Can anyone save my life - Video Sequences

[DomPredacom]

Main Problem - A client has refused to use a project I have created and has demanded a new version as described below...by the END OF TODAY! aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!

I''ve produced 8 Testimonial videos for a client to be used primarily for presentation purposes at a conference. The client wants to be able to designate a sequence of video files to play, so that they can mix and match the videos to suit different applications. I've created a project that has a simple Dialog.FileBrowse sequence button that allow the user to select and the play, but the client says its not good enough. The client wants to be able to do the following,

Select a group of files to sequence, then save this 'playlist' to a link on the desktop that will later playback the appropriate files in full screen when clicked. There needs to be the option to have several of these sequences on the desktop, all pre-programmed by them earlier that day.

Is there anyway of achieving this, I'll be honest my scripting knowledge is limited but I'll do anything it takes to get this working. Is it possible for a client to use an AMS project to create a playlist format like .wpl, .m3u or .asx that would load the files within the AMS project (if it was running in the background) rather than in WMP or whatever?

Also whenever I use the standard video sequence commands as described in the Help file, Full Screen mode enters OK, but if I exit (esc) there's no playback in the small video object window. It work fine when you don't set the video object to default to Full Screen, then use a button linked to SetFullScreen, but the client is insisting that it defaults.

If anyone can help I'll owe them a million...

[dulux1309]

Sounds complicated - it sounds like you took the approach I would have taken, and now the customer is moving the goalposts...

To avoid this, I create a Functional Design document in relation to the customer requirements and we both sign it before development commences to ensure that I understand the requirements I need to meet and they know what to expect in return. Any alterations after the fact are chargable. I know this doesn't help in this case but might help in the future. If you would like to see a copy of a typical document I produce, I can email you a .pdf of a first draft.

Good luck with it...

[DomPredacom]

Oh don't worry about that, I have a fully signed contract and proposal that clearly state the same as I delivered. Just trying to understand what would be involved in the proposed so I can negotiate moving my goalposts accordingly!

Theres's no chance of delivery today but I want to tell him if its poss and how much extra work it would involve (and whether its even something I have the capability/skill to do!).

Cheers tho!

[Pip-Boy]

I realized I might have use for doing pretty much the exact same thing that your client is asking, so I put together a sample project to try it out.

If you use the project file I'm attaching, there's a few things that need to be noted:

1. It depends on the Pro version of AMS

2. You would need to adjust values in the On Preload section of the listPage if you want to use different exe/ini names than I used (so change those unless you build it as plistshortcut.exe and keep playlistshortcut.ini the same name)

3. You would need to change the table defined in the global functions for your own movies if you were to implement this, though there should be eight extremely small movies that will work with that table included.

I'm not the expert coder that some of the other forum members are, so some of it might be redundant or ineffecient. Also, it's not written with much in the way of error trapping.

It does work though and at least shows the basic idea of how you could do what your client asked.

edit - oops, here's the file: http://quietmonkey.dreamhost.com/ams...stshortcut.apz

[TJ_Tigger]

I might even go so far as to allow the creation of multiple playlists that are stored as different sections within the ini file. Then you can allow the presenter to choose the appropriate playlist and save that in association with the desktop shortcut.

[Pip-Boy]

I'm going to be doing exactly that TJ, except using the XML plugin instead of an ini file. I have my project currently set up so that playlists can be saved/loaded/edited/renamed/rearranged, and now I can just add the desktop shortcut as another option in the playlist management section.

I'm very glad this question came up since it's a nice feature I probably wouldn't have thought of otherwise, so thanks DomPredacom

[TJ_Tigger]

I think it is a good idea to have that flexability and xml will work well if you have the plugin and ini will work it you don't Pip-Boy when you are done you should post a sample here or on Autorun.org for people to learn from.

[DomPredacom]

You're thanking me PipBoy??!? Surey the wrong way round.

The app works great, I agree that he xml stuff will definately improve the flexibility of its use, does the rearranging features you mentioned use drag and drop in the second listbox? That would be a handy bonus.

Thanks for all of this, it never ceases to amaze me what AMS can do, you just have to know how to tell it to do it! Probably programming in a nutshell actally.

Thanks again I look forward to seeing any further developments.

[Pip-Boy]

Originally posted by DomPredacom
does the rearranging features you mentioned use drag and drop in the second listbox? That would be a handy bonus.

Not currently, but it would be nifty if I could figure out a way to do that.

I have other non-playlist related features to move on to that are more important than getting something like that to work, but I would definitely like to come up with methods of displaying and manipulating library/playlist things like that with more flexibility in the graphical presentation if I have the time available in the future.

The rearranging I have in place at the moment is when an existing playlist is loaded into the playlist listbox, and there are buttons to move the selected movie up or down in the playlist sequence.

[DomPredacom]

Just being able to move them like you describe would be hadny enough. I was just thinking what functions are normally available, haven't a clue how it would be achieved. At the moment, if you select the wrong file and enter it into your playlist, you would have to start again. Although I suppose it would be fairly simple to add a clear field button....hmmm