Update to the Ultimate Xara Slideshow

This is a simplification and clarification to the https://www.talkgraphics.com/showthr...Xara-Slideshow.
It will work for XPro+ and XDPXv18.5. You may have some issues with Xara Bugs that affected earlier versions.

The Website (or Placeholder) Code (head) is three lines of JavaScript to cycle through the pages of a Supersite/Transitions website:

<script>

function showTime() { xr_spapp( (xr_curp + 1)%xr_spapn ); } // Thanks to siran

var pageWait = 4157; // uses milliSeconds

var presentation = setInterval(function() { showTime() }, pageWait);
</script>

You can place the entire website into an IFRAME (Embed a website Widget) to realise a full slider capability.

It is up to you what you present.
Each page can have its own Transition applied and its time to present set separately.

At its simplest, you could just have an image or text for each Slide. Or both.
You can add links and other effects to make the whole thing interactive.

I have included some extra code to allow a Pause button to be pressed.
The Slide controls are basic as the timer is relentless, so you need not uses them.

Attachment 130831

Acorn

I played with the first batch of the Supersite sliders and a very simple one is, hopefully, amusing a few people in the Gold Coast as we speak.

I rarely understand how these things work, but can usually spot the what's and why's, if not the how's of it all. However, I cannot see where the transitions are on this one. Where's the bit that tells the individual page to rotate, flip, slide?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris M

I played with the first batch of the Supersite sliders and a very simple one is, hopefully, amusing a few people in the Gold Coast as we speak.
I rarely understand how these things work, but can usually spot the what's and why's, if not the how's of it all. However, I cannot see where the transitions are on this one. Where's the bit that tells the individual page to rotate, flip, slide?

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Chris, hiding in plain sight : Web Properties > Page > Page transition.

Quote:

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Each page can have its own Transition applied and its time to present set separately.

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Acorn

See, I was trying to overcomplicate it by looking for code. Move that pesky simple thing out of my way and pass me my periodic table and scientific calcumebob.

Nice.

That's a gem, Acorn! I had an issue with all pages suddenly shifting upon completing a transition when the browser window was smaller than the site. This was remedied by selecting Web Properties/Export/Scale to fit width maximum and setting the value to 1440 (the page size you set).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Boy

That's a gem, Acorn! I had an issue with all pages suddenly shifting upon completing a transition when the browser window was smaller than the site. This was remedied by selecting Web Properties/Export/Scale to fit width maximum and setting the value to 1440 (the page size you set).

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Boy, thank you for pointing the jumping and the solution.

I was lazy and only make the slides from my normal design template.
Even using Scale to fit width is a risk if you set the browser to just show a slide with no edging, you can get a massive judder.
My fix for that is to set the Pasteboard to the page background, but, of course, for a Supersite Xara only displays the first page background across all slides.

If you are using this method as a continuous presentation in Full Screen mode, scle to Fit width need to ensure the height is just under the monitor height or the slides get cropped.

The slides should have been smaller as they should normally be presented through a Embed a website Widget on your normal website page.

Acorn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Acorn

Even using Scale to fit width is a risk if you set the browser to just show a slide with no edging, you can get a massive judder.

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Didn't see that happening, in none of the major browsers and/or when narrowing the browser window to a typical mobile viewport.

Quote:

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If you are using this method as a continuous presentation in Full Screen mode, scle to Fit width need to ensure the height is just under the monitor height or the slides get cropped.

The slides should have been smaller as they should normally be presented through a Embed a website Widget on your normal website page.

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Yes, I saw that but the slides are indeed massive.

Thanks for the updated code Acorn - tried it on one of my demo sliders with page-by-page navigation, a mobile variant and Scale-to-fit width: https://initiostar.co.uk/demo/ultSli..._simple-slider - All good.

Attachment 130850

I have always added the additional code to disable the keyboard arrows keys; a visitor might stumble across them otherwise and of course they don't work in a mobile format. It's a hangover from the original Xara supersite bug.

<script>
//Acorn v3 Ultimate Slider - paste to website HTML (body)
function showTime() { xr_spapp( (xr_curp + 1)%xr_spapn ); } // Thanks to siran
var pageWait = 5000; // milliSeconds
var presentation = setInterval(function() { showTime() }, pageWait);
var isPaused = false;
function togglePause() {
if (isPaused) { presentation = setInterval(function() { showTime() }, pageWait); }
else { clearInterval(presentation); }
isPaused = !isPaused;
}
// disable keyboard arrow navigation
(function(){if(typeof(xr_prinit4)=="function"){var o=xr_prinit4;xr_prinit4=function()
{o();if(document.onkeydown==xr_prku)document.onkey down=xr_d_old_onkeydown;};}})();
</script>

Gary

@Imitostar, grateful for your endorsement and the additional code.
The mucked-up pop-up does not show in the latest versions.

Acorn

Hello,

I need some help please: I did make a test page with the sample (with file from https://initiostar.co.uk/demo/ultSli..._simple-slider). Was very happy to found this solution. All works fine so far but when in the final site (with) iframe placeholder I have the slider only in the desktop version (1200px), but NOT in the mobile version (480px). What is strange is that in the mobile version it evens shows NO page background. I have in both viariant each oine placeholder with same small code snipset. When I delete the one placeholder in the desktop variant then the slider works on mobile variant. But with both placeholders it worsk only in desktop variant and it supress all elements beside background from the mobile variant.

What goes wrong? Thanks vor any help.

TomTom.

TomTom,

The demo template (https://initiostar.co.uk/demo/zNivo/#xl_six) has a mobile variant width of 540px; it uses Scale-to-fit-Width with a minimum width of 540px. Should you want to embed this into a main website mobile variant that has a 480px width, you would need to modify the page width in the slider mobile variant to 480px.

E.g. Attachment 132196

You can modify any of the slider page sizes across all variants to suit your design, but as a start point, I would make the main website placeholders the same size as the incoming slider for each variant. The code remains the same.

Hopefully this gets you back on track.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Initiostar

TomTom,

The demo template (https://initiostar.co.uk/demo/zNivo/#xl_six) has a mobile variant width of 540px; it uses Scale-to-fit-Width with a minimum width of 540px. Should you want to embed this into a main website mobile variant that has a 480px width, you would need to modify the page width in the slider mobile variant to 480px.

E.g. Attachment 132196

You can modify any of the slider page sizes across all variants to suit your design, but as a start point, I would make the main website placeholders the same size as the incoming slider for each variant. The code remains the same.

Hopefully this gets you back on track.

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Hello Initostar,

thanks, but exactly this was what I did do. I changed it. But there is no slider on the mobile version. Slider (mobile) has 480px, website (mobile) has also 480 px.

TomTom

TomTom, without your design we are all guessing.

Do check the Placeholder code you have does not share the same id in both Main and Variant.

Quote:

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I have in both viariant each oine placeholder with same small code snipset

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The second issue around the lost background might disappear when you adjust your code but it is possible you have not terminated your code correctly and is only noticeable when it hits the Variant code that sits under Main.

Acorn

Hello,

sorry :-) just found the error. Was my fault!

In my placeholder code:

<iframe title="slider-crossfade" src="simple-slider-crossfade.htm" name="simple-slider-crossfade" height="100%" width="100%" style="border:none;"></iframe>
the closing bracket was not present

the closing bracket was not present! </iframe instead </iframe>

Now it works fine, it is a great solution. Thanks to everyone.

TomTom

It happens to us all.

Acorn

Hi to all :-)

I am a huge "fan" of the "simple-slider-crossfade" slideshow and have used it successfully over 10x. This also works as a kind of "presentation" within a page. What would interest me is if you can add a function to start the "play" of the iframe via a button overlay/layer?. "Stupidly said" like when you press the "play" icon of a video. The reason would be that the show then starts specifically from the beginning and the viewer doesn't just enter "in between" at some point. Sure you could convert it to a video (slideshow) but it would be easier that way, also for updating content.

Thanks for any ideas,

TomTom

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TomTom66

Hi to all :-)
I am a huge "fan" of the "simple-slider-crossfade" slideshow and have used it successfully over 10x. This also works as a kind of "presentation" within a page. What would interest me is if you can add a function to start the "play" of the iframe via a button overlay/layer?. "Stupidly said" like when you press the "play" icon of a video. The reason would be that the show then starts specifically from the beginning and the viewer doesn't just enter "in between" at some point. Sure you could convert it to a video (slideshow) but it would be easier that way, also for updating content.
Thanks for any ideas,
TomTom

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TomTom, if you are embedding the Slideshow in an IFRAME, you need to include a name attribute, e.g., name="myShow".

On the main design page you create a Button or Link, say, Replay.
Its Link would be <myShowPath>/index.htm and you include the critical part of Open link in: myShow.

On any click, this restarts the Presentation website from the start.

Acorn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Acorn

TomTom, if you are embedding the Slideshow in an IFRAME, you need to include a name attribute, e.g., name="myShow".

On the main design page you create a Button or Link, say, Replay.
Its Link would be <myShowPath>/index.htm and you include the critical part of Open link in: myShow.

On any click, this restarts the Presentation website from the start.

Acorn

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Thanks a lot, Acorn!

Glad to see there is a solution. I will do my test tomorrow and see how it will work :-)

TomTom

Hello Acorn,

I'm not sure what you mean, did not complete understand. I send you here 2 screenshot how I did now realize it.
On the main page ist a preview picture with "Presentation start" and a "play Symbol. If you press "play" a popup layer "play(lock)" opens. On this layer is the iframe (placeholder) for the show. And a close link "Close presentation" (via: "popup: close"). This works so far fine. You press play and it starts. If you click it close. Only suboptimal is when you start it again it continues on some random slide. HOwever if you reload the page it starts correct from beginning.

Can you please explain me more detailed your idea? Ord do we speak about something different?

Thanks, TomTom

Attachment 133040

Attachment 133041

TomTom, you made it complicated with it being on a Pop-up Layer!

Here is a solution: Attachment 133042

The green control has to do two things together, restart and open. Xara is not built for this so I had to code it as JavaScript into its Link.

The numbers 1 - 7 show how to start at any slide position, even when the Pop-up is closed; you need to press the blue control.
The number call the presentation page but render it inside the Placeholder - look for 'acorn' in the Link dialog. This allows you to control an IFRAME externally.

I did not animate the presentation.

Acorn

Hello Acorn,

First of all, thank you for your help and for the example! Your solution is of course much more elegant and flexible. Also for the viewer. Since he can select specific slides. In my case, only a presentation with "crossfade" transitions runs in predefined time, scrolling is not possible. I will therefore implement your example. "Programming" is unfortunately not my world :-)

At the opportunity something I wanted to write (ask) for a long time because it just struck me when testing your example again:

What is the reason for these over-wide marker areas (handles) that XARA generates very often when marking? This was also the case with your example: If you click only on the "1", the whole number row is marked. The same happens with the other numbers. In my opinion, this behavior did not exist in earlier versions. It is sometimes extremely annoying. Have therefore some examples add as sreenshots. Often a so large width is then marked that one does not come to the ende of the marker. In addition, it confuses because you think there would still be something in the "background" (below) or on another layer (at least in previous Xara version was so). In the past, only a single font or line was marked, never in this massive width. Did I switch something here by mistake? What is the cause?

Thanks, TomTom


Attachment 133043

Attachment 133044

Attachment 133045

Attachment 133046

Attachment 133047

Attachment 133048

TomTom. glad I have helped.

In my example, I was lazy and created the 1-7 as a single Text Column; select one, you get all.

In yours, if you drag out a wide text column/area, the green line/box remains that size regardless of what you type in.
A lot of the changes are improvements that allow background and paragraph fills.

You can easily bring in any side with an (Alt+)Click-Drag. This does not change the pitch of the lettering. I use Alt as I keep Smart transform Off.

Acorn