NCSA Mosaic for MS Windows User Guide: External Viewers

Setting Up Mosaic Viewers

Viewers Explained

NCSA Mosaic uses other applications to display file types such as Microsoft Word, Postscript, MPEG movies, quicktime movies, and images. These applications, called external viewers, can be commercial software, shareware, freeware, or copyright software.

In general, if an application can accept command line inputs, Mosaic can use it as an external viewer. When Mosaic downloads a file that it is not programmed to display, it passes the file to an external viewer that displays the file.

Refer to the URL below for detailed information on viewers:

http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/WinMosaic/viewers.html

Viewer Installation--an Example

Mosaic can use an external application (software) to display a file type as long as it can accept command line arguments (which is generally the case). If, after configuring Mosaic to use the application, you run into problems, try to contact the software's author or help desk to see if it does indeed accept command line arguments.

Below is an example to follow when configuring new application software into your copy of Mosaic. Follow these steps to configure Mosaic to use any application. The example installs the MPEGPLAY movie viewer.

  1. Install the MPEGPLAY software.
  2. In Mosaic, select Preferences from the Options Menu.
  3. Click on the Viewers Preference Sheet.
  4. Select Add.
a. Enter the MIME type video/mpeg in the Associate Mime Type of: field.

b. Enter Movie File Format - MPEG Window in the Description of MIME type field.

c. Enter .mpeg, .mpe, .mpg in the With this/these extensions field.

d. Enter c:\win32app\mpegplay\mpegplay in the To this Application: field.

NOTE: If you install MPEGPLAY in another directory, change the field in (d) accordingly. Use the Browse button to find and make the association.

e. Select Add when you are done and OK to save the information and close the preferences window.

Because NCSA did not develop the various viewers, the technical support staff do not support them. Please direct your questions about your viewers to the developers of the software.