First Steps

AutoPlay Media Studio is one of those programs that is a lot easier to understand once you've tried it once or twice. So, to help you get oriented quickly, we'll walk you through the basic steps of starting a project, building it, and trying it out.

First, launch AutoPlay Media Studio by using the AutoPlay Media Studio 4.0 shortcut, which you can find in your Start Menu under Start > Program Files > Indigo Rose Corporation > AutoPlay Media Studio 4.0.

The first thing you see when you start AutoPlay Media Studio is the Start Project dialog.

On the Start Project dialog, select one of the project categories (or just leave it set to "All Categories" if you prefer), and then select one of the project templates from the list on the left-hand side. A screenshot and description of the selected project template will appear on the right-hand side.

Enter a name for this project in the Project name field. (This name will be used for the project file and the project folder for this project.)

Once you've selected a project template and given the project a name, click on OK.

AutoPlay Media Studio will create a new project based on the template you selected, and load it into the design environment.

A new project using the "Corporate Software Installer" template

At this point, you're free to customize the project in any way you like. Move the objects around. Resize them. Double-click on the objects and look at their settings.

When you're ready to see how the finished product will look, press the F7 key. AutoPlay Media Studio will ask if you're sure that you want to build your application now.

You are, so click on the Yes button to start the build process. The Status dialog will appear so you can watch as AutoPlay Media Studio builds your project.

AutoPlay Media Studio will build the project into the project's Distribution folder. (This Distribution folder was automatically created for you when you gave the project a name.) As soon as the project is built, the Distribution folder will be opened for you automatically.

Voila! Your project has been converted into an executable program file and a few attendant data files. All of these files, together, are your AutoPlay application.

To try it out, just double-click on the executable file, which by default will be named autorun.exe. Your AutoPlay application will launch, and you can test out the interface to your heart's content.

After you've tried it out, just close it like you would any other program. (Or, right-click on the application and select the Exit option.)

And that's it!

Pretty simple, huh? You've just gone through an entire AutoPlay Media Studio development cycle. Every project—from the simple example you've seen here, to the most advanced custom application—will follow these same four basic steps: start a project, customize it, build it, and test it. (And then customize it some more, rebuild it, and test it again...)

Of course, there's a lot more you can do in the "customize" part. In fact, you're limited only by your imagination! So go ahead...start another project, or return to this one and tweak it some more.

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