OverviewWhat Is ConvertedWhat Is Not Converted
This topic serves as an introduction to the project conversion process from AutoPlay Menu Studio 3 to AutoPlay Media Studio 8. It will describe what the project converter can and cannot convert. It will also explain the reasons behind the decisions made and what to do once your AutoPlay 3 project has been converted to AutoPlay 8.
AutoPlay Media Studio 5 was rebuilt from the ground up to be infinitely more powerful and flexible than previous versions. As such, it required an entirely new "scripting engine" to process actions. AutoPlay Media Studio 8 continues to push the boundaries of media development. Because of the immense changes between v3 and v8, an exact and automated one-to-one conversion of actions from the v3 format is impossible.
As a result, the conversion of projects created with v3 is not a fully automated process. In general, your "visual design" will be converted automatically, while your "script actions" must be converted by hand.
Given the changes to the scripting engine, the decision you'll need to make is whether or not to convert your v3 projects to v8 projects. Ultimately, the choice is up to you. You'll certainly want to create all of your new projects using v8 - it's just so much better and more powerful. It's whether or not it's worth it to you or your company/client to "upgrade" your v3 projects to take advantage of v8 features.
In many cases, the answer will be to leave your already working v3 projects the way they are and then shift your new development to v8.
That being said, it's not a complicated process to convert your v3 projects to the new v8 platform, but it may be time-consuming to recreate your actions in v8 if you have a particularly complicated project. Of course, it doesn't hurt to try and see what's involved. Simply go to File > Open and select a v3 (*.am3) project. The conversion tool will take over and do its best to create a good-looking v8 compatible project from your v3 source. Take a look at the resulting project and decide for yourself.
You'll definitely want to read the rest of the topic, including the "What Is Converted" and "What is Not Converted" sections. That'll give you an exact rundown of what to expect from the automated conversion process. Then you'll want to become more familiar with all of the goodies you'll find in v8. They'll make your projects cooler and more professional!
The first section to read in the help file should be the What’s Different section. This will help explain the major differences between AutoPlay Media Studio 8 and AutoPlay Menu Studio 3. This should also start you on the path to understanding how to accomplish tasks the AutoPlay 8 way.
If you are still not sure how things work in AutoPlay Media Studio 8, the User’s Guide is an indispensable tool. It is aimed squarely at teaching you how to accomplish tasks in AutoPlay 8 by leading you through a step-by-step tutorial. It was written in such a way that you should be able to jump in at any chapter and learn the skills that chapter was meant to teach, but for the most benefit it should be read from start to finish.
If you think that you have a good handle on what “the AutoPlay 8” way entails, but are looking for some specific real world examples, look no further than the How Do I? section in the help file. This section provides over 100 different articles answering some of the most common questions we have been asked about AutoPlay.
At this point you should know almost everything there is to know about AutoPlay Media Studio 8, so it’s time to translate your AutoPlay Menu Studio 3 actions into AutoPlay 8 scripts. For your convenience all of the actions you created in your AutoPlay 3 project have been imported into AutoPlay 8 as comments on the events that they were originally intended for.
Before attempting to translate your actions into AutoPlay Media Studio 8 scripts you should read over the Scripting Guide located in the Help file. This guide will provide you with tips, tricks, and professional-level techniques you should use when writing your AutoPlay 8 scripts.