Customizing InstantPalace

      • Changing The Ad Banner

        The ad banner that appears in the default installation of InstantPalace is a 236 X 62 pixel gif file named javaadplaceholder.gif, and is located in the palace/client/appletdata/resources directory. Make a different gif, name it javaadplaceholder.gif, drop it in that directory, and then InstantPalace will use the new gif. You can download a sample gif of the Palacetools.com logo.

      • Changing The URLs

        The URLs are located in the palace/client/appletdata/resources directory in a text file called urllist.txt. Use any text editor to change the contents of this file to change the URLs.

      • Customizing the Name Entry Panel

        When launching an InstantPalace session, you are presented with a name entry panel where you enter a username. By default, this panel says "Welcome to The Palace!" and "Please type in the name you'd like to use:". These parameters are established in the strings.txt file, which is located in the palace/client/appletdata/resources directory. The default entries are:

        Welcome:Welcome to The Palace!
Welcome2:
Nameprompt:Please type in the name you'd like to use:
Enter:Enter The Palace now 
Tutorial:Show me how The Palace works

        You can add an entry to the Welcome2: field, such as Now Entering YourPalaceName, and it will appear just under the "Welcome to The Palace!" line on the name entry panel.

        The small 32 X 32 pixel graphic that appears on the name entry panel can be changed by replacing tinylogo.gif with different content, while keeping the name the same. This graphic is located in the palace/client/appletdata/resources directory. You can download a sample gif of the P in the Palacetools.com logo.

      • Room Specific Entry

        Room specific entry with InstantPalace can be accomplished by changing a variable that appears in the entryroom parameter in the instantpal.html file, which is located in the palace/client directory. The default instantpal.html file contains this line near the top of the file:

        roomID = 0;

        With the default value of 0, InstantPalace users enter at the Palace's primary dropzone or gate. If you want to have InstantPalace users enter in room number 135, change to:

        roomID = 135;

      • Customized Layout Example

        The default InstantPalace layout is designed for people using 800 X 600 screen resolution or greater. You can try an example of a customized InstantPalace layout that was designed to be friendly to people using 640 X 480 screen resolution. It uses floating panels, and manages to retain most of the components from the default InstantPalace layout. In this example, PalacePresents capability is disabled, which makes the InstantPalace download 30K smaller than it would be with PalacePresents enabled.

        These customized layouts are created by adding InstantPalace Parameters to standard instantpal.html files. To see the parameters that were added, click on the above link, launch InstantPalace, and then right-click and select "View Source".

      • Popup InstantPalace

        Try the same layout as above in a popup window:

        If you like this layout, just right-click in the pop-up window, and select "View Source" to see all the parameters that were reset to accomplish this effect. To see how the Popup InstantPalace button was created, right click on this page and "View Source".

      • Popup InstantPalace with PalacePresents

        This Popup InstantPalace example uses a layout similar to the above, but the small Palace logo was moved off the screen, which makes room for the Event button on the button panel. All the PalacePresents parameters were activated. When PalacePresents capability is enabled for InstantPalace, the Internet Explorer .cab file download is 30K larger (141K versus 111K) than the "no PalacePresents" option. The Netscape .jar file is 38K larger (199K versus 161K).

        When an event is launched, the InstantPalace user receives an invitation to join the event. If the invitation is accepted, the room picture converts to a picture of the Stage. New buttons will appear next to the text entry area, with event-specific functions such as Invite Me Onstage, Back To Room, and Event Information. The button panel will convert to 4 visible buttons: Log, Users, Help, and About. The new Help button will provide PalacePresents specific help. If the Back To Room button is selected, the room picture converts back to the room and you no longer see the event. However, while the event is still in progress, there will be a new Live Event button to the right of the text entry area, which will rejoin the event if selected.

        A Windows Palace C-client with Moderator plugin is required to launch a PalacePresents event. A Mac can launch a PalacePresents event using a Windows C-client with Moderator plugin operating in a Windows emulation environment, such as Virtual PC by Connectix.

        If you like this InstantPalace layout, just right-click in the pop-up window, and select "View Source" to see all the parameters that were reset to accomplish this effect. To see how the Popup InstantPalace button was created, right click on this page and "View Source".

      • Popup InstantPalace with Alternative Entry

        The conventional entry procedure for InstantPalace uses two consecutive entry panels, one for selecting a name, and one for selecting an avatar. By combining elements of the InstantPalace training demo with Popup InstantPalace, you can present one panel that offers a section for choosing a name, choosing an avatar, and even selecting an entry room. Here is an example of a modified version of Popup InstantPalace that uses this alternative entry procedure:

        In the above example, a few compromises were made for visual symmetry, and so everything would fit in the Popup window. For example, 12 avatars are offered versus the standard 13. To see how this effect was accomplished, right click on both the entry page and the page you see once you enter the Palace, View Source, and study the html.

        The alternative entry example above use two html files. They can be named whatever you want, but for the purpose of further explanation, the file that allows name, avatar, and room selection will be referred to as ipselect.html, and the file that actually performs palace entry will be called ipentry.html. Here's a quick summary of the key modifications that need to be made to the ipentry.html file, which is the one that contains the InstantPalace parameters. Verify that these entries appear in the parameters section to establish the UserName, Avatar, and Room Entry data:

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=entryroom value=" + roomID + ">");
document.writeln("<PARAM name=DefaultName value=\"" + defName + "\">");
document.writeln("<PARAM name=DefaultAvatar value=" + defAvatar + ">");

        Verify that these three parameters are included, and that their value is false:

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=ChooseNameEnabled value=false>");
document.writeln("<PARAM name=ChooseAvatarEnabled value=false>");
document.writeln("<PARAM name=TutorialEnabled value=false>");

        In the ipselect.html file, change the path in the ACTION field so it points to your ipentry.html file:

        ACTION="http://eagles.chatserve.com/ipentry.html"

        Also, be sure to change the paths to the avatar pictures so they point to your avatars directory:

        img src="http://eagles.chatserve.com/palacepub/avatars/cf34.gif"

        There will be one of the above entries for each avatar that is displayed.

        Here is an example of a slightly modified version of ipselect.html, in which the center row of avatars is displayed in the custom size of 44 x 88 pixels versus the default 44 x 44 pixels. The ipentry.html file was modified to match the color scheme.

        One more example of another modified version of ipselect.html, in which the center row of avatars is displayed in the custom size of 44 x 88 pixels versus the default 44 x 44 pixels, and 13 avatars are displayed instead of 12. Also included are color and font variations. The ipentry.html file demonstrates similar color and font modifications.

        Although InstantPalace can use up to 104 avatars, a maximum of 13 avatars (cf26.gif through cf38.gif) can be used in the Choose An Avatar section of ipselect.html. Other pictures can be placed in ipselect.html by changing the "img src=" path, but the actual avatar that is worn on server entry is established by the "value=" integer, and this parameter only functions correctly with the values 1 through 13.

      • Customizing Help Window Contents

        The Help window is activated by the Help button on the button panel. The contents of this window are determined by text files that are located in the palace/client/appletdata/help directory. The two text files are called javahelp.txt, for regular Help window data, and ppjavahelp.txt, for data when Help is accessed during a PalacePresents event. You can use any text editor to change the contents of these files, which will change the contents of the Help window.

      • The Red P

        The Red P that appears just over the Navigational Buttons in the InstantPalace interface always connects to www.thepalace.com. The graphic can be changed by changing tinylogo.gif, which is located in the palace/client/appletdata/resources directory. However, none of the entries in urllist.txt have an effect on the URL, as this is hard-coded in the ag.class file. Furthermore, the red P is attached to the NavBar, so eliminating it from the interface also removes the forward and back navigational buttons. One solution for removing the Red P while keeping the forward and back Nav buttons is a redesigned InstantPalace layout, which positions the NavBar in such a way that the red P is off the screen at the top.

        NOTE: Even if you hide the Red P using the above technique, you may still want to change tinylogo.gif, as this is also the graphic that appears on the Name Entry Panel, where you select a username when entering the server. You can download a sample replacement gif of the blue P in the Palacetools.com logo and replace tinylogo.gif, which is located in the palace/client/appletdata/resources directory.

      • InstantPalace Demos

        InstantPalace is extremely configurable, allowing many options regarding size and components. To give you some ideas about the flexibility of InstantPalace, and to give you some sample code to work from, a default installation contains several InstantPalace demos and examples.

      • InstantPalace Parameters

        Also included with a default installation is a terrific resource called InstantPalace Parameters. By learning these parameters, you can create a customized InstantPalace layout. Again, if you try an InstantPalace layout that you like, you can use your browser's "view source" function to see just how it was created.

      • Turning Off Bounce Into Rooms

        The Bounce Into Rooms feature was designed so new users can find their avatar more easily when they enter a room. Sometimes it can interfere with scripted room entry effects. This can't be turned off in a certain room, but can be turned off entirely. This is the parameter that would need to be added near the bottom of a default instantpal.html file:

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=BounceIntoRoom value=false>");

        While you can't turn Bounce Into Rooms off on a room to room basis, you can have two different .html files that provide InstantPalace access to your Palace, one with Bounce Into Rooms, and one without. For more information, consult InstantPalace Parameters.

      • A Log Window You Can Copy From

        The default Log Window with InstantPalace does not allow you to copy from the log. This feature was forfeited to allow for "smart scrolling". By adding this parameter, you can have a log that you can copy from. While the scrolling method might not be as convenient, the ability to copy from the log is often considered a more important consideration.

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=logtype value=1>");

        The default value is 2. Try it both ways, and see which makes more sense for your needs. For more information, consult InstantPalace Parameters.

      • Disabling Avatar Selection On Entry

        To disable the avatar selection panel that you see when entering a Palace, add these two parameters to the parameters section of the instantpal.html file:

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=ChooseAvatarEnabled value=false>");
document.writeln("<PARAM name=TutorialEnabled value=false>");

        If the TutorialEnabled value is true, and the ChooseAvatarEnabled value is false, then people will automatically enter the tutorial every time they sign on. This is the reason both are set to false when bypassing the avatar selection panel. For more information, consult InstantPalace Parameters.

      • Tech Tip: Background Pic Downloads

        The most common cause for a background picture that InstantPalace won't download, but a C-client will download is an incorrect path in the instantpal.html file. A C-client can download graphics two ways: palace protocol using the `picdir setting, and http downloads using the `fileserver setting. InstantPalace uses a path set in the instantpal.html file. In a default installation, this file is located in the palace/client directory. Open the instantpal.html file with a text editor. Near the top of the file, the web root directory is set. The default setting is:

        psRoot="/palace";

        The path itself is set by the picfolder parameter, which appears near the bottom of the instantpal.html file: 

        document.writeln("<PARAM name=picfolder value="+psRoot+"/media/>");

        Directory names are case sensitive. Check the name of the directories on your server against the name of the directories in the path. The file names (picture names) are also case sensitive, so check the name of the picture in the pserver.pat file against the name of the picture in the media directory, and make sure they are identical. If you belong to a Hosting service and you don't think your instantpal.html path settings are correct, you should contact your Host for additional information.

        There are some relatively rare occasions when you might encounter a background that C-clients will download and InstantPalace won't download, even when the instantpal.html path settings are correct. For example, if InstantPalace will download some rooms in your Palace, but won't download other rooms, then you know the path settings aren't the problem. InstantPalace demonstrates an occasional reluctance to download a background picture that includes capital letters or mixed case. While this isn't a consistently reproducible condition, should you run into a background picture that won't download for InstantPalace but will download for a C-client, and you have already verified the path settings, and you have already checked the pic name in pserver.pat and media directory to make sure they were identical, try renaming the graphic to use all lower case letters (numbers are fine also). In addition, name it something slightly different (slightly shorter usually works well) than the name InstantPalace has just tried. When changing the name of a graphic in the media directory, make sure the authoring changes are made so the the pserver.pat file is also using the identical name. In such cases, check the room for small spot pics that are also using capital letters or mixed case, and perform the same procedure on the spot pics as well.

        There is one other situation where a C-client will display a room background, and InstantPalace won't. If you have a jpeg named picture.jpg in your media directory, and you author a room with a background called picname.gif, a C-client will download picname.jpg, because a C-client always checks for jpegs first. InstantPalace will only check for picname.gif, and won't download the background. The solution would be to either provide a gif version of picname.gif in the media directory, or author the name change to picname.jpg in the Room Info box under the Operator menu, so the name of the background that is defined in the pserver.pat file is identical to the name of the file in the media directory.

      • Tech Tip: Transparency Issues

        When visiting your Palace with InstantPalace, you may notice that spot pics which have always had transparent backgrounds for C-clients don't appear to be transparent to InstantPalace. For InstantPalace to perceive a pic as having transparency, it must be saved as a transparent GIF. Some people have authored spot pics that use TRANSCOLOR values, a proprietary Palace transparency designation which C-clients will perceive as transparent, but InstantPalace will ignore. This is especially true with older Palaces. You will need to remake the spot pics so they are transparent GIFs using a graphics program, and then replace the pics that are in your palace/media directory. In such cases, you don't have to change the names of the pics, or re-author anything in Palace. However, once the GIFs have been changed and replaced in the media directory, you may need to clear your browser's cache for the change to be perceived by InstantPalace.

      • Tech Tip: Draw Frame Option

        InstantPalace doesn't interact well with the Draw Frame option that appears in the Door Info box. If the Draw Frame option is activated, InstantPalace will not display a spot pic contained by that spot, even if it has already downloaded the pic and has it cached. One workaround would be to turn off Draw Frame, and incorporate such spot outlines into the spot pic or background graphic. Another workaround would be to use one spot for the Draw Frame function, and use a different spot to contain the spot pics. If the multiple spot approach is used, make sure that the layering is adjusted appropriately if one of the spots is a passage, or contains ON SELECT scripts.

      • Additional Resources

        • InstantPalace Resources Index
        • Scripting for InstantPalace
        • InstantPalace Installation
        • 104 Avatars for InstantPalace
        • Using Larger Avatars with InstantPalace
        • Using Sounds with InstantPalace
        • InstantPalace with 4.4 Windows Server
        • Mac InstantPalace and Browser Issues
        • InstantPalace Troubleshooting
        • Iptscrae Quick Reference Table
        • InstantPalace Demos
        • InstantPalace Parameters
        • InstantPalace Discussion Group

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