Newsbit

NETSHIFT PUBLIC BROWSER INTERFACE UPDATE: 9th February '99

NetShift Product

The latest version v4.22 update has proven to be especially usefull within the European community members. New customers in Ireland and France have opted for NetShift with new Euro keyboard sets.

V4.22 also features two new and very useful NS Commands: Close and Terminate. Those have proven essential in generating the privacy of the end user and also for optimising the 27/7 unattended kiosk operation in conjunction with the latest NetShift Automated Kiosk Attendant utility. For more information, please contact: Technical Support

NetShift Kiosks

The latest kiosks deploying NetShift as their Public Browser Interface have just been installed in and around lobby of The Charles Hotel , located in Cambridge, MA. Click here for additional information.

NetShift Distributors

A very warm welcome to our new NetShift kiosk software distributor who has joined our ever growing global support network:
Zaptronix Limited
A: Zaptronix House
A: 388 Main Avenue
A: Ferndale, Randburg 2146
A: South Africa
T: 0027 11 789 8040
F: 0027 11 789 8018
W:www.zaptronix.com

Should you be interested in distributing our winning NetShift kiosk software, please contact Sales & Marketing

NetShift Tips


GETTING STARTED WITH NETSHIFT IN TEN MINUTES.

After installing NetShift there are two icons for programs, NetShift and NetShift Setup Manager.
NetShift Setup Manager controls all the options of NetShift.

For easy evaluation please set your screen settings to 800X600, 16bit high colour, small fonts. These are set by going to the Display properties in the Control Panel and then choosing the settings tab. All the default graphics are based on 800X600 so running it in any other resolution, without resixing or creating new graphics, will be detrimental to the look of the images.

1.Run NetShift
To get a feel for the program and check everything is working and installed properly.
If it is not, please refer to rest of the documentation or contact [email protected]

In the main NetShift window you will see demo webpages running. Use the buttons on the right hand side to jump to new pages and learn more about NetShift features.

Along the top there are banner adverts running, these can be hotlinked to chosen webpages on the computer system, the network or on the Intranet.
Banner advertising is a well recognised and highly regarded Internet marketing tool.

Along the bottom are located browser operation buttons.

NetShift is an easily customisable and extremly flexible piece of software. As well as all the above mentioned features there are many other things NetShift does.
Please see how easy it is to make NetShift do the things you want it to. In order to do so: exit NetShift by pressing the exit button that can be found on the the keyboard (show keyboard first)

2.Open NetShift Setup Manager
To get a feel of how easy it is to change the look and feel of NetShift.
As an example we will change a banner and a button to your own specification. Full details of how to use the Setup Manager can be found in the technical documentation.

To customize a NetShift Banner:
The banner area appears at the top of the NetShift screen rotating different banners every few seconds.
You can change the graphics, the URL link, the number of banners and the time they take to rotate.

1)To change the banner graphics:
- Click on the "Interface Editor" tab in NetShift Setup Manager.
- Click on the banner picture found in the top middle of the Interface Editor page. At the bottom of the following page in the Banner Graphics box.
- Select one of the banners listed.
- Click on the browse button on the right of the Graphic File box located underneath the Banner Graphics box.

Now open your graphics program: Paint or equivalent.
- Select File-Open and access the directory C:\NetShift\Factory\Banners
(Note: Path C:\XXX discussed is based on the default setting from the Factory NetShift installation. If you have installed NetShift in a different directory then please amend your paths accordingly.)
- Select one of the banners listed to alter - this will now appear in your Paint screen.
- Alter as desired e.g. go into Image and clear, type in new text, import an image and change the colours.
- Save As new banner name "X.bmp" in the directory NetShift - Factory - Banners.

- Return to the NetShift Setup Manager/"Interface Editor" tab
- Select the banner
- Select "Add" and in the graphic file window browse to your new X.bmp banner
- Select the banner by clicking on it and then click Open.

2) To change the banner URL link
If you also wish to put in a new link to banner "X" type it into the URL box at the bottom of the screen.

3) To change the banner rotation time
You can also change the number of seconds between each banner rotation by clicking the arrows in the Time box located at the bottom of the screen.

Click the OK button on the left of the screen to accept the changes.
Press the Preview button, on the left hand bottom side, to view your new altered banner in NetShift.

To customize a NetShift Button
- Select the "Interface Editor" tab in the NetShift Setup Manager
- Go to the right of the screen and click on one of the ten buttons labelled "Cst X"
Button 1 refers to the one at the top right of the NetShift screen called Branding; they descend in numerical order. You can add up to four more to make ten buttons. The last four will replace the positions of the directional arrows, which are underneath the six custom buttons on the right of the main NetShift screen.
Having chosen the button to change, the pre-set URL, Glyph and other properties will show.

1) To change the button URL link
Either keep the preset one or type in your new URL that you want the button to link to. Then click on OK to accept the new link.

2) To change the button Glyph
Click on the Browse button on the right of the Glyph box and choose one of the preset glyphs to ensure correct size. This can then be altered and renamed. If you are using a different screen size to 800 x 600 please see the additional documentation on what sizes the buttons etc need to be.
- To create your own glyph chose an existing button by highlighting it and clicking on Open.

Now open your graphics program: Paint or equivalent.
- Access the glyph by File, Open, C:\NetShift\Factory\Buttons.
- Choose the button you wish to change. It will then appear at the top of the screen.
- Enlarge it for easier alteration.
You will see that it has three images within the one bitmap, this relates to it being a 3 state button. NetShift uses the left third when the button is available, the middle when it is unavailable and the right hand side when it is pressed. (The unavailable state only applies for some buttons like Back and Forward but for consistency all buttons are created in the same way.)
- Change the colours and text according to Paint's available options.
- Save as a new file name, in the buttons directory.

- Return to the NetShift Setup Manager screen.
- Click on the Browse button in the Glyph box and highlight your new button glyph name.
- Select Open and it will transfer your new glyph to the button you chose at the beginning.
- Click on OK to accept the alteration.

3) To change a button to text only
This will enable you to type in new text but will mean that the button will revert to a simple grey one.
- Select the "Interface Editor" tab in NetShift Setup Manager.
- Chose the button number you wish to change.
- In the Text box type in the new text.
- Delete what is in a Glyph box.
- Click OK to accept the alteration.

Click the OK button on the left of the screen to accept all the changes.
Press the Preview button, on the left hand bottom side, to view your new altered button in NetShift.

Now you have seen how easy NetShift is to change you can start looking at all the other features in NetShift Setup Manager, all of which are documented in the manual.

Good Luck and remember that we are here to help you ! Support Team




Furnished by:


A: NetShift Software Ltd.
A: Hughenden Yard, Marlborough, Wilts,SN8 1LT, UK
T: +44 (0)1672 511 094
F: +44 (0)1672 511 078
E: [email protected]
W: www.netshift.com

Thanks Anna!


Thanks Kinetic!

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