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

The source versions of the ASUL files are provided with the MZ3-Tool3 download package, availabel on the page "Downloads". To get access please follow these steps:

• Extract the zipped file mz3_tool3.exe into a new, empty folder
• Start/run that file. As result several folders are created and files copied into those folders and a first PDF file (the Beginners Manual) will be converted into a MZ3 title.
• Wait until the conversion it finished. And remember to read that manaul one day ;-)
  And keep in mind there is another manual, the Advanced Manual, available in the _doc/ folder
• Copy the mz3_default_make.xml and the mz3_default_details.xml files and rename them to something like *_make.xml and *.details.xml. With '*' representing any name built out of standard ASCII alpha or number characters. Make that partial name identical for bith the make and the details file.
  Like: my_01_make.xml and my_01_details.xml
• Edit your 'make' file and define a customization path, e.g. like
  <customizationpath>software/my_mods</customizationpath>
  This will tell MZ3-Tool3 to create the subfolder 'my_mods' in the existing software/folder with the next run, together with additional subfolders like the megazine/gui/ folder into which all *.ASUL files will be copied

You then can adjust those ASUL files. With the next start of MZ3-Tool3 the files provided in the <customization> folder will be used (copied into the final megazine/ folder).

This works best if you use the standard version (<mz3_kind>std</mz3_kind>)

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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 MZ3-BASE and MZ3-PRO license have an unlimited Life Span.
The MZ3-eBOOK and MZ3-eMAG licenses have a life span of 12 months.
Exception: free books have an unlimited life span. 

During the life span all new MegaZine3 minor versions are free (e.g. 2.1.0 to 2.1.1 to 2.1.2). A major version upgrade is possible during the first 3 months after the purchase of a license.

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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

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T

Title

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

The license terms define the number of titles that are allowed to be created during the life span.

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