A Tutorial on Authorware

by

David R. DeVaux

Project and Report submitted to the Faculty of the

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF SCIENCE

IN

COMPUTER SCIENCE

APPROVED:

______________________________
Dr. Edward Fox, Chair

_____________________ ____________________
Dr. John Carroll Dr. Mary Beth Rosson

April 25, 1996

Blacksburg, Virginia

Keywords: Authorware, Authoring, Multimedia, CBT

Copyright 1996 David R. DeVaux

 A TUTORIAL ON AUTHORWARE

by

David DeVaux

Dr. Edward Fox, Chairman

Computer Science

Abstract
Authorware is an icon-based multimedia authoring tool which allows the rapid development
of complex interactive multimedia projects, particularly courseware and kiosk applications,
for both the Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems. This project consists
of three main elements: interactive courseware, written in Authorware, which teaches the
student basic concepts involved in Authorware programming, and demonstrates the
function of each of the icons used to program in Authorware; a tutorial through which
students are given the opportunity to use Authorware to incorporate various media
elements, including written audio, graphics, video, and text, into their own interactive
courseware; and various course materials, including a statement of objectives, study
questions, and quiz questions. These materials were developed for use in the Virginia Tech
Computer Science course CS4984 (Multimedia, Hypertext, and Information Access) as
part of the unit on System and Application Construction.

dator8.info
 Acknowledgment
I would like to thank Dr. Edward Fox for his guidance and support, Dr. Carroll and Dr.
Rosson for being on my committee, Mary Miller for allowing me to use Interactive Design
and Developments facilities and resources, and, last but not least, my wife Jeannette for
her patience and understanding.

iii

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 Table of Contents
ABSTRACT..........................................................................................ii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT............................................................................iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i v

TABLE OF FIGURES...............................................................................v

1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................1
1.1 A UTHORWARE .....................................................................................................................1
1.2 MOTIVATION FOR P ROJECT ....................................................................................................6
2. RELATED LITERATURE AND WORKS.....................................................8

3. COURSEWARE DEVELOPED FOR CS4984................................................9

3.1 I NTERACTIVE AUTHORWARE INTRODUCTION...........................................................................10
3.1.1 Overview...................................................................................................................11
3.1.2 Icons.........................................................................................................................13
3.2 T UTORIAL ........................................................................................................................14
3.3 O THER MATERIALS ............................................................................................................21
4. EVALUATION OF COMPLETED STUDENT TUTORIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2

5. EVALUATION OF STUDENT ANSWERS TO QUIZ QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4

6. USE OF TUTORIAL AT SNE................................................................27

7. CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9

BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................30

APPENDIX A - TUTORIAL......................................................................31

APPENDIX B - UNIT MATERIALS............................................................71

APPENDIX C - QUIZ QUESTIONS............................................................73

APPENDIX D - QUIZ ANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 5

VITA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 9

iv

dator8.info
 Table of Figures
F IGURE 1 : A UTHORWARE ICON P ALETTE ......................................................................................3
F IGURE 2 : EXAMPLE F LOWLINE..................................................................................................3
F IGURE 3 : EXAMPLE DESIGN WINDOW.........................................................................................4
F IGURE 4 : EXAMPLE P RESENTATION WINDOW ..............................................................................4
F IGURE 5 : O VERVIEW, PAGE 1..................................................................................................11
F IGURE 6 : O VERVIEW, PAGE 2..................................................................................................12
F IGURE 7 : I CON INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................13
F IGURE 8 : I NITIAL TUTORIAL C ODE (AS GIVEN TO THE S TUDENT)..................................................16
F IGURE 9 : (COMPLETED ) TUTORIAL C ODE ..................................................................................16
F IGURE 10 : A UTHORWARE LIBRARY ..........................................................................................17
F IGURE 11 : SAMPLE S CREEN FROM C OMPLETED TUTORIAL ............................................................19
F IGURE 12 : CODE FOR P RECEDING S CREEN .................................................................................19

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1. Introduction
1 . 1 Authorware

Authorware is an icon-based authoring environment developed by Macromedia,

Inc. [Macromedia, Inc. 1992b] The version used for this project, 2.0, was released in
1992. A newer version, 3.0, was released in 1995. This version introduces two new
icons, the navigation and framework icons, which the Authorware programmer can utilize
to create complex program flow structures and subroutine-like constructs. Hypertext
capability was also added with this version. The next release, 3.5, will provide the ability
to create courseware which can be used over the World Wide Web, if the user has the
appropriate plug-in for his/her Web browser. However, Authorware 2.0 was chosen for
this project because this is the version currently available to students taking the CS4984
class. The course materials developed for this project are certainly applicable to newer
versions of Authorware; they simply do not cover the new features introduced in
Authorware 3.0, and those that will be introduced in Authorware 3.5.

Authorware can be used to quickly and easily develop interactive multimedia

software incorporating text, high resolution graphics, audio, animations, and video.
Authorware is available for both the Macintosh and Microsoft Window operating systems.
In fact, Authorware programs created on Macintosh can be easily ported to the Windows
environment.

Authorware programs consist of icons, each of which performs some function

(such as displaying a graphic, providing program execution branching, or playing a movie,
among others), much like each statement in a text-based programming language. Icons are
dragged from an icon palette (Figure 1) to a "flowline" (Figure 2) to create a program -
when someone runs the program, execution proceeds from the top of the flowline to the
bottom (unless special "decision" icons or "interaction" icons affect program execution,
much like if-then statements and loop statements affect program execution flow in
conventional programming languages.)

Other authoring systems employ iconic programming (e.g., IconAuthor [AimTech

Corporation 1995]) or other approaches to simplify the task of multimedia application
development. Macromedia also distributes Director, which uses a score/timeline approach
coupled with actors properly staged [Macromedia, Inc. 1994]. On the other hand,

1
HyperCard [Apple Computer, Inc. 1993] uses an approach to application development
which employs cards on which buttons and fields are placed, each of which may
have an associated script. And, ToolBook [Asymetrix Corporation 1989] applications
consist of a group of books, each designed for a particular purpose. Authorware was
chosen for this project due to the authors experience with it, because Virginia Tech has a
site license to it, and because its hardware requirements are widely met.

2
Display icon - displays graphics and text on the screen
Animation icon - moves objects contained in display icons
Erase icon - erases objects from the screen
Wait icon - pauses execution for a given amount of time, or until the user performs
some action (like pressing a mouse button or a specified key)
Decision icon - causes program execution branching
Interaction icon - causes execution branching based on a users response
Calculation icon - evaluates expressions and execute system functions
Map icon - provides its own flowline, on which other icons can be placed,
including other map icons, and thus provides modularity
Start and stop flags - allow one to execute a particular portion of the program
delimited by these flags, useful for program debugging

Movie icon - allows movies (including QuickTime movies) to be played

Sound icon - plays digitized audio
Video icon - allows video to be played from a videodisc player

Figure 1 : Authorware Icon Palette

Figure 2 : Example Flowline

3
 There are two main kinds of windows in Authorware - Design (Figure 3) and
Presentation (Figure 4). Design windows contain the flowlines on which icons are placed
to create a program. The Presentation window is the window in which the program
executes.

Below are shown an example Design Window and the Presentation Window as it
would appear if the icons in the Design Window were executed.

Figure 3 : Example Design Window

Example

Figure 4 : Example Presentation Window

4
 Authorware allows the programmer to switch back and forth between the Design
and Presentation Windows at will. This is an extremely useful feature, as it eliminates the
need for lengthy compilation; one can immediately ensure that a new piece of code works
properly, and then make any necessary changes.

Daniel Greenberg, in a review of Authorware written for Digital Video magazine,

refers to the ability of Authorware to deliver tremendous multimedia power via a simple
graphical interface [Greenberg 1995], and indeed, the ease with which Authorware can be
used to create multimedia software makes it an extremely valuable tool. The icon-based
programming paradigm employed makes programming intuitive - if one wants to play a
movie, one simply drags a movie icon onto the flowline, and sets the appropriate attributes
in a dialog box. Thus, non-programmers can create courseware which incorporates a
variety of media elements. However, Authorware also does include icons used for
program control branching, and allows script to be included in calculation icons. So,
programmers can easily reproduce familiar constructs in Authorware that they usually
employ in languages like Pascal and C. If-then statements, case statements, and loops can
all be constructed with Authorwares icons. And, the flow-line form of an Authorware
program parallels the form of a flowchart, an object familiar to many.

In addition. Authorware provides the ability to easily create complex user

interactions. Hot-spots can be created on the screen just by drawing them with the
mouse. These hot-spots can be activated by clicking the mouse button. Or, if a touch
screen is used, they can be activated by touching them directly on the screen. (This
requires no special programming.) Push buttons, text entry areas, draggable objects, and
timed responses can all be easily created. Furthermore, Authorware provides means for
tracking and evaluating responses to these interactions.

Therefore, Authorware is quickly gaining in popularity as a tool for multimedia

development, particularly for computer based training (CBT) and kiosk applications. In
fact, NewMedia magazine awarded Authorware 3.0 the 1996 HyperAward for Computer-
Based Training Software, referring to Authorware as the market-leading computer-based
training tool [Waring, Hood 1996].

Todays competitive software market demands rapid application development.

Authorware provides high - level constructs for multimedia functions, such as displaying
graphics or playing video. Concurrency and timing functions are provided as well in

5
Authorware, which can be difficult or impossible to code in traditional languages, but are
critical in multimedia software. Authorware allows multimedia developers to concentrate
more on the design and content of the work to be developed, rather than numerous low-
level programming details.

1 . 2 Motivation for Project

Multimedia is a quickly growing field, as is computer based training (CBT). In

fact, the number of multimedia CD-ROMs shipped worldwide reached 53.9 million in
1994, up from 16.5 million in 1993 [Gregarus, Wong 1995]. And, the amount of sales
generated from multimedia CD-ROM titles is expected to grow from $584 million in 1994
to about $1.5 billion in 1996, and to about $3.9 billion in 1997, according to Forrester
Research [Manasco, Albiniak, and Bross 1995]. Thus, it is important that current and
future computer science curricula provide students the opportunity to be exposed to the
concepts and tools involved in multimedia production. There are many steps involved in
multimedia production, including graphic creation and editing; audio creation,
recording/digitizing, and editing; and video production, capturing, and editing. However,
the computer science student, through his/her education, is uniquely qualified to perform
the programming necessary to integrate these elements into multimedia
software/courseware.

Multimedia programming can be, and is often, performed in general-purpose

programming languages like C and C++. Languages like these offer the benefit of extreme
flexibility. In addition, programs written in these types of languages are usually efficient -
both in terms of speed and memory usage. However, the production of multimedia with
these types of languages is often tedious and time-consuming, as the programmer often has
to deal with timing issues and somewhat cryptic low-level drive calls.

Presentation programs, like Microsofts PowerPoint, or Aldus Persuasion, are

very high-level, and are relatively easy for the non-programmer to use. Such programs are
excellent for building slide-show multimedia presentations. However, they usually do
not allow for complex user interactions, external file handling, program branching
(conditionals and loops), and other features often necessary for developing multimedia
applications.

6
 Authoring languages, on the other hand, offer a compromise between these two
extremes. They provide high-level constructs for integrating multimedia elements. In
addition, they often have features reminiscent of general-purpose programming
languages, like branching constructs and user variables. Thus, while authoring languages
do not offer all the flexibility of lower-level general purpose languages, they are much
more flexible than presentation packages. And, application development is usually much
more rapid with authoring languages than with languages like C and C++. If necessary,
languages like C and C++ can be used to implement functions not available in the authoring
package.

Authorware is a particularly powerful authoring language. It offers a

programming-language like structure - looping constructs and conditionals are provided,
modularity can be achieved through the use of map icons and separate program modules,
and system functions can be called and expressions evaluated within calculation icons.
Yet, the author can place media elements within a program simply by dragging the
appropriate icons to the correct place on the flowline, setting a few properties, and (if
applicable) positioning the object on the screen simply by dragging it. Creating complex
user interactions also is easily and rapidly achieved. External functions (XCMDs and
XFCNs on the Macintosh, and DLLs and UCDs in Windows) can be called to perform
low-level functions that cannot be written in Authorware. Therefore, Authorware is a
particularly suitable topic of study as an environment for rapidly developing complex
multimedia applications.

Thus, under the direction of Dr. Edward Fox, I have developed course materials for
the CS4984 course to demonstrate the ease with which interactive multimedia can be
produced with Authorware, and help the student gain a basic understanding of the icon-
based method of Authorware programming (as opposed to the statement-based method to
which they are more likely to be accustomed).

7
2. Related Literature and Works
Since Authorware is a relatively new language, and has not yet received a wide-
spread following, very little literature exists regarding its use. Thus, the Users Guide
[1992] and Using Variables and Functions [1992] books provided by Macromedia as part
of the Authorware package are still the chief reference for Authorware programmers.

In addition, Macromedia provides a Tutorial [1992] book with Authorware that

teaches beginning programmers about Authorware by guiding them through the
construction of courseware that instructs the user about the basics of 35mm photography.
(While this tutorial is a valuable instructional aid, it is too involved to use as part of a one
week introductory overview of Authorware. Thus, it was not used for the CS 4984 class.)

Joe Ganci of Universal Systems, Inc. has written a three-volume set of books on
Authorware [Ganci 1995] covering Authorware internal system functions and variables, as
well as the use of external functions (XCMDs and DLLs) with Authorware.

Perhaps one of the most valuable sources of information regarding Authorware,

however, is the Authorware listserv. Here, users of Authorware at all levels of experience
share their own discoveries and ideas about Authorware programming. In addition, Peter
Arien and Paul Hamilton, both employees of Macromedia, often answer questions and give
invaluable advice here as well. This list may be subscribed to by sending e-mail with
SUBSCRIBE AWARE in the body of the message to [email protected].
Messages to the list should be sent to [email protected].

8
3. Courseware Developed for CS4984
The materials developed consist of the following:

1. Interactive courseware, written in Authorware, which teaches the student basic

concepts involved in Authorware programming, and demonstrates the function of each
of the icons used to program in Authorware.
2. A tutorial through which students are given the opportunity to use Authorware to
incorporate various media elements, including audio, graphics, video, and text, into
their own interactive courseware.
3. Various other course materials, including objectives, study questions, and quiz
questions.

These materials were developed for CS4984 (Multimedia, Hypertext, and

Information Access), a senior level class in the Computer Science department at Virginia
Tech. This is currently a Special Study course that will become a regular course (CS4624)
after 1996. The course catalog description for CS4984 is given below [Fox 1996a]:

Introduces the architectures, concepts, data, hardware, methods, models,

software, standards, structures, technologies, and issues involved with:
multimedia information and systems; hypertext and hypermedia; networked
information; electronic publishing; virtual reality; and information access.
Students will learn how to capture, represent, store, compress, manipulate,
interact with, and present: text, drawings, still images, animations, audio
and video. They will work with video conferencing, authoring systems, and
digital libraries.

CS4984 follows the Personalized System of Instruction, a teaching plan developed

by Fred S. Keller, J. Gilmour Sherman, and others. The main characteristics of this
system are given below [Keller 1968]:

go-at-your-own-pace: so students can proceed according to their

abilities, interests, and personal schedules
unit-perfection requirement: which means students must demonstrate
mastery of a unit before proceeding to other units
lectures and demonstrations for motivation: instead of for
communication of critical information
stress on the written word for teacher-student communication: which
helps develop comprehension and expression skills
tutoring/proctoring: which allows repeats on exams, enhanced personal-
social interaction, and personalized instruction

9
 Following this model, the CS4984 class consists of six distinct units, each intended
to cover a particular topic. The Authorware materials were developed for the Application
Construction unit, and comprise approximately half of the unit. The main objectives for the
Application Construction unit are as follows [Fox 1996b]:

effectively author hypertext, hypermedia or multimedia works

critique software and hardware systems in this area, considering
functionality, interface, quality of presentation, and other important
criteria
The content of each of the materials developed, as well as their instructional
value, is discussed below.

3 . 1 Interactive Authorware Introduction

The first part of the course materials on Authorware consists of an interactive

introduction to Authorware, written in Authorware. While this introduction is by no means
a complete description of Authorware, it serves to expose students to the basic concepts
involved in Authorware programming, as well as to motivate them by showing how
Authorware can be used to integrate various media elements (animations, movies, graphics,
sounds) into an interactive presentation. In addition, the source for this program can be
made available to students, as an example of Authorware programming. The introduction
consists of two parts: 1) a brief overview of the components of Authorware (the Design
and Presentation windows, and the icon palette) and the icon-based programming
paradigm, and 2) a description of each of the Authorware icons.

10
3.1.1 Overview

The Overview consists of two pages of information. The first (Figure 5) introduces
the student to the Authorware icon palette, the flowline, and the icon-based programming
paradigm.

Figure 5 : Overview, page 1

11
The second page (Figure 6) introduces the Design and Presentation windows.

Figure 6 : Overview, page 2

12
3.1.2 Icons

The Icons button on the control bar, shown in Figure 6, takes the student to a
screen where he/she can learn the function of each of the Authorware icons. When the
student selects an icon from the palette, the icon moves to the top of the screen and its title
appears. Then, a sample piece of Authorware code using this icon appears in the Design
window. Finally, this code is executed in the Presentation window. The first icon in all
the code samples is always a display icon which contains text explaining the function of the
icon currently selected. The state of this screen after the animation icon is selected (Figure
7) is shown below as an example.

Figure 7 : Icon introduction

13
3 . 2 Tutorial

The interactive introduction exposes students to Authorware programming by

example. The tutorial, however, allows students to create their own Authorware program.
The goal in developing the tutorial was to produce a short course that would not take an
inordinate amount of time to complete (not more than an hour or two), while still
accomplishing the following instructional objectives:

1. exposing the student to the icon-based programming paradigm

2. demonstrating the potential for creating complex user interactions in Authorware
3. showing how Authorware allows various types of media to be integrated into
interactive courseware

Thus, the tutorial was designed with these objectives in mind. The tutorial guides
the student in developing a short course which consists of six pages of material. The
student must construct a page-turning interaction with controls for moving forward and
back through the pages, and a mechanism for displaying the current page number. A page-
turning type of interaction was chosen because:

1. Content is often presented in pages within multimedia software. In general, people are
comfortable with turning the page to see more information, as this parallels the way
they use a book, a real-world object familiar to most people. Thus, one of the first
things a multimedia programmer often learns to do in a new authoring language is to
create pages of content that a user can navigate through.

2. A page turning interaction is not a particularly complex type of user interaction.

Creating buttons that allow the user to leaf through pages of content is not as complex
as creating interactions which respond when the user drags an object to a particular
location, or types in a particular string of text into a text entry field. Yet, the creation
of a page-turning interaction is sufficient to allow students to experience creating a
useful user interaction in Authorware.

A file with a few of the necessary icons already in it is given to the student. The
student then must add the necessary icons to complete the program (and set the necessary
properties for these icons, as well as creating the content of the calculation icons). The

14
program as given to the student (Figure 8), as well as the completed program (Figure 9),
are shown below. (Note: The content of each of the icons and/or their properties are not
shown here - just enough detail to show the basic program structure is given.)

15
Figure 8 : Initial Tutorial Code (As Given to the Student)

Figure 9 : (Completed) Tutorial Code

16
 In addition, the student must take media elements (graphics, sound, and movie
icons) from an Authorware library (Figure 10) and place them on the flowline in order to
assemble each page. (It was decided to create the media elements for the students because
they might not have the necessary resources to do so, it would be too time intensive, and
the goal was to demonstrate Authorwares ability to integrate media, not create it.)

Figure 10 : Authorware Library

17
 The topic for the courseware developed in the tutorial concerns the steps involved in
multimedia development. This topic was chosen for two reasons:

1. The steps involved in multimedia development is a topic which is relevant to the class
for which the tutorial was designed. Since a major focus of the CS4984 class is
multimedia, it is appropriate for the students taking this class to create courseware
which concerns multimedia development.

2. The author works for a multimedia design and development company, and thus has had
significant experience developing multimedia projects. Therefore, the author was
qualified to write the content used for the courseware created via completion of the
tutorial.

The text (like the other media elements) is provided for the student, so they can
concentrate on learning about Authorware programming, instead of content development.
Below is shown a sample screen from the completed Tutorial (Figure 11), as well as the
code (Figure 12) which creates the content (i.e., the text and the picture of the computer) on
this particular screen. Note that the two icons in the sample code (Figure 11) have titles
which are in italics. This indicates that they are actually links to items stored in the
library.

18
Figure 11 : Sample Screen from Completed Tutorial

Figure 12 : Code for Preceding Screen

19
 When the student finishes the tutorial, he/she will have done the following:

1. Used all but a few of the Authorware icons

2. Built a simple user interaction
3. Integrated graphics, sound, text, and a movie into their courseware
4. Learned how to obtain items from an Authorware library

Thus, by completing the tutorial, a student will be exposed to various features of

Authorware, and many of the concepts involved in Authorware programming. In addition,
the student should then be able to compare and contrast icon-based programming with other
types of programming they have done in the past.

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3 . 3 Other Materials

It was necessary to develop other materials to create a complete Authorware

instructional unit. The materials developed are listed below.

1. A unit document (Appendix B) consisting of

Issues - basically, why Authorware is an appropriate topic of study

Objectives - the information the student should learn as a result of completing
this unit
Exercises - in this case, running the introductory Authorware program and
learning the information presented, as well as completing the tutorial
Study Questions - questions that the student should use as practice questions
when studying for the quiz

2. Quiz questions (Appendix C) - The quiz questions are intended to test the students
knowledge of Authorware, as learned through using the introductory courseware and
completing the tutorial. Three sets of quiz questions were written; these are given in
Appendix C. The answers to these quiz questions are given in Appendix D. Note,
however, that only the first set of questions was used for the CS4984 class in 1995.

21
4. Evaluation of Completed Student Tutorials
There were twenty-nine disks turned in for the tutorial assignment (note that the
students were allowed to collaborate, so that in some cases, two students turned in one
disk.) The students just turned in the completed Authorware program - not the library or
external QuickTime movie that was used. Thus, to test their programs, I copied them to a
folder which had these files in it.

The tutorial was intended to teach the students basic concepts in Authorware, not
assess their knowledge. Thus, it was very straightforward and unambiguous. As a result,
the students did not have any major difficulties completing the tutorial.

Four students (or pairs of students) moved some of the background graphics that
were provided to them. Two moved the title bar, and two moved the clock displayed in the
top right corner of the screen. One of these also moved the box in which the content of the
course is displayed. Most likely, these graphics were moved accidentally - Authorware
allows the author to move objects about in the Presentation Window at will - thus it would
be an easy mistake for someone to accidentally move objects about. The students were not
given instructions on moving objects in the Presentation Window because this information
was not necessary for completion of the tutorial. Therefore, the students that accidentally
moved the graphics did not know how to put them back in their original locations.
However, these small difficulties should not have had any significant effect on the
knowledge the students gained, since their completed programs were otherwise correct.

One student used a different type of pushbutton for the Next button then was
specified. His program worked correctly. He probably accidentally clicked the radio
button corresponding to this type of pushbutton in the response type window. This error
should not have had any significant effect on the knowledge the student gained from
completion of the tutorial.

One student had a corrupted Authorware file - when an attempt is made to open his
file, an error message is issued - The file multdev.lib cant be opened because the file is
in use elsewhere (-49). Then, an additional message is issued - unable to post aliased
icon due to error in loading data. After these messages are issued, the file is opened, but
most of the links to the library multdev.lib are broken. The library, however, works

22
correctly with all of the other student programs. Thus, one can reasonably assume that the
students program file was damaged in some manner.

23
5. Evaluation of Student Answers to Quiz Questions
Dr. Fox received 40 quiz responses from the students via e-mail. Most of the
students did well answering the quiz questions; however, some students did have difficulty
with one or two of the questions. The quiz questions given are in Appendix C, Set 1; the
corresponding answers are in Appendix D, Set 1.

The first question consisted of three multiple choice sub-questions. All but four of
the 40 students gave correct answers for all of the sub-questions. Two of these four
students gave the same incorrect response for the first sub-question : Which of the
following icons allows text to be shown on the screen? Both of these students indicated
that both Text icon and "Display icon were correct, when, in fact, only Display icon
is correct. Of the other two students, one incorrectly indicated that a Video icon is used to
display QuickTime movies; the correct icon is a Movie icon. The other indicated that the
window in which Authorware program execution takes place is the Design Window,
when in fact, it is the Presentation Window.

The objective of this question was to assess knowledge of the terminology involved
in Authorware as learned from the tutorial. Thirty-six of the 40 students correctly
answered all three sub-questions, and the remaining four students each missed only one
sub-question. Thus, the students seem to have learned the terminology involved in
Authorware well.

The next question asked the students to name the Authorware icon which provides
capability for modularity and nesting, and explain how the icon accomplishes these
functions. The correct icon is a Map icon. All but two of the students named the correct
icon; one gave Interaction icon as an answer, and the other answered Grouping icon.
Thirty-three students indicated that each Map icon provides its own flowline, and 34
explained that map icons may be nested within one another.

The objective of this question was to discover if the students could correctly
identify the Authorware icon which provides modularity and nesting, and describe how this
icon provides these capabilities. (This material should have been learned via completion of
the tutorial.) The success that most of the students had in answering this question indicates
that they did understand that the Map icon provides modularity and nesting capabilities, and

24
that it does so by providing its own flowline and allowing other icons, including Map
icons, to be placed on it.

The final question asked the student to describe an Authorware program that
causes one of three graphics (named graphic 1, graphic 2, graphic 3) to be displayed based
on the value of a variable. Students responses to this questions varied significantly more
than the other two questions. Twenty-three of the students gave correct responses, the
same as or similar to the answer given in Appendix F, which involves using a Decision
icon set to Calculated Path, with three display icons attached to it. Another student
seemed to have the right idea, in that he first described the use of a Calculated Path
Decision icon. However, he then specified that the calculation icons would have to be
attached to this Decision icon and set to conditional, with each Display icon attached to
one of these Calculation icons. It seems that he confused the Conditional Response type of
interaction response with calculation icons.

Ten of the students gave a response modeled after the tutorial; technically, this type
of response may be correct, since it does involve the use of a variable to display the
appropriate graphic. The only difference is that a user must press Next and Previous
buttons which increment or decrement the value of the variable used in a Calculated Path
Decision icon to display the right graphic. Two of these students whose response seemed
to follow the tutorial, however, described Authorware code which would not function
properly. The other eight students described properly functioning programs.

One student also gave a correct response that was similar to the tutorial-modeled
responses; however, instead of using Next and Previous buttons, he described the use
of three buttons, one for each graphic, which would cause the value of the variable to be set
appropriately.

One student gave an interesting, mostly correct, answer involving the use of an
Interaction icon with three Map icons attached, each of which contains a Display icon for
one of the three graphics. He specified that the response type for each Map icon would be
set to Conditional, with each condition set to test for equality of the variable to the
number for the given graphic. The only problem with this answer is that the responses
would need to be set to Automatch; however, given the level of exposure these students
had to Authorware, this answer is a good one.

25
 The four remaining students gave incorrect responses. In particular, one student
seemed to mistakenly think that Display icons could be attached to Calculation icons, and
attempted to put together a program which involved three Calculation icons, each of which
tested for a particular value of the variable, with a Display icon attached to each one.
Another possible explanation is that he meant to use Decision icons set to Calculated Path
instead of Calculation icons, in which case his program would be more correct. The other
three students gave answers that were unclear and did not describe anything resembling a
correct program.

The objective of this question was to assess the student's understanding of how
Authorware icons can be put together to create a working program. Most of the students
gave a correctly working program as a response. However, only 23 out of 40 students
gave an answer that matched the expected response. This indicates that the question is
probably unclear; in the future, it should be explained that the correct graphic should be
displayed based on the value of a variable without requiring intervention from the user.
Another conclusion is that when students with some background in computing (i.e., who
have satisfied the course prerequisites) are given an open programming assignment,
especially in a new language, there is a not insignificant probability that they will provide
quiz responses adopting approaches different from that expected by the designer of the
courseware utilized.

26
6. Use of Tutorial at SNE
In addition to its use in the CS4984 class, the Authorware tutorial also was used for
a multimedia workshop held for the 1995 Society for Nutrition Education (SNE)
conference in Washington D.C., and conducted by Interactive Design and Development
(IDD), a multimedia company in Blacksburg, VA. This workshop was intended to
introduce the participants to various aspects of multimedia software production, including
video and audio capture and compression, graphic creation and editing, and, finally, the
use of a multimedia authoring package to bring the elements together in order to create
interactive courseware. Since the author is employed by IDD, and had recently finished
writing the Authorware tutorial, IDD decided to use it to introduce authoring software at
the workshop.

The Authorware portion of the workshop was held in a computer lab setting, with
ten Macintosh computers located around the periphery of the room. Twenty people
participated in the Authorware tutorial session, two to each computer. One hour was set
aside for this session. An instructor (the author) led the workshop participants through the
tutorial by completing it at the front of the room on a computer with an LCD projection
panel attached. In this way, the participants could follow along with the instructor as
they completed the tutorial. Five other IDD employees walked about the room assisting
individuals with any questions or problems they had.

All the workshop participants were eventually able to successfully complete the
tutorial. The instructor took one hour to complete the tutorial, explaining each step as he
proceeeded through it. Some (four or five) participants worked ahead of the instructor, and
were able to complete the tutorial in 45 to 50 minutes. Most of the rest of the participants
finished at the same time as or immediately after the instructor did. Two participants,
however, took about 70 minutes to complete the tutorial, since they lagged behind the
instructor due to errors which caused them delay. IDD employees were able to assist these
people in correcting their errors and completing the tutorial.

The degree of individual assistance the participants required from IDD employees
varied greatly, mostly due to the varying degree of experience with computers. Some of the
less experienced people at the workshop asked many questions, both from the instructor
and the assistants, while others needed little or no help, and completed the entire tutorial by

27
following the tutorial document. It soon became evident that, unlike with the senior-level
Computer Science students, some degree of assistance is necessary when administering the
tutorial to people with little or no computer experience. However, the tutorial did achieve
the desired goal in this particular setting, which was to simply expose the workshop
participants to the use of authoring software to create interactive courseware. The intent
was not to teach them to become multimedia programmers, but just to give them an idea of
what is possible.

While no formal analysis or review of this workshop was performed, the

participants did seem to enjoy the tutorial, and derive benefit from it. Several (about five)
participants showed an interest in obtaining Authorware to use in their work as educators.
Others mentioned projects that they were interested in developing, and asked IDD
employees questions regarding the use of multimedia in their projects. Most of the
workshop participants had never experimented with multimedia before the workshop; the
Authorware tutorial, along with the other activities in the workshop, gave them ideas about
how they could employ multimedia technology to teach people about nutrition.

28
7. Conclusions

The Authorware tutorial has proved to be an effective method for introducing

people with varying computer and programming skills to Authorware. The CS4984
students showed, via their success completing the tutorial and answering the quiz
questions, that they had grasped the basic concepts involved in Authorware programming.
Most of the users at the SNE workshop had never used an authoring package; the
instructor, by leading them through the Authorware tutorial, showed them how they could
use an authoring package to combine various media elements into interactive multimedia
courseware.

When used to teach people with little or no programming and/or general computer
experience (such as the SNE workshop group), it is advisable to have an instructor(s)
present to answer questions. In such a situation, it is also useful to have someone lead
the class by going through the tutorial at the front of the class, so that the students may
follow along. However students with some programming experience (like the CS4984
students) seem to need no assistance in completing the tutorial, as was the intent when
developing it.

29
Bibliography
AimTech Corporation. IconAuthor 6.0 Home Page. 1995:
[http://www.aimtech.com/Iia.htm].
Apple Computer, Inc. HyperCard Reference Manual. Cupertino: Apple Computer, Inc.,
1993.
Asymetrix Corporation. Using Toolbook - A Guide to Building and Working with Books.
Bellevue: Asymetrix Corporation, 1989.
Fox, Edward. CS4624 Catalog Info. 1996:
[http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~mm/s96/sspace/Catalog_Info_124.html].
Fox, Edward. CS4624 Objectives - AC. 1996:
[http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~mm/s96/sspace/Objectives_676.html].
Ganci, Joseph. Authorware System Variables and Functions. 3 vols. Woodbridge:
Successful Multimedia, 1995.
Greenberg, Daniel. Authorware 3.0. Digital Video vol 3, no 12, page 18, 20. Dec.
1995.
Gregarus, Fred and Sandy Wong. Multimedia Status. Palo Alto: Fenwick and West,
1995: [http://www.batnet.com/oikoumene/mmediastatus.html].
Keller, Fred. Goodbye, teacher ...Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis 1(1), pages
79 - 89. Spring 1968.
Manasco, Britton, Paige Albiniak, and David Bross. CD-ROM Developers Said to Lack
Creativity; Sales Not Expected to Take Off Until 1997. Multimedia Week page 8. 22 May
1996.
Spiers, Joseph. Were Holiday Sales All That Bad? Fortune vol 133, no 3,
[http://pathfinder.com/@@wJK18SLlXgAAQC2k/fortune/magazine/1996/960205/holiday.
html]. Feb. 1996.
Macromedia,Inc.,Tutorial. San Francisco: Macromedia, Inc., 1992.
Macromedia,Inc., Users Guide. San Francisco: Macromedia, Inc., 1992.
Macromedia,Inc., Using Director. San Francisco: Macromedia, Inc., 1994.
Macromedia,Inc., Using Variables and Functions. San Francisco: Macromedia, Inc.,
1992.
Waring, Becky and Phil Hood. The NewMedia 1996 HyperAwards. NewMedia vol 6,
no 1, pages 54 - 56, 58. Jan. 1996.

30
Appendix A - Tutorial
1.0 Getting Started
1.1 Starting Authorware
(1) Please launch Authorware Professional from the At Ease menu.
(2) Go to the File menu and Open file multdev in the Authorware Demo
folder, which is inside the CS4984 folder, that is on the Assignments disk.

You will see a Design Window entitled multdev, as well as the Authorware icon
palette.

31
 The Design Window is where you program in Authorware. Authorware
applications are created by selecting icons from the palette (shown to the left in the
illustration) and placing them on the flowline (the line that goes from the top to the bottom
of the Design Window). Different icons perform different functions. In general, icons are
executed along the flowline from top to bottom, much like the statements in a traditional
programming language are executed from the top to the bottom of the file in which they are
located. (However, Authorware, like a programming language, contains branching
constructs which affect the program flow.) Note that there are icons already present on the
flowline:

The first icon, entitled Titlebar displays a grey bar with the title Multimedia
Development at the top of the screen. This type of icon is referred to as a Display Icon.

The second icon, entitled Time, displays the time at the upper left corner of the
screen.

The third icon, entitled Window, displays a window within which the content of
this presentation will be displayed.

The fourth icon, entitled Initialize variables, is a Calculation Icon. This icon
contains lines of code which initialize the various variables used in this program.

The fifth icon, a Display Icon entitled Page number, displays the current page
number, as well as the total number of pages.

1.2 Running the Program

Lets see what our program does thus far. Authorware lets you run your program
at any time to see if it works the way you have intended.
1) To run the program, select Run from the Try It menu (or press
Apple R).
You should see a screen that looks like this:

32
 This is the Presentation Window. It is the window in which your Authorware
program will run. In addition, you can make modifications to the way your program will
appear to the user here (draw and import graphics contained in Display Icons, move and
resize buttons and graphics, etc.).
2) To return to the Design Window, press Command J.
Now, you will see the Design Window again. Authorware lets you switch back
and forth between the Design and Presentation Windows at will. This is an extremely
useful feature, as it eliminates the need for lengthy compilation; you can immediately see if
your program is working properly, and then go and make any necessary changes.
In addition, through the use of the Presentation Window, Authorware lets you
make certain changes (draw graphics, move graphics, movies, and buttons, etc.) much
more easily than in a traditional programming language.

2.0 Creating a Page Turning Interaction

In this lesson, well create pushbuttons that allow the user to turn pages in the
course were going to develop.
Note: You should be sure to periodically save your work - to do so at any
time, simply select Save from the File menu (when you see the Design
Window - since we have a full screen Presentation Window, the menus
arent available when the Presentation Window is visible). Use your
diskette for the save of each new version.

2.1 The Interaction Icon

33
1) Drag an Interaction Icon from the icon palette onto the flowline (below
the other icons on the flowline).

An Interaction Icon looks like this . Interaction Icons are used to create user
interactions (allowing the user to press buttons, enter text, etc.) Notice that to the immediate
right of the icon is the highlighted word Untitled. This is the icon title.
Note that if you ever find that a window is not big enough, you may resize it. The
control for resizing a window may be found in the lower right-hand corner of the window.
Simply click on this control and, while holding the mouse button down, drag the mouse.
The window size will change as you drag. Release the mouse when the window is the size
you want.
2) Type Interaction
Note: If the icon is not highlighted, you will have to select it first before giving it a
title. To do so, just click either on the icon or its title. Then you can type Interaction to
title it. When you are finished, you should see something similar to that shown below:

Weve created the basic framework for all Authorware interactions. However, now
that weve done that, we actually have to set up things for the user to respond to
(pushbuttons, text entry areas, etc.), and allow action to be taken based on the users input
To do this, we attach items called responses to an Interaction Icon.

2.2 Creating a Next Pushbutton Response

Now, well create a pushbutton that the user can press to turn back one page.
1) Drag a Calculation Icon from the Authorware icon palette to the
immediate right of the Interaction Icon.

A Calculation Icon looks like this . Well actually specify the calculations this
icon will perform later.

34
 A window like that shown below will be displayed. This window lets you choose
what response type you want the user to interact with. We want to create a pushbutton,
so select this option, then click the OK button. (Actually, this option should be selected
by default, in which case just clicking the OK button will suffice.)

2) Entitle this icon Next

Note: If the icon is not highlighted, you will have to select it first before giving it a
title. To do so, just click either on the icon or its title. Then you can type Next to title it.
Note that the titles for icons attached to Interaction Icons are located to the right of the
interaction (Interaction Icon + attached icons).When you are finished, you should see
something similar to that shown below:

35
 Notice the arrows going from and to the Interaction Icon, and from the Calculation
Icon attached to the Interaction Icon. These arrows show the flow as affected by the
Interaction Icon. When an Interaction Icon is encountered, program flow pauses until
some user response occurs (mouse is moved, text is typed, mouse button is clicked, etc.).
Then, program flow moves along the flowline attached to the Interaction Icon from left to
right until the users action matches the response found.

When our Interaction Icon is executed, flow will pause until the user performs an
action. Then, flow will move from the Interaction Icon to the right along its flowline.
When the Next pushbutton response is encountered, a test is performed to see if the user
pressed the Next button. If so, flow will travel to the Calculation Icon attached to the Next
response. Then, execution will bypass the rest of the Interaction Icon flowline and return
to the Interaction Icon.
If the user did not press Next, flow would proceed to the end of the Interaction
Icons flowline and return to the Interaction Icon.

2.3 Changing Response Options

Weve created a button. But, we havent placed it properly. And, if the button is
pressed, we will want program flow to go back to the Interaction Icons flowline, instead
of bypassing it and returning directly to the Interaction Icon (well see why later). We will
now see how to change these properties.
1) Open (double click on) the Next pushbutton response icon

36
 The Next pushbutton response icon is the small one located on the Interaction
Icons flowline that looks like this . When you have opened the icon, you should see
the Presentation Window open. It should look like it did before, except now there is a
button labeled Next that looks like this:

as well as a window that looks like this:

This window allows you to set various properties for this (button) response. And,
the button can be resized and moved about.
2) Change the execution flow from Try Again to Continue
In the bottom right hand corner of the Pushbutton Options window is a pull down
menu. The currently selected option is Try Again. This means that after the icon
attached to this response is executed, flow will bypass the Interaction Icons flowline, as
discussed earlier. Change the currently selected option to Continue. (Just click on Try
Again and hold down the mouse button. A menu will appear. While holding down the
mouse button, select Continue from the menu, and then let go. You will see that the
currently selected option has changed to Continue.) Choosing Continue will cause
program execution to continue back to the Interaction Icons flowline and continue along it
to the right after the icon attached to this response is executed.
3) In the text box labeled Active if TRUE type the following:
page_num < last_page
This will cause the Next button to be active only if the variable page_num, which
stores the number of the current page, is less than the value of last_page, which stores
the number of the last available page. In other words, we dont want the user to be able to
press the Next button if there is no next page!

37
4) Turn Perpetual on.
Click in the box located next to the word Perpetual. You should see an X
appear in the box. If a response is Perpetual, it is always active (provided the conditional in
the Active if TRUE box holds true). Even if the user is engaging in some interaction on
one of the pages of our course, or if a movie or sound is playing, we want the user to be
able to interrupt whatever is going on and switch pages.
At this point, the Pushbutton Options window should now look like this:

5) Move the Next pushbutton to the immediate right of the words Page 1
of 6 located at the bottom of the Presentation Window.

Place the mouse pointer in the middle of the Next button, and drag the button just
to the right of the words Page 1 of 6 at the bottom of the Presentation Window. This
demonstrates the ease with which Authorware lets you position objects.
Now, the screen should look something like this:

38
6) Click on the OK button in the Pushbutton Options window
You will be returned back to the Design window. Note that the interaction
youve created now looks a bit different than before:

The arrow that leaves the calculation icon now points back to the Interaction Icons
flowline. This happened as a result of switching from Try Again to Continue.

2.4 Editing a Calculation Icon

Now, we will edit the contents of the Calculation Icon attached to the Next
pushbutton response, so that it performs the functions we want it to. Calculation Icons can
contain statements that resemble traditional programming statements. Functions may be
called within them, and calculations performed.
1) Open (double-click on) the Calculation Icon attached to the Next
response
You will see a window like that shown below:

39
2) Enter the text below in the Calculation Icon window:
page_num := page_num + 1
show_page := TRUE
The first line causes the number of the current page to be incremented by one. The
next line sets the Boolean variable show_page to TRUE. Well use this Boolean variable
later to activate the code that will actually show the current page. When youre finished,
the Calculation icon window should look like this:

3) Close the Next window

(Click in the small square in the left hand side of the title bar at the top of the
window). You will then see a window like that below:

40
4) Click on the Yes button
Now, you are back at the Design Window, with no other windows open. You
have finished creating the Next button, as well as defining its functionality.

2.5 Adding a Previous Pushbutton Response

At this point, you should know how to create a pushbutton response, position the
button, change the program flow that takes place after the icon attached to the response icon
is executed, and how to edit a calculation icon. You have been given step by step
instructions needed to create a Next button. Now, you will create a Previous button,
along with its associated functionality. However, the instructions given will be somewhat
less detailed. If you become confused, reference the instructions given for creating the
Next button.

1) Drag a Calculation Icon from the Authorware icon palette to the

immediate right of the Next pushbutton response and title it Previous

Notice that the response type for Previous is pushbutton, and that execution
returns to the interaction flowline after the calculation icon is executed. This is because
when you add a new icon to an interaction flowline, Authorware, by default, sets certain
response options to be the same as the last icon added to the flowline. (Response type and
execution flow type are two of these options.)
2) Open the Previous pushbutton response icon. Enter the following in
the Active if TRUE text box:
page_num > 1
We do not want the Previous button to be active if we are on the first page.
The other options are already set as we want them (Perpetual on, Continue
execution flow), as these were the settings for the Next button (as previously explained).
3) Move the Previous pushbutton to the immediate left of the words
Page 1 of 6 located at the bottom of the Presentation Window.
When you are finished, the Presentation Window will look similar to the one
below:

41
4) Click the OK button in the Pushbutton Options window.
You will be returned to the Design window.

5) Open the Calculation Icon attached to the Previous pushbutton

response icon, and edit its window so that it looks like that shown below:

The code here is similar to that for the Next button, except that here we decrement
the page number.

42
6) Close the Previous Calculation Icon window (click on the Yes
button when asked if you want to save changes)

You should be back in the Design Window. Youve finished adding the Previous
button, as well as its associated functionality.

2.5 Testing Your Program

Now, give your program a test run. Select Run from the Try It menu (or press
Command R). You will see the Presentation Window. Try clicking on the Next and
Previous buttons. The page number changes, but nothing else happens. Thats because
we havent created any pages yet! Do NOT double click anywhere within the
Presentation Window. (Double-clicking will put you into authoring
mode, which allows you to make changes to the graphics, text, etc. you
see on the screen. We are not covering this feature of Authorware in this
tutorial.) IF you do accidentally double click, press Command Z (for
Undo) and close any window that is opened.
In the next section, well actually create the pages that make up our course. When
you are finished testing, press Command J to return to the Design Window.

3.0 Showing the Current Page

Now, well actually create the code that causes the current page to be shown.

3.1 Adding the show_page Conditional Response

When either the Next or Previous button is clicked, the very last action taken is
setting the Boolean variable show_page to TRUE. It was mentioned earlier that this
would trigger some code that would show the appropriate page. Through the use of a
Conditional Response, we can cause code to be executed based on the value of a Boolean
variable or expression, rather than by a direct user action.

1) Drag a Map icon from the Authorware icon palette to the immediate
right of the Previous pushbutton response icon.

A Map Icon looks like this . (The function of a Map icon will be explained
later.) Notice that yet again, we have a pushbutton response, with Continue execution
flow. However, we will want to change the response type, as well as set other options.
Also, dont bother to title this icon as yet. (Youll see why soon.)
Your interaction now should look like this:

43
2) Open (double click) on the new Untitled pushbutton response
Your screen will look something like this:

3) In the Pushbutton Options window, click the Response Type button.

You will see a window titled Response Type appear. Select Conditional.
When you have done this, the window should look like this:

44
4) Click on the OK button.
Where the Pushbutton Options window was, you will now see a window like
that shown below:

We have changed the type of the response from Pushbutton to Conditional.

Thus, the set of options we have to choose from is somewhat different.
5) In the box under the words Match if TRUE, enter the following:
show_page
We want this Conditional response to be activated (and thus the icon attached to it
executed) if the Boolean variable show_page has value TRUE. (This is why the last line
of the Next and Previous code sets this variable to TRUE.)
6) Turn Perpetual off

45
 There is no good reason to make this response Perpetual, and the polling required
to constantly check for matching of Perpetual responses can slow things down quite a
bit. Thus, its a good idea to only make responses Perpetual when necessary.
7) Change the selected menu item in the pull down menu under the title
Auto-match from Off to When True.
Normally, if a conditional response is located on an interaction flowline, it can only
be matched if the mouse is moved, the mouse button is pressed, or text is entered, and at
some point, program flow moves along the interaction flowline and happens to hit the
conditional response icon. This is because if the value of the Boolean expression or the
conditional is true, we dont necessarily want to repeatedly match it. (This is what happens
if Auto-match is off.)
However, we would like the first page to automatically be displayed when we first
run the program. In the Initialize variables calculation icon, show_page has been
initialized to TRUE, and page_num has been initialized to TRUE. (You can check this out
for yourself by opening that icon, if you like.) But, we don't want the user to have to
press the Next or Previous button to show the first page.
Thus we turn the Auto-match option to When True, so that if the value of
show_page becomes true, the interaction flowline is traversed ( just as if the mouse
button was pressed or the mouse is moved). In this way, the first time the interaction is
encountered, show_page is true, the interaction flowline is traversed, the Conditional
Response icon is matched, and the attached code executed.
(Note that if we didnt want the first page to be automatically shown, it would have
been sufficient to have Auto-match off, since if the Next or Previous button is
pressed, flow returns to the flowline after the icons attached to these responses are
executed, and then the conditional would be matched, since show_page is true.)

When you are finished making all these changes, the Conditional Options window
should look like this:

8) Click on the OK button in the Conditional Options window

46
 You will be returned to the Design window. Your interaction should now look
like that shown below:

Note that everything looks the same, except that the Conditional Response icon
now has a name! This is because the name of a Conditional Response icon is always the
condition that is matched.
Youve finished creating the show_page Conditional Response and setting the
appropriate options for it. Next, youll have to specify the code that is executed when this
response is matched.

3.2 The Map Icon

1) Open (double-click on) the Map icon attached to the Conditional
Response icon. You should see a window open that looks like that shown
below:

The Map icon is very important. A Map icon contains its own flowline. When
a Map icon is encountered during execution, the icons on the Map icons flowline are
executed in exactly the same manner as the icons on the main Authorware flowline.
Anything that can be placed on the main flowline can be placed on a Map icons
flowline. This includes other Map icons, which means that Authorware provides the

47
capacity for unlimited nesting. Notice that, in the upper right corner of this level are the
words Level 2. This means that this Map icon is located at the second level of nesting
(i.e., there is one level above it).

3.3 Resetting the show_page Variable

After the code contained in the Map icon is executed, we don't want it to be
executed again unless the Next or Previous buttons are pressed. However, this is
exactly what will happen with our program as it stands. After the code in the Map icon
executes, execution will return to the Interaction Icon. But, show_page is still TRUE.
And, Auto-match is on, so execution will immediately proceed back along the interaction
flowline, the show_page conditional will be matched again, and so on. Thus, we have
just created an endless loop.

We will prevent this from happening by setting the show_page variable to

FALSE as soon as the show_page conditional is matched.
(1) Drag a Calculation icon from the Authorware icon palette to the
Map icons window (entitled show_page) and title it set show_page to
FALSE
The show_page window should now look like this:

(2) Open the window for this Calculation Icon, and edit it to look like the
one shown below:

48
(3) Close the Calculation Icon window (click on the Yes button when
asked if you want to save changes).

3.4 The Calculated Path Decision Icon

We need to be able to show the current page (whose number is determined by the
variable page_num). Authorware provides the capacity for program branching through
Decision icons. The Calculated Path Decision icon is a particular type of Decision
Icon, which allows program branching to be based on the value of a numeric variable
(somewhat like a case statement in Pascal, or a switch statement in C). Well see how
to use this to display the current page of our course.
(1) Drag a Decision icon from the Authorware icon palette to the
show_page Map Icons flowline directly below the Calculation icon, and
title it page_num

A Decision Icon looks like this . The show_page window should now look
like that shown below:

49
(2) Open the Decision Icon
You will see the window shown below:

(3) Change the type of branching to Calculated Path

(4) In the text box below the words Calculated Path, enter the following:
page_num
The window should now look like this:

50
(5) Click the OK button
The Decision Icon window will close, and you will see again the show_page
flowline. It should look like that shown below:

Notice that the letter shown in the Decision Icon has changed from a S to a C.
This has happened because youve changed the type of the Decision Icon from Sequential
to Calculated Path.
What weve done is created an icon that will cause branching to attached icons
based on the variable page_num (and thus will cause the appropriate page to be

51
displayed). Next, well create the branches (one per page) which this Calculated Path
Decision Icon will choose among.

3.5 Attaching Icons to a Decision Icon

(1) Drag a Map Icon from the icon palette to the immediate right of the
Decision Icon. Title this Map Icon page 1.
The show_page flowline should now look like this:

Note that, like an Interaction Icon, a Decision Icon has its own flowline.
(2) Open the page 1 Map Icon.
You will see a window that looks like this:

52
(3) Change the currently selected option in the pull-down menu beneath the
title Erase Displayed Objects from Before Next Selection to Dont
Erase
Authorware provides the ability to automatically erase anything displayed in an icon
attached to a Decision Icon, either immediately upon leaving that icon (Before Next
Selection) or upon exiting the branching structure (Upon Exit). However, we dont
want to do either of these, so we select Dont Erase to prevent anything we display from
being erased as soon as its shown! (In case you are wondering how, when a new page
of our course is displayed, the last displayed page is erased, open the show_page
conditional response on the interaction flowline. You then will see that under the title
Erase Feedback, the currently selected option is After Next Entry. This means that the
contents of the Map Icon attached to the show_page conditional response will be erased
the next time a response is matched. Thus, when the Next or Previous buttons are pressed
- and thus the appropriate response matched - the contents of the show_page Map Icon
are automatically erased.)

Now, the page 1 options window should look like this:

(4) Click OK
You should be returned to the show_page Map Icon window.

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3.6 Adding More Pages
Now that youve attached a Map Icon to the Calculated Path Decision Icons
flowline for the first page of your course, you must add Map Icons for the rest of the pages
(2 through 6) as well.
To save time, well simply copy the page 1 Map Icon, and then attach multiple
copies of it (by pasting them) to the page_num Calculated Path Decision Icon.

(1) Select the page 1 Map Icon (single click on it, so it is highlighted)
(2) Press Command C (this copies the icon to the Macintosh Clipboard)
(3) Click (once) to the immediate right of the page 1 Map Icon
The show_page Map Icons window should now look like this:

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 Notice the small picture of a hand to the right of the page 1 Map Icon. This is
called the paste hand. It points to the position where the contents of the Clipboard will be
pasted, if that action is performed. (To move the pastehand elsewhere, you just have to
click where you want it. )
(4) Press Command V
This pastes a copy of the page 1 Map Icon right beside the original one.
The show_page window should now look like this:

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(5) Press Command V 4 more times.
The show_page window now looks like this:

Youve added 4 more copies of the page 1 Map icon. Note that the list of icon
names to the right of the Calculation Icons flowline has become a scrolling list. This
happens because there is only really space for five icon names beside the Calculated Path
Decision Icons flowline, so the list was made scrolling so that more icons could be added.
Note, also, the ellipses (...) beside the Calculated Path Decision Icon. These indicate that
there are more attached icons to the left . The five icons whose names are shown in the
scrolling list window are the ones that are shown at any given time.
(6) Scroll to the top of the icon name list.
To scroll to the top of the list, click and hold the up arrow in the bottom left corner
of the scrolling list window. (You could also drag the scroll bar, the little rectangle on the
side of the scrolling window, to the top of the window.) When youve scrolled to the top
of the list, the scrolling list window should look like that shown below:

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Note that the ellipses (...) are now to the right of the Calculated Path Decision Icons
flowline. This means that there are more attached icons to the right.

(7) Change the name of the second icon attached to the Calculation Icon
from page 1 to page 2
Click on the second name shown in the scrolling list. Note that both the icon and title
highlight. Type page 2.
(8) Similarly, change the names of the rest of the icons to page 3, page 4,
page 5, and page 6.
Note: To proceed to the next icon title in the list, you can just press Enter (after changing
the current icons name).
When youre done, the Calculated Path Decision Icons scrolling list of icon titles should
look like that shown below:

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Next, well add the flowline icons that will cause the first page of our course to be
displayed. (Weve only added empty Map icons for each page - we need to actually display
something inside each of them.)

4.0 Obtaining Content From Libraries

Authorware allows you to store some types of icons in libraries. Libraries are
often used to store graphics and audio icons. When you want to use an icon from the
library in your program, you drag the icon from the library window to your flowline. A
link is created on the flowline to the original icon in the library. You can make multiple
links to the same icon in a library. There are some important advantages to storing icons in
libraries:
If you need to modify a sound or graphic, you dont have to go hunting through your
code to find it.

If you use the same graphic or sound in multiple places in your program, you can just
place it in the library and create multiple links. Then, if you need to modify the graphic
or sound, you just need to modify the icon in the library. If, instead, you had not used
a library, but just placed a new copy of the icon everywhere you wanted to use it, you
would have to hunt through your code and modify each and every copy of the icon.

A link to an icon is only about 4K, much less, in most cases, than the original icon.
Thus, if you are going to use a graphic or sound more than once, placing the icon in a
library and making links to it, rather than making new copies of the icon, can greatly
reduce the size of your program.

The graphics, sounds, and text for the course you are assembling are all stored in a
library called multdev.lib. These items were prepared in advance and put into the library
for you. Of course, Authorware provides tools for editing text, drawing graphics, creating

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animations, and (on the Macintosh) recording sound, as well as letting you import
graphics, sound, and movies prepared in other packages. However, the true power of
Authorware lies in its ability to let the author create fairly complex interactions and integrate
different media elements, not in creating the actual media elements themselves. Therefore,
it was decided to free you from having to create or import the media elements, and instead
just demonstrate how they can be brought together to create an interactive multimedia
course.

4.1 Assembling the First Page

Now, well obtain the actual content of the first page of our course from a library.
(1) Scroll to the top of the scrolling icon title list.

(2) Open the page 1 Map window

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(3) Choose Open Library... from the Libraries menu
You will see a window similar to the one shown below:

(4) Select multdev.lib and click on the Open button

(multdev.lib should already be selected, since it is the only library in your Tutorial
folder.)
You will see the following window:

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 This is a library window. The window for a library consists of a scrolling list of all
the icons contained within the library.
If you ever accidentally close the library window, or just want to bring it to the
front, do the following:
1. Select the Libraries option from the Libraries menu.
2. Keep the mouse button held down. To the right of the highlighted Libraries option
you should see a menu of libraries for this application - in this case, there is just one
library, so the menu has just one item - the multdev.lib library.
3. Select the multdev.lib library by moving the mouse to the right (while keeping the
button held down), and letting go of the mouse button when the library is selected.
Now, the library window should open.
(5) Drag the Display Icon titled Design text from the multdev.lib
library window to the page 1 Map Icons flowline.

(Reminder - A Display Icon looks like this: . A Display Icon is used to display graphics
and/or text on the screen.)
The page 1 Map window should now look like this:

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Note that the icon title for the Display Icon on the page 1 flowline is in italics. This
signifies that the Display Icon is really just a link to the original (in the multdev.lib
library).
(6) To see the results of what youve done, run the program.
Select Run from the Try It menu, or press Command R.
You should see a screen similar to that shown below:

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Youve created the first page of your course! Now, all that remains is to obtain the content
of the rest of the pages of your course from the multdev.lib library.

4.2 Adding Content to the Rest of the Pages

By now, you should be comfortable with opening and closing Map (and other) icon
windows, and dragging items from libraries to various flowlines. Therefore, instead of
giving you detailed instructions on how to assemble the rest of the pages, youre simply
shown what each Map icons window should look like when youre finished. (All icons
shown in the Map Icon windows are to be dragged from the multdev.lib library. If you
accidentally close the library window, reference the instructions given for reopening it
earlier in this document.)
(1) Return to the Design Window
(Press Command J)
(2) Close the page 1 window
The active window should now be the show_page Map Icon window.

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(3) Edit each of the page 2 to page 5 Map icons so that their windows
look like those shown below:

(The icon that looks like this is a Sound Icon. It is used to play audio.)

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(Note that here we see the use of Display Icons to display both graphics and text).

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 The icon that looks like this is a movie icon. It can be used to display movies
on the screen (QuickTime movies, PICS animations, Director movies, etc.).

66
 Youve finished creating all the pages! Now, check to make sure your program
works correctly.
(4) Run your program (select Run from the Try It menu or press
Command R)
(5) Flip through the pages of your course by pressing the Next and
Previous buttons
Remember, DONT DOUBLE CLICK - reference the instructions given earlier if you
accidentally do. Test out your program. Take a look at each of the screens youve
created. Notice how the Next and Previous buttons become active and inactive,
depending on the page youre on. The pages should look like those shown below:

page 1

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page 2

page 3

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When youre done, press Command J to return to the Design Window.

5.0 Quitting Authorware

Now that youve finished this tutorial, you may exit Authorware.
(1) Select Quit from the File menu.
If you havent saved your file recently, you may see a message like that shown below:

If youve made changes to your program since your last save and you try to exit,
Authorware asks you if you want to save your file, so you don't lose those changes.
(If you havent made any changes since your last save, Authorware will just quit.)

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(2) (If you do see this message box) click Yes.
Authorware saves your program and exits.

6.0 Conclusion/Notes
Congratulations - youve created your first Authorware program!
Hopefully, youve gained some appreciation for the ease with which Authorware
allow you to create user interactions and integrate media elements. In addition, youve seen
an example of an icon-based multimedia authoring language - Authorware is one of
several such languages. However, there are many other kinds of authoring languages -
Director is based on a score and a stage with actors. Some are card based, like
HyperCard and SuperCard.
Though we didnt see this feature of Authorware in this tutorial, you can also create
standalone programs with Authorware, that do not require Authorware to be running to
execute. Thus, finished applications may be distributed to end users without requiring
them to have Authorware.

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Appendix B - Unit materials
Exercises:
1) Run the Authorware demo program.
Make sure to learn the material presented in it. Note the different media elements
incorporated in the demo.
2) Complete the Authorware tutorial.
In the process of doing so, you will use most of the Authorware icons. Try to be
somewhat familiar with the function of each of them, and pay special attention to how
program execution flow happens in Authorware (this includes understanding the
Authorware "flowline").

Issues:
Authorware is an multimedia authoring language which allows for rapid development of
interactive multimedia software. It is icon-based; programming is done by placing icons
onto a flowline in a particular order. Thus, it is much easier for "non-programmers" to
produce multimedia software with Authorware than with traditional programming
languages, like C. (However, certain functions that can be performed in traditional
languages, like binary file access and complex calculations, cannot be performed in
Authorware, and require the use of low-level functions written in other languages).

Objectives:
1) To see how an authoring language like Authorware allows fairly rapid development of
interactive multimedia software (in contrast to "traditional" programming languages like C)
2) To be familiar with the "icon-based" programming paradigm employed in Authorware
3) To learn the functions of most of the icons in Authorware (You will also learn the
functions of the icons in the demo)
4) To understand the "flowline" approach to program execution flow in Authorware (as
opposed, to example, the "score" approach in Director)
5) To be familiar with the two "modes" provided in Authorware (Presentation and Design)
6) To be understand how Authorware provides the ability to create user interactions

Study Questions:
1) Explain the function of each of the following Authorware icons:
Display Icon
Erase Icon
Calculation Icon
Interaction Icon
Group Icon
Decision Icon

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 Map Icon
Sound Icon
Movie Icon
2) How does Authorware provide code modularity? (Hint: what icon is involved?)
3) Compare/contrast Authorware to "traditional" programming languages (consider how
program flow occurs, icons versus program language statements, code modularity, etc.)
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Authorware?
4) Explain how a Calculated Path Icon controls program branching

5) Explain how a Conditional Response can affect program execution (when it is present
on an Interaction icon's flowline)

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Appendix C - Quiz Questions
Set 1:
1 . Give the number of the answer for each of the following three parts:
1 . Which of the following icons allows text to be shown on the screen?
1. Text icon
2. Type icon
3. Display icon
4. Word icon
2. Which of the following icons is used to display a QuickTime movie?
1. Display icon
2. Movie icon
3. Video icon
4. QuickTime icon
3 . What is the name of the window in which Authorware program execution takes place?
1. Presentation window
2. Design window
3. Display window
4. Execution window
5. Program window
2 . What Authorware icon provides modularity and the capability for unlimited nesting?
Explain how it accomplishes this.
3 . Describe an Authorware program that causes one of three graphics (named graphic 1,
graphic 2, graphic 3) to be displayed based on the value of a variable. Hint: Describe
the icons involved and how they are "attached" to one another.

Set 2:
1 . In Authorware, explain the effect of turning on "Automatch" for a conditional response.
Discuss briefly the value of this feature.
2 . Describe an Authorware program that causes the value of a variable X to be increased
by one every time a pushbutton entitled "Add 1" is pressed. Hint: Describe all the icons
involved and how they are attached to one another, and the contents of the icon which
causes 1 to be added to X.

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Set 3:
1 . In Authorware, what is the effect of turning on the "Perpetual" option for a pushbutton
response? Please explain briefly, and indicate what the value is of this feature.
2. Describe an Authorware program that causes the sound titled "Beep" to be played in the
following two situations: when the pushbutton entitled "Play Beep" is pressed, and the
first time the interaction to which this sound is attached is encountered. Discuss all the
icons involved, and the contents of any Calculation Icons. Hint: A "conditional"
response icon will be required. You will need a Boolean variable, therefore. Assume
there is already one called play_beep that is initialized to false. Consider both the
condition for the conditional icon, and if Automatch is turned on or off.
a) Text icon
b) Type icon
c) Display icon
d) Word icon

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Appendix D - Quiz Answers
Set 1:
1.1 1. Display icon
1.2 2. Movie icon
1.3 1. Presentation Window
2 . Authorware allows for modularity and nesting through the use of the Map icon. A Map
icon provides its own flowline, which behaves in the same manner as the main (Level
1) Authorware flowline. Any icons may be included on the Map icons flowline,
including other Map icons. Thus, Authorware provides for unlimited nesting in this
manner. When a Map icon is encountered during program execution, execution
proceeds to its flowline. When execution reaches the bottom of the Map icons
flowline, execution proceeds to the icon following the Map icon.
This was demonstrated in the Tutorial - Map icons were used several times in it. For
example, one was used to contain the icons used for each page.
3 . The program should look like the diagram shown below:

Its not necessary to remember exactly how the icons look - but if the correct icons
arent drawn, names should be given (Calculated Path Decision icon, Display icon).
And, it is necessary to show how they are attached to one another.

Set 2:
1 . Normally, a Conditional Response can only be matched if some user action happens
to cause program flow to proceed along the Interaction icons flowline (on which the
conditional Response icon resides) and hit the Conditional Response icon. And, of
course, to be matched, the condition associated with the Conditional Response would
have to be true for the Conditional Response to be matched.
If, however, Automatch is turned on for the Conditional Response, if the condition
associated with the Conditional Response becomes true, execution flow will proceed
down the Interaction icons flowline (and match the Conditional Response when it is
encountered) merely because of the truth of the condition (i.e. no user action is
required.)
This was demonstrated in the tutorial - the Conditional Response had Automatch turned
on so that the first page would automatically be displayed.

3 . The program should look like this

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Its not necessary to remember exactly how the icons are drawn, but if they arent
drawn, names should be given (e.g. Interaction icon, Calculation icon, Pushbutton
Response icon). Furthermore, the Pushbutton Response should be called Add 1,
since this is what will appear on the button. And, it is necessary to show how the icons
are attached to one another.
The window for the Calculation icon would look like this:

Its just necessary, of course, to give the contents of the window as an answer:
X := X + 1

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Set 3:
1 . If a Pushbutton Response has the Perpetual option turned on, it will be available at
any time during the program in which the Response is located (i.e. the Interaction
Icons flowline (to which it is attached) does not necessarily have to be traversed to
cause the Pushbutton Response to be matched.
This was demonstrated in the tutorial - the Previous and Next buttons were made
perpetual so they would be active all the time (for example, during the playing of the
movie or the sound.)

2 . The program should look the one shown below:

The Calculation icon play beep := true window looks like this:

The Calculation icon Play Beep window looks like this:

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The contents of the Group icon should look like this:

The contents of the window for the Calculation Icon titled play_beep := false should
look like this:

Note: Its not necessary to exactly draw the icons. But, if they arent drawn, names
must be given (Interaction icon, Pushbutton Response icon, Conditional Response
icon, Calculation icon, Map icon, Sound icon). However, it is important to show how
the icons are connected to each other. Also, the only icon titles that must be as shown
are Play Beep, play_beep, and Beep. And, of course, only the contents of the
Calculation icon windows must be given - the windows themselves dont have to be
drawn. (In the same vein, the Map icons window doesnt have to be drawn, just the
flowline with the appropriate icons on it.)

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 Vita
David Robert DeVaux was born in Frederick, Maryland on February 6, 1970.
During his senior year of high school at Governor Thomas Johnson High School, he was
employed by Galaxy Conferences as a computer programmer.

Upon graduation from high school in 1988, David enrolled at Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. During his undergraduate career, he
worked summers as a programmer for the Navy Medical Logistics Command, located at
Fort Detrick in Frederick. David obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in computer
science and a minor in mathematics from Virginia Tech in 1992, graduating magna cum
laude. He subsequently enrolled as a Master of Science candidate in the Computer Science
Department at Virginia Tech. While obtaining his Masters degree, David served as a
graduate teaching assistant.

David DeVaux is married to the former Jeannette Louise Jones. He is currently

employed as a multimedia programmer at Interactive Design and Development in
Blacksburg, Virginia.

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