System trap app & Internet calls

[Lee_Benson]

Hi there,

I've just purchased AMS 5 (upgraded from 4), and I must say - I'm blown
away by the new features! This app kicks butt in many ways.

The more I look into it, the more I'm realizing its power - not just for
the multimedia presentations I propose to create (and originally bought
it for), but for other stuff too - like general Windows applications.

I have an app in mind that I'd like to start developing, and I'm wondering
if AMS could do the job. Here's what I'd like to do (see what you think..)

I run an affiliate program on the 'Net, and I'd like to create an app that
runs in the system tray on an affiliates' desktop, and flashes green every
time a new sale has been generated.

Basically, the app would query a site once every minute or so, pull back
the returned data, and parse it. I'd probably use PHP for returning the
data, and could output in pretty much any format - WDDX, XML, whatever.

So I guess, with that basic spec in mind, my questions are these...

1. Can AMS apps run in the system tray, with custom icons that can change
during the execution of the program?

2. I understand I can create a single, executable file that runs the
compiled app (EXCELLENT feature, btw!). Would there be any issues with
me using an installer that placed this app directly in the Startup folder
on the Start Menu, so it loads automatically every time the user starts
his/her PC?

3. Does AMS 5 support direct Internet calls to URLs *outside* of using
the standard Interner Explorer object box? I'd like to process all of my
calls in the background, transparent to the user.

4. Can AMS support XML parsing? If not, are there any other techniques/
data exchange methods/languages you'd recommend for transferring data to
and from my site? I'll be using PHP server-side, as mentioned, so I can
output data any way the AMS app would require.

5. Would there be any performance issues in using AMS 5 over, say, a .Net
frameworked app programmed in Visual Basic? I'd like to know what kind of
overhead AMS compiled apps face, and if its viable to consider creating
desktop apps using this package, as opposed to a "full" programming IDE.

I must say, if I CAN achieve the above with AMS, then it opens up so many
new doors of possibility for me, and I'm sure, many others. Speed is one
of the most important factors - along with Internet data calls/connectivity.

Does this sound like a viable project idea to build in AMS 5.0?

Cheers! Lee

[Brett]

Lee,

In response...


1. Can AMS apps run in the system tray, with custom icons that can change during the execution of the program?

Yes, it can run from the system tray. Go to Project > Window settings and set the Taskbar option to "System Tray". Unfortunately, the icon can't change though. For that perhaps you could open the app when the sale is made or something like that.


2. I understand I can create a single, executable file that runs the compiled app (EXCELLENT feature, btw!). Would there be any issues with me using an installer that placed this app directly in the Startup folder on the Start Menu, so it loads automatically every time the user starts
his/her PC?

Sure, you can use an installer to install the application. That would be the best way of doing it. Setup Factory 6.0 would be able to handle the installation for you and even create the shortcut in the startup folder with ease.


3. Does AMS 5 support direct Internet calls to URLs *outside* of using the standard Interner Explorer object box? I'd like to process all of my calls in the background, transparent to the user.

Sure. You can use the HTTP actions to submit data to a Web form and analyze the data all behind the scenes.


4. Can AMS support XML parsing? If not, are there any other techniques/data exchange methods/languages you'd recommend for transferring data to and from my site? I'll be using PHP server-side, as mentioned, so I can output data any way the AMS app would require.

It doesn't support XML at this point directly although it is easy to use its string actions to parse up returnd data in any way that you want to. We are looking at making an XML action plugin in the near future.


5. Would there be any performance issues in using AMS 5 over, say, a .Net frameworked app programmed in Visual Basic? I'd like to know what kind of overhead AMS compiled apps face, and if its viable to consider creating desktop apps using this package, as opposed to a "full" programming IDE.

AMS50 runs things pretty fast. The stack-based Lua language makes most execution quite fast. The runtime engine is written in optimized C++ code so it is about as fast as it can be done.

Hope that helps...

[Ted Sullivan]

Lee,

I think you put it right when you said:

The more I look into it, the more I'm realizing its power - not just for the multimedia presentations I propose to create (and originally bought it for), but for other stuff too - like general Windows applications.

That's the biggest difference between AutoPlay Media Studio 5.0 Professional Edition and any previous versions, or when compared to other "multimedia authoring" tools. It's still just as easy to use as it was before - visual drag and drop, but *so* much more powerful.

It can easily handle what you're wanting to do. And like Brett was saying, the runtime is incredibly fast. You'll definitely get your app going faster and cheaper with AutoPlay Media Studio 5.0 than you would with Visual Basic. So much stuff is built-in with AMS50, that you would have to either purchase or write yourself with VB. VB is a great tool, but you're going to find that AMS50 make a lot of tasks easier!

[Lee_Benson]

Thanks for your responses guys - Brett & Ted, that was most helpful.

I'll have a play about with the software and see what I can create for
this new project.

Like you said Ted, it'd obviously be MUCH more efficient and cost
effective if I could keep development within AMS - I've only been messing
around with this new version for 10 minutes, and I already feel like I
could create something tonight that would take a month of VB learning and
another month of development to achieve.

Brett - as a feature request, please do consider the possibility of sys
tray icon manipulation, if at all possible/viable. There's a whole stack
of progs/utils I use (anti-spam/virus stuff, etc) that run in the sys
tray and alert on any response -- and I think with the advent of MSN/ICQ,
bandwidth monitors/diagnostics and other apps running this way, people
are getting all the more used to this kind of format.

For now, I could create something that shows a pop-up alert, but I wanted
something a little less "in your face" for long-term usage. I have a feeling
that if I keep the pop-up idea, people will end up uninstalling it after a
while out of annoyance (even if they are getting paid each time it shows ;))

Anyway, I don't know what you think to that - but as a user, I know it sounds
cool to me. Maybe it's something to consider for a future release. I just
thought I'd throw this thought your way to see what you think.

Cheers! Lee

[Lee_Benson]

Another thought I had (totally unrelated). I do a lot of marketing on (and
now off) the Internet. If you don't mind, I'd like to mention a thought I
had after using your program.

It seems pretty clear to me that this new upgrade has brought along with it
a shedload of new features and extra power.

Do you feel, perhaps, that this additional flexibility has in some way
outgrown your branding?

It's just a thought - and of course, entirely your call in how you wish to
market it. I just have the feeling that perhaps "Autoplay Media Studio"
doesn't quite give your latest product the instant credibility it deserves.

Perhaps when v1.0 was released, your biggest market was some guy looking
for a quick and easy program to create simple menus that loaded when his/
her client inserted a CD. I could see where that name would come from.

But, and again - this is just a thought - maybe your market has kinda
"evolved" on from that. Heck, if I can make a create the application I
described at the start of this post without having to so much as "look"
at another development environment, then what you have here is a lot
more than what your application's name is projecting.

If I were in your shoes, I'd certainly be targeting the software at a
multitude of different markets, including people like me, who, simply
want to create cool apps to impress our clients - whether they be
interactive downloadable desktop tools, CD-ROM promotions, integrated
learning environment, or whatever else. AMS seems to offer it all.

If you're already producing a ton of sales for this little beast, then by
all means, continue. Don't listen to me. But on the other hand, I'm sure
I would have found you MUCH sooner (and dare I say, spent the $690 I paid
to your company for v4 and the v5 upgrade) if I knew just what expotential
power lied under the hood of the shy-sounding "Autoplay Media Studio".

Maybe a synnonymous brand name would help increase sales further?

Just my two cents. -Lee

[Corey]

In some senses you are right and these are things we have discussed but time being what it is, strategies have to be realistic and sustainable.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Lee_Benson]

Yeah, gotcha - just thought I'd throw my 2 cents your way.

I know whatcha mean. It's the same with my corp. Only so many hours in the day, and any area of the company could be taken in any direction - it's a case of either giving existing customers new features, or expanding your enterprise in new ways.

Can only do one thing at once - or, think of doing one thing at once.

Personally, I ain't complaining at spending your time adding new features :) That SQL plug-in you mentioned in another post (along with the tutorials you're releasing) sounds flat-out cool.

In regards to icon stuff, what do you think of that Corey? It's a basic idea and I realize that not everyone would even want it - is there some kinda suggestion area you have where we can post this stuff, and poll feedback? Or should I just use the forum?

Either way, I'd like to know anyone else's thoughts on this. It seems like a small enough feature to have, if you think it's viable for other users - perhaps just a basic manipulation of the Win API?

Cheers, Lee

[Corey]

All that stuff is Brett's domain and, of course, the rest of the team too. I'm just a pixel pusher. :)

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Lee_Benson]

Okay, thanks Corey - I'm still "feeling" myself around your company... thanks for the clarification.

Have a great weekend, ye'all!

[JimS]

Originally posted by Lee_Benson
For now, I could create something that shows a pop-up alert, but I wanted
something a little less "in your face" for long-term usage. I have a feeling
that if I keep the pop-up idea, people will end up uninstalling it after a
while out of annoyance (even if they are getting paid each time it shows ;))


Cheers! Lee

Just an idea, but I was wondering if instead of having your system tray app launch a pop-up, if you could have it launch a second app, that also resided in the system tray. This second app would have a different icon. That way your two apps would sort of ping-pong back and forth each time a sale was made. It seems that if you set something like this up, it would more closely approximate your initial idea and be less ‘in your face’.

[Lee_Benson]

Thanks for the idea, Jim!

The main reason I wanted to manipulate the icon, was to show a different "status" to the user - not just for when a new sale is generated, but for when they're logged out of the system, etc.

In this respect, it'd be kinda like MSN - which shows an "x" when you're offline, a stopwatch when you're away, etc, etc.

I'll have a play around with the idea of running a second process.

It seems a little like overkill, though - having to compile a second instance of the program (with the same directory tree, in another folder) and introduce a second icon to show the status of the first.

If only icon manipulation were available, it'd be a case of...

TrayIcon.Image = 'image.png';

or whatever, instead of recreating an entirely new program just to Flash that one image.

At the moment, this is probably the only factor standing in my way of choosing another solution over AMS in this particular instance.

Brett, I'm not sure how long something like this would take to build in - or if there's any plug-ins or DLLs available for it... but if you can think of anything that would allow me to achieve this, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks guys! -Lee

[Lorne]

Actually, I would suggest using three programs. :) One "invisible" one that has all the files and logic in it...and two others that do nothing but sit in the tray and provide a way to access the interface.

That way, you're not duplicating as much stuff.