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Authorware Article

Authorware Playback on the Mac

Michael Mizen

Michael Mizen

www.mizen.com

I have been using Authorware on Macintosh since version 1.5. Over the years to version 4, it was possible to develop on one platform for delivery one another platform. There were rules and tricks, but it was a straightforward process. Starting with version 5, the development process remained in the Windows environment but the clever engineers developed the capability to maintain delivery of content in the Apple operating system. Rules and a few "tricks" remain. This article outlines what works and does not work for cross-platform delivery. Included in the discussion will be Apple’s newest operating system, Mac OS X/Panther, which is based on BSD Unix.

Requirements

To complete this tutorial you will need to install the following software and files:

Authorware



General Considerations

The most successful cross-platform projects are those where you define requirements prior to beginning development. There are some key differences in several areas that I will discuss that you can negotiate thanks to the wonderment of Authorware, the tool, and its ability to get results using a variety of strategies.

In many cases, the need for cross-platform delivery develops as an afterthought or in final stages of development. In these circumstances, the developer is faced with a significant investment in additional time and resources to either redevelop the code or implement a "Mac version" in addition to the original Windows product.

With either strategy, don't underestimate the testing and quality assurance review of the finished product. In most cases, issues that surface are primarily cosmetic, reflecting screen resolution differences between Windows (96dpi), and Macintosh (72dpi). A second common issue is path statements to externally linked files, whether they are images, animations, or movies. As a best practice, I usually place these assets in sub folders with the final application and use the FileLocation variable to properly specify the location of these assets.

Authorware functionality that does not work in cross-platform environments
Item Comment
Active X-all Active X is a Windows-only product.
OLE Converting an OLE object to a bitmap might be an option.
DLLs You need Xtra for the Macintosh; (XCMDs are also possible, but problematic).
ReadURL("JavaScript:xxx",n) Observed in the Authorware 7 player; to be fixed.
Movecursor() Use Gary Smith’s BuddyAPI.

KnowledgeObjects

Not all knowledge objects work; but you can use the following:

  • Application
  • Check Box
  • Drag and Drop, Hot Object, and Hot Spot Question
  • Short Answer, Single Choice, and True/False Questions
  • Standalone quiz
  • Launch Browser
  • Web Player Security
  • Movie Controller (QT not AVI; see note below about QT and AVI)
  • Slider
  • Accessibility Kit

Fonts

There are a couple of important points about fonts. In particular, remember that the same fonts will be: Tall and Narrow in Windows and Short and Wide in the Mac. Screen resolution differences affect how text will flow and can complicate dynamically generated text from external sources. Arial, Times, Times New Roman, and Verdana are fonts that work well. If you have an important "must have" font, you must license it and supply it with your final deliverable. Alternatively, you could consider making a bitmap image of the text but the trade off is a bitmap and is a static asset.

Authorware provides a method to fine tune how cross-platform environments manage fonts. The external file, fontmap.txt, references how the size on one platform maps to the other. Here is a segment of the file:

; For those using Arial TT or Type 1 on both platforms

;Mac:"Arial" => Win:"Arial" 12=>10 14=>12 18=>14 24=>18 36=>24

Win:"Arial" => Mac:"Arial" 10=>12 12=>14 14=>18 18=>24 24=>36

Win:"Arial Black" => Mac:"Arial Black" 10=>12 12=>14 14=>18 18=>24 24=>36

The beauty here is that you can edit these values to your liking and add additional fonts to the map scheme. Then the saved file can be loaded into your flowline by using Modify > File > Font Mapping. It is important to note that you should keep a copy of the fontmap.txt with the prepared Macintosh runtime for this to work properly.

The file, fontmap.txt, contains instructions and examples of how to do this. In addition, the Help pages for the Authorware 7 Packager cover the topic in good detail.

Third-Party Xtras

Third-Party Xtras offer a host of planning alternatives for cross-platform delivery. Rather than list them individually, here are their web addresses:

Graphic Display and Video Playback

Graphic and file formats have become ubiquitous over the past several years. In general, bitmaps and PNG file formats work well on both platforms. Note that the gamma point of the Macintosh is 1.8 while Windows/TV is 2.2. In general, assets created in Windows will appear "brighter/washed out" in the Macintosh. This is subtle and you will need to experiment a bit, especially when developing graphic buttons that must match color or textured backgrounds.

Flash animations are equally fine with the exception noted above regarding gamma settings. Likewise, the most recent versions of QuickTime supports playback of AVI file formats. The complication is that a design that plays an AVI file on the PC will not work from within the Macintosh version of the Authorware file; although the QuickTime player will launch an AVI file when opened from the desktop.

Databases

Regarding databases, there is no Macintosh version of Microsoft Access, although FileMaker Pro creates binary files which are compatible between platforms. Integration New Media’s V-12 database is a good choice for this purpose, especially since it works well as a standalone application. With some modifications, you can use a web connection to update remote files on a server.

Preparing a Macintosh Version of a Windows Flowline

The Authorware 7 help files explain the process for preparing a Macintosh version of a Windows flowline. I've based many of my remarks on this documentation and the archives found at the AWARE archives.

Here is the quick summary:

  1. Use One-Button Publishing to prepare a runtime of the Windows flowline and include Xtras.
  2. Move the folder, typically named "Local," to the Macintosh.
  3. Open the Authorware Packager, select the runtime, and select Package for Mac Playback.
  4. Name the file, but do not use the PKG extension since this is reserved for Mac OS X installation. The new default extension is APM.
  5. Inspect the Xtras folder and note what was copied from the One-Button Publishing process. You must copy the Macintosh equivalents of the PC Xtras to this folder.
  6. At the same level of the packaged application, you must add copies of the following three files, IMLLib. MacromediaruntimeLib, and MetaVoice codecs.
  7. Check and ensure externally linked content is in its right location and the folder names match.
  8. Test, test, test.

Note that the Authorware 7 player is a "carbonized" application. What this means is the process described above will create a self-running executable that will play in Mac OS X or Mac OS9 (otherwise called classic mode). Thus, if you have users with older systems, the application will run appropriately. If you have users with Mac OS X as the default, the same application will run.

One manifestation of this design is the path delimiter for the Macintosh application remains the colon (:), despite the fact that Mac OS X environment is based on BSD Unix.

File Storage and ISO9660 Formats

I have used Roxio’s Toast Titanium and its predecessors to build hybrid disks. If the total content is less than 350MB, you can create a partitioned disc in which the Windows users see their files and the Macintosh users see their files.

If your content is greater than 350MB, you must have a small Macintosh "starter" that executes a "JumpOut" to the runtime prepared from One-Button Publishing. What is very important is that the ISO format supports the Joliet long file name option. While the PC Xtra for Viewer Services is ViewSVC, the Mac equivalent is "Viewer Services." The former is 8.3 convention, while the latter is not. If you do not select the Joliet option, Viewer Services will be truncated to 8 characters. The impact is that the Authorware Mac application will not be able to locate the Xtra, producing an error message.

Browsers

As of this writing, the most popular browsers for the Macintosh are Internet Explorer 5.2 for Mac OS X or 5.1 for Mac OS9. In addition, Apple has released its own browser, Safari, which is based on the Konqueror browser and KHTML. The current version is 1.0 and the following site tracks the issues and resolution of problems with this browser:
http://dhtmlkitchen.com/experiment/safari/index.html

Internet Explorer 5.2.3 seems to be the last of the run from Microsoft. In July 2003, it was announced that it will not undertake any further development of Internet Explorer for Mac OS X.

Usually warnings for support in AOL browsers remain; I know Opera is available but have no experience testing Authorware applications in this environment.

About the author

Michael R. Mizen is an independent producer of technology-based training and interactive presentations for training, education, information, and simulation. The core technology has been Authorware Professional along with other integrated media tools from Macromedia, Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft. Projects have included kiosks and stand alone training systems for the Department of Energy, laptop presentations for pharmaceutical, health care, finance, and utility companies, and continuing medical education programs for health care professionals.

Mr. Mizen has been an active participant in the Authorware community since 1991 and has contributed to several presentations and workshops at The Alternative Authorware Conferences (TAAC). He is also one of the founders of the Association for Multimedia Communications, one of Chicago’s oldest user groups. In addition, Mr. Mizen is a member of the Apple Consultants Network being certified in Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server as an Apple-Certified Technical Coordinator.