HELP Topics

  1. Using This Help Document

  2. Overview of The CD Slideshow 

  3. Prerequisites

  4. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - Selection

  5. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - MENU

  6. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow

  7. Full Sized Image Display

  8. Running Your Slideshow

  9. Glossary

1. Using This Help Document

You can go directly to each topic in this HELP file by clicking on the name of any of the topics in the "HELP Topics" section (above).

There is also a link at the end of each topic that will return directly to the HELP Topics section.

Alternatively you can just scroll down this page and view the topics in order.

The Snapshot Archive "CD Slideshow" has three main screens which are:

  1. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - Selection

  2. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - MENU

  3. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow

Each screen displays its name and description at the very top of the screen.   A HELP topic (matching the name of each of the screens) provides detailed information about each screen and how to use it.

(Return to HELP Topics)

2. Overview

The Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow displays your pictures on your  computer monitor. 

A Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow can be used (with very similar results) in a  PC running Windows, a PC running Linux or a Macintosh system.   In fact a CD Slideshow should run on any system that can run a standard internet Web Browser with support for JavaScript 1.3 or later.

A Snapshot-Archive CD provides a  variety of ways to view you pictures,  including:

  • Selection and display of individual images selected from a "menu" of  "thumbnails".  
  • Manual scrolling (Forward and Backward) through an album of images.
  • An automatic scrolling slideshow through an album of images. The display time can be set to suit the viewer.

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3. Prerequisites

The Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow is intended to be independent of both hardware and operating system constraints.    To achieve this the Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow has been constructed using standard HTML and JavaScript code which can be interpreted in just about any environment subject to the following basic requirements. 

Software:

A standard web browser with JavaScript 1.3 support is required to run a Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow.  The current version has been tested with Internet Explorer 6, Netscape Navigator 6,   and Opera 6.

In some browsers JavaScript support is optional.  JavaScript support needs to be enabled to use a Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow.

NOTE:  Although it uses a web browser it is not necessary to be connected to the internet to use the Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow.

Any web browser from release 4 onwards (regardless of brand) should also work  satisfactorily, however we would recommend upgrading your browser to the latest version.  Having an up to date browser will ensure that you get the best performance from both the Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow and your normal online browsing experience.

Operating System:

Any operating system that is supported by any current browser should be OK.   Eg Windows (all variants from 95 onwards), Macintosh,  Linux, etc

The current version of  Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow has been tested successfully on Personal Computers running Windows 98, Windows XP, and Windows ME using Internet Explorer version 6, Netscape Version 6 or Opera version 6.   It has also been tested on a Macintosh running operating system ????? and Internet Explorer 5.

Hardware Requirements:

Grunt/CPU:

Any system produced in the last 3-4 years should perform satisfactorily.

The slowest system used in testing was a Pentium Pro 200 running Windows 98SE.   This had ample power slideshow with a one second image refresh rate.  This is obviously faster than you would normally select  for a useful slideshow.

Mouse

At least a single button  mouse or similar pointing device is required.  

CD Drive:

An essential component considering this is a CD Slideshow :).  Again any system built in the last 3-4 years should have  a suitable CD drive.

Memory

Minimum 64 meg of ram.  Recommended 128 or more.

Video Capability

  • Minimum Screen resolution 800x600
  • 24 bit colour recommended for good image reproduction
  • 3D - Not necessary
  • Screen size at least 15 inch for aesthetic reasons.

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4. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - Selection

The CD Slideshow SELECTION screen is the first thing executed when a CD Slideshow begins. The screen will look similar to the picture below:

The SELECTION screen prompts you to select a specific slideshow from a list of slideshows available on your CD.  Beside the name of each slideshow are two buttons labelled "Thumbnail Menu" and "Start Slideshow". 

The "Thumbnail Menu" will display miniatures of all your images on one scrolling screen.  From this screen you can select a starting point for your slideshow. Note: For very large slideshows the thumbnail menu will take a noticeable amount of time to fully load.

The "Start Slideshow" simply bypasses the thumbnail option and takes you directly to the slideshow functions, starting with a display of the first picture in the selected slideshow.

Either selection will take over the whole screen and completely cover the SELECTION Screen, however the selection screen will stay active and can be reached by shutting down the slideshow function that you select.. 

You can close the  SELECTION screen in the same way you would when using your  browser  for internet access.   This can be done at any time without impact on your running slideshow.

The SELECTION screen also:

  • Provides a link to this HELP

  • Provides a link  to the Snapshot-Archive home page.

Note:  The Snapshot-Archive home page maintains a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that may hold the answer to any questions that you have about your CD Slideshow.  Please take a peek at the FAQs before contacting support via email.

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5. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - MENU

The MENU screen will fill your computer screen after you select a specific slideshow from the SELECTION screen. The screen will look something like the picture below.  

Each picture in your slideshow will be represented by a small image called a "thumbnail".  You can scroll down the list to locate specific pictures. 

To view any of the images in "full screen" mode simply click the thumbnail with your mouse.

If you select a picture the full screen display will open over the top of the MENU screen.  The MENU screen will remain open and active.

To return to the MENU screen from the full screen display you can use any of the following techniques:
  1. Close the full screen window 
  2. Use the EXIT option from the control functions available on the full screen display 
  3. Swap back to the MENU window leaving the Full Screen window active using the normal methods for swapping between active windows. The method for swapping between active windows will vary depending on your operating system.

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6. Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow

When any thumbnail picture on the MENU display is clicked the selected picture is displayed in the main viewing window.   The viewing window will occupy the entire screen, and will completely cover the MENU display.  Below is an example of what the screen will look like.

The selected picture should fill just about the entire screen with a small red button in the upper left corner.

Manually Scrolling through Your Pictures

Both forward and backward manual scrolling is available through the MENU options, however a shortcut  for forward scrolling is provided by simply clicking anywhere on the current image.

MENU Functions

Click on the small red menu button displays a series of buttons that can be used to access the remaining functions of the CD Slideshow.  When displayed the buttons appear as:

The functions of these buttons are:

As outlined above, this small button causes the MENU buttons to be displayed.  Once displayed the individual functions can be accessed
 This button pops up a control panel (shown below) for activating an automatic timed slideshow. To start a slideshow simply enter a number between .01 and 999 and then click the GO button.  The menus will disappear and the images will start changing at the selected time interval.  

Only forward scrolling is supported.   Practical times are probably 5 to 10 seconds depending on the audience and viewing situation.  Although supported by the software sub second times are not really practical and will cause jerky and incomplete displays on most systems.

 

To end the automatic progression simply click on the current image and the MENU and AUTOMATIC control panel will be redisplayed.  If you do not wish to re-start the slideshow with a different time interval select another option from the MENU or click on the picture again to advance to the next slide manually (in the normal way).
This button pops up a pair of manual control "arrows" beside the MENU button.

These buttons can then be clicked to manually access either the next or previous images in the slideshow.  

The MANUAL button works as a toggle so that pressing it again will remove the manual controls from the display.

The manual control arrows can be enabled during an automatic slideshow and can be used to move backward and forward during the timed interval.  Each time a manual jump is made the timer is reset  so it is possible to keep moving manually without conflict with the timer activity.   The timer will resume control after the selected time interval has elapsed after any manual movement.

Forward manual movement, by clicking the current image, will also work normally while the  manual buttons are active. 

However,  if an automatic slideshow is also in progress,  the first click on the picture will stop the automatic display (as outlined above in the description of the AUTOMATIC button).  A second click will then be required to progress to the next picture manually.  

Conversely, if you wish to manually skip forward but do not wish to interrupt the current automatic settings  you must use the manual forward button instead of clicking on the picture.
Clicking on this button will open a new browser window to display this HELP document.
This is a toggle button that turns ON/OFF the display of a short description of the current picture. 

The title appears at the top of the screen and overlays a small area of the picture.

Once turned on titles will be displayed on all pictures until subsequently turned off.
Pressing this button causes a small window to open in the centre of the screen which displays any information you have provided about your pictures.  The information comes in three fields which are:
  1. The Title of the Picture (see above)
  2. A date related to the picture (eg date taken)
  3. Long description -  Free form description of the picture  - There is no real limit on amount of information that can be supplied. The details window can be "scrolled" if necessary.
In normal slideshow view  pictures are scaled to fit on the screen by width. Pictures that are longer than they are wide (portrait mode)  can be scrolled up and down with the scroll bar on the right.  You can press the SCALE  button to see a picture scaled down to fit the vertical screen size. 

The  scaled version down picture will open in a new window which can be closed in the normal way when you have finished viewing it.

If you use the SCALE button on an ordinary "landscape" picture the scaled version will look very similar to the unscaled version except there will not be a MENU button in the top left corner of the screen.   This may be useful in odd occasions when the small MENU button obscures an important  part of the picture.

 The Snapshot-Archive system stores several versions of each image to optimise displays for different sized screens.   

The FULLSIZE option opens a new window to display  the largest (and best)  image available for the current picture.

See the separate section on the FULLSIZE screen for more discussion about this option.
This button simply hides the MENU, leaving just the small MENU button on the screen.
This button closes the window completely and returns you to the menu of Thumbnail images.

(Return to HELP Topics)

7. Full Sized Image Display

The Snapshot-Archive system stores several versions of each image to optimise the speed of displays for different sized screens.   

The FULLSIZE menu option opens a new window to display  the largest (and best)  image available for the current picture.

The main reason for providing the FULLSIZE option is to allow saving or pasting of the high quality image into other applications (without needing to navigate around the CD manually).  

The FULLSIZE  image will normally be larger than your screen and you will need to use the scroll bars to move around to see all parts of the image.   This can be handy to inspect a portion of a picture in more detail.

Some recent versions of  Internet Explorer may change the way FULLSIZE is intended to look.  In some situations Internet Explorer automatically scales the image to fit into the available screen area.  

If you are affected by this new "feature" the  FULLSIZE option will not look much different to normal display (except there will not be a Snapshot-Archive  MENU button on the FULLSIZE display).  

If this affects you and you wish to see the "real"  full screen view it is will be necessary to click the orange button that will appear in the lower right corner of the picture when you "hover" the mouse over it.  The button may take a few seconds to appear.  Alternatively this new "feature" can be turned off in the browser configuration dialogue.

To exit from the FULLSIZE image just shut down the FULLSIZE window.

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8. Running Your Slideshow

Your Snapshot-Archive slideshow may start automatically when inserted into you CD drive, however this option is often turned off on individual computers.

If your slideshow does not start simply click on the HTML file, "menu.htm"  in the root directory of  your CD.  This should cause your browser to start and then display the "Snapshot Archive CD Slideshow - Selection" screen, as described in that section, above.

If the slideshow still does not start it may be that your browser is not properly defined as the program to execute for ".HTM" files.   In this case try starting the browser first and then using the file options within the browser to locate and run file "menu.htm" from the CD root directory.

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9. Glossary

Browser A browser is "web enabled"  computer program.  Its primary capability is to retrieve documents across the internet using an internet protocol called HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and then to format the information in the documents for display according to the HTML (see below) instructions that are also embedded in the documents.  The HTML can also specify "links" to other documents that the browser will retrieve and display  if a link is selected by the person reading the document.   Modern browsers have many other capabilities including support for other internet protocols, access to local documents and scripting languages that can be used to extend the power of HTML.

The Snapshot-Archive CD Slideshow exploits some of the features of browser programs to provide  it's functionality across a wide range of computer environments.

Button Small image displayed on your computer screen and designed to look and act like a "real world" button that is used to switch a machine on or off.
Full Screen This term is used to describe any function that uses all the available screen space on your computer screen.
HTML Hyper Text Mark-up Language - A special "language" for writing documents where the information is "marked" with special tags that define both how it is presented by a web browser.  The tags also define "clickable links"  to other documents and to other parts of the same document.
JavaScript A programming language that can be used to add programmable functionality to otherwise passive HTML pages.  While JavaScript is treated largely as comment by the HTML interpreting part of  your browser, the browser can subsequently act on the JavaScript instruction to interact with the document,  to providing a much enhanced browsing experience. A simple example is when filling in a form on a web page.  HTML can build and display the form but has no capacity for validating what is entered.  A JavaScript routine can be added to the document to check the format, range and consistency between fields as the form is filled out.   HTML combined with one of several scripting languages (such as JavaScript) is often called Dynamic-HTML.
Landscape Landscape describes the orientation of a document.  Any documents that are wider than they are high are described as "landscape" while documents are higher than they are wide are described as "portrait".

These terms are are are fairly intuitive when put in context of art and photography (from which they are derived).   In art it is traditional (and practical)  for a picture of a scene or  "landscape" to be wider than it is high while a "portrait" picture of a person is naturally higher than it is wide.

Menu A MENU is any selectable list of options. This can be a simple text list like the list of HELP Topics at the top of this document or the more graphic menus such as the thumbnails on the "MENU" page or the function buttons on the main slideshow page.
Operating System This term refers to the main control program on your computer. eg Windows 98, Windows XP, Linux etc etc
Portrait See Landscape.
Root Directory The "highest level" on a storage device where files are located.  On your Slideshow CD this refers to files exist on the CD and that are not contained in any file folder.
Thumbnail Thumbnails are miniature versions of your images .  Thumbnails are used on the "Image Menu" to display large numbers of images for quick identification to help locate and select particular images for detailed display.  Thumbnails are not meant to be high quality images.
Toggle Any device that cycles through a series of "states" each time it is pressed is known as a toggle.  The most familiar types of toggles have just two states and are used to turn things "OFF"  if they are currently "ON"  and "ON" if they are currently "OFF".  An example of a toggle is the TITLE button on the CD Slideshow Picture Menu.  The first click on this button turns the title display ON and the next will turn it off  (and so on).

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