Copyright: (C) Copyright 2001 Virtual Mechanics Inc.


File Print command
Print command (File menu)

Use this command to print a document.   This command presents a Print dialog box, where you may specify the range of pages to be printed, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other printer setup options.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+P


Print dialog box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This is the active printer and printer connection.  Choose the Setup option to change the printer and printer connection.

Setup

Displays a Print Setup dialog box, so  you can select a printer and printer connection.

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

All	Prints the entire document.
Selection	Prints the currently selected text.
Pages	Prints the range of pages you specify in the From and To boxes.
Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print for the above page range.

Collate Copies

Prints copies in page number order, instead of separated multiple copies of each page.

Print Quality

Select the quality of the printing.  Generally, lower quality printing takes less time to produce.


Print Progress Dialog

The Printing dialog box is shown during the time that <<YourApp>> is sending output to the printer.  The page number indicates the progress of the printing.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


File Print Preview command
Print Preview command (File menu)

Use this command to display the active document as it would appear when printed.  When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which one or two pages will be displayed in their printed format.  The print preview toolbar offers you options to view either one or two pages at a time; move back and forth through the document; zoom in and out of pages; and initiate a print job.


Print Preview toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the print dialog box, to start a print job.

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


File Print Setup command
Print Setup command (File menu)

Use this command to select a printer and a printer connection.  This command presents a Print Setup dialog box, where you specify the printer and its connection.


Print Setup dialog box

The following options allow you to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.  Choose the Default Printer; or choose the Specific Printer option and select one of the current installed printers shown in the box.  You install printers and configure ports using the Windows Control Panel.

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

Select the size of paper that the document is to be printed on.

Paper Source

Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources.  Specify the tray here.

Options

Displays a dialog box where you can make additional choices about printing, specific to the type of printer you have selected.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Page Setup Command
Page Setup command (File menu)

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Update command
Update command (File menu)

<< Write a topic here that discusses the Update command. >>


Save Copy As... command
Save Copy As... command (File menu)

<< Write a topic here that discusses the Save Copy As... command. >>


Embedded Object Resize Bar

<< Write a topic here that discusses the embedded object resize bar. >>


Sound Dialog Sheet

The Sound Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Selection	Select the current sound component.
Settings	Selects an audio file and repeat count.


Sound Options Dialog
Selection Dialog (Sound Editor)

Name:

Displays the name of the current Sound component being edited. Use the drop down box to select another Sound component.

You can change the name of the current Sound by typing a new name into the edit box. Sound names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any blank or special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Sound1, Sound2. Sound3 etc.

Assigned Objects:

Will list all Objects currently using this Sound component.

Create:

Creates a new Sound component.

Delete:

Delete the current sound component. IMS Web Engine will test all Objects for reference to this sound and replace them with a null reference.


Selection Dialog
Settings Dialog (Sound Editor)

Select New:

Will display the standard File Open dialog to select an audio file. The primary file type for sound effects are “.wav” Other file types may also be used if supported by the browser.

Repeat Plays

Use this Slider or Edit box to set the number of times the sound effect is to be played.  The default is 1.

Continuos Play:

Check this box to select continuos Play. The sound effect play repeat forever.

Note: You can use a behavior to accurately control starting and stopping a sound effect. These include Button Sounds and game playing sounds.


Publish Dialog Sheet
Wizard Dialog

The Wizard Menu accesses the following Wizard Dialogs:

Mouse_Over	Mouse Over Effect
Mouse_Trigger	Mouse Trigger Effect -Drop Menu
Strobe Effect	Strobe Object Effect
Scroll Animation	Scroll Object Animation
Shoot Animation	Shoot Object Animation
Motion Animation	Motion Animation


Introduction to Wizards
Introduction to Wizards (Wizard Select Dialog)

The IMS Web Engine Wizards are used to help create complex or common Special Effects and Animations. They are consequently ideal for the new or novice user. Once mastered, many other effects and animations can be defined by creating your own Behaviors and Actions.

Some of the Wizards will create new Actions and Behaviors. These can be adjusted with the Action Editor and Behavior_Editor. Some Wizards will combine multiple Objects into a Temporary Group. A temporary Group can be positioned and scaled as a single Object but will disappear as soon as another operation is performed.

See the section Understanding Objects for more details on creating and using IMS Web Engine Objects.


Effects Wizards
Effects Wizards (Wizard Select Dialog)

The Effects Wizards are used to create common Dynamic HTML special Effects. Many more effects are possible by creating your own custom Behaviors and Animations.

The Mouse_Over Wizard will make an Object visible or invisible when the mouse is moved over it. Optionally, an Off Object can be displayed and a Hyper Link can be attached to the Mouse Over Object.

The Mouse_Trigger Wizard will make a Display Object visible when the mouse moves over a Trigger Object. When the Trigger Object is also used to hide the Display Object, a Pop Up Message Box effect is created. When The Display Object is used to hide itself, a Drop Menu Effect is created. A Hyper Link can also be attached to the Trigger Object.

The Strobe Effect Wizard will flash an Object On and Off controlled by a time loop. An Off Object can also be included that will become visible when the Strobe On Object is invisible. An optional Hyper Link can also be assigned to both Objects.


Animation Wizards
Animation Wizards (Wizard Select Dialog)

The Animation Wizards are used to create common Dynamic HTML Animation Effects. More complex animation including Hierarchical Motion can be defined with the Animation and Behavior Dialogs.

The Scroll Animation Wizard will animate an Object in one of eight linear directions. The animation will start after the page has finished loading and will either scroll the Object from Off Screen to its initial location or from its initial location to Off Screen.

The Shoot Animation Wizard is similar to the Scroll Animation but a trigger must be activated first to start the motion. Possible triggers include a Mouse Click, a Mouse Over event, a keyboard key entry or the Intersection with another Object.

The Motion Animation Wizard can be used to define additional animation methods. These include tracing Motion Paths, attaching an Object to the mouse, or creating a Drag and Drop operation that will move the Object while selected with the left mouse button down.


Strobe Wizard Dialog
Mouse Over (Wizard Dialog)

A Mouse Over Effect will display or change an Object as the user moves over it and will optionally include a hyper-link.

The Mouse Over Wizard assists in the creation of a Mouse Over effect by guiding the user through the selection of the Mouse Out Object, the Mouse Over Object and the Hyper-Link. The Wizard will also combine the Objects into a Temporary Group and move them together so that the Effect can be easily positioned on the page.

A Mouse Over Effect does not use a Behavior or Action and can be used with 3.2 HTML output.


Strobe Wizard Dialog
Mouse Trigger/Drop Menu Wizard (Wizard Dialog)

A Mouse Trigger will make a Display Object appear as the mouse moves over a Trigger Object. When the Trigger Object is also used to hide the Display Object, a Pop Up Message Box effect is created. When The Display Object is used to hide itself, a Drop Menu Effect is created. A Hyper Link can also be attached to the Trigger Object.

The Wizard will also combine the Objects into a Temporary Group and move them together so that the Effect can be easily positioned on the page.

See the Behavior_Editor for information on changing a Behavior.


Strobe Wizard Dialog
Strobe Object Wizard (Wizard Dialog)

A Strobe Object Effect will flash one Object or alternate two Object On/Off and will optionally include a hyper-link.

The Strobe Object Wizard assists in the creation of a Strobe effect by guiding the user through the selection of the Strobe On Object, the Strobe Off Object and the Hyper-Link. The Wizard will also combine the Objects into a Temporary Group and move them together so that the Effect can be easily positioned on the page.

See the Behavior_Editor for information on changing a Behavior.


Strobe Wizard Dialog
Scroll Object Animation (Wizard Dialog)

The Scroll Object Wizard assists in the creation of simple scroll effects by selecting an Object, direction and rate. The Scroll Object will animate in one of eight linear directions. The animation will start after the page has finished loading and will either scroll the Object from Off Screen to its initial location or from its initial location to Off Screen.

The Action dialog can be used to adjust the Scroll Animation or to define more sophisticated animation paths and hierarchical animation.

See the section Understanding Objects for more details on creating and using IMS Web Engine Objects. See the Action Editor for information on changing an Action.


Strobe Wizard Dialog
Shoot Object Animation (Wizard Dialog)

The Shoot Object Wizard will scroll an Object across the screen when a specific event occurs. Possible triggers include a Mouse Click, a Mouse Over event or keyboard keyboard entry.

When an Object Intersection is selected, the animation will wait until the Trigger Object intersects with the Shoot Object. By creating multiple Shoot Object Effects, it is possible to create complex animations such as a domino effect.

The Shoot Wizard will create and attach a new Action and Behavior to the selected Object. See the section Understanding Objects for more details on creating and using IMS Web Engine Objects. See the Action Editor for information on changing an Action. See the Behavior_Editor information on changing a Behavior.


Strobe Wizard Dialog
Motion  Animation (Wizard Dialog)

The Motion Wizard can be used to define none linear animations. When an Object is selected to provide a motion path, the Animation Object will trace the outline of the Motion Path Object. Text, Images and Rectangles define rectangular motion paths. Ellipse define an elliptical motion path and Polygons define complex motion paths.

The animation Object can also be attached to the movement of the mouse or can be assigned a Drag and Drop Event so that it will only move when selected and dragged by the mouse.

The Motion Wizard will create and attach a new Action. A new Behavior will also be defined and attached if a Drag and Drop operation is selected.

See the section Understanding Objects for more details on creating and using IMS Web Engine Objects. See the Action Editor for information on changing an Action. See the Behavior_Editor information on changing a Behavior.


Select Object Wizard
Select Object (Wizard Dialogs)

The Select Object Dialog is used in several Wizards to select an Object.

Selected Object

This box will display the currently selected Object image and name. The drop down Combo Box can be used to select or change the selected Object.

Load Image

This button will display the Load_Imagedialog so that a new Image can be created.

Load Text

This button will display the Create Text dialog so that a new Text Object can be created.

Do not display

Some Wizards provide the option of not select an Object. This check box  will be displayed when this option is available.


Mouse Over Options
Set Options (Mouse Over Wizard)

This dialog is used to set several options in the Mouse Over Wizard

Group Objects

When checked, this option will position the Mouse Over and Mouse Out Objects together and create a Temporary Group. A Temporary Group can be used to position the two Objects together on the page. A Temporary Group is destroyed as soon as the page is Previewed or another Object is selected.

Link to Page

Check this button and select a Page from the drop down box if you wish to create a Hyper Link to another page in your current project.

Link to URL

Check this button and enter a valid URL into the edit box if you wish to create a Hyper Link to another page or web site.


Mouse Over Options
Set Options (Mouse Trigger Wizard)

This dialog is used to set several options in the Wizard Trigger Wizard

Group Objects

When checked, this option will position the Mouse Over and Mouse Trigger Objects together and create a Temporary Group. A Temporary Group can be used to position the two Objects together on the page. A Temporary Group is destroyed as soon as the page is Previewed or another Object is selected.

Link to Page

Check this button and select a Page from the drop down box if you wish to create a Hyper Link to another page in your current project when the ‘Mouse Over’ Object is clicked.

Link to URL

Check this button and enter a valid URL into the edit box if you wish to create a Hyper Link to another page or web site when the ‘Mouse Over’ Object is clicked.

Hide Trigger Object..

These buttons will determine when the Trigger Object will disappear.

If the ‘Leave Mouse Over’ box is checked, the Trigger Object will appear and disappear as the mouse moves over and leaves the ‘Mouse Over’ Object. A example of this would be the display an information box as the mouse moves over a link.

If the ‘Leave Trigger Object’ is selected, the Trigger Object will appear as the mouse moves over the Trigger Object but will disappear when the mouse leaves the Trigger Object. To work, the Trigger Object must be positioned at the same location as the Mouse Over Object. A useful example of this would be a drop down menu.

If neither the ‘Leave Mouse Over’ box or ‘Leave Trigger Object’ boxes are selected, the Trigger Object will remain visible once displayed.


Strobe Object Wizard
Set Options (Strobe Object Wizard)

This dialog is used to set several options in the Strobe Object Wizard

Group Objects

When checked, this option will position the Strobe On and Strobe Off Objects together and create a Temporary Group. A Temporary Group can be used to position the two Objects together on the page. A Temporary Group is destroyed as soon as the page is Previewed or another Object is selected.

Link to Page

Check this button and select a Page from the drop down box if you wish to create a Hyper Link to another page in your current project.

Link to URL

Check this button and enter a valid URL into the edit box if you wish to create a Hyper Link to another page or web site.

Flash Rate

This slider is used to adjust the Flash Rate from slow to fast. The Slowest Rate set by the slider is approximately 10 seconds. Slower rates can be set by adjusting the Behavior attached to the Flash On Object.


Strobe Object Wizard
Set Options (Scroll Object Wizard)

This dialog is used to select a direction for the Scroll Object Wizard.

Scroll Out

Select a direction to ‘Scroll Out’ to Off Screen. The scroll animation will start at the Objects current position and end when it is no longer visible. The Wizard will set the path count to 1 so that the animation will not be repeated. You can change the path count with the Action Dialog.

Scroll In

Select a direction to ‘Scroll In’ from Off Screen. The scroll animation will end at the Objects current position. The Wizard will also disable the ‘Visible When Loading’ option as set in the Object Editor to prevent the Object being seen when the page is first loaded.

Scroll Rate

This slider is used to adjust the Scroll Rate from slow to fast. The Slowest Rate set by the slider will take approximately 40 seconds to complete the animation. Slower rates can be set in the Action Dialog.


Shoot Object Wizard
Shoot Object (Shoot Object Wizard)

This dialog is used to select a trigger…. Shoot Object Wizard.

User Trigger

A user trigger will start the animation upon the intervention of the viewer. Check the ‘Mouse Select’ box to start the animation when the user clicks on the Shoot Object. Check the ‘Mouse Over’ button to start the animation when the mouse moves over the Shoot Object. Enter a single character into the ‘Keyboard Select’ box to start the animation when the user presses a single character on their keyboard.

Object Trigger

An Object Trigger will start the animation when the selected Object intersects with the Animation Object. The Trigger Object must consequently be animated itself by either following a path or by being attached to the mouse.

Set Repeat Mode

When checked, the Animation Object will return to its starting position and re-await the trigger.


Motion  Wizard
Motion Paths (Motion Animation Wizard)

This dialog is used to define the animation method for the Animation Object Wizard.

Attach to Mouse

When checked, the Animation Object will stay attached to the mouse while the HTML page is being displayed.

Drag and Drop

When checked, the Animation Object can be Dragged and Dropped by selecting and moving it with the mouse while the left mouse button is pressed.

Motion Path

When an Object is selected from the drop down box, the Animation Object will trace the selected Object’s outline. Text, Images and Rectangles define rectangular motion paths. Ellipse define an elliptical motion path and Polygons define complex motion paths.

If the selected Object is also being animated, the Animation Object will still correctly trace the outline of the animated motion path as it moves around the screen creating  Hierarchical motion.

Scroll Rate

This slider is used to adjust the Scroll Rate from slow to fast. Use the Animation Dialog to adjust the speed or reverse the motion.


Understanding IMS Web Engine ;Understanding
Introduction to IMS Studio Version 2

© Copyright 2001 by Virtual Mechanics Inc.

IMS (Interactive Multimedia System) Studio is a suite of Web Design and Animation applications that combine Word Processing, Vector Graphics, advanced Rendering, interactive Animation and Web Page support features for export to HTML, Dynamic HTML and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). IMS Studio provides the ability to rapidly create fully interactive professional web content by minimizing the time consuming need to switch between multiple 3rd party applications.

IMS Web Engine is a Drag-And-Drop, Web Design editor for creating advanced interactive animation in DHTML and SVG.

IMS Web Spinner is a professional Web Top editor for creating visually rich web content in HTML and SVG.

IMS Web Dwarf is a free web design tool for prototype and design of single web pages at all levels.

IMS Studio are Object Oriented applications written in Visual C++ with JavaScript components.


Copyright Notice

© Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001 by Virtual Mechanics Inc.

Notice of Proprietary Property

IMS Studio, IMS Web Engine, IMS Web Spinner, IMS Web Dwarf and ‘Interactive Multimedia System’ are all trademarks of Virtual Mechanics Inc. All manuals, documentation and other support materials regardless of medium are the proprietary property of Virtual Mechanics. Any proprietary property of other companies whose products have been licensed to Virtual Mechanics and are used in these programs, such as fonts, sound effects, music, animation, clip art, spelling, dictionaries or otherwise, remain the property of those companies. You agree not to remove or deface any such notifications of proprietary restrictions from any Virtual Mechanics products contained herein.

It is strictly forbidden to reverse engineer, attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or otherwise make use of any part of the core code that constitutes IMS Studio or the code contained in any of its applications including but not limited to “IMS Web Dwarf”, “IMS Web Spinner” and “IMS Web Engine”. Any such activity will result in criminal prosecution and the pursuit of damages.

You may not lend or rent these products; use any of the proprietary materials included in this distribution package, except in the intended purpose of these products; duplicate, replicate, or distribute any of the products contained in this package in any fashion except as allowed by this agreement. This includes, but is not limited to, all manuals and other printed material, demonstration files, and help guides.

Rights Granted to Users

These products are licensed to you for use on one computer. Use of these products on more than one computer is forbidden and requires the licensing of a number of products equal to the number of computers the products are to be used on. Carefully read these Warranty and Registration terms before use. Installation of any or all these products indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions described.

You may make one copy of “IMS Web Engine” or “IMS Web Spinner” for the purpose of backup only.

“IMS Web Dwarf” is a licensed Freeware product and may be freely distributed and used provided full credit is given to Virtual Mechanics and no fee is charged for its use. All rights to “IMS Web Dwarf” remains the property of Virtual Mechanics.

Virtual Mechanics retains all rights to change or modify the terms of use and distribution for its products at any time.

Wintertree Spell Checker

The Big Stash

By Keith Parkinson

Art and images used by permission. All rights reserved. Visit Keith Parkinson's web site at: www.keithparkinson.com


Contact and Support
Contacts and Support

Technical Support:

Technical support is available through our mailing lists and newsletters by registering your product at http://www.VirtualMechanics.com/ .

Documentation:

Corrections and suggestions regarding any aspect of this documentation should be addressed to doc@VirtualMechanics.com.

General:

Please address any comments or requests for general information about Virtual Mechanics and its products to info@VirtualMechanics.com


Help menu commands

File Bar:

The Help menu provides the following commands, which provide you assistance with this application:

Help Topics	Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.
Tutorials	Displays an HTML tutorial page.
Tip of the Day	Displays the daily tips dialog.
Web Tips News Letter Day	Join the IMS Web Tips weekly news letter.
Virtual Mechanics Home Page Day	Visit the Virtual Mechanics web site.
Purchase Day	Upgrade to IMS Web Spinner or IMS Web Engine
Internet Resource Store Day	Visit our Internet Store for all your web needs.
Technical Support	Help is only a click away.
Contact Virtual Mechanics	Contact e-mails.
About	Displays the version number of this application.


Index command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the opening screen of Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using IMS Studio and various types of reference information.

Once you open Help, you can click the Contents button whenever you want to return to the opening screen.


Using Help command (Help menu)

Use this command for instructions about using Help.


Tutorials (Help menu)

We periodically update and add new tutorials to our web site . Visit our on-line tutorials page at http://www.VirtualMechanics.com/tutorials.htm to find detailed instructions on the use of IMS products.


Tip of the Day (Help menu)

The IMS Web Tips weekly news letter is full of tips, tricks, code and advise to develop and promote your site. Send an e-mail to mailto:tips@VirtualMechanics.com?Subject=Subscribe with Subscribe as your subject.


WebTips News Letter (Help menu)

The IMS Web Tips weekly news letter is full of tips, tricks, code and advise to develop and promote your site. Send an e-mail to mailto:tips@VirtualMechanics.com?Subject=Subscribe with Subscribe as your subject.


Virtual Mechanics Home Page (Help menu)

Selecting this command will take you to the Virtual Mechanics home page at http://www.VirtualMechanics.com if you are on line..


Purchase Upgrade Information (Help menu)

This command will take you to the Virtual Mechanics purchase page where you can purchase or upgrade your license.


Internet Resource Store (Help menu)

We list numerous products and books that we feel will be very helpful for all web developers. Please visit it at http://www.VirtualMechanics.com/store/entrance.htm


Technical Support (Help menu)

Virtual Mechanics provides several support options. Visit our support page at http://www.VirtualMechanics.com/support.htm for our latest support options.


Contact Information (Help menu)

Need to contact us? Select this command while online to find the right e-mail address.


About command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the copyright notice and version number of your copy of IMS Studio.

Shortcuts

File Bar:


Help Using Help Command
Context Help command

Use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of IMS Studio.  When you choose the Toolbar's Context Help button, the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark.  Then click somewhere in the IMS Studio window, such as another Toolbar button.  The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	SHIFT+F1


File Template command
Introductory Project(File menu)

Use this command to open the IMS Web Engine Introductory Project. The Introductory Project will load by default the first time the program is installed.

You can create a new project with the New command.


File Template command
Open Template command (File menu)

Use this command to open a predefined template “.ims” file in a new window. You may only have one project open at a time. If a project is currently open, you will be prompted to save it first.

Templates are normal “.ims” files that have been included with the program as a guide in helping you create your own projects. This command will display the standard file open dialog.

You can create a new project with the New command.


Page menu commands

Web Engine, Web Spinner Page Bar:

Web Dwarf Page Bar

The Page menu provides the following commands:

Editor	Display the Page Editor Dialog.
Page Select	Lists all pages and the current page.
Object List	List all objects in the current page.
Append Page	Appends a new page to the end of the project.
Cut Page	Cuts the current page from the project.
Copy Page	Copies the current page.
Paste Page	Paste the current page.
Zoom Page	Zoom the current page.
Normal View	Restore the current page normal view.
Background	Display the Page Background Dialog.
Music	Display the Page Music Dialog.

See Understanding Pages for more details on using IMS Web Engine Pages.


Page Editor command
Page Editor command (Page menu)

Displays the Page_Editor dialog. The Page Editor provides functions for entering Meta Tags, Header information, timed Links and a Title for your HTML page.

See Understanding Pages for more details on using IMS Pages.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:

Restrictions:

This Page Editor is available for IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Page Select Edit box
Page Select Edit box (Page menu)

Lists all pages in the project. Move to a different page by selecting it from the drop box. Change the name of the current page by replacing the name in the box. When the project is published, the published file will be the name of the page with the file type specified in the Page editor or Publisher.

The default name for the first page in the project is Page1. This will produce a file called Page1.html when publishing an HTML project. Change the name of the page to Default or Index to produce a home page.

See the section Publishing your HTML projectfor more information on Page names and publishing.

Restrictions:

IMS Web Dwarf provides support for a single page.


Object Select Edit box
Object List box (Page menu)

Lists all objects included in the current page. Select a new current object from the drop down list.


Page Append command
Append Page command (Page menu)

Append a new Blank Page to the end of the project.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:

Restrictions:

This operation is available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner.


Page Cut command
Cut Page command (Page menu)

Delete the current page and leave a copy on the clipboard.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:

Restrictions:

This operation is available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner.


Page Copy command
Copy Page command (Page menu)

Copy the current Page to the clipboard.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:

Restrictions:

This operation is available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner.


Page Paste command
Paste Page command (Page menu)

Insert a copy of the Page from the clipboard. A copied page will copy Objects from the original page according to their Copy option. Use the Object editor to set an Object’s copy option.

Refer to the section Understanding Objects for more information on the use of Objects.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:

Restrictions:

This operation is available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner.


Zoom command
Zoom command (Page menu)

Will zoom the work window. Press the left mouse button to zoom in on the current mouse position. Use the right mouse button to zoom out from the current mouse position.

Pressing the Normal View button [image] will return the work window to its normal state.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Normal View command
Normal View command (Page menu)

Restores the work window to its normal zoom and scroll position. This command will also return the program to Select mode for normal Object editing.

Press the Zoom Page button [image] to enter Zoom Mode.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Background command
Page Background command (Page menu)

Will display the Page_Background dialog. A Page can have a solid color, bitmap or pattern background. See Understanding Pages for more details.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Music command
Page Music command (Page menu)

Will display the Page_Music Dialog.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:

Restrictions:

This operation is available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner.


Arrange menu commands

Arrange Bar:

The Arrange menu provides the following commands:

Align Left	Align the selected Objects to the left.
Align Vertical	Align the selected Objects vertically.
Align Right	Align the selected Objects to the right.
Align Top	Align the selected Objects to the top.
Align Horizontal	Align the selected Objects horizontally.
Align Bottom	Align the selected Objects to the bottom.
Space Horizontal	Switch the selected Objects between Absolute and Relative horizontal positioning.
Space Vertical	Switch the selected Objects between Absolute and Relative vertical positioning.
To Front	Moves the selected Object in front of all other Objects.
To Back	Moves the selected Object behind all other Objects.
Forward	Moves the selected Object forward one position.
Back	Moves the selected Object back one position.
Merge	Converts a Group Object into a Path Object.
Break	Breaks a Path Object into Rectangle, Ellipse and Path Objects.
Group	Converts a temporary Group Object into a Group Object.
Ungroup	Breaks a Group Object into its member Object.


Align Left command
Align Left command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the left edge of the selected Object with the nearest tab position to the left or the left edge of the work window. If a temporary group has been created, all member Objects of the group will be aligned with the nearest tab position to the left or the left-edge of the work window.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Vertical command
Align Vertical command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the center of the selected Object with the nearest tab position above or the center of the target window. If a temporary group has been created, all member Objects of the group will be aligned with the nearest tab position above or the center of the work window.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Right command
Align Right command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the center of the selected Object with the nearest tab position to the right or the right-edge of the target window. If a temporary group has been created, all member Objects of the group will be aligned with the nearest tab position to the right or the right-edge of the work window.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Top command
Align Top command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the top of the selected Object with the nearest tab position above or the top of the target window. If a temporary group has been created, all member Objects of the group will be aligned with the nearest tab position above or the top of the work window.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Horizontal command
Align Horizontal command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the center of the selected Object with the nearest tab position to the left or the center of the target window. If a temporary group has been created, all member Objects of the group will be aligned with the nearest tab position to the left or the center of the work window.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Bottom command
Align Bottom command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the center of the selected Object with the nearest tab position bellow or the bottom of the target window. If a temporary group has been created, all member Objects of the group will be aligned with the nearest tab position bellow or the bottom of the work window.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Relative Align Horizontal command
Relative Horizontal positioning (Arrange menu)

When selected, the current Object will be positioned in the browser relative to the left and right edges of the target window regardless of the actual width of the browser window. For example, if the Object is placed in the center of the work window with relative positioning set, it will remain at the center of the browser window even if it is resized.

When relative positioning is not selected, the Object will be positioned in absolute pixel coordinates regardless of the width of the browser window. See the sections on using the IMS Work Window and Set Target Options for more information.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Relative Align Vertical command
Relative Vertical positioning (Arrange menu)

When selected, the current Object will be positioned in the browser relative to the top and bottom edges of the target window regardless of the actual height of the browser window. For example, if the Object is placed in the center of the work window with relative positioning set, it will remain at the center of the browser window even if it is resized.

When relative positioning is not selected, the Object will be positioned in absolute pixel coordinates regardless of the height of the browser window. See the sections on using the IMS Work Window and Set Target Options for more information.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


To Front command
To Front command (Arrange menu)

Moves the selected Object in front of all other Objects. Intersecting Objects will be obscured by this Object.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


To Back command
To Back command (Arrange menu)

Moves the selected Object behind all other Objects. Intersecting Objects will obscure this Object.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Forward command
Forward command (Arrange menu)

Moves the selected Object forward one position on the Z axis. This Object will obscure Objects behind it and will be obscured by Objects in front..

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Back command
Back command (Arrange menu)

Moves the selected Object back one position on the Z axis. This Object will obscure Objects behind it and will be obscured by Objects in front..

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Merger Operation
Merge command (Arrange menu)

Merges a Group or temporary Group Object into a Path Object. The Group Object and all of its components will be deleted unless they are being used by one or more Objects that have not been merged. A

To create a temporary group, hold the left mouse button down and drag a bounding box completely around all Objects to be grouped. Upon releasing the mouse button the Group button will be highlighted and can be pressed to convert the temporary group into a permanent group.

Align and Space operations may only be performed on a temporary group.

For more information on Group Objects see the section Understanding Groups.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Break Operation
Break command (Arrange menu)

Break a Path Geometry Object into basic Geometry Objects. This operation is only available when a Path Object is selected. When a Path Object is broken, the original Object will be deleted and new Objects will be created that share the same shading and components but which have new geometry components extracted from the Path. If the path does not contain more than 1 unique vector geometry component, this operation will be ignored.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Group command
Group command (Arrange menu)

Creates a Group Object from a temporary group.

To create a temporary group, hold the left mouse button down and drag a bounding box completely around all Objects to be grouped. Upon releasing the mouse button the Group button will be highlighted and can be pressed to convert the temporary group into a permanent group.

Align and Space operations may only be performed on a temporary group.

For more information on Group Objects see the section Understanding Groups.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Ungroup command
Ungroup command (Arrange menu)

Breaks a Group Object into its component Objects. When a Group Object is selected, the Ungroup button will become highlighted and can be pressed.

For more information on Group Objects see the section Understanding Groups.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Ruler Tab
Tab Stop (Ruler menu)

The Ruler Tab Stop is used to Align Objects.


Edit menu commands

The Edit menu provides the following commands:

Undo	Reverse previous editing operation.
Redo	Reverse previous Undo operation.
Cut	Cuts an Object from the current page and moves it to the clipboard.
Copy	Copies an Object from the project to the clipboard.
Delete	Deletes an Object from all Pages in the project.
Paste Copy	Pastes a duplicate of the Object in the clipboard into the current page.
Paste Clone	Pastes a clone of the Object in the clipboard into the current page.
Include Page	Includes the selected Object in the current page.
Include All	Includes the selected Object in all pages in the project.


Edit UNDO command
UNDO command (Edit menu)

Use this command to UNDO the previous edit operations on the selected Object. There are two levels of UNDO. Level one will restore the Object to its state prior to the previous transform. Level two will restore the Object to its state when selected.

When no UNDO operation is possible, the UNDO button will be grayed.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+Z


Edit REDO command
REDO command (Edit menu)

Use this command to REDO the transform operation that has just been undone with the UNDO command.

When the REDO operation is not possible, the REDO button will be grayed.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+Y


Edit Cut command
Cut command (Edit menu)

The CUT command will remove an Object from the current page and copy it to the clipboard. An Object that has been Cut from the current page will not be remove from any other pages into which it has been included. You can  Paste, Clone or Include an Object that has been cut into any page in the project.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Edit Cut command
Copy command (Edit menu)

The COPY command will copy the selected Object to the clipboard. You can  Paste, Clone or Include an Object that has been copied into any page in the project.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+C


Edit Delete command
Delete command (Edit menu)

The Delete command will remove an Object from all pages in the project. Any components such as Events or Actions that reference a deleted object will have the reference removed. Use the Cut command to remove an Object from the current page without deleting its definition.

Shortcuts

Keys:	Delete


Edit Paste command
Paste Copy command (Edit menu)

The Paste Copy command will create a duplicate of the Object and its components in the clip board and include the new Object in the current Page. Objects in the clipboard can also be Cloned or Included into the current page.

Refer to the section Understanding Objects for more information.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Edit Clone command
Paste Clone command (Edit menu)

(Not Available in IMS Web Dwarf)

The Clone command will create a duplicate of the Object in the clip board with the same components and include the new Object in the current Page. Changing a component of a cloned Object will change all objects that use the same component. Objects in the clipboard can also be Pasted or Included into the current page.

Refer to the section Understanding Objects for more information.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Edit Include command
Include Page command (Edit menu)

(Not Available in IMS Web Dwarf)

The Include Page command will add the currently selected Object to the current Page. An Included Object will have exactly the same transformations and components in every page in which it is included. Moving an Object on one page will move it to the same location in every page in which it is Included.  To Include an Object on the current page first go to page in which it is already Included and select it then return to the page you wish to Include it. Press the Include Page command or Ctrl I. Use the Include All command to include an Object on all pages of the project.

The Include operations are especially useful for creating Navigation Bars and logos that must appear at the same location on every page.

Objects in the clipboard can also be Pasted or Cloned into the current page.

Refer to the section Understanding Pages for more information.

Restrictions

Available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner


Edit Include command
Include All command (Edit menu)

(Not Available in IMS Web Dwarf)

The Include All command will include the currently selected Object to all pages in the Project. An Included Object will have exactly the same transformations and components on every page in which it is included. Moving an Object on one page will move it to the same location on every page in which it is Included. Use the Include Page command to include an Object on a specific page.

The Include operations are especially useful for creating Navigation Bars and logos that must appear at the same location on every page.

Objects in the clipboard can also be Pasted or Cloned into the current page.

Refer to the section Understanding Pages for more information.

Restrictions

Available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner


View menu commands

The View menu provides the following commands:

Tool Bar Options	Will display the Toolbar Options dialog.
File Bar	Shows or hides the file bar.
Status Bar	Shows or hides the status bar.
Quick Editor	Shows or hides the Quick Editor.
Page Bar	Shows or hides the Page bar.
Tools Bar	Shows or hides the component Tools bar.
Object Bar	Shows or hides the Object bar.
Arrange Bar	Shows or hides the Arrange bar.
Preview Bar	Shows or hides the Preview bar.
Preview Bar	Shows or hides the Rulers.
Preview Bar	Shows or hides the target-resolution Guide outline.
Preview Bar	Shows or hides the work Grid.
Preview Bar	Toggles the Snap Grid.
Preview Bar	Shows or hides tab stops in the work window.


View File Bar command
File Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the File Bar.

You can change the size of any toolbar with the Set Tools Options dialog in the tools menu.

See the topic About Toolbars for additional information on using the toolbars.


View Status Bar Command
Status Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to  display or hide the Status Bar. The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the IMS Web Engine window and describes:

1.	The action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button.

1.	The transformation being performed on the current Object.

1.	The current selected Object.

1.	The current Page.

1.	The keyboard latch state.

A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.

See Status Bar for more information about the status bar.


View Page Bar command
Page Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Page Bar.

You can change the size of any toolbar with the Set Tools Options dialog in the tools menu.

See the topic About Toolbars for additional information on using the toolbars.


Quick Edit command
Quick Editor command (View menu)

This command will display the Quick_Editor Dialog. This dialog will remain on the desktop to provide quick access to the most common Object, Geometry, Shading and Action operations.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


View Object Bar command
Object Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Object Bar.

You can change the size of any toolbar with the Set Tools Options dialog in the tools menu.

See the topic About Toolbars for additional information on using the toolbars.


View Arrange Bar command
Arrange Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Arrange Bar.

You can change the size of any toolbar with the Set Tools Options dialog in the tools menu.

See the topic About Toolbars for additional information on using the toolbars.


View Preview Bar command
Preview Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Preview Bar.

You can change the size of any toolbar with the Set Tools Options dialog in the tools menu.

See the topic About Toolbars for additional information on using the toolbars.


View Tools Bar command
Tools Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Tools Bar.

You can change the size of any toolbar with the Set Tools Options dialog in the tools menu.

See the topic About Toolbars for additional information on using the toolbars.


About Toolbars

The IMS user interface provides 6 floating Tool Bars docked by default to the Top, Left and Right margins. Each toolbar includes a handle that can be used to drag the tool bar to any location in the IMS Web Engine work window. As the tool bar approaches the edge of the window it will automatically dock. You can use the Set Tools Options dialog located under the Tools menu to select Large Toolbars when working at high resolution or to turn the bars on and off. IMS Web Engine will save and attempt to restore the toolbars to their last location when you exit and restart the program.

The File Bar is initially located along the top edge of the window. Use these buttons for loading and saving your projects in addition to exporting HTML and image bitmap files.

The Page Bar is initially located to the right of the File Bar. These buttons are used to add, delete and move the pages in your project. In addition you can select background colors, bitmaps and music.

The Object Bar is initially located below the File Bar. It displays the selected Object and its current components.

The Preview Bar provides shortcut buttons to the is located to the left of the Object Bar. These four buttons provide the ability to preview either the current page or your entire project as they would appear in either a v3.2 or v4.0 Browser.

The Tools Bar is initially located along the left edge of the window. The Tools Bar is used to create and edit the components of an Object. These include geometry, bitmaps, text, shading, action(mechanics) and behaviors.

The Arrange Bar is initially located along the right edge of the screen. The Arrange Bar is used to group objects and to help position an object on the page.


Ruler command
Rulers (View menu)

This button will hide or display the work window rulers. The Rulers will display the current mouse position and any Tab Stop.

Tab Stops are used to align Objects with the Align Bar.. Select an Object then select an Align command to snap the Object’s edge or centerline to the closest Tab Stop. To create a new Tab Stop, click in the ruler at the location you wish the Tab Stop to be placed. To adjust a Tab Stop, drag it with your mouse.

Up to 10 Horizontal and Tab Vertical Tab Stops can be assigned at one time. Use the Tool Options dialog to reset all current the Tab Stops. Use the Display Tab Guidelign Bar make the Tab Stops visible in the Work Window.

Tab Stops will be saved and restored with the project.

See the section on Working in the IMS Window for information on using the Rulers and Tab Stops.

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+B


Guide Border command
Guide Border command (View menu)

This button will toggle the Guide Border On and Off. The guide border resolution can be set with the Tool Options dialog.

See the section on Working in the IMS Window for information on using the Guide Border and other aides.

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+B


Guide Grid command
Guide Grid command (View menu)

This button will toggle the Guide Grid On and Off. The guide border resolution can be set with the Tool Options dialog.

See the section on Working in the IMS Window for information on using the Guide Grid and other aides.

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+G


Grid command
Snap Grid command (View menu)

This button will toggle the Snap Grid On and Off. The snap grid resolution can be set with the Tool Options dialog.

See the section on Working in the IMS Window for information on using the Snap Grid and other aides.

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+M


Tab Guide command
Tab Guides (View menu)

This button will toggle the Tab Guides ON or OFF in the work window. When ON, a dashed green line will be displayed in the background at each Tab Stop. Tab stops will still be operational when the Tab Guides option is OFF.

Tab Stops are used to align Objects with the Align Bar.. Select an Object then select an Align command to snap the Object’s edge or centerline to the closest Tab Stop.

See the section on Working in the IMS Window for information on using Tab Stops.


Geometry Dialog Sheet

The Geometry Editor provides the following dialog pages:

List	Select the current geometry.
Outline	Sets outline width and color.
Enhance	Adjust an Images Brightness, Contrast and Colors


Geometry Options Dialog
Options Dialog (Geometry Editor)

Name:

Displays the name of the current Geometry being edited. Use the drop down box to edit another Geometry component.

You can change the name of the current geometry by typing a new name into the edit box. Geometry names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Geo1, Geo2. Geo3 etc. Change these name to be more descriptive in the current project but keep it simple.

Type:

Displays the geometry type. This cannot be changed. Valid types include, Rectangle, Ellipse, Shape, Sprite and Text.

File Path:

Displays the file path to a Sprite Geometry. If the current geometry is not a sprite, this edit control will be dimmed. If the current geometry is a sprite, this edit control will display the directory path to the sprite. You can change the sprite by pressing the down arrow and selecting a new directory path to another sprite bitmap. This function is particularly useful  when you wish to move a sprite from one drive directory to another.

Render File Format:

This operation applies to rendered Vector Geometry, rendered Titles and re-rendered Images that are being exported for HTML. Titles and Vector Geometry do not require rendering when being exported to SVG.

This option can be used to select the bitmap format that will be used for this geometry. The default vector geometry format can also be set by using the Tools Options Dialog

PNG: This is the preferred format and will produce the highest quality graphic images with full shading and transparency. Not all browsers currently support all of the features available in PNG especially transparency. When 1 bit transparency must be used, it may be necessary to use the GIF format.

JPG: Will export the geometry using 24 bit color but without transparency. This format is preferred when shaded geometry is used with a browser that does not adequately support the PNG format.

GIF: Will produce a low quality 8 bit image. GIF is not recommended unless 1 bit transparency is required for a browser that does not support PNG transparency. Shaded geometry will generally produce unacceptable results when exported as GIF images.

BMP: Will produce a 24 bit BMP image of the vector geometry. BMP is not recommended for use for an on-line web page due to its extremely large file size and the fact that many browsers do not support it. Exporting to a BMP format may be useful if you wish to convert the image to another format using a 3rd party image program.

Render Background:

When this option is selected, rendered geometry will be rendered into the background. This will generate a bitmap that includes the Geometry and anything that is behind it. This option is necessary for anti-aliasing, transparency and non-rectangular geometry when a non-transparent bitmap format is used. This option should not be used for animated Objects.

This operation applies to rendered Vector Geometry, rendered Titles and re-rendered Images that are being exported for HTML.

Copy:

Duplicates the current geometry to create an identical new geometry.

Delete:

Deletes the current geometry.


Geometry Outline Dialog
Outline Dialog (Geometry Editor)

Line color:

Provides sliders to adjust the RGB color of the geometry outline. The Select Button will display a standard MS color dialog to provide an alternative method to select the outline color.

Line Width:

Specifies the width of the outline in pixels. Adjust the slider or enter an integer value into the edit box. The No Line button provides an alternative way to select a zero line width.


Geometry Enhance Dialog
Enhance Dialog (Geometry Editor)

This operation is only available for Image Geometry when enabled.

Image Geometry can be enhanced to change its brightness, contrast and color levels.

An enhanced image will automatically be re-rendered.

Enable

Will enable the Image for enhancement. This will cause it to be re-rendered in the Render File format as set in the Options Dialog.

Reset Default Levels

Will return the Brightness, Contrast and Color levels to their default neutral state.

Brightness

Will set the sliders to adjust brightness. This will make the image brighter or darker. Use the Brightness slider to adjust all colors simultaneously.

Contrast

Will set the sliders to adjust contrast. Contrast will brighten or darken bright colors more than dark colors. Use the Contrast slider to adjust all colors simultaneously.

RGB Sliders

Are used to adjust the Red, Green and Blue Brightness or Contrast levels independently of each other. The effect is accumulative with the Brightness and Contrast slider levels.

Image Enhancements are only applied to the re-rendered image and will not affect the original Image. It is consequently possible to separately enhance multiple copies of the same image without having them interfere with each other.


Action Dialog Sheet

This dialog is available in IMS Web Engine

The Action Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Selection	Selects the Action to edit.
Path	Selects an animation path.
Rate/Counter	Sets the Action speed, path length, starting distance and path counter.
Orientation	Change geometry by its orientation.


Action Selection Dialog
Selection Dialog (Action Editor)

Current:

Displays the name of the current Action being edited. Use the drop down box to edit another Action component.

You can change the name of the current Action by typing a new name into the edit box. Action names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special or blank characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Act1, Act2. Act3 etc. Change these names as desired to be more descriptive of the Action.

Create:

Duplicates the current Action to create an identical new Action.

Delete:

Deletes the current Action. IMS Web Engine will test all Objects and Behaviors and remove any references to this Action

Assigned Objects:

A list of all Objects that include this Action component.


Action Path Dialog
Path Dialog (Action Editor)

Select an Objects’ animation path. Three types of paths are available. Linear Paths are straight line paths in one of eight directions. Object paths use the Geometry of another Object and can be used to create hierarchical motion. Interactive paths use the mouse to move an Object.

Inverse Mechanics is the hierarchical combination of paths that use multiple Objects.

Linear Paths

Selects one of eight directions to move an Object. The direction is identified by the arrow on each button. The Stop button will disable motion. The Start, Center and End check boxes identify the start and end position of the path.

Start:	When selected, the Object will start its motion from its current position.

Center:	When selected, the Object will pass through its current position half way along the path.

End:	When selected, the Object will end at its current position.

The linear path length is double the target width of the HTML page as set in the Set HTML Options dialog.

Object Path

Selects an Objects’ Geometry to provide a motion path. When an Object is selected from the drop down box, it will be displayed to help identify it.

Trace Path:	When this button is selected, the current Object will trace the Geometry 	of the Object Path.

Trace Origin:	When this button is selected, the current Object will trace the Origin of 	the Object Path.

Hierarchical Motion is created when the Object Path also has an Action assigned to it.

Unpredictable results may occur if Objects recursively trace each other or themselves.

Interactive Path

Selects the mouse on either the X and Y axes to guide the Object. When both axes are selected, the object will be fixed to the movement of the mouse. When only one axis is selected, the object will move with the mouse on that axis and stay fixed to its current location on the other.

Reverse Each Cycle

When the Reverse each Cycle box is selected, the Object will reverse direction each time it reaches the end of it’s path or timing distance.


Action Rate and Counter Dialog
Transform Dialog (Action Editor)

Selects Rotation, Scaling and Shading action transformations.

Rotation Transform (SVG only)

Adds a rotation transformation around the Object’s Origin. When the Path radio button is selected, the slider will set the number of rotations to occur along the path. When the Seconds radio button is checked, the slider will set the number of rotations per second. If a motion path has not been selected, the rate must be set in Seconds.

Use the ‘Hi’ check box to adjust the slider’s range. When unchecked, the range will be between –1 and +1. When checked, the range will be from –10 to +10. Negative values will rotate counter-clockwise, positive values will rotate clockwise.

When the ‘Reverse’ box is checked, the Object’s rotation will reverse when it reaches the end of its path or time setting.

Rotation is only available in SVG mode.

Scaling Transform

Adds a scaling transformation from the Object’s Origin. When the Path radio button is selected, the slider will set the scaling to occur along the path. When the Seconds radio button is checked, the slider will set the scaling per second. If a motion path has not been selected, the rate must be set in Seconds.

Use the ‘Hi’ check box to adjust the slider’s range. When unchecked, the range will be between –1 and +1. When checked, the range will be from –10 to +10. Positive values will increase the Object Size, Fractional Scaling will shrink the Object, and Negative values will shrink and then invert the Object.

When the ‘Reverse’ box is checked, the Object’s scaling will reverse when it reaches the end of its path or time setting.

Scaling is available in both DHTML and SVG modes..

Shading Transform (SVG only)

Adds a shading transformation from the Object’s current Shading component (Shade-From) to the vales of the Shading Component selected in the second edit box (Shade-To). When the Path radio button is selected, the slider will set the shading to occur along the path. When the Seconds radio button is checked, the slider will set the shading rate per second. If a motion path has not been selected, the rate must be set in Seconds.

Use the ‘Hi’ check box to adjust the slider’s range. When unchecked, the range will be between 0 and +1. When checked, the range will be from 0 to +10.

When the ‘Reverse’ box is checked, the Object’s shading will reverse to the initial Shade-From component when the Object reaches the end of it’s path or time setting.

The two drop-boxes can be used to select the Shade-From and Shade-To components. The first drop-box will contain the current Object’s current Shading component (Shade-From) if there is one. The second drop box is used to select the Shade-To component. The two Shading component buttons beside the drop-boxes can be used to create or edit the Shade-From component and the Shade-To component.

When the Shade-From component uses linear or radial shading, the shading transformation will also use linear or radial shading. If either Shading component includes a transparency setting, the shading transformation will also include transparency.

Shading is only available in SVG mode.


Action Rate and Counter Dialog
Rate and Counter Dialog (Action Editor)

Selects the speed and direction of an Object and the number of times to trace a path.

Rate Slider

The Rate Slider will set the Objects rate per distance when the Distance Radio Button is selected or the time to complete the path when the Seconds Radio Button is selected. Use positive values to go forward and negative values to go back. The rate has no effect on Interactive Paths or Stationary Transformations (Stop Path).

Repeat Times

Sets the number of times the Object will trace the path before the End Path condition is met and the Object stops. Use the slider to set a path count up to 100. Larger values can be typed directly into the Edit Value box. The “Continuous” check box will cause the Action to play indefinitely.

Time Length

Sets the length of a linear path or the time to complete a transform operation when a Stationary Transform (Stop Path) is selected. When distance is selected, the default 100% = 1.5 * the screen height. When time is selected, the default = 10 seconds.

Start Distance

Sets the start distance on a path. The distance is set as a percent of the entire path. Selecting 25% will start an Object a quarter of the distance along the path. 50% will start halfway along the path. The Path Counter will increment each time the Object passes the Start Location. The Object will stop its motion at the start position when the path counter reaches zero.

Timing Mode

Timing can be set relative to the length of the Object’s Path (Timed by Distance), or in Seconds (Timed in Seconds). If a Stop Path or Interactive Motion has been selected, the timing must be set in seconds.


Action Orientation Dialog
Orientation Dialog (Action Editor)

Provides the ability to dynamically change an Objects’ Geometry as its direction changes.

When a “Change When” check box is enabled, the program will change the Geometry of the Object to the Geometry specified in the associated drop down box when the Object changes to the enabled direction. The display window can be used to help identify an Objects’ Geometry.

If an Object is created specifically to provide Geometry for this function, the Object can be made Invisible with the Options dialog of the Object Editor.


Geometry Dialog Sheet
Behavior Dialog Sheet

This dialog is available in IMS Web Engine

The Behavior Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Selection	Select the current Behavior.
Trigger_Event	Define activate triggers.
End_Event	Define deactivate triggers.
Links	Define on activation links.
Actions	Define on active/deactivate Actions.
Formulas	Define on active formulas.
Metamorph	Define on active metamorphs


Behavior Selection Dialog
Selection Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Name:

Displays the name of the current Behavior being edited. Use the drop down box to edit another Behavior component.

You can change the name of the current Behavior by typing a new name into the edit box. Behavior names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Evt1, Evt2. Evt3 etc. Change these names as necessary to be more descriptive in the current project.

Copy:

Duplicates the current Behavior to create an identical new Behavior.

Delete:

Deletes the current Behavior. All Objects and Behavior references to this Behavior will be tested and replaced with a null reference as necessary.

Assigned Objects:

Will list all Objects that contain this Behavior component.


Behavior Trigger Event  Dialog
Trigger Event Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Trigger Events cause the Object to enter Active mode. When an Object becomes active, it will perform the When Active operations until an End_Event is triggered. User Triggers depend upon an action by the user. Dynamic Triggers are initiated by a condition such as a counter or Object intersection. An Object can also be triggered Active externally by another Object.

Mouse Select

An Event caused by selecting the Object with the mouse.

Mouse Over

An Event caused by moving the cursor over the Object.

Keyboard Select

An Event caused by pressing a keyboard character. Enter the character into the edit box.

At Specified Time

An event triggered after the specified number of seconds (approximate). The counter starts as soon as the Object becomes deactive.

On Object Enter

An Event caused when an Object intersects with the Object containing this component. Select the intersecting Object from the combo box.

On Object Leave

An Event caused when an Object does not intersect with the Object containing this component.

At Object Value

An Event caused when the formula becomes true. Select any combination of equals “=”, less than “<”, or greater than “>” and the value to be compared to the Objects value. See the Formulas dialog for more details.

At Path End

An Event caused when the Object has completed tracing a path. The number of times an Object traces a path is specified by the Path Counter of an Action Component.

And All Triggers

When this box is selected, all combinations of selected triggers must be true to trigger the Event. When this box is not selected, any selected trigger becoming true will trigger the Event.


Behavior End Event Dialog
End Event Dialog (Behavior Editor)

End Events cause the Object to enter Not Active or Deactive mode. When an Object becomes deactive, it will perform the When Not Active operations until a new Trigger_Event is activated. User Resets depend upon an action by the user. Dynamic Resets are initiated by a condition such as a counter or Object intersection. An Object can also be triggered Deactive externally by another Object.

Mouse Up

The Event ends when the mouse button is released.

Mouse Leave

The Event ends when the mouse leaves the Object box.

Keyboard Select

The Event ends when the specified keyboard character is pressed. Enter the character into the edit box.

At Specified Time

The Event ends after the specified number of seconds (approximate). The counter starts as soon as the Object becomes Active.

On Object Enter

The Event ends when an Object intersects with the Object containing this component. Select the intersecting Object from the combo box.

On Object Leave

The Event ends when an Object does not intersect with the Object containing this component. Select the non-intersecting Object from the combo box.

At Object Value

The Event ends when the formula becomes true. Select any combination of equals “=”, less than “<”, or greater than “>” and the value to be compared to the Objects value. See the Formulas dialog for more details.

At Path End

The Event ends when the Object has completed tracing a path. The number of times an Object traces a path is specified by the Path Counter of an Action Component.

And All Resets

When this box is selected, all combinations of selected triggers must be true to end the Event. When this box is not selected, any selected trigger becoming true will end the Event.


Behavior Links Dialog
Links Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Links are initiated when the Behavior activates the Object. An Anchor link can also be assigned to an Object outside of a Behavior. See the Object Anchor dialog for more details.

URL Link

Links to the specified URL. Enter the correct URL path into the edit box.

Page Link

Links to another page in the current project. IMS Web Engine will enter the correct path to the referenced page.

No Link

Disables a link.


Behavior Actions Dialog
Actions Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Actions are initiated when an Object becomes Active or Deactive. Active actions are initiated by Trigger_Events. Deactive Actions are triggered by End_Events. The Options under  ‘When Triggered Active’ and ‘When Not Active’ are identical in their operation and only differ in when they are applied. To make an Object ‘appear’ and ‘disappear’ as the mouse moves over it, you would consequently set the appropriate Trigger_Events and  End_Events. and enable the Visible button under ‘When Triggered Active’ and disable it under ‘When Not Active’.

Motion

Enables the Object to have motion. When disabled, this option will override the Object’s Action component to prevent the Object from moving.

Visible

When disabled, this option will make the Object Invisible.

Animate

This option is available for future updates.

Sound

This option is available for future updates.

Trigger Behavior

This option will trigger the specified Object Active. Select an Object to trigger from the combo box.

Reset Behavior

This option will reset the specified Object ‘Not Active’. Select an Object to reset from the combo box.

Reset Path

Will cause the Object to start at the beginning of its motion path and reset its path counter to zero.

Reset Triggers

Will reset the Object’s ‘Trigger Events’ so that the Object can be triggered Active again. If the Object is in the Active state, this operation will bypass the ‘End Event' triggers and the ‘When Not Active’ actions. If this flag is not checked in the ‘When Not Active’ state, no more triggers will be possible unless the Object is Reset by an external Object.


Behavior Formulas Dialog
Formulas Event Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Every Object has an Integer value associated with it. This value can be used as a Trigger_Event and End_Event to switch an Object between ‘Active’ and ‘Not Active’. It can also be displayed as a counter in Text Geometry. The initial default value is set to zero but can be changed in the Options dialog of the Object editor.

The Formula dialog can be used to change the value of the current or any other Object when this Behavior is triggered Active. Each line displays the value to be applied to the Object and the operation to use. The check box must be enable in order to perform each operation. The left drop down box is used to define the operation to be used. The right edit or drop down box is used to define the new value.

The ‘Current Value’ box is conceptual and intended to help convey that that the Object has a value when triggered Active. This is a dynamic value that may change on each Activation.

Operations

The left drop down box on each line identifies the operation to be applied between the Current and new values. These operations are:

“Replace” 	Will Replace the Current Value with the new value.

“Add”:	Will Add the new value to the Current Value.

“Subtract”	Will Subtract the new value from the Current Value.

“Multiply”	Will Multiply the new value with the Current Value.

“Divide”	Will divide the Current Value by the new value. The new value may not be zero.

Applied Value

The value to be applied to the ‘Current Value’. Use the right edit box to enter a new value. The left drop down box displays the operations that can be applied to the two values.

Get Value

Will get the current value of another Object. Use the right drop down box to select the Object to retrieve a new value from. The left drop down box identifies how to apply this new value.

Send Value

The result of the operations on the current value will be sent to another Object. Use the right drop down box to identify the Object receiving a new value. The left drop down box identifies how to apply the new value to the remote Object.


Behavior Metamorph Dialog
Metamorph Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Each Object may contain several components such as Geometry, Shading, Action and Behavior. See the section on Understanding Objects for more information. The Metamorph operations can be used to change the components of the current Object or any other Object when this Behavior is triggered Active.

Change this Object

Check this box if the components of this Object are to be changed.

Component Selection

Check the box next to each component that is to be changed. Select the new component from the list in the related drop down box.

Additional Object Selection

Identifies external Objects that will have their components changed when this Behavior becomes Active. To add an Object to the list select it from the drop down box and press the “Include” button. To remove an Object from the list, select it in the List Box and press the “Remove” button.

The “List” box display the Objects that will have their components changed when this Behavior becomes Active. Remember to press the “Include” button to add an Object to the list.

The “Display” box will help identify Objects by displaying the Geometry of the selected Object.


Publish Dialog Sheet
Publish Editor

The HTML/SVG Publisher provides the following dialog pages:

Profile	Select the current Publishing Profile
Pages	Select the Project pages and options to be published.
FTP	Set the FTP client logon requirements


Export HTML Dialog
Profiles (Publish Editor)

Use the Profile Dialog to create multiple Export definitions for your various projects. One profile, for example, may define an export path to a local directory on you computer. Another profile may open an FTP session on a remote server so that your Project can be exported directly to your web site.

See the section on Publishing your HTML project for an overview on exporting your project into HTML files.

Publish

This button will save all profiles, exit the dialog and Publish the project as specified by the currently selected profile.

Apply

This button will save all profiles without exiting the dialog or Publishing the project.

Cancel

This button will exit the dialog without saving the profiles and without Publishing the project..

Profile Name

This can be any descriptive name you choose to help distinguish between different publishing profiles. The different profiles are available to all your projects. Use the drop down box to select an existing or previously defined profile.

New

Use the NEW button to create a new profile.

Delete

Use the DELETE button to delete the currently selected profile.

Export Destination

Select the ‘FTP to Internet Server’ button to create an FTP profile for transferring projects directly to a server. The ‘Copy to Disk’ button is used to export the project to a directory on a local hard drive.

Publish Format

Selects the Export Format for the project. Currently two principle formats are available, HTML and SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Within these two formats, different levels of JavaScript support are possible depending upon the requirements of the project.

Auto HTML:  will test the requirements for each page and select the most appropriate level of JavaScript support. Auto HTML should be the preferred selection for publishing HTML.

Static HTML: will publish all selected pages without any JavaScript support. Select Static HTML to produce the smallest files when dynamic content is required.

HTML with Effects: will include minimal JavaScript support with the exported HTML document. This format is appropriate simple dynamic content such as Mouse-Over Events and dynamic relative positioning.

Dynamic HTML: will support extensive interactivity and animation through a call to an external shared JavaScript file. This format is primarily used by IMS Web Engine.

Auto SVG: will test the requirements for each page and select the most appropriate level of JavaScript support for SVG. Auto SVG should be the preferred selection for publishing pages in the new XML Scalable Vector Graphics format.

Static SVG: will publish all selected pages without any JavaScript support. Select Static SVG to produce the smallest files when dynamic content is required.

Animated SVG: will support extensive interactivity and animation through a call to an external shared JavaScript file. This format is primarily used by IMS Web Engine.

For additional information on HTML, Dynamic HTML and SVG visit the section About HTML,DHTML and SVG.

Clean

Check the ‘Clean unused Objects and Components’ button to cause the program to search for orphaned Objects and components prior to exporting a project. This is the same operation that is available in the Object_Editor.

Auto Backup

When set, this operation will cause the program to perform an IMS File Save operation when the Publish command is initiated. If an FTP publish operation has been selected, the ims project file will also be copied to the server.


Export HTML Dialog
FTP (Publish Editor)

The FTP dialog will only be enabled when you are defining an FTP project as set with the ‘FTP to Internet Server’ button in the Profile dialog.

IMS provides FTP support that is suitable for the majority of users. Some users however, may require more advanced FTP capabilities especially if their server is protected by a Fire Wall. In these instances we suggest that you export your project to a local hard drive on your computer and use one of the numerous advanced FTP products that are available.

Host Name/IP Address

A Host Name or IP Address is a unique identifier for a server on the Internet. An IP Address takes the form of four numbers separated by ‘.’ such as ‘123.33.22.1’.

IP addresses are usually mapped to Host Names which are easier for people to identify. For example: www.VirtualMechanics.com is mapped to the IP address ‘216.15.139.237’.

You must know either your FTP IP address or Host Name to transfer files directly to your web site.

User Name

This is the User Name you enter to Log On to your server. This name is provided by your Host unless you are using an Anonymous Login.

Anonymous Login

Some servers allow you to make an Anonymous Login. When checked, the User Name box will be disabled. Anonymous Logins usually require that you enter your e-mail address as your password.

Password

Enter the password provided by your host in order to FTP files to the server. Anonymous Logins usually require that you use your e-mail address.

Save Password

Check the Save Password box to store the password between sessions. If not checked, you must reenter the password each time you access this profile.

Remote Port

This is a remote port ID and is normally set to ‘21’. Some fire walls require a different Port ID. Check with your Host administrator if you think this ID needs to be changed.

Retry Attempts

The number of times to retry establishing a FTP connection if the first attempt fails.

Check with your host or system administrator if you are not sure on how to transfer files to your web site.


Export HTML Dialog
Pages (Publish Editor)

This dialog is used to select the pages to be published, the file paths and extensions to be used and if any referenced images should also be gathered and published.

Page Names and Extension

Displays the names of all pages selected for publishing. These names will be combined with the selected file extension to create the HTML or SVG file name.

To change the name of a page, use the large edit box drop-down button and select the desired page name. Type the new name using 40 or fewer characters into the edit box. Avoid using non standard characters such as ‘!@#$%^&*()<>?’ since many browser will not interpret them correctly. Page names can also be changed with the

dialog_pageeditor

The small drop box contains a list of all valid extensions for the current publish format. These include .htm, html and .shtml for HTML and .svg for the SVG format.

Page Range

Select which pages are to be exported. You can select All, the Current Page or a Range of pages.

Local Publish Directory

When you are publishing to your local computer this is the directory that the project will be exported to. If you are FTP’ing to a remote server, the published files will then be FTP’d from this directory. When you are Publishing using the relative path option, the relationship between this directory and any referenced source files including images, audio and the JavaScript files, will be used to construct the relative file path. It is consequently important to ensure that the relationship between this directory and the source files will match the same relative paths on the remote server. When you publish with the Gather option this relationship is not important. See below.

Path Options

Sets the type of path that will be used to reference source files in the publish directory.

Gather: This option will Gather all referenced source files such as images, audio and Scripts to the publish directory and FTP them to the remote server if necessary. This is the safest option with the least risk of missing resources or files. Since source files will not include a directory path it is possible to maintain the integrity of the published project when moving it to another directory or computer provided that all files that have been Gathered are also moved. If you wish to move files or FTP them yourself we suggest that you use an empty directory. After publishing this directory will then contain all the files related to the project.

Relative: This option will NOT Gather or FTP the referenced source files. Instead the files will be referenced from the HTML or SVG document by constructing a relative directory path from the publish directory to the actual location of the resource. When publishing to an Internet Server, referenced resource files will have to be FTP’d separately using a 3rd party FTP client ensuring that the directory paths on the local computer and remote computer match.

Use this option when publishing large projects that reference shared resources such as clipart that is maintained in a separate directory. When publishing interactive animation with Web Engine you will also need to transfer the current version of vmmech.js or vmsvg.js to the equivalent directory on the remote server. By default these files are maintained in the /bin directory where you installed your IMS application. Their location can be changed with the Set Target Dialog.

Absolute: This option will use the full file path including the drive letter to reference resource files. This option is convenient when files are referenced on multiple drives on the current computer. This option should not be used if the project is to be transferred to another system since the file paths may not be valid. This option is not available when an FTP profile is selected.


Code Display Dialog
Display Code (Code Dialog)

This dialog will display the code for the current page in the selected format. The code can be selected and pasted into a 3rd party HTML editor if desired. Changes made to the code in this dialog will not be reflected in the main WYSIWYG editor in this release.

Save

Will save the code to the current file.

Save As

Will save the code to a selected file.

Print

Sends the code to a printer.

Copy All

Will select all code into clipboard. In a 3rd party editor use Ctrl-V or Paste to transfer the code.

Reload

Will reload the code reflecting any changes made in the main editor.

Relative File Paths

When selected, external components such as images and audio, will be assigned a file path that is relative to the publish directory. Use the Save As file command to change the Publish directory.

When not selected, external components will not include a file path. In this instance it is assumed that these files will be copied to the same directory that the 3rd party HTML file is published to.

Include Header

When selected, the HTML or SVG header information will be included in the code.

Code Format

Selects the type of code to be generated. The primary formats are SVG or DHTML. Secondary formats will include various levels JavaScript for special operations such as mouse over effects or animation. Select Auto HTML or Auto SVG to let the program test the page and include the most appropriate secondary format.


Export Bitmap Dialog
Export Bitmap (Export Bitmap Dialog)

This dialog provides the ability to select an Object or a range of Pages to be exported as bitmaps. After selecting OK, IMS Web Engine will display the Save As dialog box whereyou can input the name of the file you are exporting to, as well as the type of the file. The format of the file is determined by the file type extension. Valid file types include PNG ‘.png’, JPEG ‘.jpg’, GIF ‘.gif’ and Windows Bitmap ‘.bmp’.

Export Image Dialog

The following options allow you select an Object or Page and an Image format.

Object

Specifies that an Object is to be exported as a bitmap image. Select the desired object from the Combo Box drop down list.

Pages

Specifies that the selected Pages are to be exported. Select the current page, all pages or a page range.


Export HTML Dialog
Web Dwarf Publisher (File Menu)

The IMS Web Dwarf Publisher allows you to export your page to either a local directory on your computer or to an Internet Server that is hosting your web site.

IMS provides basic FTP support that is suitable for the majority of users. Some users however, may require more advanced FTP capabilities. In these instances we suggest that you export your project to a local hard drive on your computer and use one of the numerous advanced FTP products that are available.

Copy to Disk

When selected, this option will export the project to a local directory on your computer. Use the ‘Local Publish Directory’ box or ''Browse’ button to enter the directory path.

FTP to Internet Server

When selected, this option will export the project to a directory on a remote Internet Server using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Use the ‘Internet Server Publish Directory’ box or ''Browse’ button to enter the remote directory path.

When this option is selected, you must be connected to the Internet and FTP Login Data must be entered before you can successfully publish your project. You can use the Browse Button to test your connection and select the remote directory.

Publish Directory

Enter the destination directory into this box. When the ‘Copy to Disk’ option is selected, you must enter a local directory on your computer. You can use the Browse button to locate and enter the directory path.

When the ‘FTP’ option is selected, enter the directory path on the remote host. You can use the Browse button to find and enter the directory when you are connected to the Internet. If you need help, contact your ISP or Web Host support.

Gather

When selected, this powerful option will copy all referenced image files to the destination directory. This will allow you to ‘Insert Pictures’ located anywhere on your computer without having to copy them to your project directory first and then to your publish directory.

Host Name/IP Address

A Host Name or IP Address is a unique identifier for a server on the Internet. An IP Address takes the form of four numbers separated by ‘.’ such as ‘123.33.22.1’.

IP addresses are usually mapped to Host Names which are easier for people to identify. For example: www.VirtualMechanics.com is mapped to the IP address ‘216.15.139.237’.

You must know either your FTP IP address or Host Name to transfer files directly to your web site.

User Name

This is the User Name you enter to Log On to your server. This name is provided by your Host unless you are using an Anonymous Login.

Anonymous Login

Some servers allow you to make an Anonymous Login. When checked, the User Name box will be disabled. Anonymous Logins usually require that you enter your e-mail address as your password.

Password

Enter the password provided by your host in order to FTP files to the server. Anonymous Logins usually require that you use your e-mail address.

Save Password

Check the Save Password box to store the password between sessions. If not checked, you must reenter the password each time you access this profile.

Publish

This button will save the profile and Publish the project as specified.

Apply

This button will save the specified publish profile without exiting the dialog.

Cancel

This button will exit the dialog without saving the profile and without Publishing the project..

Check with your host or system administrator if you are not sure on how to transfer files to your web site.


Page Background Dialog
Background Dialog (Page Background Dialog)

Selects a color and/or a background image for the current page.

Fill Color:

Three adjustable sliders for setting the RGB values of the background color.

Color:

Will set the page to a solid fill monochrome background  and will display the standard color selection dialog.

Tile:

Will display the standard file open dialog to select a valid image file. The image will be repeated to fill the screen background. Valid file types include “.gif”, “.jpg”, “.bmp” and “.png” amongst others.

Image:

Will display the standard file open dialog to select a valid image file. The image will be placed at the top left of the screen. The unfilled portion of the background will be filled with the background color. Valid file types include “.gif”, “.jpg”, “.bmp” and “.png” amongst others.


Page Editor Dialog

The Page Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Select	Select the current Page.
Title	Sets the Page title and meta tags
Header	Add header information.
Link	Sets a timed Page link.
Select	Select Page Options.


Page Options Dialog
Page Select Dialog (Page Editor)

Select Page:

Displays the name of the current Page being edited. Use the drop down box to edit another Page.

You can change the name of the current Page by typing a new name into the edit box. Page names can contain up to 40 characters provided the name does not start with a number and does not include any no alphanumeric characters, does not contain any blanks or special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Page1, Page2. Page3 etc.

When the Publish HTML command is used, the page name will be used as the HTML or SVG file name unless changed.

HTML file Extensions:

Sets the HTML file extension to be used when publishing a HTML project. The “Apply to all Pages..” can be used to change the extension of all files in the project. Alternate settings for specific pages can also be set in the Publisher.

Create:

Appends a new blank page to the project.

Delete:

Deletes the current Page. If there is only one page in the project, the program will offer to empty it of all content but will not delete it.


Page Title Dialog
Meta Tag Dialog (Page Editor)

Use this dialog to set the HTML file Title and Meta Tags in the <HEAD> section when publishing a HTML project. The correct use of these elements can greatly improve a pages ability to be found and positioned by search engines.

Page Title:

This string will be entered as the <TITLE> element of the HTML file. The Title element is often used by search engines and the browser to identify the HTML document. Your title should consequently be clear, descriptive and relatively short.

If a title is not entered, IMS Web Engine will substitute the page name.

Meta Description:

Provides the contents for the HTML document Meta description tag. This tag is often used by search engines to describe the contents of the HTML document. You should use many of the words in your Meta Keywords to describe the contents of the page.

Meta Keywords:

A list of words separated by commas to help search engines locate and index the contents of the page.

Meta Copyright:

Sets the Meta Copyright notice to be displayed on the page. This copyright notice will be used for all pages in the project. The users corporate name will be entered by default..

Custom Meta Name

The Meta Name and Meta Content edit boxes can be used to create a custom meta tag. Meta name will be included as: <META NAME="meta-name" CONTENT="meta-list">. If the Meta Name edit box is left blank, a custom meta tag will not be included.

Custom Meta Content

The Meta Name and Meta Content edit boxes can be used to create a custom meta tag. Meta Content will be included as: <META NAME="meta-name" CONTENT="meta-list">. If the Meta Name edit box is left blank, a custom meta tag will not be included.


Page Header Dialog
Header Dialog (Page Editor)

Is used to enter custom header information for the current page.

Header:

Enter the Header tags to add to this page. The program will only provide minimal error checking to ensure that the HTML tags match. The user is responsible for entering valid code.

Enable Password Protection:

When checked a JavaScript password will be included in the header. The user will be prompted to enter a valid password to view the page.

Password:

Enter an alphanumeric password that the user must match when the password option is enabled.

Failed password link:

The page to link to if the user enters an invalid password.


Page Link Dialog
Links Dialog (Page Editor)

This dialog will set Link colors and a Meta Refresh to dynamically link to a new HTML document after a specified time interval.

Link to URL:

When checked, this option will link to the URL entered into the edit box. Any valid URL may be entered.

Link to Page:

When checked, this option will link to another page in the current project. Select the page from the drop down box. IMS Web Engine will substitute the correct URL for the page when the project is exported.

Unvisted Color:

Is used to set the color of unvisited URL links. Selecting this button will display the standard color editor.

Visited Color:

Is used to set the color of  previously visited URL links. Selecting this button will display the standard color editor.

Active Color:

Is the color to be displayed while a link is being activated. Selecting this button will display the standard color editor.

Timer in Seconds:

When checked, specifies the amount of time to wait in seconds(approximate) after the HTML page has loaded before linking to the new page. Use the slider or enter a value directly into the edit box.


Page Options Dialog;dissolves,fades,wipes;
Option Dialog (Page Editor)

The Option Dialog is used to set several Page and Project options. Not all options are supported by all Browsers.

Animation Rate:

Adjusts the speed the Browser will play a 4.0 DHTML animation. The default setting is 2. A lower number will increase the speed. A larger number will increase the delay between frames.

Dynamic Rate

When checked, the program will attempt to find an animation rate that will produce the same rate on different computer configurations, operating systems and Browsers.

Dynamic Scroll Object

This option will scroll the Browser to keep the selected Object in view.

Internet Explorer Specific Options

These options are supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.2 or Internet Explorer 4.0 and later based Browsers. Other Browsers should ignore these commands without affect.

Fixed Background (BGProperties = “Fixed”) (Internet Explorer 3.2)

This is option will fix the background so that it does not scroll when the foreground is scrolled. Fixed backgrounds work well with watermark images.

Transition IN Effect (META http-equiv="Page-Enter")  (Internet Explorer 4.0)

This option generates a transition effect when the page is loaded. Select the desired transition from the drop down box.

Transition IN Duration (META http-equiv="Page-Enter")  (Internet Explorer 4.0)

Sets the transition time in seconds for the Transition In Effect.

Transition OUT Effect (META http-equiv="Page-Exit")  (Internet Explorer 4.0)

This option generates a transition effect when the page is exited. Select the desired transition from the drop down box.

Transition OUT Duration (META http-equiv="Page-Exit")  (Internet Explorer 4.0)

Sets the transition time in seconds for the Transition Out Effect.


Page Music Dialog
Page Music (Page Music Dialog)

This dialog can be used to define background music for the current page. Background music is played by passing the location of an audio file to the Browser Audio player with either the <embed> or <bgsound> tags. The specific audio file formats supported by the Browser may vary or change from time to time. It is expected that MIDI, Wave, AU and AIFF will normally be supported. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) audio files are generally preferred for their compact file sizes when playing digital compositions.

Select New:

Will display the standard file open dialog to select an audio file. You must also check the ‘Enable music’ box play an audio file.

Enable Music:

Check to enable playing the selected audio file. When unchecked, the selected audio file will be ignored.

Continuous Play:

When checked, the selected audio file will play continuously while the HTML page is displayed. When unchecked, the audio file will play once and then stop.


Shading Dialog Sheet

The Shading Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Selection	Select the current shading component.
Attributes	Selects the fill color or pattern.


Shading Options Dialog
Selection Dialog (Shading Editor)

Name:

Displays the name of the current Shading component being edited. Use the drop down box to select another Shading component.

You can change the name of the current Shading by typing a new name into the edit box. Shading names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any blank or special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Shad1, Shad2. Shad3 etc.

Current Setting:

Will display the color or pattern of the current page.

Create:

Creates a new Shading component.

Delete:

Delete the current shading component. IMS Web Engine will test all Objects for reference to this shading and replace them with a null reference.


Attribute Dialog
Attribute Dialog (Shading Editor)

Fill Color:

Provides 3 sliders to select the RGB component of the shading background or a button to open the standard color dialog to select a pre-defined color.

When a solid color fill is selected, the new color will fill the entire geometry. When an image or pattern is selected, the new color will fill the portion of the geometry not covered by the image. When Radial or Linear Shading is selected, this color will be used for the selected shading component.

Transparency:

This slider can be used to set the transparency of the Geometry from fully opaque at 0% to fully transparent at 100%. If Solid, Image or Texture shading is being used, the transparency will be applied to the entire Geometry. If Linear or Radial shading is selected, this transparency will be applied to the selected shading component.

Transparent Objects will be displayed within the IMS work window. When published however, transparency is only fully supported in SVG mode or in PNG images for HTML output. Most browsers however, do not yet adequately support transparency in PNG images.

Solid:

Will select Solid Fill shading. The fill color and transparency will be applied uniformly across the geometry.

Image:

Will select Image Fill shading. This button will display the standard File Open dialog. Select a valid image file type (GIF, JPEG, BMP etc.) and file path. The Image fill will be optimized to fit the dimensions of the geometry while maintaining the images aspect ratio. Unfilled portions of the geometry and transparent pixels in the image will be replaced with the Fill Color.

Texture:

Will select Texture Fill shading. This button will display the standard File Open dialog. Select a valid image file type (GIF, JPEG, BMP etc.) and file path. The Image fill will be stretched to fit the dimensions of the geometry. Transparent pixels in the image will be replaced with the Fill Color.

Linear:

Will display linear shading between a start and stop color. Select the Start Button to set the start color. Select the End Button to set the end color. When Linear Shading is selected, a shading vector will be displayed within the color window. Use your mouse to move the Start and End positions of the vector to set the direction of the shading and the rate of change.

Radial:

Will display radial shading between an inside and outside color. Select the Inside Button to set the inside color. Select the Out Button to set the outside color. When Radial Shading is selected, a shading vector will be displayed within the color window. Use your mouse to move the Inside and Outside positions of the vector to set the location of the inside color and the rate of change.


Preview Menu commands
Publish commands

The Publish menu provides the following commands:

Code_View	Opens the Code Dialog to display generated HTML or SVG..
Publish Project	Publish HTML or SVG to a file or remote server.
PREVIEW HTML Page	Preview the current page in auto HTML.
Preview HTML Project	Preview all pages in auto HTML.
PREVIEW SVG Page	Preview the current page in auto SVG.
Preview SVG Project	Preview all pages in auto SVG.
ID_PREVIEW_APAGE

The Publish toolbar provides the following operations

Code_View	Opens the Code Dialog to display generated HTML or SVG..
Publish Project	Publish HTML or SVG to a file or remote server.
Preview Page	Preview the current page.
Preview Project	Preview all pages
Format Selector	Select an HTML or SVG format for Preview and Publishing.


File Export HTML command
Publish command (Publish menu)

Use this command to publish the current project in HTML or SVG.  IMS Studio displays the Export HTML Dialog so that you can select the format and specify the destination.

See the section How to Publish for more details.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+H


Preview Project command
Code View (Publish menu)

Will open the Code View dialog to display the code for the current view in the selected format.

See the Code Display dialog for more details.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Page command
Preview HTML Page (Publish menu)

Previews the current page in the default browser in HTML. The program will include JavaScript for special effects and animation if necessary. Links to other pages in the project may not work unless they have also been Previewed at least once. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

Select the Close Button [image] on the Browser title bar to return to IMS Web Engine or Spinner when you have finished the preview.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Project command
Preview HTML Project (Publish menu)

Will preview all pages in the default browser in HTML. The program will include JavaScript for special effects and animation if necessary. This is the most reliable way to test local links and global changes to all the pages in the project. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

Select the Close Button [image] on the Browser title bar to return to IMS Web Engine when you have finished the preview.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Page command
Preview SVG Page (Publish menu)

Previews the current page in the default browser in SVG. The program will include JavaScript for special effects and animation if necessary. Link to additional pages in the project will not work reliably unless the Preview Project command is selected. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

Select the Close Button [image] on the Browser title bar to return to IMS Web Engine or Spinner when you have finished the preview.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Project command
Preview SVG Project (Publish menu)

Will preview all pages in the default browser in SVG. The program will include JavaScript for special effects and animation if necessary. This is the most reliable way to test local links and global changes to all the pages in the project. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

Select the Close Button [image] on the Browser title bar to return to IMS Web Engine when you have finished the preview.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Page command
Preview Page (Publish toolbar)

Previews the current page in the default browser using the format selected in the Format box. Links to other pages in the project may not work unless they have also been Previewed at least once. Use the Preview Project command to test all pages in the project. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

Select the Close Button [image] on the Browser title bar to return to the IMS editor when you have finished the preview.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Project command
Preview Project (Publish toolbar)

Previews all pages in the project using the format selected in the Format box. This is the most reliable way to test local links and global changes to all the pages in the project. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

Select the Close Button [image] on the Browser title bar to return to IMS Web Engine when you have finished the preview.

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Format
Preview Format (Publish toolbar)

Selects the format to preview the Project.

Auto HTML

Will preview the Project using HTML. The program will test the data for each page to determine if Dynamic HTML, HTML with minimal JavaScript or HTML without JavaScript should be used.

Static HTML

Will preview the Project without any JavaScript. This will produce the smallest files but special effects such as Mouse Over or animation will not work

HTML +JavaScript

Will preview the Project with JavaScript support for basic special effect operations such as Mouse Over and dynamic relative positioning. Advanced special effects and animation will not be supported.

Dynamic HTML (for IMS Web Engine)

Will preview the project with full support for Dynamic HTML. A reference link to the current version of vmmech.js will be included in the HTML file. See the section on understanding Animation.

Auto SVG

Will preview the Project using SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). The program will test the data for each page to determine if Static or Dynamic SVG should be used.

Static SVG

Will preview the Project in SVG without any JavaScript. This will produce the smallest files but special effects such as Mouse Over or animation will not work

Animated SVG (for IMS Web Engine)

Will preview the project with full support for Animated SVG. A reference link to the current version of vmsvg.js will be included in the SVG file. See the section on understanding Animation.


Text Editor Dialog
Text Geometry (Text Dialog)

IMS products use a standard style text dialog to create, edit, import and export text in several different format styles. The dialog can be maximized, minimized or scaled by dragging the bottom right corner.

When a Rich Text Object is saved, the program will wrap the text at the right boundary of the Object and calculate the height to fit all the text. If a new Text Object is created, a standard 100x100 rectangular box will be defined. Move and scale the box as desired.

Plain text Objects will be bound by a box that fits the text.   You can scale Plain text Objects to any point size by dragging the Object’s bounding box on the Y axis. Plain text will not wrap on the x axis. You must enter a carriage return to create multiple lines when using plain text.

In this version, the Text Editor tool bars are fixed and can not be moved. See the section Understanding Text for more details on using text.

The Text Editor buttons perform the following operations:

  New Button

Will create a new blank Text Geometry and Object. If an existing Text Geometry is being edited, you will be prompted to save it first.

  Open Button

Use this button to import an existing text file. This command will display the standard file open dialog. Supported file formats include: (.rtf) Rich Text, (.txt) Plain Text, (.htm,.html) HTML files. The extension will determine the format of the imported file. Unrecognized extensions will be imported as Plain Text.

  Print Button

Will display the standard Print Dialog to print the contents of the editor.

  Save Button

Use this button to save the Text Geometry to its current name and directory.  When you save Text for the first time, the program displays the Save As dialog box so that you can name your document.  If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As button.

  Save As Button

Use this button to display the Save As dialog  so that you can name your document. The file will be exported in the format set by selecting the file extension. Valid formats include (.rtf) Rich Text, (.txt) Plain Text, and (.htm,.html) HTML.

  Cut Button

Use this button to cut the selected text and copy it to the clipboard.

  Copy Button

Use this button to copy the selected text to the clipboard.

  Paste Button

Use this button to insert text from the clipboard. Text saved in external editors can be copied and pasted into the IMS Text Editor.

  Undo Button

Will Undo the last edit operations. You can also use Ctrl Z and Ctrl Y keys to Undo and Redo the last series of edit operations.

  Help Button

The Help Button will display this dialog.

Name Geometry Combo Box

This combo box will display the name of the current text Geometry. Select and edit to change the name. Geometry names must contain 10 or fewer character, should not start with a number and should not contain any blank or special characters.

The drop down box contains the list of all Text Geometry. A new Text Geometry may be selected from the list for editing.

Text Format Combo Box

The Format Selector can be used to switch between Title, Rich Text, Code and Object numbering.

Titles: are displayed in a single format. Unlike Rich Text, a title can be scaled to any size by dragging its bounding box larger or smaller. As the bounding box changes size a Title will be scaled to find the best fit.

Rich Text: is used to create complex multi-formatted text. When a Rich Text bounding box is resized, the text will be adjust to wrap the text at the bounding box edges without resizing the text. Use Rich Text for formatted text.

Code: is a raw text format. Code will be passed through to the Browser or SVG player without modification. A Code text Object is consequently suitable for Scripts or specialized HTML and SVG code that must not be pre-processed. Code Text can be targeted to HTML, SVG or combined output.

Object Numbering: is a specialized IMS format to display Object Values generated by the IMS Web Engine Behaviors.

See the section on Understanding Text for more details on text format styles.

Font Face Combo Box

Use this box to select a font face. When Rich Text formatting is being used, the font face will be applied to the selected text. All other styles will apply the font to the entire text.

The combo box will display all font faces available on the current system. Care should be taken to select a font that will be appropriate for visiting browsers.

Font Size Combo Box

This box display’s either Pixel or Point sizes that are available in the exported document. In Rich Text the new size will be applied to the current selection. Titles use a variable size font that is adjusted by the bounding box and will consequently ignore the Font Size once you exit the editor. For more information on Pixel and Point Size fonts, see the section on Understanding Text .

Font Size Format Combo  Box

This box allows you to select either Point Size or Pixel Size. Pixel size is the default and will display text that is drawn at a fixed pixel size on different computer systems. Point size will appear at different sizes dependent upon the settings of the viewer’s computer.

See the section on Understanding Text for more details on text styles.

  Bold Button

Use this button to select bold text. When Rich Text formatting is being used, bolding will be applied to the selected text. All other styles will apply bolding to the entire text.

  Underline Button

Use this button to select underline text. When Rich Text formatting is being used, underlining will be applied to the selected text. All other styles will apply underlining to the entire text.

  Italic Button

Use this button to select italic text. When Rich Text formatting is being used, italicizing will be applied to the selected text. All other styles will apply italicizing to the entire text.

  Strike Button

Use this button to apply a strike-through the selected text. When Rich Text formatting is being used, strike-through will be applied to the selected text. All other styles will apply strike-through to the entire text.

  Justify Left Button

Use this button to set line justification to the left. When Rich Text formatting is being used, justification will be applied to the selected lines. All other styles will apply justification to the entire text.

  Justify Center Button

Use this button to set line justification to the center. When Rich Text formatting is being used, justification will be applied to the selected lines. All other styles will apply justification to the entire text.

  Justify Right Button

Use this button to set line justification to the right. When Rich Text formatting is being used, justification will be applied to the selected lines. All other styles will apply justification to the entire text.

  Unnumbered Bullets Button

Use this button to generate an unnumbered bullet list. This is equivalent to an Unordered list in HTML.

  Numbered Bullets Button

Use this button to create a numbered bullet list. This is equivalent to an Ordered list in HTML.

  Color Button

Use this button to select text color. When Rich Text formatting is being used, color will be applied to the selected text. All other styles will apply color to the entire text. This command will display the standard color dialog.

  Edit Hyperlink Button

Use this button to Insert or Edit a Hyperlink. A hyperlink will automatically be inserted when you type a word that starts with http:, ftp:,  or www. By left clicking the word you can activate the link. Right clicking the word will open the Hyperlink editor so that you can change the link word, title or select a link from the library.

Links should be entered in HTML format. The program will automatically reformat the link in XML format when publishing to SVG.

  Expand/Contract Hyperlinks Button

Use this button to display all links in expanded or contracted format. When contracted the editor will display the links the way they will appear in the HTML or SVG document. In Expanded Format the entire HTML anchor tag will be displayed.

For more information on the Link Editor see


Link Editor Dialog

The Hyperlink Editor is available through the Text Editor to add, edit and manage your hyperlinks. Hyperlinks should be entered in HTML format. The program will automatically convert a HTML link to an xlink format when publishing SVG.

Link Type

Use this drop box to select the type of hyperlink to generate. To link to a remote website select http://. To link to a file in the same directory select –blank-. To create a link to open the users email program select mailto:. File Transfers can sometimes be initiated with an FTP link but are also often initiated with a standard http:// link to the file. Telent: is used to connect to some remote servers when special privileges have been granted. When any of these link types are selected, the list of all links in from the Link Library will be copied to the URL drop box.

The –page- Link Type is a special case that is maintained by the program to link to other pages in the same project. When you select –page- a list of all current pages in the project will be copied to the URL combo box so that you can select one from the drop box. When you link to a page in the same project the program will automatically maintain the link and make any changes that are necessary. If for example you change the name of a page, all links to it will also be updated. If a page is deleted, any links to it will be removed.

Select or Enter a URL:

The Enter URL drop box will contain the list of all links in the Link Library when the –blank-, http, mailto, ftp or telnet Link Types are selected. When the –page- Link Type is selected the URL box will contain all the pages in the current project. To automatically add new links to the library make sure the “Add URL” button is checked in the Options section.

You can either select a predefined link from the drop box or enter a new link. If you are linking to another web site you will need to select the http:// link type and enter the full URL. If you are linking to another page in the same directory select the –blank- Link Type can enter just the file name and extension of the page in the URL box.

Do not enter a link type into the URL box unless you select the –blank- Link Type.

Text Link to click on:

This is the highlighted hyperlink text. If you are creating a bookmark you may wish to omit this text otherwise there should always be some text to activate the link. In the text editor you can view any hidden links be selecting the “Make Links Visible” toolbar button.

Assign a Title:

This box contains the title or information about the link that will be displayed when the users mouse hovers over the link without activating it. The title can be safely left blank if you wish.

Assign a Bookmark:

A bookmark is a special unique name that can be given to a link. It is usually used to create a local link to a specific location on a web page. A typical example is a link that says “Top” that will take the visitor from the bottom of the page to the top when pressed.

To create a bookmark, select the location in the Text Object where the top-left corner of the Browser will move to when the link is activated. Enter a unique name in the Bookmark box then exit the Link Editor. Next create another link that will activate the link to the Bookmark. In the URL box enter the name of the file if it is different followed by the pound symbol #  and the name of the bookmark.

To create a link to the top of the page for example, enter “top” in the bookmark box in a link at the top of the page. In a link at the bottom of the page select –none- in the Link Type and “#top” in the URL box.

Bookmarks often do not include a Title or URL so that they can be invisible.

Open Link in new Window:

Will add the target="resource window" option to the anchor tag to open the link in a new window.

Link Library

The link Library button is used to open the Link Library dialog to manage, export and import links.

Test

The Test button can be used to test the link. You must be connected to the Internet to test a link to a remote web site. Links to local pages will often not work unless there is a copy of the HTML file in the program directory (not recommended). Test local links by Previewing both files.


Link Library Dialog

The Link Library can be used to Import, Export and manage your hyperlinks. Imported and Exported files use the Netscape Navigation Profile HTML format. This format is used to save and load links in their ‘Favorites menu’ by both Netscape and Internet Explorer.


Tool Options Dialog
Tool Options Dialog (Options Menu)

The tools dialog is used to set various work window tool settings and options. See Working in the IMS Window for more details on these and other operations.

Display Target Resolution

Will toggle a dashed blue line in the work window at the target resolution set in the Project Target Dialog.

Shortcut Key:	CTRL+B

Display Grid Guide

Will toggle dashed gray guidelines in the work window at a multiple of the Snap Grid resolution.

Shortcut Key:	CTRL+G

Enable Snap Grid

When the snap grid is enabled, the cursor position will be forced to operate at set intervals on the X and Y axis. The snap grid is useful for transforming and aligning Objects in the work window.

Shortcut Key:	CTRL+M

Display Tab Guides

Tabs can be set in the Horizontal and Vertical rulers that are used for aligning Objects. When Tab Guides are enabled a green dashed line will be displayed in the work window at the location of the tabs.

Reset all Tabs

When this button is pressed all current tabs will be removed.

Enable all Tip Messages

A tips dialog is displayed when some operations or dialogs are used for the first time. If the “Do not display this dialog again” box is checked the tip will not be displayed again. Selecting this check box will re-enable all tips.

Hi-Render Work Window

The work window can operate in either High Resolution mode or Quick mode. In Hi-Resolution mode, advanced operations such as anti-aliasing will be performed. This will produce a better quality image but may cause the editor to perform slowly when a complex page is being displayed and or a slow processor is being used. Uncheck the Hi-Render work window to improve the editor performance.

Hi-Render is automatically enabled when a project is Previewed or Published and disabled when an Animation is previewed within the work window.

Snap Grid Resolution

Adjusts the resolution of the Snap Grid. When the snap Grid is enabled, the mouse will be restricted to horizontal and vertical multiples of the Snap Grid resolution. The Snap Grid can be displayed with the ‘Display Grid Guide’ check box and Enabled or Disabled with the ‘Enable Snap Grid’ check box.

Freehand Drawing Resolution (Has no affect in IMS Web Dwarf)

Freehand sketching is accomplished by holding the left mouse button down while drawing a Shape polygon. When freehand drawing, IMS Studio will add points to the polygon at equal distances. Use this slider to adjust this distance. See the Shape command. for more details on shape geometry.


HTML Target Dialog
Project Target Dialog (Options Menu)

This dialog sets options for your published project.

Project Number

A unique number is assigned to each new project. The number is primarily used to distinguish rendered Objects from different projects that have the same name by appending the project number to the name. A new Rectangle Object for example, may be assigned a default name “Obj1”. When published, an image file with the project number will be created called “Obj1pxxx.png” where “pxxx” is the number of the current project. In this way image files with common names from different projects will not be confused when published to the same location.

The Page Number edit box can be used to change the current project number in cases where the current number may conflict with another project. Projects created in version 1 for example, do not include a project number and should be assigned one through this box. In Version 2 and later the project number will be saved and restored in the projects IMS file. New projects will be assigned a number that increments by 1.

Set Target Resolution

Selects a target resolution for your published project. The dashed blue work window guide border will be displayed at the target resolution. The border can be used to help determine what portions of the screen will probably be viewable at the selected resolution.

When Objects are being positioned using Relative Positioning, the target resolution will also be used to determine the position of the Object relative to the edges of the browser window. If for example, an Object is assigned horizontal relative positioning and located exactly halfway between the left edge of the work window and the right side of the target resolution border (blue dashed line) it will appear in the center of the browser regardless of the browser’s actual resolution.  See the sections on using the IMS Work Window and the Align Toolbarmenu_arrangefor more information.

Set Default Positioning

Selects the default method for placing Objects on the page. By default, this is set to Absolute positioning that will place an Object at an absolute pixel coordinate. The Object will appear within the Browser window at this location regardless of the actual dimensions of the browser window.

Relative Horizontal: will set the Object’s horizontal location relative to the target width of the work window. If for example, the Object is placed half way between the left edge and right edge of the target window, it will appear at the horizontal center of the browser window regardless of the actual width of the browser. (Not available in Web Dwarf)

Relative Vertical: will set the Object’s vertical location relative to the target height of the work window. If for example, the Object is placed half way between the top and bottom edges of the target window, it will appear at the vertical center of the browser window regardless of the actual height of the browser. (Not available in Web Dwarf)

No CSS positioning: when selected, the Object will not be assigned a coordinate within the browser. The actual location of the Object will depend upon other factors including which browser is being used, whether the Object is a member of a group or table, the location of other Objects and so on.

Reset All Objects: when selected, all existing Objects within the project will be assigned the new default positioning options.

Publish Format

This is the same as the Publish Format in the Publisher Options dialog and is used to select the format for you exported project. Changing the option here will also change it within the Publisher.

Auto HTML: This option tells the program to select Static HTML, HTML with Effects or Dynamic HTML whichever is most appropriate. If the page does not include mouse over effects, interactivity or animation, ‘Static HTML’ will be used to minimize the size of the HTML file. If only mouse over and visibility options are selected, ‘HTML with Effects’ will be selected. If the page includes advanced Dynamic HTML features, advanced JavaScript components will be added. The auto option is recommended when your project includes mixed HTML and Dynamic HTML pages.

Static HTML: This option will not include any advanced JavaScript capabilities. This option is recommended when a simple web page without mouse over effects is being exported.

HTML with Effects: This option will added simple JavaScript capabilities directly to the HTML file to switch visibility on or off and to add simple mouse-over effects.

Dynamic HTML: This option will add additional data to the HTML file and will include a link to the current version of vmmech.js for advanced interactive animation.

Auto SVG: This option will select either ‘Static SVG’ or ‘Dynamic SVG’ whichever is most appropriate. If the project does not include any effects or animation, ‘Static SVG’ will be selected to minimize the size of the SVG file. When Animation or Effects are included, Dynamic SVG will be selected. The auto option is recommended when your project includes mixed static and Dynamic pages.

Static SVG: This option will not include any advanced JavaScript capabilities. This option is recommended when a simple SVG page without mouse over effects is being exported.

Dynamic SVG: This option will add additional data to the SVG file and will include a link to the current version of vmsvg.js for advanced interactive animation.

Default Vector Format

This operation does not apply when the project is being published in SVG format since SVG fully supports vector graphics.

When vector geometry is being exported for use in a HTML file, it must be converted to a bitmap format since HTML does not support vector graphics. This option can be used to select the default bitmap format that will be used for all vector geometry. Geometry can also be set individually using the Geometry Editor.

PNG: This is the preferred format and will produce the highest quality graphic images with full shading and transparency. Not all browsers currently support all of the features available in PNG especially transparency. When 1 bit transparency must be used, it may be necessary to use the GIF format.

JPG: Will export the geometry using 24 bit color but without transparency. This format is preferred when shaded geometry is used with a browser that does not adequately support the PNG format.

GIF: Will produce a low quality 8 bit image. GIF is not recommended unless 1 bit transparency is required for a browser that does not support PNG transparency. Shaded geometry will generally produce unacceptable results when exported as GIF images.

BMP: Will produce a 24 bit BMP image of the vector geometry. BMP is not recommended for use for an on-line web page due to its extremely large file size and the fact that it is not supported by many browsers. Exporting to a BMP format may be useful if you wish to convert the image to another format using a 3rd party image program.

Rendering

Sets the quality of rendered geometry and titles.

High Resolution will cause anti-aliasing to be applied to all applicable Objects within the IMS work window. This will provide a good indication of the rendering quality when the project is published but may cause the editor to operate slowly due to the increased demand. If you have a slow processor or are creating a large project, you may wish to leave this switch off. High resolution will automatically be selected when the project is published.

Sampling sets the level of anti-aliasing that will be used with Titles. Titles use a Super-Sampling technique that simulates an increase in resolution. This increase in resolution will

place significantly greater demand on processing as the sampling level is increased. In most instances a level of 2 or 3 is sufficient. Greater levels will produce barely noticeable improvements at significantly greater processing demands and are consequently not recommended. Vector Geometry uses an area sampling technique that is not affected by the sampling level.

Locate vmmech.js (For advanced users only)

Vmmech.js is the generic name of the JavaScript file used to control Dynamic HTML animation. The actual name of the file will change to indicate which version it is.

When publishing a project using the Gather Option, this file will be copied to the same directory as the published HTML file and no other action will be needed by the end user. When Relative mode is selected however, a path to this file will be constructed that is equivalent to the relative path from the publish directory to the location of the file. The user must ensure that this file is located on the remote host so that the path is valid. By default, vmmech.js is located in the /bin directory where IMS Web Engine was installed. If you publish a project into an adjacent directory to the bin directory, the relative path that will be constructed to locate this file will be “../bin/vmmech.js”. A copy of vmmech.js must consequently be transferred to a /bin directory that is adjacent to the publish directory on the remote host.

If you wish to publish your projects using the Relative Publish option and locate vmmech.js in a different directory than /bin, you must create the directory on your locale authoring machine, transfer a copy of the latest version of vmmech.js to it, and then use the browser button in the Set Target dialog to locate it. You will also need to create the equivalent directory on the remote host and ftp a copy of the latest version of vmmech.js to it as well. If your published projects start to generate script errors, it indicates that the process has not been done successfully. In this instance, examine the HTML source of your published files to see what path is being generated and then make the appropriate corrections.

See the section How to Publish your HTML for more details.

Locate vmsvg.js (For Advanced users only)

Vmsvg.js is the generic name of the JavaScript file used to control SVG animation. The actual name of the file will change to indicate which version it is.

When publishing a project using the Gather Option, this file will be copied to the same directory as the published SVG file and no other action will be needed by the end user. When Relative mode is selected however, a path to this file will be constructed that is equivalent to the relative path from the publish directory to the location of the file. The user must ensure that this file is located on the remote host so that the path is valid. By default, vmsvg.js is located in the /bin directory where IMS Web Engine was installed. If you publish a project into an adjacent directory to the bin directory, the relative path that will be constructed to locate this file will be “../bin/vmsvg.js”. A copy of vmsvg.js must consequently be transferred to a /bin directory that is adjacent to the publish directory on the remote host.

If you wish to publish your projects using the Relative Publish option and locate vmsvg.js in a different directory than /bin, you must create the directory on your locale authoring machine, transfer a copy of the latest version of vmsvg.js to it, and then use the browser button in the Set Target dialog to locate it. You will also need to create the equivalent directory on the remote host and ftp a copy of the latest version of vmsvg.js to it as well. If your published projects start to generate script errors, it indicates that the process has not been done successfully. In this instance, examine the SVG source of your published files to see what path is being generated and then make the appropriate corrections.

See the section How to Publish your projects for more details.


Set Word Dialog
Select Word Processor File Type (Deprecated)

This dialog is no longer available


Quick Edit Dialog
Quick Editor Dialog

The Quick Editor is used to provide access to the most common Object and component operations. More advanced operations will usually be found in the main editors.

The Quick Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Object	Object Dialog.
Position	Geometry Dialog
Rotate	Shading Dialog
Scale	Action Dialog
The Quick Editor can be displayed or hidden with the Quick editor button on the component toolbar, from the View Menu or by pressing Ctrl-Q.


Quick Edit Object Dialog
Object Dialog (Quick Editor)

The Object Quick Editor provides a means to quickly adjust an Objects transformations and most common options. See Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects.

Name:

Displays the name of the current selected Object. To change the name, type a new name into the box. Use the drop box to select another Object.

Edit:

Opens the Web Spinner and Web Engine main Object Editor for access to advanced Object operations.

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Position:

Displays the current Position of the Object origin. Use your mouse to move an Object or type a precise position into the edit boxes. The position can also be adjusted 1 pixel at a time with the adjacent adjusters.

Scale:

Displays the current Scale of the Object. Use your mouse to stretch an Object in the work window or type a precise scaling factors into the edit boxes. The scale can also be adjusted by a factor of 1/100 th with the adjacent adjusters.

Skew:

Displays the current Skew of the Object. Type precise X or Y skew angles into the edit boxes. The skew can also be adjusted in 1 degree increments with the adjacent adjusters.

Text and Code Objects cannot be skewed but Titles can. Images can only be skewed if the Thumb-Nail option is enabled to re-render the image.

Rotate:

Displays the current rotation of the Object. An Object can be rotated in the work window by holding the Ctrl Key down while pressing the keyboard Up and Down arrows. A precise angle can also be typed into the edit boxes or use the adjacent adjusters to rotate the Object in 1 degree increments.

Text and Code Objects cannot be rotated but Titles can. Images can only be rotated if the Thumb-Nail option is enabled to re-render the image.

Lock:

The Lock and Key option is used to disable any additional transformations on the Object. Use this option to prevent an Object from being accidentally changed after it has been set correctly. If an Object cannot be moved check to see if it has been locked.

Anti-Alias:

Will cause rendered geometry to be anti-aliased. Anti-aliasing will not be visible in the work window unless the Hi-Render option is selected. Hi-Render is automatically selected for Preview and Publishing.

When set Anti-aliasing will be applied to Vector Geometry, Titles and rotated Images that are exported for HTML. SVG will usually perform its own anti-aliasing.

Re-render (Thumbnail):

The Thumbnail option is used to re-render Image geometry. When set the Image will be re-rendered at its current resolution after any scaling, rotation and skew operations have been applied. Although re-rendering can be used to reduce the size of an Image it is also used to enable the rotation and skew transformations. Images that are being color enhanced will also be automatically re-rendered. See the Geometry Enhance Dialog for more details on color enhancement.

Hi Render:

The Hi Render operation is used to display the effects of anti-aliasing and color enhancement in the work window. This is a global switch that will be applied to any Object that requires these operations.

Hi Rendering in the work window will display rendered geometry in essentially the same way it should be seen after publishing. These operations are processor intensive however, and may cause the work window to become sluggish especially on slower computers or when a large project is being edited. To improve the performance in the work window turn off the Hi Render option.

Hi Render will always be enabled when Previewing or Publishing a project.


Quick Edit Geometry Dialog
Geometry Dialog (Quick Editor)

The Geometry Quick Editor provides a means to quickly adjust an Object’s geometry. See Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects and Geometry.

Name:

Displays the name of the current Geometry. To change the name, type a new name into the box. Use the drop box to change the current Object Geometry component.

Edit:

Opens the Web Spinner and Web Engine main Geometry Editor for access to advanced Geometry operations.

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Outline Settings:

Adjusts the color and line width of the current Geometry. New Geometry by default has a line width of zero.

Vertex Editor:

Is available for Vector Geometry to adjust its vertices, origin and joints. The Vertex Editor also includes an Extruder for more advanced vector editing. See Vertex Editorfor more details on the vertex editor.


Quick Edit Shading Dialog
Shading Dialog (Quick Editor)

The Shading Quick Editor provides a means to quickly adjust the current Objects Shading component.

New:

Will create a new Shading component and apply it to the current Object. If the current Object does not have a Shading component when the Shading dialog is opened, the program will prompt to apply one.

Edit:

Opens the Web Spinner and Web Engine main Shading Editor for access to advanced shading operations.

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Current Shading:

Displays the name of the current Shading component. To change the name, type a new name into the box. Use the drop box to select an existing Shading component for the current object.

Red:

Adjusts the Color 1 or Color 2 red levels.

Green:

Adjusts the Color 1 or Color 2 green levels.

Blue:

Adjusts the Color 1 or Color 2 blue levels.

Transparency:

Adjusts the Color 1 or Color 2 transparency levels.

Color 1:

Selects Color 1 for adjustment by the RGBT sliders.

Color 2:

Selects Color 2 for adjustment by the RGBT sliders. Not all shading includes a second color.

flat

Selects Flat shading. This will apply a single monochrome color to the Object.

linear:

Applies linear shading between color 1 and color 2. Use the main Shading editor to change the direction of the shading.

cylinder:

Applies cylindrical shading between color 1 and color 2. Use the main Shading editor to change the direction of the shading.

radial:

Applies radial shading between color 1 and color 2. Use the main Shading editor to change the origin of the shading.

brightness: (not available in IMS Web Dwarf)

Will appear when an Image is assigned Shading. Use the RGB sliders to adjust the overall brightness of the Red, Green and Blue components of the image.

contrast: (not available in IMS Web Dwarf)

Will appear when an Image is assigned Shading. Use the RGB sliders to adjust the overall contrast of the Red, Green and Blue components of the image.

Use the main Web Spinner and Web Engine Shading editor to apply texture mapping, transparency mapping and to adjust the origin and direction of the Shading component.

A Shading component can be applied to more than one Object. See Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects.

Restrictions

Shading operations on Images including Brightness and Contrast are available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Quick Action Dialog
Action Dialog (Quick Editor)

The Action Quick Editor is available in IMS Web Engine to provide a means to quickly adjust an Objects transformations and most common options. See Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects. See Understanding Animation for more information on animation.

New:

Will create a new Action component and apply it to the current Object. If the current Object does not have an Action component when the Action dialog is opened, the program will prompt to apply one. Say No, unless you wish to create a new animation action for the current Object.

Name:

Displays the name of the current Action component. To change the name, type a new name into the box. Use the drop box to select an existing Action component for the current Object.

Edit:

Opens the Web Engine main Action Editor for access to advanced animation operations.

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Method:

Selects the type of animation to be applied to the current Object.

Object:

Selects an Object to supply a motion path when Key Frame or Object animation methods are selected.

Speed:

Sets the animation speed of the Object. This operation does not apply to Key Frame animation.

Repeat:

Specifies how many times the Object should repeat its animation.

Continuous Play:

Will select a Repeat count of –1 which will cause the Object to repeat its motion indefinitely..

Reverse Direction:

Will cause the Object to alternate between forward and backward travel along its path until the repeat count is completed.

When Key Frame animation is selected the Key Frame dialog will be displayed whenever the Object is selected. This can be used in conjunction for the Quick Editor to create advanced Key Frame motion paths.

The Version 2 Animation editor is still in development. Check the Virtual Mechanics web site for Version 2 updates.


Object menu commands
Object and Component Toolbars

IMS Web Engine Object Toolbar:

Editor	Displays the Object Editor dialog.
Object Name	Displays the name of the current Object.
Geometry Name	Displays the name of the current Geometry.
Shading Name	Displays the name of the current Shading.
Sound Name	Displays the name of the current Sound.
Action Name	Displays the name of the current Action.
Behavior Name	Displays the name of the current Behavior.

IMS Web Engine Component Tool Bar:

IMS Web Spinner Component Tool Bar:

IMS Web Dwarf Component Tool Bar:

Object Edit	Object Edit mode for Object selection, move, stretch, rotate, skew and origin placement.
Page Layout	Page Layout mode for Object selection, move and stretch.
Lock	Lock or Release an Object.
Vertex	Open the vertex editor and extruder.
Rectangle	Creates a Rectangle.
Ellipse	Creates an Ellipse.
Polygon	Creates a Polygon.
Path	Creates a Path (combined polygon, spline, rectangle and ellipse.
Foreign Object	Import Foreign Object
Image	Load an Image.
Title	Create a rendered Title.
Text	Create formatted Text.
HTML	Enter Code.
TABLE	Create a Table.
Geometry	Open the Geometry Editor.
Shading	Open the Shading Editor.
Sound	Open the Sound Editor.
Action	Open the Action animation editor.
Behavior	Open the Behavior event editor.

See the section Understanding Objects for more details on creating and using IMS Web Engine Objects.


Object Editor command
Object Editor command (Object menu)

This command will display the Object_Editor. The Object Editor provides dialogs to select or change Object components, to set precise transformations and to select browser options.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation

Shortcuts

Object Bar:


Object List drop box
Object Name List Box (Object menu)

This Edit box displays the name of the currently selected Object or “*****” if no Object is currently selected. You can change the name of the current Object by typing a new name into the edit box. Object names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters.

The drop down box lists all Objects in the project. Any Object can be selected from this list even if the Object is not contained in the current Page. If the selected Object is contained in the current page it will be highlighted. If it is not a member of the current page it will be selected but not highlighted.

To Include or copy an Object to the current page when it is not a member of the current page, select it with the Object Name Edit Box and use the Copy/Paste or Include commands.

To view and select only those Objects that are already included in the current page use the Page Object List.


Object Geometry
Geometry Name Edit Box (Object menu)

This Edit box displays the name of the Geometry component of the selected Object or “*****” if the selected Object does not include a Geometry component. You can change the name of the current geometry by typing a new name into the edit box. Geometry names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters.

Use the Object Editor  dialog to change an Objects Geometry component.


Object Shading
Shading Name Edit Box (Object menu)

This Edit box displays the name of the Shading component of the selected Object or “*****” if the selected Object does not include a Shading component. You can change the name of the current shading by typing a new name into the edit box. Shading names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters.

Use the Object Editor  dialog to change an Objects Shading component.


Object Sound
Sound Name Edit Box (Object menu)

This Edit box displays the name of the Sound component of the selected Object or “*****” if the selected Object does not include a Sound component. You can change the name of the current sound by typing a new name into the edit box. Sound names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters.

Use the Object Editor  dialog to change an Objects Sound component.


Object Action
Action Name Edit Box (Object menu)

This Edit box displays the name of the Action component of the selected Object or “*****” if the selected Object does not include a Action component. You can change the name of the current Action by typing a new name into the edit box. Action names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters.

Use the Object Editor  dialog to change an Objects Action component.


Object Behavior
Behavior Name Edit Box (Object menu)

This Edit box displays the name of the Behavior component of the selected Object or “*****” if the selected Object does not include a Behavior component. You can change the name of the current Behavior by typing a new name into the edit box. Behavior names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any special characters.

Use the Object Editor  dialog to change an Objects Behavior component.


Object Lock command
Object Lock/Unlock command (Object menu)

This command will lock or unlock an Object’s transformation Matrix. When locked, transformation operations cannot be performed on an Object. If an Object is already locked, this command will unlock it. A colored lock will appear on the Object toolbar and Quick Editor when a locked Object is selected. A key will appear when an unlocked Object is selected.

 Locking an Object is useful when you wish to prevent accidental editing of an Object.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation

Shortcuts

Object Bar:


Object Rectangle command
Rectangle command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object with Rectangle Geometry. Use your mouse to select the location of the top-left corner then drag to create the bottom-right corner. You can adjust the Rectangle with your mouse, the Quick_Editor or the Object_Editor. Select Object Edit mode to interactively scale, stretch, rotate, skew and position the rectangle to any desired location. Use the Vertex Tool. to create rounded corners.

Rectangle geometry will not be visible when published unless the Object is assigned Shading or a Geometry line width. When published to an HTML file, visible vector geometry is converted to a bitmap file. See the Geometry Editor for more information on setting the line width and export bitmap format. See the Shading Editor for more information on applying shading to an Object.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window..

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Object Ellipse command
Ellipse command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object with Ellipse Geometry. Use your mouse to select the location of the top-left corner then drag to create the bottom-right corner. You can adjust the Ellipse with your mouse, the Quick_Editor or the Object_Editor. Select Object Edit mode to interactively scale, stretch, rotate, skew and position the ellipse to any desired location. Use the Vertex Tool. to create a Pie or Arc.

Ellipse geometry will not be visible when published unless the Object is assigned Shading or a Geometry line width. When published to a HTML file, visible vector geometry is converted to a bitmap file. See the Geometry Editor for more information on setting the line width and export bitmap format. See the Shading Editor for more information on applying shading to an Object.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Object Shape command
Polygon command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object with Polygon Geometry. Upon selecting this command, the program will enter Vertex Enter Mode. Each time you press the left mouse button, a new point will be appended to the polygon. A vector will rubber band from the last point to the mouse and from the mouse to the first point on the polygon. Holding the left mouse button down while moving the mouse will enter sketch mode and drop vertices at periodic intervals. The sketch mode interval can be adjusted with the Freehand Resolution Slider in the Tools Options Dialog.

To create a Closed polygon select the first point on the polygon or press the “C” key. To create an Open polygon double click the last point or press the “O” key. You can adjust the Polygon with your mouse, the Quick_Editor or the Object_Editor. Select Object Edit mode to interactively scale, stretch, rotate, skew and position the polygon to any desired location. Use the Vertex Tool. to reposition or edit any point in the Polygon.

Polygon geometry will not be visible when published unless the Object is assigned Shading or a Geometry line width. When published to a HTML file, visible vector geometry is converted to a bitmap file. See the Geometry Editor for more information on setting the line width and export bitmap format. See the Shading Editor for more information on applying shading to an Object.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window..

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Object Path command
Path command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Path Object with combined Shape Geometry. Shapes that can be combined with the Path command include Vectors, Rectangles, Ellipse’s and B-Splines. Upon selecting this command, the program will display the Path toolbox menu. Select the menu item for the shape you wish to append to the path. A keyboard shortcut is also available for each menu item.

Move (M):

Will break the path to start the next shape at a new location. The Move location is selected by pressing the left mouse button. This is always the initial operation.

Line (L):

Will draw a straight-line from the last point to the location selected with the left mouse button. Line mode is the default operation following the initial Move unless a different operation is selected.

Rectangle (R):

Will break the path to append a rectangle. Enter two points to create opposite corners of the rectangle.

Ellipse (E):

Will break the path to append an ellipse. Enter two points to create a bounding box to define the extent of the ellipse.

Bezier Spline (S):

Will append a quadratic bezier spline to the path. A quadratic b-spline requires four points. The last point of the previous shape will be used to define the first point of the spline and will be located on the path. The next two points are used to control the shape of the path and may not be located directly on the path. The final point will terminate the spline and will be located on the path. The last point will also be the first point of the next spline if multiple splines are being appended to the path.

Quit (Q):

Will cancel the path without saving it and will close the Path Toolbox.

Close (C):

Will close the last point to the first point to create a closed path, will save the path and close the Path Toolbox.  The Path can also be terminated and closed by selecting the first point.

Open (O):

Will save the path without closing it and will close the Path Toolbox. The path can also be terminated without being closed by double clicking the last point.

You can adjust the Path with your mouse, the Quick_Editor or the Object_Editor. Select Object Edit mode to interactively scale, stretch, rotate, skew and position the path to any desired location. Use the Vertex Tool. to reposition or edit any point in the Path.

Path geometry will not be visible when published unless the Object is assigned Shading or a Geometry line width. When published to a HTML file, visible vector geometry is converted to a bitmap file. See the Geometry Editor for more information on setting the line width and export bitmap format. See the Shading Editor for more information on applying shading to an Object. To edit, append or delete points on a path, use the Vertex Tool.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This operation is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Image command
Image command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object and display the Image Dialog to select Image Geometry. Several image file formats are supported including GIF, JPEG, PNG and BMP.

The editor can either use the original image or it can re-render a duplicate of the original image to provide several advanced imaging operations. The available image operations include:

Render (Thumb-nail)

The image will be re-rendered at its display resolution. Use this operation to reduce an images file size. The Render (Thumb-Nail) operation is enabled by default and can be changed in the Quick_Editor or the Object_Editor dialogs.

Rotate, Skew and Anti-Alias

An image can be Rotated or Skewed like any other Object when the Render operation is enabled. You can also enable anti-aliasing to minimized artifacts that may appear when an image is rotated. To enable Image Rotation, Skew and Anti-Aliasing enable the Render and Anti-Alias check boxes in the Quick_Editor or the Object_Editor dialogs.

Scaling and moving an image does not require re-rendering.

Image Enhancement

Images can be enhanced to adjust their Brightness, Contrast and Colors when the Render Operation is enabled. Use the Shading Dialog or Quick_Editor to assign the Image Object a Shading component then adjust its brightness, contrast and transparency.

Image enhancements and transformations are always applied to a rendered duplicate of the Image and not to the original, which will be left unchanged.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window..

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

Image Enhancements are available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Title command
Import command (Object menu)

Imports a Foreign Object. These include XHTML, SVG, Flash and other multi-media formats. The availability of support for these Object may vary depending upon the export format (SVG or HTML), the browser being used and the plug-ins, players and codecs installed on individual computer systems.

See the Foreign Object for more information.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Title command
Title command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object and display the Text_Editor dialog to create a Title. A Title has a single color, font face, and styles and will scale to fit its bounding box.

Unlike Text, a Title will be rendered into a bitmap. Like vector geometry, a Title can be scaled, rotated, skewed and shaded. A shading component can be used to add linear, cylindrical or radial shading, texture mapping, transparency, transparency mapping and anti-aliasing.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about Text see the section on Understanding Text.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window..

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Object Text command
Text command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object and display the Text_Editor dialog to create or load Rich Text Geometry. Rich Text can display text with multiple font faces, colors, sizes etc. Scaling a Rich Text Object will change the text’s bounding box but will not affect the font size. Rich Text is a common format for most Word Processors.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about Text see the section on Understanding Text.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Object Code command
CODE command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object and display the Text_Editor dialog to create or load Code.

Code is unprocessed text. Unlike Titles and Text Objects, Code will be passed to the Browser or SVG viewer unmodified. The Code format is consequently best suited to adding Banners, HTML, SVG, Scripts or other code that needs to be used without any modification.

Code can be target to a specific output format so that code intended for an SVG viewer for example, will not be sent when HTML is being published. The specific code formats are:

Generic Code

Generic code will be published to all target formats. This is the default. Select Generic CODE from the Text Editor Geometry Format drop box.

SVG

An SVG Code Object will only be published when the Target Publish format is SVG. Select SVG from the Text Editor Geometry Format drop box.

HTML Body

An HTML Body Code Object will be published in the BODY section when the Target Publish format is HTML. Select HTML <BODY> from the Text Editor Geometry Format drop box.

HTML Head

An HTML Head Code Object will be published in the HEAD section when the Target Publish format is HTML. Select HTML <HEAD> from the Text Editor Geometry Format drop box.

The current version of the program will not make any attempt to validate the code.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about Text see the section on Understanding Text.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window..

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Object Link
Object Links (Link Dialog)

This dialog is only available in IMS Web Dwarf. See the Object_Editor for IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner Object links.

Adds a hyperlink to the current Object. The Object will link to the specified destination when clicked within the browser. Use the Text_Editor to add a link within a text Object.

See Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects.

Anchor URL:

Enter the URL of the page to link too. You can create an e-mail link by entering “mailto:” followed by the e-mail address. You must also check the ‘Link to URL’ check box for the anchor to be included in the HTML document.

Anchor Title:

Will include a title for the URL that is displayed when the mouse moves over the link. The ‘Include Title’ check box must be checked in order for the title to be included in the anchor.

Restrictions

This dialog is only available in IMS Web Dwarf.


Object Geometry command
Table command (Object menu)

This command will display the Table_Editor The Table Editor provides a visual means to quickly create a HTML style Table.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects..

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Geometry command
Geometry command (Object menu)

This command will display the Geometry_Editor. The Geometry Editor provides dialogs to select or change the Geometry’s name, to set the Geometry’s outline width and color, to select a vector geometry’s format and to change an image Geometry’s file path.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Shading command
Shading command (Object menu)

This command will display the Shading_EditorThe Shading Editor is used to apply shading to an Object. Shading operations include Flat, Linear, Cylindrical and Radial Shading. Shading also supports Transparency, Transparency mapping, and several forms of Texture mapping. Shading can be applied to Titles and Vector geometry. Only Transparency will be applied to Images. When exporting HTML Flat-Shading will be applied to Text Objects by the Browser.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Shading command
Sound command (Object menu)

This command will display the Sound Editor The Sound Editor provides dialogs to select or change sound effects associated with an Object. By default, a sound effect will play immediately upon loading unless you use a Behavior to control it.

Note: Sound effects are currently only available in Internet Explorer 4.0 and later HTML. Use the Page Music command to play cross browser and SVG background music.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is only available in IMS Web Engine.


Object Action command
Action command (Object menu)

This command will display the Action Editor. The Action Editor provides dialogs to select or change motions associated with one or more Objects.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is only available in IMS Web Engine.


Object Behavior command
Behavior command (Object menu) -IMS Web Engine

This command will display the Behavior_Editor. The Behavior Editor provides dialogs to define complex behaviors and events associated with one or more Objects.

To learn more about Objects see the section on Understanding Objects.. To learn more about using the IMS work window see the section on Working in the IMS Window.. To learn more about motion paths see the section on Understanding Animation

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:

Restrictions

This dialog is only available in IMS Web Engine.


Select Move command
Page Layout mode (Components toolbar)

This Tools button is used to enter Page Layout mode. Page Layout mode provides interactive Object selection, moving and scaling. Page Layout mode is similar to Object Edit mode except that Rotation, Skew and Origin placement operations are not enabled for interactive editing within the work window. This is the preferred mode for page layout operations.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Select Transform command
Object Edit mode (Components toolbar)

This Tools button is used to enter Object Edit mode. Object Edit mode provides interactive Object selection, moving, stretching, rotation, skew and origin placement operations. This mode provides full interactive editing of Objects but is less convenient than Page Layout mode for simple Object placement and scaling.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Edit Vertex command
Edit Vertex (Components toolbar)

This Tool is used to open the current Geometry for Vertex Editing. To stretch, scale, move and rotate an Object within the work window, see the section on Working in the IMS Window.

The origin of any Object can also be moved with the vertex editor. An Object’s Origin is used for Scaling, Rotations and as the positioning point in animation. Use the mouse to drag it to any desired location.

The Vertex Editing operations that are available depend on the type of geometry that is selected.

Rectangles

Use the mouse to drag the control points at one of the corners of a rectangle to create rounded corners.

Ellipse

Use the mouse to drag the control points to create an arc or pie shape..

Polygons and Paths

The Vertex dialog provides advanced operations for editing and extruding polygons and paths. Use your mouse to drag a vertex to any location. The current point can also be snapped to a Tag Position with the Align toolbar.

Insert –Will add a new point ahead of the current point. If the current point is part of a sequence such as a Rectangle, Ellipse or Spline, the new point will be added ahead of the first point in the sequence.

Delete –Will delete the current point. If the current point is part of a sequence such as a Rectangle, Ellipse or Spline section, the entire sequence will be deleted.

Open End –Will toggle the geometry Open or Closed. Closed geometry will connect the first point to the last point before each Move point so that all shapes are closed. Closed geometry can be shaded. Open geometry will not close sequences of points and cannot be shaded.

Extrude –Is used to create complex Paths and Polygons through an extrude operation that duplicates the points in the Geometry. Extrude is best performed interactively so that you can see the effects of your changes as you make them. To perform interactive extrusion select the Auto Update button. On slower systems you can deselect auto update and update your changes with the Update button.

All extrusions use the Origin as the center of the new shape or Polygon. You can move the origin while extruding to change the dynamics of the new geometry.

The original points in the Geometry can also be moved while extruding to fine tune and modify the new geometry.

Extrude –Move Will move the initial geometry across the Origin while duplicating points. Use the Copy Slider to select the number of copies to be generated. Move the Origin to change the direction and extent of the move.

Extrude –Scale Will scale the Geometry around the origin while duplicating points. Use the Copy slider to select the number of duplicates to be created. Use the Scale slider to select the amount of the scale. Move the origin to change the center of the scale operation.

Extrude –Rotate Will rotate the geometry around the origin while duplicating points. Use the copy slider to select the number of copies to be generated. Use the Angle slider to select the number of degrees to rotate the geometry. Move the Origin to change the center of the rotation.

Save -Will save the current changes without exiting the vertex editor.

Restore –Will restore the geometry to the state it was at when last Saved or to its original state if no save has been performed.

OK –Will save any changes and exit the vertex editor.

Cancel –Will restore to the last save and exit the vertex editor.

After completing the vertex editing operation be sure to return to Select Object mode.

Shortcuts

Tools Bar:


Edit Vertex command
Foreign Object Dialog

The Foreign Object Dialog is used to import a none-HTML Object to the page. These can include XHTML, SVG, Java, Flash, QuickTime, Real Audio and other multi-media formats. Care should be used when importing a Foreign Object to ensure that the format is correct and that it is supported. A Foreign Object can fail for numerous reasons. These include:

1.	The Browser or SVG player does not support the format.

2.	A player, plugin or codac is not installed on the viewers system.

3.	The host Server is not setup to support the format.

4.	The host Server does not have the correct mime-type set.

5.	The host Server does not support streaming media.

6.	The parameters for the Foreign Object are not set correctly.

7.	The media or code is corrupt or invalid.

The format


Table Editor

The Table Editor provides the following dialogs:

Table Dialog	The Table Dialog.
Table Cell Dialog	The Table Cell Dialog.

Restrictions

This editor is available in IMS Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Table Dialog

Table Dialog (Table Editor)

The Table Dialog is used to set the number of cells within the Table, and to set the border, padding, spacing, and default alignments. The Table Dialog also includes a layout window that will display the Table Cells in their rows and columns. When you select a cell with your mouse it will be outlined and displayed in the adjacent Table Cell Dialog You can also use your mouse to drag the contents of the selected cell to another cell in the window or to create Row and Column spans. When you release the mouse button over another cell the Move Cell Dialog will appear to ask you what operation you wish to perform.

The Table Cell Dialog will automatically appear to the right of the Table Dialog when it is opened. The Table Cell Dialog is used to assign an Object to the selected cell and to assign a background, to align the Object and to change the Horizontal or Vertical spans associated with the cell.

Use the Quick Editor or Shading Editor to assign a default background color to the Table Object.

See the tutorial Understanding Tables for a general Overview on using the IMS Table editor.

Table Select.

This box will display the name of the current Table Geometry. A different Table can be selected from the drop box for editing. Use the ‘New’ button to create a new Table Object. The ‘Obj’, ‘Geo’ and ‘Shd’ buttons can be used to open the component Editor with the components associated with the Table pre-selected.

Borders

Use these buttons to change the Table Border width, color, spacing and padding. By default a new Table will be assigned a 1 pixel black border. Setting the width to zero will hide the border.

Cell Layout

These controls are used to change the number of Columns and Rows in the Table. By default new Tables will be assigned 2 Columns and 2 Rows to create four cells. Column and Row spans will still be counted for the number of cells they span. When the Cell Layout is changed any existing Spans will be cancelled.

Alignment

Sets the default Horizontal and Vertical Object alignment within the cells. Individual Cell Alignment can be set in the Table Cell Dialog.

Title

Selects the Table Cell Dialog to assign or edit a title for the Table. Titles have the same attributes as a cell but always appear across the top of the Table.

Cell Table Window

The Cell Table window will display the Horizontal and Vertical cells as set in the Cell Layout. Use your mouse to select the current cell and to move the contents of a cell. When the contents are dragged to another cell a Cell Move dialog will appear to request the type of operation to perform. Cell contents can be Moved, Swapped, Copied and Spanned.


Table Cell Dialog

Table Cell Dialog (Table Editor)

The Table Cell Dialog provides the controls to set and change the currently selected cell. Use it to assign an Object to the selected cell, to select the Object within the cell, to assign a background to the cell, to align the Object within the cell and to change the Horizontal or Vertical spans associated with the cell.

The Table Dialog is used to set the number of cells within the Table, and to set the border, padding, spacing and default alignments. Assign a Shading component to the Table Object to assign a default background color.

See the tutorial Understanding Tables for a general Overview on using the IMS Table editor.

Cell Numbers.

This box will display the Column and Row number of the selected cell. If a span cell is selected the top left cell position will be displayed. If the dialog Title is selected ‘Title’ will be displayed.

Cell Object

Use these buttons to assign an Object to the cell. When a cell is selected the Object currently assigned to the cell will be displayed. Use the drop box to select another Object. Use the Image, Text, Title and Code buttons to create a new Object. To assign Vector Geometry to a cell first create it in the IMS editor then select the Object name from the drop box. To assign more than one Object to a cell first create a Group Object. Existing Tables can also be assigned to a Table Cell to embed Tables within Tables.

Editors

Provides a means to open a component editor with the current cell Object component selected. These include the Object, Geometry, Shading, and Text editors. The Text editor button will only be highlighted if the selected cell contains a Text Object.

Double clicking a cell will also automatically open the most common editor associated with the cell Object.

Cell Color

Selects a color to be assigned to the cell background. If ‘none’ is selected the Object’s Shading component color will be used. If the Object does not have a Shading component then the Table will have a transparent background.

Cell Alignment

Selects the Alignment of the Object within the Cell. If ‘none’ is selected the default Table alignment will be used.

Cell Spans

Provides a means to change the Horizontal and Vertical Spans associated with the selected cell. By default a cell does not have a Span. By increasing the Column and Row Numbers the cell can be forced to span the adjacent cells to the right and down. Returning the spans to zero will cancel the spans across the adjacent cells.

Row and Column spans can also be created by dragging a cell across the cells that you want it to span.


Object Dialog Sheet
Object Editor Dialog

The Object Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Components	Select the current Object.
Transformations	Set Object Transformations.
Rotate	Set Object Joints.
Options	Set Object URL Links
Options	Set Object options.

Restrictions

This editor is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Components Dialog
Components Dialog (Object Editor)

Refer to the section Understanding Objects for more information on the use of Objects.

Object Name:

Displays the name of the current Object being edited. Use the drop down box to edit another Object component.

You can change the name of the current Object by typing a new name into the edit box. Object names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any blank or special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Obj1, Obj2. Obj3 etc. You can change these names to be more descriptive in each edit box.

Geometry:

Displays the Geometry component associated with this Object. Use the drop down box to select a different Geometry. An Object’s Geometry can also be dynamically changed with either the Metamorph operation of a Behavior or the Orientation component of an Action.

Geometry Type:

Displays the current Geometry type. This can not be changed. Valid types include: Rectangle, Ellipse, Shape, Sprite and Text.

Shading:

Displays the Shading component associated with this Object. Use the drop down box to select a different Shading component. Shading can be defined with the Shading Dialog.

Sound:

This component is reserved for future updates of IMS Web Engine.

Action:

Displays the Action component associated with this Object. Use the drop down box to select a different Action component. Action can be defined with the Action dialog.

Behavior:

Displays the Behavior component associated with this Object. Use the drop down box to select a different Behavior component. Behavior can be defined with the Behavior dialog.

Selecting “****” in a component drop down box will disable the specified component.

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Position Dialog
Transformations Dialog (Object Editor)

Precisely sets an Object’s transformation matrix for positioning, scaling, skew and rotation.  See the section on Working in the IMS Window.for more details on transforming Objects.

Horizontal, Vertical Position:

Sets the Object’s origin to the specified x and y coordinates. Enter a precise value into the edit boxes or use the adjacent adjusters. When the Absolute box is checked, the position will be set in Absolute pixel coordinates. When the Relative box is checked, the position will be set Relative to the editors Target Resolution.

Horizontal, Vertical Scaling:

Sets the Object’s horizontal and vertical scaling factors. Enter a precise value into the edit boxes or use the adjacent adjusters. Use the Mirror and Flip buttons to set a negative scaling factor. When the “Maintain Aspect Ratio” box is checked, the same scaling factor will be applied the Horizontal and Vertical axes.

Skew X, Y:

Skews the Object on the X and Y axes. Enter a precise value into the edit boxes or use the adjacent adjusters. Skewing is equivalent to rotation on a single axis. Skew values are entered in degrees.

Rotation:

Sets the Object’s rotation. Enter a precise value into the edit box or use the adjacent adjusters.

No CSS:

When checked, the Object will not be published in HTML within <DIV>. The Object will consequently not have any positioning or scaling within the HTML document. This option is primarily used with Code Objects or Imported HTML that includes its own positioning elements.

Reset

Use this button to reset an Object’s transformation matrix. This will cause the Object to appear at the top left corner of the work window without any rotation, skew or scaling.

Lock

Is used to Lock the current transforms to prevent accidental changes within the work window.

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Position Dialog
Joints Dialog (Object Editor)

This dialog is used to set the Object’s Origin and Joint positions.

The Origin is used for the Object’s center of rotation and scaling point. In animation it is also used as the point that will trace a path.

The Joint is used in animation for articulated motion. It is the location at which another Object’s Origin will be attached to this Object.  By attaching Origins to Joints it is possible to create arms and legs that can be articulated.

Origin, Pivot Point:

Sets the Object’s origin to the specified x and y coordinates. The Origin is expressed in pixel coordinates relative to the center of the Object and is not affected by the Object’s transformations.

Enter a precise value into the edit boxes or use the adjacent adjusters. The nine Quick location boxes can be used to select the equivalent location at the center or on the edges of the Object.

Joint Object:

An Object that this Object will be attached to. This Object’s Origin will be attached to the Joint Object at its Joint location. This Objects transformations will be applied at the Joint Objects joint position. When the joint Object is transformed, this Object will be transformed to maintain its position.

Joints are used in IMS Web Engine for articulated motion.

Joint, Attach position:

Sets the Object’s x,y joint location. The Joint is expressed in pixel coordinates relative to the work window. Any transformations applied to the Object will affect its Joint location.

Enter a precise value into the edit boxes or use the adjacent adjusters. The nine Quick location boxes can be used to select the equivalent location at the center or on the edges of the Object.

Attach Object:

An Object that will be attached to this Object. The Attach Object’s Origin will be attached to this Object at its Joint location. Transformations to this Object that changes its Joint location will cause the Attach Object to move to maintain its Origin at the attach location.

Joints are used in IMS Web Engine for articulated motion.

Restrictions

Joints are used in IMS Web Engine for articulated motion.


Object Anchor Dialog
Link Dialog (Object Editor)

Applies a hyperlink to the Object that will be activated when the Object is clicked. A link applied to the Object will take precedence to links within the Object. Text links will consequently not work if the Object is assigned a link.

Links within Text Objects should be assigned within the Text Editor. Use the Link Tab. in a Behavior Definition. to activate a link from an event.

Link Type

Use this drop box to select the type of hyperlink to generate. To link to a remote website select http://. To link to a file in the same directory select –blank-. To create a link to open the users email program select mailto:. File Transfers can sometimes be initiated with an FTP link but are also often initiated with a standard http:// link to the file. Telent: is used to connect to some remote servers when special privileges have been granted. When any of these link types are selected, the list of all links in from the Link Library will be copied to the URL drop box.

The –page- Link Type is a special case that is maintained by the program to link to other pages in the same project. When you select –

page- a list of all current pages in the project will be copied to the URL combo box so that you can select one from the drop box. When you link to a page in the same project the program will automatically maintain the link and make any changes that are necessary. If for example you change the name of a page, all links to it will also be updated. If a page is deleted, any links to it will be removed.

Select or Enter a URL:

The Enter URL drop box will contain the list of all links in the Link Library when the –

blank-, http, mailto, ftp or telnet Link Types are selected. When the –page- Link Type is selected the URL box will contain all the pages in the current project. To automatically add new links to the library make sure the “Add URL” button is checked in the Options section.

You can either select a predefined link from the drop box or enter a new link. If you are linking to another web site you will need to select the http:// link type and enter the full URL. If you are linking to another page in the same directory select the –blank- Link Type can enter just the file name and extension of the page in the URL box.

Do not enter a link type into the URL box unless you select the –blank- Link Type.

Assign a Title:

This box contains the title or information about the link that will be displayed when the users mouse hovers over the link without activating it. The title can be safely left blank if you wish.

Open Link in new Window:

Will add the target="resource window" option to the anchor tag to open the link in a new window.

Enable Link When published:

This box must be checked for the link to work. Uncheck this box to disable the link. Check this box to enable it.

Enable page links within the editor:

This is a special option to enable links to pages within the IMS editor. This option only works with Page Links to enable simplified navigation within the editor.

Link Library

The link Library button is used to open the Link Library dialog to manage, export and import links.

Test

The Test button can be used to test the link. You must be connected to the Internet to test a link to a remote web site. Links to local pages will often not work unless there is a copy of the HTML file in the program directory (not recommended). Test local links by Previewing both files.

Restrictions

This dialog is available in IMS Web Spinner and IMS Web Engine.


Object Options Dialog
Options Dialog (Object Editor)

Set various flags and options associated with the Object. See the section on Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects.

Exclude from target format:

By default an Object will be exported to all formats when published. Use these check boxes to exclude an Object from being published when the associated format is being published.

Visiblibility:

By default an Object will always be visible. Use these check boxes to make the Object invisible during these events. Use the mouse events to create simple mouse over effects.

Set Initial Value:

This option is used exclusively by IMS Web Engine to set the Objects initial Behavior value. By default every Object is assigned an initial value of Zero. Use this option to set a different initial value. See the Behavior Actions dialog for more details.

This option is used in IMS Web Engine,

Set Initial Active:

By default, when an Object contains a Behavior component it will be loaded with its Behavior in the ‘Not Active’ state. Checking this flag will cause the Object’s Behavior to be set to the ‘Active’ state when first loaded. See the Behavior Actions dialog for more details.

This option is used in IMS Web Engine,

Thumbnail (re-rendering):

The Thumbnail option is used to re-render Image geometry. When set the Image will be re-rendered at its current resolution after any scaling, rotation and skew operations have been applied. Although re-rendering can be used to reduce the size of an Image it is also used to enable the rotation and skew transformations. Images that are being color enhanced will also be automatically re-rendered. See the Geometry Enhance Dialog for more details on color enhancement.

Anti-Alias:

Will cause rendered geometry to be anti-aliased. Anti-aliasing will not be visible in the work window unless the Hi-Render option is selected. Hi-Render is automatically selected for Preview and Publishing.

When set Anti-aliasing will be applied to Vector Geometry, Titles and rotated Images that are exported for HTML. SVG will usually perform its own anti-aliasing.


About IMS Files
IMS Project Files

The IMS files contain the instructions that describe the user’s project. An IMS project is saved in a binary format and is consequently not readable or editable outside of the IMS application program. IMS files are extremely compact and can be converted to several different standard formats including: HTML, Dynamic HTML and SVG. Numerous other formats are planned for future releases of the IMS software.

.

When the Publish or Preview operations are selected, the internal IMS format is converted to HTML, Dynamic HTML or SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).

Loading an IMS Project

An IMS project can be loaded with the Open command in the File Menu or File Toolbar. The File Menu also contains a list of the four most recent projects.

Saving an IMS Project

An IMS project can be saved with the SAVE or SAVE AS commands in the File Menu or File Toolbar.

Project Backup

A Backup IMS file of the current project is made automatically whenever a project is loaded or Saved. This backup file called “IMSBackup.ims” and is saved into the main IMS install directory. It is deleted whenever the project is terminated normally.

Crash Recovery

When an IMS session is terminated abnormally through a system or other failure, the “IMSBackup.ims” file will not be deleted. When an IMS Application is first started, it will search for the backup file and will display a dialog giving the user the opportunity to load the last successful save from the failed session. Be sure to resave the backup file with a new name.


Understanding Objects

What is an Object?

An Object is the principle element displayed on a page. When you select Text or an Image and move it with your mouse you are actually selecting an Object. An Object is comprised of several components including: Geometry, Shading, Audio, Action and Behavior. An Object does not need to have any of these components but it must have a Geometry component to be visible. The Object itself includes a transformation matrix, which determines its location, size, rotation and skew.

A unique feature of the IMS data structure is its ability for Objects to share components. Many Objects for example, may use the same Shading. If the Shading on one of these Objects is changed the shading on all Objects that share the Shading component will also change. This provides a convenient means to create Clones and multiple instances of an Object.

Components of an Object

Geometry

Geometry is the visible component of an Object. The different types of Geometry include: Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, Path, Image. Text, Title and Code. Geometry also includes a vector outline. This will be a rectangle for Rectangles, Images, Text, Titles and Code. Ellipse's Polygons and Paths are non rectangular.

Shading

Shading describes how the interior of an Object will be shaded. Shading can be Flat, Liner, Cylindrical or Spherical. Web Engine and Web Spinner can also apply Scaled Texture, Stretched Texture or a Tiled Texture. Shading also includes Transparency and Transparency Mapping. Shading is ignored when applied to Text Geometry and only Transparency can be applied to Image Geometry.

The following advanced components are used for Animation in Web Engine

Sound (Web Engine)

Sound references a midi or wave audio file. Use the Sound Editor to assign a sound to an Object. Use the Behavior Editor to control the audio.

Action (Web Engine)

Action describes the motion an Object will have. See the Animation tutorial for an introduction to animation.

Behavior (Web Engine)

The Behavior component describes a collection of Interactive and Dynamic Triggers and Events. See the Behavior tutorial for an introduction to Behaviors and Events.

Moving, Scaling, Rotating and Skew

(Rotation and Skew available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner)

An Object includes a transformation Matrix that determines its position, size, rotation, and Skew. These can be changed using the Keyboard and Mouse or through the Quick_Editorand Object_Editor.

When an Object is correctly positioned and scaled, you can lock it to prevent accidental changes to it.

If an Object refuses to move, check the Key/Lock symbol to see if it has been locked into place.

Naming Objects and Components

When you create any Object a unique name will automatically be created for it. This name will be displayed in the Quick Editor Object dialog, in the Object List drop box on the Page toolbar and in the Object list drop box on the Object toolbar in IMS Web Engine. The Web Engine Object bar will also display the names of the components that are assigned to the current Object.

You can change the name of the Object and its Components to something more descriptive by typing the new name into the edit boxes. Do not use blanks or non-standard characters.

Copy and Paste

An Object and its components can be duplicated using Copy and Paste. The new Object will be a completely independent replica of the Original. Changes made to either the original or copy will not affect the other. To copy the current selected Object use the Copy and Paste buttons or menu items or press Ctrl C and Ctrl V.

Clones and Included Objects.

(available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner)

An Object can share its components with other Objects. This provides a convenient means to create common components that can be shared amongst many different Objects. Objects that share their components are called Clones or Instances.

Whereas Clones are different Objects that share the same components, an Included Object is an Object that is shared by more than one Page in the project. The significance is that an Included Object also has the same transformation matrix. If you change an Included Object on one page including its location and size, it will change on ever page in which it is included.

The Include Operation is a powerful feature that provides numerous benefits.

•	Create a single navigation bar and Include it on all your pages. If you need to add or modify it in any way it will automatically change on all pages in your project.

•	Create a generic web page and Include the common elements to ensure that every page is identical.

•	Create common elements that can be shared by more than one page.

Cut and Delete

An Object can be removed by Cutting (Ctrl X) or Deleting (Del key) but there is a difference.

Cutting an Object will remove it from the current page but will leave it in the data base. If the Object has been Included on more than one page they will not be delete.

The delete operation (Del key) will remove the Object from the entire data structure including any other pages the Object has been Included.

The Object Editor

(available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner)

Web Spinner and Web Engine include an Object_Editorthat provides several advanced options and capabilities. The Object editor can be opened by selecting the Object Editor on the Components toolbar or by right clicking on the Object you wish to edit.


Understanding Actions

(available in IMS Web Engine)

Note: This tutorial was written for Version 1. The Version 2 tutorial will be released soon.

In IMS Web Engine, every Object has a transformation matrix that describes the Object’s position, scale and rotation(only vector Geometry can be rotated). An Object can be animated by modifying its transformation matrix over time. The principal means of doing this is to include an Action component with the Object.

The Action component uses several techniques to describe motion. The first of these is through the use of Linear Paths. The second technique uses Interactive input by tracing the movement of the mouse. The final method is through the use of hierarchical motion paths.

Linear Paths

A linear path provides a simple means to describe motion in one of eight directions. Each direction is based upon a compass point and a location dependent upon the Object’s position at the start of the presentation.

Interactive Mouse Input:

Interactive Motion is tied to the movement of the mouse on the X and/or Y axes. When only one axis is used, the Object will stay positioned at its original position on the other axis.

Hierarchical Motion Paths:

The Geometry of any Object can be used to define a path for another Object. The principal means of describing a path is through the creation of a Rectangle, Ellipse or Shape that is a component in another Object. Text and Sprites can also be used as Rectangular paths.

Hierarchical motion results when an Object traces the path of another Object with an Action component. In this way, Object_A can trace Object_B which is tracing Object_C and so on. There is no theoretical limit to the depth of this hierarchy. Care should be taken to prevent recursive hierarchies which will result in unpredictable motion.

In addition to providing motion, the Action component provides a Rate to determine speed, a Repeat counter to determine how many times a path should be traced and an Orientation option that will dynamically change an Objects geometry as its direction changes.

An Action component can be created with the Action Editor dialog.


Understanding Behavior
Understanding Behaviors

(available in IMS Web Engine)

This tutorial was written for version 1. The Version 2 tutorial will be released soon.

IMS Web Engine provides a Behavior component that may be attached to an Object. In IMS Web Engine, a Behavior is a complex interrelationship between dynamic events and actions.

At its simplest, a Behavior may define a mouse click that makes an Object toggle between visible and invisible. At its most complex, a Behavior may be triggered only when a predefined set of events(related or not) are true. Such an event trigger may results in the Object changing its Behavior so that a different set of events are needed to trigger a new action.

A Behavior can be in one of two states. These are ‘Active’ and ‘Not Active’. The distinction between the two states is defined by the user and should not be construed by the name. For example, a Behavior may impart Visibility and Motion when ‘Not Active’ and Invisibility with no Motion when ‘Active’. The switch between the ‘Active’ and ‘Not Active’ states is determined by a set of Event Triggers.  Three types of Event Triggers are possible. These are User Events, Dynamic Events and External Events.

User Events

Caused by a user interaction such as a mouse selection or keyboard entry.

Dynamic Events

Caused by a dynamic event such as a Timer, Object Intersect, Counter etc.

External Event

Caused by an external event such as another Object triggering this Behavior into its ‘Active’ or Not Active’ state.

Event triggers may be combined with the logical AND / OR operators to create more complex combinations of triggers. Extremely complex triggers may be created by the careful use of Object formulas. In a game, for example, a Behavior may be created to display a message only if a sequence of events occur in a predefined order. By applying formulas from the Event Behaviors to the Message Behavior, a unique number could be created to trigger the Message Behavior.

When an Behavior switches between the two states, it has an opportunity to perform unique operations. These include Links, Actions, Formulas and Metamorph.

Links

When entering the Active state, a Behavior may link to another URL..

Actions

Are available when either Active or Not Active. These include: Visibility, Motion, External Triggers and Resets.

Formulas

When entering the Active state, a Behavior may perform a math operation on the Value of any Object.

Metamorph

When entering the Active state, a Metamorph is the ability for a Behavior to change the components of any Object. These include changing an Objects Geometry, Action and/or Behavior.

For details on creating and setting Behaviors see the Behavior_Editor dialog.


Understanding Text

IMS supports several text formats. These are Formatted or Rich Text (simply called Text), Titles and Code. All three of these formats can be created and edited within the IMS Text_Editor but the way the program will process and display them is significantly different.

Formatted Text (.rtf files)

Formatted text provides many of the formatting features you will find in most word processors. These include: font faces, font sizes, justification, bolding, bullets etc. The IMS text editor also provides the ability to assign hyper links within the text. Formatted text is consequently best suited for creating large blocks of text.

Formatted text will be wrapped to fit the bounding box. Increase the width of the bounding box to fit more text on a line, decrease to reduce the number of words per line.

Since text is formatted by the HTML or SVG Browser, it cannot be rotated or Skewed. Flat shading applied to a text Object will fill the background according to the Browser’s method.

Do not place transparent Objects that are rendered into the background over a text Object since the appearance of a Text Object is dependent on the viewers system configuration.

Title (.txt files)

When exporting HTML* a Title will be rendered into a bitmap image format.

Titles have the following advantages over Formatted Text.

•	They can be shaded to add transparency, liner, radial or cylindrical shading.

•	They can be texture or transparency mapped.

•	They can be anti-aliased to produce smooth edges. (Web Engine and Web Spinner)

•	They can be rotated, skewed and transformed. (Web Engine and Web Spinner)

Tiles have the following limitations.

•	Since a Title is rendered* into a bitmap it will take longer to download.

•	Titles can only have a single format.

•	Titles cannot include text links. (A hyperlink can however be assigned to the Object).

For these reasons a Title is best used as a high quality header.

*Titles do not require rendering for SVG output.

Code (.htm, .html, .svg, .js  files)

Code is unformatted unprocessed text. Code will be passed to the Browser or SVG viewer unmodified. The Code format is consequently best suited to adding Banners, HTML, SVG, Scripts or other code that needs to be used without any modification.

You can target the code to a specific output format in the Object editor (Web Spinner and Web Engine). Right click the Code Object to open the Object Editor and select the Options menu.  In the Exclude from Target Output section check the HTML and SVG boxes you do not wish the code Object to be include.  When those formats are Previewed or Published, the code will not be include. Use this option to target SVG code to SVG publishing and HTML code to HTML publishing.

The program does not perform any error checking on the code. Care should consequently be taken to ensure that the code is valid. Errors within the Browser are often caused by invalid Code Objects.

Counters

A counter is a special IMS Web Engine format for displaying the Value of the current Object. Every Object has a unique value associated with it. See Understanding Objects for more details. When this format is selected, IMS Web Engine will attempt to substitute the text string with the current Value of the Object using the selected Plain Text formatting values.

Not all browsers support this capability. If the browser cannot replace the text string, the current value will be displayed on the browsers’ Status Bar.


Understanding Groups

A Group is a collection of Objects that can be manipulated and edited as a single Object. A Group Object contains a Geometry component of type Group.

Two types of Group Objects are available. These are a temporary group and permanent groups.

Temporary Group

A temporary group is created by dragging a bounding box completely around two or more objects. When the user releases the mouse button a bounding box will snap around all objects in the group. A Group Object can be transformed (move, scale, rotate, skew) in the same way as a regular Object.

When a temporary group is created, the Arrange menu commands and Arrange Arrange Bar buttons will be highlighted and available. Use these operations to align and position the members of the Group Object relative to each other.

Unless a temporary group is converted into a permanent group, the temporary group will be destroyed as soon as any operation outside of the group is performed.

Permanent Group

A temporary group can be converted to a permanent group by selecting the Group command or button. A permanent group is an Object with geometry of type Group. When displaying a Group the program will recursively traverses all members of the group until they are resolved into non-group geometry. In this way it is possible to combine any combination of group and non-group Objects.

A Group Object can be manipulated and edited as a single Object. For example, a Group Object can trace a path and have Behaviors associated with it. When there is a conflict between the components of the Group Object and components of the Objects contained within the group, the Group Object components will take precedence.

A Group Object can be converted back to its constituent Objects with the Ungroup command or button.

For more information about Objects, see the section Understanding Objects..


Understanding Tabless
Understanding Tables

Tables are available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner and can be published in either HTML or SVG.

This topic is not yet available.

See the Table Editor for current information on the IMS Table Editor


Understanding Pages

Web Dwarf Page Bar:

Web Engine, Web Spinner Page Bar

This topic has not yet been updated for Version 2.

A Page primarily provides a container to display and position Objects on a background. A Page can also contain audio. When a project is PublishedHID_HOWTO_EXPHTML each Page in the project is converted to a HTML or SVG document. A project may contain as many Pages as desired.

The Page Toolbar provides commands for creating and editing pages in the current project. Two Edit boxes display elements of the current page. The first edit box displays the page name. You can move to any page in the project by selecting the Page from the drop down box. The second edit box displays all Objects that are included in the current page. You can use the drop down box to select and highlight an Object. Page names and other page options can be changed with the Page_Editor dialog.The Page_Background  dialog can be used to select a new background color, image or tile pattern. The Page_Music dialog can be used to assign music to the current page.

Several commands are also available to cut, copy, paste and append a page. When a Page is pasted, all Objects in the parent page will be Included in the new page. See below for information on Included Objects. Insert and Append will add a new blank page to the project relative to the current page. Page order however is not important since links between pages can be defined in any sequence.

When an Object is Cut or Copied, it may be transferred between pages in one of several methods. The method used can be significant depending upon the users objective. See the section Understanding Objects for more details on this topic. These methods are:

Paste Copy:

When an Object is Paste Copied to a Page, the Object and all its components will be duplicated to create a new Object and components. This new Object and its components will then be completely independent of the parent Object. Changes to this Object or its components will have no effect on the parent Object.

Paste Cloned:

When an Object is Paste Cloned to a Page, a new Object will be created but it will reference the same components as the parent Object. The new Object can be transformed (position, rotate, scale) independently of the parent. Components such as Behavior and Action will affect both Objects in the same way. Changing a component that is common to both Objects will affect both Object.

Include:

An Object may be Included on more than one Page. An Included Object is the SAME Object as the parent including its transformation. Moving an Object on a Page will move it on every page that it has been included in. Included Objects are useful for titles, tables of contents, logos, links or any other elements that appear across multiple pages on a web site.

You can preview the presentation in your default browser at any time with one of the four Preview menu buttons. When you preview your project, IMS Web Engine will copy all referenced files and create a HTML document of the selected pages in your project and place them into the \preview sub-directory of your main installation. The files in this directory are only used on a temporary basis and can be deleted at any time. The directory however, is necessary and must not be deleted or changed.


How To Publish
Publish your project (How To)

What is Publishing?

This program includes a Publisher with an FTP client that will convert your project to HTML or SVG and then copy it to either a local directory on your computer or transfer it directly to your Web site host computer. The Publisher also includes a Gather Option that will create the appropriate paths to any referenced files such as images or audio and then transfer them to the destination directory.

If you are not familiar with FTP (File Transfer Protocol), setting this up for the first time may seem complex. Fortunately you should only need to do this once. The program will save your settings so that you can simply press the Publish button to update your site once the correct information has been entered. IMS Web Engine and Web Spinner also include the ability to create multiple Publish profiles for users with more than one web site or Publishing requirements.

To understand the Publishing process you must appreciate that a Web Page is located on a Host computer that can be located anywhere in the World. This Host may not belong to you and must be protected from unauthorized access. In order to transfer your files to this computer you must be able to identify its location and prove that you have permission to access it. To compound the problem, not all Hosts use the same operating system or server software.

Setting up the Web Engine and Web Spinner Publisher

1.	Open the Publisher by selecting the Publish button by selecting the "Publish Project" command in the File Menu. Select the Profile Dialog and create a new Profile with a unique descriptive name. Select the FTP button in the Export Destination section if you wish to publish directly to your web site. Select the Copy to Disk option if you wish to publish to a directory on your local computer.

2.	The Publish Format is used to Export HTML or SVG with different levels of JavaScript support. The selection will default to match the format on the Preview Bar. You can change this to a different format if you wish.  Auto HTML or Auto SVG is recommended to select the most appropriate HTML or SVG format for each page in your project.

3.	Select the Pages Dialog and set the range of pages you wish to Publish in the Page Range section.

4.	The File Names and Extensions drop boxes above will display the names of each page with extension that will be created. You can enter a different name for each page and select a different extension if you wish.

5.	The Local Publish Directory is used to select a local directory for the published project. When you are publishing to your local computer this is the directory that the project will be exported to. If you are FTP’ing to a remote server, the published files will then be FTP’d from this directory.

6.	The Path Options section is used to select Relative or Gather mode. Gather mode will transfer all referenced files including Images and Audio to the destination publish directory. Gather mode is recommended to minimize the possibility of missing files. Select the Help button in the Publisher for information on Relative mode.

7.	Gather: This option will Gather all referenced source files such as images, audio and Scripts to the publish directory and FTP them to the remote server if necessary. This is the safest option with the least risk of missing resources or files. Since source files will not include a directory path it is possible to maintain the integrity of the published project when moving it to another directory or computer provided that all files that have been Gathered are also moved.

Publishing to a local Directory

8.	If you have selected the "Copy to Disk" destination you can now press the Publish button to export your project. to the local directory. If you wish to move or FTP the exported files yourself we suggest that you use an empty directory. After publishing this directory will then contain all the files related to the project.

Publishing to your Web Server

In order to FTP directly to your web site you will need to know the permissions and procedures that your hosting company expects you to use. Most professional ISP (Internet Service Providers) will expect you to enter a User Name and a Password. You will also need to know the IP address for the server and the directory that your files must be put into. This information varies from host to host. Some free hosting sites may not allow you to FTP directly to your web site or may require that you use their specialized procedures to upload your files. If you do not already know the procedure or have the required FTP information, please contact your hosting company technical support.

9.	Select the FTP dialog in the Publisher. If the page is grayed out you will need to return to the Profile page and select the "FTP to Internet Server" destination.

10.	Leave the Remote Publish directory for now and enter the Host Name or IP Address. A Host Name is a unique identifier for a server on the Internet and is typically a main level domain name such as www.VirtualMechanics.com.  An IP address also identifies an unique domain and takes the form of four numbers separated by “.” such as “216.245.125.55”. Some web hosts require an IP address, others require a domain name and many will accept either. If you are not sure, contact your host technical support department.

11.	Enter your User Name. This is the name you enter to Log On to your server. This name is provided by your Host unless you are using an Anonymous Login.

12.	Enter the password provided by your host in order to FTP files to the server. Anonymous Logins usually require that you use your e-mail address.

13.	You should now be able to access your web site. Be sure you are connected to the Internet and select the Browse button next to the "Remote Publish Directory" box. If everything is set up correctly you should see an FTP dialog with your Remote Directory and a list of the files within it. If the dialog is blank it probably failed to connect. Check your settings and connection. Contact your Host support if necessary.

14.	On some hosts the directory that you are connected to may not be the correct directory you need to publish your project to. You can explore the remote host by selecting folders or the red Up arrow in the FTP dialog. Once you have found the correct directory close the FTP dialog. The directory path will automatically be transferred to the "Publish Directory" edit box in the Publisher. If you know the path you can enter it directly into the Edit Box but keep in mind that some hosts are CaSe sensitive.

15.	You should now be ready to export your project by pressing the Publish button. The name of each file that is being FTP'd will be displayed in a transfer dialog. A Putfile Error indicates that for some reason, such as a lost connection, a read protected file or a write protected remote directory, the file was not transferred. Check your connection, permissions and settings.

Setting up the Web Dwarf Publisher

Web Dwarf uses a simplified version of the Web Engine and Web Spinner publisher. Although it does not offer as many features it has been designed to be as easy to use as possible while still being fully functional.

1.	Open the Publisher by selecting the Publish button above the Red Arrow or by selecting the "Publish Project" command in the File Menu.

2.	Select either HTML or SVG output from the Publish Format section.

3.	Select the Export Destination. If you select "Copy to Disk", the project will be exported to a local directory. If you select the "FTP to Internet Server" you will need to enter your FTP settings to access your remote Web Server.

4.	When Publishing to a local directory enter the directory path into "Local Publish Directory" box or use the Browse button to locate it. When the "FTP" option is selected, enter the directory path on the remote host. You can use the Browse button to find and enter the directory after you have correctly entered your FTP settings.

5.	Check the Gather Box. This option will copy all referenced image files to the destination directory. This will allow you to "Insert Pictures" located anywhere on your computer without having to copy them to your project directory first and then to your publish directory. When not selected you will need to use a 3rd party FTP program to transfer any referenced files. See the Help button for additional information.

6.	If you are Publishing to a local directory you can now publish your project. Publish to an empty directory with Gather Mode to create a directory that only contains the files that are needed by your web site.

7.	If you are FTP's directly to your Web Site you will need to enter the necessary FTP information to gain access. Leave the Remote Publish directory for now and enter the Host Name or IP Address. A Host Name is a unique identifier for a server on the Internet and is typically a main level domain name such as www.VirtualMechanics.com.  An IP address also identifies an unique domain and takes the form of four numbers separated by “.” such as “216.245.125.55”. Some web hosts require an IP address, others require a domain name and many will accept either. If you are not sure, contact your host technical support department.

8.	Enter your User Name. This is the name you enter to Log On to your server. This name is provided by your Host unless you are using an Anonymous Login.

9.	Enter the password provided by your host in order to FTP files to the server. Anonymous Logins usually require that you use your e-mail address.

10.	You should now be able to access your web site. Be sure you are connected to the Internet and select the Browse button next to the "Remote Publish Directory" box. If everything is set up correctly you should see an FTP dialog with your Remote Directory and a list of the files within it. If the dialog is blank it probably failed to connect. Check your settings and connection. Contact your Host support if necessary.

11.	On some hosts the directory that you are connected to may not be the correct directory you need to publish your project to. You can explore the remote host by selecting folders or the red Up arrow in the FTP dialog. Once you have found the correct directory close the FTP dialog. The directory path will automatically be transferred to the "Publish Directory" edit box in the Publisher. If you know the path you can enter it directly into the Edit Box but keep in mind that some hosts are CaSe sensitive.

12.	You should now be ready to export your project by pressing the Publish button. The name of each file that is being FTP'd will be displayed in a transfer dialog. A Putfile Error indicates that for some reason, such as a lost connection, a read protected file or a write protected remote directory, the file was not transferred. Check your connection, permissions and settings.

Your Home Page

A home page is the page a visitor will first see when visiting your site by entering your URL. On most sites this page will be called "index.html", "index.htm", "default.html" or "default.htm". Some sites may use a different name but most sites will allow you to use any one of these or other default names.

The IMS programs will generate simple names for the pages in your project. This will be Page1 in IMS Web Dwarf and PageX in IMS Web Engine and Web Spinner where X is the number of each page in the project. You can change these names to any name you like by entering the new name into the Page Name edit box. To create a Home page for your site change the name in the Page edit box (without the file extension) to the most appropriate default name for you host.

See the Publisherfor additional information.


How To Use Templates
How To Use Templates (How To)

This tutorial has not yet been updated for Version 2.

IMS Web Engine includes several template “.ims” files in the \Templates sub-directory from where the program was installed. These files can be used as guides to help you understand how an IMS project is constructed. They can also be used as templates in the creation of your own project.

To modify the text in a template file, double click text that you wish to alter. This will display the Text_Editor dialog. Simply replace the text in the dialog with your new text.

To modify an image in a template file, single click the image with your mouse and select the Geometry_Editor dialog. The first page of this dialog will display an edit box with the file path to the image. Press the edit box drop down button and use the file open dialog to select a new image.

You can move and scale your new text or image Objects as needed with your mouse.

Additional template files will be posted from time to time at the Virtual Mechanics web site: http://www.VirtualMechanics.com.


Understanding the IMS Window
Using the IMS Window (How To)

The IMS Work Window provides a surface upon which the user can Drag and Drop Objects to create their content. By default, an Object is positioned in the work window using Absolute coordinates. This will result in the Object being displayed in the exact same position in the browser window when it is published or previewed.

An Object can also be positioned using Relative X and/or Y coordinates which will cause the Object to be positioned relative to the edges of the browser window. Positioning an Object at the center of the IMS work window in relative mode for example, would cause it to be displayed at the center of the browser window regardless of the actual dimensions of the browser. See the Arrange menu and Set Target Options for more details.

The IMS Work Window is an active surface upon which you can add, position and transform the elements that comprise your web content page. The window provides numerous aids to assist you.

Selecting an Object

The simplest way to select an Object is to click it with your mouse. Sometimes Objects may be positioned on top of each other so that multiple Objects are hit when you try to select one. The IMS work window uses a last selected Object preference. That is, if multiple Objects are hit when the mouse is clicked in the work window, the current Object will be re-selected if it is one of the Objects hit. This has the following advantages.

•	The current Object can continue to be manipulated with the mouse in the work window even if it is moved behind another Object.

•	Modifications to a selected Object will not be applied the first time it is hit. This prevents accidental changes to an Object whenever it is clicked.

•	Selecting a new Object when multiple Objects are on top of each other can be precisely controlled.

To select another Object at the same location hold the Shift Key down while you select. This will cycle to the next Object at the hit location each time a selection is made. To select the topmost Object hold the Ctrl key down while selecting.

If you know the Object’s name you can also select it from the Quick Editor, Page Toolbar and Object Toolbar drop boxes.

Transforming (Moving, Scaling, Skew, Rotating) Objects:

(Skew and Rotation are available in IMS Web Engine and IMS Web Spinner)

Object transformations include: move, scale, skew and rotation. Transformations can be applied to an Object in the work window with the keyboard and mouse or in the Quick Editor and Object editor by entering the exact value. Object can also be nudge into position with the four keyboard arrows.

Page Layout Mode

Page Layout mode provides the ability to Move and Scale the selected Object in the work window with the mouse. Select the Page Layout button on the left Tools bar (red arrow). You can then move an Object by selecting it and dragging it to a new position. Scaling and Stretching is performed by selecting an edit handle on the corners and sides of the Object’s bounding box.

Object Edit Mode (Web Engine and Web Spinner)

Object Edit Mode provides the ability to Move, Scale, Rotate, Skew and relocate the Origin of the selected Object in the work window using the mouse. Select the Object Edit button on the left Tools Bar (black arrow). When an Object is selected, edit handles for scaling, rotation and skew will be displayed with the Objects bounding box. Move the mouse over an edit handle. An edit cursor will be displayed when correctly positioned. Click and drag to perform the operation.

The origin is displayed as a small black circle. Click and move to reposition it. Rotations and skews are performed around the Origin.

All Objects excluding Text and Code can be Rotated and Skewed. To rotate an Image the Object must be enabled for re-rendering. Be sure the Render button is check in the Object or Quick Editor.

Moving Objects on the Z axis

Objects are displayed In-Front off, or Behind off, other Objects according to their position on the Z axis. Z axis positioning is initially determined by the order in which an Object is created. The first Object will be at the back while the last Object will be at the front. The Object order on the Z axis can be changed with the Forward/Reverse commands of the Arrange menu.

Quick Edit Dialog

The Quick_Editor dialog can be used to set precise transformation values for an Object. Open the Quick Edit dialog from the File-View toolbar or View menu. Select the Object and use the arrows to adjust the values or enter a precise value directly into the edit boxes. The Reset button can be used to quickly reset all transformations to their default.

Object Editor

(Web Engine and Web Spinner)

The right mouse button can be used to open an Object in the Object_Editor. The Object Editor includes all Object settings and options.

Rulers

Along the Top and Left edges are rulers that display the current pixel position of your mouse. The exact position is also displayed numerically on the status bar at the bottom of the work window. In addition to being used as visual aids, the rulers can be used to create tab stops to Align Objects along their left, right, top or bottom edges.

To create a Tab stop click on the ruler at the location you wish a tab stop to appear. Use your mouse to select and move a Tab stop. Up to 10 Tab positions per ruler can be created.

Use the Arrange Bar to snap an Object to the next closest tab stop.

Tab stops will be saved with the current IMS project.

Display Grid:

The display grid provides a guide to help position Objects vertically and horizontally. This grid can be toggled on and off with the Options Grid command or “Ctrl G” shortcut.

Snap Grid:

The Snap-To grid can be used to help align Objects and Vertices by restricting the current position to specified incremental values. The default value is 10 so that a current location in the work window will be restricted to pixel positions 10, 20, 30... etc. Use the Tools Options dialog to select a different increment.

Guide Border:

The page guide display’s the target outline as set by the Set HTML Options dialog. This outline can be used as a guide to positioning Objects for several common screen resolutions. This guide can be toggled on/off with the Options Guide command or “Ctrl B” shortcut.

Tool Options Dialog

At the top left corner where the rulers intersect is a button to open the Tool OptionsDialog. This dialog can be used to display a boarder at selected resolutions, to display the ruler tab positions in the display, to display a grid guide and to enable snap grid operations.  You can also adjust the resolution of the snap grid and guide and change the freehand drawing resolution for the Polygon tool.

Align Toolbar

Along the bottom or right edges of the work window is the Align toolbar. This toolbar is used to snap the current Object to the closest Tab position, to change the Objects Z order, to set the Object to relative or absolute positioning and to Group or Merger two or more Objects.

Locking an Object

The IMS work window provides a simple and convenient method to layout your Web Page. Once your Object is positioned and set up correctly you may wish to prevent it from being accidentally changed. This can be done by Locking it.

1.	Select this Text Object with your mouse and move it to a new location.

1.	Select the Key Button on the Component toolbar at the left. You can also select the Key in the Quick Editor, the Lock/Unlock command in the Object editor or you can press Ctrl-L on the keyboard. The Key symbol should now have changed to a Lock.

1.	Attempt to move this Object again. It should refuse to change location.

1.	Press any Lock button again to unlock this Object and return it to its current position.

If an Object refuses to move check its Lock state.


Options menu commands

The Options menu provides the following commands for setting various work space options:

Set Tools Options	Displays the Tools Options dialog.
Project Target Options	Displays the Target Options dialog.
Save Link Library	Edit Link Library
Save Link Library	Save Link Library
Hi-Render	Hi-Render Work Window


Set Tools command
Set Tools Options (Options menu)

Use this command to display the Tool Options dialog. This dialog can be used to select Tool Bar and Work Window options.


Set Target command
Project Target Options (Options menu)

Use this command to display the Target Options dialog. This dialog can be used to select HTML and SVG options and preferences.


Link Editor command
Edit Link Library (Options menu)

The link Library button is used to open the Link Library dialog to manage, export and import links.


Save Links command
Save Link Library (Options menu)

When enabled, the program will save the contents of the link library when terminated.


Hi-Resolution command
Hi-Render Work Window (Options menu)

The Hi Render operation is used to display the effects of anti-aliasing and color enhancement in the work window. This is a global switch that will be applied to any Object that requires these operations.

Hi-Rendering in the work window will display rendered geometry in essentially the same way it should be seen after publishing. These operations are processor intensive however, and may cause the work window to become sluggish especially on slower computers or when a large project is being edited. To improve the work-window performance turn off the Hi-Render option.

Hi Render will always be enabled when Previewing or Publishing a project.


 IMS Web-Dwarf Help Index

Introduction

IMS Studio

Contact and SupportCopyright and License Notice

Concepts

IMS Project Files

Understanding Objects

Understanding Text

Understanding Groups

Understanding Pages

How To ...

Working in the IMS Window

Publish your HTML project

Menu:

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Page menu

Object menu

Arrange menu

Preview menu

Options menu

Help menu

Dialogues:

Publisher

Page_Background

Quick_Editor

Text_Editor

Tool Options

HTML Options


File menu commands

File Bar:

The File menu provides the following commands:

New	Creates a new project.
Open	Opens an existing project.
Save	Saves an opened project using the same file name.
Save As	Saves an opened project to a specified file name.
Publish Project	Publish HTML or SVG to a file or remote server.
Print	Prints a document.
Print Preview	Displays the document on the screen as it would appear printed.
Print Setup	Selects a printer and printer connection.


File New command
New command (File menu)

Use this command to create a new document in IMS Studio.

You can open an existing document with the Open command.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+N


File Open command
Open command (File menu)

Use this command to open an existing project “.ims” file in a new window. You may only have one project open at a time. If a project is currently open, you will be prompted to save it first. This command will display the standard file open dialog.

You can create a new project with the New command.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+O


File Open command
Append command (File menu)

Use this command to append an existing project “.ims” file to the current project. The program will update all Object, Component and Page names and references in the appended file to work within the current project without conflict. This may mean that some names in the appended project will change. All pages in the Appended project will be appended to the end of the current project.

This command will display the standard file open dialog.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+O


File Open dialog box

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open.  This box lists files with the selected extension.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open. The most appropriate extensions will be listed.

Drives

Select the drive from which IMS Studio will display the potential directories to list.

Directories

Select the directory in which IMS Studio lists the potential files to open.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Close command
Close command (File menu)

Use this command to close all windows containing the active document.  IMS Studio suggests that you save changes to your document before you close it.  If you close a document without saving, you lose all changes made since the last time you saved it.  Before closing an untitled document, IMS Studio displays the Save As dialog boxAFX_HID_FILESAVE and suggests that you name and save the document.

You can also close a document by using the Close icon on the document’s window, as shown below:

Shortcuts

File Bar:


File Save command
Save command (File menu)

Use this command to save the active document to its current name and directory.  When you save a document for the first time, IMS Studio displays the Save As dialog boxAFX_HID_FILESAVE so you can name your document.  If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As command.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+S


File Save As command
Save As command (File menu)

Use this command to save and name the active document.  IMS Studio displays the Save As dialog boxAFX_HID_FILESAVE so you can name your document.

To save a document with its existing name and directory, use the Save command.


File Save As dialog boxes

This dialog allows you to select a file name, extension type and path for saving a file to disk.

File Path Option Dialog

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you’re about to save:

File Name

Type a new filename to save a document with a different name.  A filename can contain up to eight characters and an extension of up to three characters.  IMS Studio adds the extension you specify in the Save File As Type box.

Drives

Select the drive in which you want to store the document.

Directories

Select the directory in which you want to store the document.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File 1, 2, 3, 4 command
1, 2, 3, 4 command (File menu)

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four documents you closed.  Choose the number that corresponds with the document you want to open.


File Exit command
Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your IMS Studio session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu. IMS Studio prompts you to save documents with unsaved changes.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application’s Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the IMS Studio window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.

The Status bar is separated into five sections:

Menu Actions

The left area of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the arrow keys to navigate through menus.  This area similarly shows messages that describe the actions of toolbar buttons as you depress them, before releasing them.  If after viewing the description of the toolbar button command you wish not to execute the command, then release the mouse button while the pointer is off the toolbar button.

Object Actions

This area describes the operation that is being performed on the currently selected object.

Object Selection

This area displays the name of the currently selected object.

Page Selection

This area displays the name of the currently selected page.

Key Actions

The right areas of the status bar indicate which of the following keys are latched down:

CAP	The Caps Lock key is latched down.

NUM	The Num Lock key is latched down.

SCRL	The Scroll Lock key is latched down.


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and document.

To move the window, drag the title bar.  Note: You can also move dialog boxes by dragging their title bars.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

Application Control-menu button

Document Control-menu button

Maximize button

Minimize button

Name of the application

Name of the document

Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the document.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the document.


Size command (System menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


Move command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F7


System Minimize Command
Minimize command (application Control menu)

Use this command to reduce the IMS Studio window to an icon.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the minimize icon [image] on the title bar.

Keys:	ALT+F9


Maximize command (System menu)

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the maximize icon [image] on the title bar; or double-click the title bar.

Keys:	CTRL+F10 enlarges a document window.


Next Window command (document Control menu)

Use this command to switch to the next open document window.  IMS Studio determines which window is next according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F6


Previous Window command (document Control menu)

Use this command to switch to the previous open document window.  IMS Studio determines which window is previous according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+CTRL+F6


Close command (Control menus)

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.

Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.

Note:  If you have multiple windows open for a single document, the Close command on the document Control menu closes only one window at a time.  You can close all windows at once with the Close command on the File menu.

Shortcuts

Keys: 	CTRL+F4 closes a document window

ALT+F4 closes the <<YourType>> window or dialog box


Restore command (Control menu)

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Switch to command (application Control menu)

Use this command to display a list of all open applications.  Use this “Task List” to switch to or close an application on the list.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+ESC

Dialog Box Options

When you choose the Switch To command, you will be presented with a dialog box with the following options:

Task List

Select the application you want to switch to or close.

Switch To

Makes the selected application active.

End Task

Closes the selected application.

Cancel

Closes the Task List box.

Cascade

Arranges open applications so they overlap and you can see each title bar.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Tile

Arranges open applications into windows that do not overlap.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Arrange Icons

Arranges the icons of all minimized applications across the bottom of the screen.


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