In one of our past issues - MasterView Issue #1, art. 3 -
we discussed how to use the "Pack And Go" feature in PowerPoint
97 and 2000.
The Pack And Go basically packs your presentation files along with a
"virtual" projector, called the PowerPoint Viewer, which allows
you to run a presentation on a computer without having PowerPoint
installed.
This feature is both practical and safe for people who travel since
they may not be sure that the computer where they will run the
presentation has PowerPoint installed.
The only disadvantage of the Pack And Go feature is that it creates a
very large sized file because it includes the viewer.
Another trick is to bring with you only the PowerPoint Viewer instead
of using the complete Pack And Go feature.
All the necessary files are stored in this directory: C:\Program
Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Xlators
This folder contains all the files you need to have with you if you
want to be sure to run your presentations on any computer that may not
have PowerPoint installed.
This virtual projector should always be brought with you when you
travel. It should be a part of any presenter's toolkit. The latest version
of this program is Version 8.0, but it is still the same PowerPoint Viewer
97.
Since the size of all the files you need to carry with you is
potentially larger than a standard 1,44 Mb floppy disk, you can do one of
the following things:
1) Use a CD-writer, create your own "presenter" toolkit and
burn a CD-ROM where you include the whole content of the
"Xlators" folder (5.84 Mb)
2) Use WinZip utility to compress the whole "Xlators" folder.
You'll create a 2.74 Mb zip file which you can eventually split into two
chunks using the "chainsaw" free software (see MasterView Issue #2, art. 3)
3) Use WinZip to compress the "Xlators" using the option to
span the content between two different floppy disks (see MasterView Issue #2, art. 2)
The advantage of using the Viewer instead of the "Pack And
Go" is that you will only have to worry about creating this
"toolkit" once.
Once you have created a CD-ROM with the Viewer files, you do not need to
do it again. However using Pack And Go may require you to use more than
one standard floppy disk since it creates very big files.
Once you have the floppy or CD-ROM with your PowerPoint Viewer files,
you can install it on any machine just by copying the whole folder on any
directory (even the desktop) and by double- clicking on the file
ppview32.exe
In case you cannot find that folder in your computer (maybe you did not
install this feature when you installed MS Office), you can find it on the
Web at: http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/
2000/ppview97.aspx
(Windows version) or at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/ powerpoint98mac/Utility/1/WIN98/EN-US/ PPT98VW.hqx
(Mac version).
If you decide to download it from Microsoft Web site, you will find a
smaller file (2.75 Mb) that will install itself as soon as you
double-click on the file called "ppview97.exe" and follow the
instructions.
Once the Viewer is running, you can use it this way:
You will see a dialog box, a small window that cannot be resized.
Through this window, you can open any PowerPoint presentation file and it
will be run as a slide show.
You have to search for your presentation file where it says: "Look
in:". The PowerPoint Viewer is going to look for the files of these
types: .ppt (PowerPoint presentation); .pps (PowerPoint show); .pot
(Presentation template).
Once you have selected the file you want to run, you have some extra
options:
- "Advance slides": you can set it for "Manually"
or "Using Timing if present".
- "Print...": you can print your presentation in the standard
layout (one slide per page)
- "Options...": when you click "Options" you can:
Under "Presentation settings", decide whether to use the
settings that are stored in the file or override them. In this case, you
can decide to have a presentation to "Loop continuously until
Esc", to "Show without narration" or even to "Show
without animation".
Under "Viewer settings" hide or show the "Popup menu on
right click of the mouse" or the "popup menu button" (see
also MasterView Issue #4, art. 2)
You can also decide to end with a black slide (see also MasterView Issue #4, art. 6).
An interesting option is the possibility to organize a
"Playlist"; a file which contains a list of presentations that
you want to run one after the other.
To create the playlist file, make a list of presentation files including
pathname in Notepad, one file per line (no spaces) and then save it with
extension .LST
If you have a presentation that has an automatic timing (where the slides
advance automatically and you do not need to click), you have another
option. You can click in the checkbox that reads: "Password Locked
Slide Show". You will be prompted to type a password. Following that,
your show will start automatically and it will run until you press
"Esc". At this point, you can only escape the program by
entering the right password. Otherwise, the show will continue to run in a
loop.
This is a useful option if you want to set a computer to run in
automatic and want no other person but yourself to manage and end the
show.
Once the show is running, you'll be able to use the same keyboard keys
that you use when you use the normal PowerPoint program (see also MasterView Issue #4, art. 2)
You can read this article in the original issue of MasterView.
