TOPIC
This article contains the document titled, "Using HyperCard 2.4" which is included with HyperCard 2.4 software.
DISCUSSION
Using HyperCard 2.4 The 2.4 update of HyperCard provides several new useful features, including functions related to the newly released QuickTime 3. This HyperCard update also provides enhancements and fixes problems from previous releases. System, Memory, and Software Requirements The HyperCard 2.4 Update requires: Features and components of HyperCard have additional requirements: QuickTime To use QuickTime features, you must have a 68020 or later microprocessor and the QuickTime extension. QuickTime 1.6 or later is required. Some new features require QuickTime 3. To use QuickTime VR features, you must have QuickTime VR 2.0 or later. Button Tasks System 7 or later and the Component Manager are required for button tasks. Component Manager is a part of System 7.1 and later. Macintosh computers with 68000 series microprocessors require System 7.1 or later or System 7.0 with the AppleScript or QuickTime extension. On Power Macintosh computers, button tasks require the ObjectSupportLib file. The ObjectSupportLib file is a part of MacOS 8. The movie button task and the HyperTalk movie command require the QuickTime extension. (QuickTime 3 is recommended.) The text-to-speech button task and the HyperTalk speak command require Speech Manager software. The sound button task requires system software version 6.0.7 or later and a computer with a 68020 or higher microprocessor. The Link to URL button task and the HyperTalk open URL command require the Internet Config extension. Version 1.4 or later is recommended. Go to the World Wide Web site http://quinn.echidna.id.au/Quinn/Config/ for more information about Internet Config, or download it from your favorite shareware server. Color To use Color Tools, you need a color-capable computer and 32-Bit QuickDraw (included with System 7 and later). The HyperCard memory partition must be set at least 2200K, and 5 MB of RAM is recommended. On Power Macintosh computers, the memory partition should be set to at least 5120K and virtual memory should be turned off. The monitor's color depth should be set to display at least 256 colors or shades of gray. Color paint tools require System 7 or later. Saving stacks as applications System 7 or later and Component Manager are required to save a stack as an application. Component Manager is a part of System 7.1 and later. On Power Macintosh computers, the ObjectSupportLib file is required. The ObjectSupportLib file is a part of Mac OS 8. AppleScript To use AppleScript, you need the AppleScript software, which requires System 7 or later. Contents of This Update After you install this Update, the following files will be updated in your HyperCard folder: General Features Improved Movie button task: The Movie button task now allows you to open any file that QuickTime can open. For example, with the latest versions of QuickTime (2.5 or later) installed on your computer, you can assign a task that opens JPEG and MPEG files and displays them in movie windows. Note: QuickTime 3 will allow you to open even more file types. To use this new feature, assign a movie task to a button using the Button Info command as you normally would. When you are prompted to choose a movie file, more file types will be available for selection. New Link to URL button task: A button task has been added that allows you to open the default Web browser (as defined in the Internet Config application) and connect to the URL (uniform resource locator) you specify. For this feature to work, the computer of the person using your stack must have the Internet Config extension installed and active in the System Folder, and the Internet Config application must have a Web browser specified in the Helpers window of Internet Preferences. You'll find this new button task along with the other button tasks by using the Button Info command. Drag-open of movie and image files: You can now drag any QuickTime-readable movie file onto the HyperCard application icon in the Finder to open and play the movie. (After installing HyperCard 2.4, you may need to rebuild your desktop for this feature to work.) If Automatic File Translation is turned on in the Mac OS Easy Open control panel, you can also open other image files, such as PICT or GIF files, this way. Preview Button in Stack Info Dialog: The Stack Info dialog box, which appears when you select Stack Info from the Objects menu, contains a Preview button. Use Preview to change the preview image that appears when Open Stack is chosen from the File menu. To change the preview image, click Preview and select a card, or None to show no preview image, from the Source pop-up menu. Keyboard Support of QuickTime VR Movies: You or the person viewing your stack can control QuickTime VR movies by using the keyboard navigation keys. For example, the Left Arrow key will pan the movie to the left. The viewer must click and hold the pointer in the VR movie window while using the keyboard to navigate. Scripting Features New QuickTime Tools features: The QuickTime Tools stack includes new versions of the the movie commands and functions which allow you to use many new features of QuickTime. See the Documentation section of the QuickTime Tools stack for a complete explanation of the new features. Using HyperTalk QuickTime syntax, you have precise control over the presentation of QuickTime movies in a HyperCard stack. You can adjust screen location, layer, window style, language, image quality, angle of view (for QuickTime VR movies), speed and direction, sound, and other characteristics. You can search for text in text tracks and to apply such effects as flipping, scaling, rotating, and skewing. You can also specify the level of control the person using your stack has over the way movie is viewed. QuickTime and QuickTime VR support: To make it even easier to use QuickTime and QuickTime VR movies in your stacks and to provide new functionality, the updated movie commands have been built into HyperCard 2.4. You can use either the new syntax or the same movie command syntax you've used in the past. See the Documentation section of the QuickTime Tools stack for more information and examples. New command for Internet URL support: The command open URL <url string> opens the default Web browser (as defined in the Internet Config application) to connect to the URL (uniform resource locator) you specify. For this feature to work, the computer of the person using your stack must have the Internet Config extension installed and active in the System Folder, and the Internet Config application must have a Web browser specified in the Helpers window of Internet Preferences. Enhanced script editor window: The new script editor window makes it easier to search and navigate through HyperTalk scripts. The top of the window shows the length of the script (number of characters). You can choose a handler or function name, and scroll to its location in the script. You can also click the side column to place checkpoints where you want a script to stop for debugging. For added ease in navigation, follow these tips: To see names of handlers and functions sorted alphabetically, Shift-click the Handlers and Functions pop-up menus. To see a list of handlers and functions with the names of functions italicized, Command-click anywhere in the script editing window. (To see the list sorted alphabetically, press Command-Shift and click.) To change the appearance of a handler or function in the menus, type -- menu mark followed by - (to add a dividing line), <I (for italic), or <B (for bold) before the handler or function in the script. See Inside Macintosh, a programming guide available at most software book retailers, for the entire list of options for changing the appearance of menus. Open file limit removed: You are no longer limited to a maximum of three files open simultaneously using the open file command. New syntax for number of movies and references to movies: The expression the number of movies returns the number of open movie windows. The expression first movie refers to the same movie as movie 1. If there are three open movie windows, last movie refers to movie 3. These ordinals function just as they do when referring to buttons, fields, cards, and so on. See "Chunk Expressions" in the HyperCard Script Language Guide for more information. New version function: Previously a property, version is now a function that returns version information for the HyperCard application, a HyperCard stack, Mac OS, AppleScript, Sound Manager, QuickTime, and QuickTime VR. Except when used to find the version of a stack and the version of Mac OS, the long version returns an 8-digit number specifying the major version number, the minor version number, the software state (for example, beta), and the release number. It is no longer necessary to use scriptingLanguage when referring to AppleScript. Improved Picture XCMD: HyperCard now uses QuickTime graphics importers for opening file types other than PICT or PNTG if QuickTime 2.5 or later is installed. Using the Picture XCMD, you can open all image file types that QuickTime recognizes. Unlike using Movie to open a QuickTime-compatible image, Picture XCMD allows you to open an image without displaying it in a movie window. The Picture XCMD can now accept PICT data, a filename, the Clipboard (when it contains PICT data), or the name of a PICT resource as a parameter. New miniature and image properties: The property image returns data of type PICT representing a pictorial image of a specified card at full size. The property miniature returns data of type PICT representing a pictorial image of a specified card at a smaller size--the size that appears on the Clipboard when you select Copy Card from the Edit menu. You can use these properties to copy a card to the Clipboard for use in other applications. Note on there is a file expression: Information regarding there is a file on page 116 of the HyperCard Script Language Guide is incomplete. When there is a file is used, HyperCard searches in the folder containing the HyperCard application. Troubleshooting I get an error message when I try to update HyperCard using the Updater application. You may have selected a copy of HyperCard that is not the correct version. You can use the Updater to update HyperCard 2.3 or 2.3.5 only. I get the error message, "-48: Duplicate file name" when I try to update HyperCard using the Installer or Updater application. You have a file in the folder with the copy of the HyperCard application you are trying to update that has the same name followed by ".old" (example: "HyperCard.old"). This can occur if you have updated HyperCard in the past using an earlier version of the Updater program. To update the copy of HyperCard, you must move or rename this file and try updating again. My scripts for Play, Rewind, and Pause don't work. This can happen if you have installed an earlier version of the movie command set into your current stack or your Home stack. Remove the older versions of the movie command set from your stacks; it is now included in the HyperCard application. I can't open certain types of files by dragging them onto the HyperCard application icon in the Finder. Try rebuilding your desktop. For PICT files, make sure Automatic File Translation is turned on in the Mac OS Easy Open control panel. I can't make certain types of files open in my stack. For MPEG files, make sure the QuickTime MPEG extension is installed. For QuickTime VR files, make sure Quicktime VR 2.0 or later is installed. For QuickTime movies, make sure QuickTime 3 is installed. When I use the open file command, the icons change for the files opened. When you use this command with QuickTime 3 or later and you create a new file with any standard suffix used by QuickTime (such as ".gif" or ".jpeg"), the file will be changed to take the corresponding type and creator, and its icon will reflect this. For instance, files with the suffix ".gif" will show a GIF icon. To prevent file icons from being changed, open the QuickTime Settings control panel and deselect "Enable QuickTime Exchange," then restart your computer. For More Information For more product information, see these web sites using your Web Browser application: For information about HyperCard, go to http://www.apple.com/hypercard For information about QuickTime, QuickTime VR, or the QuickTime MPEG extension, go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime For information about Apple software updates, go to http://www.apple.com/swupdates |
| Document Information | |
| Product Area: | Apple Software |
| Category: | HyperCard |
| Sub Category: | HyperCard 2.0 Series |
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