Support for
Plants of the San Gabriel Mountains:
Foothills and Canyons

Interpretive Guide on CD
Versions: 1.0 and 2.0

Technical Information

• What equipment do I need?
• What software do I need?
• What monitor color settings do I need?
• How do I change my monitor's color settings?
• What about monitor screen sizes?
• How do I change my screen resolution?
• What if I use a different browser?
• Where is my browser's Back Button?
• Do I need to keep the Nature-at-Hand window open?
• How do I change the Auto Slide Show timer?
• How do I print the photos?
• Can I run this guide from my hard drive, instead of the CD?

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What equipment do I need?

You can use almost any Windows PC or Apple MacIntosh computer with a CD-ROM player. It runs directly from the CD-ROM player and does not require any disk space. Memory (RAM) requirements are the same as your internet browser, such as Internet Explorer, Safari, or Firefox. Larger memory systems will probably operate faster, since more of the guide will be kept in memory. You must have a monitor capable of "16-bit" color at a screen resolution of at least 800x600 pixels, or higher.

What software do I need?

This interpretive guide uses Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6.0, Firefox 1.0, or Safari 1.0, or higher. One or more of these browsers is already available on nearly every computer that uses a Microsoft Windows or Apple MacIntosh operating system. These levels are pre-loaded on computers shipped in the last couple of years. You can use Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Mac OS X. Higher level versions of these browsers and other compatible browsers will also work. The guide should also work on Windows NT and Windows 2000, but it has not been tested on them.

If your browser is at a lower version level, you can upgrade it, at no charge, by going to the appropriate Web site: www.microsoft.com, www.firefox.com, or www.apple.com.

This interpretive guide should also work on systems running a version of Unix or Linux, with an internet browser that is compatible with those listed above. It has not been thoroughly tested on these systems.

What monitor color settings do I need?

The photographs in this guide need a high color quality setting for the monitor. They will not look right at low color quality settings. Nearly all monitors available today support what they call "16-bit color" or more, in addition to a 256 color mode. To view this guide, you should set your monitor to "16-bit" or higher. It is best at 32-bit color.

How do I change my monitor's color settings?

This process may vary somewhat, depending on your version of the operating system. With Windows, it will go something like this:

1. Close any programs that might be open, including this one.
2. On an open section of your DeskTop, right-click your mouse.
3. In the pop-up list, select "Properties".
4. The window that opens may have multiple tabs across the top. Pick the one labeled "Settings".
5. There will be a section for setting Color Quality, usually a drop-down box. Click on the down-pointing arrow to view the color options. Move the mouse pointer over the option you want and click on it. Any option that says "16 bit", "24 bit" or "32 bit" will work well.
6. Click the "Okay" button.
7. A window may pop up telling you that the screen will go black and then reappear at the new setting, and that you will need to click "Okay" when the image comes back. Click "Okay" to this message.
8. The screen will go black briefly, then come back with the new setting.
9. If there is a window asking you to acknowledge the new setting, click "Okay".

What about monitor screen sizes?

This interpretive guide is sensitive to the screen resolution (horizontal and vertical dot or pixel counts) of your monitor and will adjust to accommodate different sizes and resolution settings. It works and looks best at the highest resolution available on your monitor. The interpretive guide is optimized to resolutions of 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, and 1280 x 1024. Other resolutions will use the corresponding lower resolution settings. If your normal screen setting is 640 x 480, you should change it to, at least, 800 x 600. We recommend that you use the highest resolution that your monitor can display, as long as it can do so at 16- or 32-bit color.

How do I change my screen resolution?

This process may vary somewhat, depending on your version of the operating system. With Windows, it will go something like this:

1. On an open section of your DeskTop, right-click your mouse.
2. In the pop-up list, select "Properties".
3. The window that opens may have multiple tabs across the top. Pick the one labeled "Settings".
4. There will be a section for setting Screen Resolution, like a sliding arrow. Move it to the "800 by 600 pixels" or higher point on the slide.
5. Click the "Okay" button.
6. A window may pop up telling you that the screen will go black and then reappear at the new setting, and that you will need to click "Okay" when the image comes back. Click "Okay" to this message.
7. The screen will go black briefly, then come back at the new resolution.
8. If there is a window asking you to acknowledge the new resolution, click "Okay".

What if I use a different browser?

This interpretive guide was written to use Microsoft's Internet Explorer (version 6 or higher), Firefox (version 1 or higher), or Apple's Safari (version 1 or higher), which are the most widely used Internet browser programs. It may, or may not, work properly on browsers from other sources. They have not been tested.

If you launch this guide without a supported browser version, it will ask if you wish to continue. If you click "Okay", most functions will operate, but not exactly as designed. Users can upgrade their browser versions, at no charge, by going to the appropriate Web site: www.firefox.com for Firefox, www.microsoft.com for Internet Explorer, or www.apple.com for Safari.

Internet Explorer is preloaded on most Windows-based PCs, so even if your default browser is something different, you can probably use Internet Explorer by doing the following:

1. Place the CD in your CD player.
2. Click the "Start" button in the lower-left corner of your screen.
3. Click "Run" on the pop-up menu.
4. Type "iexplore.exe d:/start.htm" and press Enter.
5. If your CD player is not your "D-drive", substitute the correct drive letter. For example, if your CD player is your "F-drive", type - iexplore.exe F:/start.htm and press Enter.

Where is my browser's Back Button?

There is no standard browser "Back" button visible in this guide, because the browser's toolbars are turned off to maximize space for photographs. For the general information portions of this interpretive guide and for the Photo pages, there is a Back button at the bottom of the screen, which functions like a normal browser Back button. For other functions, like the Plant Pages, that button is disabled, because this interpretive guide would not work properly if you were to use it. If you are paging through the Plant Pages, you can use the Prev button to go backward. The browser's Back button function is available through a right-click of the mouse. We recommend that you not use it.

Do I need to keep the Nature at Hand window open?

No. Once this interpretive guide is started, the Nature at Hand window is no longer needed. You can close it if you wish. You can also leave it open so that you can do other Internet activity, such as a Web search, while the interpretive guide is open. To close it, click on the "X" box in the upper-right corner of the window (Window) or the red Close button in the upper-left corner (Mac). If your browser supports access to multiple websites with tabs, as most current browsers do, you can close the Nature at Hand tab by clicking on the "X" on the tab.

How do I change the Auto Slide Show timer?

Auto Slide Show changes to a new plant page every 5 seconds, by default. If this is too long or too short for your usage, you can change the time while you are in Auto Slide Show. When you click on the Timer button at the bottom of the screen, you will see the 'Change Auto Slide Show Timer' page. In the box, type the number of seconds that you want each plant to be displayed, and press Enter or click the Enter button. Auto Slide Show will resume in few seconds, depending on the value that you entered.

How do I print the photos?

Specific procedures for printing plant pages or photographs are variable, depending on the version of Windows or Mac OS, your Internet browser, user settings, and the printer that you are using. They are outside the control of this interpretive guide.

The browser's toolbars have been eliminated to save space on the screen, so there is no "Print" button. There are, at least, two alternate methods to initiate printing of the photos. They will be approximately like this:

• You can right-click (Windows) or Ctrl-click (Mac) somewhere in the empty space near the photographs and choose "Print" or "Print Frame" from the drop-down menu.
• You can press "Ctrl-P" (Windows) or "Cmd-P" (Mac). Make sure that the last mouse click before the "Ctrl-P" or "Cmd-P" was in the portion of the screen containing the photographs.

In either case, you will then see the Print window. There may be a Print Frames selection available, possibly on an "Options" tab. Select the option that says "Print only the selected frame". Select the appropriate printer and press "Print". If there is a "Print Preview" option, we suggest that you choose it, to be sure that you are printing the portion that you want.

Can I run this guide from my hard drive, instead of the CD?

Yes, you can. Running from your hard drive eliminates the need to insert the CD into the CD drive, and it generally starts and runs more quickly. To move the application to your hard drive:

• Create a new folder on your desk top or at a convenient location in your data filing system, for example in "My documents" (on a PC).
• Copy the entire contents of the CD into that new folder, including subfolders.
• To start the interpretive guide, open that folder and double-click on the file Start.htm.
• For convenience, you can place a Windows Shortcut or Mac Alias for the Start.htm file on your desktop.
• In Windows, right-click the Start.htm file and select "Send To" from the drop-down list and then click on "Desktop (create shortcut)". This will place an icon on your desktop, named "Shortcut to Start.htm". To rename the icon, right-click the icon and click "Rename" and then type a new name, such as "SGF Plants".
• On a Mac, ctrl-click the Start.htm file and click on "Make Alias" in the drop-down list. This will place an icon, named "Start.htm alias", in the same folder as the Start.htm file. Drag this icon to your desktop. To rename the icon, click on the name and then type a new name, such as "SGF Plants".

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