Multimedia Authoring Using Various
Tools - Part I: ToolBook
M.Dastbaz
Designing Interactive Multimedia Systems
Multimedia Authoring - Chapter 6 - Part I
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Concept & Metaphor
Working with ToolBook is like writing a
book. The metaphor used in ToolBook
is the development of a Multimedia
book that could contain various types
on objects like:
•
•
•
•
Text objects
Sound objects
Graphic objects
Video & Animation objects
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ToolBook Hierarchies
Book
Object
Background Page
Object
Foreground Page
Object
Object
Object
Multimedia Authoring - Chapter 6 - Part I
Object
Object
Object
3
Working Environment
ToolBook provides two
different working
environments
1. Authoring
Environment - where
you author your book
2. Reader Environment where the system shows
you what your book
looks when its been
read i.e. its complied
version.
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Tool Pallet
Pointer
Magnifying glass
Buttons
Radio buttons
Label buttons
Radio 3D
buttons
field
Border-less
field
Checkbox buttons
Checkbox
3D buttons
List box
OLE - Linking
external objects
Combo
Boxes (like a
Drawing tools
pull-down menuMultimedia Authoring - Chapter
6 - Part Ia stage
5
Drawing
Working with Objects
Objects are items that you add to your
interface to create interactivity or visual
effects. A picture on a page, or a text
field that the user could edit or a button
that the user press is an object.
An important feature of objects are the
properties you could associate with
them.
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Object Properties
The properties of
an object are sets
of instructions that
sets various
attributes for that
object. Here is a
button object with
its properties
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Object Properties II
ToolBook also
comes with a
“Property Editor”
that allows the
direct manipulation
of an object’s
property. This is
located in the
“Tools Menu”
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Steps in Creating a ToolBook
Application
To start creating a
ToolBook application
follow the steps below
1. Start your toolbook
(do not
use the automatic
template - Book
Specialist- just press
cancel to start your own
book)
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Steps in Creating a … II
First lets decide on a
background page design for
the application. You could use
different backgrounds for
different pages. From the
“Object” menu select
background properties. When
the background property
windows open you could use
the “select resource” button
to import graphics into your
background
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Steps in Creating a … III
Using the tool pallet you
could create a text field
to enter a welcome
message for the user.
Once you have entered
the text you could
change its properties like
colour, size and style.
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Inserting Graphics
You can also insert
graphics into a text
field. Follow the same
process as before in
creating your text field
then select the “Insert
Graphic” option from
the “Text” menu.
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Creating Navigational Structures
ToolBook has pre-define facility to
create “hyperlinks” between
various pages of your book. The
“hyperlink” windows gives you
options like:
– Link to next page
– Link to previous page
– Link to last and first pages
– Link to a specific page
– Link to a URL address.
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Creating Navigational Structures II
Once you have
finished with a
page you can
move and
create another
page. The
option for a
new page could
be found in the
“Object” menu.
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Issues in Creating a Multimedia
Application
1. Content the most important part of any
Multimedia application package is its content
which could be a combination of
–
–
–
–
–
Text
Animation
Sound
Video
Graphics
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Issues in Creating a Multimedia
Application II
Using an appropriate design
methodology, to define clearly define
steps that you need to go through from
the start to testing and debugging.
This should help braking the tasks into
various sections that are manageable.
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Issues in Creating a Multimedia
Application III
Could use “Story boarding” to create a
“Scenario” on which to base the
application. The “Scenario” is a list of
events and options that the user could
encounter during its navigation of your
multimedia application.
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Issues in Creating a Multimedia
Application IV
Here is an example:
2nd Page
First Page
Welcome
Users
include Logo
and a start
button
Users
Menu
Offering
4 options
Page
Option 1
Page
Option 2
Page
Option 3
Page
Option 4
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