At 00:12 +0800 04/15/2002, noelle cheng wrote:
>>Somehow or other the parent script reference that *should* be in
>>the goMulti object variable didn't get instantiatiated. This means
>>(probably) there is a line of Lingo that reads something like:
>>
>> goMulti = new ( script "blablabla" )
>>
>>...and that this line is in a handler that didn't execute.
>
>
>Is the execution of the code from top to the bottom within the code?
Yes, Lingo is not like a line-numbered language where you can jump
from one line to another when you are working in a more or less
linear way.
But there are ways you can make operations repeat within a segment of
code until a condition is met; and there are ways you can have one
segment of code access another entirely.
>Is it possible for two programs with the same code to yield different results?
Well, as you have found, yes and no. It's not always safe to believe
that a copy/paste operation has resulted in the *same* state being
created in two different files. And since variables are, well,
variable, it is possible for their contents to alter dynamically,
which means it is usually quite rare that the same code will yield
the *same* results. (If it did, computer games would be boring...)
>Anyway, after I corrected this, I ran the movie again and the error
>message was :
>
>Error: cast member not found.
Yes, this is because the "scriptb" parent script member that was
being referenced and instantiated in the goMulti object is not
present in your current file.
>To be honest, I was trying to create a quiz in my .dir movie.
Those can be fun, but they do require a bit more programming than you
might think at first. It seems simple to present a true/false or
multiple-choice quiz, but if you want to make it something that can
change over time, it requires a fairly substantial degree of planning.
>May I ask a question? Is math required for lingo? In the
>university, I only studied statistics. But I studied some general
>math during my 'A' levels. Is this still too little?
Ha, you've got stronger math than most of the people I know! You
certainly do not have to be able to do differential equations in your
head to work with Lingo. I believe Tab mentioned that mathematics
helps best by giving you a solid foundation in logic more than
anything else. Math, like programming, requires a lot of precision,
and generally only yields one correct result (and an infinity of
incorrect ones ;).
>Before creating a projector, is there any way to check the end
>user's system via lingo and modify its computer settings especially
>its color settings?
Well, you can probe the colorDepth and warn the user with an alert
box if there are problems. But your situation is easier to handle, I
believe.
>I found that a projector that I had created looked very ugly on
>another computer. It was set at 256 colors.
>I had used a reverse background which did not appear at all and the
>color was missing.
Yes, these are due to palette issues. If you set the default palette
of your movie to Web216, you will find that most of these problems
will go away. What is happening (probably) is a system component,
such as the taskbar, is interfering with the way Director draws its
colors, when there are not enough available to use the full range you
have selected in your graphics.
Using Web216 for the palette will guarantee that the system-specific
colors remain intact, and will allow your movie to appear more or
less normal during playback, even on low-color systems.
>Another thing - I used QT movies in my movie. When an .exe file is
>created, QT files need to accompany this. I actually placed my QT
>movies in a folder. And every time the movie reached a screen where
>a QT movie was required, the box saying where is this file to be
>found opens up. I have to tell the computer to look into the
>accompanying file every time.
Well, the best approch with this is to place the QT movies in a
folder alongside your Director file itself as you are authoring it,
then import those movies as you go. So the directory might look like
this:
noelle.dir
media
movie1.mov
movie2.mov
...assuming you have named the movie folder "media". Then when you
make your projector, save it alongside the "media" folder:
noelle.dir
noelle.exe
media
movie1.mov
movie2.mov
When you are ready to make your CD, copy the projector and the media
folder to the same location and burn the disc:
CD
noelle.exe
media
movie1.mov
movie2.mov
This will keep the QuickTime movies in the same *relative* location
-- that is, they will always be alongside the Director
movie/projector, and will always be in a folder named "media". This
lets both your Director movie and your projector find and use the
QuickTime movies without having to put up a dialog box every time.
>And when you talk about the first movie, is it in a movie script
>file within the .dir file?
That is what Colin was referring to, yes.
--
Warren Ockrassa | http://www.nightwares.com/
Director help | Free files | Sample chapters | Freelance | Consulting
Author | Director 8.5 Shockwave Studio: A Beginner's Guide
Published by Osborne/McGraw-Hill
http://www.osborne.com/indexes/beginners_guides.shtml
[To remove yourself from this list, or to change to digest mode, go to
http://www.penworks.com/lingo-l.cgi To post messages to the list, email
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Problems, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]). Lingo-L is for
learning and helping with programming Lingo. Thanks!]
