Copyright: (C) Copyright 1998 Virtual Mechanics Inc.


 IMS Web-Engine Help Index

Introduction

IMS Web Engine

Contact and Support

Copyright and License Notice

Concepts

IMS Project Files

Understanding Objects

Understanding Text

Understanding Actions

Understanding Behavior

Understanding Groups

Understanding Pages

How To ...

Working in the IMS Window

Publish your HTML project

Use IMS Templates

Menu:

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Page menu

Object menu

Arrange menu

Preview menu

Options menu

Help menu

Dialogues:

Export_HTML

Export_Bitmap

Page_Editor

Page_Background

Page_Music

Object_Editor

Text_Editor

Geometry_Editor

Shading_Editor

Sound_Editor

Action Editor

Behavior_Editor

Tool Options

HTML Options


File menu commands

File Bar:

The File menu provides the following commands:

New	Creates a new project.
Open	Opens an existing project.
Introductory Project	Opens the IMS Introductory Tutorial.
Open Template	Opens an existing template project.
Save	Saves an opened project using the same file name.
Save As	Saves an opened project to a specified file name.
Restore Last	Restores the project to its last Save state.
Recover Previous	Recovers the project to the Previous Save state.
Export HTML	Export the current project in HTML format
Export_Bitmap	Export the current page or selected object as a bitmap file.
Import HTML	Shortcut to the Text Dialog Load command.
Import_Bitmap	Shortcut to the Sprite Open File dialog.
Print	Prints a document.
Print Preview	Displays the document on the screen as it would appear printed.
Print Setup	Selects a printer and printer connection.
Exit	Exits IMS Studio.


Help menu commands

File Bar:

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

Help Topics	Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.
Tutorials	Displays a HTML tutorial page.
About	Displays the version number of this application.


File New command
New command (File menu)

Use this command to create a new document in IMS Studio.

You can open an existing document with the Open command.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+N


File Open command
Open command (File menu)

Use this command to open an existing project “.ims” file in a new window. You may only have one project open at a time. If a project is currently open, you will be prompted to save it first. This command will display the standard file open dialog.

You can create a new project with the New command.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+O


File Open dialog box

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open.  This box lists files with the selected extension.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open. The most appropriate extensions will be listed.

Drives

Select the drive from which IMS Studio will display the potential directories to list.

Directories

Select the directory in which IMS Studio lists the potential files to open.

Network...

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


File Close command
Close command (File menu)

Use this command to close all windows containing the active document.  IMS Studio suggests that you save changes to your document before you close it.  If you close a document without saving, you lose all changes made since the last time you saved it.  Before closing an untitled document, IMS Studio displays the Save As dialog box and suggests that you name and save the document.

You can also close a document by using the Close icon on the document's window, as shown below:

Shortcuts

File Bar:


File Save command
Save command (File menu)

Use this command to save the active document to its current name and directory.  When you save a document for the first time, IMS Studio displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.  If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As command.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+S


File Save As command
Save As command (File menu)

Use this command to save and name the active document.  IMS Studio displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.

To save a document with its existing name and directory, use the Save command.


File Save As dialog boxes

This dialog allows you to select a file name, extension type and path for saving a file to disk.

File Path Option Dialog

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you're about to save:

File Name

Type a new filename to save a document with a different name.  A filename can contain up to eight characters and an extension of up to three characters.  IMS Studio adds the extension you specify in the Save File As Type box.

Drives

Select the drive in which you want to store the document.

Directories

Select the directory in which you want to store the document.

Network...

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


File Restore Command
Restore Last (File menu)

This command will Restore a project to its last save state. All work between the current state of the project and the last save will be lost.


File Recover  Command
Recover Previous (File menu)

This command will Recover a project from its Backup file. A Backup file is made each time an IMS project is loaded or saved. Recovering a project is consequently equivalent to loading the previous Save or the initial project if no saves are made. The Backup file is also used for crash recovery if the program is terminated abnormally.


File Export HTML command
Export HTML command (File menu)

Use this command to publish the current project as a set of HTML and Javascript files.  IMS Studio displays the Export HTML dialog so that you can name your HTML documents and specify file path options.

See the section How to Export HTML for more details.

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	CTRL+H


File Export Bitmap command
Export Bitmap command (File menu)

IMS Web Engine

Use this command to export the selected pages or objects as a bitmap image.  IMS Web Engine displays the Export Bitmap dialog so that you can select a Page or Object to export. Upon confirming your selection with the OK button IMS Web Engine will display the Save As dialog box Use The Save As dialog to select an image format and file name. The default name will be the name used as the Object or Page name with the selected format type appended. Exporting “Page1” as a GIF file would create “Page1.gif” in the specified directory.

Shortcuts

File Bar:


File Import HTML command
Import HTML command (File menu)

This is a shortcut command to the Text Editor load option. The Text_Editor is used to create, load and edit text in several different formats.


File Import Bitmap command
Import Bitmap command (File menu)

This is a shortcut command to the Object Sprite dialog.


File 1, 2, 3, 4 command
1, 2, 3, 4 command (File menu)

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four documents you closed.  Choose the number that corresponds with the document you want to open.


File Exit command
Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your IMS Studio session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.  IMS Studio prompts you to save documents with unsaved changes.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the IMS Studio window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.

The Status bar is separated into five sections:

Menu Actions

The left area of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the arrow keys to navigate through menus.  This area similarly shows messages that describe the actions of toolbar buttons as you depress them, before releasing them.  If after viewing the description of the toolbar button command you wish not to execute the command, then release the mouse button while the pointer is off the toolbar button.

Object Actions

This area describes the operation that is being performed on the currently selected object.

Object Selection

This area displays the name of the currently selected object.

Page Selection

This area displays the name of the currently selected page.

Key Actions

The right areas of the status bar indicate which of the following keys are latched down:

CAP	The Caps Lock key is latched down.

NUM	The Num Lock key is latched down.

SCRL	The Scroll Lock key is latched down.


Index command (Help menu)

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

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


Using Help command (Help menu)

Use this command for instructions about using Help.


About command (Help menu)

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

Shortcuts

File Bar:


Help Using Help Command
Context Help command

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

Shortcuts

File Bar:

Keys:	SHIFT+F1


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and document.

To move the window, drag the title bar.  Note: You can also move dialog boxes by dragging their title bars.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

Application Control-menu button

Document Control-menu button

Maximize button

Minimize button

Name of the application

Name of the document

Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the document.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the document.

<< Describe the actions of the various parts of the scrollbar, according to how they behave in your application. >>


Size command (System menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


Move command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F7


System Minimize Command
Minimize command (application Control menu)

Use this command to reduce the IMS Studio window to an icon.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the minimize icon [image] on the title bar.

Keys:	ALT+F9


Maximize command (System menu)

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the maximize icon [image] on the title bar; or double-click the title bar.

Keys:	CTRL+F10 enlarges a document window.


Next Window command (document Control menu)

Use this command to switch to the next open document window.  IMS Studio determines which window is next according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F6


Previous Window command (document Control menu)

Use this command to switch to the previous open document window.  IMS Studio determines which window is previous according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+CTRL+F6


Close command (Control menus)

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.

Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.

Note:  If you have multiple windows open for a single document, the Close command on the document Control menu closes only one window at a time.  You can close all windows at once with the Close command on the File menu.

Shortcuts

Keys: 	CTRL+F4 closes a document window

ALT+F4 closes the <<YourType>> window or dialog box


Restore command (Control menu)

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Switch to command (application Control menu)

Use this command to display a list of all open applications.  Use this "Task List" to switch to or close an application on the list.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+ESC

Dialog Box Options

When you choose the Switch To command, you will be presented with a dialog box with the following options:

Task List

Select the application you want to switch to or close.

Switch To

Makes the selected application active.

End Task

Closes the selected application.

Cancel

Closes the Task List box.

Cascade

Arranges open applications so they overlap and you can see each title bar.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Tile

Arranges open applications into windows that do not overlap.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Arrange Icons

Arranges the icons of all minimized applications across the bottom of the screen.


No Help Available

No help is available for this area of the window.


No Help Available

No help is available for this message box.

<< If you wish to author help specific to each message box prompt, then remove the AFX_HIDP_xxx values from the [ALIAS] section of your .HPJ file, and author a topic for each AFX_HIDP_xxx value.  For example, AFX_HIDP_INVALID_FILENAME is the help topic for the Invalid Filename message box. >>


File Print command
Print command (File menu)

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

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+P


Print dialog box

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

Printer

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

Setup

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

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

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

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

Collate Copies

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

Print Quality

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


Print Progress Dialog

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

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


File Print Preview command
Print Preview command (File menu)

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


Print Preview toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

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

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


File Print Setup command
Print Setup command (File menu)

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


Print Setup dialog box

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

Printer

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

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

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

Paper Source

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

Options

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

Network...

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


File Page Setup Command
Page Setup command (File menu)

<< Write application-specific help here. >>


Update command
Update command (File menu)

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


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

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


Embedded Object Resize Bar

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


Page menu commands

Page Bar:

The Page menu provides the following commands:

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

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


Page Editor command
Page Editor command (Page menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


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

Lists all pages in the project. Move to a different page by selecting it from the drop down box.


Object Select Edit box
Object List box (Page menu)

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


Page Append command
Append Page command (Page menu)

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

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Insert command
Insert Page command (Page menu)

Insert a new Blank Page in front of the current page.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Cut command
Cut Page command (Page menu)

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

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Copy command
Copy Page command (Page menu)

Copy the current Page to the clipboard.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Paste command
Paste Page command (Page menu)

Insert a copy of the Page from the clipboard. A copied page includes the same Objects as the source page. Moving an Object on a pasted page will also move it on the parent page.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Zoom command
Zoom command (Page menu)

Puts IMS Web Engine into Zoom Mode. When in Zoom Mode, the program will zoom in on the current cursor position by approximately 20% each time the left mouse button is pressed. Pressing the right mouse button or Shift L-Button will zoom out by an equivalent amount.

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

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Normal View command
Normal View command (Page menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Background command
Page Background command (Page menu)

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

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Page Music command
Page Music command (Page menu)

Will display the Page_Music Dialog.

Shortcuts

Page Bar:


Options menu commands

The Options menu provides the following commands for setting various work space options:

Set Tools Options	Displays the Tools Options dialog.
Set HTML Options	Displays the HTML Options dialog.
Guide Border	Display or Hide the target resolution guide border.
Grid Guide	Display or Hide grid guide lines.
Snap Grid	Enable or Disable the Snap Grid.


Set Tools command
Set Tools command (Options menu)

Use this command to display the Tool Options dialog. This dialog can be used to select Tool Bar and Work Window options.


Set HTML command
Set HTML command (Options menu)

Use this command to display the Set HTML Options dialog. This dialog can be used to select HTML Page options and guides.


Guide Border command
Guide Border command (Options menu)

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

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

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+B


Guide Grid command
Guide Grid command (Options menu)

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

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

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+G


Grid command
Snap Grid command (Options menu)

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

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

Shortcuts Keys:	CTRL+M


Arrange menu commands

Arrange Bar:

The Arrange menu provides the following commands:

Align Left	Align the selected Group Objects to the left.
Align Vertical	Align the selected Group Objects vertically.
Align Right	Align the selected Group Objects to the right.
Align Top	Align the selected Group Objects to the top.
Align Horizontal	Align the selected Group Objects horizontally.
Align Bottom	Align the selected Group Objects to the bottom.
Space Horizontal	Evenly space the selected Group Objects Horizontally.
Space Vertical	Evenly space the selected Group Objects Vertically.
To Front	Moves the selected Object in front of all other Objects.
To Back	Moves the selected Object behind all other Objects.
Forward	Moves the selected Object forward one position.
Back	Moves the selected Object back one position.
Group	Converts a temporary Group Object into a Group Object.
Ungroup	Breaks a Group Object into its member Object.


Align Left command
Align Left command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the left edge of all Objects in a temporary group with the left edge of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Vertical command
Align Vertical command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the center of all Objects in a temporary group along the vertical center of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Right command
Align Right command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the right edge of all Objects in a temporary group with the right edge of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Top command
Align Top command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the top edge of all Objects in a temporary group with the top edge of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Horizontal command
Align Horizontal command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the center of all Objects in a temporary group with the horizontal center of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Align Bottom command
Align Bottom command (Arrange menu)

Aligns the bottom edge of all Objects in a temporary group with the bottom edge of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Space Horizontal command
Space Horizontal command (Arrange menu)

Evenly spaces all Objects in a temporary group horizontally between the left and right edges of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Space Vertical command
Space Vertical command (Arrange menu)

Evenly spaces all Objects in a temporary group vertically between the top and bottom edges of the group.

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


To Front command
To Front command (Arrange menu)

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

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


To Back command
To Back command (Arrange menu)

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

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Forward command
Forward command (Arrange menu)

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

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Back command
Back command (Arrange menu)

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

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Group command
Group command (Arrange menu)

Creates a Group Object from a temporary group.

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

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

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

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Ungroup command
Ungroup command (Arrange menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Arrange Bar:


Edit menu commands

The Edit menu provides the following commands:

Undo	Reverse previous editing operation.
Redo	Reverse previous Undo operation.
Cut	Cuts an Object from the current page and moves it to the clipboard.
Copy	Copies an Object from the project to the clipboard.
Delete	Deletes an Object from all Pages in the project.
Paste	Pastes an Object from the clipboard into the current page.
Clone	Clones an Object from the clipboard into the current page.
Include	Includes an Object from the clipboard into the current page.


Edit UNDO command
UNDO command (Edit menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+Z


Edit REDO command
REDO command (Edit menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+Y


Edit Cut command
Cut command (Edit menu)

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

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Edit Cut command
Copy command (Edit menu)

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

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+C


Edit Delete command
Delete command (Edit menu)

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

Shortcuts

Keys:	Delete


Edit Paste command
Paste command (Edit menu)

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

Refer to the section Understanding Objects for more information.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Edit Clone command
Clone command (Edit menu)

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

Refer to the section Understanding Objects for more information.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Edit Include command
Include command (Edit menu)

The Include command will use the definition of the Object in the clip board in the current Page. An Included Object will have exactly the same transformation and components in every page in which it is included. Moving an Object on one page will move it to the same location in every page into which it is Included. Objects in the clipboard can also be Pasted or Cloned into the current page.

Refer to the section Understanding Pages for more information.


View menu commands

The View menu provides the following commands:

File Bar	Shows or hides the file bar.
Status Bar	Shows or hides the status bar.
Tool Bar	Shows or hides the tool bar.
Page Bar	Shows or hides the page bar.
Object Bar	Shows or hides the object bar.
Arrange Bar	Shows or hides the arrange bar.
Preview Bar	Shows or hides the preview bar.


View File Bar command
File Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the File Bar.

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

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


View Status Bar Command
Status Bar command (View menu)

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

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

2.	The transformation being performed on the current Object.

3.	The current selected Object.

4.	The current Page.

5.	The keyboard latch state.

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

See Status Bar for more information about the status bar.


View Page Bar command
Page Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Page Bar.

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

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


View Object Bar command
Object Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Object Bar.

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

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


View Arrange Bar command
Arrange Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Arrange Bar.

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

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


View Preview Bar command
Preview Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Preview Bar.

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

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


View Tools Bar command
Tools Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Tools Bar.

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

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


About Toolbars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Geometry Dialog Sheet

The Geometry Editor provides the following dialog pages:

List	Select the current geometry.
Outline	Sets outline width and color.
Origin	Sets the geometry origin.


Geometry Options Dialog
Options Dialog (Geometry Editor)

Name:

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

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

Type:

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

File Path:

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

Copy:

Duplicates the current geometry to create an identical new geometry.

Delete:

Deletes the current geometry.


Geometry Options Dialog
Outline Dialog (Geometry Editor)

Line color:

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

Line Width:

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


Geometry Options Dialog
Origin Dialog (Geometry Editor)

Defines the origin of the geometry. All geometry is created in its own coordinate system. The geometry origin by default is consequently at 0,0 on the x, y axes. Scaling, stretching, rotation and the origin of the object along a motion path is consequently based upon the geometry’s coordinate origin. The Origin dialog provides a means of shifting the Geometry origin from the center of the Geometry. Nine buttons are available to set the origin at the corners of the geometry, at the center of each edge or the center of the Geometry. The two edit boxes will display the coordinate value of the origin and can be used to enter any integer value to specify a specific coordinate.


Action Dialog Sheet

This dialog is available in IMS Web Engine

The Action Editor provides the following dialog pages:

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


Action Selection Dialog
Selection Dialog (Action Editor)

Current:

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

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

Create:

Duplicates the current Action to create an identical new Action.

Delete:

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

Assigned Objects:

A list of all Objects that include this Action component.


Action Path Dialog
Path Dialog (Action Editor)

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

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

Linear Paths

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

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

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

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

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

Object Path

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

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

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

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

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

Interactive Path

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


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

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

Rate Slider

Use the Rate slider to set the Objects speed. Use positive values to go forward and negative values to go back. The higher the value the faster the speed. The rate has no effect on Interactive Paths.

Path Counter

Sets the number of times the Object will trace the path before the End Path condition is met and the Object stops. Use the slider to set a path count up to 100. Larger values can be typed directly into the Edit Value box. The “Continuous” check box will set a value of -1 which will set continuous play.

Path Length

Sets the length of a linear path. The default 100% = 1.5 * the screen height. Use the slider to reduce the path length.

By default when selected, Interactive Motion and closed shapes will set continuous play. Linear paths and open shapes will set single play.


Action Orientation Dialog
Orientation Dialog (Action Editor)

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

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

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


Geometry Dialog Sheet
Behavior Dialog Sheet

This dialog is available in IMS Web Engine

The Behavior Editor provides the following dialog pages:

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


Behavior Selection Dialog
Selection Dialog (Behavior Editor)

Name:

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

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

Copy:

Duplicates the current Behavior to create an identical new Behavior.

Delete:

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

Assigned Objects:

Will list all Objects that contain this Behavior component.


Behavior Trigger Event  Dialog
Trigger Event Dialog (Behavior Editor)

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

Mouse Select

An Event caused by selecting the Object with the mouse.

Mouse Over

An Event caused by moving the cursor over the Object.

Keyboard Select

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

At Specified Time

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

On Object Enter

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

On Object Leave

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

At Object Value

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

At Path End

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

And All Triggers

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


Behavior End Event Dialog
End Event Dialog (Behavior Editor)

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

Mouse Up

The Event ends when the mouse button is released.

Mouse Leave

The Event ends when the mouse leaves the Object box.

Keyboard Select

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

At Specified Time

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

On Object Enter

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

On Object Leave

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

At Object Value

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

At Path End

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

And All Resets

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


Behavior Links Dialog
Links Dialog (Behavior Editor)

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

URL Link

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

Page Link

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

No Link

Disables a link.


Behavior Actions Dialog
Actions Dialog (Behavior Editor)

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

Motion

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

Visible

When disabled, this option will make the Object Invisible.

Animate

This option is available for future updates.

Sound

This option is available for future updates.

Trigger Behavior

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

Reset Behavior

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

Reset Path

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

Reset Triggers

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


Behavior Formulas Dialog
Formulas Event Dialog (Behavior Editor)

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

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

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

Operations

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

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

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

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

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

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

Applied Value

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

Get Value

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

Send Value

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


Behavior Metamorph Dialog
Metamorph Dialog (Behavior Editor)

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

Change this Object

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

Component Selection

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

Additional Object Selection

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

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

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


Export HTML Dialog
Export HTML (Export HTML Dialog)

This dialog provides the options for exporting one or more pages as HTML files. See the section How to Publish your HTML for more details.

Export HTML Settings Dialog

The following options allow you to define how your HTML project should be exported.

Project File and Publish Directory

Displays the directory into which the project will be saved and the default name of the project Javascript file. The directory and Javascript filename can be changed by selecting the drop down button which will display the standard Save As dialog box

Options

Select the type of path that should be used to reference files in the publish directory.

Absolute: This option will use the full file path including the drive letter to reference Script files, Bitmap files and Audio files. This option is convenient when files are referenced on multiple drives on the current computer. This option should not be used if the project is to be transferred to another system since the file paths may not be valid.

Relative: This option will reference Javascript files, Image files and Audio files with a file path that is relative to the publish directory. This option is convenient when HTML files in multiple directories reference common resource files. Use this option when publishing a large project in multiple directories on a single drive to a server. The directory structure must be the same on the server and authoring system. Use the HTML Target Dialog to locate “vmmech.js” in a different directory.

Gather: This option will gather all referenced Javascript, Image and Audio files into the publish directory. This is the safest option with the least risk of missing resources. Use this option when publishing a small project. Create an empty directory and use the Gather option to publish into it. All file in the directory can then be copied or “ftp’d” to the server.

HTML Page Names

Displays the names of all pages in the current project. These names are used to create the HTML files with the “.htm” file type appended to the end. The default HTML file name for the current project would be “Page1.htm” unless the user changes it. To change the name of a page, select the page by pressing the drop down button and select the desired page name. Type the new name using 10 or fewer characters into the edit box. Page names can also be changed with the Page_Editor_Dialog.

Format

Select Basic HTML, HTML 3.2 or Dynamic HTML 4.0 compatible output. You must select Dynamic HTML 4.0 if you wish to include animation. These files will still be compatible with 3.2 Browsers but will not display Dynamic HTML capabilities. Select HTML 3.2 when the project does not include any DHTML operations. Output into 3.2 format is significantly more compact than 4.0 output. Basic HTML will create output that is compatible with the majority of Browsers but without the page layout capabilities offered in 3.2 and later browsers. IMS Web Engine is not intended for authoring Basic HTML.

Page Range

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

Combine Output (DHTML only)

Will combine the DHTML project Javascript file with each HTML file. When not selected, a single Javascript file will be created with the name of the first page in the project that will be shared by all pages in the project. When selected, the Javascript data for each page will be appended to the end of each HTML file.

Selecting Combined Output  has the advantage of simplifying the publishing process by eliminating the extra Javascript file. It will also improve the initial download performance of the project by reducing the amount of data that must  be downloaded before the completed first page is displayed.

When Combine Output is not selected, all Javascript data for the project will be included in a separate Javascript file that must also be copied to the server with the HTML file. This has the advantage of reducing the total amount of data used by the project when multiple pages Include the same components.


Export Bitmap Dialog
Export Bitmap (Export Bitmap Dialog)

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

Export Image Dialog

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

Object

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

Pages

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


Object Dialog Sheet
Object Editor Dialog

The Object Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Components	Select the current Object.
Position	Set Object position.
Rotate	Set Object rotation.
Scale	Set Object scale.
Options	Set Object URL Links
Options	Set Object options.


Object Components Dialog
Components Dialog (Object Editor)

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

Object Name:

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

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

Geometry:

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

Geometry Type:

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

Shading:

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

Sound:

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

Action:

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

Behavior:

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

Selecting “****” in a component drop down box will disable the specified component.


Object Position Dialog
Position Dialog (Object Editor)

Sets the position of the Object in the Work Window. See the section on Working in the IMS Window.for more details on transforming Objects.

Horizontal:

Sets the Object’s position horizontally. Enter a precise value into the edit box or use the adjacent value adjust arrows.

Vertical:

Sets the Object’s position vertically. Enter a precise value into the edit box or use the adjacent value adjust arrows.

Relative Position:

Will set the new Vertical and Horizontal coordinates relative to the Object’s current position.

Absolute Position:

Will set the new Vertical and Horizontal position using absolute window coordinates.


Object Rotate Dialog
Rotate Dialog (Object Editor)

Sets the rotation of the Object in the Work Window. This operation is only available for vector geometry. See the section on Working in the IMS Window.for more details on transforming Objects.

Degrees:

Sets the Object’s rotation. Enter a precise value into the edit box or use the adjacent value adjust arrows.

90:

Sets the Object rotation to 90 degrees.

180:

Sets the Object rotation to 180 degrees.

270:

Sets the Object rotation to 270 degrees.

0/360:

Sets the default rotation to zero degrees.


Object Scale Dialog
Scale Dialog (Object Editor)

Stretches an Object on the X and Y axes as a percentage of its original size. See the section on Working in the IMS Window.for more details on transforming Objects.

Horizontal:

Stretches the Object on the X axis. Enter an integer value into the edit box or use the scroll buttons to adjust the value. A value of 100% will set the Object’s normal width.

Vertical:

Stretches the Object on the Y axis. Enter an integer value into the edit box or use the scroll buttons to adjust the value. A value of 100% will set the Object’s normal height.

Mirror:

Will set a horizontal scaling value of -100%.

Flip:

Will set a vertical scaling value of -100%.

Maintain aspect ratio:

When checked, adjusting either the Vertical or Horizontal scaling value will adjust the value on the other axis by an equivalent amount.


Object Anchor Dialog
Anchor Dialog (Object Editor)

Set a URL Link that activates when the Object is selected with the left mouse button. This will include the Anchor tag <A HREF=”url”> with the Object’s HTML definition.  More complex link decisions can be made with the Link Tab. in a Behavior Definition.. See Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects.

Anchor URL:

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

Page List:

Will include the URL of a page in the current project. You must also check the ‘Link to Page’ check box for the anchor to be included in the HTML document.

Anchor Title:

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


Object Options Dialog
Options Dialog (Object Editor)

Set various flags and options associated with the Object. See the section on Understanding Objects.for more details on Objects.

Set Visible when loading:

By default, when defined in a HTML file, an Object will be assigned a Style of visible. Un-checking this flag will assign a Style of “Hidden”, causing the Object to be invisible when the HTML file is first loaded..

Set Visible when playing:

By default, after the HTML file is loaded, an Object will be made visible. Un-checking this flag will assign a Style of “Hidden”, causing the Object to be invisible when the HTML file has finished loading. If an Object has a Behavior component, the Object’s Active and Not Active Visibility setting will override this setting. See the Behavior Actions dialog for more details.

Set Initial Active:

By default, when an Object contains a Behavior component it will be loaded with its Behavior in the ‘Not Active’ state. Checking this flag will cause the Object’s Behavior to be set to the ‘Active’ state when first loaded. See the Behavior Actions dialog for more details.

Reset Transforms:

Use this button to return an Object’s transformation matrix to its default settings.This is equivalent to moving the Object to 0,0 on the X,Y axes with a rotation of zero and scaling factors of 100%, 100% vertically and horizontally.


Page Background Dialog
Background Dialog (Page Background Dialog)

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

Fill Color:

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

Color:

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

Tile:

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

Image:

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


Page Editor Dialog

The Page Editor provides the following dialog pages:

Select	Select the current Page.
Title	Sets the Page title and meta tags
Link	Sets a timed Page link.


Page Options Dialog
Options Dialog (Page Editor)

Name:

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

You can change the name of the current Page by typing a new name into the edit box. Page names must contain ten or fewer characters, must not start with an alphanumeric character and must not contain any blank or special characters. By default, names will be assigned as: Page1, Page2. Page3 etc.

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

Current Setting:

Will display a thumbnail of the current page.

Create:

Appends a new blank page to the project.

Delete:

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


Page Title Dialog
Title Dialog (Page Editor)

Sets HTML file Title and Meta Tags in the <HEAD>. The correct use of these elements can greatly improve a pages ability to be found and positioned by search engines.

Page Title:

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

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

Meta Description:

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

Meta Keywords:

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


Page Link Dialog
Link Dialog (Page Editor)

This function provides the ability to dynamically link to a new HTML document after a specified time interval.

Link to URL:

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

Link to Page:

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

Unvisted Color:

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

Visited Color:

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

Timer in Seconds:

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


Page Music Dialog
Page Music (Page Music Dialog)

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

Select New:

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

Enable Music:

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

Continuous Play:

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


Shading Dialog Sheet

The Shading Editor provides the following dialog pages:

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


Shading Options Dialog
Selection Dialog (Shading Editor)

Name:

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

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

Current Setting:

Will display the color or pattern of the current page.

Create:

Creates a new Shading component.

Delete:

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


Attribute Dialog
Attribute Dialog (Shading Editor)

Fill Color:

Provides 3 sliders to select the RGB component of the shading background. When a solid color fill is selected, this color will fill the entire geometry. When an image pattern is selected, this color will fill the portion of the geometry not covered by the image.

Color:

Will select Solid Fill shading. This button will also display a standard color menu. The fill color can be set with either the color menu or with the RGB sliders.

Image:

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

Texture:

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


Preview menu commands

Preview Bar:

The Preview menu provides the following commands:

3.2 Page	Preview the current page in 3.2 HTML format.
3.2 Project	Preview all pages in 3.2 HTML format.
4.0 Page	Preview the current page in DHTML 4.0 format.
4.0 Project	Preview all pages in DHTML 4.0 format.


Preview Page HTML 3.2 command
Preview Page HTML 3.2 command (Preview menu)

Previews the current page in a HTML 3.2 compatible format. HTML 3.2 does not play animation. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

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

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Project HTML 3.2 command
Preview Project HTML 3.2 command (Preview menu)

Previews the current project in a HTML 3.2 compatible format. HTML 3.2 does not play animation. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

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

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Page DHTML 4.0 command
Preview Page DHTML 4.0 command (Preview menu)

Previews the current page in a Dynamic HTML 4.0 compatible format. DHTML 4.0 plays animation. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

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

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Preview Project DHTML 4.0
Preview Project DHTML 4.0 command (Preview menu)

Previews the entire project in a Dynamic HTML 4.0 compatible format. DHTML plays animation. See Understanding the IMS Web Engine Page. for more details.

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

Shortcuts

Preview Bar:


Page Music Dialog
Text Geometry (Text Dialog)

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

When a Rich Text or HTML Text Object  is saved, the same dimensions that were set when the Text Object was loaded will be retained. If a new Text Object is created, a standard 100x100 rectangular box will be defined. Move and scale the box as desired.

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

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

The Text Editor buttons perform the following operations:

  New Button

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

  Open Button

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

  Save Button

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

  Save As Button

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

  Cut Button

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

  Copy Button

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

  Paste Button

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

  Undo/Redo Button

Will Undo/Redo the last edit operation.

Name Geometry Combo Box

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

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

Text Style Combo Box

This combo box contains the text format styles supported by IMS Web Engine. These include: Rich Text, Plain Text, HTML and Counters. A warning will be displayed if you change styles. Once a style has changed, special formatting for the previous style will be lost.

Only Rich Text supports inline formatting. All other styles will apply formatting to the entire Text Geometry. See the section on Understanding Text for more details on text styles.

Font Face Combo Box

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

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

Font Size Combo Box

This box display’s the font sizes available in the exported HTML. document. When Rich Text formatting is being used, this button will set the size of the selected text when it is displayed in the browser. All other formats provide the ability to set the font height by dragging the Text Object’s bounding box on the Y axis.

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

  Bold Button

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

  Underline Button

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

  Italic Button

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

  Justify Left Button

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

  Justify Center Button

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

  Justify Right Button

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

  Color Button

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


Tool Options Dialog
Tool Options Dialog (Options Menu)

Tool Bars

The left hand check boxes can be used to make various tool bars visible or hidden. The right hand check boxes are used to select large or small tool bars. Tool bars can be dragged to any screen location desired. See the View menu for more details on the use of Tool Bars.

Snap Grid

Sets the snap grid resolution. When the snap grid is enabled, the cursor position will be forced to operate at the set intervals on the X and Y axis. The snap grid is useful for transforming and aligning Object on the work window. See Working in the IMS Window for more details.

Shortcut Key:	CTRL+M

Freehand Drawing Resolution

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


HTML Target Dialog
HTML Target Dialog (Options Menu)

This dialog sets options for assisting in the production of the project. Actual HTML output will not be affected by these settings.

Set Target Resolution

Will set the Guide Border dimensions according to the target resolution of a visitor’s computer screen. The border can be used to help determine what portions of the screen will probably be viewable.

Locate vmmech.js

When Exporting a Dynamic HTML project with the Relative file option, “vmmech.js” is referenced in the “/bin” subdirectory. Use this Edit window to locate “vmmech.js” in a different directory.

When you ‘ftp’ your finished project to your server, you must also ftp “vmmech.js” for Dynamic HTML  projects. When the Gather file option is used, “vmmech.js” is copied to the same directory as the Exported HTML file. When the Relative file is option is selected, “vmmech.js” should be copied to the same directory that is specified here.

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

Set Target Browser

Select if the project is being designed for a 3.2 HTML browser or a 4.0 DHTML browser. This option is used to provide warning messages.


Sound Dialog Sheet

The Sound Editor provides the following dialog pages:

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


Sound Options Dialog
Selection Dialog (Sound Editor)

Name:

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

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

Assigned Objects:

Will list all Objects currently using this Sound component.

Create:

Creates a new Sound component.

Delete:

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


Selection Dialog
Settings Dialog (Sound Editor)

Select New:

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

Repeat Plays

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

Continuos Play:

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

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


Understanding IMS Web Engine ;Understanding
Introduction to IMS Web Engine ™

 ™

© Copyright 1998 by Virtual Mechanics Inc.

IMS (Interactive Multimedia System) is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) drag and drop authoring application for the creation of both HTML 3.2 and Dynamic HTML 4.0 and above, web pages. Applications range from the creation of standard Web Pages, Business Presentations, Educational Presentations to Online Interactive Games.

"IMS Web Engine" is designed to create Web Pages that include complex event driven animation with a simple drag and drop user interface. Features include Inverse Mechanics and Artificial Behavior which means  that motion paths can be attached to motion paths in a hierarchical  fashion. Event Triggers (Behaviors) can be defined by more than simple Mouse and Timing  Events and  can include amongst others: Object Intersection, Object Triggers,  Advanced Counter Triggers, Metamorph operations or Combinations based on Logical AND/OR flags.

Other features include a TEXT, HTML and Rich Text editor that also  supports conversion between these formats and the ability to import/export these formats from other popular text editors. HTML can be imported, manually edited and used without any modification by the program.

In addition to creating motion paths the Vector/Polygon editor can be used to create buttons and graphics with texture maps. "IMS Web Engine" supports the import/export of several popular bitmap and audio formats include GIF, JPEG, BMP, WAV and Midi. The program can also be instructed to gather all files together into the publish directory to substantially minimize the occurrence of missing objects in the web page.

IMS Web Engine is an Object Oriented application written in C++ with Java and Javascript components.


Understanding IMS Web Spinner ;Understanding

Introduction to IMS Web Spinner™

 ™

© Copyright 1999 by Virtual Mechanics Inc.

IMS (Interactive Multimedia System) Web Spinner is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) drag and drop authoring application for the creation of HTML 3.2 and above, web pages. Applications range from the creation of standard Web Pages, Interactive web pages, Personal Web pages and Store Fronts.

Features include Mouse Over events to dynamically switch text and/or images as the mouse is positioned over an element; a TEXT, HTML and Rich Text editor that also  supports conversion between these formats and the ability to import/export these formats from other popular text editors. HTML can be imported, manually edited and used without any modification by the program.

The  Vector/Polygon editor can be used to create buttons and graphics with texture maps. "IMS Web Spinner" supports the import of several popular bitmap and audio formats include GIF, JPEG, BMP, WAV and Midi. The program can also be instructed to gather all files together into the publish directory to substantially minimize the occurrence of missing objects in the web page.

IMS Web Spinner is an Object Oriented application written in C++ with Java and Javascript components.


Copyright Notice

 ™

© Copyright 1998 by Virtual Mechanics Inc.

Notice of Proprietary Property

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

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

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

Rights Granted to Users

These products are licensed to you for use on one computer. Use of the products on more than one computer is forbidden and requires the licensing of a number of products equal to the number of computers the products are to be used on.

You may make one copy of the products contained on this disk for the purpose of backup only. Carefully read these Warranty and Registration terms before installing IMS Web Engine or IMS Web Spinner. Installation of any or all these products indicates your acceptance of the terms and conditions described.


Contact and Support
Contacts and Support

Technical Support:

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

Documentation:

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

General:

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


Register IMS
Register your Software

You may register your trial IMS application by selecting the Purchase Button under the Help menu or by visiting the Virtual Mechanics registration page at http://www.VirtualMechanics/purchase.htm


About IMS Files
IMS Project Files

The IMS files contain the instructions that describe the users HTML project. An IMS project is saved in a binary format and is consequently not readable or editable outside of the IMS application program. IMS files are extremely compact and can be converted to several different standard formats including: HTML, Dynamic HTML, VRML and numerous other formats.

When the Export HTML command is selected, the internal IMS Format is converted to either HTML or Dynamic HTML..

Loading and IMS Project

An IMS project can loaded with the Open command in the File Menu or File Toolbar. The File Menu also contains a list of the four most recent projects.

Saving and IMS Project

An IMS project can be saved with the SAVE or SAVE AS commands in the File Menu or File Toolbar.

Project Backup

A Backup IMS file of the current project is made automatically whenever a project is loaded or Saved. This backup file called “IMSBackup.ims” is saved into the main IMS install directory and is deleted whenever the project is terminated normally.

Error Recovery

An IMS project can be restored to the last Save with the ‘Restore Last’ command in the File Menu. A project can be Recovered from the “IMSBackup.ims” file with the ‘Recover Previous’ command in the File Menu.

Crash Recovery

When an IMS session is terminated abnormally through a system or other failure, the “IMSBackup.ims” file will not be deleted. When an IMS Application is first started, it will search for the backup file and will display a dialog giving the user the opportunity to load the last successful save from the failed session.


Understanding Objects

Object Bar

Objects are the principal elements displayed on a Page and can be positioned, edited and animated. An Object is a combination of components with a transformation matrix and a value associated with it. The current Object and its components are displayed in the Object Tool Bar. The first edit box of the Object Bar displays the name of the Object. The following edit boxes display the names of the components that are contained within the Object. These components include:

Geometry

Geometry is a collection of 2D vertices that describe a shape or motion a path. The different types of Geometry include: Rectangle, Ellipse, Polygon, Sprite and Text. An Object will have no visible geometry unless it also has a shading component.  Sprites and Text are rectangle geometry with a shading component included in the Object.

Shading

Shading describes the visible component of an Object’s geometry. The types of shading available include: Solid Color, Texture Map and Pattern Map. A sprite is rectangular  geometry with a texture map. Text is rectangular geometry with solid color shading.

Sound

This version of IMS Web Engine does not include a Sound Component in an Object.

Action

Action describes the motion an Object will have. The available actions include: Linear Paths, Interactive Mouse Control and Hierarchical Motion Paths.

Behavior

The Behavior component describes a collection of Interactive and Dynamic Triggers and Events. You can assign behaviors to construct complex scenarios.

An Object also includes two unique elements. These are its Transformation Matrix and Value.

Transform Matrix

In IMS Web Engine, geometry is created in its own coordinate system. An Object’s transformation matrix controls the geometry’s position, size and rotation. This technique has the advantage in that any Geometry only needs to be created once and can be transformed and displayed by many Objects. The Action component of an Object is used to create motion by dynamically changing the Objects transform matrix in the finished presentation.

Value

Every Object has a unique integer value associated with it. The initial value is set to zero by default. This can be modified with the Object Options dialog. An Objects Value can be dynamically modified by any Behavior. See the Behavior Formulas. An Objects Value can be used as a text counter with the Text_Editor or to trigger behaviors with the Behavior_Editor.

This Object method provides several unique advantages to an interactive authoring application. Some of these include:

•	Common components such as motion paths and URL links need only be created once. Updates will be applied to all objects that share the component. Changing an incorrect URL for example, will change all references to it throughout the entire project.

•	Sharing elements will reduce HTML file sizes, a significant issue when potentially large DHTML files are involved.

•	Dynamic updating means that any component can be changed by any event. A click of the mouse might change an objects motion path while intersecting Objects my change the bitmap of one Object to a completely different picture.


Understanding Actions

In IMS Web Engine, every Object has a transformation matrix that describes the Object’s position, scale and rotation(only vector Geometry can be rotated). An Object can be animated by modifying its transformation matrix over time. The principal means of doing this is to include an Action component with the Object.

The Action component uses several techniques to describe motion. The first of these is through the use of Linear Paths. The second technique uses Interactive input by tracing the movement of the mouse. The final method is through the use of hierarchical motion paths.

Linear Paths

A linear path provides a simple means to describe motion in one of eight directions. Each direction is based upon a compass point and a location dependent upon the Object’s position at the start of the presentation.

Interactive Mouse Input:

Interactive Motion is tied to the movement of the mouse on the X and/or Y axes. When only one axis is used, the Object will stay positioned at its original position on the other axis.

Hierarchical Motion Paths:

The Geometry of any Object can be used to define a path for another Object. The principal means of describing a path is through the creation of a Rectangle, Ellipse or Shape that is a component in another Object. Text and Sprites can also be used as Rectangular paths.

Hierarchical motion results when an Object traces the path of another Object with an Action component. In this way, Object_A can trace Object_B which is tracing Object_C and so on. There is no theoretical limit to the depth of this hierarchy. Care should be taken to prevent recursive hierarchies which will result in unpredictable motion.

In addition to providing motion, the Action component provides a Rate to determine speed, a Repeat counter to determine how many times a path should be traced and an Orientation option that will dynamically change an Objects geometry as its direction changes.

An Action component can be created with the Action Editor dialog.


Understanding Behavior
Understanding Behaviors

IMS Web Engine provides a Behavior component that may be attached to an Object. In IMS Web Engine, a Behavior is a complex interrelationship between dynamic events and actions.

At its simplest, a Behavior may define a mouse click that makes an Object toggle between visible and invisible. At its most complex, a Behavior may be triggered only when a predefined set of events(related or not) are true. Such an event trigger may results in the Object changing its Behavior so that a different set of events are needed to trigger a new action.

A Behavior can be in one of two states. These are ‘Active’ and ‘Not Active’. The distinction between the two states is defined by the user and should not be construed by the name. For example, a Behavior may impart Visibility and Motion when ‘Not Active’ and Invisibility with no Motion when ‘Active’. The switch between the ‘Active’ and ‘Not Active’ states is determined by a set of Event Triggers.  Three types of Event Triggers are possible. These are User Events, Dynamic Events and External Events.

User Events

Caused by a user interaction such as a mouse selection or keyboard entry.

Dynamic Events

Caused by a dynamic event such as a Timer, Object Intersect, Counter etc.

External Event

Caused by an external event such as another Object triggering this Behavior into its ‘Active’ or Not Active’ state.

Event triggers may be combined with the logical AND / OR operators to create more complex combinations of triggers. Extremely complex triggers may be created by the careful use of Object formulas. In a game, for example, a Behavior may be created to display a message only if a sequence of events occur in a predefined order. By applying formulas from the Event Behaviors to the Message Behavior, a unique number could be created to trigger the Message Behavior.

When an Behavior switches between the two states, it has an opportunity to perform unique operations. These include Links, Actions, Formulas and Metamorph.

Links

When entering the Active state, a Behavior may link to another URL..

Actions

Are available when either Active or Not Active. These include: Visibility, Motion, External Triggers and Resets.

Formulas

When entering the Active state, a Behavior may perform a math operation on the Value of any Object.

Metamorph

When entering the Active state, a Metamorph is the ability for a Behavior to change the components of any Object. These include changing an Objects Geometry, Action and/or Behavior.

For details on creating and setting Behaviors see the Behavior_Editor dialog.


Understanding Text

In IMS Web Engine, text is treated just like any other Geometry component of an Object. An Object that contains text geometry can consequently be transformed, have Behavior and Action. For more details on Objects see the section Understanding Objects.

Text is created or imported with the Text_Editor. IMS Web Engine supports several different styles of text. These are:

Plain Text (.txt files)

Plain text does not include inline formatting. Plain text can be assigned a single color, font style and font size. In the IMS Window, the string can be scaled to any size by dragging the ‘size handles’ on the Y axis.  Plain text is useful for creating Titles, Banners or blocks of text that use a single size, color and font.

Rich Text (.rtf files)

Rich Text is supported by the majority of Word Processors. This format provides basic inline formatting including: font faces, font sizes, justification, bolding etc. and is consequently useful for importing large documents from external word processors. In the IMS Window, the characters will maintain their font size regardless of how the Object is scaled. Word wrapping is controlled by the width of the Object bounding box. Increase the width to make longer lines, decrease to make narrower columns.

HTML (.htm files)

HTML in IMS Web Engine is treated as a raw format. This is useful when you wish to import or write HTML without being concern that it may be modified by the program. IMS Web Engine will export this HTML between <DIV> </DIV> tags in the Body of the HTML file. Care should consequently be taken not to include tags or controls that will interfere with the HTML output of IMS Web Engine. Examples would be including <BODY> or <HEAD> tags in the text HTML.

Counters

A counter is a special format for displaying the Value of the current Object. Every Object has a unique value associated with it. See Understanding Objects for more details. When this format is selected, IMS Web Engine will attempt to substitute the text string with the current Value of the Object using the selected Plain Text formatting values.

Currently not all browsers support this capability. If the browser can not replace the text string, the current value will be displayed on the browsers’ Status Bar.


Understanding Groups

A Group is a collection of Objects that can be manipulated and edited as a single Object. A Group Object contains a Geometry component of type Group.

Two types of Group Objects are available. These are a temporary group and permanent groups.

Temporary Group

A temporary group is created by dragging a bounding box completely around two or more objects. When the user releases the mouse button a bounding box will snap around all objects in the group. The bounding box will display edit handles to provide the ability to move, scale and stretch the temporary group as a single Object.

When a temporary group is created, the Arrange menu commands and Arrange Arrange Bar buttons will be highlighted and available. Use these operations to align and position the members of the Group Object relative to each other.

Unless a temporary group is converted into a permanent group, the temporary group will be destroyed as soon as any operation outside of the group is performed.

Permanent Group

A temporary group can be converted to a permanent group by selecting the Group command or button. A permanent group is an Object with geometry of type Group. When displaying a Group Object IMS Web Engine recursively traverses all members of the group until they are resolved into non-group geometry. In this way it is possible to combine any combination of group and non-group Objects.

A Group Object can be manipulated and edited as a single Object. For example, a Group Object can trace a path and have Behaviors associated with it. When there is a conflict between the components of the Group Object and components of the Objects contained within the group, the Group Object components will take precedence.

A Group Object can be converted back to its constituent Objects with the Ungroup command or button.

For more information about Objects, see the section Understanding Objects..


Understanding Pages

Page Bar

In IMS Web Engine, a Page primarily provides a container to display and position Objects on a background. A Page can also contain audio. When a project is Exported HID_HOWTO_EXPHTML each Page in the project is converted to a HTML document. A project may contain as many Pages as desired.

The Page Toolbar provides commands for creating and editing pages in the current project. Two Edit boxes display elements of the current page. The first edit box displays the page name. You can move to any page in the project by selecting the Page from the drop down box. The second edit box displays all Objects that are included in the current page. You can use the drop down box to select and highlight an Object. Page names and other page options can be changed with the Page_Editor dialog.The Page_Background  dialog can be used to select a new background color, image or tile pattern. The Page_Music dialog can be used to assign music to the current page.

Several commands are also available to cut, copy, paste and append a page. When a Page is pasted, all Objects in the parent page will be Included in the new page. See below for information on Included Objects. Insert and Append will add a new blank page to the project relative to the current page. Page order however is not important since links between pages can be defined in any sequence.

When an Object is Cut or Copied, it may be transferred between pages in one of several methods. The method used can be significant depending upon the users objective. See the section Understanding Objects for more details on this topic. These methods are:

Paste Copy:

When an Object is Paste Copied to a Page, the Object and all its components will be duplicated to create a new Object and components. This new Object and its components will then be completely independent of the parent Object. Changes to this Object or its components will have no effect on the parent Object.

Paste Cloned:

When an Object is Paste Cloned to a Page, a new Object will be created but it will reference the same components as the parent Object. The new Object can be transformed (position, rotate, scale) independently of the parent. Components such as Behavior and Action will affect both Objects in the same way. Changing a component that is common to both Objects will affect both Object.

Include:

An Object may be Included on more than one Page. An Included Object is the SAME Object as the parent including its transformation. Moving an Object on a Page will move it on every page that it has been included in. Included Objects are useful for titles, tables of contents, logos, links or any other elements that appear across multiple pages on a web site.

You can preview the presentation in your default browser at any time with one of the four Preview menu buttons. When you preview your project, IMS Web Engine will copy all referenced files and create a HTML document of the selected pages in your project and place them into the \preview sub-directory of your main installation. The files in this directory are only used on a temporary basis and can be deleted at any time. The directory however, is necessary and must not be deleted or changed.


Understanding the IMS Window
Using the IMS Window (How To)

The IMS Work Window provides a surface upon which the user can Drag and Drop Objects to create a web page. IMS Web Engine provides numerous aids and guides for composing the Page.

Selecting Objects:

Each Object has a bounding box around its geometry. When an Object is selected by clicking within the bounding box, the box will become visible. IMS Web Engine uses a “Last Selection Preference” technique. This means that the last Object selected will be given preference when selecting within its bounding box even if the Object is hidden behind another Object. This simplifies positioning and transforming Objects that may be covered by closer Objects.

To select an Object behind the current Object, hold the Shift Key while selecting. To select the Object that is in front of all other objects, hold the Ctrl Key while selecting.

Transforming (Moving, Scaling, Rotating) Objects:

Object transformations include: moving, scaling and rotation.

•	An Object can be moved by selecting and dragging it to a new position with the mouse. An Object can also be nudged into place with the arrow keys.

•	Scaling is performed by selecting a bounding box handle and dragging it to a new size. Hold the Shift button down when scaling to maintain the aspect ratio of the Object. Controlled stretching can also be performed with the arrow keys while holding the shift button down.

•	Rotation is performed with the arrow keys while holding the Ctrl key down. Only vector based Geometry including rectangles, ellipses and shapes can be rotated.

Precise Object transformations can also be performed with the Object Editor

Moving Objects on the Z axis

Objects are displayed In-Front off, or Behind off, other Objects according to their position on the Z axis. Z axis positioning is initially determined by the order in which an Object is created. The first Object will be at the back while the last Object will be at the front. The Object order on the Z axis can be changed with the Forward/Reverse commands of the Arrange menu.

Right Mouse Button:

The right mouse button can be used to select an Object and display the Object Editor. If the right mouse button is used without selecting an Object, The Page editor will be displayed.

IMS Web Engine also provides numerous guides to help compose your page. These include:

Display Grid:

The display grid provides a guide to help position Objects vertically and horizontally. This grid can be toggled on and off with the Options Grid command or “Ctrl G” shortcut.

Snap Grid:

A snap grid is available to force the mouse position to be restricted to periodic intervals. This interval can be adjusted with the Snap Grid slider in the Tool Options dialog. The Snap Grid can be toggled on and off with the Options Enable_Snap Grid command or “Ctrl M” shortcut.

Guide Border:

The page guide display’s the target outline as set by the Set HTML Options  dialog. This outline can be used as a guide to positioning Objects for several common screen resolutions. This guide can be toggled on/off with the Options Guide command or “Ctrl B” shortcut.

Arrange Bar:

The Arrange Bar provides numerous tools for positioning, aligning and ordering an Object in the Work Window. For more details see the Arrange menu


How To Export HTML
Publish your HTML project (How To)

Exporting your project will produce a number of files that need to be copied to your server to display your finished HTML web pages. This process is called publishing. The actual transfer of files to the server is beyond the scope of this program. The most common technique is to use an “ftp” program to actually do the transfer. If you are unfamiliar with this process you should contact the technical support department of your ISP hosting service to determine what procedure and software they recommend.

You can export your project ready for publishing with the Export_HTML Dialog available in the File menu. This dialog provide options for selecting: file paths, file names, page ranges, gather Options and the HTML style. The following sections will help you through the publishing process and to decide which are the correct options for your project.

Test your Project:

Prior to exporting, you should test your project with the appropriate Preview menu buttons.

Which Browser Version?

IMS Web Engine output supports both version 3.2 and version 4 and above HTML browsers. Version 3.2 Browsers do not support Dynamic HTML. If your project does not include Actions or Behaviors, then publishing for this Browser  version will produce fewer and smaller files.

Output for version 4 DHTML Browsers should be selected when Actions and Motions are used. Output for DHTML Browsers will still work correctly in a 3.2 browser but without the advanced features. A 3.2 browser will display 4.0 output similar to the IMS Work Window.

What Files are created and used?

IMS Web Engine will produce a HTML file “PageName.htm” for each page in your project. If you are exporting for Dynamic HTML the program will also produce a Javascript file called “PageName.js”. The actual “PageName” will default to the first page name of your project but can be changed in the Export dialog.

A common Javascript file called “vmmech.js” is also used by DHTML projects. “vmmech.js” is included in the projects’ ..\bin directory. When you Export a DHTML project with the Relative file path option, the HTML file will expect to find “vmmech.js” in the “/bin” subdirectory on the server. You can locate “vmmech.js” in a different directory on your server with the HTML Target dialog. Whichever directory is targeted on the locale machine must exist with a copy of “vmmech.js” on the server

Where are my Files?

When you export your project, IMS Web Engine will copy the page HTML files and the project Javascript file to the directory you select in the export dialog. Your project HTML files may also reference numerous bitmap and audio files (.gif, .jpg etc.) and will also reference “vmmech.js” if you selected Dynamic HTML. The location of these files depends upon the “Path Options” you selected. IMS Web Engine supports both Relative and Absolute paths to files and provides a “Gather” function to collect all referenced files.

The “Gather” option is the safest and simplest method. All referenced files will be copied to the Export directory. If you export your project to an empty directory, then you can copy every file in the directory to your server to safely publish your project.

Using the “Relative” option is appropriate when large web sites are being created with multiple sub-directories. If your authoring computer mirrors the directory structure on your server, you can then reference resource files across directories. This option has not been designed to work across multiple hard drives.

The “Absolute” option will reference resource files with the full directory and hard drive paths. This option will consequently only work if the Authoring computer and Server have identical hard drive names and directory structures.

Can I Modify the HTML files?

IMS Web Engine produces a HTML file for each page in your project. The name of the file is typically the same as the name of each project page with the “.htm” extension. These are typical HTML files and can be modified as needed provided the integrity of the Dynamic HTML structure is not compromised. Some third party HTML editors may modify the HTML code and produce incorrect results. Check with your software vendor to confirm that their product does not alter imported HTML.

Can I Add my own Javascript?

Dynamic HTML files produced by IMS Web Engine include a Script near the end of the file. This script is executed after the HTML file has loaded and calls a function that executes once per frame. This is the main loop for executing animation and events. Knowledgeable Javascript programmers can include a call to their own functions if they wish. To include a call that executes once after the HTML file has loaded, place the call in the “OnLoad” script prior to the “frameloop” call. To execute a function once per frame, include the call in “function frameloop”.

The Javascript files produced by IMS Web Engine and “vmmech,js” should not be modified.


How To Use Templates
How To Use Templates (How To)

IMS Web Engine includes several template “.ims” files in the \Templates sub-directory from where the program was installed. These files can be used as guides to help you understand how an IMS project is constructed. They can also be used as templates in the creation of your own project.

To modify the text in a template file, double click text that you wish to alter. This will display the Text_Editor dialog. Simply replace the text in the dialog with your new text.

To modify an image in a template file, single click the image with your mouse and select the Geometry_Editor dialog. The first page of this dialog will display an edit box with the file path to the image. Press the edit box drop down button and use the file open dialog to select a new image.

You can move and scale your new text or image Objects as needed with your mouse.

Additional template files will be posted from time to time at the Virtual Mechanics web site: http://www.VirtualMechanics.com.


Tutorials
Tutorials (Help)

This command will display a HTML page with several On Line tutorials. These tutorials are designed to provide additional insight into the use of IMS Web Engine. A link to the Virtual Mechanics web site is also available were updated tutorials and FAQ’s will be posted from time to time.


Object menu commands
Object menu and Toolbars commands

The Object menu provides the following commands:

Object Bar:

Editor	Displays the Object Editor dialog.
Object Name	Displays the name of the current Object.
Geometry Name	Displays the name of the current Geometry.
Shading Name	Displays the name of the current Shading.
Sound Name	Displays the name of the current Sound.
Action Name	Displays the name of the current Action.
Behavior Name	Displays the name of the current Behavior.
Lock	Locks or Release the Object Transformation Matrix.

Components Bar:

Rectangle	Creates a new Object with a Rectangle Geometry.
Ellipse	Creates a new Object with an Ellipse Geometry.
Shape	Creates a new Object with a Polygon Geometry and places IMS Studio into Vertex enter mode.
Sprite	Creates a new Object and displays the Sprite Dialog to select a bitmap geometry.
Text	Creates a new Object and displays the Text Dialog to define text  geometry.
Geometry	Displays the Geometry dialog.
Shading	Displays the Shading dialog.
Sound	Displays the Sound dialog.
Action	Displays the Action dialog.
Behavior	Displays the Behavior dialog.

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


Object Editor command
Object Editor command (Object menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Object Bar:


Object Lock command
Object Name List Box (Object menu)

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

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

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

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


Object Lock command
Geometry Name Edit Box (Object menu)

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

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


Object Lock command
Shading Name Edit Box (Object menu)

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

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


Object Lock command
Sound Name Edit Box (Object menu)

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

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


Object Lock command
Action Name Edit Box (Object menu)

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

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


Object Lock command
Behavior Name Edit Box (Object menu)

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

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


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

This command will lock or unlock an Objects transformation Matrix. When locked, transformation operations can not be performed on an Object. If an Object is already locked, this command will unlock it.. A colored lock will appear on the Object toolbar when a locked Object is selected. A key will appear when an unlocked Object is selected.

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

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

Shortcuts

Object Bar:


Object Rectangle command
Rectangle command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object with a Rectangle Geometry at the center of the IMS Studio work window. Use your mouse or the Object Editor to scale, stretch and position the rectangle to its desired location.

Rectangle geometry can be used as a motion path. Rectangle geometry will not be visible when displayed in the browser unless Shading or a Geometry line width is also attached to the Object.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Ellipse command
Ellipse command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object with an Ellipse Geometry at the center of the IMS Studio work window. Use your mouse or the Object Editor to scale, stretch and position the ellipse to its desired location and shape.

Ellipse geometry can be used as a motion path. Ellipse geometry will not be visible when displayed in the browser unless Shading or a Geometry line width is also attached to the Object.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Shape command
Shape command (Object menu)

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

To create a Closed polygon select the first point on the polygon. To create an Open polygon double click the last point.

Shape geometry can be used as a motion path. Shape geometry will not be visible when displayed in the browser unless Shading or a Geometry line width is also attached to the Object.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Sprite command
Sprite command (Object menu)

This command will create a new Object and display the Sprite Dialog to select Bitmap Geometry.

Sprite geometry can be used as a rectangular motion path.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Text command
Text command (Object menu)

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

Text geometry can be used as a rectangular motion path. Text can be assigned a background color by including a shading component with the Object.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Geometry command
Geometry command (Object menu)

This command will display the Geometry_Editor. The Geometry Editor provides dialogs to select or change Geometry, to set a Geometry’s outline and to change a Geometry origin.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Shading command
Shading command (Object menu)

This command will display the Shading_EditorThe Shading Editor provides dialogs to select or change shading associated with an Object’s geometry component. Shading is used to define a background fill color for text, sprite, and vector based Objects. Vector Objects can also be assigned a texture map.

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Shading command
Sound command (Object menu)

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

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

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Action command
Action command (Object menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Object Behavior command
Behavior command (Object menu)

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

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

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Select command
Select (Components toolbar)

This Tools button is used to return the program to select object mode after being placed into Zoom or Edit Vertex mode.

Shortcuts

Components Bar:


Edit Vertex command
Edit Vertex (Components toolbar)

This Tools button is used to place the program into Edit Vertex mode. The current selected Object will be displayed with a select box at each vertex in the Geometry. The mouse can be used to drag the vertex box to a new valid position.

Currently only Shape geometry can be edited with this operation to change the polygons vertex location. Future IMS Web Engine versions will provide Rectangle and Ellipse vertex editing support.

After completing the vertex editing operation, you should return to Select mode for normal operation.

Shortcuts

Components Bar: