Not that impressed... AP2/3 compatibility [Archive]

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SteveChennells

07-09-2007, 09:14 PM

OK, I've been fiddling around with AP3 on my laptop before I install it on the computers in my school. Not totally convinced by it yet... Having a few little niggles (e.g. copy/pasted objects are places in the middle of te screen - I prefer them to be in the same place as the original, so I can toun a page and make slight changes to a page- now I have to fiddle about repositioning the object on the next page until it's n te right place)

Anyway, I created this weeks maths flipcharts on AP3, ad when I tried to open it on AP2, much of the text had been replaced by html code such as:
<html><head><meta name="qrichtext" content="1" platform="Mac" /></head><body style="font-size:8pt;font-family:MS Shell Dlg">H = hundredsT = tensU = units</body></html>

So, I can't use an AP3 created flipchart on AP2!!! I'll have to start all over again! Really not happy about that!!!!

BAsically, not feeling myself compelled to upgrade our school just yet!!

Steve

LisaD

08-09-2007, 12:53 PM

Can't answer the second issue, but when I want to copy something from one page to another, I :

1) open the page selector window so all the pages are visible on the right.
2)Click on the object I want to "copy" to the other page so that the handles are visible.
3)Drag it using the "hand" icon to the new page.
4)Choose if I want to "move" or "copy."
It "should" then position the object on the new page where it had been on the previous page.

Hope this helps!

Lisa

SteveChennells

08-09-2007, 01:29 PM

Yes, thanks Lisa... that works well...

I guess I'm a bit stuck in some of my ways...

I'm a keen user of apple c/apple v copying and pasting.

I often make flipcharts where I have an object on the screen that I want to quickly make multiple copies of (e.g. a coin is duplicated to make a 'stack' of coins that I can share out. On AP 2, the new coins are placed on top of the original. On AP3, the appear in the centre of the screen, and thus need to be dragged on top of the original. The problem is that if there is an object already occupying the centre of the screen, I can't select the stack of coins on its own without deselecting the original first. I guess it's a minir hindrance... :-)

Steve

So, anyone successfully opened an ap3 file in ap2?

SteveChennells

08-09-2007, 01:32 PM

I guess I should upgrade all the computers to AP3, but its a big job! All the whiteboards and all the teachers' laptops (+the children's machines too). Any missed out won't be able to open new flipcharts.

I worry that I'll do this and then some problem will show up and I'll be scuppered!

HAs anyone upgraded all the machines in their schools?

cheers

Steve

SteveChennells

08-09-2007, 01:46 PM

So, here's my list of little niggly things that I'm slightly disappointed about...

> Backward compatibility (opening AP3 in AP2)
> Pasting of images collected from internet in display mode only pastes address not image.
> 'Stretching' of text handles only enlarges text box size, doesn't stretch text) <-- Interestingly, if one selecs
2 pieces of text, or a piece of text and an object, these will stretch,...
> Can't drag trash can and toolbox around, can only check an option to choose sides.
> Trash can's new yellow surround is too big and obtrusive.
> On occasions, the page browser at the bottom of the screen shows only one page when there are multiple
pages. The page manager screen has the same problem when this occurs (it's happened 3 times in two
days of fiddling.)
> The watermark is even more obtrusive than before (white outline makes it very hard to see anything
underneath it)
> Flash doesn't automatically play on page turn, it needs clicking <--OK, I've since noticed that if one
checks the 'start automatically' box when inserting the flash object, it doesn't stay checked. The object
needs to be clicked on and the box checked again in its properties - I guess this is a bug.
> Copy/paste behaviour (pasted items in centre of screen, not on top of original.

Sorry to moan, but, you knever know, perhaps the next build might include options to change these behaviours!

cheers

Steve

LisaD

08-09-2007, 03:36 PM

Concerning stretching of text:

I think there is a preference to allow this.

See screenshot attachment.

Tick/check "enable text stretching."

Lisa

SteveChennells

08-09-2007, 05:50 PM

Concerning stretching of text:

I think there is a preference to allow this.

See screenshot attachment.

Tick/check "enable text stretching."

Lisa

Hmm, doesn't seem to be such a box in AP3

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/genienitro/flipprefs.jpg

I guess your screen schot is from Activstudio?

Steve

LisaD

08-09-2007, 06:34 PM

Yes, sorry 'bout that. Maybe it was an "overlook" in Primary.

Lisa

Margaret Allen

09-09-2007, 12:33 PM

Hi

I have forwarded this to our MAC Specialist/Product Management team for their comments.

+wave+

SteveChennells

09-09-2007, 01:48 PM

Thanks very much!
:)[clap]:)

Steve

Jos

11-09-2007, 10:13 AM

Sorry about the length of this post but there are a number of points raised by Steve that I have tried to cover:

1) Backward compatibility (opening AP3 in AP2).

This is actually forward compatibility, backwards compatibility is the ability to open AP2 files in AP3. Promethean take a lot of effort to ensure backward compatibility but we can’t always guarantee forward compatibility.
In this case AP2 is only capable of reading and saving ASCII text. We changed AP3 so it is capable of reading both ASCII and Unicode text and saving as Unicode text. This means Mac AP3 is compatible with all flipcharts produced by Mac AS3, Windows AS3 and Windows AP3. Unfortunately this means AP2 can’t read AP3 produced flipcharts. I would advise upgrading everybody to AP3.

2) Pasting of images collected from internet in display mode only pastes address not image.

There are a couple of issues here:

i) In safari when you right click on an image and select copy image, then go to AP3 (in Presentation mode) and type ‘Command+V’ it pastes the link to the image as a text object (although it does not become an active link). In AP2 the image was pasted.
A work around to this is to put AP3 into Design mode and right click on the flipchart. AP3 will then display a pop-up menu that allows either the image or the link to be pasted.

ii) If you just drag an image from safari to AP3 in Presentation mode nothing appears on the flipchart. This is a bug and will be fixed in the next release.

3) 'Stretching' of text handles only enlarges text box size, doesn't stretch text

Text stretching was disabled in Mac AP3 to ensure that flipcharts produced using Mac AP3 are 100% compatible with Windows AP3 (Win AP3 does not support text stretching). However if this feature is very useful for you and there is no requirement to display the flipcharts on Windows the text stretching feature can be enabled using the 2 attached action objects: AP3TextStretchOn and AP3TextStretchOff .

4) Can't drag trash can and toolbox around, can only check an option to choose sides.

You can drag the trash icon if you click and drag on the yellow strip above the bin.
In AP2 Mac the toolbox could be dragged anywhere – over the flipchart and even off the screen. This was considered a bug. However a better solution would have been to allow the toolbox to be moved only vertically (similar toAP3 Windows). This will be fixed in next release of AP3.

5) Trash can's new yellow surround is too big and obtrusive.

AP3 has a new feature such that if you click on the Trash icon any selected object(s) are deleted. This feature combined with the ability to move the Trash icon around has meant we have had to make it bigger.

6) On occasions, the page browser at the bottom of the screen shows only one page when there are multiple pages. The page manager screen has the same problem when this occurs (it's happened 3 times in two days of fiddling.)

Yes, we have been able to reproduce this problem. It will be fixed in the next release.

7) The watermark is even more obtrusive than before (white outline makes it very hard to see anything underneath it)

We understand that the watermark is an irritation to legitimate users of Activprimary so we will remove it entirely in the next release.

8) Flash doesn't automatically play on page turn; it needs clicking.

When adding a flash file in Design mode, selecting the Autoplay button in the ‘Add placeholders...’ has no effect, i.e. the Flash file it does not automatically start in Presentation mode when switching to the page it is on. This is a bug that will be fixed in the next release.

A work around to this problem is to enter Design mode, double click on the Flash object and select Properties from the pop-up menu. From the Properties dialog box select Appearance and then select the ‘Start Automatically’ button. This setting works correctly so when in Presentation mode switching to the page containing the Flash file automatically starts it

SteveChennells

12-09-2007, 07:00 AM

Thank you so much for addressing these issues!
I'm looking forward to the next release and will put AP3 on the school's network then!!!

cheers

Steve
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