Version 3 issues

[amyj]

I am having a few issues with the version 3 software and I am wondering if anyone has encountered the same thing, or hopefully has a solution.

- How do you add to 'my flipchart pages'? I would expect to have the library open to my pages, right click on the page, and see 'add page to library' but this does not exist??

- When I am creating a link using the web browser, I can add the link as a text object, and an action object, but not a thumbnail.

- How do you access my weblinks and my tickertapes?

- While using the flipchart recorder (full screen) while playing it back , Trying to make it full screen, only 1/4 of the screen shows up

Lastly

- how can I get a container to contain multiple objects?

I know these are all differnt ideas, but if anyone has any sollutions please let me know.:confused:

Amy

[CPope]

Hi Amy,

I'll try to respond to your questions in order:

1) I wasn't able to add a page to the library with the right click option, but you could copy that page into a new flipchart, and then save it to My Flipchart Pages in the resource lib.

2) I was able to add a web page as a thumbnail. The image popped right up on the page. Not sure why yours isn't working.

3) You can access my tickertapes and my weblinks through the finder - Documents - Promethean - Activprimary 3 - all the My folders.

4) When I recorded fullscreen, and then clicked to play it back on the toolbar, I was able to grab the playback window in the lower right corner and enlarge it. Also, when playing it back through quicktime, it automatically opened to the full screen for me. But if it doesn't you could drag that window in the lower right corner and enlarge as well.

5) When you double-click on an object and go to the properties, click on the Container tab. Then select Key words for Can Contain and list the keywords in the box below. Then simply make sure to assign that key word to the object.

Let us know how it goes.

Char

[kpbooth]

Here is a "How-to" flipchart on having a container with multiple objects. Be sure to look at the page notes on page 3 to help you.

Thanks for posting your questions. I'm sure others have had the same.

[amyj]

Thanks Cathy

Can you please tell me did you make this flipchart in MAC or PC and was it primary?

[kpbooth]

I created this in Activstudio PC. To do the same in Primary, you need to be in "Teacher" or "Design" mode as you cannot access the properties unless you are there. You should be able to replicate this in AS or AP for Mac-- version 3.0.

[Peter_Kent]

If it is any consolation, and it may not be, saving pages to the library via the right click add to library works fine for me. I am running V3.0.93

Peter

[CPope]

Peter,

You were able to right click and add the page to the library in ActivPrimary? I'll go back and try again....

Char

[amyj]

All of the things I was trying were in AP3 MAC version, I am usually a PC user but I am training people in MAC and getting better all the time;) Sorry I didn't make it clear earlier which version I was using!

A

[CPope]

Amy,

Yes, I was assuming you were using the Mac. And I was not able to add the page to the library directly by using the right-click method. That's why I thought about simply creating that page as its own flipchart and saving it to my pages. ;)

Char

[LisaD]

I'm a little confused on which platform we're talking about but on my Mac, using Activstudio 3.0 (build 96) , I was able to add a page to My Flipchart pages.

(I was curious to test this out as I hadn't tried it.)

Make sure that the Resource library is open and you have selected and opened the My Pages icon.

Then right click on your page (but not on an object on the page). You should see a menu appear.

I'll post an attachment of the screenshot of that menu.

Hope this helps!

[CPope]

Hi Lisa,

I am able to add the page to the Library in AS3 but not yet in Activprimary. Am I missing something?

Char

[LisaD]

Hmmm, don't know. Haven't installed Primary yet. (On my to-do list!)

Primary's resources work a little differently than Studios.

Margaret, where are you????

Lisa

[Peter Lambert]

Not sure M is up to speed on the Mac yet :mad:
Lisa, can you check this out for us?

[LisaD]

Well, I got ahold of Activprimary 3 for Mac (and did the update over the web.) I cannot figure out how or if you can add a page to the resource library.

I made sure the resource library was open and that the "pages" were selected.

I made sure I was in design mode.

I "control" clicked on the page and add to page library was not an option.

I tried to drag the page into the library.

No go on all!

So...I'm stumped on how to add a page to the page library in Activprimary 3 on a Mac.

Perhaps this is a bug or a mistakenly left out feature.

I have attached a screenshot in case someone wants to see.

Perhaps Jos can chime in???

[Margaret Allen]

Due to some recent development work/investigation there is an issue with thumbnails in V3 and so maybe this is also a problem? The other thing is that I do know that this was oriignally missed out of V3 for PC and so there is just a chance that this may well have been left off the development list for the MAC too.

Will make more enquiries.....

[SteveChennells]

I've tried too and haven't found a way to do this...
Hopefully it can be added to the 'fix list'!

On an unrelated note, I quite like the idea of drawing shapes freehand and them being converted into 'proper' shapes. At the moment there is an option when you click on a freehand line to convert to a shape. Is there any way for this to happen 'on the fly?' e.g. I draw the shape freehand, AP3 notices and converts it? It's just thatby te time I've drawn the shape, clicked on it and chosen the convert icon, I might as well have drawn it with the 'point to poin' line tool...

Am I missing an option somewhere?

cheers

Steve

[JanP]

Hi Steve,

Sounds like you are looking for the Pen Modifier option. When you open the Drawing Tools Toolbar click on the 'Dot to dot' option and this will open the Pen Modifier. This allows you to very quickly draw certain shapes. [clap]

There is also an option in Handwriting Recognition. You are able to recognise Letters, Numbers, Letters and Numbers and Shapes. This will allow you to draw and shape and it will convert it to a proper shape.:-/

Janice
Teaching and Learning Advisor

[SteveChennells]

Hi Steve,

Sounds like you are looking for the Pen Modifier option. When you open the Drawing Tools Toolbar click on the 'Dot to dot' option and this will open the Pen Modifier. This allows you to very quickly draw certain shapes. [clap]

There is also an option in Handwriting Recognition. You are able to recognise Letters, Numbers, Letters and Numbers and Shapes. This will allow you to draw and shape and it will convert it to a proper shape.:-/

Janice
Teaching and Learning Advisor

Thanks - the dot-to dot pen modifier is very good!!
Can't find these options in handwriting recognition though. When I click the button it just opens up ink and I can't see any options for shapes there...

cheers

Steve

[Margaret Allen]

Janice

Are you able to shed any light on the adding a page to the page library......+wave+

[JanP]

I have had a look and I also can Save a Page in AS3 (Mac) but can't in AP3 (Mac). Right clicking on the page allows you to Pave a Page as a background but not to just Save a Page. Tried several ways to get round this but haven't yet found an easy solution. The best seems to be to save it as a single page flipchart that can be inserted into another flipchart using the Flipchart Builder.

Steve, if you right click on the handwriting recognition button in the Special Tools toolbar you will open the 'Adult' Version of handwriting recognition. It is here that I meant you will find the option to 'recognise' shapes. Look in the drop-down menu that says Alphabet. [clap]

Janice
Teaching and Learning Advisor

[JanP]

I just had a thought Steve, if your ink is opening then you will need to turn Handwriting Recognition of for it to open in AP. Make sure that you deselect the option to 'Ink Anywhere' as well. Once this is done when you right click on the Handwriting Recognition tool in Special Tools everything should now be working.

Janice

[SteveChennells]

I just had a thought Steve, if your ink is opening then you will need to turn Handwriting Recognition of for it to open in AP. Make sure that you deselect the option to 'Ink Anywhere' as well. Once this is done when you right click on the Handwriting Recognition tool in Special Tools everything should now be working.

Janice

Hi there...
Well, it's semi working. I can right click on the handwriting tool. I choose 'shape' mode but it seems to make no difference. The blue/yellow handwriting box comes up and I can write in that to produce txt. If I draw shapes in it, it transfers them to the page as '0's If I draw shapes (triangles, squares etc) directly onto the page, nothing happens.

Perhaps I'm still not doing it right!

Steve

[SteveChennells]

Found another niggle...
The dice roll far too quickly! I used to like th 'roll in' of the dice, now it is 'there' virtually straight away...

cheers
Steve

[Jos]

This makes a refreshing change! I remember when we used to get complaints about the dice being too slow. The length of time the dice roll is actually configurable in Preferences:

Teacher Tools Menu -> Preferences->Tools.

I have attached a screenshot of the Preferences dialog box.

[Vicky-d]

Hi there...
Well, it's semi working. I can right click on the handwriting tool. I choose 'shape' mode but it seems to make no difference. The blue/yellow handwriting box comes up and I can write in that to produce txt. If I draw shapes in it, it transfers them to the page as '0's If I draw shapes (triangles, squares etc) directly onto the page, nothing happens.

Perhaps I'm still not doing it right!

Steve

Hi Steve

When you select the 'shape' recognition, with that box still on the page just draw your shape on the page. When the blue/yellow box appears on screen the mode gets changed back to text recognition!

Vicky

[SteveChennells]

Here's another one... When I save an AP3 file at school, it is saved as an activstudio document and opens with that unless I drag it to the icon or change its properties to open with AP3. As soon as I save it again, it reverts to activstudio

cheers

Steve

[Vicky-d]

Hi Steve

There's been a thread about that one before but I'm afraid the system only saves the icons as either all APS or all AS3
The best way I get around it is just by right-clicking on the icon and selecting which application to open with.

Vicky

[JanP]

Hi Steve,

It has to do with the order that you install the software I think. It will always recognise the files as the last Application you installed. I am assuming that you installed Studio after Primary on your computer.

You can change this by right clicking on one of your Studio flipchart files and select Get Info. At the bottom there is a section called Open With. Go into here and choose ActivPrimary. Make sure that you select Open All Files With (or something like that) and next time you log on you will notice that all your flipchart files now have the ActivPrimary icon. They will all now open automatically in ActivPrimary.

I am still confused about the trouble you are having with Recognising Shapes. Are you still getting the Children's handwriting recognition (lines to write on, convert to text, paste to page) or are you seeing the Adult Version (write anywhere, like Studio)? I have tried it on my machine and it seems to work.

Janice
Learning and Teaching Advisor

[Vicky-d]

Hi Janice

I think Steve was using the Adult recognition to select the shape recognition properties not realising the recognition could be carried out directly on the page here, then he opened up the Children's recognition expecting shapes to be recognised here too!

I wasn't aware it was a Adult/Child thing either!

Also regarding your method to change the application the icons open in, you will find that your Activstudio flipchart icons will have changed to Activprimary icons too and when you save a flipchart in Activstudio it will have an Activprimary icon on it!

Vicky

[SteveChennells]

Hello - will try the shapes thing again later.
Never had a problem with AP/AS icons before, even though both are installed on my board. I guess I'll have to de-install AS, I never use it anyway!

Here is my latest issue....

The board orientation does not stick. Every time I reboot the computer I have to re-orient the board again, which is a bit of a pain when I forget to do so then start a lesson!

I hyave updated to the latest driver...

Steve
ps - my class are having great fun playing 'spot the bug' as IU learn to use (and love) AP3. They have to decide if a problem is an AP3 glitch or a Mr Chennells glitch so I can report back to you lot!

[JanP]

Hi Steve,

Have you reported the orientation problem to tech support? I think it would be worthwhile to do so.

I will try to take some screen shots tonight to better explain what I mean about the shape recognition.

Janice
Learning and Teaching Advisor

[SteveChennells]

Hi, not sure where to post for tech support.
Problem arose after I installed AP3 on my whiteboard at school (was previously using AP3 on laptop)

cheers

Steve

[Vicky-d]

http://www.prometheankb.com/

[SteveChennells]

Hooray! I finally got the shape recognition working!

Like it (even though it turns any regular shape with more than 5 sides into a circle!)

Moan moan moan eh!

;)

Thanks for the help!!

[clap]

Steve

[davidlloyd]

[QUOTE=SteveChennells;23361] Problem arose after I installed AP3 on my whiteboard at school (was previously using AP3 on laptop) /QUOTE]

Hi Steve
The calibration issue sounds like you may not have the same access privileges on the school computer that you did on your laptop so Activprimary can't save the settings.

[SteveChennells]

[QUOTE=SteveChennells;23361] Problem arose after I installed AP3 on my whiteboard at school (was previously using AP3 on laptop) /QUOTE]

Hi Steve
The calibration issue sounds like you may not have the same access privileges on the school computer that you did on your laptop so Activprimary can't save the settings.

It's not exactly that... I was runnng AP2 on my board before. I had no such problems with orientation. Since I upgraded I do. Nothing else has changed about the system - same computer, board etc.
I also upgraded my Y3 colleagues AP and now she has the same board orientation problem.

I logged in as admin and oriented the board and then logged in as myself and everything seemed fine. But once I restarted the computer it was out of whack again. I definitely won't be able to upgrade the rest of the staff if they have to re-orient every morning!

Steve

[SteveChennells]

Hello again... more issues I'm afraid!!!

In AP2 I could add links to flash files that weren't 'embedded'. Clicking the link would open the file directly without it being copied into AP2s temporary storage.

In AP3, this doesn't seem to work. Even if I just choose a non placeholdered or embedded link, it still tries to open the swf in its own little 'browser'. Unfortunately some new swf files I have (from Scholastic 100 Numeracy Hours CD) won't open embedded or in the little mini-browser. In AP2 they won't open if embedded but will if non embedded.

Is there a workaround for this?

I was also trying to embed a video from our network earlier and I was told I couldn't because it was modified by another application. Another video in the same directory was embedded just fine. I embedded it eventually by renaming the source file and liking directly to it. Even then it crashed AP3 (the arrow disappeared completely) although it did work eventually when I re-opened the flip chart.

Steve

[Jos]

There is an option in Activprimary Preferences to open flash files directly instead of in the AP3 player. Go to Teacher Tools Menu and select Preferences. Then click on 'Linked File Hosting' and de-select 'Shockwave Flash Movies' option. Please see attached image 'Flash Preferences'

[Vicky-d]

Hi Steve

Regarding the video - it sounds like the video you wanted to embed from the network was actually open at the time by someone else or in another application which means that you cannot have access to it.

Simply renaming the file to embed it was a bad thing to do so no wonder AP crashed!

You just have to be aware that other people could be using the same files as you on the network!

Vicky

[SteveChennells]

Hi there... I'm very positive that noone else would have had the video open at the same time. Actually our network is usually fine with videos being opened at the same time by 2 computers. I have had a similar problem with some recent flash files I put in our yeargroup's folder. Definitely only me opening them.

Steve

[SteveChennells]

Here's another issue... ;-)


AP3 doesn't seem to like some flash files.
In particular (or seen so far) flash resources that come with Scholastic 100 Literacy/Numeracy hours books (new framework. Also an animated gif I converted to swf using Gif2swf.

When I try to embed them in a flipchart using a placeholder, the swf is invisible. The little play control comes up but that is pretty much it.
With the scholastic ones, this is also the case when I don't use a placeholder but do use the internal flash player. In the case of the home-converted one, it will play in the built-in player but not when embeded.

Any ideas?

[Peter Lambert]

Try updating to the latest flash player from www.adobe.com (http://www.adobe.com).
You need to do this using IE it appears that Firefox and others don't work

[SteveChennells]

I've updated to the latest version of flash using Safari. I don't have internet explorer and it is not available any more for OSX.

Still no luck I'm afraid...

:confused:
Steve

[SteveChennells]

Hi there... a couple more niggles for the list...

The digital clock/countdown timer hlas black text on a dark blue background, very hard to see o the whiteboard - I much preferred black text on yellow background with blue border...

When I tyoe text onto the page, it begins to wrap a few words in - I'm used to this from AP2 (although it would be nice if it didn't!) Anyway, on ap3 this happens and I stretch the text box out so the text will all sit in a line. Trouble is, when I close the flipchart and reopen it again, the text box is shortened again and the end of the text is missing, needing me to stretch out the textbox again. I made a load of statements that the kids had to move around and order, but many of them were 'incomplete' because of this...
(edit)
Here's another bug (?)
When one clicks on an object in design mode, there is the option to place it on the top or bottom layer quickly. However, this does not seem to work and I need to go into the object's properties to do this.
I'm also finding general performance a bit jeky. As I move objects around the screen they jerk andthe kids find themselves drpping them. Also, there are occasional 'pauses' when I am writing which leads to mis-fored letters (usually leading to a straight line joining where my en was at the start and end of the 'jerk'.

cheers


Steve

ps, any idea when the ext issue of AP3 is due? I'd love to put it on our school network but too many niggles at the mo!!

[SteveChennells]

Another text-box based problem.

On AP2, when typing text the size of the text box increases with the text. When the text moves on to the next line, the text box gets vertically larger. If text is deleted it gets smaller again. If the text box is stretched horizontally so that it goes from 2 lines to one, the box becomes vertically smaller again.

On AP3 the box gets bigger but stays the same vertical 'depth' when text is deleted or when the box is stretched out. This causes problems as one ends up with text boxes overlapping each other or overlapping objects on the screen. Often one ends up selecting the wrong object as a result. Obviously one can resize the text boxes but I often forget to do this when I am making a flip chart 'on the fly'. Also, boxes with large text in them end up with their lower handles off the screen making them very difficult to resize!

Steve

[LisaD]

Steve,

I second those issues with text boxes. Not show-stopping but definitely annoying.

Lisa

[tomerf]

I'm also finding general performance a bit jeky. As I move objects around the screen they jerk andthe kids find themselves drpping them. Also, there are occasional 'pauses' when I am writing which leads to mis-fored letters (usually leading to a straight line joining where my en was at the start and end of the 'jerk'.


It's too bad others are experiencing this weird handwriting anomaly, but I am relieved because I thought it was just my system. Is there someone from the Promethean tech end that can shed some light on this?

It would be helpful, I'm sure, to have a video capture of this to review but, for me at least, it is a pretty random event. I have wondered if it might be caused by having too many programs open at one time on my PowerBook G4, but that doesn't seem to be the cause.

Tom

[SteveChennells]

Hi all - another niggle...
Will have to make a list of all these, eh?

The thumbnails of grids and lined pages are too large. I can only see one or 2 of the lines at best and cannot tell which sort of lined paper it represents so I end up having to drag multiple sheets out until I get the one I want...

cheers

Steve

[dmgoe]

I have having trouble with the video recorder tool (not the camera tool). I can make a recording, but when I import the video to a flipchart page it will work until I save the flipchart. As soon as I save the flipchart, the video file does not work. It pops up with this file is not a video file. Then if I quit AP, I cannot open that flipchart anymore. It says that the flipchart may be corrupt or damaged.

Any ideas?

Thanks - Dana

[Vicky-d]

Hi Dana

Launch the Video Recorder and click on the menu button on the small toolbox that opens. Select Video Settings and ensure they are set to H.264 from the drop down menu.

Do your recording as normal.

I suspect that you're settings are set to 'Animation' which I think is the default and this could be the problem - that Activprimary doesn't handle this type of codec.

[dmgoe]

Thank you so much. It worked perfectly.

[dmgoe]

Another quick question.

I just finished downloading all of the resource packs that I might need. Is there a way to load them into Activprimary without having to upload one at a time. I tried selecting them all and then loading, but it would only import the first resource pack that I selected.

Thanks,
Dana

[Vicky-d]

Unfortunately there's no other way than one at a time.

I think this is because each resource pack gets imported to its own specific location (ie where it was exported from) in the Resource Library.

[dmgoe]

Is there a way that Promethean can just make all of the resource packs lumped together so that it is easier to download onto the computer? For example, can all of the new resource packs be included with each of the upgrades to primary and studio? I just think it is beneficial to have all of the resources available. If they are included as a larger resource pack, it would be so bad to download. Does this make sense?

Thanks,
Dana????

[davidlloyd]

Hi Dana

I understand what you mean.

The resource packs are often created by different individuals in Promethean and often in response to requests in these fora. So the collections grow over a period of time. In fact Lisa Dubernard is so prolific in creating resource packs (thanks Lisa) I wonder whether she has a life outside Resource Packs:D.

Software is updated every few months and then it tends to be the application rather than the Resource Library which is updated. So if you get a new board between updates then you have to download all the resource packs individually if you want all of them. However most users just download the ones that are relevant to their curriculum area.

It would be up to our software department to decide whether to include Resource Packs as part of an update. But they do have a lot on their plate at the moment.