MAVA Multimedia Suite - Current Development

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MMP: MAVA Multimedia Player
MMEd: MAVA Multimedia Editor
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Current Development

Last change: 23.01.2005 (jh)

On this page you can find information on changes compared to previous versions of the Mava Multimedia Suite.

Version 1.3.2 - 08.05.2005

  • MMEd
    • MediaFromDirectory Dialog improved
      Now, the directory is searched in a separate thread that avoids blocking the GUI.
    • AbsolutePositioningView improved
      The contents of a container is now also shown. Therefore the container API was extended to look for views that can be used to visualize a container.
    • Inspectors improved
    • The MMEd internal determination of which inspector has to be used now uses the type fo the media item and not the filename. Therefore the inspector API was changed. Now, an inspector gets the values of all attributes.
    • Minor Bugfixes and code optimizations
      They increase stability and performance.
  • MMP
    • Minor Bugfixes and code optimizations
      They increase stability and performance.

Version 1.3.1 - 22.01.2005

  • MMEd
    • Include Media Item
      This media item can be used to integrate other MMP documents into a MMP document replacing the include media item. This supports authors working with large documents because large documents can be distributed into several files (that are smaller). To activate the include media item the file '.devr.config' has to be deleted from the directory '.mava' which is contained in the user's home directory.
    • Execute Task Media Item
      This media item can be used to run executable programs. The program is started when the presentation of the execute task media item starts. If the presentation of the media item is stopped the execution of the program is also terminated.
    • Control of the initialization of a container
      For the base container and the scene container the attribute "Use late initialization" was implemented. By using this flag it can be determined when the initialization (resource allocation) takes place. If the flag is set for a container, it is initialized just before its presentation. This flag can be used to control the resource allocation of large documents.
    • Icons for Placeholder and Include Media Items in the navigator
      The navigator now shows the correct icons for these two media items.
    • "Save changes?" in application-specific views
      If an application-specific view is to be closed without saved changes, a dialog appears to remind the author of unsaved changes.
    • Adapted names for attributes in element properties dialog
      The names of attributes were updated where necessary.
    • Support for directory attributes in element properties dialog
      The element properties dialog now supports the selection of directories for attributes of media items that represent directories. The execute task media item is the first media item to use this attribute.
    • API Documentation for MMEd extensions completed
      The documentation of classes and methods used for extensions was checked and completed if necessary.
    • Refactorings and code optimizations
      The quality of the code was improved by refactorings and code optimizations.
  • MMP
    • Full screen mode
      Pressing 'p' starts the presentation of a document.
    • API improved for managers
      The method deallocate() of a manager is called when the presentation of a container ends or is aborted. It is used to free resources held by a manger.
    • Finished API documentation
      The documentation of all classes and methods was checked and completed if necessary. The API documentation is now completed.
    • Refactorings and code optimizations
      The quality of the code was improved by refactorings and code optimizations. This was also done for extensions.

Version 1.3.0_02 - 28.11.2004

  • MMEd
    • HTTP Proxy Configuration
      A HTTP proxy can be configured. This enables the loading of help pages, release notes and license information behind a proxy.
    • Classes and Documentation improved
      Performed refactorings of the program code and worked on documentation (java doc).
    • The help pages are now loaded and shown in a separate thread.
    • Fixed a layout bug in the Media From Directory Window.
  • MMP
    • Introduced command line parameters
      file=file to open
    • Start without storing extensions to the local disk drive
      This enables the presentation of documents without modifying the local installation (i.e. without write permission).
      loadExtensions= true or false, depending on whether extensions can be stored on the local disk or not.
    • Classes and Documentation improved
      Performed refactorings of the program code and worked on documentation (java doc).
    • An interface (API) was introduced that allows for parameter exchange with the presentation. This interface is useful when mava presentations are integrated into third party applications.

Version 1.3.0_01 - 28.03.2004

  • MMEd
    • The AbsolutePositioning view now shows colors of containers and the contents of HTML media items.
    • Some minor bug fixes that were reported during the last three weeks (e.g. navigation tree updates, saving changes in the AbsolutePositionging view, "save as" functionality, etc.)
    • The interface for the integration of media editors is improved.
    • A very simple text editor was added to show the functionality of providing media editors.
  • MMP
    • The HTML media item now supports ordered and unordered lists and its performance is improved.

Version 1.3 - 07.03.2004

  • MMEd
    • Drag&Drop
      The dragging of an icon it is now visible all the time. This simplifies placing icons in the icon view.
    • Undo/Redo
      All user interactions can be undone and in case its necessary they also can be redone.
    • Integration of media data editors
      MMEd is now extensible for media data editors. If an editor is available for a media item there is an entry in the context menu. By using this menu the editor is started. This is mainly an interface for third party solution providers.
    • Interface for tools extended
      Tools now may provide a dialog where the user can set tool-specific parameters.
    • Layout of the properties dialog improved
      The horizontal scroll bar of this dialog has been discarded. The inspector button has been moved to a new place where it is visible all the time. These changes simplify the handling of this dialog.
    • Improved handling of the media selection and media from directory dialog
      In both dialogs, the horizontal scroll bar has been discarded. This simplifies the handling of the dialog because now only one scrolling direction is left. Also, the author better maintains an overview over media items.
    • Menus for Help, Release Notes and License available
      The open a window that displays the corresponding pages of this site. By using the preferences (tab "Help configuration") it is possible to change the address of these pages. Here you can download a zip file containing the pages. Unzip it and enter the path in the preferences to use these pages off-line.
    • Progress dialogs
      During loading, saving and exporting documents, a simple dialog is displayed. This dialog prevents the user from thinking the application crashed during actions that take some time to execute.
    • New attributes for Metadata
      There are two new metadata attributes. The first one is the author email address. Additionally, key words can be specified for a document.
    • The 'AbsView' (an application-specific view) was improved
      Try the view to see its improvements. Image, for example, are now displayed during usage of the view. It is also possible to determine the correct size of images via context menu.
  • MMP
    • Language selection for the GUI
      Allows an explicit selection of the language used for the MMP GUI (German or English)
    • Security settings
      There are now four different security levels for the automatic loading of extensions available. The default does not allow the loading of extensions at all.
    • Progress dialog
      During loading, saving and exporting documents, a simple dialog is displayed. This dialog prevents the user from thinking MMP crashed during actions that take some time to execute.
    • Performance and memory leak problems solved
      The usage of audio or video media items caused a performance and memory leak. This has been fixed for the latest version.
    • Audio and video media can be looped
      These two media items have now a new parameter. If they are presented for a longer time than their original duration, it is possible to loop their presentation.