That Annoying Pause Function

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Dangerous_Dave
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Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:46 pm

That Annoying Pause Function

Post by Dangerous_Dave »

Before I tell you my actual problem let me share my set up: In our office we have 3 big LCD TV's on view with various programs running on them - makes us look like we're doing something worthwhile. The TV's are supplied by one PC using a little bit package called tripleheadtogo (http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/cadgi ... /th2go.php) which basically means that the normal screen is split into three segments and a window can be displayed in each to give the impression that we're using three separate monitors on three independent sessions. Basically, it's done so that we only have to use one PC.

Here's where my problems began. We have two slide show presentations we want to display which are both in Powerpoint - but you can only open one Powerpoint session at a time so I've ended up opening one in PP and one in OO. Initial problem solved.

But, when I open the one ppt file with OO it runs the slideshow but sticks a 10 second pause at the end before restarting. When I check the settings for that file, the Type is set as Window yet it still loops the slideshow. If I try to change the type to Auto the file no longer tries to fit in one window on one TV but instead treats the three TV's as one monitor and spreads the slideshow across all three, so I can't use the auto function even though the loop functions properly. If I temporarily change the Type to Auto and reduce the pause time to zero and then switch Type back to window (in a vain attempt to outwit OO), the slideshow doesn't loop any more but stops at the end.

So (just to clarify because I'm sure that would have scrambled most people's brains), I want to open a ppt file in OpenOffice and for it to run the slideshow in a window - not full screen, and for the slideshow to loop without that annoying flippin' pause at the end of it.

Can it be done ??? It looks like it nearly can but for the 10 second pause I have at the end.

Thanks in advance

DD
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acknak
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by acknak »

I suspect that the core of the problem is that you're storing the file as .ppt.

Try loading the .ppt file, setting the options you want (Slide Show > Slide Show Settings > ...) then save it as an ODF presentation, and load that into OOo to run your show. It may be that some of the settings you want are not compatible with .ppt files, or it may be a bug in reading the settings from .ppt files.

Of course, even in that case, Impress simply may not be able to do what you need.
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Dangerous_Dave
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by Dangerous_Dave »

Thanks - I meant to add that I'd tried that but once it's converted to odp (I can't find an option to save as odf) having the slideshow run in a window causes it stop when it reaches the end. Opening the ppt file via Impress appears to result in the bug whereby I can run the presentation in a window AND it will loop it, which is exactly what I want. I just can't get rid of that pause. I don't understand why it's there in the first place, I can't see how it serves any widespread use - it looks more like an unnecessary attempt to make it look different to Windows. Scrap it I say.

So it appears that your latter comment was correct - I'm just trying to do something Impress is incapable of doing. Unless anyone else has any ideas....

DD
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James
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by James »

It's been a while since I tried this, but if you export it as flash (.swf) can you loop the presentation?

IIRC (unless it has changed in a more recent version than I was using) the flash export doesn't convert any transition effects, so if you're using those it's not really an option.
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acknak
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by acknak »

I just assumed that you're familiar with the settings; let's take a step back to be sure we haven't missed something.

Under Slide Show > Slide Show Settings > Type, you have selected Type = "Auto" and you have set the time entry there to zero, right? That time is a delay before the show restarts.
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Dangerous_Dave
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by Dangerous_Dave »

This is why I explained my situation before stating my problem. I'll reclarify.

I can't set Type to Auto because then the slideshow gets spread across the three monitors. It needs to be opened in a Window so that I can restrict it to one screen. I understand that normally when you use the Window setting the auto loop doesn't work and the slideshow just ends...

...but...

...if I open the ppt file from OpenOffice with the type set as Window, the slideshow will fit on one of the screens and it will autoloop but leaves a 10 second pause screen at the end of the show before starting again. At this stage it's like OpenOffice is oblivious to the fact that it's doing something all the hints, tips, forums, instructions etc tell us it shouldn't be able to do because as soon as I start tinkering with the settings it does start doing what it's supposed to do.

So what I'm aiming for is for it still to continue with an automatic looping slideshow in a Window but with that annoying pause function removed.
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acknak
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by acknak »

So sorry, you're right. I forgot about that unfortunate limitation.

The only report about it I can find is here: Issue 73944: Slide show types in the Slide Show settings window are unintuitive, where it is a secondary point. If this is important to you, it couldn't hurt to file a specific request for the limitation to be removed.

In the meantime, the only workaround I can think of is to modify the XML code. The limitation is only in the GUI; in the XML you can specify a windowed, looping show with no delay. If you edit the "content.xml" file in the .odp archive, the tail end will look something like this:
...
     <presentation:settings ... />
    </office:presentation>
  </office:body>
</office:document-content>
You want the "presentation:settings" element to have these attributes:
<presentation:settings
  presentation:endless="true"
  presentation:pause="PT00H00M00S"
  presentation:full-screen="false"
  presentation:mouse-visible="false"/>
As I've played around with that, it seems that the settings are stable, as long as you don't change the Slide Show > Slide Show Settings. As you said, once you do that, Impress resets everything and removes this combination.

If I were doing this, I would make a little script to modify a .odp file directly, so I could just save file normally from Impress, then run the script to make the show settings.
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Dangerous_Dave
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by Dangerous_Dave »

Interesting - it appears someone else might have had the same problem then.

As for the rest though, sounds a little bit complicated for someone who's only been using OpenOffice for a couple of days, but that's just the kind of thing I like to get my teeth into, so I shall entertain my geeky little mind by playing with that code later.

Thanks

DD
krillenummer1
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Re: That Annoying Pause Function

Post by krillenummer1 »

Thanks a lot for your post!

I solved it by doing like this:

Code: Select all

unzip -o presentation.odp content.xml
sed -i 's_<presentation:settings_<presentation:settings presentation:pause="PT00H00M00S" presentation:endless="true"_g' content.xml
sudo chmod 777 content.xml
sudo chmod 777 presentation.odp
zip -ur presentation.odp content.xml
mv -f presentation.odp presentation2.odp
(I changed the name because this script is always running on startup, and to avoid adding this to the presentation file everytime on reboot, it does it one time only, then the script cannot find the file, and it fails. Until there is a new "presentation.odp".

I hope it will help someone else as well =) (Even though it was years since the last post on this thread)
OpenOffice 3.1 on Raspbian
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