TechNote (Archived)

Fixes in Authorware 4.0.2

Authoring environment

If you select and cut the title of an icon in a library, you can now select the title of a different icon without the title either disappearing or being replaced with the name of the icon you just cut.

Windows 95/NT. The expanded Import dialog box no longer appears momentarily when you open the Import dialog box.

Windows 95/NT. If you set up an event response to respond to an event generated by a sprite and then remove the sprite icon, you can now save and compact the file even if you don't remove the event response.

Windows 95. If you import a QuickDraw 3D Director movie without installing the QuickDraw 3D Xtra, the error message that appears is now erased correctly.

Windows 95. Selecting an Authorware flowline file (A4P) in the Open Library dialog box no longer causes Authorware to crash.

Windows NT. Authorware now reports the key numbers of the function keys correctly.

Windows NT. An error message no longer appears when you close a calculation icon after adding Cover.u32 functions to it.

Windows NT 4.0. Dragging a properties dialog box to the top of the screen no longer causes the bottom of the dialog box to disappear.

Macintosh. Previews of graphics smaller than the preview area now appear correctly in the Import dialog box.

Macintosh PowerPC. When you set up a link to an external file and use the External Media Browser to change a literal link to an expression, Authorware displays the Open dialog box if you type a custom function in the Expression field. Authorware no longer crashes if you click Cancel to close the Open dialog box.

Converting files

If you set up a digital movie icon to use files with different names for Windows 3.1, Windows 95/NT, and the Macintosh (for example, Intro.mov, Intro Movie.mov, and Intro Movie), then convert the piece from Authorware 3.5 for Macintosh to Authorware 3.5 for Windows to Authorware 4 for Windows, Authorware no longer leavesTestPlatform's third argument blank when it adds the function during conversion. When you package the file for Windows 3.1, the digital movie icon now finds the movie and plays it correctly.

When you're converting Authorware 3.5 files to Authorware 4, an error message now appears if Authorware runs out of memory.

Windows 95/NT. Authorware occasionally crashed when it was converting libraries created in Authorware 3.0 or 3.5. That no longer happens.

Macintosh. Converting a file that contains calculation icons with many lines of code no longer freezes the computer.

Variables and Functions

KeyNum now returns the correct values for the F4 key(65,651), the s key (115), the F2 key (65,649), and the q (113) key.

Functions such as GotoNetPage that accept URLs no longer require a slash (/) at the end of URLs that name just aserver (for example, www.macromedia.com).

Authorware used to report an "Out of Memory" error when trying to save and compact a piece containing uninitialized symbol variables. Uninitialized symbol variables are not common in Authorware pieces. The Variables window shows them as having a value of #. Authorware now correctly saves the piece without reporting an error. The uninitialized symbol variables are saved in the new piece with the same uninitialized value as the original.

When you package a course, Authorware now correctly updates variables embedded in display icons that are in packaged variables.

Array values more than eight characters long are now passed correctly when using Jumpfile to jump from one file to another.

NetDownload now works the first time every time.

Functions such as ReadExtFile andGotoNetPage that accept URLs now work with URLs 2047 charcters long in both shocked and non-shocked pieces. Your HTTP server may, however, limit URLs to fewer characters.

When SyncWait is interrupted by a navigate icon set to Call and Return, it now behaves correctly when the interruptionis over.

Windows 95. The values of variables are now passed correctly between packaged files.

Windows 95. Using a negative number in MoveWindow now positions the window in the correct place and no longer crashes the computer.

Windows, Runa4w16.exe. When you use JumpFile to jump from one file to a second file that contains a list, Authorware now frees the memory allocated for the list when it returns to the first file.

Macintosh PowerPC. A ShowCursor(off) statement now dismisses a custom cursor correctly.

Libraries

Opening a packaged file on the platform other than the one it was created on now opens the correct packaged library rather than prompting for the unpackaged version of the library.

Windows 95/NT. Opening a read-only library that's on a CD-ROM no longer causes Authorware to crash.

Interactions and buttons

Windows 95. A button's disabled state now correctly defaults to the shadow color rather than to black.

Macintosh PowerPC. You no longer get an error message when you change a pull-down menu to a different response type.

Frameworks

When you jump from one framework to another, graphics in the entry pane of the second framework are now correctly erased when you return to the first framework.

Director movies, digital movies, and animation files

Windows 95/NT. The erase icon now erases Director movies correctly.

Windows 95/NT. The Black as Transparent option is now correctly recognized when you import FLC, FLI, or CEL files.

Windows 95/NT. Authorware now contains a workaround to a problem in ActiveMovie 1.0. The workaround allows Authorware to play an MPEG movie at the correct volume when it plays the movie a second time.

Text

Character mapping from Authorware 3.5 Macintosh to Authorware 4 Macintosh to Authorware 4 Windows now works correctly.

Macintosh. When you import an RTF file into a pre-sized text area, the text no longer overflows the boundaries of the area.

Macintosh. Saving a new Fontmap.txt file to the folder where the current Fontmap.txt file is located now correctly replaces the current file with the new one rather than appending the new file to the current one.

Graphics

All the Made with Macromedia graphics on the Authorware CD are now in a format that Authorware can import.

Objects drawn in an Authorware 3.5 for Macintosh file, converted to Authorware 4.0 for Macintosh, and then opened in Authorware 4.0 for Windows can now be pasted as bitmaps using the Paste Special command.

Authorware now deletes all the temporary files it creates when it displays JPEG graphics.

If you use a variable to define the link to an external graphic that's in an interaction, the variable”and graphic”are now correctly updated if you jump out of and then return to the interaction.

Windows 95/NT. Attempting to import a mislabeled JPEG file (a file with a JPG extension, but not in JPEG format) no longer prevents Authorware from subsequently importing JPEG graphics.

Macintosh. Changing the properties of a graphic that's slightly smaller than the available memory no longer causes an "Out of Memory" error.

Sound

When you use an expression to define the path to an external sound file and select Perpetual as the Concurrency setting, the sound now plays correctly after the expression changes.

Jumping from one file to another while a sound is playing no longer causes Authorware to crash.

Windows 95/NT. If you're using JumpFileReturn to jump from one file to another and you have the Quit button in the second file set up as a perpetual, the piece no longer crashes if you click the Quit button while a sound is playing.

Windows 95. If you're using a Turtle Beach or a Sound Blaster sound driver, Authorware no longer crashes when playing a sound.

Windows NT. SoundPlaying now returns the correct value when you're using MediaPlay andMediaPause.

Shockwave for Authorware

URLs that end with a specific port number now work correctly in shocked pieces.

In shocked pieces, ReadExtFile now accepts URLs starting with HTTPS.

Shockwave now correctly parses URLs that use a question mark (?) as a query string separator.

In Internet Explorer 4.0, if you ran a shocked piece that caused the same file to download twice in the same browser session, the piece might freeze for several minutes, followed by an error message that stated that the requested file could not be downloaded. This could happen with segment files, withbin files listed in the map file, or with files downloaded with ReadExtFile orNetDownload in Shockwave. It might happen if you clicked the Back button then the Forward button in the browser, or possibly when downloading the same file twice fromReadExtFile or NetDownload. The problem”which was timing dependent bug and could happen intermittently”no longer occurs.

Windows 95/NT. In Internet Explorer 4, you can now drag a shocked piece to a browser to launch the Shockwave for Authorware plug-in and run the piece.

Windows 95/NT. In Internet Explorer 4, JumpFile andJumpFileReturn no longer cause shocked pieces to hang.

Windows 95. When you place external content that's referred to by a relative path in the same folder as a packaged piece, Afterburner no longer deletes the external content when it shocks the piece.

Windows 95, Internet Explorer 3.0. An error no longer occurs when you run a shocked piece with external content a second time.

Windows 95. Internet Explorer 4.0 now recognizes local MIME types and opens local files.

Windows 95, Internet Explorer 4.0. Clicking the Back button in the browser now correctly plays a shocked piece.

Windows 3.1, Internet Explorer. Shockwave can now play local files.

Macintosh. The Shockwave plug-in no longer plays packaged pieces that haven't been shocked.

Xtras

The Flash Asset Xtra works only with Authorware 4.0.2 and later versions.

Windows 95/NT. The ActiveX Xtra no longer makes arbitrary changes to non-HTTP URLs.

Windows 95/NT. Using the FileIO Xtra to sort a file larger than 32K no longer crashes Authorware.

Macintosh. Authorware now displays the correct icon for Xtras in the Finder.

Performance

Windows 95. There's no longer a delay when an Authorware file in the topmost folder of a hard disk, CD-ROM, or so on, plays or displays external content that's in a different folder.

Windows NT. The Performance Monitor no longer shows CPU usage at 100% all the time. Authorware now correctly returns control of the CPU to the operating system when possible. The Performance Monitor will show CPU usage at 100% only when Authorware is performing tasks such as playing a sound or a movie, or running an animation.

QuickStart templates

Content template. If you didn't include the file extension with the Quiz module name, the template couldn't find the quiz file. Now, the template appends the proper file extension to the quiz file name.

Content template. If you ran the Content Template without first running the Logon Template, the records location variable in theJumpFile function was null; that caused a page fault when jumping. The template now assigns FileLocation as the default records location if the value is null.

Content template, Quiz template. If you don't save the file, the template can't find the external functions. The templates now display a message telling you to save the file.

Logon template. The Resume and Restart buttons are now aligned properly.

Question models. Answer, question type, and latency tracking have been added for each Pathware quiz question model.

NOTE: the 4.02 update introduces an authoring-only problem with lists which occurs when viewing the value of a list in the variables dialog box. To work around this problem use the Trace window to view the value of your list, or paste the list in a display icon. This will be corrected in the next product update.