Playing video files automatically and cursor hidding

[Gaetan]

Hi people,

I have a kiosk presentation that contains video files that I want to start
automatically when the slides containing them are accessed. When I insert
them, PowerPoint asks whether I want them to play automatically. When they
are viewed for the first time since the presentation has been started, the
video plays automatically, but when a user goes back to a video that has been
viewed before, they need to click on the video for it to start.

Is that a problem that can be fixed with PowerPoint's functions or should
VBA be used to play the videos automatically with an event when the slides
are accessed?

If VBA would do the trick, would any of you know how I could do this?

I would also need the cursor to be hidden after 5 seconds that the mouse
hasn't been moved... any way to do this?

Thank you very much for your help on this matter!

 

[Austin Myers]

Gaetan,

The problem you are running into is that by design PowerPoint returns to the
END of the slide. That is to say, all animations (including playing video)
have completed. The simplest way around this is to place a "dummy" slide
before the slide with the video and navigate to it. Make it look just like
the slide with the video and set it to advance automatically after 0
seconds.

The end result is the user will never know the difference and when the dummy
slide advances to the slide with the video it does so at the beginning of
all the animations (including your video) and they play as expected.

Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

Provider of PFCPro, PFCMedia and PFCExpress
www.playsforcertain.com

 

[Gaetan]

Alright... this fixes my problem. Thanks Austin!

Any clue about hidding the cursor ofter some time of inactivity? As it is
now, it stays in the middle of the screen over the video... it's more or less
in the way.

 

[Austin Myers]

This should help.
http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00633.htm


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

Provider of PFCPro, PFCMedia and PFCExpress
www.playsforcertain.com

 

[Gaetan]

Unfortunatly, this seems to give a semi-permanent solution to hiding the
cursor. I would need it to become invisible just at the moment the slide
opens and become visible again when the cursor is being moved.

Is there an event handler for a slideshow window opening?

 

[Gaetan]

Alright... I made the cursor move to the bottom left of the screen out of
view with a SetCursorPos function triggered by an App_SlideShowNextSlide
event.

Thanks for the input Steve.