This essay is about the principals of interactive authoring. the essay will cover the following topics: the difference between authoring and programming, examples of authoring tools, what they are used for and review complexity, the definition of ‘assets’, what timelines, slideshows, buttons etc. are and what they can be used for, the limitations of authoring applications and the debate of whether or not to bother with learning a real language such as C and C++, which will also cover how close the basic language is to c.
The difference
between authoring and programming
Authoring and programming could be considered as similar
things, as this is because they both have a similar outcome, you will always be
able to create something from them both. However, authoring and programming are
actually completely different. The main difference between authoring tools and
programming tools is that authoring tools require less technical knowledge in
order to properly master. Below, are the definitions for authoring tools and
programming tools.
Authoring
Sometimes known as authorware, authoring is a program that
helps you to create or write hypertext (web pages) or multimedia applications.
These programs are known as authoring tools. These authoring tools usually
enable you to create a final application merely by linking together objects,
such as text, images, video or sound. This is done by defining the objects
relationships with each other and then sequencing them in an appropriate order.
Authors (those who use authoring tools) are then able to produce attractive and
useful graphics applications. Although it doesn’t have to be used, most authoring
tools support a scripting language which can be used to create more advanced
applications. http://www.webopedia.com/term/a/authoring_tool.html
Programming
Programming however is completely different from authoring.
Programming is the process of developing and implementing various sets of
instructions which are defined as code, for example, Basic, used in GL Basic, and
ActionScript2&3, used in Flash, and enable a computer to complete certain
tasks. These instructions are considered to be computer programs and can help a
computer to run smoothly or specific code that will run a program. The coding
languages that are used in programming can be complicated and ranges firm easy
programs such as Flash, GL Basic and Dark Basic. To harder, very complicate
languages such as C++ and independent languages that are used for the creation
of videogames, for example GOOL. (A programming language that was once used by
the company Naughty Dog, for the creation of crash bandicoot, 2 and 3.) these
programming languages cannot be understood unless they have or are able to
learn them. Computer programming has become increasingly more desirable as the
internet and media continues to expand and is no longer restricted to just
being used for videogames
Gl Basic is also considered
a programming tool. This however, is by far the most complicated authoring tool
as technically qualifies as both a programming and authoring tool. This is
because the main feature of this program is its unique programming language
known as Basic. Using this tool, you are able to create programs and mobile
phone (iPhone and Android only) applications. In this tool you have to write
your program using this special language and then run your program to see the
results.
Assets are anything that is used in order an application
what it actually is. An asset is something that is put into an application.
Assets are everything from images, sprites, and backgrounds, the code (if
needed), and sound effects, Music, text and anything else that’s created for
use with the applications. The created assets belong to the developer or
developers of whoever created the application in the first place. For example, the assets used for my
iPhone/Android game, the assets for my game include backgrounds, sprites, and
music. My character for my game is one of my main assets. The assets that
compose my game make my game what it is. Otherwise it would look like a black
screen with nothing happening in it.
Interactive elements
of applications
Interactive elements within applications mean that you are
able to interact with the application itself. Buttons, sliders, pop out boxes
and a host of other things are used in most if not all flash applications. Slideshows,
timelines and effects are also interactive elements that are used in many
applications.
Buttons
Basically, a button is an image of any shape, size or colour
which is then placed onto the stage or workspace. It is then converted into a
symbol which Flash uses for animations. The button can then be given what’s
known as an Instance name, which is what the object gets referred to as in the Action
Script code. Then layers are created with pages, a layer for buttons and one
for pages. On the layer with nothing on it, the user can then input code which
will give the button commands such as moving to different frames or ‘pages. Any
button can be given any command as long as you know its input code.
Timeline
A timeline is a long series of frames which an animation will
be made up of. Each frame contains a still picture or a motion tween (a feature
which allows for smooth animation of movement) and when it it played the
computer will play each one in a sequence making up the animation. A timeline
can be used for other things as well. A timeline can be used to contain
information such as separate animations, script code or even features of
webpages. There is a timeline in both Adobe Flash and Adobe after Effects. There
are timelines in many animation programs also.
Slideshow
A slide show is a series of pages with text, images and video
clips that move consecutively one after another. Each page or slide can have
images and texts thrown together and then played either automatically over a
period of time, or manually by clicking when finished with each slide
Effects (in PowerPoint, etc)
There are many effects that can be
used to make a presentation look a lot more interesting. There are two main
types, transitions and normal animations. The stage animations or slide
transitions are used for slide transitions. The slide animates away so that a
new slide will be animated onto the screen. The normal animation effects can be
applied to virtually everything that’s within the slide. The effects consist of
many animations of three type’s animations, intro, exit and emphasis. All three
types of animation have different animations within them, including different motion
paths that can be used so that every animation is customisable.
Limitations of authoring tools
Although you can make professional
looking applications, presentations, animations or web pages, all these
programs have their limitations. For example, with PowerPoint, there is only so
much that you can do with the animations available and they are only
customisable to some degree. Another
example of a limitation of authoring tools is with some programs you have to
mput up with the layout of the program itself.
C and GL basic
It can be argued that one one side, there would be no point in learning C, which is allot more complex than Basic, as the code within Gl Basic is compiled into C and then run as the program anyway. However, on the other hand, there is only so much you can do using the Basic code, and there is also a limited amount of memory that’s available to use when running a program. for example I had to limit the amount of levels within my game as I already had used up loads of the memory. There’s allot more that you can do using C, the downside is you have to learn a new and extremely complicate programming language, but n the upside, if you master it ten you are able to create pretty much anything, as well as have the expertise to code in other languages.
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