Copyright: Copyright © 1997 by Micrografx, Inc.
Citation: Copyright © 1997 by Micrografx, Inc.


Introduction

Micrografx Media Manager is a useful tool for managing graphics and clip art files on one computer. In some cases, however, you may want to take the capabilities of Micrografx Media Manager a step further. Listed in the table below are three specific cases described in this section. Each case provides you with important background information, the steps for performing the action, and steps for testing the results.

Case	Advantage	Disadvantage
Building a new CD-ROM of collections	You can place selected graphics on a CD along with Micrografx Media Manager collection and subject files. The CD can be used on a local computer or shared on a network.	Once the files are on CD, you cannot add or remove graphics. With the collection and subject files on the CD, you cannot change the thumbnail colors or sizes.
Building collections using an existing clip art CD-ROM	You can access an existing clip art CD-ROM from Micrografx Media Manager. You can place clip art CDs on a network and have many people access the clip art via the network.	You cannot readily use the CD-ROM on any computer as you can when you create your own CD-ROM.
Building a portable clip art subject	Since a portable subject has no path links to the graphics, you can give the subject file to anyone to use.	You are limited in the amount of changes you can make to the file because you are not accessing the original file.


Collections and subjects

Thumbnails

Size of subject display


Collections and Subjects

Each collection you create in Micrografx Media Manager can have one or more subjects. When you create a collection, Micrografx Media Manager creates a file with an ECF extension. The collection file contains the names and locations of its subject files.

When you create a subject, Micrografx Media Manager creates a file with an SBJ extension. The subject file contains information about the clip art files within the subject. The information included in the subject file depends upon the type of graphic. For Raster files, Micrografx Media Manager only stores a path link to the file. For Vector files, Micrografx Media Manager stores both a path link and a Metafile or Bitmap representation. When a file has a Metafile or Bitmap stored in Micrografx Media Manager, you can continue to use the graphic even if the path link is broken.


Thumbnails

When creating subjects, you should consider the color depth, resolution and size of thumbnails. The color options are monochrome, 16 color, and 256 color. Monochrome takes up less disk space and 256 takes up the most. Typically, you use monochrome for images that do not have much detail. Most of the time, 16 color is adequate for graphics. Photographs are best represented using 256 colors. If you have plenty of disk space as on a CD, you may want to use 256 color for more recognizable thumbnails. Otherwise, 16 color provides enough detail and saves disk space. Also, consider the size of the thumbnail. The larger the thumbnail and the higher the resolution, the more space it uses. You should customize the color, resolution, and size of thumbnails depending on your needs. If you're placing a collection on a CD, you cannot change the thumbnail settings.


Size of Subject Display

When you open a subject, the thumbnails display in the Micrografx Media Manager window. You can change the size of the window by dragging the corner. When you change to a new subject or close Micrografx Media Manager, the new window size is saved in the subject file. Therefore, if you put collections on a new CD, you can standardize the window size as you create the subjects. Once the subject file is on the CD, you cannot change the size of the window.


Building a new CD of collections
Building a New CD-ROM of Collections

You may have a large amount of graphics and clip art you want to place on a CD to be used by many people. In this case, the graphic and clip art files are stored on the CD. Also stored on the CD are the Micrografx Media Manager collection and subject files. The Micrografx Media Manager program files are located on the user's computer or on a network.

File Structure

The file structure is very important when placing collections on CD. When you create the CD, the collection (ECF) files must be at the root of the CD. Create one subject folder off the root for each collection. These subject folders contain the subject (SBJ) files. In each subject folder, create a folder corresponding to each subject file. These folders contain the actual graphics and clip art files.

  CD Root

  Banners

  Design1

  2800.DRW

  2801.DRW

  Design2

  2850.DRW

  2851.DRW

  Design1.SBJ

  Design2.SBJ

  Borders

  Borders1

  3000.DRW

  3001.DRW

  Borders1.SBJ

  Banners.ECF

  Borders.ECF

Tip

When naming the folders for your subjects, use the eight character DOS standard. Some networks and CD-recordable software cannot handle long filenames.

Changing Default Folders for Collections and Subjects

As you create a collection to be placed on a CD-ROM, you must ensure Micrografx Media Manager is placing the collection and subject files in the correct folders. To specify the folder in which Micrografx Media Manager places new collections and subjects, you must change the default collection and subject folders.

The default folder in which Micrografx Media Manager places new collection and subject files is the location where the program is installed, typically C:\Program Files\Micrografx\System\Micrografx Media Manager. When creating collections for a CD-ROM, you must use the file structure described previously. On the Clipart panel of the Properties dialog box, you can edit the default folders. The best strategy is to change the default folder for new collections and subjects to match your file structure. Then, create all the subjects of one collection. Before moving to the next collection, change the default folder for new subjects to correspond to the subject folder for the next collection. You must change the default folder for new subjects in this manner because each collection has a different subject folder.


Raster Image

Raster images are composed of dots, or pixels. A raster image is stored as a rectangular matrix, or "map," of pixels. A single image can have thousands of square-shaped pixels (x pixels wide by y pixels high). A scanned photograph is a common example of a raster image.


Vector Drawing

Vector drawings are composed of straight lines or curves (vectors) that connect fixed points. A vector drawing is a compilation, or list, of many graphic objects. Each graphic object can be a unique shape such as a circle or square. These objects have specific attributes that are stored for each object such as size, color and position. Objects on vector drawings can be changed easily without affecting other elements of the drawing. Clip art that can be grouped and ungrouped is a common example of a vector drawing.


To build a new CD of collections


To build a new CD of collections
To build a new CD-ROM of collections

When building a new collection on CD-ROM, you must create the folder structure, set the path for new collections and subjects, create collections and subjects, and add the clipart to the collections.

Creating the Folder Structure

1	Create the folder structure for the collections as described in Building a New CD-ROM of Collections. Create the folders on a local computer or network that can access the CD-recordable drive.

Tip

When naming the folders for your subjects, use the eight character DOS standard. Some networks and CD-recordable software cannot handle long filenames.

2	Place the graphic and clip art files in the clip art folder for each subject.

Setting the Path for New Collections and Subjects

1	Open Micrografx Media Manager.

2	On the Options menu, click Properties.

3	Click the ClipArt tab. The path names for new collection and subject folders display.

4	Type the folders in which you want Micrografx Media Manager to place new collection and subject files, and click OK.

Creating Collections and Subjects

1	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box opens.

2	On the File menu, click New Collection. The New Collection dialog box opens.

3	Type the name of the collection and click OK. The new collection is highlighted.

4	On the File menu, click New Subject. The New Subject dialog box opens.

5	Type the name of the subject, click the name of the collection in the Add the New Subject to this Collection list box, and click OK.

6	Continue steps 4 and 5 until all subjects are added to the collection.

7	To add more collections, follow the previous steps, beginning with step 2 of Setting the Path for New Collections and Subjects.

Adding Clip Art to the Collections and Subjects

1	In the Choose a Subject dialog box, click on the subject to which you want to add graphics and click OK. The blank subject opens in the Micrografx Media Manager window.

2	On the Options menu, click Add Files. The Add Files dialog box opens.

3	Find the folder containing the graphics, select the files to be added to the subject and click Add. The thumbnails for the graphics display in the Micrografx Media Manager window.

4	Continue steps 1 through 3 until all graphics are added to all subjects.

5	Test the file structure before placing the files on CD-ROM.


To test the file structure before building a new CD

1	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box opens.

2	Highlight one of the collections you are testing.

3	On the Edit menu, click Unload. Click OK when prompted to unload the collection.

4	Continue steps 1 through 3 until you have unloaded all the collections being tested.

5	Double-click on another collection and subject in the list.

6	Using the Explorer, move the entire file structure, including the ECF files, to another location.

7	On the Options menu of Micrografx Media Manager, click Properties. The Properties dialog box opens.

8	Click on the CD-ROM tab.

9	Type the path on your hard drive where you placed the collection files. Entering this path causes Micrografx Media Manager to look in the specified folder for collection files. Normally, your CD drive would be in this text box so Micrografx Media Manager would automatically load the collections found on the CD.

10	Click OK.

11	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box opens. The newly created collections should display in the list. If the collections do not display, you may have entered the wrong path in step 9.

12	Open a subject in one of the collections being tested. The thumbnails display in the Micrografx Media Manager Window.

13	Double-click on one of the graphics. The Item Information dialog box opens.

14	Click File Link. The File Link dialog box opens. The File Path should be branching from the folder to which you moved the items. If the path branches from the folder in which you created the structure, the structure is incorrect. See the folder structure described in Building a new CD of collections. If the path is correct, you are ready to move the files to the CD-ROM.

15	Use the software included with the CD-recordable drive to transfer the files to the CD. The collection files (ECF) must be at the root of the CD.


Building collections using an existing clipart CD
Building Collections Using an Existing Clip Art CD-ROM

With Micrografx Media Manager, you can create a collection of graphics and clip art that currently exist on a CD-ROM. You may want to access clip art CD-ROMs on a network or on a local CD-ROM drive. In this case, Micrografx Media Manager program files, collection (ECF) files, and subject (SBJ) files reside on either a local or network volume.

If you're creating the collection files on a network, you must specify the folder in which Micrografx Media Manager places new collection and subject files. To access the clip art on a network, the user must load the collection. After the collection has been loaded, the collection displays in the Choose a Subject dialog box. An advantage to placing collection and subject files on a network is that the administrator can assign read-only rights to users so they cannot add or delete collections and subjects or modify their contents.


To build a collection using an existing clip art CD-ROM


To load a collection or subject

1	On the Options menu, click Subject to open the Choose a Subject dialog box.

2	On the File menu, click Load Collection or Load Subject. The highlighted collection is the collection into which the loaded subject is added.

3	Type the filename of the collection or subject. If you don’t know the filename, click Browse.

4	In the Browse dialog box, double-click the collection or subject you want to add (load) to the Micrografx Media Manager subject list.


Building collections using an existing clip art CD


To build a collection using an existing clip art CD-ROM

These steps describe how to place the collection and subject files on a network so many users can access graphics on a CD-ROM. These steps assume the CD-ROM can be accessed using the network. If you're creating a collection from an existing clip art CD-ROM to be used locally, begin with the section titled Creating Collections and Subjects.

Setting the Path for New Collections and Subjects

1	Create a folder for the collection and subject files on the network. The collection and subject files can be stored in the same folder.

Tip

When naming the folders for your subjects, use the eight character DOS standard. Some networks cannot handle long filenames.

2	Open Micrografx Media Manager.

3	On the Options menu, click Properties.

4	Click the ClipArt tab. The path names for new collection and subject folders display.

5	Type the folders in which you want Micrografx Media Manager to place new collection and subject files, and click OK.

Creating Collections and Subjects

1	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box opens.

2	On the File menu, click New Collection. The New Collection dialog box opens.

3	Type the name of the collection and click OK.

4	On the File menu, click New Subject. The New Subject dialog box opens.

5	Type the name of the subject, click the name of the collection in the Add the New Subject to this Collection list box, and click OK.

6	Continue steps 4 and 5 until all subjects are added to the collection.

Adding Clip Art to the Collections and Subjects

1	In the Choose a Subject dialog box, click on the subject to which you want to add graphics and click OK. The blank subject opens in the Micrografx Media Manager window.

2	On the Options menu, click Add Files. The Add Files dialog box opens.

3	Find the folder for the CD-ROM, select the files to be added to the subject, and click Add. The thumbnails for the graphics display in the Micrografx Media Manager window.

4	Continue steps 1 through 3 until graphics are added to all subjects.

5	Test the access to the clip art CD.

Note

For a user to access the collection on the network, the user must load the collection initially. When the collection has been loaded initially, the collection displays in the Choose a Subject dialog box.


To test the access to a clipart CD.
To test the access to a clip art CD-ROM.

1	On the Options menu, click Subject to open the Choose a Subject dialog box.

2	Highlight one of the collections to be tested.

3	On the edit menu, click Unload and click Yes when prompted to unload the collection.

4	Continue steps 2 and 3 until all collections being tested have been unloaded.

5	Double-click on a remaining collection and subject.

6	On the options menu, click Subject to open the Choose a Subject dialog box.

7	On the File menu, click Load Collection. The Load Collection dialog box opens.

8	Enter the path and filename of the collection to load or click the browse button to find the file.

9	Click OK. The collection and its subjects display in the list.

10	Continue steps 7 through 9 until all collections are loaded.

11	Double-click on a subject being tested. The thumbnails display in the Micrografx Media Manager.

12	Double-click on a graphic (preferably a raster image) to open the Item Information dialog box.

13	Click File Link. The File Path should be the path to the CD-ROM located on the network.


Building a Portable Subject

A "portable" subject contains no links to a graphic. Therefore, you can move the subject to any location without losing the corresponding graphics. Subject files can contain information about a graphic including a thumbnail and the path link to the graphic. If you want to create a portable subject, you must remove, or "break" the links to the graphics. When the links for the graphics are removed, Micrografx Media Manager generates a metafile or bitmap representation of each graphic. The metafile or bitmap is then used instead of the original graphic file to render the graphic.

Removing the links to graphics

You can remove the links to create a portable subject by using the Item Information dialog box. The File Links panel contains a Break Link button. You can either remove the link for just one graphic or for an entire subject. When you remove the links, Micrografx Media Manager generates a metafile or bitmap representation of the graphic.

Advantages and disadvantages of a portable subject

The reason you may want a portable subject is to share the subject with other people without worrying about path links. For example, you can place a copy of the subject file on a diskette and mail it to someone in another state. The other person can load the subject into Micrografx Media Manager and have the graphics available, even though they don't have the original graphic files. This is when the metafile or bitmap stored in the subject file comes into use (see the Related Topic "Collections and Subjects.")

Since the portable subject renders the graphic using a metafile or bitmap, you are limited in the amount of editing that can be done to the graphic. If the graphic is a vector drawing, you are unable to edit objects as you would if you were accessing the original file. Therefore, a portable subject is best used for dragging and dropping images as they are into a document or presentation.

You must also consider the size of the subject file when there are no path links. The file can become quite large because each picture is contained in the file. For this reason, you may want to limit the amount of graphics in a portable subject

Subject filenames

When you name a subject in the Micrografx Media Manager, you give the subject a descriptive name. The name may even be a phrase or sentence. When Micrografx Media Manager creates a subject file, the descriptive name you give the subject is used to name the file, but the name is modified to meet the eight character filename standard. For example, if you name a subject "Zoo Animals," the corresponding filename becomes ZOOANIMA.SBJ. If you have two or more subjects with similar names, it may be more difficult to decipher what a subject file contains. For example, if you have a subject called "Favorite Animals" and another subject called "Favorite Cars," Micrografx Media Manager names the subject files FAVORI~1.SBJ and FAVORI~2.SBJ. Therefore, you may want to carefully select your subject names to make it easier for you or another person to find the desired file.


To build a portable subject


To build a portable subject

1	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box opens.

2	Double-click the subject you want to make portable. The subject opens in the Micrografx Media Manager window.

3	Double-click a thumbnail to open the Item Information dialog box.

4	Click the File Link tab. The path link to the graphic displays on the File Link panel.

5	Click Break Link. The Break Link dialog box opens.

6	To remove the links to all graphics in the subject, click the Break Links for All Items in the Subject box, and click OK. Clear this option if you only want to remove the link only for the selected graphic.

Once Micrografx Media Manager removes the links, the File Panel for the current graphic shows the item is not linked to a file.

7	Test the subject for path links. There should be none.


To test a portable subject for path links

1	Open the portable subject.

2	Double-click one of the graphics to open the Item Information dialog box. If the subject is portable, the File Link tab should be unavailable for each graphic.


Welcome to Micrografx Media Manager!
Micrografx® Media Manager™ Overview

Micrografx Media Manager is the Micrografx clip art manager. You can use Micrografx Media Manager to insert clip art easily into Micrografx programs such as Micrografx FlowCharter, Designer, and Picture Publisher. You can also use it with many other Office Compatible and Windows programs.

You can open Micrografx Media Manager from within a Micrografx program or as a program by itself.

The simple Micrografx Media Manager organization lets you easily keep track of thousands of pieces of clip art.

The main Micrografx Media Manager window displays thumbnail bitmaps (or names) of the clip art in the current subject. You can drag and drop a clip art item from the Micrografx Media Manager window directly into many Windows drawings and documents.

The Micrografx Media Manager Find feature lets you find just the right picture quickly.

Micrografx clip art on the CD-ROM is already organized into convenient clip art collections. You can create your own collections from the clip art scattered on your hard drive.

With the conversion utility, clip art groups created in the past such as Micrografx FlowCharter palettes, Designer 4.x collections, and Windows Draw collections, can be converted and included in the updated program.


Micrografx Media Manager organization

Micrografx Clip Art Collections

Your own collections

Main Micrografx Media Manager window


Opening Micrografx Media Manager


Micrografx Media Manager Organization

Micrografx Media Manager uses a hierarchy to organize clip art files efficiently.

Micrografx Media Manager Clip Art Collections

Collections

Subjects

Item

Item Information

Name

Keywords

Description

Preview


Micrografx Collections

You can copy a collection from your clip art CD-ROM to your local hard drive.  (Copying the collection to your hard drive will speed up the access time.  You can access the clip art without loading collections onto your hard drive as long as you have the appropriate CD in the CD-ROM drive.)

In the main folder of the clip art CD-ROM, there is one .ecf file for each collection on the CD. For each of these .ecf files, there is a corresponding folder with a similar (eight character) name. This folder doesn’t have the .ecf extension, however.

Copy the .ecf file and the associated sub-folder to a location on your local hard drive. When you copy the sub-folder, all the files and folders it holds are also copied.

A copy of the collection now sits on your local drive. To access it within Micrografx Media Manager, on the Options menu, click Subject. On the File menu, click Load Collection.  Use the browse functions to find the directory for the folder and .ecf you need.

When the folder appears in the upper scroll box of the Load Collection window, the collection names will appear in the lower scroll box.  Click on one of the collection names, and then click Load, or double-click a collection name.

You may only load one collection at a time.

You can also create your own collections from existing clip art.


Your own collections


Your Own Collections

Micrografx Media Manager provides an easy and convenient way for you to organize, catalog, find, and use Clip Art that is not already in a collection. It also lets you group frequently used clip art into a single handy subject.

For example, you can create a collection "My Stuff," create a subject "Our Family, " then add as items the BMP files you created from scanned family photographs.

Or you can create collections and subjects containing clip art that you use frequently, so it’s conveniently available in one location. You can even copy items from another subject into your personal subject.


To create a collection

To create a subject

To add as items

To copy items


Read-Only Collections

Read-only Clip Art collections are most commonly found on a CD-ROM or a network. For example, the Micrografx clip art collections on CD-ROM are read-only. A read-only collection is already organized into subjects, and the Item Information is already created.

You can’t change the Item Information for files on the CD. (When the Item Information dialog box is displayed, the Name, Keywords, and Description boxes are disabled, and a message at the bottom tells you the subject is read-only.) In addition, you can’t change the thumbnail size or color depth, or the ordering of items within subjects, and you can’t add or remove items from subjects.

Note

Read-only collections can contain non-read-only subjects and read-only subjects can be found within non-read-only collections.

If you want to edit the Item Information or make other changes to subjects or items in a read-only collections, there are several possibilities.

You may be able to copy the collection to your hard drive, and then change the attribute from read-only.

You may be able to install the collection to your hard drive, and then change the attribute from read-only.

You should be able to copy selected items from the read-only collection to a new subject on your hard drive.


Micrografx Clip Art


To copy selected items


Drawings With Multiple Elements

Designer 3.x and 4.x files contained several named clip art images in each file. The same is true for Windows Draw files.

For example, Designer’s PEOPLE15.MGX contained the following images: computer user, female; computer user, female, full view; computer user, female, silhouette; data entry, female, etc. When you try to add the file PEOPLE15.MGX to a subject, a dialog box offers two options in Micrografx Media Manager.

If you click Add Each Symbol, you create four Micrografx Media Manager items named Computer User, Female and so on.

If you click Add Whole File, you create a "one page" drawing containing four pictures, named PEOPLE15. If you’re adding a multiple-page file, Micrografx Media Manager displays the first page of the file.

You may prefer to use the Micrografx Media Manager Conversion Utility to convert Designer and Windows Draw collections.

If you add a drawing (one you’ve created, for example) that represents one picture, but in which the elements have not been grouped, the same option is presented. Click Add Whole File. Please note, however, that this is true only for named symbols.

Tip

It’s easier to delete one item than many. If you’re unsure which option to choose, click Add Whole File. Examine the thumbnail or the preview in Item Information. If the elements should have been added separately, delete the item and repeat the process with Add Each Symbol.


To delete an item


Clip art types recognized by Micrografx Media Manager
Clip Art Types

Clip art files can be loosely grouped into two broad categories:

Vector files. This type of file is based on a description of the lines, curves, fills, and patterns needed to draw the picture. Although they typically don’t have the rich detail of bitmaps, vector images have two advantages over raster images: (1) they’re smaller, thus taking up less disk space and memory; and (2) you can scale them without image degradation. An example of these files is WMF.

Raster (image or bitmapped) files. This type of file is based on a bitmap, usually a grid of dots of specific colors. Although it can accurately reproduce photographs and other artwork, it takes up considerable disk space and memory. An example of these files is BMP.

Micrografx Media Manager recognizes graphic file types by their extensions. If you install the normal collection of filters, Micrografx Media Manager can read most of the common types. Regardless of what filters you install, however, Micrografx Media Manager is always able to read .BMP and .WMF files.


Graphic file types


Graphic File Types

Source	Ext
Adobe Illustrator AI	.ai
Adobe Photoshop	.psd
AutoCAD Drawing	.dwg
AutoCAD DXF	.dxf
CompuServe Bitmap	.gif
CompuServe Portable Network Graphics	.png
Computer Graphics Metafile	.cgm
Corel Clipart Format	.cmx
CorelDRAW! 3.0, 4.0, 5.0	.cdr
Digital Research GEM	.gem
Encapsulated PostScript/AI EPS	.eps
HP Graphics Language	.hgl
HP Graphics Language	.plt
IGES Drawing	.igs
JPEG File Interchange	.jpg
Kodak Photo CD	.pcd
Macintosh PICT	.pct
Micrografx Designer File	.dsf
Micrografx Designer 4.x	.ds4
Micrografx Designer 4.x clip art	.mgx
Micrografx Drawing	.drw
Micrografx Picture Publisher 4.0	.pp4
Micrografx Picture Publisher 5.0	.pp5
Micrografx Picture Publisher	.ppf
PC Paintbrush	.pcx
PostScript	.prn
PostScript	.ps
Scitex CT	.sct
Sun Raster	.ras
Tagged Image File Format	.tif
Targa Bitmap	.tga
Windows Bitmap	.bmp
Windows DIB	.dib
Windows Metafile	.wmf
WordPerfect Graphics 1.0, 2.0	.wpg
Note

This is the entire list of all supported filters. If you don’t see the filter you want in Micrografx Media Manager, choose the Custom installation option from the installer and select the desired filter(s).


Clip Art Types


CD-ROM Collections

The CD-ROM collection is "hot-swappable." For example, if you take out one CD, put in another, then display the Choose a Subject dialog box, the new collection is displayed. The Micrografx clip art collections on CD-ROM are read-only. A read-only collection is already organized into subjects, and the Item Information is already created.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window

Thumbnails of each item in the current subject are displayed in the main Micrografx Media Manager window. The name of the subject appears in the title bar. You can move or resize the window to occupy as much or as little of the screen as you want. When the window isn’t big enough to show all items in the subject, a scroll bar lets you access additional items.

There are scrollable drop down list boxes for viewing and selecting collections and subjects.  The collection list (represented by the folder) is on the top of the subject list (represented by the window.)  Use the forward and back arrows to easily move from one subject to another.  You can also highlight the collection or subject text, and type the desired subject name.  The subject entered will display.

With the Properties Option, you can resize the thumbnail bitmaps to show a larger or smaller picture. The button can display pictures only, names only, or both. Tool Tips are also available.

Double-click an item to see Item Information.

The Options menu lets you switch to other subjects and collections, set properties, and perform other functions.


To change thumbnail display


Glossary

Clip Art

Collection

Description

Micrografx Media Manager Clip Art Manager

Micrografx Media Manager Clip Art Collections

Item

Item Information

Keywords

Subject

Thumbnails


Clip art
In this Help file, clip art is used as a generic term to refer to any graphics element you want to incorporate into another document, such as a Designer drawing or Microsoft Word newsletter.

The graphics element may be a vector or an image file. Micrografx Media Manager recognizes most graphic file types.


Collection
A Collection is the broadest category used by Micrografx Media Manager. Collections contain subjects.

For example, you may have a collection named "Holidays" containing the subjects "Valentine’s Day" and "Halloween." Or you may have the "Designer" collection containing the subjects "Maps" and "Holidays."


Description
Item Information might have a free-form description containing detailed information about an item.

For example, you could enter "Screen capture of version 1.1 showing selecting more than one item."

During a find, you can specify whether to include the description in the find.


Micrografx Media Manager Clip_Art Collections
The top item on the list in the Choose a Subject dialog box is Clip Art Collections. This represents the entire world of clip art currently known to Micrografx Media Manager (all of the collections that are currently loaded or installed and available).


Micrografx Media Manager Clip Art Manager
The Micrografx Media Manager clip art manager provides a convenient, easy-to-use interface for inserting pictures into a document. It lets you easily locate, access, and organize clip art items (both vector-based drawings and pixel-based bitmaps) without opening the files to see their contents. You can use existing Micrografx Media Manager collections, or you can create your own.


Item
Items are clip art pictures. They are represented by thumbnails and contained within subjects.

For example, you may have the items "Pumpkin," "Ghost," and "Witch" within the subject "Halloween."


Item Information
Each item in a subject has item information associated with it which you can view and edit:

Name

Keywords

Description

Preview (view only)

For example, an item with the Name "Black Cat" in the "Halloween" subject might have the Keywords "cat, silhouette, animals" and Description "silhouette with green eyes. BMP. Used: Halloween poster '94".

Name refers only to the item in Micrografx Media Manager, not to the original file or image. Changing the Name does not affect the file.

Name, Keywords and Description can be found.


Keywords
Each item can have associated Keywords in the Item Information, making it easy to find items.

For example, Keywords such as "dinosaur, brontosaurus" or "computer, laptop" let you locate and use the associated picture quickly.


Subject
A Subject is a group of related items (pictures). Subjects are located within collections.

For example, you may have Subjects for "Valentine’s Day" and "Halloween" within the Collection "Holidays." The "Halloween" Subject contains items relating to Halloween, such as "Ghost."


Thumbnails
Thumbnails are the small bitmapped image of the item that can appear on the item button in the main Micrografx Media Manager window. A larger image is available as a preview in the Item Information dialog box.

A thumbnail bitmap is created automatically when an item is initially added to a subject. You can resize a thumbnail for any item, as well as change the color depth in the Properties dialog box under the Subject tab.


Add Files Dialog Box

You can use Micrografx Media Manager to organize many individual picture and drawing files into Micrografx Media Manager subjects and collections.

Locate the folder in which the graphic file or files is located. Select the file or files, and then click Add. Adding files adds items to the current subject.

Micrografx Media Manager recognizes many graphics file types.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Graphics file types.


Adding File
Adding File Dialog Box

This dialog box displays while Micrografx Media Manager is performing the operations needed to add the item or items.

The Status bar shows the progress. You can cancel adding the file if you want.


Adding File Message Box

Micrografx Media Manager either doesn’t recognize this file type or you have tried to add a corrupt file. Also, you may be trying to add an unknown version of a supported file (for example, a CDR 2.x file when Micrografx Media Manager recognizes only CDR 3.x, 4.x and 5.x files). You can install additional filters to get more supported file types if you don’t see the one you want.

To add subject or collections to the Micrografx Media Manager catalog, you should click Subject on the Options menu, and on the File menu, point to Load.


Browse Dialog Box

A browse dialog box is displayed when Load Collection or Load Subject is chosen from the File option in the Choose a Subject dialog box.  The Load Collection or Load Subject browse provides a way for you to locate a collection to be loaded if you don’t know the correct path and filename.

Choose the folder in which to search.  Available options appear in the lower left.

Click the collection or subject you want , then click Load.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Choose a Subject Dialog Box

The primary purpose of this dialog box is to open a new subject.  It’s also used to create new collections and subjects and to rearrange subjects within collections.

When you click Load, the selected subject is loaded into the highlighted collection.

Additionally, you can create new collections and new subjects using the File menu.

From the Subject option, use the Load Collection item on the File menu to link a new collection to Micrografx Media Manager.  You can load or unload subjects within collections using drag and drop in the directory tree or use the Load and Unload options under the File and Edit menus.  You can Rename subjects and collections from the Edit menu.

The Expand All and Collapse All buttons determine whether all subjects are displayed in this dialog box.

Tip

You can open the Properties dialog box by clicking the right mouse button or pressing ALT+ENTER while in the Choose a Subject dialog box.

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


To select the subject

To create a new collection

To create a new subject

To rearrange subjects within collections

To change the names of subjects and collections


Micrografx Media Manager Conversion Utility: Micrografx FlowCharter

It’s simple and convenient to convert Micrografx FlowCharter 4.0 shape palettes to Micrografx Media Manager subjects. You can convert all of them, or only the ones you think you will use now.

When you access this dialog box initially, all the palettes are selected. You can click None to deselect all palettes, then click to select the palette you want. You can select additional palettes using CTRL and SHIFT, before you click Convert.

Snap points are retained by Micrografx Media Manager.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Micrografx Media Manager Conversion Utility: Designer

It’s simple and convenient to convert Designer subjects to Micrografx Media Manager subjects. You can convert all of them, or only the ones you think you will use now.

When you access this dialog box initially, all the subjects are selected. You can click None to deselect all subjects, then click to select the subject you want. You can select additional subjects using CTRL and SHIFT, before you click Convert.

Note

Micrografx Media Manager can’t convert CH4 or GRF files if they reside within a DS4 catalog.

Micrografx Media Manager can convert only Designer 4.0 and 4.1 catalogs.

You can add Designer 3.1 clip art files using Add Files.

You can click Find to access Designer CD or network collections.

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Micrografx Media Manager Conversion Utility: Windows Draw

It’s simple and convenient to convert Windows Draw subjects to Micrografx Media Manager subjects. You can convert all of them, or only the ones you think you will use now.

When you access this dialog box initially, all the subjects are selected. You can click None to deselect all subjects, then click to select the subject you want. You can select additional subjects using CTRL and SHIFT, before you click Convert.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Conversion Errors Dialog Box

This dialog box appears because Micrografx Media Manager has encountered an error while converting an Micrografx palette, Designer subject, or Windows Draw subject to an Micrografx Media Manager collection.

The following is a list of errors and their explanations:

Micrografx Palette not found: <filename>

The Micrografx Palette file isn’t present.

Could not create new Micrografx Media Manager Subject <subject name>

Micrografx Media Manager encountered an error while trying to create a new subject file. Make sure the subject is not currently open in Micrografx Media Manager.

Designer Subject File not found: <filename>

Micrografx Media Manager couldn’t find the Designer subject file.

Draw Catalog File not found: <filename>

Micrografx Media Manager couldn’t find the Draw Catalog file.

Error reading <filename>

Micrografx Media Manager encountered an error reading this file.

Error Rendering symbol <symbol name> in file <filename>

A problem occurred trying to draw the item. You may have a memory allocation error.

Invalid Micrografx Palette: <filename>

The file isn’t a valid Micrografx Palette file.

Media File not found: <filename>

The file you referenced in a Draw or Designer subject isn’t present. Make sure the CD is in the drive.

No items could be added to the <subject name> subject, so the subject wasn’t created.

If an error occurred so nothing was added to a new subject, Micrografx Media Manager doesn’t create an empty subject.

Symbol <symbol name> not found in file <filename>

Micrografx Media Manager can’t find the symbol in the given DS4, DRW or MGX file.

Unsupported File Type; file <filename>

This Designer collection may contain a file type Micrografx Media Manager can’t read.


Delete Collection Message Box

Answer Yes if you want to delete the collection and all of its subjects. Deleting the collection removes it from your hard drive.


Delete Subject Message Box

Answer Yes if you want to delete the subject and all of its items. Deleting the subject removes it from your hard drive.


File Link dialog box
File Link

This dialog box displays path information about linked files.  You can find the File Link tab by selecting Item, Information from the Options menu.  Buttons on this dialog box allow you to re-link or re-locate files, or break the existing file links.


Find Clip Art Catalog Dialog Box

You can use this dialog box to access Designer CD or network collections.

Tip

On Designer 4.x CDs, you can find the MGXCAT.INI file in the Media directory.

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box. This displays the standard Windows 95 Help for the item, so some of the wording may not apply to Micrografx Media Manager.


Item Information Dialog Box

Item information provides more information about an item than can be shown on the button.

If the subject is not part of a read-only collection (generally CD-ROM collections and network collections), you can add and change Item Information.

You can use Find on the Option menu to search for the text in the Name, Keywords, and Description boxes.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Read-only collections


To search


Load Collection Dialog Box

A browse dialog box is displayed to choose a collection to load.  Available collections are listed at the bottom of the dialog box.  Highlight your choice and click the Load button.

When you acquire a new clip art collection that has been created with Micrografx Media Manager, use Load Collection to add it to your Micrografx Media Manager collections.  Choose New Collection from the Subject dialog box File menu to create a collection of new files.


To load the collections

To unload one or more collections


Move Subject Dialog Box

The subject name is displayed. The name of the current collection is displayed in the text box. Click the arrow at the right of the text box. A list of all currently loaded collections appears. Click the collection you want.


Multiple Symbols Dialog Box

If a file has more than one named symbol or element in it, you can choose whether the file should be added to Micrografx Media Manager as one item or several. When you try to add such a file to a subject in Micrografx Media Manager, this dialog box offers the options to create one item or many items from the drawing.

Designer 3.x and 4.x files contained several clip art images in each file, as do Windows Draw files. Click Add Each Symbol in this case.

To add a drawing (one you’ve created, for example) that represents one picture, but in which the elements have not been grouped, click Add Whole File.

Tip

If you’re unsure which option to choose, click Add Whole File. (It’s easier to delete one item than many.) Examine the thumbnail or the preview in Item Information. If the elements should have been added separately, delete the item, repeat the process, and click Add Each Symbol instead.


Drawings with multiple elements


New Collection Dialog Box

Enter a name for the new collection you want to create. You can enter a name of unlimited length.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


New Subject Dialog Box

Enter a name for the new subject you want to create. You can enter a name of unlimited length.

Then select the name of the collection to which you want the subject added.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Properties Dialog Box: Subject Tab

This dialog box lets you set preferences applying only to the current subject.

You can customize the size of the thumbnail bitmap in the main Micrografx Media Manager window.

You can specify whether the images on the button should be square or rectangular.

You can specify the color resolution of the thumbnail. This doesn’t affect the clip art when it is used. The resolution affects the amount of space used by the Micrografx Media Manager collection. (It slightly affects the time required to create thumbnail bitmaps when a new file is added to a subject.)

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Properties Dialog Box: Media Manager Tab

This dialog box lets you change the appearance and action of the main Micrografx Media Manager window.

When there are more items in a subject than fit in the window, the window scrolls to display the additional items. You can specify vertical or horizontal scrolling.

You can request that thumbnails show only pictures, only names, or both. (The size of the item button in the main Micrografx Media Manager window adjusts automatically; the bitmap size remains the same.) You can request that the name of the item appear as a Tool Tip when you pass the cursor over the thumbnail.

If you’ve started Micrografx Media Manager from a Micrografx program, Micrografx Media Manager is automatically on top. If you start Micrografx Media Manager as a stand-alone program, you can set this option to your liking.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Properties Dialog Box: CD-ROM Tab

If you want to use collections on CD-ROM, specify the drive path here (usually D:).

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Properties Dialog Box: Clip Art Tab

If you want to change the default path where new collections and subjects are created, specify these paths here.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


Rename Collection Dialog Box

The Rename Collection dialog box lets you enter a new name for the currently selected collection.


Rename Subject Dialog Box

The Rename Subject dialog box lets you enter a new name for the currently selected subject.


Search dialog box
Find Dialog Box

The Find feature helps you find appropriate artwork quickly and easily, even though you may have many items in many subjects within several collections.

For example, suppose you need a clip art picture of a cat. Type the word "cat" in the Find What: box, specify >ALL>, Match Whole Word, and Search Descriptions, and click OK. Micrografx Media Manager searches the Names, Keywords, and Descriptions for every item in every subject in every available or loaded collection.

When the Find is completed, Micrografx Media Manager conveniently places all matching items in a temporary subject, "Last Find", which it displays in the main Micrografx Media Manager window. You can browse through the pictures until you find the perfect cat.


To search for an item


To search for an item


Unload Collection Message Box

Answer Yes if you want to unload the collection and all of its subjects. Unloading the collection removes it from the catalog, but not from your hard drive.


Unload Subject Message Box

Answer Yes if you want to unload the subject and all of its items. Unloading the subject removes it from the collection, but not from your hard drive.


To open Micrografx Media Manager
Opening Micrografx Media Manager as an independent program

1	On the Windows task bar, click Start.

2	Point to Programs.

3	Click Micrografx Micrografx Media Manager.

Notes

Once Micrografx Media Manager is open, you can use it with other Windows 95 programs, such as Office Compatible programs like Word.

Micrografx Media Manager is accessed from Micrografx programs such as Micrografx FlowCharter, Designer, and Picture Publisher through menu commands or toolbar buttons.


Opening Micrografx Media Manager from Micrografx FlowCharter

Opening Micrografx Media Manager from Designer

Opening Micrografx Media Manager from Picture Publisher


To open Micrografx Media Manager from Micrografx FlowCharter
Opening Micrografx Media Manager from Micrografx FlowCharter

On the View menu, click Shape Palette or press F9.


To open Micrografx Media Manager from Designer
Opening Micrografx Media Manager from Designer

On the Tools menu, click Clip Art.


To open Micrografx Media Manager from Picture Publisher
Opening Micrografx Media Manager from Picture Publisher

On the Tools menu, click Clip Art.


To find a collection and subject
Finding a collection and subject

1	On the Options menu, click Subject to display the Choose a Subject dialog box.

2	If the subject you want is not shown, click Expand All.

3	Double-click the subject you want to be displayed in the main Micrografx Media Manager window.


To load a collection or subject

Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To select an item

Click the item.

Notes

To select a series of items, click the first item, hold SHIFT, then click the last item.

To select more than one item, click the first item, and hold CTRL as you click each additional item.

Once the item (picture) is selected, you can display and edit Item Information, delete the item, drag and drop the item into a Windows document, or copy it to the Clipboard.

The only operation permitted on multiple items is Delete.


To view Item Information

Double-click the item.

On the Options menu, point to Item, then click Information.

Click the right mouse button, then click Item Information.

Item Information displays a larger preview; the Name, Keywords, Description, and Link information for the item in the Item Information dialog box.


To display a new or different subject

1	On the Options menu, click Subject to display the Choose a Subject dialog box.

2	If the subject you want isn’t displayed, click Expand All.

3	Double-click the subject you want.


To load a collection or subject


To load a collection
To load a collection or subject

1	On the Options menu, click Subject to open the Choose a Subject dialog box.

2	On the File menu, click Load Collection or Load Subject.  A Browse dialog box is displayed.

3	In the Browse dialog box, find the collection or subject you want to add (load) to the Micrografx Media Manager subject list.

4	Double-click the collection or subject to load, or highlight and click Load.


To unload a collection or subject


To unload a collection or subject

1	On the Options menu, click Subject to open the Choose a Subject dialog box.

2	Select the collection or subject you want to unload.

3	On the Edit menu, point to Unload.

Note

Unloading a collection unloads all subjects in that collection.

This removes the collection or subject from the Micrografx Media Manager subject list only, not from the disk. You can load the collection or subject again later.


To load a collection or subject


To close a subject

You do not need to close a subject. Because only one subject is present at a time, simply select a new subject. The original subject is closed automatically.

When you close Micrografx Media Manager or the Micrografx application, the subject is closed automatically.


To select a new subject

To close Micrografx Media Manager,


To close Micrografx Media Manager

Click the X in the upper right corner of the main Micrografx Media Manager window.

Note

If you have opened Micrografx Media Manager through a Micrografx program, Micrografx Media Manager closes automatically when you close the program.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To create a new collection

1	On the File menu in the Choose a Subject dialog box, click New Collection.

2	In the New Collection dialog box, enter the name for the new collection.


To create a new subject

1	Highlight the collection in which you want to create a new subject.

2	In the Choose a Subject dialog box, click the collection in which you want the new subject.

3	On the File menu, click New Subject.

4	In the New Subject dialog box, enter the name for the new subject.

Note

If you didn’t select the correct collection in step 1, you can specify it in the drop-down list box, which lists all collections.


To add an item to a subject
To add an graphic file to a subject

1	On the Options menu of Micrografx Media Manager, click Add Files. The Add Files dialog box appears.

2	Highlight the file or files you want to add. You can restrict the search by using the arrow at the right of the Files of Type box to select from the list of clip art types recognized by Micrografx Media Manager.

3	Click Add. A dialog box indicates the progress.  The files will be added to the subject currently open.

4	If a Designer or Windows Draw drawing is comprised of multiple elements, you’re asked if you want to add them as independent items or as a whole.

Tips

You can use SHIFT and CTRL to select more than one file to add at a time.

You can add an item to a subject via the Clipboard or OLE drag and drop.

You can drag and drop multiple items from Windows Explorer.


Clip art types recognized by Micrografx Media Manager.

Multiple elements,


To search for an item
To Find an item

1	On the Options menu in the main Micrografx Media Manager window, click Find. The Find dialog box appears.

2	Enter the text for which you want to search. The text must be in the Name, Keywords, or Description boxes of Item Information.

3	To restrict the search to a single collection, click the arrow at the right of the Search Collection box, then click the collection.

4	Indicate whether you want a whole word or substring search. For example, if you select Substring Search for "cat", the search will find items containing "cat" (cats, scatter). If you select Match Whole Word, the search will find only the item "cat".

5	Use the Search Descriptions check box to indicate whether you want the free-form Description included in the search, or if you only want to search the Keywords and Name.

6	Click OK to begin the search. Micrografx Media Manager builds a temporary subject "Last Find" and displays it in the main Micrografx Media Manager window.

7	To switch between the Last Find subject and the active subject, on the Options menu, click Last Find.

Note

Whole words are defined by spaces and punctuation.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To change Item Information

1	Click the item.

2	On the Options menu in the main Micrografx Media Manager window, point to Item, then click Information. The Item Information dialog box appears. (You can double-click the item thumbnail to access Item Information immediately.)

3	You can change the name of the item appearing on the thumbnail. This doesn’t change the name of the source file.

4	You can add or change keywords for searching.

5	You can enter free-form descriptive information about the item.

You can’t change the preview.

Tip

Take advantage of the Keywords and Description boxes to help you find the item in future searches.


To search for an item

Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To move an item to a new subject

1	Copy the item to the new subject.

2	Delete the item from the old subject.


To copy an item

To delete an item


To copy an item to a new subject

1	On the Windows task bar, click Start, point to Programs, then click Micrografx Media Manager to open a second copy of Micrografx Media Manager.

2	On the Options menu, click Subject.

3	Create the new subject, if necessary.

4	Double-click the new subject.

5	Click the item in the old subject in the first copy of Micrografx Media Manager.

6	Holding the left mouse button, drag the item to the new subject in the second copy of Micrografx Media Manager.

The thumbnail appears in the new subject, and all Item Information is transferred.


To create a new subject


To copy an item via the Clipboard
To copy an item to a new subject via the Clipboard

1	Click the item.

2	On the Options menu, point to Item, then click Copy.

3	Switch to the new subject.

4	Paste the item.

The thumbnail appears in the new subject, and all Item Information is transferred.


To create a new subject


To delete an item from a subject

1	Click the item.

2	On the Options menu, point to Item, then click Delete.


To delete a subject from a collection

1	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box appears.

2	Click the subject you want to delete.

3	On the Edit menu, click Delete.


To delete a collection

1	On the Options menu, click Subject. The Choose a Subject dialog box appears.

2	Click the collection you want to delete.

3	On the Edit menu, click Delete.


To change the thumbnail

1	On the Options menu in the main Micrografx Media Manager window, click Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.

2	Click the Subject tab.

3	If you want the thumbnail image to be square, select the Square checkbox.

4	Use the sliders to adjust the size of the thumbnail as shown in the box.

5	Select the thumbnail resolution.

6	Click the Media Manager tab.

7	Click to indicate whether you want buttons to Show Pictures, Show Names, or Show Both.

Tip

When the Properties dialog box isn’t displayed, on the Options menu, point to Display, then click Pictures, Names, or Both.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To move a subject to a new collection

1	In the Choose a Subject dialog box, click the name of the subject.

2	Holding the left mouse button, drag the subject to the new collection.

Note

You also can use the Move Subject item on the Edit menu of the Choose a Subject dialog box, if you prefer.


To change the name of a subject or collection

1	In the Choose a Subject dialog box, click the name of the subject or collection.

2	On the Edit menu, click Rename.

3	Enter the new name in the box in the Rename Collection dialog box.


To copy clip art from Micrografx Media Manager to Micrografx FlowCharter

1	Open the Micrografx FlowCharter chart, if necessary.

2	Make sure the place in the document where you want to insert the clip art is visible on screen.

3	Open Micrografx Media Manager with the correct subject, if necessary. The main Micrografx Media Manager window should be visible.

4	Click the item you want.

5	Click the item, and while holding the left mouse button, drag the item onto the Micrografx FlowCharter chart.

6	Position the cursor where you want to position the item, and release the mouse button.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To rearrange items in a subject

1	In the main Micrografx Media Manager window, click the item you want to move.

2	Drag the item to the position where you want it.

3	Drop the item.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To copy clip art from Micrografx Media Manager to Designer

1	Open the Designer drawing, if necessary.

2	Make sure the place in the document where you want to insert the clip art is visible on the screen.

3	Open Micrografx Media Manager with the correct subject, if necessary. The main Micrografx Media Manager window should be visible.

4	Click the item you want.

5	Click the item, and while holding the left mouse button, drag the item onto the Designer drawing.

6	Position the cursor where you want to position the item, and release the mouse button.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To copy clip art from Micrografx Media Manager to Picture Publisher

1	Open the Picture Publisher image, if necessary.

2	Make sure the place in the document where you want to insert the clip art is visible on the screen.

3	Open Micrografx Media Manager with the correct subject, if necessary. The main Micrografx Media Manager window should be visible.

4	Click the item you want.

5	Click the item, and while holding the left mouse button, drag the item onto the Picture Publisher image.

6	Position the cursor where you want to position the item, and release the mouse button.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To copy clip art from Micrografx Media Manager to other Windows programs

1	Open the target program and the target document (a Word newsletter, for example), if necessary.

2	Make sure the place in the document where you want to insert the clip art is visible on screen.

3	Open Micrografx Media Manager with the correct subject, if necessary. The main Micrografx Media Manager window should be visible.

4	Click the item you want.

5	Click the item, and while holding the left mouse button, drag the item onto the document.

6	Position the cursor where you want to position the item, and release the mouse button.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To copy clip art via the Clipboard

1	Open the target program and the target document (a Word newsletter, for example), if necessary.

2	Make sure the place in the document where you want to insert the clip art is visible on screen.

3	Open Micrografx Media Manager with the correct subject, if necessary. The main Micrografx Media Manager window should be visible.

4	Click the item you want.

5	On the Options menu, point to Edit, and click Copy.

6	Move the cursor to the correct place in the target document and click to position the cursor.

7	On the Edit menu, click Paste.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


To add an item with drag and drop

1	Open the program and document containing the clip art (a photograph in Picture Publisher, for example), if necessary.

2	Edit the clip art as necessary (cropping to fit the newsletter and converting to gray scale, for example).

3	Select the clip art that you want to copy to Micrografx Media Manager.

4	Open Micrografx Media Manager with the correct subject, if necessary. The main Micrografx Media Manager window should be visible.

5	Click the clip art, and while holding the left mouse button, drag it onto the main Micrografx Media Manager window.

6	Position the cursor where you want the thumbnail to appear, and release the mouse button.


To convert Micrografx clip art

1	On the Options menu in the main Micrografx Media Manager window, point to Tools, and click Convert Micrografx clip art. The Micrografx clip art Conversion Utility dialog box appears.

2	Choose whether you’re converting Micrografx FlowCharter palettes, or Designer or Draw subjects and click on the appropriate tab.

3	Select the item(s) in the list box you want to convert. You can click All to select all the items in the list box, or click None to deselect all the items in the list box.

4	Click Convert to convert all items you’ve selected.

Note

If you’re converting Designer subjects from a CD-ROM, click on Find to locate the appropriate subjects.


To copy a CD-ROM collection to your hard drive

1	Run Windows Explorer and access your CD-ROM drive. There’s one .ecf file for each collection, and for each .ecf file there’s a sub-folder of the same name.

2	Copy the .ecf file and the sub-folder to your hard drive.

3	Run Micrografx Media Manager.

4	On the File menu, click Load Collection.  A Browse dialog box is displayed.

5	In the Browse dialog box, find the collection you want to add (load) to the Micrografx Media Manager subject list.

6	Double-click the collection or subject to load, or highlight and click Load.


Main Micrografx Media Manager window


Changing the Path to Clip Art Collections

Micrografx Media Manager will access collections of clip art according to a defined path.  The default path is that of the Micrografx Media Manager Content CD in your CD drive.

On occasion, it is necessary to change the path, for example, if you have a collection of clip art on a network drive you wish to open with Micrografx Media Manager.  In this case, you can change the path so the new collections and subjects are accessed from the network drive.


 To change the path to clip art collections and subjects


To change the path to the clip art collections

1	On the Options menu in the main Micrografx Media Manager window, click Properties.  The Properties dialog box appears.

2	The path for the collection and subject folders is displayed.  When you type in the new path for the collections and subjects, Micrografx Media Manager will search this path to find the clip art content.

3	When you have input the new path, click OK.

Tip

To change the path from within the Choose a Subject dialog box, highlight a collection or subject folder from the tree control and press ALT+ENTER to display the Properties dialog box, or right-click and select the Clip Art tab in the Properties dialog box.


Last Find Item Information dialog box

Item information provides more information about an item than can be shown on the thumbnail.

Tip

To learn about a particular button or box in the dialog box, click the ? on the title bar, then click the button or box.


 Shows the Collection and Subject in which this graphic is found.


Ignores any changes you have made and closes the dialog box.


Displays general information about using this dialog box.


Accepts any changes you have made and closes the dialog box.


Specifies the text for which you want to find the Name, Keywords, and Description in Item Information.


Specifies the collection or collections to be searched.

To restrict the search to a single collection, click the arrow at the right. A list of all currently loaded collections appears. Click the collection you want.


Specifies whether you want a whole word or substring search.

Whole words are identified by spaces and punctuation.

Substrings find parts of words.

For example, "cat" finds items with "cat," "cats," and "scatter" if Substring is selected, but only the first item if the whole word is selected.


Indicates whether you want the free-form Description included in the search, or if you want to search only the Names and Keywords.


Lists current collections and subjects.

Collections have a folder next to the name. Subjects have a mini Micrografx Media Manager window next to the name.

To display subjects in a collection that does not show subjects, click the + to the left of the collection name or click Expand All.

To display a Properties dialog box, highlight a subject or collection and press ALT+ENTER .


Displays all subjects in all collections.

To display all subjects in a single collection, click the + to the left of the collection name.


Displays only collections (no subjects) in the list.

This is useful when you have many collections loaded.


Closes the dialog box without selecting a new subject.


Accepts your currently selected subject, closes the dialog box, and displays the selected subject.


Displays the name that appears on the thumbnail.

You can change this name if the collection is not read-only. This affects only the name in the Micrografx Media Manager subject, not the original file. If you added an item from a file on disk, this name was created from the filename.


Displays the keywords on which you can search.

You can change the keywords if the collection is not read-only. Separate keywords with commas.


Displays the description.

You can enter lengthy free-form descriptive information about the item if the collection is not read-only.


This larger view of the thumbnail picture cannot be changed.


Sets the width of the thumbnail bitmap picture.

The button below shows the size of the thumbnail. If the Square box under the button is checked, this automatically adjusts the height as well.


Sets the height of the thumbnail bitmap picture.

The button at the right shows the size of the thumbnail. If the Square box under the button is checked, this automatically adjusts the width as well.


Displays the size of the bitmapped thumbnail.


Specifies the color resolution of the new thumbnails you’re generating.

This affects the disk space used by Micrografx Media Manager. (It slightly affects the time it takes to generate new items, also.)


Determines whether the bitmap thumbnail is square or rectangular. If checked, the sliders to adjust width and height work together.

The button size (not the size of the picture) changes if you switch, for example, from Show Pictures to Show Names.


Applies any changes you have made, but does not close the window. This lets you see if the changes are what you want and lets you make further adjustments quickly.


Specifies that the main Micrografx Media Manager window is always on top. This is useful if you frequently add clip art to your work.


Specifies the type of scrolling you want in the main Micrografx Media Manager window when there are more items than can be displayed at one time. Click the Horizontal or Vertical button.


Specifies whether thumbnails should show only pictures, only names, or both.


Specifies when you want to see Tool Tips as you pause the cursor over the thumbnail.


Specifies the drive path for collections on CD-ROM.


Selects all of the items in the list box.


Deselects all of the items in the list box.


Displays the Windows 95 Find dialog box so that you can locate the file to convert.


Converts all items that you have selected.


Specifies the new name for the subject.

Renaming affects only Micrografx Media Manager subjects, not the content.


Specifies the new name for the collection.

Renaming affects only Micrografx Media Manager collections, not the content.


Adds each independent symbol of the drawing as a separate item.

If the symbol is named, the name is used in Item Information.

If the symbol is not named, the symbol is ignored.


Adds the drawing as a whole, creating one item. The filename is used as the name.


Specifies the name for the new collection you’re creating. You can enter a name of unlimited length, but don’t enter a file extension.


Specifies the name for the new subject you’re creating. You can enter a name of unlimited length, but don’t enter a file extension.


Specifies the name of the collection to which you want the subject added.

The name of the currently selected collection is displayed. To add the subject to a different collection, click the arrow at the right to select a collection.


Specifies the name of the collection you want to load. If you do not know the name, click Browse.


Accesses the Windows 95 common file dialog box, so you can browse for the right collection.


Specifies the name of the subject you want to load. If you do not know the name, click Browse.


Accesses the Windows 95 common file dialog box, so you can browse for the right subject.


Specifies the name of the collection to which you want to move the subject.

When the box opens, the name of the current collection is displayed and highlighted. To change the name of the collection, click the arrow at the right of the text box. A list of all currently loaded collections appears. Click the collection you want.


Displays the name of the item.

You cannot change this.


Displays the Keywords.

You cannot change this.


Displays the Description.

You cannot change this.


Displays a larger view of the picture.


Switches the main Micrografx Media Manager window to the subject where this item was found.


Lists all Micrografx palettes.

Select the palette or palettes you want to convert to Micrografx Media Manager collections.


Lists all Designer subjects.

Click the subject or subjects you want to convert to Micrografx Media Manager collections.


Lists all Windows Draw subjects.

Click the subject or subjects you want to convert to Micrografx Media Manager collections.


Provides details about linked files.


Displays information about linked files.


Displays the file path for the file linked to the item.


Specifies whether or not the file can be found.


Specifies whether the file is located on a local drive, a network drive, or an invalid drive.


Click this tab to open this panel of the Properties dialog box.


Shows the path for the new Collection Folder.


Shows the path for the new Collection Folder.


Shows the path for the new Subject Folder.


Shows the path for the new Subject Folder.


Shows the number of Collections in this folder.


When this box is checked, links for all items in the subject will be broken.  When not checked, the link is broken for only the selected file.


Click this tab to open this panel of the Properties dialog box.


Click this tab to open this panel of the Properties dialog box.


Shows the link and path for this file.


Shows the drive location for this file.


Shows whether or not the file is present.


Shows the file size.


Creation date for this file.


Click this button to display the Break Link dialog box.


  Highlight this option to open the chosen subject in a new window.


Click this tab to open this panel of the Conversion Utility dialog box.

It’s simple and convenient to convert graphic subjects in other Micrografx applications to Micrografx Media Manager subjects. You can convert all of them, or only the ones you think you will use now.

When you access this dialog box initially, all the subjects are selected. You can click None to deselect all subjects, then click to select the subject you want. You can select additional subjects using CTRL and SHIFT, before you click Convert.


Click this tab to open this panel of the Conversion Utility dialog box.

It’s simple and convenient to convert graphic subjects in other Micrografx applications to Micrografx Media Manager subjects. You can convert all of them, or only the ones you think you will use now.

When you access this dialog box initially, all the subjects are selected. You can click None to deselect all subjects, then click to select the subject you want. You can select additional subjects using CTRL and SHIFT, before you click Convert.


Ignores any input and closes the dialog box.


Displays the Help Topic associated with this item.


Click this tab to open this panel of the Conversion Utility dialog box


 Micrografx FlowCharter palettes, can be converted for use by Micrografx Media Manager with this utility.  Select the item(s) in the list box you want to convert. You can click All to select all the items in the list box, or click None to deselect all the items in the list box.  Then click Convert to convert all items you’ve selected.


Picture Publisher albums, can be converted for use by Micrografx Media Manager with this utility.  Select the item(s) in the list box you want to convert. You can click All to select all the items in the list box, or click None to deselect all the items in the list box.  Then click Convert to convert all items you’ve selected.


 This dialog box shows the name of the subject, the path, and the number of items contained in the subject.


 This dialog box shows the name of the collection, the path, and the number of items contained in the collection.


Lists all Picture Publisher albums.

Click the album or albums you want to convert to Micrografx Media Manager subjects.


Break Link

Breaking the links copys each file as a .wmf, or .bmp, and allows that subject to be moved.  Once the file has been saved in a new format, the stored format may be of a lesser quality than the original file.   You can break the link for just the file you have chosen, or check the box at the bottom of the window to break the links for all items in the subject.


Troubleshooting

What is the problem?

 I can’t drag an item into my program.

 I can’t drag an item into Excel.


Troubleshooting: Copying clip art;Pasting clip art
Troubleshooting: Copying Clip Art

Drag and drop from Micrografx Media Manager inserts a Metafile or DIB file in the target document if the target program is OLE-compatible. Most newer Office-compatible programs, and Windows 95 programs are OLE-compatible.

Make sure you’re dragging the item to a valid location in the document (not in the margin, for example).

If you still have problems, you probably can copy the Micrografx Media Manager item to your document using the Clipboard.


To copy items via the Clipboard


Troubleshooting: Drag and Drop Into Excel

Drag and drop from Micrografx Media Manager inserts a Metafile or DIB file in the target document if the target program is OLE-compatible. Most newer Office-compatible programs, and Windows 95 programs are OLE-compatible.

However, If you still have problems, you can copy the Micrografx Media Manager item to your document using the Clipboard.