| ThingMaker Documentation Chapter 11) ThingViewer

| ThingViewer ThingViewer is a Web browser plug-in that lets you play ThingMaker Scene files (*.tms) inside Web pages. Two versions of the plug-in are available: one that supports Microsoft Internet Explorer and one that supports Netscape Navigator and Communicator. The plug-ins support only Windows 95/NT.

Installation
You need a plug-in to "see" Things in Web pages. If you have visited our website at www.thingworld.com, you have probably already installed the ThingViewer plug-in, if not, you can use the following installers:

- ThingViewer Install - Microsoft.exe
  This installer places the following files in the Windows\Occache directory:

  ThingV2.ocx
  ThingV2.inf

- ThingViewer Install - Netscape.exe
  If you have both Navigator and Communicator installed, the installer will place a copy of the plug-in in each application's plug-in directory. This installer places the following files in the plug-in directory of the browser application:

  NPThingV.dll
  ThingPlugin.class

  If you have two copies of Navigator installed (say 3.01 and 3.03), ThingViewer will install the plug-in in only one of the application's plug-in directories.

  Installing and starting ThingViewer
  Installing ThingViewer varies depending upon which browser you are using. If you have already visited the www.thingworld.com website, or another site that contains Things, the plug-in may have been downloaded automatically, and you will not need to install the viewer manually.

  If you do want to install the viewer manually, we provide two separate applications to install the appropriate plug-in.

  Netscape Navigator and Communicator
  1. If you are currently running the browser, you should quit while performing the installation process.

  2. Launch ThingViewer Install - Netscape.exe.

  3. At the install screen, click the Finish Button.

  4. A Window should appear that reads:

  "Click OK to install the ThingViewer plug-in to your Netscape plug-ins directory." Click OK.

  5. A message which reads "Files copied successfully" should appear. Click OK.

  6. A Window appears providing the option to go to the ThingWorld website. Click Yes or No to exit the installation process.

  Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or 4.0
  1. If you are currently running the browser, you should quit while performing the installation process.

  2. Launch ThingViewer. Install - Microsoft.exe.

  3. At the install screen, click the Finish Button.

  4. A Window should appear that reads: "Click OK to install the ThingViewer plug-in to your OCCACHE directory."

  5. Click OK.

  6. A message which reads "The new ThingViewer Control has been successfully copied and registered" should appear. Click OK.

  7. A Window appears providing the option to go to the ThingWorld website. Click Yes or No to exit the installation process.

  Testing ThingViewer
  We recommend that you visit the ThingWorld website (www.thingworld.com) to check that the installation has been successful. If it's not, consider the following:

  1. Do you need to restart your browser after installation?

  2. Are you running Windows 95/NT?

  3. Does your Browser support the plug-in?

  4. Do you have enough memory?

  5. Do you have multiple copies of the same browser installed?

  Using ThingViewer
  ThingViewer is launched whenever your browser finds a page containing a ThingMaker Scene file, as long as the HTML tag is valid. ThingViewer provides you with several options when viewing a Scene within your Web browser.

  Context Menu
  If you right mouse-click in the ThingViewer Scene, you will see a context menu which provides several options:

  Play
  Click the play Button to play the Scene. This function is disabled if the Scene is already playing.

  Stop
  Stop the Scene playing, click this Button. This function is disabled if the Scene is not playing.

  Save Scene
  Brings up a Save File Dialog which lets you save the Scene File (*.tms) to your hard disk. If you save a Scene that contains some Things that are Locked with the Prevent Reuse option, only the elements that aren't locked will be saved. If the Things in the Scene are locked, the "Save Scene" option will not be available.

  Copy Thing
  Copies the Thing that was clicked on, when you right-mouse clicked into the Clipboard. You can then go to ThingMaker and paste the Thing into the current Scene. This function will be disable if the selected Thing has been Locked with Prevent Reuse.

  Copy HTML tag
  Pastes a tag for the Scene into the Clipboard. If none of the Things in the Scene can be saved, that is they're Locked for Reuse, this option will not be available.

  Place on Active Desktop
  Adds the selected Thing to the Active Desktop. This function is only available if you are running Internet Explorer 4.0. This function will be disabled if the selected Thing has been Locked with Prevent Reuse.

  Copyright
  Displays the ThingViewer Copyright Window. This Window displays information about the Thing, such as Copyright Holder and the Credits for others who may have worked on the Thing. Clicking on the Copyright button, or the Credit names (blue text), takes you to the ThingWorld ID page for the person/organization listed.

  Get ThingMaker
  Jumps to the www.thingworld.com website.

  About ThingViewer
  Displays the About Box for ThingViewer.

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