TechNote (Archived)

Authoring tips on how to effectively use linked media

Using linked media in Director does not need to be complicated. This TechNote outlines a simple way to set up a project, so that linked media can be found without difficulties.

When authoring in Director, you can can fully import media files to use as cast members, or you can import them using the import option to "Link to External File". This option is provided next to "Media" at the bottom of the import dialog, beneath the File List.

AVI and QuickTime cast members are always externally linked files and will ignore the "Media" setting in the import dialog. When these file types are imported, a relative link is established between the Director movie and the linked file. A relative link is also established for any other file types that are imported with the "Link to External File" option selected.

Files using a relative link to the movie will always be found by the movie as long they remain in the correct relative location to the movie. It will not matter if the project is copied to a CD or another hard drive. The link will not be broken as long as the file is kept in the same location relative to the Director movie.

Note:For Director 6.5,one exception to this rule exists when QuickTime assets are inserted using the Insert menu (Insert > Media Element > QuickTime 3). Unlike other linked media, this particular media type defaults to an absolute path. For information on how to make that path relative, please refer to A QuickTime 3 Movie Does Not Appear On Stage in Director 6.5 (TechNote 13521).

Additional path-related authoring issues are discussed at the end of this TechNote.

The steps to follow to ensure that a Director movie can find linked media are listed below:

1	Create the folder where the project will reside. This is called a "staging" folder. On the Windows desktop, right-click to access the context menu and select New > Folder. On the Macintosh desktop select File > New Folder. Name the new folder "My Project".

2	It is critical that the Director movie is saved in this new folderBEFORE importing any of the linked media assets. Optionally, subfolders can be created to organize the project. It is essential that the project's structure is established from the beginning, so that the relative paths will be preserved. It is from this location that the media will be imported. In this example there will be one subfolder called "Digital Videos".

3	Linked media can now be added to the "staging" folder called"My Project". In this example, the digital video assets are included in the "Digital Videos" folder.

4	Open the Director movie, and import the media assets from locations within the"staging" folder called "My Project".

The Director movie should now be able to easily locate all the linked media.

While the above steps illustrate the easiest method, occasionally the design of a project requires a different approach. Difficulties may arise if asked to develop a project that has already been partially completed. In this situation, linked cast members may have already been imported from different locations relative to their present locations. The following steps describe how to reestablish new relative paths for linked cast members.

To reimport linked media assets or reestablish a relative path, do the following:

1	You can relink a digital video (or other externally linked) cast member by selecting the member in the Cast window and then going to the Member tab of the Property Inspector. Below the Filename field, there is a relink button. Choose this button (screenshot below), and browse to select the file in its current, relative position. Note:For Director 7 and earlier, this method is not available. You will have to reimport the movie or follow the method in step 2 below.

2	If the relative locations of linked media have been changed, a dialog box will appear. It asks for the location of a replacement for the asset that cannot be found. The first step is to verify that the media assets have been placed in their correct positions within the "staging" folder. Use the interface to navigate to the "staging" folder and select the asset that is linked. By selecting "sheep.mov", a NEW relative path has been established.

Additional information
Another way to ensure that linked media can be found is to use the Lingo command"searchPaths". For information on using the searchPaths, refer toChanging linked file paths (TechNote 3126).

Note:For Director versions 4 to 6.5, please seeUsing the searchPath in Director (TechNote 3125).