has posted at least one tutorial to show how this is done.

[Corey]

Re: User configurable images

If you're talking about having sets of premade graphics wich users can select a theme from then just create one page for each theme and use page inheritance...

Flash (as of MX) can easily do dynamic image loading also, but in this case you would need to keep your images somewhere external and refer to them...

Either way I don't really see a need for an .ini file but I may be missing something.

Best thing is to post a desription of your exact scenario so we can offer alternate solutions...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[gnet]

Re: User configurable images

Ok,

In its simplest form here is what i am doing. I am making a windows frontend that sits in startup and runs full screen and allows users to launch programs. Ie. mp3 player, dvd player, internet browser etc.. This menu is made up of a background image, and lets say, 3 images that contain the text names of the programs about (i mean the image has the text written on it). I want users to be able to customize the images that this menu uses, so they can chnage the background image and these 3 buttons that launch programs. I said ini file, so the program can go to the ini file and see what the image file name that the user specifys to use.

I think this is pretty accurate as to what im trying to accomplish. If i can avoid doing this whole thing in flash i would really like that.

[Corey]

Re: User configurable images

Why not just create one page for each design, each containing the same functionality and then set it up so users can toggle between those pages to change themes?

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[Corey]

Re: User configurable images

So why don't you just create one page for each design, each containing the same functionality and then set it up so users can toggle between those pages to change themes?

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[gnet]

Re: User configurable images

Because its not themes that users need to select. They need to use their own graphics that they create.

[Lorne]

Re: User configurable images

There are three ways I could see this being possible right now:

• Use a Flash Object, to display the images using flash?
• Use a Web Browser Object instead of an image object (the Internet Explorer ActiveX control can display images too, even GIFs...only caveats are, you need to size them externally if they aren't the right size...and there is a border and scroll bar around the image, unless perhaps you use some DHTML to fix that)
• Most dangerous, but probably best way: figure out what filenames in the DATA folder belong to the images, and replace those files directly with the new ones. You should make absolutely sure that the images are the same size, though, and in an appropriate format.

[Lorne]

Re: User configurable images

BTW, I agree that it would be nice to reference image files externally. It was something we definitely considered while working on 4.0, but it wasn't quite feasible for technical reasons. It never really left the drawing board, it just got pushed aside for this version.

[Corey]

Re: User configurable images

Sorry gnet I just don't follow your logic. Experiment I guess... Good luck. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software

[Lorne]

Re: User configurable images

Corey, he just means being able to let the user choose what images are used. Like, say you wanted a picture of your face to be used for button 1. Or a picture of Booboo.

Instead of only being able to choose between preset themes, he wants the user to be able to provide their own images.

Regardless of whether this particular example warrants that kind of customizablity, it's an ability that I personally would like to see AutoPlay have, myself. Unfortunately, although it's a simple change from the user's perspective (just enable external references for Image Objects), it's actually much more complicated than that, internally.