Video clips in Framemaker7

To create a link to the movie in FrameMaker that, when converted to PDF, will open the movie in its associated application, use the following hypertext marker:

message openfile filename.ext

This works for any file type that you wish to launch from a PDF; it opens in the associated application (after a security message is displayed, which can be suppressed once per session).

Starting with Acrobat 6, media files can be embedded in the PDF.
Sample PDFs which demonstrate various media options are available at
http://www.microtype.com/ShowcaseMultimedia.html
(all PDFs were produced with TimeSavers+Multimedia Assistant with no post-creation actions in Acrobat, but it is also possible to define similar features manually in Acrobat, redoing this when the PDF is re-created).

Starting with Acrobat 6, about 18 different pdfmark commands are needed to define a single media item with its required settings, which is why I have developed the Multimedia Assistant (FM-to-PDF TimeSavers extension). For example, the following a single hypertext marker defines an embedded movie, that is played when clicked, with additional settings related to the format and playback:
alert ~MM (Candle) (candle.mov) /mov /1140 /click /emb

[Thanks for your recommendation, Arnis!]

Shlomo Perets
MicroType, FrameMaker/Acrobat training & consulting

"24 easy ways to improve your PDFs with FrameMaker-to-Acrobat TimeSavers/Assistants",
http://www.microtype.com/ImprovePDF.html

Thanks for the quick reply Arnis.

I prepared a text frame as described in the Framemaker manual and tried hypertext marker command "Message Client," to invoke the video file. This seems to be the only applicable command, and it doesn't work. In fact, the manual says this "does not work" for PDF or HTML.

Is pdfmark coding something different?

I have never seen an embedded video in a pdf file, so I wonder if it is even possible.

Paul,

You either have to enter the correct pdfmark coding in a postscript
text frame (or imported EPS file) or use Shlomo Perets' TimeSavers
tool (see
http://www.microtype.com/timesavers_Assistants.html#MultimediaAsst ).