Creating interactive sales kit

[Guest]

I need to create an interactive sales kit and was wondering if PPT 2003 would
be a good option to use. I want to create a main screen of menus that our
salespeople could click on to get information (like a PPT, open a Word
document, browse out to the web, etc.). I'd like to package this up into an
executable file that could be downloaded from the web and installed on their
PC. Lastly, whatever I create will be used as a template by other marketing
teams in our company to customize their own sales kits so it needs to be easy
to edit and modify. Can I do this with PPT 2003? If so, how do I get
started creating the clickable menu items and how should I package it up for
easy downloading and installation?

 

[Guest]

Hi,

See: http://www.powerpointmagician.com/articles/dynamicppt.htm
for a start.

There's also a downloadable hands-on tutorial at:
http://www.powerpointmagician.com/downloads.htm

Glenna

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

PowerPoint might be a good choice, but it might fall a little short on
the packaging for easy downloading. PowerPoint files don't run as .exe
files. You need to package the PowerPoint Viewer with them to get them to
work (if the users don't already have PowerPoint). This can be done with
Package for CD, so it won't be too difficult. Alternatively, you can just
put everything you need into a Zip file for easy downloading.

In terms of getting the hyperlinking, you first need to gather all the
files that you want to link to and put them in the same folder. This
applies to Word documents, other PPT files, etc. Web pages, if they are
going to stay in one place on the Web can stay where they are.

Next, be sure to save your PPT presentation to that same folder. You can
even save your blank document before adding anything.

Now, you can use hyperlinks or action settings to make your links. You
can set a hyperlink or action setting for a button, any other PowerPoint
object (shapes you've drawn, pictures, text boxes, etc.), or hihglighted
text. Simply create the object or text, right click on it, and choose
either Action Settings or Hyperlink from the menu. From dialogue box that
pops up, you can choose to Hyperlink to a place in the current document,
another document, or a Web page.

--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.loyola.edu/education/PowerfulPowerPoint/

 

[Guest]

I have made this type of presentation before. However, how do you get the
windows to close when you're linking to several other files from a "main
menu"?

Also, if I can solve the "open windows" issue, I'd like to put the
presentation on a USB memory key and have run automatically when the key is
inserted in the drive. Can you do this without making it an .exe file? As I
understand, the only way to make a .exe is to buy a separate program (e.g.
PresentationPro) to convert it.

Thanks for any help!

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

When linking to another PowerPoint, you want a button on the other
PowerPoint to End Show, rather than to link back to the main menu. This
will close it. However, when linking to other files (such as Word
documents), they tend to stay open unless the user closes them to return
to PowerPoint.
--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.PowerfulPowerPoint.com/

 

[Guest]

I've been trying to figure out how to put the "end show" command on the
button, but haven't gotten it yet. How do you do this? Do you need to write
a macro? Thanks!

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

If you have a button (or any shape), right click on it and choose Action
Settings. Click Hyperlink and from the pull-down menu choose End Show. If
you create a new button, the Action Settings menu should automatically
pop up.
--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.PowerfulPowerPoint.com/

 

[Guest]

Wonderful! Thanks so much. Works like a charm.

I'm trying to package this on a USB memory key for handout at a trade show.
I want it to run automatically when the user puts in the key. However, I
can't get it to do that without clicking on the PP Viewer .exe file, then
loading the main menu. I tried using the "package for CD" option, but it
doesn't do it.

Can you point me in the right direction to make the main menu file come up
automically when the memory key is loaded (or a CD for that matter)?

Also, when I use the PowerPoint Viewer option for packaging, the
presentation looses some of its functionality -- primarily hyperlinks don't
work and video files don't launch. Any thoughts?

Thanks again for lending your expertise. I'm having fun with this project
and am amazed how advanced PowerPoint really is. Just need to learn more...

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

Here are the instructions for making an AutoRun CD, but I don't think
they will work with the memory key.

Make an AutoRun CD
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00037.htm

--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.PowerfulPowerPoint.com/

 

[Guest]

I'm still trying to perfect this presentation and the "end show" action works
to close all the windows and return to the "main menu" PowerPoint. However,
the main PowerPoint is no longer in slide show mode. In order to be able to
go to new links, you have to click on "view show" each time you "end show"
and return to the main menu.

Is there a way to keep the main menu PowerPoint window in slide show mode?

Thanks!

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

I don't know what is going wrong. Whenever I link from one presentation
to another in slide show mode, end show always returns me to slide show
mode in the original presentation. Perhaps, you are somehow triggering
two end shows actions, ending the linked presentation and the original,
but I don't know how you could do that.
--David

--
David M. Marcovitz
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
Director of Graduate Programs in Educational Technology
Loyola College in Maryland
Author of _Powerful PowerPoint for Educators_
http://www.PowerfulPowerPoint.com/