Settings for Adobe Flash Application File Billboards and Image Billboards

InstallShield 2013 Express Edition » Billboards View

A Flash or image billboard’s settings determine which file is shown, how long it is displayed, and its position on the screen. To access these settings, open the Billboards view, and in the Billboards explorer, select the billboard that you want to configure.

Setting

Description

File Name

Do one of the following:

•

For an Adobe Flash application file billboard—Enter the path to the Flash application file (.swf) that you would like to use for the selected billboard, or click the ellipsis button (...) to browse to the file.

Flash application files can consist of videos, movies, sounds, interactive interfaces, games, text, and more—anything that is supported by the .swf type of file. It is recommended that files such as Flash video files (.flv) and MP3 audio files be embedded in the .swf file so that they are available locally on the target system during file transfer. Although .swf files can reference external files that you can post on a Web site, this external implementation would require that end users have an Internet connection.

•

For an image billboard—Enter the path to the image file (.bmp, .gif, .jpg, or .jpeg) that you would like to use for the selected billboard, or click the ellipsis button (...) to browse to the file.

Note that animated .gif files are not supported. If you want to use animation in a billboard, consider using an Adobe Flash application file billboard.

Note: If the version of Flash or other tool that you use to create your .swf file is newer than the version of the Flash Player that is installed on a target system, it is possible that some of the Flash features may not work as expected on that target system.

Duration

Enter the amount of time, in seconds, that this billboard should be displayed. The number that you enter must be from 1 to 32767 (which is a little more than 9 hours).

The effect that the duration has on the run-time behavior depends on whether the installation is displaying a Flash billboard or image billboards. To learn more, see Run-Time Behavior of an Installation that Includes Billboards.

Origin

Select where on the screen you want your billboard to be anchored. Available options are:

•

Upper Right

•

Upper Left

•

Lower Right

•

Lower Left

•

Centered

The X and Y coordinates are measured from this point.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

X Coordinate

To change the horizontal location of your billboard relative to the location you selected for the Origin setting, enter the distance, in pixels. For example, if the billboard’s origin is Lower Left, an X Coordinate value of 100 places the left side of the billboard 100 pixels from the left side of the screen.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Y Coordinate

To change the vertical location of your billboard relative to the location you selected for the Origin setting, enter the distance, in pixels. For example, if the billboard’s origin is Lower Left, a Y Coordinate value of 100 places the bottom of the billboard 100 pixels from the bottom of the screen.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Effect

Select the transition effect for this billboard. Rather than just appearing on the screen and disappearing after an allotted amount of time, a transition effect makes the change between billboards much smoother.

Note: This setting is applies to image billboards, but not to Adobe Flash application file billboards.

In addition, this setting is used only if the Windowed with Standard Progress option or the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Background Color

This setting displays the currently selected background color for your billboard. To change this color, click the ellipsis button (...). InstallShield displays the Color dialog box, which lets you select a predefined color or define a custom color for the background.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Title

Enter the title of this billboard, as you want it to appear in the upper-left corner of the background.

Tip: The maximum number of characters that the installation can display for the title at run time varies, depending on the font, the font size, the font attributes, and the length of the title string that you specify for this setting. It also depends on the screen resolution on the target system. Therefore, if you specify a long title, preview the billboard using different screen resolutions to test whether the entire title will be displayed at run time.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Background Style

Select the style of background that you would like to use. Available options are:

•

Gradient—The background fades from dark to light.

•

Solid—The background is displayed as one solid color.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Font

Click the ellipsis (...) button to select the font that you want to use for the title in the selected billboard’s background. If the target machine does not have the font you selected, a default system font is used instead.

Note: This setting is used only if the Fullscreen with Small progress (displayed in lower right) option is selected for the Billboard Type setting.

Settings for Adobe Flash Application File Billboards and Image Billboards

InstallShield Express Edition Help Library

June 2013