Online Helps & Help-Authoring Tools:
Online-Help Formatting Project
The following includes the instructions, graphics, and unformatting text for this online-help formatting project. Use whichever online-help authoring application you can access.
- Name this project file with your name, the sequence number, and the draft version of this assignment.
- The help-formatting project is probably the second assignment you'll send directly to your instructor, so name it 02.
- If it's the first draft of this assignment you've sent (not a revision), name it 02a. If it's the first revision, name it 02b.
- If your name is Charlie Brown and you use RoboHELP HTML, name the first draft of this project charlie_brown02a.chm; the first revision, charlie_brown02b.chm. If you use some other help-authoring tool whose compiled help files end with .hlp, name it charlie_brown02a.hlp, and so on.
- Expect to receive e-mail confirmation that your instructor has received your
files. If not, contact your instructor.
Formatting Instructions
The unformatted text below comes from helps for a media player. I've changed the product name. Your job is to:
- Break the text into separate chunks (marked off by the line of = signs) and create help topics for each one.
- Format the text of each topic as appropriately: create headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, highlighting, tables — whatever the text requires.
- Remember that readers must be able to scan helps quickly. Use numbered or bulleted lists whenever it is both reasonable and possible. Use bulleted lists for alternative methods; do what you can to avoid single-bulleted or single-numbered lists.
- Create a table of contents for the entire help system. Arrange and sequence the topics under at least two books.
- Create an index for this project, using bookmarks to point at locations within topics as well as to the top of topics.
- Create popup helps for occurrences of the four terms at the top of the unformatted text.
- Create related-information links at the bottom of the topics where applicable.
- Use relatively small fonts.
- Keep the help window size small—for example, about one third of the vertical space of the screen.
- Use bold for button and options that users must click but not for window or screen names
- Add a a solid ruled line just above all occurrences of "Related Topics."
- Do any additional formatting as you like (for example, background color, font color, color for headings, special format for notes, and so on.)
- Use the graphics in the image at the left . You'll have to break this graphic file into 6 separate images and then place the individual images in order in the "Understanding the status line" topic.
When you complete this project, send the compiled help file to hcexres@io.com as an e-mail attachment.
Unformatted Help Text
Here's the unformatted text! The = lines separate the topics.
==========================================================================
Pop-ups:
==========================================================================
Streaming media -- An individual audio, video, or multimedia file,
transmitted across a network, that OpenSource Media Player can begin
playing with little delay, instead of waiting for an entire file to
download before playing it. As a streaming media file is transmitted
to your computer, part of the file is stored in memory before playback
begins. While the file plays, OpenSource Media Player stores other parts
of the stream to play. OpenSource Media Player also supports intelligent
streaming, which monitors network conditions and automatically makes
adjustments to ensure the best reception and playback.
Clip -- An individual audio, video, or multimedia file.
Show -- A collection of one or more files that play in order when a media
file is opened. A clip is an individual audio, video, or multimedia file.
View -- An arrangement of the components that appear in the player window.
The components are the video area, Seek bar, Go To bar, controls, display
area, and the status line.
===========================================================================
Topics:
===========================================================================
Introducing OpenSource Media Player
OpenSource Media Player is a universal media player you can use to receive
audio, video, and mixed-media files in most popular formats. Use OpenSource
Media Player to listen to or view live news updates or broadcasts of your
favorite sports team, to review a music video on a Web site, to "attend" a
concert or seminar, or to preview clips from a new movie. Take a look at the
features that make OpenSource Media Player the most comprehensive, simple,
and efficient multimedia player:
Simplified playing of a wide range of file types
Easily tailored to meet your preferences
High-quality multimedia experience
Quick access to media content
===========================================================================
Playing media files
Click a link in a Web page that points to the media content you want to
play, or double-click a media file or icon in Windows Explorer or on your
desktop.
Tips
·If you know the URL or path to a streaming media file or a stored multimedia
file you want to play, click the File menu, click Open, and then type the URL
or path. Or click Browse to search for the file.
·To save an open non-streaming media file, click the File menu, click Save As,
and then type the path and name where you want to save the file. Save As is
unavailable if the file is a streaming media file.
Related Topics
Finding media files to play on the Web
Media format supported by Media Player
===========================================================================
Finding media files to play on the Web
Most of the time, you play streaming media files by clicking a link in a Web
page. The Favorites menu contains several preset links to Web pages with
interesting content. To gain access to more media files, click the Media Guide
button or the Music button on the Navigation bar. To access radio stations,
click the Radio button.
Related Topics
Playing media files
============================================================================
Using the player controls
The player controls appear below the video area in the player window,
if they are included in the current view. Depending on the file you are playing,
some of the controls may not be available.
This control Does this
Play
Begins playing the open media file. By default, a file begins to play
automatically when it is opened.
Pause
Pauses the open media file.
Click Play to resume.
Stop
Stops the playback of the current file. Stop does not close the file or your
connection to a server.
Skip Back
Returns to the beginning of the current clip or, if at the beginning, returns
to the beginning of the previous clip. Only available if the clip is part of a
show.
Rewind
Rewinds the current clip. Only available with certain types of stored (not live)
media. When you release the Rewind button, OpenSource Media Player begins playing
again.
Fast Forward
Advances forward through the clip. Only available with certain types of stored
(not live) media. When you release the Fast forward button, OpenSource Media Player
begins playing again.
Skip Forward
Begins playing the beginning of the next clip. Only available if a show is open.
Preview
Plays a short section of each clip in a show. Usually, each clip plays for 10
seconds, but an individual show may have a different preview duration.
Mute
Silences the audio content of the file. Click Mute again to hear the soundtrack.
The Mute button is unavailable if your computer does not have a sound card or sound
driver installed.
Volume Control
Controls the volume level of the content you are viewing. The volume slider is
unavailable if your computer does not have a sound card or sound driver installed.
The volume slider does not appear if the content has no soundtrack.
Related Topics
What are the components of the player window?
====================================================================================
What are the components of the player window?
The view you select and the file you are playing determine which components appear
in the player window. The following components can be displayed:
·Navigation bar. Includes Forward and Back buttons to open media files you played
earlier in the session and the Media Guide, Music, and Radio buttons, which provide
access to a wide range of media files.
·Video area. Displays the video content of the file that is playing. This can
include advertising banners.
·Captioning area. Displays closed captioning, if provided in the media file. This
area appears only if you have selected Captions on the View menu and if you have
Internet Explorer 4.0 or later installed.
·Seek bar. Indicates the progress of the current clip. When content makes the Seek
bar available, you can drag the progress indicator to select a place in the clip to
start playing.
·Controls. The Play, Pause, Stop, Skip Forward, Skip Backward, Rewind, Fast Forward,
Preview, Mute, and Volume Control controls work the same as the controls on a compact
disc player.
·Go To bar. Displays a list of markers in the media file; the markers are much like
tracks on a compact disc. Not all media files have markers. When you select a marker
from the list, OpenSource Media Player begins playing the section of the media file
associated with that marker.
·Display area. Can contain the following information, if it is included in the media
file: show title, clip title, author, and copyright.
·Status line. Displays the current status of the player (for example, connecting,
buffering, playing, or paused), reception quality, the elapsed time and total time
(if applicable) of the file playing, and icons for sound and closed captioning.
Related Topics
Using the player controls
=====================================================================================
Understanding the status line
The status line shows the current activity of the player (such as connecting, playing,
paused, or buffering) and the quality of the reception. The status line also indicates
the elapsed time and total time (if applicable) in a clip, the audio status (mono,
stereo, or no audio), and whether the content is accompanied by closed captioning.
The status icons, which indicate the current activity and playback quality, are
described below. If you point to the status icon in the player window, a message
displays the reception quality and the current bit and frame rates.
This icon Means this
OpenSource Media Player is opening the selected media file.
OpenSource Media Player is connecting to the requested server.
OpenSource Media Player is buffering, which means that it is storing media
content to play. Buffering prevents skips in the playback of the media file.
OpenSource Media Player is able to receive the highest video bandwidth, or
100% of the transmitted video content. Video quality is excellent.
OpenSource Media Player is receiving the lower video bandwidth (fewer kilobits
per second), or 80-99% of the transmitted video content. Video quality is
adequate.
OpenSource Media Player is receiving only part of the lower video bandwidth,
or about 60-79% of the transmitted video content. Video quality is poor.
OpenSource Media Player is playing the audio content only because it is
receiving too little (40-59%) of the video content.
OpenSource Media Player is receiving less than 40% of the content of the media
file, and is therefore unable to play the file.
Related Topics
What are the components of the player window?
===================================================================================
Adjusting the volume
Use the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys on the keyboard to raise and lower the
volume, or drag or click the volume control slider if it appears in the player
window.
To mute the sound, press CTRL+M, or click the Mute button if it appears in the
player window.
==================================================================================
Playing a media file repeatedly
1 On the View menu, click Options.
2 On the Playback tab, click Play, and then type the number of times you
want to play files.
To play a file repeatedly until you stop the playback or close OpenSource Media
Player, click Repeat forever.
==================================================================================
Viewing closed captioning
On the View menu, click Captions, if it is available. Not all media files
provide closed captioning. To turn captioning off, click Captions again.
Note
When captioning is turned on, the player window is expanded vertically,
allowing
space below the video area for the captioning text. However, the size of the
video may decrease.
==============================================================================
Understanding intelligent streaming
Intelligent streaming is a OpenSource Media technology that automatically
detects network conditions and adjusts the properties of a video stream to
maximize quality. This technology was developed because Internet connections
are highly variable in terms of actual throughput achieved for any specific
connection and range of possible connection speeds; this variability can have
a deleterious effect on the reception of streaming media. Intelligent streaming
depends on content being encoded at multiple bit rates. This gives OpenSource
Media Player a variety of video streams to switch to when available network
bandwidth fluctuates.
Intelligent streaming uses the following strategies when streaming content
to the player:
1 At connection, the server and client automatically determine the current available
bandwidth, then the server selects and serves the video stream at the appropriate
bit rate.
2 During transmission, if the available bandwidth decreases, the server automatically
detects the change and switches to a lower bandwidth stream. If bandwidth improves,
the server switches to a higher bandwidth stream.
3 If bandwidth can no longer support streaming video, intelligent streaming attempts
to maintain a continuous audio stream and decreases the video frame rate to minimize
interruptions caused by buffering. If the bit rate is still too high, the server stops
sending video frames, resulting in an audio-only stream. If audio quality starts to
degrade, the client attempts to reconstruct portions of the stream to preserve quality.
==================================================================================
Media formats supported by OpenSource Media Player
The following types of media files can be played by OpenSource Media Player. When you
open a stored file that has one of the extensions listed below, either by double-
clicking a file icon or a link in a Web page, OpenSource Media Player starts.
OpenSource Media formats
File name extensions: .avi, .asf, .asx, .rmi, .wav, .wma, .wax
Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG)
File name extensions: .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .mpe
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
File name extensions: .mid, .rmi
Apple QuickTime®, Macintosh® AIFF Resource
File name extensions: .qt, .aif, .aifc, .aiff, .mov
UNIX formats
File name extensions: .au, .snd
Note
To view or change properties for a specific media format, begin playing a
file using that media format, click the View menu, and then click Settings.
Related Topics
Playing media files