AnimatePLUS22 Applet

The param tags are the lines which customize the applet to your needs. Following is a list of all the parameter options which are currently available. Note that the 'name=' of the parameter as typed into the HTML document SHOULD BE CAPITALIZED... it is not necessary to capitalize the 'value' attributes. Defaults (where described) indicate what appropriate values will be used if not explicitly given in the HTML document.

parameters

1. DIMENSIONS
2. NUMBER
3. FRAMENAME
4. FRAMETYPE
5. FRAMEORDER
6. FRAMEIMAGE
7. CUTFRAMES
8. CYCLES
9. PAUSE
10. PAUSEORDER
11. BORDER
12. BORDERCOLOR
13. BACKGROUND
14. BGCOLOR
15. FOREGROUND
16. SOUNDDEFAULT
17. SOUNDORDER
18. SOUNDACTIVATE
19. URLDEFAULT
20. URLORDER
21. TRANSITIONS
22. RATE
23. STEP
24. POSITIONING
25. POSITIONDEFAULT

• name=DIMENSIONS value=w,h
  This parameter tells the applet the size to which it should 'clip' all incoming images of the animation/slideshow. w is the width, h is the height. The default is 100,100.

• name=NUMBER value=#
  This parameter tells the applet the total number of images or frames which will by used in the animation/slideshow. The default is 1.

• name=FRAMENAME value=????
  This parameter tells the applet the general filename= of the frames which are to be used. The frames are assumed to be identically named, varying only by incrementing numbers beginning with 0. The FRAMENAME should also include any relative directory path info. For example, suppose you have placed all the images (name=d 'booyaw0.gif', 'booyaw1.gif',...) in a directory called 'pix'. The value of your FRAMENAME param would be "pix/booyaw". Note: Your first image in the animation should be labelled with a 0 (not 1). The format of the images is now indicated by the FRAMETYPE tag (see next).

• name=FRAMETYPE value=jpg or gif
  Indicates the type of images used inconjunction with the FRAMENAME or FRAMEORDER tag. The default is "gif".

• name=FRAMEORDER value=#,#,#,#,#,...,#
  This parameter tells the applet the order in which the animation frames should be displayed if different than the obviuos 0,1,2,3,...,n. Note that if this param is stated, the NUMBER param (above) should not be stated as the applet will look to this param and determine how many frames there are. For example, suppose you have three images ('booyaw0.gif', 'booyaw1.gif', 'booyaw2.gif') and want an animation sequence to run so that the display order is booyaw2.gif booyaw0.gif, booyaw2.gif, booyaw1.gif, booyaw2.gif (note the repition of booyaw2.gif). The 'value' of FRAMEORDER for your applet would be 2,0,2,1,2.

• name=FRAMEIMAGE value=jpg or gif
  Indicates an image (and relative directory path) from which the frames of animation may be 'cut out'. This is used in conjunction with CUTFRAMES (below) and instead of NUMBER, FRAMENAME, and FRAMEORDER. The FRAMEIMAGE maye be either a jpg or gif... be sure to include the '.jpg' or '.gif' in the parameter value. There are advantages to using this parameter instead of the FRAMEORDER or FRAMENAME/NUMBER parameters. The main one is that the applet needs only to pull across a single image, as opposed to reopening connections to pull over separate images. However, it is not recommended that you use a 'gif' image for a FRAMEIMAGE, as the 256 color palette can greatly affect multiple frames 'stuff' onto on image (jpg's keep 24-bit color).

• name=CUTFRAMES value=#,#,#,...#,#
  These values indicate the upper left corner of a rectangle which the applet will cut out of the FRAMEIMAGE to get the animation frames. The sequence of numbers x0,y0,x1,y1,... where x0 and y0 are the coordinates for the upper left corner of the first frames, x1,y1 for the second frame, etc... The width and height of the rectangles cut will have been previous defined by either DIMENSIONS or the default of the applet size.

• name=CYCLES value=#
  This parameter tells the applet the how many times to run through the complete sequence of images (determined by either NUMBER or FRAMEORDER). If you want the animation/slideshow to be an endless loop, set the value to infinite. The default is infinite.

• name=PAUSE value=#
  This parameter tells the applet how many milliseconds it should pause before advancing to the next frame. The default is 200.

• name=PAUSEORDER value=#,,,,#,#,,#,....,#
  The user may wish for certain frames of the animation/slideshow to be held for lengths of time different than that of PAUSE. This can be done by entering numbers (milliseconds) separated by commas. There should be one number for each frame of animation -- however a 'null-entry' or 'double-comma' will cause the applet to default to the PAUSE value for that frame. For example, supposing that there were five frames in an animation, one could make the value of PAUSEORDER be ,300,,400,750 . This would cuase the first and third frames to default to a time of whatever PAUSE equals, but the second, fourth, and fifth frames have varying times.

• name=BORDER value=#
  The user should implement this parameter if he/she would like a border to enclose the images on the webpage display. The value should be a number equal to the desired pixel-width of the border. The default is that no border will be displayed.

• name=BORDERCOLOR value=#,#,#
  This param determines the BORDER's color. Value should be given as the RGB color value... three decimal numbers (0-255) separated by commas. The user may give a value of "random" which will let the applet choose a color at random. The default is 0,0,0 (black).

• name=BACKGROUND value=??
  The value should be a relative directory path and filename to an image which will be a background picture for the animation. Useful for animations in which the moving part is simply a transparency gif super-imposed upon a constant background. The background image may now be either a jpg or gif file, but you must now include the '.jpg' or '.gif' tag in the parameter value. Default is that there is no background image.

• name=BGCOLOR value=#,#,#
  The value of this parameter should be the RGB value of a color background, if so desired. The default is that no background color will used.

• name=FOREGROUND value=??
  The value should be a relative directory path and filename to an image which will be a foreground picture for the animation. Useful for animations in which the moving part there are stationary foreground objects with the animation in 'back'. Obvious the foreground image will have to have some transparency, othewise nothing will show through. The foreground image may now be either a jpg or gif file, but you must now include the '.jpg' or '.gif' tag in the parameter value. Default is that there is no foreground image.

• name=SOUNDDEFAULT value=??
  This value of this parameter should point to an .au sound file which will be activated when the applet is entered by the mouse-pointer. The sound file is assumed to be in a directory called 'audio' which is housed in the same place as the AnimatePLUS applet, so be sure to put all sound files in such a directory. Also, as with image .gif files, DO NOT include the ".au" in the filename=. The default for this parameter is that no sound will be played

• name=SOUNDORDER value=??,??,??,??,,??,,,..,??
  If used, the value of this parameter should have one entry for each frame of the animation/slideshow (even if that entry is a null 'double-comma'). Any entries should represent the file name= to an .au sound file which is to be associated with that frame. DO NOT include the ".au" in the value argument, however (similar to not including ".gif" in the image values). The sound files are assumed to be in a directory called 'audio' which resides in the same directory as the AnimatePLUS class. Be sure to create such an audio directory if you are using sound files. The sound files will be played when the mouse-pointer is moved over the applet; to change this condition see SOUNDACTIVATE (below). Entries left null (double-comma) will default to SOUNDDEFAULT.

• name=SOUNDACTIVATE value= enter, click, or auto
  This parameter will change the trigger by which sound files are played (see SOUNDORDER above). The default is enter which activates the sound when the mouse-pointer enters the area of the applet. Other options for this parameter are click which activates the sound when the mouse is clicked within the applet, and auto which causes the sound to automatically play when the new frame is loaded. The default is enter.

• name=URLDEFAULT value=??
  This parameter should be a URL address of a files on the web which will be jumped to when the viewer clicks on the applet. The address should not include the 'http://', it is automatically prepended to the address. The default used here, if not address is given, is the address of this page (www.auburn.edu/~harshec/WWW/slideshow.html).

• name=URLORDER value=??,??,??,??,,??,,,..,??
  As with PAUSEORDER or SOUNDORDER, this allows the user to set individual hotlinks for specific frames, so that clicking on different frames will take one to different web addresses. Addresses should not contain the prefix 'http://', that is automatically added. If a 'double-comma' null entry is given for a frame, it defaults to the URLDEFAULT.

• name=TRANSITIONS value=??,??,??,??,,??,,,..,??
  Generally the applet, when advancing to the next frame, will simply overwrite the old image with the next in the sequence. Done quickly enough (low PAUSE value) this will result in an animation effect. However, the user may wish to have more of a 'slideshow' presentation in which the new frame enters through a 'transition' of sorts. If transitions are desired, that value is handled in much the same way as FRAMEORDER or PAUSEORDER (one entry for each frame, separated by commas) except that instead of numerical entries, one should choose transitions from the following list:
  • SLIDEIN1, SLIDEIN2, ... , SLIDEIN8
    SLIDEINs cause the new frame to enter in slowly from a particular direction and cover up the previous image. The direction or entry is determined by the number after SLIDEIN where '1' is the upper edge (north), '2' is the upper-right corner (northeast), and progressing clockwise until '8' refers to the upper-left (northwest) corner.

  • SLIDEOUT1, SLIDEOUT2, ... , SLIDEOUT8
    Similar to SLIDEIN, SLIDEOUT causes the old frame to exit the display... uncovering the new image below. The direction of exit is determined by the number after SLIDEOUT (numbers correspond to the directions given in SLIDEIN).

  • SCROLL1, SCROLL3, SCROLL5, SCROLL7
    SCROLL is similar to SLIDEIN except that the new frame appears to 'push' the old frame out instead of overlapping it. Note that only directions 1, 3, 5, and 7 are valid for this transition (corresponding to north, east, south, and west respectively).

  • EXPAND1, EXPAND2, ... , EXPAND9, EXPANDH, EXPANDV
    EXPAND causes the new frame to start at a point and slowly 'grow' so that it covers the old frame. The point of origin for the expanding frame is determined by the number after EXPAND ('1' is the center of the north edge, '2' is the northeast corner, etc...). EXPAND9 puts the point of origin in the center of the display, EXPANDH causes the new image to begin as a HORIZONTAL line and expand vertically, and EXPANDV starts the new image as a VERTICAL line which expands side-to-side.

  • SHRINK1, SHRINK2, ... , SHRINK9, SHRINKH, SHRINKV
    Similar to EXPAND except that the old image collapses to a point (or line), revealing the new image.

  If no transition is explicitly given for a frame (i.e.: a double-comma is typed), the transition is defaulted to the simple overwriting feature used in an animation sequence.

  Optionally, the TRANSITIONS value may be set to "random" which will force that applet to change frames with randomly picked transitions.

• name=RATE value=#
  Used in conjunction with TRANSITIONS, this number sets the millisecond pause between advances in transition states (there are 10 steps taken to SLIDEIN, SLIDEOUT,... new frames). The default is set to 100.

• name=STEP value=#
  Used in conjunction with TRANSITIONS, this sets the number of 'steps' a transition takes to bring in the next frame. The default is set to 10.

• name=POSITIONING value=#&#,#&#,#&#,...,#&#
  This param allows the user to 'move' the frames of animation about the applet window by giving coordinates for each frame. Coordinates may either be given as absolute (x)&(y) numbers, or as relative +x&+y coordinates dependent upon the previous frame.

  Absolute coordinates should be place within parentheses. For example, if one is displaying a six-frame animation in which all frames are to be at 0,0 except the third which is to be at 25,37; the syntax for the value of POSITIONING would be: value=,,(25)&(37),(0)&(0),, . Note that all absolute coordinates are in parentheses. No numbers were given for the first two frames because the default starts a (0)&(0) and if a 'double-comma' null argument is given, the applet uses the previous value. This also explains why (0)&(0) was given for the fourth frame to return the picture to those coordinate; a 'null' entry would have kept the display a (25)&(37), but only the third frame was to be there. Negative absolute coordinates may be given... but be sure to use parentheses; otherwise the applet will believe you are referring to relative coordinates (see next).

  Relative coordinates DO NOT have parentheses. They simply add (or subtract value from the position of the previous frame (the initial showing of the first frame is assumed to be 0,0). Leaving a null 'double-comma entry will result in a change of +0&+0 (i.e.: no movement).

  Coordinate pairs need not match as far as relative and absolute properties. For example, +15&(60) would cause the appropriate frame to be moved 15 to the right of the previous frame and be held at y=60.

  Be sure to define a position for ALL frames if you use the POSITIONING parameter (as with PAUSEORDER, there should be an argument for each frame). POSITIONING may not be used in conjunction with TRANSITIONS... and will not work if TRANSITIONS parameter is used.

• name=POSITIONDEFAULT value=(#)&(#)
  This param tells the applet where to place the frames of animation within the whole applet window. Since frames may be of different size than the background image, this param may be useful. Be sure to give the coordinates in absolute terms enclosed in parentheses. For example (x)&(y). The default is (0)&(0).

-- Comments and suggestions are welcome: harshec@cdware.eng.sun.com, address Eric Harshbarger

© Copyright 1996, Sun Microsystems, Inc.