Would you like to... Print this page Email this to a friend Post a comment

This document is for the Kar2ouche IT Administrator and covers the recommended configurations for the Kar2ouche user environment on PCs and Apple Macs.

Introduction

We highly recommend that the IT Administrator takes a look at the Kar2ouche user options before performing the installation of Kar2ouche.  Kar2ouche can be configured to make Kar2ouche much easier to use and improve overall performance, aligning the application to the platform in which it will be used.

Most user options for Kar2ouche are stored in a configuration file called Kar2ouche.  This file is created the first time the Kar2ouche application is opened following a successful installation.  It resides in the same directory as the kar2ouche executable file and is used by Kar2ouche whilst loading.  The settings in the kar2ouche configuration file are used to set up the user environment for each user session.

Depending upon the installation, the Kar2ouche configuration file will reside either locally or on the server.  For local installations, the Kar2ouche configuration file can be found in the same directory as the Kar2ouche executable file.  For server-based installations, there will either be one master Kar2ouche configuration file or a method used whereby the Kar2ouche configuration file is distributed to each workstation on a regular basis.

The Kar2ouche application comes with a friendly GUI (graphical user interface) for configuring the most common user settings.  This is suitable for most changes that need to be made and is discussed in the document.  Alternatively, the Kar2ouche IT Administrator can manually configure the Kar2ouche configuration file using a basic text editor.  For more information on this please see http://support.immersiveeducation.eu/index.php?ToDo=view&questId=17&catId=118.

To configure the Kar2ouche user options, the IT Administrator must have administrative access to the Kar2ouche directory, either on the server or the local workstation depending upon the installation type.

Using the Kar2ouche GUI to configure the Kar2ouche user options

To use the Kar2ouche Options Pages GUI To access the Kar2ouche user options pages open Kar2ouche and select the Utilities tab (the red tab), as shown here:

Click on the Options button (this pale green button has a question mark icon on it) as shown here:

This will open Page 1 of the Options Pages, as shown here:

To access Page 2 and Page 3 of the Options Pages, click the pale green tabs on the left-hand side.  Page 2 tab is shown here:

You will be prompted for the Kar2ouche Options password before you can make any changes, as shown here:

Once inserted, the Options Pages will be ‘unlocked’.  You will notice that the padlock icon changes to an unlocked padlock, as shown:

Note: If you click on this icon you can lock the Options Pages and change the Options password.

Read through each setting in the table below before making any changes and apply only those settings that are applicable to your environment.  You may wish to make a note of the default settings first in case you need to change the settings back to their original values, or use the Reset button  to return to the default values.
To change any setting value you must click the Folder buttons to the right of each setting.

Options Pages: Page 1

These are some of the settings on Page 1 that we recommend you take a look at and configure accordingly if appropriate:

Storyboard Load Path
Navigate to the file path where the users will load their Kar2ouche work* (includes storyboards, custom sound files and custom backgrounds).  This should be the same location as the save path so users can load work they have previously created and saved.

* NOTE: Even if a default path is set, users can navigate to any available file path within Kar2ouche, which is useful if users wish to save work to a CD or different network location.  This applies to all file path settings.

Storyboard Save Path
Navigate to the file path where the users will save their Kar2ouche work (includes storyboards, custom sound files and custom backgrounds).  For example, this may be user directories on the network.

Storyboard Autosave
There are 2 settings here:
1. Turn autosave off by clicking the pink button to the left of the setting
2. Navigate to the file path where Kar2ouche will automatically make regular saves of the users Kar2ouche work.  This should be the same location as the save path.

Frequency (Minutes)
This is the automatic save time (in minutes) for all storyboards.  You may wish to increase this to reduce network loading.

Sound Recording
There are 2 settings here:
1. Turn sound recording off by clicking the pink button to the left of the setting.
2. Navigate to the file path where the users will save their Kar2ouche sound files.  For example, this may be user directories on the network.  Alternatively, some organisations have created one special folder on a media dedicated server for the storage of all audio files so they can be accessed by everyone.

Background Loading
There are 2 settings here:
1. Turn background loading off by clicking the pink button to the left of the setting.
2. Navigate to the file path where the users will load their Kar2ouche background files.  For example, this may be user directories on the network.

Text Loading
There are 2 settings here:
1. Turn text loading off by clicking the pink button to the left of the setting.
2. Navigate to the file path where the users will load their Kar2ouche text files.  For example, this may be user directories on the network.

Options Pages: Page 2

There are various functions that can be turned off.  For best performance, these functions should be left on.  Page 2 options are as follows:



Start Full Screen
This setting can either be set to launch Kar2ouche in full screen or 'windowed' mode.  'Windowed' screen mode enables users to work in other applications at the same time and may improve display issues with old graphics cards.  ‘Windowed’ mode must be used for interactive whiteboards and Tablet PCs.

Options Pages: Page 3

There are various functions that can be turned off.  For best performance, these functions should be left on.  Page 3 options are as follows:

Copy/Paste Images
This setting allows users to copy and paste image objects from other applications, expanding DTP (desktop publishing) functionality.  File sizes may increase with this function enabled if users import large file formats such as bitmaps (.bmp file extension), etc.  We recommend the use of image management software so users can tailor imported images to smaller file sizes, before importing them into Kar2ouche.

Options Save Directory
This file path is the location of the Kar2ouche configuration file itself.   By default, the Kar2ouche configuration file is created on the local drive following the first time the user launches Kar2ouche, in the Kar2ouche directory with the rest of the application.

If you wish to have a master Kar2ouche configuration file on the server (for easier management) then you will need to create one master Kar2ouche configuration file on the server.   The file path for this setting should then point to the Kar2ouche configuration file on the server.

The font settings allow you to change the font type, the font size, the font colour, etc.