BSCOutline Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't find the answer to your question in this document then please send an e-mail to Outline@byte-sized.com
- I can't get the tree to look right, what an I doing wrong?
- I'm getting string errors when I use the DataX Lines in the applet tag instead of an out file, why?
- I've just tried to register but the register form asked for my domain, I don't want to disclose this info/it's on an intranet!
- Is BSCOutline 100% pure Java?
- I can't get the applet to work properly in Internet Explorer 4, Why?
- When I run BSCOutline on my machine locally, I get an "AppletSecurityException" Error
- Can you customise BSCOutline for my needs?
- Why is there only one .CLASS file, all the other outline control have three or four .CLASS files?
- Can I reduce the download time any further for my users?
- What files do I need to store on my web site?
- What code do I need to place in my HTML page for the applet?
- I just purchased the source code, How can I download it?
- I'd like to find out about your commercial redistribution program.
- Why does my outline have Byte-Sized Computing at the top?
- Can I use the BSCOutline on multiple web-sites?
- I can't seem to get the font parameter to set correctly.
- My web-site has two domains. How can I use the applet so that the nag lines don't appear on one of the domains.
Q: I can't get the tree to look right, what an I doing wrong?
A: Most of these problems are caused by errors in the .out file. This is a common problem and seems to stem from not visualising what you will get(not being able to see the wood for the trees!). Try indenting the lines in the .out file by the number of spaces of the level of the tree. i.e. If the node is at level 2 put two spaces before the 2, if it's at level 3 then put three spaces etc. This makes it very easy to see if you are going to get what you expect. e.g.
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Q: I'm getting string errors when I use the DataX Lines in the applet tag instead of an out file, why?
A: BSCOutline uses the | character for it's delimeters in the PARAM tag. Make sure there is a "|" at the end of the data line. e.g.
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Q: I've just tried to register but the register form asked for my domain, I don't want to disclose this info/it's on an intranet!
A: We NEED the hostname on which the applet is intended to be run. We calculate your registration code based on this name. Without it we cannot provide you a registration code to disable the top two "nag" lines. Typically we need whatever you type to get to the page... e.g. for -> http://www.byte-sized.com/home.htm We need -> www.byte-sized.com for -> http://intranet.mycompany/home.htm We need -> intranet.mycompany
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Q: Is BSCOutline 100% pure Java?
A: Yes, BSCOutline is written entirely in Java and extends only classes contained in Sun's Abstract Windows Toolkit, a part of the standard Java distribution. Thus it runs in any browser, on any platform that supports Java. However we cannot afford to put the applet through Sun's "Java Pure Check" program due to the high costs involved. (If you would like to sponsor us through the Java Pure Check and get free lifetime upgrades then we would be delighted to hear from you!)
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Q: I can't get the applet to work properly in Internet Explorer 4, Why?
A: Ah, well the problem is most likely that you have set the width and height of the applet in percentages, IE4 doesn't like the width or height of the applet in percentages. Put number of pixels instead of percentage, that should fix the problem.
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Q: When I run BSCOutline on my machine locally, I get an "AppletSecurityException" Error
A: This is a known problem with some versions of Internet Explorer and happens with most applets. Microsoft has updated the Java Virtual Machine (VM) to overcome this. Please download the latest VM from Microsoft. Alternatively if you copy the .class file into your C:\WINDOWS\JAVA\CLASSES directory it will work around the problem.
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Q: Can you customise BSCOutline for my needs?
A: We most certainly can! Please send us an e-mail with your requirements and we will send a quotation.
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Q: Why is there only one .CLASS file, all the other outline control have three or four .CLASS files?
A: BSCOutline has been written into ONE .CLASS file to keep the download time to a minimum. Each file requested by a users' browser required a separate connection to the server. One of the most noticable problems with most outline applets is that they take so long to show something useful on the users screen.
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Q: Can I reduce the download time any further for my users?
A: You can reduce the download time for Microsoft Internet Explorer users by packing the .CLASS file into a .cab file. You will need to add the following to your
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Q: What files do I need to store on my web site?
A: You will need to place the following files onto your web site. BSCOutline.class <--- The actual .CLASS file. BSCOutline.cab <--- (Optional) BSCOutline packed into a .cab file. outline.out <-------- Your Data file defining the outline. fold1o.gif <--------- The icons for open branches. fold1c.gif <--------- The icons for closed branches. fold2o.gif fold2c.gif doc1.gif <--------- The icons for items in the outline. doc2.gif doc3.gif doc4.gif
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Q: What code do I need to place in my HTML page for the applet?
A: Below is an example
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Q: I just purchased the source code, How can I download it?
A: The source code will be e-mailed directly to you when we recieve your payemnt. Thanks for purchasing! Please be patient, we will normally send out the source code within 24 hours of payment confirmation.
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Q: I'd like to find out about your commercial redistribution program.
A: The Redistribution Lience is what you need, Please send us an e-mail with the details.
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Q: Why does my outline have Byte-Sized Computing at the top?
A: This is only on the shareware version. It has been put there as an incentive to register. Registered users will get code to disable these two lines.
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Q: Can I use the BSCOutline on multiple web-sites?
A: Most Licences are for single web domains, that is you can use it anywhere on www.mydomain.com. If you wish to use it on multiple domains, please register multiple copies!
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Q: I can't seem to get the font parameter to set correctly.
A: You probably specified a font name that isn't available under your Operating System; this is one of those cross-platform differences that can bite you if you over-specify for one platform, like specifying "Arial" as a font and expecting it to work on something other than Windows. Font names which are pretty cross-platform independant are :-
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Q: My web-site has two domains. How can I use the applet so that the nag lines don't appear on one of the domains.
A: OK say that you have two domains pointing to the same site... e.g. www.byte-sized.com and www.bscoutline.com
Once you have registered one of the domain names e.g. www.byte-sized.com put a codebase parameter in the applet tag to point to the correct domain name in the following form...
CODEBASE=codebaseURL Specifies the base URL of the applet (the directory in which the applet is located).