Using Xtras with Shockwave Movies

Because Shockwave movies are designed to be as small as possible for quick downloading, Xtras can't be embedded in Shockwave movies. Instead, any necessary Xtras must be installed in the Shockwave Player on the user 's computer.

The most commonly used Xtras are included in the initial installation of the Shockwave Player. These include the Xtras that support text; vector shapes ; Flash movies; PICT, BMP, GIF, and JPEG images; sound; and Shockwave Audio. (For a complete list of the Xtras included with the Shockwave Player, see Table 19.1 .)

Table 19.1. Xtras installed with the Shockwave MX Player

W INDOWS O NLY	M AC O NLY	B OTH W INDOWS AND M AC [*]
DirectSound	Animated GIF Asset	CBrowser
MacroMix	Havoc	Flash Asset
Shockwave Updater	LRG Import Export	Font Asset
SWADCmpr	Mix Services	Font Xtra
SWAstrm	MPEG 3 Import Export	INetURL
	PNG Import Export	Multiusr
	QT6 Asset	NetFile
	Sound Import Export	NetLingo
	Sun AU Import Export	Shockwave 3D Asset
	SWA Decompression PPC	Sound Control
	SWA Import Export	Speech
	SWA Streaming PPC	Text Asset
	Targa Import Export	Text Xtra
	TIFF Import Export
	XmlParser PPC Xtra

^[*] Filenames may vary slightly between platforms.

When the Shockwave Player plays a movie, one of the first things it does is check whether the movie requires any Xtras that aren't already present on the user's computer. If so assuming you've set up the movie as described on the next page in "To make a movie's Xtras downloadable by the Shockwave Player"it automatically downloads those Xtras from the Internet. (For security reasons, some Xtras aren't downloadable. This fact will be clearly noted in the Xtra's documentation, in which case you shouldn't use that Xtra in a Director movie that you intend to distribute via Shockwave.) Once a particular Xtra has been downloaded to a user's computer, it remains installed, so it won't have to be downloaded again for future movies that use that Xtra.

In order for the Shockwave Player to be able to download the Xtras it needs, Director must embed the URLs for those Xtras in the Shockwave movie. Director gets those Web addresses from a text file on your computer called xtrainfo.txt, which contains the URLs for all Macromedia-supplied Xtras. If you use non-Macromedia Xtras in your movie, you'll need to add their URLs manually to xtrainfo.txt. (If you install an Xtra by means of an install program provided by the developer, that program may automatically add the Xtra's URL to the file.)

To edit the xtrainfo.txt file:

1. Double-click the xtrainfo.txt file ( Figure 19.15 ). The file is located in the Director MX application folder on your computer's hard drive.

   Figure 19.15. The xtrainfo.txt file contains the URLs for Xtras that are downloadable by the Shockwave Player.

   

   The file opens in your computer's default text-editing program.

2. Follow the directions at the beginning of the file to add to or change the data in the file ( Figure 19.16 ).

   Figure 19.16. Directions for editing the xtrainfo.txt file are contained within the file.

   

3. Save the file. (Be sure to keep the same filename and location.)

To make a movie's Xtras downloadable by the Shockwave Player:

1. Follow steps 1 through 5 of "To embed Xtras in a movie," earlier in this chapter.

   This brings the information in the Movie Xtras dialog box up to date. (Though no Xtras will be embedded in the Shockwave version of the movie, Director needs to know which Xtras to make available for download.)

2. If your computer doesn't have an active connection to the Internet, initiate the connection.

3. From the list in the Movie Xtras dialog box, select an Xtra that you want to make downloadable.

   The Xtras listed in Table 19.1 are included in the default installation of the Shockwave Player, so you don't have to make them downloadable. Note, however, that the Windows and Mac versions of the player have different default Xtras. If your audience includes both Mac and Windows users, and your movie includes Xtras that are in the Mac-only or Windows-only column, you should make those Xtras downloadable as well.

4. Check the Download if Needed checkbox ( Figure 19.17 ).

   Figure 19.17. To make an Xtra downloadable, select the Download if Needed check box in the Movie Xtras dialog box.

   

   The movie gets the URL for the selected Xtra from the xtrainfo.txt file and does a trial download of the Xtra, shown by a progress bar on the screen ( Figure 19.18 ). If the download is successful, the progress bar disappears and you can continue. If the download is unsuccessful , Director informs you via an alert box ( Figure 19.19 ), in which case you should check xtrainfo.txt to make sure the listed URL is correct and current.

   Figure 19.18. Director performs a trial download of the Xtra that you want to make downloadable by the Shockwave Player.

   

   Figure 19.19. If the download is unsuccessful, Director shows you this alert box.

   

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all other Xtras that you want to make downloadable.

6. Click OK to close the Movie Xtras dialog box.

   Your movie is now ready to be published as a Shockwave movie. (See Chapter 17, "Making Movies for the Web.")