User Guide

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CHAPTER 18
Movies in a Window
Macromedia Director MX 2004 can play several movies simultaneously by creating windows in
which additional movies can play. A movie in a window (MIAW) is a distinct Director movie that
retains all its interactivity.
You can use a MIAW to play another movie in a separate window while the main movie plays on
the Stage. In addition, movies in windows and the main movie can communicate and interact
with each other. This lets you create a variety of interactive features, such as an interactive
portfolio, a control panel for a second movie or digital video, or a status display window.
The following list shows the typical workflow for creating and using a movie in a window:
• Set up the movie’s Display Template with default window properties.
• Create and set up the window.
• Assign a movie to the window.
• Open the window.
• Delete the window when the reason for playing the movie no longer applies.
When you create a MIAW, decide how you want it to function. For example, decide how you
want to display it, how users should be able to move the window around the screen and dismiss it,
and how the window should appear. You can specify the window’s size and whether the window is
visible, has a frame and title, or is in front of or behind other windows on the screen.
You can create and control movies in windows using behaviors from the Behavior Library or by
writing your own scripts.
Macromedia Shockwave does not support MIAWs. Use MIAWs only with movies that you intend
to distribute as projectors (see “About distribution formats” on page 451 and “About projectors”
on page 460). However, you can use script to have Shockwave content target a URL in a browser
window (see “Jumping to a URL” on page 293).
Note: You can also open MIAWs in authoring. Drop a .dir or .dcr file in the Xtras folder and the MIAW
will appear in the Xtras menu.