Playing Order for Frames in a MultiFrame

A MultiFrame contains Frame objects but only one frame is ever visible in the Opus Editor or on the page when a publication is run. Therefore, in which order do the frames play in a MultiFrame?

Playing Order when Play Automatically is selected:

If the Play Automatically option in the MultiFrame tab of the object’s Properties dialog has been ticked, the sequence is as follows:

$image\Example_MultiFrame_2.jpg$

The top frame in the MultiFrame will be played first – in this illustration Frame 3. The next frame displayed is Frame 2 and then Frame 1.

If you have set the Play panel in the MultiFrame tab to loop continuously or a specific number of times, then the second loop will again start at the top frame and move to the next frame in the list.

Play Order when using MultiFrame actions:

When the user first enters the page, the top frame in the MultiFrame object will be displayed on the page. For example, compare these two illustrations:

$image\Example_MultiFrame_2.jpg$	$image\Example_MultiFrame_3.jpg$
Example 1:	Example 2:

In Example 1: Frame 3 will be the first frame displayed on the page followed by Frame 2, then Frame 1. In Example 2: Frame 2 is the first frame followed by Frame 3, then Frame 1.

Note:

The examples above show that the frame at the top of the list is the first frame displayed on the page when the publication is run. However, in the Opus Editor, the frame displayed on the page in the workspace is the frame icon highlighted in blue – thus Frame 3 is displayed in the workspace in both examples, although different frames are displayed when the publication is run.

The next frame to be displayed on the page depends on which MultiFrame action, the user selects next, for example: the Go to Next MultiFrame action will show the frame immediately below the currently displayed frame.

Using Example 1 above, the next frame is Frame 2, the next frame after that is Frame 1 and the next frame is then back to Frame 3, and so on. The Go to Start Frame action will always go to the top frame in the list, again using Example 1 above, this would be Frame 3.