Glossary List MegaZine3

A

AS3 ActionScript3

ActionScript3 is a powerful scripting language of Adobe which excellent FLASH support.

MegaZine3 is mainly developed using ActionScript3. The MegaZine3 kernel and all plugins are ActionScript3 programs with the extension .as

To use an AS3 program it must be compiled. We recommend the mxmlc compiler, which is part of the free Adobe Flex 3 SDK. See details on compiling in the WIKI.

ASUL

ASUL stands for Action Script User definition Language.

WIth ASUL files (extension .asul) the graphical user interface (GUI) can be adjusted to personal needs. Even scritping is supported by ASUL.

See the WIKI for details:

GUI documentss

ASUL scripting

A link to the source versions of the ASUL files is provided on the page "Downloads" under "MZ3 Sources"

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D

DTD

Document Type Definition

DTD files describe the structure of an XML file with all allowed tags, elements, parameters and values.
This enables XML editors to propose elements at a certain position (Code Completion) and also is needed for a validation.

For both .mz3 and .asul files a separate dtd file is available.

See the tutorial for more detail.

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I

Issue

Periodical Titles have issues published with a regular cycle.

Examples are newpapers, that usually are published daily and magazines with issues every month or week.

A title in the case of a periodical magazine or paper is the general name of the respective publications. The single publication is one issue of such title. Usually specified by i number (like issue numer, week number, ...) or by date.

The license agreement defines the maximum amount of issues and the life span, during which those issues can be published.

Example: a MZ3-PER-M allows to publish up to 12 issues of one title during 12 months. After 12 issues are published or the 12 months are over, a new license will be needed to publish further issues.

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L

Life Span

The Life Span defines the period of time the respective license is valid.

The single tiel licenses like MZ3-STD and MZ3-BOOK have an unlimited Life Span.
The periodical licenses like the MZ3-PER-M have a life span of usually 12 months.

During the life span all new versions can be used, also a new major version.
After the end of the life span all minor versions of the last major version available at the end of the life span can be downloaded without limitations in time.

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O

Offline

If the information (Software, data) is located on the local machine (computer), this is called Offline Use.

No connection to a network (local network, internet) , no browser and no Flash plugin are needed to see the MegaZine3 book on a local PC.

For this a special version of MegaZine3 has to be built, making use of the megazine.swf (Flash= program.

Online Title

If a network connection is needed to see the titles, the MegaZine3 software and title content is located on a server.

This is called "Online Access"

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S

Sandbox

sandbox settings

Technology to protect against malicious links.
We prepared a step-by-step example on how to do the settings needed by FLASH 10 to accept your folder.

Details also can be found on Adobe's help site and our wiki.

In general a sandbox isolates the actual application (e.g. the FLASH player running a MegaZine3 Titel) from the outside world and protects against the execution of suspicious code. Unfortunately also SWF files and video files are treated as dangerous. WHich disables videos and swf pages to be presented.

Also access to websites using a URL might not work wihtin a MegaZine3 title.

What is permitted and what not depends on many factors like kind of browser and version, version of Flash, location of the MegaZine3 files (local or on a network drive).

To avoid such restrictions, you can install a local server like XAMPP

SVN: subversion

click to enlarge

Subversion (SVN) is the source code management tool we are using for the MegaZine3 development. Here all the sources and historic versions of MegaZine3 are kept and tracked. With a tool like tortoise on Windows (Google for it!) you can manage a local folder on your server with a complete set of sources.You do not have to download single files.

And: You can easily and fast keep that folder up to date; only changed files will be synchronized/downloaded.

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T

Title

General term for all kind of books, magazines, catalogs, papers, letters, leaflets, brochures, newspapers,  ...

In general one license is directly linked to one title.

A MZ3-PER license though defines the specified amount of issues allowed to publish during the life span.

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