Opus Pro is a very powerful development tool and is designed to allow flexible and sophisticated Windows developments. However may features which are available in Windows are not provided for via HTML5 and many functions which are allowable in a Windows EXE are simply not possible or not allowable via the internet, or require extended scripting to connect the browser with the server on which it is running. Thus some Opus features are not available when publishing to HTML5.
We have tried to disable or remove all the features in a standard Opus publication which are not supported in HTML5 publications but there is a summary below for guidance.
All Database functions – use JavaScript, php and mySQL instead.
All Drawing Script functions – AddPoint, RemovePoint etc.
All browser controls except for Navigate To.
Any disk access. DLL and file browse functions – read, write, delete file, CallFn, LoadDLL etc.
Multiple Bookmark functions but Single Bookmark functions will work
All clipboard and registry functions.
All View functions, Window or Display functions such as Change Display Mode, Maximise
All Clock functions
All CD player functions.
All Publication Evaluation functions.
Publication Search dialog is unsupported.
Text functions such as Word Count and GetSelection.
Any Autonarrate features – use tween animation instead.
Textures and Blends (use Render to create a PNG file instead).
A separate list of script functions not available in HTML5 is provided in the Script Help file which can be launched separately from the Help menu.
The HTML5 export from Opus Pro includes some powerful and sophisticated features such as timelines, multiframes and tween animation which are not directly supported by HTML5 and add an extra dimension to your website.
However, it is worth noting that while these features are supported individually, they may not be successful in combinations. For example, using a timeline to show and hide complex animations on a multiframe while playing multiple audio files and playing an overlapping video may not export successfully to HTML5.
You may also find that some object properties and effects are not completely successful in combination. Using shadows or transparency with drag and drop objects for example may cause objects to appear to flash slightly.
Remember that there are usually several ways to achieve a desired activity in Opus so test your ideas regularly in as many browsers as you can and try an alternative if one combination of features does not succeed.
Transitions in HTML5 are always exclusive so other actions will be delayed whilst they complete.
Like Flash, the HTML5 format is very different to Opus native format so we recommend particular care is taken when creating HTML5 publications made using material from previous versions of Opus. We do not recommend simply changing the publication type from one to another unless the publication is very simple.
important Notes for Existing Users
Some features will work best in single page publications whilst others may require the publication to be exported as separate HTML files to avoid content taking too long to load or settings becoming confused. The use of variables, and the Variable Changed trigger can be confusing to debug if the pages are all separate.
Trying to use complex elements on a master page or nesting a lot of master pages may become too complex for the HTML5 format and you may need to copy elements on the master page to each of the child pages instead.