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Q: I think I've come up with a solution for creating one book for both DHTML and CD with the emphasis on DHTML. Firstly, we do .wmv video's and some .swf files in nearly every .tbk book we have. We use Action Script to find a server name if the video is ran off of a server. If it isn't on a server, it plays the video locally using a relative path. There is a lot of interaction, .mp3 audio, etc. Now, we develop our CBTs for the Aspen LMS using AICC compliance. However, we sometimes have a need to also put these CBTs onto CD for offline use. Outlined below is our new method of development: We use only Action Script (no Openscript) for any and all interaction. These CBTs can Bookmark in the LMS, Complete in the LMS, Score and Print Certificates from within the CBT (although the need for printed certificates is mute due to the online tracking of the LMS). Basically, the user has to enter his/her name before taking the exam (then the field is locked) and the name entered automatically goes into the certificate if the exam is passed. If the user fails the exam, they must retake the CBT/Exam. We also launch all of our CBTs in a full-screen mode. All that works great for the online version. So it occurred to me that I may be able to simply burn the DHTML exported CBT onto a CD-ROM along with an auto-run that launches the index.html file. So, once I finish authoring the DHTML CBT in ToolBook, I simply remove the "bookmark" feature and save a new .tbk file. Re-export and I'm nearly done. Once it's export is completed, I burn it's contents to a CD and have it auto-run from the CD. We warn our users to print any available certificates before exiting the CBT in order to get credit. The certificate is not available when/if they relaunch the CBT. It has worked great so far. With this method, they don't have to install any CD-ROM application, but they lose some features (such as bookmarking and the ability to print certificates later). Any time the CBT is launched from the CD, it's like starting a fresh new CBT. So my question is: Does anybody have any reason why I shouldn't be putting DHTML exports on CD's that get mass duplicated and sent around the world? On the CD label, we put minimum system requirements such as IE version number, windows media player version number, flash version, etc. Is there any reason, technically, that I shouldn't be doing this? I'd hate to go burn 5,000 copies of CDs when I might get a lot of bad feedback from our users.

A: This may not impact your situation but it does remind me of a problem I have encountered. We had an application where the students installed media files on their hard drive and ran the content from Aspen. We had actions to synchronize hiding and showing objects based on the media position of the flash file. The flash files were made with flash 6 and worked great when the export set was on the hard drive, but the sync actions failed when run from aspen. This was because, as we found out, due to security parameters in flash 6 that prevented calls to the media file if they came from a different domain. In other words the application and the media had to be on the same "server". We recompiled the flash in flash 5 and then everything worked as expected. I don't know why you would have to remove the bookmark feature you refer to and then re-export the book. If you exit with an exit lms action the application should send a bookmark to the LMS. If there is no LMS, then no harm no foul. Perhaps you might want to detect when the book is run, whether it is from a server, or locally and create a variable that routines can look to and execute or not. This might save you from doing a complete re export and having 2 sets of books. For books that you deliver on CD I imagine that you would have some sort of menu book that provides links to the content. When you export that menubook, or any book that you want the users to launch initially, check the export option to create an autorun file so that the menubook will be open when the CD is inserted in to the users computer. .

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