Copyright: Copyright Lotus Development Corp., 1993


Lotus Media Manager Dialog Box

Lets you preview the multimedia files on your system and choose the ones you want to use in an OLE client application.  Copy the multimedia file to the Clipboard, embed it in an application's file, or save a reference to it with your application file.  Specify how to play the multimedia object.

File name

Specifies the file name.  Type or select the name of the file you want.  This box lists files with the extension you select in the File types box.  Use Directories, Drives, and File types to view different file types in other directories.

You can also type the wildcard characters * (asterisk) and ? (question mark) in the File name text box to list files with similar names and/or extensions.  The asterisk represents any number of sequential characters and the question mark represents any single character.

To choose a file, highlight the file name and either click OK or press ENTER, or double-click the file name.

File types

Specifies the type of files you want listed in the File name list box.  To list files with other extensions, edit the extension in the File name text box.

Wave Files (WAV)

Displays waveform audio file names.

MIDI Files (MID)

Displays Musical Instrument Digital Interface file names.

Movie Files (LSM, MMM, AVI, AVS)

Displays Lotus SmartMovie file names, Microsoft Multimedia Movie file names, Video for Windows file names, and Digital Video Interactive file names.

Note

You can configure the Lotus Media Manager to use other file extensions.  For more information about this advanced procedure, see Use a New Media Type.

File info

Displays the size of the highlighted file in the File name list box and the date and time it was last saved.

Directories

Lists the directories on the drive you choose.  Within the Directories list box you can:

*	Double-click a directory to see the subdirectories it contains

*	Double-click the top-most directory to move up the directory tree and list the subdirectories and file names at that directory level

When you choose a directory, only files that match the type specified in the File types box are listed in the File name list box.

Drives

Choose the drive you want the Lotus Media Manager to search.  When you choose a drive, its directories are listed in the Directories list box.

Copy object

Copies the multimedia object to the Clipboard.  Choose Edit Paste from within an application supporting OLE to copy the object from the Clipboard to the application.

Options

Opens the Media Manager Options dialog box.  Specify settings that determine how the multimedia object will be played and how it will be stored with the application file.

Preview

Opens the Player Window in which you can control the previewing of the multimedia object.  You can leave this window open and preview numerous multimedia files.

See also

How Do I?


Media Manager Options Dialog Box

Determines how the multimedia object will be played as part of the application file.  This also determines whether the Lotus Media Manager embeds the multimedia file in the application file or saves a reference to it with the application file.

Play Options

Play once

Plays the multimedia object one time.

Play [n] times

Specifies the number of times the multimedia object will play.  Enter the number.

Play continuously

Plays the multimedia object repeatedly.  The object plays continuously until another object begins to play, or until the window containing the object is closed.

File Options

Refer to file

Saves a reference to the multimedia file with your application file.  The multimedia object itself is not saved in your application file.

The Media Manager saves the file path chosen in the Lotus Media Manager dialog box and uses that path to open the multimedia file when the multimedia object is played in your application.  If the Media Manager cannot locate the file in that path, it checks the directory where you installed the Lotus Media Manager.  The default directory is LOTUSAPP\MULTIMED.

Tip

Use the Refer to file option to minimize the size of your application file.

Embed file

Embeds the multimedia file in the application file.  A copy of the multimedia file will be saved with your application file, increasing the size of that file.

Tip

Use the Embed file option to create an application file that is more easily transported to another computer.

Display

Opens the Display Options dialog box.  You can specify the image that will be used to represent the multimedia file in the application file.


Display Options Dialog Box
Options Dialog Box

Displays the image currently selected to represent the multimedia object in the application file.  The buttons below the sample indicate whether the current selection is the default for this media type, a metafile from the Clipboard, or the previously selected image.  Use the currently selected image or choose another.

Static representation

Default for this media type

Uses the default image for the multimedia file.  The sample selection changes to depict the default image.

Metafile from Clipboard

Uses an image in Windows Metatile Format (WMF) on the Clipboard as the image for the multimedia file.  The sample selection changes to depict the current Clipboard contents.

Note

This option is available only if there is an image in Windows Metafile Format on the Clipboard.  If you have placed an image on the Clipboard and this option is dimmed, the image on the Clipboard is not in the correct format and cannot be used.

Previously selected image

Uses the image previously selected for the multimedia file, if there was one.


Player Window

The Player Window opens when you choose Preview in the Lotus Media Manager dialog box.  It displays the name of the multimedia file and contains controls you can use to play the file.

Slider

Indicates the current position in media file.  You can use the slider to move to another point in the file while the file is playing or when it is paused.

To move to another point in the file, click the slider or drag the slider thumb.

Play/Pause

Click this button to play the media file or to stop playing the media file.

Rew/FF

Click the Rewind button to rewind the media file before playing again.

Click the Fast forward button to fast forward through the playing of the media file.

Step

When you hold down the CTRL key, the Step buttons replace the Rew/FF buttons.

Click the Step backward button to move backward one step in the media file.  Click the Step forward button to move forward one step in the media file.

Begin/End

When you hold down the SHIFT key, the Begin/End buttons replace the Rew/FF buttons.

Click Begin to go to the beginning of the media file.  Click End to go to the end of the media file.

Close

Click this button to stop playing and close the Player Window.

See also

Player Window Keys


Player Window Keys

You can use the following keys to play and pause, to move forward and backward through, and to close a media file.

SPACEBAR

Plays or pauses the media file.

HOME or SHIFT+LEFT

Moves to the beginning of the media file.

END or SHIFT+RIGHT

Moves to the end of the media file.

LEFT

Moves backward through the media file.

RIGHT

Moves forward through the media file.

CTRL+LEFT

Moves backward one step in the media file.

CTRL+RIGHT

Moves forward one step in the media file.

ESC

Closes the Player Window.


How Do I
How Do I?

Choose one of the topics below for more information about using the Lotus Media Manager.

Add a Multimedia Object to Another Application

Use the Options Dialog Box

Use the Player Window

Use a New Media Type


Add a Multimedia Object to Another Application

1.	Activate Lotus Media Manager.  You can do this in either of the following ways:

*	Choose the Edit Insert Object command in the other application, and then choose Lotus Media from the displayed list of objects.

*	Launch Lotus Media Manager from the Windows Program Manager as you would any other application.

2.	In the Lotus Media Manager dialog box, use the File types, Drives, Directories, and File name boxes to choose the multimedia file containing the multimedia object you want to add to the other application.

Note

Choose Copy Object if you want to copy the object to the Clipboard.  When you return to the other application, choose Edit Paste to paste the multimedia object from the Clipboard to your application file.

3.	Click the Options button to open the Media Manager Options dialog box.  Specify how many times the object should be played and how you want to store the multimedia object with your application file.

Note

You can click the Display button in the Media Manager Options dialog box to substitute an image in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) on the Clipboard for the image that will otherwise represent the multimedia object in the application file.

4.	Return to the Lotus Media Manager dialog box and click OK or Exit to add the multimedia object.

An image representing the object will appear in your application.  To play the object, double-click the image.


Use a New Media Type

Before using a new media type for the first time, you must edit the initialization file Lotus Media Manager uses to identify media types and file extensions.  This is an advanced procedure.

Note

If you have not yet done so, install the software driver for the new media type.  (You install most software drivers using the Settings Drivers command in the Windows Control Panel.)  Follow the installation directions provided with the new media type.  If the installation is successful, the extension for the new driver will be listed in the [mci extensions] section of the WIN.INI file in the Windows directory.

1.	Launch the Notepad application.

2.	Choose File Open and open the WIN.INI file from the Windows directory.

3.	Choose Search Find and search for [mci extensions].  (If this string is not in the file, no drivers have been installed.)

4.	Check that the list immediately following [mci extensions] contains a file extension for the new media type, and make a note of the 3-character file extension.

5.	Choose File Open to open the Media Manager initialization file, MEDMAN.INI, from the Windows directory.

Note

If you have inadvertently modified WIN.INI, Notepad will prompt you to save that file before opening MEDMAN.INI.  Never save accidental changes to WIN.INI, as errors in this file can cause unpredictable results in your Windows environment.

6.	After opening MEDMAN.INI, make sure that the Edit Word Wrap command is not marked.

7.	Go to the last line in the file.  It begins with the word FileTypes.  The installation defaults for the FileTypes line is shown below.  (Although this line cannot contain carriage return or linefeed characters, it may wrap when displayed in your Help window.)

FileTypes = Wave Files ! *.WAV ! MIDI Files ! *.MID ! Movies ! *.LSM;*.MMM;*.AVI !

8.	Modify this line to include the extension for the new driver.  The file types and extensions listed following the equal sign (=) must be entered using the following syntax:

category ! extension list !

category names a file type.  The three default categories are:  Wave Files, MIDI Files, and Movies.  Category names display in the File types box in the Lotus Media Manager dialog box.  If your new media type does not fit an existing category, you can add a new one.

The ! (exclamation point) terminates each category and extension list.  If you must use an exclamation-point character in a new category name, you can use another terminator character by replacing all instances of the exclamation point with the new terminator character.  (Lotus Media Manager uses the last character in FileTypes line as the terminator character.)

extension list is a list of file extensions in the following format:

*.xxx [; *.xxx]...

Each xxx is a three-character file extension for the previously specified category.  Each extension must be separated from the next by a semicolon (;).  As mentioned above, the last extension in the list must be followed by the terminator character (by default, an exclamation point).

Example

To add .AIM as a new Movie type, add a semicolon (;) followed by *.AIM prior to the ending terminator character (!):

FileTypes = Wave Files ! *.WAV ! MIDI Files ! *.MID ! Movies ! *.LSM;*.MMM;*.AVI;*.AIM !

9.	After changing the FileTypes line, choose File Save to save your changes to MEDMAN.INI.

10.	Test the changes by launching Lotus Media Manager.  The new media type should be included in the File types list in the Lotus Media Manager dialog box.


Clipboard (defined)
Clipboard

The Windows area that stores the contents of an Edit Cut or Edit Copy command until you overwrite it with another Edit Cut or Edit Copy command or you exit Windows.  You can paste the Clipboard contents into a Windows application.


Embed (defined)
embed

In Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), the process of copying data in one file (the server application) and inserting it into another file, usually from a different Windows application (the client application).

Once the data is embedded, it is called an embedded OLE object.  You can edit the object directly from within the application in which it was embedded.  However, an embedded object is no longer connected to the file that it originally came from.  When you edit it, the other application file does not change.


MIDI (defined)
MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface.  A standard protocol for communicating between computers and musical instruments.  MIDI files can contain music, sound, and lighting information.  By convention, MIDI files have the .MID extension.


Multimedia object (defined)
multimedia object

An object such as a sound or movie.  To work with multimedia objects, you must have the correct hardware configuration and be using Windows 3.0 with multimedia extensions or Windows 3.1.


OLE (defined)
OLE

Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) lets you share and transfer data between Windows applications.  With OLE, a single document can contain data from multiple applications.  You can open these applications from within the document to edit the data.


Play (defined)
play

Initiates the action to be performed by a multimedia object.  For example, when you play a movie file, you start the movie running.


Waveform format (defined)
waveform format

A standard file format for storing digitized sound.  By default, waveform files have the .WAV extension.


Windows Metafile Format (WMF) (defined)
Windows Metafile Format (WMF)

A standard graphics file format provided by Windows.  Different Windows applications can use this format to pass graphics to one another by way of the Clipboard.