Chapter 10

The Presentation Plugin

Overview

The MDL Presentation Plugin is a powerful shared 24-bit whiteboard and presentation tool for use with the OpenLook window manager on SunOS and Solaris platforms. Not only does it have a selection of drawing tools for markups and for editing presentation graphics, it also has slide show capabilities for use while conferencing.

This chapter discusses:

Presentation Tool Requirements

The Presentation Tool requires the license keys ordinarily used by the Whiteboard.

Introducing the Presentation Plugin

The Presentation Plugin is a collaborative graphics tool for use with MDL’s Communique! Conference Manager. Like all Communique! Plugins, it is based on MDL’s OpenDVE architecture. The Presentation Plugin not only provides an easy to use interface for creating and presenting graphical slide shows for use during conferences, it is also a powerful graphics tool.

Slide shows are groups of images stored so that they can be easily accessed through the Presentation Plugin for use in interactive presentations. The Presentation Plugin contains tools for creating, editing and presenting slide shows.

The Presentation Plugin consists of three main areas; the Canvas, the tool bar, and the menu bar. The Canvas is a 24-bit imaging surface where the conference members can make markups and view images. The tool bar includes all of the drawing tools used for making markups, as well as the color and fill pattern palettes. The menu bar provides the user with the controls used to load and save files, and the tools used to create and edit slide shows.

The Canvas is made up of two layers, the image layer and the markup layer. Depending upon the Presentation Plugin’s configuration, changes on the markup layer do not affect the image layer. This will allow the user to erase markups without affecting the original image.

Note that the Presentation Plugin can be loaded even when you are not involved in a conference. This allows you to create and edit slide shows, and manipulate images in preparation for a conference.

Using the Presentation Plugin as a Whiteboard

In addition to its function as a slide show presentation tool, the Presentation Plugin can be used as a shared whiteboard. Conference members can either mark on the white area, or an image can be loaded as a backdrop on which the markups will be made. The contents of the Canvas can also be saved by any conference member in any of the graphics format supported by Communique!.

Loading an Image

In order to load an image for use on the Presentation Plugin, select Load from the File menu. A standard OpenLook file requester will be presented, and you can browse through available files and select the one you wish to load. When the image finishes loading, you will be returned to the whiteboard where a square showing the dimensions of the image will be displayed. You can then select where you wish the image to be placed and click the left mouse button to place it.

Saving an Image

To store an image on disk, select Save from the File menu. A normal file requester will be launched and you can select where you wish to store the file and save it. There is also a hierarchical menu under save that allows you to choose between saving the entire Canvas or saving the displayed area. If you only wish to store the part of the Canvas currently on the screen, select Save Displayed Region. In order to further save disk space, before saving you should resize the Presentation Plugin’s window so that only the section of the image that you wish to save is displayed. In order to change the default image format that you wish to save the canvas in, select Properties from the Edit menu. One of the options available is the Imaging Save Format. When selected, a list of available graphics formats is provided.

Printing from the Canvas

In addition to saving to disk, you can also print the contents of the Canvas. To print the Canvas:

1. Choose Print from the File menu.

The Print window will be launched.

2. Select a printer available to your workstation.

You may also print the image to a PostScript file on disk by making the appropriate Print To selection and specifying a path for the resulting file.

3. If you wish to print only the visible portion of the Canvas, check the button setting this feature.

4. If necessary, make any other appropriate selections from the available options.

If you are using lp as your printer command, you will need to add the -c option to copy the temporary file to the print spool rather than linking to it.

5. Click OK.

Markup Tools

The following tools are available to conference members for use in making markups on the Canvas. The tools are listed below in the order that they appear on the tool bar, from left to right. All of the markup tools draw with the selected pen size, in the color and fill pattern chosen by the user.

The Pencil

The Pencil allows you to draw freehand lines on the Canvas.

To use the Pencil:

1. Click on the icon on the Tool Bar that looks like a Pencil.

2. When you hold down the mouse button, you will draw on the Canvas.

When you release the mouse button, the Pencil stops drawing.

The Box Tool

With the Box Tool you can create open rectangles on the canvas.

To use the Box Tool:

1. Click on the Box icon on the Tool Bar. It is to the right of the pencil.

2. Click and hold down the left mouse button on the canvas to anchor one corner of the box.

After you anchor the first corner, you will see an outline of the rectangular area that you have started to define. The outline will change dimensions as you move your mouse.

3. Release the mouse button to anchor the opposite corner of the box.

The Ellipse Tool

With the Ellipse Tool, you can create ellipses on the Canvas.

To use the Ellipse Tool:

1. Click on the Ellipse icon on the Tool Bar; it is to the right of the Box.

2. Click and hold down the left mouse button on the canvas to begin defining the boundaries of the ellipse.

You will see an outline of the circular area that you have started to define. The outline will change dimensions as you move your mouse.

3. Release the left mouse button to complete the circle.

The Pointer

The Pointer is a large cursor shaped like an arrow that can be used to point to images and markups on the Canvas. It does not create any markups, but other conference members see it as you move it around on the Canvas. The pointer appears in the color that the user currently has selected.

To use the Pointer:

1. Click on the Pointer icon on the Tool Bar. It is located to the right of the Ellipse Tool.

2. Move the Pointer over the Canvas.

The Line Tool

With the Line Tool you can draw straight lines on the Canvas.

To use the Line Tool:

1. Click on the Line icon on the Tool Bar. It is to the right of the Pointer.

2. Click and hold down the left mouse button on the canvas where you wish to define one end point of the line that you want to draw.

After you select the first endpoint of the line, you will see a line stretching from that point to the current location of your mouse pointer.

3. Release the mouse button when you wish to place the other endpoint.

The Eraser

The Eraser is used to rub out markups from the Canvas.

To use the Eraser:

1. Click on the Eraser icon on the Tool Bar. It is immediately to the right of the Line icon.

2. Press down the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the areas of the canvas that you wish to erase.

When you release the mouse button, the Eraser stops erasing. Notice that the size of the Eraser’s cursor is determined by the pen width selected on the Line Width Tool on the Tool Bar.

If you wish the Eraser to rub out the background image in addition to markups, select Eraser Type: Image from the Properties screen.

The Filled Box Tool

The usage of the Filled Box tool is identical to that of the Box Tool. The only difference is that the rectangles created using the Filled Box Tool are filled with the currently selected color and fill pattern.

The Filled Ellipse Tool

The usage of the Filled Ellipse tool is identical to that of the Ellipse Tool. Ellipses created using the Filled Ellipse Tool are filled with the color and fill pattern currently selected by the user.

The Text Tool

With the Text Tool you can place text on the Canvas.

To use the Text Tool:

1. Click on the Text Icon on the Tool Bar. It is next to the Filled Ellipse and looks like a capital T.

2. Click on the Canvas to place the cursor, then type the text you wish to enter. The text you enter will not be sent to other conference members until you hit enter.

The text you enter will appear in the color and fill pattern that you have chosen. When you are using the Text Tool, you can access the Text pulldown menu on the menu bar. Options on the Text menu allow you to change the font, font size, and type style.

The Color Palette

Using the color palette, the user can select the color that their markups will appear in. The color selector appears on the menu bar as a small box that displays the currently selected color, and a selector button.

To select a new color:

1. Click and hold down the right mouse button on the color selector button.

2. Move the pointer around to select a color from the palette that is displayed.

Line Width

The Line Width Tool allows you to select the width at which most lines drawn by the Markup Tools will appear. Four line widths are provided.

To select a line width:

Click on one of the four width icons on the Tool bar. The width icons appear next to the color palette.

Fill Pattern

The Fill Pattern icons allow you to select a pattern used by the Markup Tools. You are given the choice of solid fill or three fill patterns. Each of the fill patterns can be used with either the solid fill or transparent fill option.

To select a fill pattern:

Click on one of the four fill icons on the Tool Bar. They are located to the right of the line widths.

To toggle between solid and transparent fill, select Drawing Fill Type in the Properties window.

The Desktop Capture Tool

The Desktop Capture Tool enables you to clip a section of the desktop and place it on the canvas as a markup.

To the use the Cut and Paste Tool:

1. Click on the far right button on the Tool Bar. It has a picture of a pair of scissors on it.

If you have Hide Window selected on the Properties Window for Desktop Capture Behavior, the Presentation Plugin window will disappear.

2. Click and hold the left mouse button to anchor the corner of the area that you wish to import to the Presentation Plugin.

3. Move the pointer around until the area that you wish to import is contained in the outline shown on the screen, then release the left mouse button.

You will then be returned to the Presentation Plugin.

4. The outline of the area that you selected will be displayed; move it to where you want it on the Canvas and click the left mouse button to place it.

Creating a Slide Show

To create a slide show, launch the Slide Show Editor from the Edit menu. The Slideshow Editor consists of a menu bar, a list of slide shows that currently exist, and a dialog on the bottom where the creator and the date of last edit for the currently selected slide show are displayed.

If your slide shows are located in a directory other than the default or you wish to create a new slideshow in a different directory, you can change the directory that the Slide Show Editor uses in the Editor Properties pulldown on the menu bar.

To edit an existing slide show, use the pointer to highlight it, and select Edit from the Slide Show menu. To create a new slide show, select Create from the Slide Show pulldown menu. You can also delete existing slide shows with the delete command found on the Slide Show menu.

Using the Editor

Whether you choose to create a new slide show or you edit an existing one, the Slide Show Editor’s interface is the same. The Slide Show Editor window includes two menu bars, Slide Show and Slide, a window that shows the slides which are included in the presentation, and a dialogue that allows the user to select a new slide.

Naming A Slide Show

When you create a slide show for the first time, you must give it a name. To name it, simply enter a name in the Slide Show Name field of the editor window. After you hit enter, the slide show will be permanently named whatever you entered on the Slide Show Name line.

Adding Slides To A Slide Show

There are three different ways to add a slide to a slide show. The first is by entering the path of the image you wish to include in the slide show, and the name of the slide in the respective fields on the window. When you have entered the name and path, you click Add Image to Slide Show to include it in the presentation.

The second method for adding a slide is through the browser. Clicking the Browse button on the editor launches an OpenLook file selector with which you can find and select a file to include in your presentation. When you select the file, a name and path will be entered for you. You can change either the name or path, and when you are ready to include the slide, click Add Image to Slide Show.

If you wish to add all of the slides in a directory at once, you should choose the Bulk Add function from the Slide pulldown menu. A window will be launched, prompting you for a directory from which to add images. After you enter the correct directory, click on Add Images, and all of the images in that directory will be included in your slide show.

If the Link to image file instead of copying button is selected, when a slide is added to the presentation a symbolic link will be added to the database instead of copying the entire file. Generally this should be selected unless you are adding slides from a source that will not be available when you are going to use the presentation.

Manipulating Slides

Once slides have been added to a slide show, they can be removed, viewed, repositioned, and renamed.

Removing A Slide

In order to remove a slide from the slide show, select it from the list and select Delete from the Slide pulldown menu. The slide will then be removed from the list of slides in the slide show.

Viewing A Slide

To preview a slide that you have added to the slide show, highlight it on the list of slides and select View from the Slide pulldown menu. A window will pop up and the slide will be displayed there.

Repositioning Slides

By selecting slides from the list and using the arrows directly below the list, slides can be moved up and down on the list. Once you have moved all of the slides to the order that you want them in, select Apply Position Changes to update the database with the new order.

Renaming A Slide

To rename a slide, select the slide on the list and choose Rename from the Slide menu. A window will show the current name and prompt you for the new name. Enter the new name and select Rename to apply the change.

When you are done editing the slide show, select OK from the bottom of the Slide Show Editor to save all of the changes.

Presenting a Slide Show

The Slide Presentation Tool enables the user to quickly and easily page through images during a conference to present a Slide Show. The first step in presenting a Slide Show is to load the list from the database.

To load a slide show, select Load Presentation from the File menu. A window displaying a list of available presentations will be launched. Select a Slide Show from the list and click on Open Slide Show.

When you open a slide show, a list of slides similar to the one found in the Slide Show Editor is shown. Until you click Start Presentation, the list will be ghosted. When you click on Start Presentation, the first image will be loaded and displayed on the canvas.

You can page to a new image in two ways. The first is to click on the arrows on the Slide Presentation window to go to the previous slide (in the case of the up arrow), or the next slide (in the case of the down arrow). The second is to double click on any slide on the list, in which case you will jump directly to that slide.

Note that when you change pages, any markups that are not saved will be lost.

To end the presentation, select Close Presentation from the File menu.

The Properties Window

The Properties window allows the user to select options that determine the way that the Presentation Plugin behaves in certain situations. It is found on the Edit menu.

Eraser Type

Selecting Markups tells the eraser to only wipe out markups and not the background image when you are erasing things. Selecting Image forces the eraser to wipe out both the markup layer and the image layer when erasing.

Drawing Fill Type

If you have Fill Solid selected for this option, fill patterns will appear as though they are on a black background. If you have Fill Clear selected, you will be able to see the underlying image through the fill pattern.

Desktop Capture Behavior

If Hide Window is selected, when you select the Desktop Capture tool the Presentation Plugin’s window will disappear so that you can capture things that it would ordinarily obscure. If Show Window is selected, then the Presentation Plugin window will remain on the screen while you clip a section of the screen to import.

Desktop Capture Quality

This setting allows you to make a trade-off between speed or quality when you are clipping sections of the screen to import into the Presentation Plugin.

Slide Show Database Directory

This setting allows the user to select which directory the Presentation Plugin will look in to find Slide Shows. Once you enter a new directory, you can click on Apply to make the change, or Default to make the directory you have entered the new default. Cancel ignores any changes you have made.

Save Format

The Image Save Format you select will be used when you save image files generated with the Presentation Plugin.

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