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eZedia
& the Path +
the Container Object + the Branch
"Our Road Trip Through the Lower 48 States"
Part 1
Part 2
Again, here's the picture of where we're
heading. In the first part of this project, we created
our
background with the two images, we added our path, our little car, and
the
white dots that are acting as markers on our path. In Part 2 of the
project,
we will be adding a branch object, some pictures, some text objects,
and
two buttons to finish it all off. Let's get at it.
28. In the previous half of this project, you recorded the approximate
numbers in the container object that corresponded to the white dots
you've placed on the map. We now need a Branch Object 
Locate the Branch Object in the tool bar next to the Container Object
you've been using.
Click on the Branch Object.
29. You'll see a Branch Object appear in the middle of your frame
(Figure 29). Click, hold, and drag the Branch Object next to the
Container Object (Figure 30).
Figure 29: The Branch Object appears in the middle of the
frame.
Figure 30: Branch Object moved next to the Container Object.
30. Click on the Link Object in the toolbar and draw a link FROM
the Container Object TO the input area (the open space) of the
Branch Object (Figure 31).
Figure 31: Draw a link from the Container Object to the
input area of the Branch Object.
31. Double-click on your Branch Object and fill in the numeric values
you recorded in the previous half of the project (Figure 32). Remember,
you
can always preview your project again to discover those if you need to.
Figure 32: Filling in the values in the Branch Object
32. Bring in the pictures that will be linked to the
values in the Branch Object:
Pictures have been included for each of the points in this project.
They have been sized to be no bigger than 150 pixels in any one
direction. Use those pictures for this part of the exercise.
Click on the Graphic icon in the toolbar and bring in the pictures, one
at a time.
Position the pictures on the frame where you will want them to show
up when the project runs (Figure 33).
Figure 33: Pictures are placed in position on the frame.
33. Each picture is supposed to show up when the car
reaches a certain point on the path. Those points have numeric values.
The values are noted in the parts of the Branch Object. We need to link
each value
to the appropriate picture. To do that, click on the Link Object in the
tool bar and draw a link from the value, let's say the 2 in the branch,
to the appropriate picture. In Figure 34, we see each of the pictures
linked
to the correct section in the Branch Object.
Let's review how this works:
The car drives along the path. The path is sending information to the
Container Object. The Container Object is passing that information
along to the Branch Object. The Branch Object waits for a match for one
of the values in it. As soon as it gets a match, it sends information
down the link to tell the picture to show up. Pretty cool, eh?!
Figure 34: Links drawn from Branch Object to the corresponding picture.
34. Frame title: We're going to
create our title. Click on the text object. Type: Our Tour of the Lower
48. Highlight the text. Click on Format > Text (Figure 35). Make the
text Arial, 48, and bold.
Figure 35: Text for title is about to be
formatted.
35. Grab one of the corners of the text
box
and click, hold, and drag it out so that the text will fit in a single
line
across the top of the frame. Move the title into place on the frame
(Figure
36).
Figure 36: The textbox has been stretched out so
that the text fits across the top of the screen in a single line.
36. Let's
get rid of the white area around our title. eZediaMX allows you to
make the background of a text object transparent. We're going to do
that next.
- Double-click on the Text Object to bring up
the Text Object Information dialog box. Give the object a title. Click
on the arrow next to Draw and choose Transparent (Figure 37).
- Click OK.
Figure 37: Text Object Information dialog box
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37. Adding labels
to our pictures: We're going to create text labels for each of our
pictures. They will show up when the picture appears. We'll create one
text box; format the text; then, duplicate that
box using CTRL and D. Next, we'll highlight the existing text and type
a
new title.
- Click on the text object again in the toolbar.
- Type: Santee Reserve (I know mine says Santee
Conservancy, but it more properly is the Santee Reserve.)
- Highlight the text.
- Click on Format > Text
- Choose Arial, 16, Bold
- Click OK.
With the textbox still selected, hold down the
control key and touch the letter D (CTRL + D). Highlight the text and
type a new label.
The labels for the pictures I've supplied are:
- Santee Reserve
- Hofwyl Plantation
- Rice Field
- San Antonio Mission
Move each label and place it in position by the
correct picture.
38. Linking the pictures and the labels:
This is done quite simply using our Link Object again.
- Click the Link Object
- Click on the picture and draw a link FROM the
picture TO the text label
- Let go of your mouse
- Do that with each picture.
Figure 38: Pictures linked to labels.
39. Preview your project. Were there any problems? If
something didn't show up, the odds are that you didn't have a link to
it
or you drew the link going the wrong direction. Check your links first.
40. The Container Object is still visible. Now, that's a
problem - but easy to solve. We wanted it visible while we were
developing the project. We don't want to see it running while we're
showing our project. Double-click on the Container Object and UNCHECK
visible. Click on OK. That's all there is to it.
41. Preview your project again.
42. Have you noticed that if you get distracted by anything, you might
miss the very beginning of your project? We can fix that problem by
adding a button to start our car on its way. It is also considered
polite to give people a way to stop your project, so we're also going
to create a Quit
button.
The Quit Button:
- Click on Button Object in the tool bar.
- Move the button to the lower left corner of
the frame.
- Double-click on the button.
- Click next to Type of button. From the
drop-down menu, choose Quit (Figure 39).
- Type Quit in the Title area.
- Click on color and choose yellow.
- Click OK.
Figure 39: Properties of the Quit button
The Button to Start our Project:
- Click on Button Object in the tool bar.
- Move the button to the lower left side of the
frame.
- Double-click on the button.
- Leave button type as Normal Button.
- Type "Start the Tour" in the Title area.
- Click on color and choose bright green.
- Click OK.
- Stretch the button by dragging on one of the
handles until the entire label fits on the button.
- Click on the Link Object in the toolbar
- Draw a link FROM the button TO
the path (Figure 40).
- Notice that after you let go of the
mouse, the link arrow will move to the center of the path. That's
normal (see Figure 38 for the full-screen).
Figure 40: Linking the start button to the path
43. Okay, the Start button is in place, as is the
Quit button. Our pictures are all linked to their labels and they all
show
up. Let's preview the project again. Your starting screen should look
something like the following. Don't forget that this time you'll have
to click on
the Start the Tour button to get the project to begin.
Figure 41: Our opening frame for the project with the buttons added.
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Challenges and Extensions:
1. How could you use this as the opening to a larger
project?
2. What about adding voice files and movie clips?
3. Could students create a tour through a chapter in a textbook where
each section of the project would highlight some major issue in the
chapter
and what they learned about it?
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