Installing QuickSlideshow

Create a folder, copy application

Create a folder on your hard disk called, for example, "QuickSlideshow folder" and then copy the QuickSlideshow icon into that folder. You may wish to use that folder to hold any "tag files" created by the program. Tag files are explained in more detail in the section "Saving a picture sequence as a tag file".

Preferences file

QuickSlideshow creates a "preferences" file called "QuickSlideshow prefs" when it is run, so that it remembers settings such as "automatic advance" and "time between frames". This "preferences" file is placed in the Preferences folder inside the System folder. The "preferences" file may be safely deleted if you wish to return to default operation the next time you invoke QuickSlideshow.

Make an alias if desired

Under System 7 (or greater), you may also wish to create an alias for the QuickSlideshow application, and place the alias on your desktop. You can then display pictures by simply dropping their icons onto this alias.

Memory usage

QuickSlideshow partly achieves its high speed of displaying pictures by reading the next picture into memory and decoding it while you are viewing the current one. Consequently it needs enough memory to hold two pictures in memory, in both compressed and decompressed form, plus memory for the program code and the internal list of the names of the pictures currently selected (so that they can be chosen at random if desired).

It is recommended to allocate 5 Mb or more to the application if possible. To do this, select the QuickSlideshow icon in the Finder, and then select "Get Info" from the "File" menu (or press Command-I). Then type the number "5000" into the "preferred size" box (5000K is 5 Mb).

If you cannot allocate that much memory to the application you will probably be able to view most pictures with (say) 2 Mb, however if you view two large pictures consecutively you may get a message indicating that there is not enough memory to decode one of them. You will be able to click "continue" and attempt to process the next one.

Accessing the menu bar

When pictures are being displayed both the mouse and the menu bar are optionally hidden, so that the picture can occupy the entire screen. You can control the application's operation by one of the following methods:

• If the menu bar is hidden, press Command-M to show it. Then use it as usual. To hide it again press Command-M again. Note that the menu bar is always shown when no picture is being displayed.
• Entering the keyboard equivalents for various commands (e.g. Command-period to stop the display, Command-A for automatic advance and so on); or
• Clicking the mouse in the menu bar area. While the mouse is held down the menu bar will temporarily reappear, so that you can see the various menus and select items from them; or
• Hiding the picture temporarily (Command-H). The menu bar will reappear and can be used at your leisure. Then use Command-H a second time to resume the slide show.

There is a summary of the various keyboard equivalents for each of the application's menu items at Shortcuts.

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