When I create a slideshow using Standalone Player and then send it to someone via Dropbox the .app file turns into a folder and they can’t ‘unpack’ it at the other end. Indeed, it turns into a folder as soon as it is uploaded by me.
How about if you try to “stuff it” first? Or “Compress” it? Then send it to Dropbox? Does that work?
I did want to do that but my friend got nervous about receiving it, for security reasons. I will try sending it to someone else in zipped format in due course. Or maybe even to myself!
I’ll take it 
if you need someone to test it on…
There does appear to be some sort of issue with Dropbox and .app files, even when they are zipped. I can’t send the original file as a link, since that appears to be for premium users of Dropbox only. And when I zip it it seems to come back as a folder containing all its package contents. My local friend who DID manage to view the app itself was the one who told me he received a message saying it was from an unknown developer and was therefore nervous about opening it. It’s possible he is a premium user of Dropbox.
You are welcome to try this link yourself:
The next option would be to try sharing via Google Drive or similar.
Is it worth reporting this to tech support at Boinx?
Okay, so I went to your Dropbox and downloaded the “Opening credits.zip” file to my desktop. Using WinZip it showed two lines (one was a folder named _MACOSX and the other was a file named Opening credits). Unstuffing the “Opening credits” file left me with a 16.8 MB file, the icon showing a diamond shaped white square with the FM tophat logo on it. I double-clicked that file to run it – BUT – all I ended up with was a black screen and nothing else. Only way to exit was press the Esc key. So, the file is recognized as a FotoMagico file, but the file itself won’t play correctly.
Tech Support have just got back to me to say that zipping is the way to go. But it definitely does not work. This is what I got when I tried to download the file I sent you. It’s obviously the “Package contents” rather than the app itself.
I unzipped the original and the Opening Credits.app was fine, so again something must have got lost in the transfer.
I tried Google Drive and the same problem occurs. So at this point I give up. Fortunately I have the ability to send large files from my iDrive account, so will do that instead. I shall of course send the link you couldn’t make work to Tech Support to see what they have to say.
Thanks again for your help. (PS Any thoughts on my other thread about music fade-outs?)
Tech support at Boinx is usually pretty good. During these COVID times, not sure how their staffing is, though. Yes, saw your other post about the sound problem. I don’t include audio markers in my slideshows, so I’m not familiar with the ins and outs (fade-ins? fade-outs? trying for a pun, there) of working with them and how they respond to actually fading in or out when the little marker is moved manually left or right on the time line. I could play with it, but not sure I’d be doing anything exactly like what you’re trying to do. I DO fade audio tracks in and out so that one blends with the next, or fades out at the end as I roll some credits. But never used audio markers. Sorry.
Tech Support got back to me yesterday within an hour or two! You CAN use Dropbox with the Standalone files (zipped), but you have to click on the Download icon and the folder that you see initially ‘packs’ itself back into the .app that can be viewed directly on a Mac.
The seems a bit fiddly for most of my friends so, since an mp4 is not much bigger, I decided to continue converting them that way. These don’t need to be downloaded and can be watched directly within Dropbox.
On the fade-out issue: I think you have pinpointed the problem. I don’t actually want to use the audio markers, but was probably playing around with them to see what they do (I am new to this app). I need to work out how to delete them all and then use the fade-outs I want. Any idea how to get rid of them? Thanks for the (possible) solution! I’ll report back on that thread for consistency’s sake.
As for the Dropbox issue – not sure I follow. Says you CAN use Dropbox but have to click on the Download icon and the folder that you see initially. I tried again this morning. The only folder that appears in that link you sent to your Dropbox folder is the one for the Opening Credits.zip file. Then I clicked on the “Download” icon at the top right of the window. The file downloaded to my desktop. I unzipped it using WinZip and was left with a standalone FM file, which as I stated before, just displays a black screen and nothing else. Not sure where or how else to download that file! Hmmm…I’m confused. Doesn’t appear to work.
As for the audio markers and how to delete them. Right click on an audio track in the timeline, In the drop-down menu click on Audio Marker > Assistant… then click on the Custom Markers button below the player controls. You should then see "Add Marker and “Delete All…” Click on “Delete All…” and all of them will be removed.
If you are on a Mac, you shouldn’t need to use WinZip as the file will automatically unzip itself. Then, within Dropbox you should have seen a number of different folders and a plist, all part of the .app package (as in the screenshot I posted). Clicking on those folders would have revealed the contents, but there is no way of extracting the app from them. Apparently, what you have to do is click on the download icon and the folders miraculously reconstitute themselves on the Mac.
I have now deleted the .app file from my Dropbox, but am happy to load another if you want to test it out again. Let me know.
I worked out about the audio markers but, as I posted earlier on the actual thread, fades are limited to the length of the slide. Support told me there is a work-round using sound envelopes as per the manual. I haven’t tried it yet.
https://manual.fotomagi.co/en:controlling_audio_volume
“Automatically unzip itself”? Nope, not for me. Well, let’s put it this way – I “used” to be able to download .zip files and when they were DOUBLE-CLICKED would automatically unstuff. But I needed WinZip a couple years ago to unstuff a file (I don’t remember why, but double-clicking the .zip file didn’t work on that particular file), so I installed WinZip – and – ever since then, WinZip has taken over my unstuffing. I don’t recall when a file that’s downloaded to my desktop has AUTOMATICALLY unzipped itself without at least a double-click – or something! Anyway, no, don’t go uploading another one unless you want to. The need to unstuff a FM file off of Dropbox hasn’t been an issue since I rarely, if ever, have needed to.
As for the audio adjustment, I just went into a slide show I had and played around with the sound envelope points (you can click on the yellow envelope line and then do a right click to come up with “Add Volume Envelope Point”. After adding a point you can drag it (in your case, I think, from the very end of the track where you want the fade) BACK toward earlier slides and “cross over” the slide boundaries (transition points) for as many slides as you want. So, yes, that will allow a fade over more than one slide.
Try right or control clicking on the icon and selecting Open. This is the normal procedure for something from a developer who can’t be verified.