Zeus Productions Banner

zWinVer&#153

Windows OS Version Xtra
User's Guide


Copyright © 1996-1997. Zeus Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Written by Bruce A. Epstein
(This document last revised September 1, 1997)

If you are reading this document off-line, the latest version of this User's Guide
can be found on our web site at http://www.zeusprod.com/doc/zwvguide.html.

Refer to the Tech Alerts at http://www.zeusprod.com/products/alert.html for late-breaking solutions/updates involving zWinVer and other Zeus Products.

Welcome!


Thank you for your interest in zWinVer, which is just one of the many utilities for Macromedia Director available from Zeus Productions. Please visit our web site for more information on our products for both Mac and Windows and custom development services.

zWinVer accurately determines the Windows OS version and build number. If you need to:

Then zWinVer is for you!


If you have purchased zWinVer, this package contains everything you need to run them under Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 or NT using Director 5.0.1 or Director 6.0.

The zWinVer Xtra (or the XObject version for Director 4.0 users) can be obtained by contacting Zeus Productions Sales at:


Be sure to download the latest End-User and Run-Time licensing agreements, as you are bound by these agreements if you use zWinVer. Note specifically that Run-Time distribution is royalty-free, but limited to five (5) commercial products per copy of zWinVer. Also note that you must include the Zeus logo and copyright information in your credit screen (there is no need to include it on your packaging is you are only using zWinVer). Refer to the licensing information included with this package, or licensing information on our web site for complete details.


For Technical Support:


Table of Contents

1. About zWinVer for Windows

2. zOpen Installation Notes

3. Using zWinVer's Methods

4. Trouble-Shooting and Debugging


1. zWinVer for Windows

A. Introduction

zWinVer will allow you to determine the Windows OS version and build number from within Director.

This User's Guide, the zWinVer FAQ and the example Director movie are new, and have been heavily revised for the Xtra version which replaces the old XObject version. The latest versions of the Zeus TechNotes cited throughout this publication are available on our web site where you'll also find the latest zWinVer product information.

When viewing the latest version of this User's Guide on our web site, all hyperlinks will access the latest information. When viewing this HTML file locally on your machine, some hyperlinks will not work. For example, the links to glossary terms are only available on our web site.

Also note that when viewing this documentation on a Windows 3.1 machine, the ".html" files may appear with an ".htm" extension. Because the hyperlinks are looking for ".html" files, they won't work. You can either access the files from our web site, or access the ".htm" files by opening them manually from within your browser, or double-clicking them in the File Manager (or File Explorer).

B. zWinVer Product Features

zWinVer determines the Windows OS version from within Director.

zWinVer offers a number of advantages over Lingo's the machineType and the platform commands. Most notably, zWinVer:


For more details, consult the zWinVer FAQ.


2. zWinVer Installation and Usage Notes


The zWinVer Xtra comes in two flavors for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95/NT, sold together as one product:

zWinVer is an Xtra, and must reside in the Xtras folder, but does not require any special installation. It can reside on a CD-ROM or be copied to a hard drive with the Projector.

You can place both the .X16 and .X32 files in the same folder without fear of conflicts, but delete any older versions of zWinVer, if any. The correct version of the Xtra (16-bit or 32-bit) will automatically be opened depending on the type of projector in use.

zWinVer performs the appropriate system calls depending on the OS. Some values, such as the build number, are not returned by the 16-bit version.

A. Authoring Mode Installation

When using zWinVer from within Director, the Xtra should be installed in the "Xtras" folder inside Director's installation directory. Place zWinVer.X16 in the Xtras folder where the 16-bit version of Director is installed. Place zWinVer.X32 in the Xtras folder where the 32-version of Director is installed. Consult the Director manuals for more information.

After placing zWinVer.X16 and/or zWinVer.X32 in your Xtras folder and restarting Director. zWinVer will automatically be available for use throughout the Director session. Do not use "openXlib" or "closeXlib" to access zWinVer.

B. Run-Time Installation

When using zWinVer from within a Projector, the Xtra(s) must be placed in a folder call "Xtras" within the same folder as the projector. Projectors will not access Xtras installed in the Authoring Mode Xtras folder(s).

C. Installation and Usage Notes

D. TroubleShooting Your Installation

If zWinVer is installed properly, it should be listed along with other installed Xtras when you type "showXlib" in the message window. If zWinVer is not listed as an installed Xtra, run the example .DIR movie included with this package to verify that zWinVer is properly installed during authoring mode. You can copy the Lingo code from the example's "startMovie" handler into your own movie to perform the startup check from your Projector as well.

If you are still having trouble:

3. Using zWinVer's Methods


Once zWinVer is installed, its methods are automatically available via Lingo. Do NOT use the "openXlib" command to open zWinVer, nor the "closeXlib" command to close it.

To Determine the Windows OS version, use the

zWinVer contains several methods, each performing a different function. Some Xtras require that you first use the new method to instantiate the Xtra before calling other methods; however, the new method is not required to access the other methods in zWinVer, which are Global methods. Simply call zWinVer's methods as you would any other Lingo command. Refer to the TechNote, "Installing and Using Xtras" for more details.


Housekeeping Methods

The following three methods are provided for administrative purposes and are not required when using the other methods which perform the real work of zWinVer:

mMessageList

mMessageList returns a list of the other available methods. Use Lingo's "put" command to print out this information in the message window. This method replaces the mDescribe method provided with XObjects in prior versions of Director.

Syntax:

	put mMessageList (Xtra "zWinV")

mDescribe

mDescribe prints information about the other available methods in the message window. It is identical to put mMessageList (Xtra "zWinV") and is provided as a convenience for those familiar with the mDescribe method provided with XObjects in prior versions of Director.

Syntax:

	mDescribe(Xtra "zWinV")

new

The new method is not required to use zWinVer's (Global-level) methods, but is provided to conform to the Xtras standard. Simply use the other methods as you would use any other Lingo command. New can be used for debugging purposes to ensure that zOpen is installed properly..

Syntax:


	set instance = new (Xtra "zWinV")

Example:


	set myInstance = new (Xtra "zWinV")

	-- check for success

	if objectP(myInstance) then

	  put "zWinV instantiated successfully"

	  -- Dispose of the instance

	  set myInstance = 0

	else

	  put "Failure instantiating zWinV. Error:" && myInstance

	end if


Methods for Determining the OS Version and Build

Note: You do NOT need to instantiate the Xtra using the "new" method in order to use the following methods.


zWinVer

zWinVer() returns the Windows OS Version as a string.

Note that the parentheses are mandatory.

Example:

	set winVersion = zWinVer()



	put "The Windows OS type is" && winVersion



	if winVersion starts "Windows, 3.1" then

	  alert "This demo does not support Windows 3.1"

	end if



zWinVBuild


zWinVBuild() returns the Build number of the OS as a string. This value is only available from 32 bit Projectors

Note that the parentheses are mandatory.

Example:

	set winBuild = zWinVBuild()



	put "The build number is"  && winBuild

zWinVExt


zWinVExt() returns the Extended Description of the OS as a string. This value is only available from 32 bit Projectors

Note that the parentheses are mandatory.

Example:

	set winExtended = zWinVExt()



	put "The extended description is"  && winExtended



4. TroubleShooting and Debugging

Refer to the Tech Alerts for late-breaking solutions/updates involving Zeus Products.



If you are having trouble, please verify the following before contacting technical support:


If you feel that you are using it correctly, and still having problems with zWinVer, please contact our technical support department. While we ask that you make a good-faith effort to define the problem, please don't wait until you are pulling your hair out to call us. We stand behind our products, and are happy to help you with any implementation questions

You can reach our World-Class technical support at info@zeusprod.com or 1-732-398-1682. We are very helpful. Before calling, please have Director up and running at a PC that you can access while on the phone with technical support.

Good luck in all your multimedia pursuits.

Zeus Productions


Copyright © 1997. Zeus Productions. All rights reserved.
zOpen and zPrint are trademarks of Zeus Productions.

Last Revised: 08/06/97
###