You can enhance your content by linking it to images, web sites, multimedia presentations, Microsoft Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and so on. To use such resources in the Developer, you create package documents, which are essentially containers that allow you to add externally created material to the Library. For example, you can create a package that contains either a collection of related folders and files in the case of a web site or multimedia presentation or a single file such as a Word document. You can then link to a single file in the package as the concept of a module, section, or topic document or as explanatory information for a specific frame or bubble text in a frame of a topic.
When you publish your content to a Player output, your users can view the linked package material in Try It! and Do It! modes. In general, package files linked at the concept level appear in the Concept pane of the Player window or launch in their native application when a user selects the document to which they are linked. The specific behavior depends on the type of package file and the user's system setup. When linked at the frame or bubble text level or when linked in a web page, the package file launches in its native application when a user clicks on the link icon or hyperlinked text or graphic.
Note: Package files that are linked to frames or bubble text are not available in See It! or Know It? play modes in the Player.
With one exception, linked package files do not appear in document outputs; the exception is graphic files. Graphics linked at the concept and frame levels are included when you publish document types that include attachments, namely, the System Process Document, Training Guide, and Instructor Manual. In addition, package graphic files inserted as images in web pages also appear in these document outputs. See Package Behavior in Publishing for more detail.
To use a package in the Developer, you must complete two basic steps. First, you create and add files to the package, and then you link to a file in the package from the appropriate module, section, topic, or frame. Once you have created a package in a Library, you can use it multiple times by linking to its files from various locations throughout your content.
User System Setup
It is important that you understand your users' system setup before you link to package files from your content. When you link to a file that was developed in an external application, such as a Microsoft Excel workbook, a Microsoft Project file, or a Flash video, you need to consider whether your users have the appropriate applications and plug-ins to launch this content from their desktops. If a user's browser or system is not configured so that it can open a particular type of package file, the Player displays an error. Therefore, you should plan carefully to anticipate and avoid such situations.
Note: The precise appearance and behavior of package files depends on the setup and Internet Explorer settings of the computer on which they are viewed.
Package Graphic Files
Package graphic files display at their actual size in the Player. When published to document outputs, directly linked package graphics appear at actual size or are resized in Microsoft Word to be ½ pages, whichever is smaller. When inserted in a web page, the package image is sized appropriately according to web page behavior in document outputs.
Note that the formats for package graphics that are supported by the Developer are those that are supported natively by Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007. These include:
All non-native graphics formats are not exported to Word.
In using package graphic files, however, you must also consider whether you intend to publish to Player outputs in addition to document outputs, as not all of the formats supported by Microsoft Word work well in online, browser-based formats.