Macromedia's PowerApplets Hit the Web

This week I focus on a new form of Shockwave overtaking other multimedia applications on the Internet--PowerApplets.

PowerApplets!

PowerApplets allow you to easily add multimedia to your Web sites. They consist of Shockwave for Director and Java applets that Macromedia has assembled to make it easy to achieve all of the benefits of Shockwave without a knowledge of any of the complex programming that can sometimes be required. PowerApplets can be customized, allowing you to create page designs that fit your specific needs. If you use Backstage Designer to design your Web sites, you can create multimedia-based Web pages with a few clicks.

Let's look at some of the information that Macromedia has made available on the first two Director PowerApplets that have been made available. If you click on the "MORE INFO" for each of these applets you will be linked to the main page on Macromedia's site for the respective PowerApplet.

PowerApplet Name: Animator

Primary Function: Adds animation to your Web sites.

General Description: Animator can be used to animate an existing image (or series of images) quickly and without having to use any complex programming languages. You can specify an image or animation to enter, hold and exit a defined area of a web page. Animations can be set up to play only once, or repeatedly.

Main Features Available: Some of the general features in this PowerApplet include

• Import Image
• Import Animation
• Select the animation path, time, and speed
• Path Options
• Time Options
• Animation Speed
• General settings to control animation playback
• Select a display area size for your animation
• Stage Size Icon
• Play/Stop
• Save animation as Shockwave
• Save as Shockwave Button

MORE INFO on the Animator PowerApplet

PowerApplet Name: Icons

Primary Function: Adds animated icons to your Web sites.

General Description: Icons supply an assortment of animated icons, bullets, and objects for royalty-free use in Web page designs. You can select from a collection of styles, functions, add a URL, and then save a Shockwave file for insertion in your Web site.

Main Features Available: Some of the general features in this PowerApplet are

• Browse the icons collection
• Selecting an icon
• Entering a URL for an icon
• Deleting a URL
• Qui the Application
• Quit Button

MORE INFO on the Icons PowerApplet
Make sure to check out all the other PowerApplets Macromedia has to offer. They have several cool Java applets available now from the Macromedia Web site. Sorry, but we'll only cover the Shockwave/Director-related PowerApplets here. Until next week...

Past installments of Simply Shocking