TechNote (Archived)

What is a stub projector?

What is the purpose of a stub projector?
A stub projector is a small .dir file that is ultimately used to create the projector (.exe file) by using the File > Create Projector menu option. Typically, this small projector does not contain much content, except Lingo commands to call the other movies in the project. Creating a stub projector can decrease the amount of time necessary for the project to begin playing, because the stub projector is a very small executable, which will launch almost immediately.

One projector can call many different movies
A Director presentation may contain multiple .dir files, and the movies can be linked to each other with scripting. Using this approach, a group of movies (.dir files), can be connected by using Lingo. Common design techniques include allowing the user to click a button to go to the next movie or placing a script in the script channel that automatically goes to another movie when the playback head reaches that frame.

A stub projector is created so that the small Director executable file is the only data that needs to load when the user double clicks to launch the projector. If a small movie is created specifically as the stub movie that will become the stub projector, the benefits include increased response when launching the projector, decreased latency and the ability of using scripting in the first movie to prepare for other situations within the project. Examples of tasks that might be incorporated in a stub projector include preloading cast members, setting the searchPath in the movie script, using Lingo to detect for the presence of QuickTime and setting global variables.

Splitting a project up into smaller "bite size" movies also offers organizational benefits by simplifying the different segments. This can improve workflow when revisions are needed. Only the specific area of a project need be addressed. Another bonus to creating many different movie files is the ability to separate content that may otherwise conflict.

What is the correct folder structure to keep a projector in relation to the other movie files?

1	Create a new folder on the desktop. It could be titled "My Project".
2	Open the "My Project" folder. Create another new folder inside the "My Project" folder, called "Movies". Copy all of the .dir movie files, external media, casts, and project elements into the "Movies" folder.
3	Also in the "My Project" folder, create a folder called"Xtras". This is an optional step, discussed at length in another TechNote. To access information about creating an Xtras folder manually, seeWhat are the advantages of manually creating an Xtras folder for a Director 6.x projector? (TechNote 13412)
4	Open up the .dir file that was created to become the stub projector. This is the first movie visible when the projector is launched. Choose File > Create Projector to make the projector and be sure to save the executable file in the root level of the "My Project" folder, alongside the "Movies" and "Xtra" folders.

What is the correct folder relationship between the projector and the project's movies?
The "My Project" folder should contain all the files for the project. The projector is located at the root level of the "My Project" folder. It will automatically look for another folder at the same level that contains the .dir files that are called for by Lingo scripts once the projector runs.

It is often helpful to create a storyboard or flow chart before beginning a project. A written structure allows decisions to be made on the navigation of the project before actually creating each movie. Having an outline or "blueprint" of the project structure can be extremely useful when working on complex presentations.