Authorware Help Getting Started

IMPORTANT: MpegXtra requires a MCI driver that can play MPEG files. It will not work if the driver installed is incompatible or not configured correctly. A quick way to determine if the driver is compatible is to open a MPEG file in the original Media Player application that ships with Windows 95, 98 and NT 4. This file is called mplayer.exe, and it may be different from your current Windows Media Player. If your system can play MPEG files using mplayer.exe it will probably work well with MpegXtra, but some advanced features may not be entirely supported. The Xtra also requires the ActiveX network extensions installed on the target machine, so please check the System Requirements at our site (xtras.tabuleiro.com) for more information, pointers to the appropriate installers and configuration troubleshooting.

MpegXtra is an AssetXtra. AssetXtras can be manipulated using the design and presentation windows, and their properties can be adjusted through scripting, just like Authorware's built-in media types.

To create a MpegXtra cast member, go to your INSERT menu, select TABULEIRO XTRAS->MpegXtra 3. The standard MpegXtra Properties Dialog Box will appear. Select browse. Another Dialog Box will appear, prompting you to choose the video file associated with this cast member. You can select Mpeg, VOB and other types of Mpeg files, but the ability to play the files correctly will depend the Mpeg MCI driver installed on your system. Please note that all filenames will be converted to short format, since this is required by most MCI drivers. Select a file with the correct type and extension. Click OK. You will return to the Properties Dialog Box. The file information should be displayed correctly, indicating the duration, height and width of the Mpeg file. You can preview the file, mark cue points and set the playback options. Leave the Playback options as they are, for now. Finish by clicking OK.
A new icon will appear in your Design Window in Authorware. It has the MpegXtra icon. Double-Click on it to adjust the position and size of the video in the Presentation window.
IMPORTANT: if the menu bar is enabled, the position of the video will be 20 pixels offset.
That's it!
MpegXtra Help
Cue Points Properties Functions Packaged Files