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This documentation provides detailed instructions for using the Creator Application of the Timeline Creator Tool. Topics covered include creating a new timeline, configuring the timeline interface, and importing/exporting content to other applications.
Contacts Questions/Suggestions about this product can be emailed to timeline@jhu.edu.
FAQs
What files do I need to create a timeline?How do I create multiple timelines?What is the timeline.xml file?How do I check if I have JAVA installed?Do I have to create a timeline from scratch?Where can I report bugs?What is the CER?
What files do I need to create a timeline? ^
Download the timeline.exe file to your computer and double click on it. This will copy four files to your computer: Creator.jar, timeline.html, timeline.swf, and READme.txt. The Creator.jar application is used to enter Events and configure the timeline interface. The timeline.html acts as the Web-based window to the timeline. The timeline.swf file then displays the information configured in the Creator.jar application.
How do I create multiple timelines? ^
You can create multiple timelines by copying the timeline.swf file into a new folder. Then use the Creator.jar application to enter new Events and save the timeline.xml file to the new folder.
What is the timeline.xml file? ^
The timeline.xml file is automatically created by the Creator.jar file when you click File-->Save. This file stores all the Events and Interface Configurations entered in the Creator.jar application. The timeline.swf file reads this file to import the Events and Interface Configurations. Therefore, the timeline.xml file must reside in the same folder as the timeline.swf file.
The storage file is wrapped in XML tags so that users can easily import the contents into other applications. If you would like to learn more about XML, visit Webmonkey.
How do I check if I have Java Installed? ^
JAVA 1.4.2 or later must be installed on the computer for the Creator.jar file to work. The free JAVA install is available for download at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html. To check if JAVA is installed
Windows - Go to Start-->Settings-->Control Panels. JAVA should be listed as an option.
MAC - Go to the Applications/Utilities folder. A JAVA folder will exist if it is installed.
Do I have to create a timeline from scratch? ^
No. Instructors and researchers are sharing their timeline.xml files on the Community page. By downloading a timeline.xml file and importing them into the Creator.jar file, your timeline can take advantage of events others have already created. Delete, change, or add content as needed.
Where can I report bugs? ^
Bugs should be emailed to timeline@jhu.edu.
What is the CER? ^
The Center for Educational Resources (CER) at Johns Hopkins University is a faculty support Center whose mission is to enhance the instructional impact of faculty through the use of instructional technology. The CER created this tool for faculty at Johns Hopkins University, but makes the tool freely available for teachers, faculty members, or researchers at any institution. To learn more visit the Center's web site - http://www.cer.jhu.edu.
Known Issues
The following issues will be addressed in the next version of the Timeline Creator due for release in late 2004.
1) Special Characters - Certain characters can not be used in the Creator Application because they are reserved for XML. These characters are "!","&","<", and ">".
2) Images not appearing in Detail Window - Users must use Flash Player 7.0 or later to view images on an Event's detail popup window. The latest viewer is available at http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashplayer/.
3) The Creator App will start, but will not save the timeline.xml file if JAVA 1.4.2 or later is not installed. The latest version of the JAVA JRE (SDK is not needed) can be downloaded at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html.
4) Foreign Characters - Non-standard English characters will not appear in the Creator Application, but will be stored correctly in the XML file and will be viewable with the Flash Timeline Template.
5) Main band/Subband offset - Subbands may be slightly offset from the main band for timelines with a small interval between the start and end dates.
6) Order of Events with Save as HTML- Events may not be in chronological order when saving a timeline in HTML format. This problem can be rectified by saving the XML file and then reopening the file before saving as HTML.
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