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# About the shout3dClasses.zip archive Shout3D has classes and an archive: Shout3D 1.0 comes with both a set of java classes (.class files) and a zip archive containing those classes. The zip archive is located in the Shout3d_runtime\codebase directory, and is called shout3dClasses.zip Archives enable faster download times: When java classes are downloaded from a server, they can be downloaded either one class at a time, or bundled together into one larger archive file. Since each trip to the server adds to the download time, and since zip files may be compressed, performance is faster if all crucial class files are bundled together into an archive. How to take advantage of the bundled archive: If you use the Shout3DWizard, the archive will be used automatically. If you edit your own html files, include the attribute below in your .html file, within the applet tag. (See any of the demos in Shout3d_runtime\demos for an example). ARCHIVE="shout3dClasses.zip" All bundled demos use the archive shout3dClasses.zip: Each of the demos included in this product makes use of the archive shout3dClasses.zip, as well as all html files produced by the Shout3DWizard. What's in the archive: The archive does not contain every single class file that comes with Shout3D. It contains only those classes that are used in the majority of situations. Classes not found in the archive are fetched separately: If a required class is not in the archive, an extra trip to the server is required, but the applet will still run correctly. For example, the ExamineApplet and ExaminePanel classes are not in the archive, so demos that employ them will first fetch the archive from the server, then fetch these other two class files separately. How to change what's in the archive: Experts only! You may want to add classes to the archive that you use frequently, so that they will be downloaded along with Shout3D in one 'gulp'. The recommended practice is to copy the shout3dClasses.zip to a new archive, add your classes, then refer to the new archive in your html file. Compressed versus non-compressed: Zip files can be compressed or uncompressed. The shout3dClasses.zip archive is compressed. This means that older browsers such as Netscape 3 will not be able to read the contents of the zip file, and hence will make separate trips to the server for each and every class. To create a zip file for such browsers, zip up the corresponding classes into a new, uncompressed zip file and use that one. For maximum overall performance across browsers, you might want to make two versions of your html file: one that uses the compressed zip file, for Netscape 4.0 and up or for Internet Explorer, and a second html file that uses the uncompressed zip file, for Netscape 3.0 and other older browsers. How to test that the archive is being used properly: In Netscape, you can easily test if the archive is being properly used. Prior to visiting the html file, open the java console and type '9.' Then load the html file. You'll see messages in the Java console telling you whether each class was loaded from the zip archive or whether it was fetched as a separate class file. Copyright© 1999-2000, Shout Interactive, Inc.