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Thread: how to create itunes (small) floating menu style for PC

  1. #1
    Member ellin's Avatar
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    how to create itunes (small) floating menu style for PC

    What kind of 3rd party app do I need to make a swf into an application like the itunes small menu style on the mac, but for the PC.

    Ok, that may be confusing, but what I want to accomplish is an exe for the PC with a transparent background that floats above any of the open applications like the itunes window does on the mac. I want to create an app that a call center can use to see what points they need to address w/o taking them away from thier database software.

    I know that there are 3rd party apps for the transparent background, but do they allow changing the z-order of the exe? Also, which one would be best for my needs? Cheapest w/o sacrificing too much?

    Does Zinc v2 Mac OSX plug-in do this?

    I'm on a mac, but have PCs at my disposal, so although I'd prefer something for the mac I'll take what I can get.

    I apprieciate any help.
    ellin

  2. #2
    Lifetime Friend of Site Staff Northcode's Avatar
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    The kind of "ghosted" transparency that iTunes displays really only works on Windows 2000 and XP where the OS provides support for alpha blending and most of the good third party applications can do this.

    I know that SWF Studio ($139US) will let you do this (I wrote it). I also know that Zinc ($289.99US) will do it. I'm 99% sure that mProjector ($199US) will do it. I think Jugglor ($99US) will do this as well, but I'd double check that it might not be part of the core command set for Jugglor, they have a lot of extra tools you have to buy to get the same functionality that other tools include in the basic cost of the product.

  3. #3
    Junior Member scudsucker's Avatar
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    Zinc v2 Mac OSX can do it, with a little difficulty- I cant remember the specifics, but sometimes transparent gifs do not work over a transparent bg.

    But as Zinc itself only works on a PC, you may have to switch to a PC.
    Hariyemadzisawira nhaka yedu! Down the SCUD and win!
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  4. #4
    Member ellin's Avatar
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    Trying to narrow this down... ok, so Northcode, does your product work on a PC that Flash isn't installed on?

    Can I create it on my mac and then turn the swf into a standalone on the PC?
    ellin

  5. #5
    Lifetime Friend of Site Staff Northcode's Avatar
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    SWF files are platform agnostic i.e. there's nothing in the SWF file format that ties it to a particular platform. So you can create your SWF on any system and it will run on any other system that supports Flash playback. Which means YES, you can compile an SWF created on a MAC by running SWF Studio on a PC. The same will hold true for any swf2exe application.

    Version 2.2 of SWF Studio has an issue with the Flash OCX if the user doesn't have rights to install it, but we released an update (V2.3) that's free for all V2.2 owners that fixes this problem making our EXE files work regardless of the users rights, they even work from a guest account.

    V2.3 EXE files will run on everything from a vanilla Win95 installation (from the original Windows 95 CD) right up to Windows XP with SP2. No Flash player is required, everything you need is in the EXE that SWF Studio V2.3 creates.

  6. #6
    Hi, you can use Zinc v2 on the PC with Mac generated SWF's and compile Mac OSX Projectors with the Zinc v2 OSX plug-In - to save some time, Zinc v2 also runs on Virtual PC on a Mac :-)

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