Displaying and Viewing Objects in the Browser

Without HTML

If your user views a QuickSilver file (.DSF, .DRW, etc.) directly (by opening the Designer file using the Open dialog box, or by typing the Designer filename in the browser's Location field), Micrografx QuickSilver uses the entire viewing area of the browser's window for the drawing. To view QuickSilver files in Microsoft's Internet Explorer via QuickSilver ActiveX control, you must use the HTML object tag shown below.

With HTML

You can display a Designer drawing by using the Internet Explorer <Object> tag or the Netscape <Embed> tag within a displayed HTML document. Displaying a drawing within an HTML document gives you control over the position and size of the drawing in the browser's viewing window.

• You must use the <Object> tag with the following syntax.

<object id=motor classid="clsid:44AD7B44-A27F-11CF-B75B-0020AFDBE544" width=nnn height=nnn>

<param name=FileName value="URL">

</object>

• You must use the <Embed> tag with the following syntax.

<Embed src=URL width=nnn height=nnn>

URL must be the Universal Resource Locator of a DSF file. The URL can be an absolute or a relative reference.

You must include the width and height attributes. They are specified in pixels.

Note: If you are writing for both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator browsers, place the <Embed> tag between the <Object> tags.

Progressive Vector Smoothing™

This is available solely for Micrografx QuickSilver versions 3.0 and 2.0. These versions of Micrografx QuickSilver only work with the shipping version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 browser and the Netscape Navigator 3.0 browser.

Vector drawings created with Designer and displayed with Micrografx QuickSilver display in real-time because of Progressive Vector Smoothing. This technology renders anti-aliased vector objects in real-time sequential order. This lets Web browsers and Object Viewers display complex objects as soon as the first piece of the drawing is ready to be displayed.

Right-Mouse Button

This menu is available solely for Micrografx QuickSilver versions 3.0 and 2.0. These versions of Micrografx QuickSilver only work with the shipping version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 browser and the Netscape Navigator 3.0 browser.

When you are viewing a Designer object in a browser, you can use the right mouse button to display a shortcut menu. When you right-click a Designer object, the following menu appears:

• Zoom In/Zoom Out--Use these commands to zoom in or out of the Micrografx QuickSilver object. You zoom in or out at 175% of the current scale. The object is zoomed in or out from the center of where you click the mouse. Hold down the Ctrl + Mouse click and drag the mouse to pan across the zoomed object or scene.
• Show Entire Drawing--Use this command to display the whole Micrografx QuickSilver object in the browser window.
• Antialias Always--Select or deselect this command to turn anti-aliasing on and off.
• Show Unknown Verb Dialog--Select this command if you want Micrografx QuickSilver to display an error box inside the browser when an incorrect command is entered for an event.
• Version Information--Use this command to check if the latest version of Micrografx QuickSilver exists on the Micrografx QuickSilver homepage. If a new version exists, you will be asked if you want to update your plug-in. If you answer Yes, the latest version of Micrografx QuickSilver is downloaded and installed on your system.
• About QuickSilver--Displays the About Micrografx QuickSilver dialog box, which includes the version number and version date of your plug-in.

Optional Netscape Attributes

You can also use the following attributes with the <Embed> tag.

• The Align attribute (for example, Align=left).
• The Noantialias attribute. Micrografx QuickSilver performs anti-aliasing unless you use the Noantialias attribute. Anti-aliasing smoothes jagged edges of diagonal and curved edges by blending the edges with the surrounding pixels. There are three important notes regarding use of this attribute:
  • Micrografx QuickSilver does not perform anti-aliasing if the user's display is set to 256 or fewer colors.
  • The larger the image and the slower the machine, the slower the anti-aliasing routine. If you find anti-aliasing taking too long, you can use the Noantialias attribute.
  • The right mouse button menu option "antialias always" overrides the no antialias attribute for the embed tag.
• The % attribute. This attribute lets you pass a text string to a Designer object, as described in the next section.

Passing a String to an Object through the <Embed> Tag

If a string begins with the % character, the string's final value is extracted from the parameters passed to the plug-in through the HTML that created it. For example, if the plug-in file was embedded into a page with the following code:

<embed src=drawing.dsf width=100 height=100 myparam=testing>

Although MyParam is not a standard attribute of the <Embed> tag, the plug-in recognizes MyParam and uses its value. Suppose the plug-in file has an object whose OnLoad event executes the following command:

ObjectText %myparam

Assuming the symbol is a text symbol, its text would be set to "testing" when the drawing is opened. If the parameter after the % isn't specified in the HTML, then the entire command (just the command, not the command list) is ignored.

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"Developing Web Content with Micrografx QuickSilver™," online version. © 1997 by Micrografx, Inc.