Use this command to change the attributes of the current page. The Page Properties screen is divided into sections indicated by the icon images on the left. General, Actions and (for 256 color publications) Palette. To view the settings for a section, click the corresponding icon.


General

Use Page Title to assign a unique name or number to the current page. This title will appear on the page’s tab at the bottom of the  VisualNEO Win screen. Remember: you can change the title assigned to a page, if you like, but no two pages in a publication can have the exact same title.



You can enhance your publication by selecting an interesting background for each page. You may select a Solid Color, create a Gradient (the blending of two colors), or choose an image file to use as a Wallpaper-type background. To select a plain background, click the Solid Color option, then click the arrow to the right of this option, and choose the desired background color from the drop-down color box. (The selection of colors is determined by the resolution of the publication and palette assigned to this page.) To create a Gradient Color background, select the Gradient Color option, then click the arrow buttons next to the two color boxes and choose your colors. Choose Horizontal or Vertical to change the Direction of the gradation. Select Wallpaper to use an image as a background. Click the small folder icon next to the Image File box, then select the desired file.


If you enable the Show Items from Master Page box, controls, images and other objects which have been placed on the Master Page will be displayed on this page as well.


A variety of animated special effects are available to smooth the transitions that your readers will see when moving between pages. Click on the arrow button next to the Transition Effect option to select dissolves, slides, page turn, explode/implode, splits, weaves or wipes. The small Preview box will display a sample of the effect you select. Click the Preview button (below Transition Effects) so see it again. You can control the speed of the effect by moving the slider control between Fast and Slow.


Hint: If you require additional effects not available in VisualNEO Win’s built-in selection, a plug-in is available from www.billeniumsoft.com that adds a number of professional effects to VisualNEO Win.


Actions

You can define special Actions to be taken each time the reader enters or leaves a page. These Actions are particularly useful for slide shows and testing publications. Actions can be used to play animation or music, display messages, calculate scores, verify input, etc.


The Action screen contains a large editor window and a tool bar. Action commands may be typed directly into the editor, but most authors prefer to use the Insert Action button instead. Clicking the Insert Action button will display a list of available commands. The commands are organized into groups. Simply locate and click the title of the command you want. For most commands, VisualNEO Win will display a simple form that can be filled in to complete the Action. See Understanding Actions and Variables and Action Command Reference for a complete discussion of the Action Editor and Action Commands.


You may specify separate Actions to perform when the reader enters and leaves the page using the Page Enter and Page Exit tabs located just below the editor window.


If you’re creating a slide presentation, two commands that you may wish to use in your Page Enter Action are Delay and GotoNextPage. This is a quick method of constructing a self-running, timed slide show type-presentation. For example:


Delay "3000"

GotoNextPage


Palette

You may find the Palette Editor useful when designing publications to be viewed on computers running in 256 color mode. Many older computers can display only a limited number of colors at one time. This limited selection of colors is called a palette. VisualNEO Win allows you to decide which colors will appear on the palette. If desired, each page may be assigned its own unique 256 color palette. VisualNEO Win also provides an Auto-Palette option that uses a generic color palette for the entire publication. The Auto-Palette contains a full spectrum of general colors including the 20 standard colors used by Windows. The Auto-Palette feature can be turned on or off from the Size/Colors section of the App Properties screen.


Hint: The Palette Editor is not available when creating publications that use more or less than 256 colors since those resolutions don’t use palettes. The Palette screen will not appear if the Auto-Palette option is turned on.


The left side of the Palette Editor contains a selection of colors in the palette assigned to the current page. Select a color to modify by clicking one of the color boxes in the palette. The Red, Green, Blue and Brightness sliders on the right will change to reflect the color values that comprise the selected color: you may use your mouse to modify the selected color by changing the position of each slider. The top three sliders represent the amount of Red, Green and Blue (RGB) pigment that comprise the selected color. The Brightness slider adjusts all three color sliders simultaneously to lighten or darken the selected color. A preview showing the effects of your changes to the selected color appears below the palette.


If you make a mistake, use the Reset Color or Reset Palette buttons to restore either the currently selected or all palette colors to their original values. To load a new palette from a previously saved palette (PAL) file, click the Load Palette button. To save your edited palette as a PAL file for use with other pages or publications, click the Save Palette button and assign the palette a file name.


Hint: When designing a publication to be viewed by the general public, it is always a good idea to try running a copy of your compiled publication on other systems which display only 256 colors. This will give you a better idea of how your readers will see your work.


If you want the page attributes you’ve selected to be used for all the pages in your publication, check the Copy to All Pages box in the lower left side of the screen.