                           TAnimated Component
                        Version 1.02 (Delphi 2.0)

                    Copyright 1995-6 by L. David Baldwin
                           All rights reserved
              See end of this document for more information


The TAnimated Component is a visual component for use with Borland's Delphi 2.0.
It allows the easy programing of simple animations such as exploding text,
books being paged through, etc.  Animations are drawn as bitmaps consisting
of two or more frames arranged in filmstrip form.

A demo program, ANIMDEMO.EXE, will give you a feel for the types of
animations which can be accomplished.  Please keep in mind when viewing the
demo that my artistic abilities are quite limited.


                               IMPORTANT

The source code for ANIMDEMO is included.  You can run the demo, ANIMDEMO.EXE,
but you CAN'T successfully load the source into Delphi until you install
the TAnimated component.  If you do load it (pressing the 'Ignore All'
button), be careful not to save the resulting files as they will have many
essentials stripped from them.


FILES SUPPLIED

   README        This one
   ANIMDEMO.EXE  The demo file
   EXPLODE.WAV   Sound effects for demo

   INSTSTUF.ZIP  Zipped file containing the files req'd for installing the
                 TAnimated component, consisting of:

    ANIMATE.PAS  Source code
    ANIMATE.HLP  Help file
    ANIMATE.CNT  Contents for the help file
    ANIMATE.KWF  Keyword file to link ANIMATE.HLP to the Delphi help system.
    ANIMATE.DCR  Button bitmap for TAnimated on the Delphi component palette.

   DEMOSRC.ZIP   Zipped file containing the source for ANIMDEMO consisting of:

    ANIMDEMO.DPR Project file
    ANIMDEMO.RES Resource file (icon)
    ANIUNIT.PAS  Unit file
    ANIUNIT.DFM  Form file

   BITMAPS.ZIP   The various filmstrip bitmaps for the demo.  You don't need
                 these to compile the demo but may want to look at them
                 as filmstrip samples.


INSTALLING THE TAnimated Component

  IMPORTANT:  If you've already installed the Delphi 1 TAnimated component, be
  careful to keep the new files separate.  DFM, DCR, DCU, and RES files are not
  compatible between Delphi versions. 

  Installing new components in the library is covered starting on page 44 of
  the User's manual.  Here's some extra comments and suggestions.

  1. The Register procedure in ANIMATE.PAS is setup to place TAnimated on
     the palette page tab named 'Samples'.  You can change the location after
     installation but you may prefer to edit the Register procedure to place
     it on a different page when it's installed.

  2. Backup CMPLIB32.DCL or start a new library file.

  3. Pick a directory for the TAnimated component.  Put ANIMATE.PAS,
     ANIMATE.DCR, ANIMATE.HLP, and ANIMATE.CNT in the chosen directory.

  4. From the Delphi IDE, choose Component|Install....  In the dialog,
     choose the Add... button.  In the Add Module dialog that then comes up,
     the simplest approach is to use the Browse button to find ANIMATE.PAS.
     Hit OK then and the Search Path edit box will have the correct path
     added and TAnimated will have been added to the installed units listbox.
     (You may have to scroll down to see it.)

  5. Hit OK on the Install Components dialog and the necessary steps will be
     taken to do the installation.  The TAnimated button will appear on
     the chosen component page tab.


INSTALLING THE HELP FILE

  The file ANIMATE.HLP will supply context sensitive help for the TAnimated
  component.  It also discusses how to contruct the filmstrip bitmaps.
  Installation of component help files is discussed in the Component Writer's
  Guide on page 80.

  1. Place the ANIMATE.KWF file in the DELPHI\HELP directory with the other
     .KWF files.

  2. Close the Delphi IDE. (This seems to be important.)

  3. Run Delphi's HELPINST.  Choose File|Open to open DELPHI.HDX in the
     DELPHI\BIN directory.

  4. Choose Keywords|Add Keyword File to add the ANIMATE.KWF file to the list
     of .KWF files.

  5. Choose File|Save or hit the blue disk button to compile and save the
     revised .HDX file.

  6. The ANIMATE.HLP file should be place in the same directory as the
     ANIMATE.PAS and ANIMATE.DCR files.

The ANIMATE.HLP file contains documentation for how to use the TAnimated
component and how to construct the filmstrip bitmaps.  At this point, you can
access the TAnimated help by dropping the component on the form and pressing F1.
Or you can also press the "Search All" button if you can find one.  (The
"Search All" button seems to be missing from most Delphi help screens.)  The
first time you attempt to access ANIMATE.HLP, Delphi may complain that it can't
find it.  At that time, select the "Find it yourself" option.  This operation
will get the information loaded into the Win95 Registry and Delphi will be able
to locate the help file thereafter.

Much better access to help can be achieved by merging the TAnimated help contents
file with the other contents file used by Delphi.  To do this:

  1. Run the HCW.EXE program (in the Help\Tools directory).

  2. Load the DELPHI.CNT file (in the Help directory).

  3. HighLight the last item in the list box and press  "Add Below".

  4. In the dialog that pops up,  select the "Include" radio button and enter
     "C:\Animate\Animate.cnt" using the directory where the ANIMATE.CNT file is
     located.

  5. Save the DELPHI.CNT file with this change.  The next time help is accessed,
     TAnimated will be included in the Contents and Index pages.

If you can't find the HCW.EXE program (I'm not sure if it comes with the Desktop
version), it's simple to edit the DELPHI.CNT file (it's an ASCII file).  Load it
in an editor and add the following line at the end:

  :include C:\Animate\Animate.cnt

You'll find other similar lines already there.


VERSION INFO

1.01  Set form's Scaled property to false in demo to correct problem with some
  screen resolutions.  Add note to help filementioning Scaled property.
  Component itself is unchanged.

1.02  The Delphi 2 version.  The component itself didn't change but there were
  minor changes in the demo, help files, and resources were changed to 32 bit.



FURTHER COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

There is no charge for the use of the TAnimated component.  However, if
you come up with some good animations, I'd enjoy seeing them.

This package may be copied and distributed freely providing that it is not
modified, no fee is charged, and it is not made part of a package for which
a charge is made.  If you upload this package to other bulletin boards, I'd
appreciate it if you would try to keep the upload current.

Please report all bugs, suggestions, and problems to:

       Dave Baldwin,

       CompuServe ID: 76327,53.
       Internet: dbaldwin@pbear.com
       http://www.pbear.com/     updates and other components

       22 Fox Den Rd., (Summer)
       Hollis, NH 03049
       (603) 465-7857

       144 Sands Point Dr.,  (Winter)
       Tierra Verde, FL 33715
       (813) 867-3030
