
Zeus Productions
(Last substantive change to this page made April 7, 1997)
Copyright © 1996-1997. Zeus
Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Please consult the following list for answers to the most common pre-sales
questions regarding zOpen, as well as additional technical information not
covered on the zOpen Summary Page. Refer to our
Needs Analysis FAQ to determine if zOpen or some
other tool is right for you.
General Questions About zOpen
Q. What is zOpen and why would I use it?
zLaunch is an Xtra for Windows that allows
you to launch others executable seamlessly from Director. It also allows
you to open and print documents with external applications. Furthermore,
it covers the Windows desktop while your executable is running.
Consult the zOpen Summary Page for a synopsis of
zOpen's functionality, and refer to our Needs Analysis
FAQ to determine if zOpen or some other tool is right for you.
Q. Is zOpen available for both Mac and Windows?
zOpen is for Windows only, but similar functionality
is provided by zLaunch for Macintosh or zScript
for Macintosh. If you are running low on RAM, zLaunch
for Windows may also be of interest. zLaunch for Windows includes both
a 16-bit version (for Windows
3.1) and a 32-bit version (for
Windows 95) together for one price.
Q. How much does zOpen cost?
zOpen for Windows costs $299 US and includes
both 16-bit and 32-bit
versions for one price. Consult the zOpen Summary Page
for details.
Q: Is there a demo version available?
Consult our Download
Center for the latest demo version.
Due to frequent updates, it is impractical to create demo versions as quickly
as we would like. Sometimes the demo version is one or two revisions behind
the release version. Remember, there is a Money-Back
Satisfaction Guarantee, so you can try any of our products, including
zOpen, risk-free.
Q: How do I order zOpen?
Consult our Ordering
Page.
Q. What are the licensing requirements?
Is zOpen Royalty-Free?
. The licensing requirements are very similar
to the "Made with Macromedia" requirements that govern the distribution
of Director projectors, except that you are limited in the number of royalty-free
run-time distributions allowed. In general, you must include the Zeus logo
and copyright information on your credit screen, and on your packaging.
zOpen is royalty-free, and you are entitled to use it for five (count 'em
5) projects per 5-pack purchased. That's less than $60 per title ($50 per
title if you buy a ten-pack). If you intend to release more than five (5)
projects, contact Zeus Productions regarding discounts on larger licenses
Consult the Licensing Information
page and Licensing FAQ or
download the licensing agreement.
Q. What benefits does zOpen offer over Lingo's built-in open
command?
zOpen offers numerous improvements over Lingo's
open
command, but its primary
advantages are the ability to locate an application associated with a
file extension, and seamless integration with external applications.
Consult the zOpen Summary Page for a synopsis
of zOpen's benefits over Lingo's open
command. If you are
running low on RAM, zLaunch for Windows may be
more appropriate.
It is our policy is to never oversell
a customer. We recommend that you try Lingo's open
command first. If you have not had any problems with the open
command, then it may be adequate for your needs. You can also pass a document
name to open using the "open...with
"
syntax. Refer to our Needs Analysis FAQ to determine
if zOpen or some other tool is right for you.
Q. What is the sequence when launching an application with zOpen?
zOpen performs these operations in sequence
(each step is also optional):
- zOpen covers the monitor with a black window
- zOpen locates the application associated with the specified file extension
or file type
- zOpen opens or prints the specified document
- zOpen waits for the launched application to terminate
When you start zOpen, you pass it a series of parameters to control its
operation.
The launched application may be self-terminating, as in the case of a ScreenCam
demo, or the user may quit the program at their discretion. Be sure to provide
a quit or exit button, or warn the user before starting the application
that they must quit it to return to the main projector.
Q: Is zOpen an Xtra?
zOpen is an Xtra, and is called
via Lingo from within Director or a Projector, as any Xtra would be. The
zOpen package includes both a 16-bit Xtra version and a 32-bit Xtra version.
Q: What versions of Director are supported by zOpen?
zOpen works with Director 5.0 for Windows,
which is the first version to support Xtras) or higher (revision 5.0.1 recommended).
Q: Is zLaunch easy to use?
We strive to make our products as easy to
use, and provide excellent examples and documentation as well as World-Class
Technical Support. zOpen is as easy to use as Lingo's open
command, but much more powerful. In most cases, it should not take more
than a few hours to implement.
zOpen is used in many scenarios and Zeus Productions can not guarantee its
suitability for your particular use. Allow time to debug any conflicts between
Director and the launched application.
zOpen itself is not difficult to use for someone who is familiar with Lingo
scripting. If you are a novice Director programmer, you should allow more
time.
Invariably, multimedia projects are behind schedule. If you are in last-minute
panic mode (and who isn't?), please be sure to discuss your particular requirements
with a sales representative before ordering.
Q. How is zOpen initiated from Director, and how do I pass it parameters?
zOpen is called from Lingo as any other Xtra
or Lingo command would be. It is as if new Lingo commands are available
once you install zOpen. Refer to the user documentation for complete details.
Q. What is your upgrade policy?
. Consult our Policies
page for details on our upgrade
policy.
Q.
Will Zeus Productions write the code to make my applications work with zLaunch?
What about Examples, Documentation and Technical Support?
Our products comes with thorough documentation
and Lingo examples which include everything you need to know. Further assistance
is provided via TechNotes and FAQs
on our web site. An intermediate Lingo developer should be able to handle
the job.
Zeus Productions offers World-Class Technical
Support. to registered users. If you prefer for Zeus Productions to
write your Lingo for you, Custom Development
Services are available at an extra charge.
Q. What if zOpen does not meet my needs? Is there a return policy?
If your application fulfills the criteria
discussed within this FAQ, there is a high probability that it will work
with zOpen.
If you have been unable to get it to work, contact our World-Class
Tech Support, as the problem is most likely caused by an error in the
parameters being passed to zOpen. It is also possible that the latest version
of zOpen may include additional features or options to address your problem.
Consult our Policies page for details
on our Return Policy.
Q. Are there any known bugs?
There are no known outstanding bugs with
currently supported features, which is not so say that zOpen contains every
possible feature or works in every possible circumstance. We continue to
upgrade and improve the product on an ongoing basis. Be sure that you have
the latest version of zOpen, as it may well address your requirements. Consult
our Policies page for details on
our philosophy and
policy on bugs.
Q: When the launched application terminates, is the user returned to
the same location/frame in the DIR or DXR file from which they left?
Yes. The Director Projector will wait patiently
while the launched application runs. When the secondary application terminates,
you pick up in Director right where you left off.
Q. How much RAM does zOpen require?
zOpen itself has a very small RAM
footprint, less than 256K, but you will need sufficient RAM to keep
both Director and the external application open. If you do not have sufficient
RAM to keep both open, you should probably use zLaunch
for Windows instead..
Q. Does zOpen introduce a delay when launching other applications?
zOpen itself does not introduce any measurable
delay. If RAM constraints force Windows to use virtual
memory then you will notice a performance decrease, but it is not due
to zOpen, per se.
Q. What needs to be installed to run zOpen? Can it run from a CD?
The zOpen Xtra(s) must reside in your Xtras
folder accompanying your projector. It can be can run it from either a hard
drive or a CD. Refer to the TechNote,
"Installing and Using Xtras"
Q: What types of Projectors will zOpen work with? Can it launch both native
and non-native applications?
. zOpen supports both 16-bit (Windows 3.1)
and 32-bit (Windows 95) Director 5.0 Projectors. It can launch both 16-bit
and 32-bit applications.
Q. Can zOpen launch any Windows application?
zOpen should open any application that can
be started with the Lingo open
command. zOpen
improves over Lingo's open
command in several ways, but
you may need zLaunch for Windows if you are having
trouble launching an application with the Lingo open
command.
Q. What types of applications will not work with zOpen?
Unlike the Lingo open
command,
zOpen waits for the launched application to terminate. Some applications
are just front ends to a secondary
executable.
In this case, a small application immediately spawns a new process,
and then quits. The primary application is terminated, but the secondary
process continues to run. In this case, zOpen will detect the termination
of the first application and return the projector.
Often, a front-end application simply determines some system parameters,
such as the OS version, before calling one or more secondary applications.
If you simulate this functionality from within Director, you can often run
the secondary application directly and avoid the problem.
Q: Do I need to modify my external application(s) to work with zOpen?
zOpen should open any application that can
be started with the Lingo open
command. zOpen
improves over Lingo's open
command in several ways, but
you may need zLaunch for Windows if you are having
trouble launching an application with the Lingo open
command.
Q: Will zOpen force applications to the foreground or background or to kill
other applications?
zOpen does not directly control other applications,
but it will bring an application to the foreground if is it already running.
zOpen also gives you control over the sequence of user interaction, which
may address your needs.
You should advise the user to quit all other running applications before
starting your projector. zScript for Macintosh
may offer similar functionality on the Macintosh.
Zeus Productions does not currently offer a utility to rearrange or kill
other applications, but may offer such a utility in the future. If you are
interested in such a utility, please e-mail
Zeus
Q. Can zOpen open a document with an application?
Yes, zOpen can pass a document to be opened
or printed by the external application when it is first launched. In fact,
you can specify the document alone, and the associated application will
be determined automatically.
Q. Will zOpen locate the executable with which to open or print a document?
Yes. zOpen for Windows
will locate the executable associated with a given extension,
such as .HTML. zOpen will not perform
a general disk search however, so it can only find applications that are
associated with an extension in the WIN.INI
or Registry File.
Q. Can zOpen pass a document to an already open application?
Yes, zOpen for Windows
can pass a document to an existing application, but what happens from there
is highly application-dependent.
The application may open multiple documents, switch documents, ignore the
document or cause another copy of the application to be created. zScript
for Macintosh and zLaunch for Macintosh provide
similar functionality on the Mac.
Q: Do I need to leave my Projector running or can I quit it?
zOpen is an Xtra, and therefore requires
that the Projector remain active. If you would prefer to quit the projector
to free up RAM , or release control over the palette and video drivers,
you should use zLaunch for Windows instead. If
you don't need to return to the projector, you can use the Lingo open
command.
Q. How do I know if I have sufficient RAM to run my external application?
Ideally you would query the user's system
to determine the amount of free RAM, to decide whether sufficient RAM is
available. Note that the Lingo property the
freeBytes
returns the amount of RAM available to Director, not
the amount available to other applications or the amount installed on the
system.
Check Macromedia's Xtra page for
possible Xtras that return the amount of RAM available. Zeus Productions
expects to ship zWinOS and zMacOS Xtras shortly which will provide the necessary
information about the user's available RAM, as well as other system configuration
information.
Q. Will zOpen control external devices through the serial or COM port?
zOpen works with external
applications, not external
devices. The COMMPORT DLL (for Windows)
and the Serial XObject (for Mac) from
Macromedia will communicate via the serial port.
Some devices include applications to control them, and you could launch
such an application with zOpen. If the application controlling the device
can read and write data files, then it may be able communicate with Director
using the FileIO Xtra.
If you are using a Macintosh, and the application controlling the device
is AppleScriptable, Zeus's
zScript Xtra may be appropriate.
Q. Can zOpen reduce sources of conflict between my projector and other
executables?
zOpen will not reduce conflicts between applications,
but zLaunch for Windows and Macintosh will.
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Copyright © 1996-1997. Zeus
Productions. All Rights Reserved.
(This page last revised April 25, 1997)