Fireworks Screen Saver Contents
Fireworks Screen Saver Help Contents

Registering this application

This is a diagram showing most of the variables that can be configured in the screen saver's configuration dialog box.

This is the configuration dialog box:

Rocket

Number of rockets

This is the number of rockets that can be active at one time.  They are launched at varying intervals.

Minimum height of arch

This is the minimum height of a rocket's arch.  All rockets are guaranteed to meet or exceed this height.  It is expressed as a percentage of the screen's height.

Travel distance before explosion

This is the range of distance that the rocket can travel along its arch before it explodes.  It is expressed as a percentage of the rocket's maximum travel distance.

Chance that the trail is solid

This is the probability that the rocket's trail will be a solid line.  If the screen saver decides that the trail is not solid, it uses the Trail Length setting (see below) to determine the length of the trail.

A solid trail means that it is never erased (until the screen is cleared).

Trail length

If the rocket's trail is not solid, the screen saver selects a random number in the specified range to determine each rocket's trail length.

Explosion

Number of rays

This is the number of rays that will result from a rocket's explosion.  For each rocket, the screen saver picks a random number within this range to select the number of rays.

Colors

This is the range of the number of colors that can be in an explosion.  For each rocket, the screen saver picks a random number within this range to determine the number of colors in the explosion.

Chance that the trail is solid

This is the probability that the trails of the explosion's pieces will be solid lines.  If the screen saver decides that the trails are not solid, it uses the Trail Length setting (see below) to determine the length of each trail.

A solid trail means that it is never erased (until the screen is cleared).

Trail length

If the rocket's trail is not solid, the screen saver selects a random number in the specified range to determine the length of each piece of the explosion.

If any one trail is solid, they are all solid.  If any trail has a variable length, they all do.

A solid trail means that it is never erased (until the screen is cleared).

Diameter

This is the range of the diameter of an explosion.  It is expressed as a percentage of the screen's width.

Width's deviation from diameter

This is the permissible amount by which the "width" of a ray in the explosion may vary.  In other words, given a diameter, the width of each ray may range from X% of the selected diameter to Y% of the selected diameter.

Height's deviation from diameter

This is the permissible amount by which the "height" of a ray in the explosion may vary.  In other words, given a diameter, the height of each ray may range from X% of the selected diameter to Y% of the selected diameter.

General

Sound

This enables or diables sounds for the rockets and their explosions.  There are four possible sounds, each specified in the Control Panel's Sound section, prefaced with Fireworks:.

Launching a rocket

Exploding a rocket

The crowd's reaction about halfway through the explosion

The crowd has two possible reactions, depending on whether or not the rocket explodes within the bottom 10% of the screen.  In the top 90% of the screen, the crowd should "ooh" and "aah" or applaud, but in the bottom 10%, the crowd should scream.

If your system does not support sound, this checkbox is disabled and the entries are not entered into the Control Panel's list of sounds.

If the above entries are not in the Control Panel's list of sounds and your system supports sound, you must do one of the following:

bring up Fireworks' configuration dialog box (then press OK or Cancel)

start the Fireworks screen saver when the Sound checkbox is checked

After either one of the above actions, the entries should be in the Control Panel's list of sounds.

Line thickness

This represents how thick the rocket's trail and the trails of the explosions' rays are.  The drawing slows down for thicker trails (although the screen saver tries to compensate).

Erase after N rockets

To avoid cluttering up the screen with leftover solid trails, you can specify that it be erased after a certain number of rockets have been launched and exploded.  If you do not enable solid trails, this feature is practically useless, so you can specify "never" for this value.

Performance

Number of "draws" during a timer tick

The screen saver draws the rockets and explosions in discrete parts.  After it's done, it returns control to Microsoft® Windows™ so that it can respond to keyboard or mouse movements.  This value represents the number of times the screen saver draws the rockets and explosions during each timer tick.  The higher the number, the less responsive the screen saver is to keyboard and mouse movements.

Delay between "draws"

This indicates how long the screen saver will delay between drawings of the rockets and explosions.  The screen saver automatically adjusts this value for the number of rockets and explosions that are currently active.

Password

See help for Screen Savers in the Control Panel.

OK/Cancel Buttons

When the user presses the OK button, any changes are validated and, if there are no errors, saved.  These values are used the next time the screen saver activates.

When the user presses Cancel button, any changes are discarded and the values that were in effect when the user entered the dialog box are maintained.

Defaults Button

When the user presses the Defaults button, the default values for all of the fields (except the Password section) are entered as if the user typed them.  The user can then modify them any way they want.

Pressing the OK button saves the changes and pressing the Cancel button discards them.


Registering the Screen Saver
Registering this Application

This application is freeware.  You are free to distribute any versions of this application to individuals and to bulletin boards, as long as you distribute all of the files in their original, unaltered, format.  (In fact, we encourage it because that is the only way that we can let people know about our work.)

This package consists of the following files and requires Windows 3.x or higher:

readme.txt	Installation instructions and release notes

firework.scr	The application

firework.hlp	Windows help file

pmsutil.dll	Our utilities DLL

pmsprods.txt	A list of our products

If you decide that you enjoy the program and plan to continue using it, we ask that you register the application.  The suggested registration fee is $5 (five dollars U.S.).  Even if you don't want to send any money, just drop us a note to let us know you like it (or to let us know what you don't like about it).

To register, send a check or money order (please do not send cash) made payable to "Stefan Tucker" to the following address:

Stefan Tucker

Perpetual Motion Software

310 West Noyes Street

Arlington Heights, IL 60005-3638

USA

With your registration, please specify the following:

your name

your mailing address

your e-mail address, if you have one

See the file PMSPRODS.TXT for details on other products that are available from Perpetual Motion Software.

If you have any comments, criticisms, or suggestions for this application, please let me know.  I can be reached at the above address.  If you supply me with your e-mail address(es), I may be able to respond in that manner.