Use the "Video" dialog to specify a video that you wish to be presented in the Learning Station as content for the objective.
Note that you don't author the video here. The video must already exist. Here, you just give the http address of the video and select some presentation options.
Several types of video are supported: Flash, QuickTime, Real Media, and Windows Media.
The video gets embedded in an HTML page that is defined by the "template" .htm file that you select, combined with the title and text that you enter.
Internal Representation and Copy & Paste Buttons
Internally, the Video Properties are collectively represented and encapsulated as an HTML object—that is, as HTML source code in this form:
<OBJECT> ... </OBJECT>
This is mentioned in order to help you better understand the Copy and Paste buttons. The Copy button translates the video properties to the representative HTML object code (in the Windows clipboard). The Paste button does the opposite: it translates HTML object code (that you have copied earlier to the clipboard) to the equivalent video settings.
Thus, one thing you can do using the Copy and Paste buttons is copy video settings from one objective to another. However, what might be more useful is using the Paste button to fill in the video properties with an object that you copied from outside VISION.
Document Properties
Title
Optional. The title that you enter here appears on the HTML page that presents the video object, in the place designated for the title by the template.
This is a fully formatted (RTF) text field. You may wish to center the title, enlarge it, color it, etc.
Text
Optional. The text that you enter here appears on the HTML page that presents the video object, in the place designated for the text by the template. Here you can enter a description of the video, or instructions, or whatever seems appropriate.
This is a fully formatted (RTF) text field. You may wish to center the text, enlarge it, color it, etc.
Template, File Date, Last Applied, and Apply
Template
This is the file that supplied the containing page in which the video is embedded. A template file is like a "shell" or framework, with empty, marked locations in which the video object, video title, and so forth, get inserted. In addition, a template might specify such properties as a background color and background picture.
The template file is copied and combined with the properties on this dialog to build the complete HTML page that gets stored in the VISION database. This copying happens only when a template is "applied". That means that any changes to a template file have no effect upon any existing video content that was built from that template—until the template is reapplied to that content. Even if a template file is lost or deleted, no existing video content is affected.
File Date
This is the current timestamp on the template file that was used in the construction of this video content.
This will read "File not found" if the template file no longer exists in that location. If the template file is newer than when it was last applied to this video content, then the timestamp will appear in red text, to alert you to this fact. Perhaps that means the template has been improved, and so perhaps you might want to reapply it.
Last Applied
This is the time at which the template file was last applied—that is, copied and combined with the properties on this dialog to build the complete video HTML page.
Apply
Click to apply a different template or the same template. A file browser opens, for you to select the template file.
Why reapply the same template? Because it might have been improved or corrected since it was last applied. If the template is now newer than when it was last applied, the "File Date" appears in red text to alert you to this fact.
What happens when a template is "applied" is that a copy of the template file is combined (merged) with the properties on this window to build the complete HTML video page that constitutes this video content object.
Applying a template isn't final until you click the OK button. So you can apply a template and click Preview to see what the resulting HTML page looks like, without yet committing to a permanent change.
Video Properties
Video HTTP Address (URL)
Enter the http address of the video here. The address needs to be an Internet-style address. A file-system path (example: \\server1\directory\video.mov) won't work.
If you type in this box, then, as you type, matching suggestions from recently visited URLs will be presented. You may select from these suggestions using the Enter key or the mouse.
Video Type
Identify the type of video here. The video file name extension may indicate the type. Typically:
.mov = QuickTime
.ram = Real Media
.wmv = Windows Media
Width
If you know the video's proper width, enter it here. Otherwise, consider experimenting a little with different widths. The Preview button is convenient for that.
If "Show controls" is on, the width may need to equal or exceed a certain minimum value in order for the control bar to show all the controls. This requirement has been observed with QuickTime movies.
Height
If you know the video's proper height, enter it here. Otherwise, consider experimenting a little with different heights. The Preview button is convenient for that.
The height value represents the height of the video pane alone. If "Show controls" or "Show border" is on, the actual total height will be greater, owing to the presence of the control bar or border. (Exception: For Flash videos, the height value represents the combined height of the video pane and the control bar, which is always present.)
Show Controls
This setting governs whether a control bar appears beneath (and attached to) the video pane. The control bar includes controls such as play, pause, rewind, volume, etc. Note that the control bar is always included for Flash videos.
Without a control bar, some of the same controls are still available on the video pane's right-click menu. But naturally, the control bar is more evident and user-friendly than the menu.
Auto Start
Whether the video starts playing automatically.
Loop Playback
Whether the video plays in a continuous loop, automatically starting again each time it reaches the end.
Preview
Preview allows you to see the resulting video content without having to leave this dialog or even save your changes.
Copy
This copies the Video Properties to the Windows clipboard, in the form of an HTML "object". This is the same form in which those properties are stored in the database. (The Document Properties do not participate in the Copy or Paste operations.)
One use of Copy is for copying video settings from one objective to another. To do that, after clicking Copy, you would then open this dialog for another objective and click the Paste button.
Paste
You should use this only when the Windows clipboard contains the HTML object code for a video.
That will be true if your last clipboard-copy action was done through the Copy button on this dialog, or if you manually selected and copied video object code from some other window. In the present context, "video object code" means a block of HTML source code bounded by the HTML <object> tags; that is, a block of text in this form:
<OBJECT> ... </OBJECT>
See Also
