Chapter 5: InfoPaks

This section describes the different types of InfoPaks available, and which InfoPak parameters you can control. It also explains how to play, view, save, delete and interact with an InfoPak.

Interacting with Active InfoPaks

What is an InfoPak?

InfoPaks are the various media items through which channels you’ve registered to communicate new information. InfoPaks usually consist of files containing InfoFlash, sound, text, graphic components and animation, for entertainment, informational, or marketing purposes.

The BackWeb agent residing in your local computer organizes and displays these InfoPaks on an intelligent and context-sensitive basis. Through the BackWeb window, you can control the displays.

When an InfoPak is being displayed, you can interact with it by clicking different areas inside the display. Interaction is intended to reveal more information, or to link directly to the content provider’s Web page or related Web sites.

InfoPak Types

InfoPaks are defined as one of the following:

InfoFlashes.

Screen savers.

Background wallpapers.

Audio messages.

InfoFlashes

InfoFlashes are animated content InfoPaks that appear periodically on the screen at idle time or are played manually by the user. Typically they are in the form of news flashes where a headline or graphic is towed onto the screen.

Clicking the InfoPak usually displays additional information on the InfoPak with an option to load the Web browser which opens on the relevant page in the content provider’s Web site.

Screen Savers

Screen savers are displayed on your screen when the computer is idle, in accordance with your Windows configuration. Screen savers are dynamic pictures or simple InfoFlashes that are used to prevent pixel burn out on monitors. They can also help secure your PC against unauthorized use if you setup a screen saver password. Most commonly, they are a source of entertainment. Normal screen savers stop and disappear when you enter any keyboard input or move or click your mouse.

The BackWeb screen savers, however, can be set up to allow interacting with the screen saver InfoPaks by clicking on them.

Background Wallpaper

A desktop wallpaper is a picture that appears on the user’s screen. All desktop icons and application windows are placed on top of this picture. In Windows 95 and Windows NT you have the option of displaying the wallpaper pattern in the center of the screen or tiling the pattern across the entire screen. For BackWeb wallpapers, the channel determines whether the wallpaper pattern is tiled or centered.

Audio Messages

Audio messages are audio files, played according to the same schedule as InfoFlashes.

Playing an InfoPak

While you are working, InfoPaks will occasionally display on your screen in accordance with your configuration.

In addition, you can manually display a specific InfoPak:

1. Select the InfoPak you want to play from the InfoPak List.

2. Double click the InfoPak, or click the PLAY hot button, or select the InfoPak and select Play from the InfoPak menu, or right click on the InfoPak and select Play from the pop-up menu.

Replaying the Last InfoPak Viewed

To replay the last InfoFlash or audio message (if applicable):

Click the REPLAY LAST hot button;

Select Replay [last InfoFlash] from the InfoPak menu, where [last InfoFlash] is the name of the last InfoFlash displayed;

Select Replay [last InfoFlash] from the BackWeb icon’s pop-up menu.

Viewing Information on InfoPaks

Information such as the size of an InfoPak and its content provider’s Internet address can be viewed using the BackWeb window.

To view information on an InfoPak:

1. Select the InfoPak in the InfoPak List of the BackWeb Window.

2. Choose More Info from the InfoPak menu, or click the INFO hot button.

1. Right click the InfoPak.

2. Choose More Info from the pop-up menu.

The following types of information categories are available:

General information

Author information

General Information

General information available for an InfoPak includes:

InfoPak name.

InfoPak type (InfoFlash, audio message, screen saver or wallpaper).

Channel name.

Date received.

InfoPak size.

Starts at date and time. If there is a date and time specified before which the InfoPak should not be auto-played then it is displayed here.

Expiration date and time. If there is an expiration time, the InfoPak will not be auto-played after this time and will be deleted from the database shortly after.

Number of times the InfoPak has been played.

Last play date and time.

Author Information

Author information on the InfoPak includes:

Content provider name.

Web site address.

Content provider’s e-mail address, telephone and fax number.

In addition, you may access the Web site by clicking the Open Web Page button. This loads the Web browser which opens on the relevant page in the content provider’s Web site (refer to Chapter 7 for more information on accessing Web sites).

Additional author information may appear at the bottom of this dialog box, if available.

Interacting with Active InfoPaks

You can interact with an active InfoPak (i.e., the InfoFlash currently displayed on your screen) to get more information.

The interaction may reveal hidden additional information, or may provide a direct link to the content provider’s Web page or to other Web sites of interest, such as product review, discussion groups, FAQ lists, etc.

To interact with an active InfoFlash, click the InfoFlash in any of the areas designated for referencing more information. The cursor changes to a hand shape to denote hot-spot areas.

To interact with a screen saver: If the “Interact with the screen saver” option is enabled in setup, and a screen saver password is not enabled in the control panel, you can interact with the screen saver by clicking it while it is running. Otherwise, press F1 to stop the screen saver without terminating the InfoPak, and then click on the InfoPak.

You can also interact with the InfoFlash currently playing by using the Backweb icon’s pop-up menu.

Viewing Additional Information

To view more information, when available, than is displayed by an InfoPak, click the designated area(s) of the InfoPak.

Viewing Web Sites

Depending on the InfoPak author, you may access related Web site(s). To view the Web sites offered by the InfoPak, position your cursor on the InfoPak being played and click the right mouse button. Look for the Access Web Site item in the menu displayed.

To access a channel’s Web page:

1. Open the BackWeb Window.

2. Select a Channel.

3. Click its Web link in the Channel Info area.

1. Open the BackWeb Window.

2. Right click a channel and choose Web Page from the pop-up menu.

Muting an InfoFlash

To turn off the sound of an InfoFlash:

1. Position your cursor on the InfoFlash being played.

2. Click the right mouse button.

3. Choose Mute from the pop-up menu.

This will not affect the InfoFlash visually, but works as a toggle for the sound accompanying the InfoFlash. Only the selected InfoFlash will be mute. If you do not want InfoFlashes to have sound at all, use the InfoFlashes and Audio tab on BackWeb’s Global Options dialog box to disable sound in all InfoFlashes.

Pausing an InfoFlash

An InfoFlash may be paused during the time it is being displayed on your computer. This option may be used to give you additional time to view the InfoFlash and its various options or to allow you to finish what you are doing before viewing the InfoFlash.

To pause an InfoFlash:

1. Position your cursor on the InfoFlash being played.

2. Click the right mouse button.

3. Choose Pause InfoFlash from the pop-up menu.

To resume the InfoFlash:

1. Position your cursor on the InfoFlash displayed.

2. Click the right mouse button.

3. Choose Resume InfoFlash from the pop-up menu.

Terminating an InfoFlash

If you would like to terminate the InfoFlash before it has run its natural course, choose Stop from the InfoPak menu or press the STOP hot button,. In this case, you can choose Replay if you wish to view an InfoFlash once it has been “stopped”.

You can also click the right mouse button on the InfoFlash and choose Stop InfoFlash.

In addition, from the BackWeb icon’s pop-up menu you can select the InfoPak currently being displayed and choose Stop to terminate the InfoFlash.

Playing an InfoFlash Later

If you would like to stop an InfoFlash displaying on your screen and play it later, right click the InfoFlash and choose Play InfoFlash Later from the pop-up menu. The InfoPak will be marked as New, and will play again later. You can also use this option to mark as New an InfoFlash you have already interacted with.

Removing the Current Wallpaper

If you would like to remove the current wallpaper which BackWeb has displayed on your screen, choose the Remove Current Wallpaper command in the InfoPak menu.

Deleting an InfoPak

InfoPaks will normally be deleted and replaced by fresh InfoPaks automatically as the space on your hard disk reserved for BackWeb fills up. However, you can manually delete InfoPaks.

To delete a particular InfoPak:

1. Select the InfoPak from the InfoPak List of the BackWeb Window.

2. Choose Delete from the InfoPak menu, or press the Delete button on the keyboard, or click the DELETE hot button, or right click the InfoPak and select Delete in the pop-up menu.

3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting multiple InfoPaks

You can manually delete multiple InfoPaks as follows:

1. Select the InfoPaks from the InfoPak List by holding down the <CTRL> key to select one InfoPak at a time, or the <SHIFT> key to select a group of InfoPaks.

2. Choose Delete from the InfoPak menu, or press the Delete button on the keyboard, or click the DELETE hot button, or right click the InfoPak and select Delete in the pop-up menu.

3. Confirm the deletion for each InfoPak or for all at once.

Keeping an InfoPak

BackWeb replaces old InfoPaks with new ones on a regular basis. BackWeb, however, enables you to save InfoPaks.

To keep an InfoPak:

1. Select the InfoPak in the InfoPak List.

2. Choose Keep from the InfoPak menu, or click the KEEP hot button, or right click the InfoPak and select Keep in the pop-up menu.

Once an InfoPak is saved, this setting overrides any parameters set by the channel operator for limiting the life span of the InfoPak. The InfoPak will remain on your disk until explicitly deleted or until the channel is deleted.

	InfoFlashes.
	Screen savers.
	Background wallpapers.
	Audio messages.

1.	Select the InfoPak you want to play from the InfoPak List.
2.	Double click the InfoPak, or click the PLAY hot button, or select the InfoPak and select Play from the InfoPak menu, or right click on the InfoPak and select Play from the pop-up menu.

1.	Select the InfoPak in the InfoPak List of the BackWeb Window.
2.	Choose More Info from the InfoPak menu, or click the INFO hot button.

1.	Right click the InfoPak.
2.	Choose More Info from the pop-up menu.

	InfoPak name.
	InfoPak type (InfoFlash, audio message, screen saver or wallpaper).
	Channel name.
	Date received.
	InfoPak size.
	Starts at date and time. If there is a date and time specified before which the InfoPak should not be auto-played then it is displayed here.
	Expiration date and time. If there is an expiration time, the InfoPak will not be auto-played after this time and will be deleted from the database shortly after.
	Number of times the InfoPak has been played.
	Last play date and time.

	Content provider name.
	Web site address.
	Content provider’s e-mail address, telephone and fax number.

	To interact with an active InfoFlash, click the InfoFlash in any of the areas designated for referencing more information. The cursor changes to a hand shape to denote hot-spot areas.
	To interact with a screen saver: If the “Interact with the screen saver” option is enabled in setup, and a screen saver password is not enabled in the control panel, you can interact with the screen saver by clicking it while it is running. Otherwise, press F1 to stop the screen saver without terminating the InfoPak, and then click on the InfoPak.
	You can also interact with the InfoFlash currently playing by using the Backweb icon’s pop-up menu.

1.	Open the BackWeb Window.
2.	Select a Channel.
3.	Click its Web link in the Channel Info area.

1.	Open the BackWeb Window.
2.	Right click a channel and choose Web Page from the pop-up menu.

1.	Position your cursor on the InfoFlash being played.
2.	Click the right mouse button.
3.	Choose Mute from the pop-up menu.

	To pause an InfoFlash:
	1. Position your cursor on the InfoFlash being played.
	2. Click the right mouse button.
	3. Choose Pause InfoFlash from the pop-up menu.
	To resume the InfoFlash:
	1. Position your cursor on the InfoFlash displayed.
	2. Click the right mouse button.
	3. Choose Resume InfoFlash from the pop-up menu.

1.	Select the InfoPak from the InfoPak List of the BackWeb Window.
2.	Choose Delete from the InfoPak menu, or press the Delete button on the keyboard, or click the DELETE hot button, or right click the InfoPak and select Delete in the pop-up menu.
3.	Confirm the deletion.

1.	Select the InfoPaks from the InfoPak List by holding down the <CTRL> key to select one InfoPak at a time, or the <SHIFT> key to select a group of InfoPaks.
2.	Choose Delete from the InfoPak menu, or press the Delete button on the keyboard, or click the DELETE hot button, or right click the InfoPak and select Delete in the pop-up menu.
3.	Confirm the deletion for each InfoPak or for all at once.

1.	Select the InfoPak in the InfoPak List.
2.	Choose Keep from the InfoPak menu, or click the KEEP hot button, or right click the InfoPak and select Keep in the pop-up menu.