MCF your site using the HotSauce plugin

Copied from the original page archived on 3 July 1997

Note: Make sure you have the latest copy of the plugin before proceeding. A new version was released on September 15th.

These instructions allow you to quickly create an XSpace. This document describes how to use the Project X plug-in to make your web site airworthy in less than half an hour.

You typically get to this page by selecting the New option from the plugin's menu. At this point you should have 2 browser windows open: one with this page and the other displaying an XSpace with a single node called “A New Space” (The XSpace window may be below this window.) If you do not have that other page, click here to get it.

Given below are the instructions for creating a new XSpace using the Plugin.

Outline of Steps

  1. Start a new XSpace from a URL
  2. Edit and Extend the XSpace
  3. Save the XSpace as an MCF File
  4. Add the Mime Type and Extension to the Server
  5. Create HTML to Reference the MCF File

Start a new XSpace from a URL

  1. Select Start at... from the menu.

  2. Enter the full URL for the site you want to map into the XSpace. This location will become the top topic for the XSpace. Each of the links from the URL you selected will be represented as new pages in the XSpace.

    By default, the text of the link will be used as the title for the page. You can chose to use the URL as the basis for the name instead. To do so, select Labels from URLs from the menu. Note: The menu does not indicate the current state of the tool: it indicates the setting to which you can change the tool.

Extending the XSpace

Note: These menu items are only available when a topic or a page is selected.

Extend the space

  1. Select a page by single-clicking.
  2. Select Expand from the menu. The page will replaced by a topic with the same name as the page. The page will be made a child of the topic. Each of the links on that page will be made into a page that is a child of the new topic.

Adding Topics

  1. Select the parent topic by double-clicking.
  2. Select Add Topic from the menu. Enter the name for the new topic.

Adding Pages

  1. Select the parent topic by double-clicking.
  2. Select Add Page from the menu. Enter the name for the new page.

Editing the space

Note: These menu items are only available when a topic or a page is selected.

Changing a Label

  1. Select the topic or page by single-clicking.
  2. Select Edit Name from the menu. Enter the new name for the topic or page.

Reading the Title from the Page

  1. Select the page by single-clicking.
  2. Select Read Title from Page from the menu. The page will pick up the title of the HTML page. Note: If this is just one of many links on the same page, this may not be what you want.

Moving a Topic or Page

  1. Select the topic or page.
  2. Select Copy from the menu.
  3. Select the destination topic.
  4. Select Paste from the menu. The topic and its children or the page is moved to the new location and removed from the old one.

Deleting a Topic or Page

  1. Select the topic or page by single-clicking.
  2. Select Delete from the menu. The topic and its children or the page are deleted from the XSpace.

Save the XSpace as an MCF File

  1. Select Save from the menu.
  2. Name the file using a .mcf extension.

Add the Mime Type and Extension to the Server

Add the new mime type (image/vasa) and extention (.mcf) to your server. MCF files are text. For example, in MacHTTP you’d add the following line to the MacHTTP.config file:
TEXT .mcf * * image/vasa.
In NCSA httpd (and its descendents such as Apache) add the line
image/vasa mcf
to the file mime.types.

If you are not running your own server and are having difficulties setting up the mime type, we will be happy to host your mcf file on an interim basis. Just email the mcf file to us. Also please send us the url of the page that will refer to this file along with a short description of your site.

Create HTML to Reference the MCF File

Create an HTML file. Use the EMBED tag as shown: 

<EMBED SRC="mumble.mcf" WIDTH=400 HEIGHT=300
    PLUGINSPAGE="http://mcf.research.apple.com/ProjectX/"
    TARGET="window name" VIEW="view name">

SRC should contain the url (absolute or relative) to the MCF file.
WIDTH and HEIGHT specify the width and height of the XSpace window.
PLUGINSPAGE enables the browser to help a user who does not have the plugin yet, get the plugin.
TARGET is an optional keyword and the entry should be the name of a window or frame. When the user doubles clicks on a leaf node the content is shown in the targeted window. It defaults to a new window.
VIEW is an optional keyword and the entry can currently be one of “outline” or “fly-thru”. This indicates the preffered view for the space. Of course, the user can change it. It defaults to the fly-through view.

Registering your Project X web site:

Write us when you create a new XSpace. We would like to list it here. Please send us the url of the page refering to your mcf file along with a short description of your site.