Inserting Audio Files

There are three ways to insert audio:

• Embedded You can use the Insert > Multimedia option. When you use this option, the audio is embedded into the topic or snippet. In addition, you can specify advanced settings, such as whether to include controls with the audio (e.g., Play, Pause), whether to automatically start the audio when the topic displays, and audio levels.
• Linked You can use the Insert > Hyperlink option. When you use this option, the user must click the text link in order to open the audio. Also, you can choose to play the audio in another window.
• Drag and Drop You can insert embedded audio files by dragging and dropping the audio file from the Content Explorer or File List window pane to the XML Editor. However, with this method, you can specify any necessary advanced settings only after the audio file is inserted (to do this, right-click on the inserted audio file and select Edit Multimedia).

How to Insert an Embedded Audio File

1. Open the content file.
2. In the XML Editor, place your cursor where you want to insert the audio.

3. Select Insert > Multimedia > Windows Media Player. The Insert Multimedia dialog opens.

   Note Depending on where your cursor is located in the XML Editor, you can also right-click and from the context menu select Insert > Multimedia.

4. Select the General tab.

5. Select an audio file to insert. You can do this in various ways.

   1. To select a audio file already in the project, select Multimedia in project.

   2. Find and choose the file in the Select File area. Use the buttons in the local toolbar to view all files in a list, view files in their folder structure, etc.

      	Shows all of the files in the project in a list below. Click the button again to switch to a folder tree view. You can click the File, Type, or Path column headers to sort the list alphabetically by that column data.
      	Shows or hides the folders that the files are stored in.
      	Shows or hides the files. If you click this button when the Show Folders button is selected, the area splits into two. The folder is shown on the left side, and the files and subfolders within it are shown on the right.
      	If the Show Files button is the only one selected, you can click this button to move up one folder level.
      	Lets you filter the kinds of files shown below. Depending on the task you are performing, this field may already be populated with the most appropriate file type(s).

   3. (Optional) To select a audio file outside of the project, click . If you want to select an audio file that you recently inserted somewhere in your project, click the down arrow in the field next to and select the file from the list.

   Note If you select an audio file outside the project, that file is then copied and placed inside the project. The audio file is stored in the Resources\Multimedia folder of the Content Explorer.

   Note You cannot add audio files from the web.

6. (Optional) If you want to apply a specific style class to the audio, you can select it from the Style Class field. See Styles and Stylesheets.

   Example You have created in your stylesheet a class of the object style called "BigMargin" (i.e., object.BigMargin) and you have set the margin for all sides of that class to 1 inch. Rather than using the default parent object style when you insert the audio, you select object.BigMargin from the Style Class drop-down. As a result, 1 inch of space is added around the audio interface in the output.

7. (Optional) In the Screen Tip field you can type a phrase that will appear when the end user hovers over the audio link. If you want to insert a variable in a field, you can click . The variable will appear as syntax in the field, but in the output the variable definition will be shown.

8. (Optional) Select the Advanced tab and complete the options as necessary.

   • Player Controls Select an option for displaying the player controls (e.g., Play, Pause, Volume).
     • Full Displays all of the available player controls.
     • None Does not display any player controls.
     • Mini Displays only some of the player controls (Play, Pause, Stop, Mute, Volume).
     • Invisible Hides the audio interface entirely, while still playing the audio. If you select this option, you might want to resize the container square in your topic so that it does not take up so much space in the output. The user will simply see blank space where the container exists.
   • Auto Start Select this option if you want the audio to automatically begin playing when the topic displays. Otherwise, the user must click the Play button to start the audio.
   • Full Screen Select this option to display the audio interface using the entire screen.
   • Stretch to Fit Select this option to automatically resize the audio interface so that it exactly matches the size of the container area.
   • Play Count Enter the number of times you want the audio to repeat.
   • Audio Select options for the sound (mute, volume level, balance).
9. (Optional) Select the Size tab and complete the options as necessary to resize the container area where the audio interface will be displayed. As an alternative, you can click and drag the icon in the lower-right corner of the container.

   To Set a Precise Width and/or Height

   In the Width and/or Height field of the Size section, provide the settings. First you need to select Length in the top drop-down list. You can then enter a value in the lower-left area and choose from several different units of measurement (points, pixels, centimeters, etc.) in the lower-right area. See Units of Measurement.

   Note When resizing objects, you can ensure the aspect ratio is maintained. For example, if you want certain objects to be resized so that each is exactly 3 inches high, you can make sure the width of each object is adjusted accordingly to stay in proportion. To do this, first set the height at 3 inches. You would not set the width property at all. In the same way, if you were to specify an exact width, you could maintain the aspect ratio by not setting the height.

   To Set the Minimum Width and/or Height

   If the original object is smaller than the minimum width or height that is set, it will be enlarged so that it reaches the minimum value. If the original object is larger than the minimum width or height, it will not be resized.

   In the Width and/or Height field of the Minimum Size section, provide the settings. First you need to select Length in the top drop-down list. You can then enter a value in the lower-left area and choose from several different units of measurement (points, pixels, centimeters, etc.) in the lower-right area.

   Note When resizing objects, you can ensure that the aspect ratio is maintained. For example, if you want certain objects to be resized so that they are at least 2 inches wide, you can make sure that the height of each object is adjusted accordingly so that it stays in proportion. To do this, you would set the minimum width at 2 inches. You would then leave the minimum height property unspecified. In the same way, if you were to specify a minimum height, you could maintain the aspect ratio by not setting the minimum width property.

   To Set the Maximum Width and/or Height

   If the original object is larger than the maximum width or height that is set, it will be reduced in size so that it is no greater than the maximum value. If the original object is smaller than the maximum width or height, it will not be resized.

   In the Width and/or Height field of the Maximum Size section, provide the settings. First you need to select Length in the top drop-down list. You can then enter a value in the lower-left area and choose from several different units of measurement (points, pixels, centimeters, etc.) in the lower-right area.

   Note When resizing objects, you can ensure that the aspect ratio is maintained. For example, if you want certain objects to be resized so that they are no more than 5 inches wide, you can make sure that the height of each object is adjusted accordingly so that it stays in proportion. To do this, you would set the maximum width of the style at 5 inches. You would then leave the maximum height property unspecified. In the same way, if you were to specify a maximum height, you could maintain the aspect ratio by not setting the maximum width property.

10. (Optional) Select the Position tab and complete the options as necessary to determine how the audio interface is positioned in the topic. You can select a Float and a Clear setting. You can also set the Vertical Alignment of the object.

    Float

    Use this field to specify where to place the element on the page.

    • None Does not place the element in a specific location.
    • Left Positions the element on the left side of the page frame, allowing you to type text to the right of the element.
    • Right Positions the element on the right side of the page frame, allowing you to type text to the left of the element.
    • Center of Column Positions the element in the center of the column on the page.
    • Outside Left Margin Positions the element beyond the left margin of the topic text.
    • Outside Right Margin Positions the element beyond the right margin of the topic text.
    • Outside Frame Positions the element outside of the page frame.
    • Outside Frame, Top Align Positions the element outside of the page frame, as well as aligning it with the top of the frame.
    • Left of Frame Positions the element to the left of the page frame.
    • Right of Frame Positions the element to the right of the page frame.
    • Center of Frame Positions the element both vertically and horizontally in the middle of the page frame.

    Clear

    Use this field to position an element so that it is "clear" of an adjacent element. For example, let's say you have already inserted an element and applied the float left property to it. If you then insert another element immediately after the first element, you want to make sure that the second element doesn't rest next to the first one. Instead, you want the second element to be placed completely below the first one. Therefore, you can apply a clear property to the second element.

    • None Does not apply the clear property to the element.
    • Left Side The element will be placed below the bottom outer edge of a previous element that is floating left.
    • Right Side The element will be placed below the bottom outer edge of a previous element that is floating right.
    • Both Sides The element will be placed below the previous one, whether floating left or right.

    Vertical Alignment

    Use this field to adjust where the item is positioned vertically.

    • Baseline The baseline of the box will be aligned with the baseline of the parent box.
    • Text Top The top of the box will be aligned with the top of the parent element's font.
    • Text Bottom The bottom of the box will be aligned with the bottom of the line box.
    • Top The top of the box will be aligned with the top of the line box.
    • Middle The vertical midpoint of the box will be aligned with the baseline of the parent box, plus half the x-height of the parent.
    • Bottom The bottom of the box will be aligned with the bottom of the line box.
11. (Optional) Select the Borders & Margins tab if you want to specify margins, padding, or borders around the audio interface.

    Margin

    Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the margins around the object. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the margin fields.

    Padding

    Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the padding. In the left side of the field, enter a number for the amount of padding. In the right side of the field, select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See Units of Measurement.If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the padding fields. When you click that down arrow, a small popup displays.

    Borders

    1. Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the border. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the border fields.

       When you click that down arrow or in one of the individual fields, a small popup displays.

    2. Use the lower-left area of the popup to enter a number for the border thickness.
    3. Use the lower-middle area to select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See Units of Measurement.
    4. Use the upper-right area to select a color for the border.
    5. Use the lower-right area to select a line type (e.g., solid, double, dashed) for the border.
    6. Click OK.

    

12. (Optional) Select the Background tab if you want to add background settings to the audio interface. This includes the ability to specify a color, an image, and a repeating pattern for the background image.

    To Set a Color for the Background

    In the Color field, click the down arrow and select a color from the popup. For advanced color options, select More Colors and use the fields in the Color Picker dialog.

    To Add an Image to the Background

    1. Next to the Image field, click the Browse button. The Insert Image dialog opens.
    2. Select an image file to insert and click OK.
    3. If you want the background image to repeat, select one of the options from the Repeat field. You can also set the image position horizontally and vertically by using the X and Y fields.
13. Click OK. The audio is added to the topic, represented by a gray square or rectangle, which is the area where the audio interface will be shown in the output.
14. Click to save your work.

How to Insert an Audio File Link

1. Add the multimedia file to the project. See Adding Multimedia Files to Projects.
2. Open the content file.
3. In the XML Editor, highlight the text that you want to use as the link (or "hotspot") to the audio file.
4. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

   • Ribbon Select Insert > Hyperlink > Hyperlink.

   • Local Toolbar In the local toolbar of the XML Editor click .
   • Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+K.
   • Context Menu Right-click in the XML Editor and from the context menu select Hyperlink.

   The Insert Hyperlink dialog opens.

5. From the Link to field select File in Project.
6. Navigate to the audio file that you want to link to and select it.
7. (Optional) The Link text field displays the text that you highlighted in the topic, which will be used as the hyperlink. Leave the text as it is, unless you decide you would like to change it. If you want to change the link text, type the new text in the field. It will replace the previously selected text in the topic.
8. (Optional) In the Screen Tip field, you can type a phrase that will appear when the end user hovers over the hyperlink in the output. If you want to insert a variable in a field, you can click . The variable will appear as syntax in the field, but in the output the variable definition will be shown.
9. (Optional) Next to the Style Class field, click the Select button. This opens the Select Class dialog, which lets you apply one of the defined hyperlink styles from your stylesheet to the link. You can change the appearance of the link in the Stylesheet Editor. After you select a style class in the dialog, click OK. The Style Class field displays the selected style. (If you do not specify a style class, Flare uses the parent "a" style.)
10. (Optional) In the Target Frame field, click the drop-down arrow to select the way the linked destination will open (e.g., in another window, in a popup).
    • Page Default The destination file opens in the same window as the output window.
    • Parent Frame The destination file opens in the parent frame of the current topic while hiding that topic.
    • New Window The destination file opens in a new browser window.
    • Same Frame The destination file opens in the same window frame as the current topic.
    • Top Frame The destination file opens in the same output window, removing all other framesets. You might use this option, for example, if the destination topic has its own frameset.
    • Popup Window The destination file opens in a popup box on top of the current topic.
11. Click OK. The hyperlink is added to the topic.
12. Click to save your work.

How to Insert an Audio File—Drag-and-Drop Method

1. Open the Content Explorer or File List window pane.

   If necessary, make sure you float and position the window pane or editor (see Customizing the Workspace) so that you can see both it and XML Editor at the same time.

2. Click and drag the audio file from the Content Explorer or File List window pane to the location where you want it in the XML Editor and drop it.
3. Click to save your work.

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