Hi,
>>I have another one. The cursor behavior. I reset it on mouse leave But >>in my movie, it didn't. (In the behavior box it is ticked to reset cursor >>(-1)). >>The hand cursor appeared on other screens (where an arrow would suffice) >>even when there was no change cursor behavior. > >Well, somewhere else in your code, then, is another line of lingo that is >setting the cursor back to a hand (280, if memory serves). Yes that is the one I used. >You can open any script window and press CTRL-F (or, if you're on a >superior machine, Command-F ;) As you wish. I believe you know that I work on a PC. >and do a search for the term 'cursor'. Make sure to check the "all >scripts" box. You can then look for places in your program's scripts where >the cursor command is issued. Odds are very good you will find it is being >used someplace else. There is no box known as 'all scripts' I see only the following: cast member change cursor cast internal All casts Options wrap around Whole word case sensitive On reading the help file, I chose all casts and options wrap around. But I was still not able to find the elusive cursor. Are there such things as bugs? >>>I have not had occasion to use the searchPath, as I try to retain as >>>much control as possible over what external files are used, and where >>>they are placed. >> >>How is it possible to have this type of control? > >As much as possible, keep things internal, or put everything into folders >so end users can see easily that there are groups that must be maintained. > >>Why do you wish to have this type of control? > >The more control you exert over your resources and program sections, the >fewer variables you will have in distribution. This means less can go >wrong with your release. > >My experience has shown me that many users (or their children) are >inveterate tinkers. They will play around with files on their computers, >rename them, move them, delete them and so on -- and then become annoyed >or even *shocked* when the program that needs those files no longer functions. > >Thus my experience has shown me that -- as much as possible -- a program >should rely only on its own internal abilities to handle media, should try >to keep all of its necessary assets internal to itself rather than rely on >the user's system having those assets in the "correct" locations, and >should always try to have a fall-back position for when there is failure >in finding those resources or they have been corrupted. > >One example would be ActiveX components. This was actually a rather nice >idea when it was conceived by Microsoft, but the problem is that ActiveX >distribution has never been standardized within the Microsoft platforms, >and there are no ActiveX components for *any other* platform. This means >that if you use the Media Player ActiveX component for Windows 98 SE to >play MPEG movies in Director, you have automatically excluded yourself >from working on Windows NT (which does not have the correct ActiveX >component unless IE4 or later has been installed on it), Windows95 (most >likely), all Macintosh and Shockwave. > >Thus we see that a reliance on external components being present can >actually result in an increase of problems in working with Director and >projectors. These components are superficially desirable but on deeper >analysis can frequently turn out to be tremendous liabilities. (I am not >speaking of ActiveX specifically any longer, but rather any kind of >component that might not be present on all systems, or that might not be >consistent on all systems.) Yes, on hindsight, ithis does make sense. Thanks for taking the trouble to explain. >>>>By the way, what is XML parser? What is the use of it in lingo? It >>>>modifies lists? >>> >>>It can read and modify XML-formatted data, if my understanding of it is >>>not faulty. I have not had occasion to really explore the XML parser (I >>>have never had to parse XML data), but I gather it is quite useful. >> >>Does it cause the original data in a .dir file to go haywire? > >Not as far as I know. So why does Director crash then? Because the PC platform is unstable? I've had the computer freezing when I need to do a save - many times. >>So if XML formatted data was used , would it be better to have a branch >>to this new movie rather than using it inside the original movie? > >You can handle XML parsing as you would any other type of data, to the >best of my knowledge -- for example you could use a behavior to do it that >resides across a sprite's span, or you could try a parent script, or even >a traditional movie script. You should be able to handle the data either >in a current movie, or via a MIAW, or by branching off with a go to movie >or play movie call. So we can import it into the main .dir with no problems? With no need for branching? Then I must have made a mistake somewhere in my movie. >How you handle XML is really more dependent upon what you want to do with >it than it is limited by Director's capacity (I believe). That is really >an assumption on my part, but it is based in my experience telling me that >Director can generally handle almost anything you want to throw at it. It >might handle it slowly sometimes, and it might require some work-arounds >and clever hacking, but I have been able to do things with it over the >years I know it was never designed to do, and that implies to me that >whatever it is you have in mind with XML, you will probably be able to >work out how to get Director to do it. > >-- Use XML to store randomized lists to create a quiz, what else? >>I do not understand. How can a behavior be attached to a frame? >>Isn't a behavior attached to a sprite? >Aha, ha, yes and no. It's possible to have spriteless behaviors, and it is possible to attach behjaviors to only part of a sprite's span. The >commonest way is to associate a behavior's totality of existence with a sprite's totality of existence, but this is really a misconception >fostered in part by keywords such as 'beginSprite'. One thing not discussed about behaviors, for example, is that they receive 'new' events >too. Could you elaborate on this, please? What are spriteless behaviors? Imaging lingo? How is it possible to attach behaviors to only part of a sprite's span? Under what circumstances would it be used? Thanks Noelle [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!]
