Get Ready for PowerPoint® 2007 with Vox Proxy® Version 4

As a result of changes made by Microsoft in PowerPoint 2007, your existing Vox Proxy scripts will not play in PowerPoint 2007 and can be destroyed by PowerPoint 2007 if you don't take action to safeguard them.

Vox Proxy Version 4 provides two vital functions for working with PowerPoint 2007:

1. When run in PowerPoint 2003, 2002, or 2000, Vox Proxy Version 4 will automatically convert your scripts to 2007 format. The new 2007 scripts are backward-compatible, so they will play on any version of PowerPoint, from 2000 to 2007.
2. When you install PowerPoint 2007, Vox Proxy Version 4 will play your converted scripts seamlessly. In fact, Version 4 is REQUIRED to play Vox Proxy scripts in PowerPoint 2007.

Scripts must be converted before installing PowerPoint 2007!

Fortunately, there are two ways you can protect your scripts before installing PowerPoint 2007:

1. Upgrade to Vox Proxy Version 4. Open EACH of your Vox Proxy presentation files. As soon as the file opens, Vox Proxy will automatically convert your scripts to 2007 format AND, for extra protection, export the scripts to a separate text file. Save each presentation file before opening the next. The converted scripts are fully backward-compatible with prior PowerPoint versions (2000 or newer), as long as they are played with Vox Proxy Version 4.
2. EXPORT your scripts to a separate text file. Scripts can be safely exported using your current Vox Proxy Version 3. From the Script Writer, open Tools/Export to File. These exported script files, bearing a file extension of VPS, can then be imported in PowerPoint 2007 using Vox Proxy Version 4 to recover your scripts. Once again, Vox Proxy Version 4 will be required to play in PowerPoint 2007.

Feature Enhancements:

PlayMedia Command
PlayMedia has been enhanced to allow a starting media time in seconds. For an existing script, simply append at the end of the PlayMedia command: start=N where N is a number of seconds.

Compatibility Summary

Compatibility of your scripts with various versions of Vox Proxy and PowerPoint can be a challenging and confusing issue. The central issue to understand is that Vox Proxy versions 1-3 saved scripts in a "scripts" object in PowerPoint. That object has been removed from PowerPoint 2007. While you are still running on PowerPoint 2000/2003, Vox Proxy version 4 converts scripts automatically to the new 2007 format and saves scripts in both the new and old formats so that they can be played with any version of Vox Proxy and PowerPoint.

Here is a summary of all the circumstances you may encounter with particular attention to compatibilty:

Running Vox Proxy Versions 1 to 3 on PowerPoint 2000 to 2003
Presentation scripts developed with versions 1, 2, or 3 in PowerPoint 2003 or older are not compatible with PowerPoint 2007. If those presentations are opened and saved in PowerPoint 2007, the scripts will be lost, even when saved in PowerPoint's so-called "compatibility mode".

Running Vox Proxy Version 4 on PowerPoint 2000 to 2003
Scripts are automatically converted to PowerPoint 2007 format, but are also maintained in 2000/2003 format for backward compatibility. Presentations saved with Version 4 may be played on any version of Vox Proxy or PowerPoint (2000 or newer).

Vox Proxy Version 4 will play correctly any presentation prepared with any version of Vox Proxy on any version of PowerPoint.

Once you have Vox Proxy Version 4 installed, however, you should not edit scripts using Versions 1 to 3. Those edits will be lost when they are moved to either Vox Proxy Version 4 or PowerPoint 2007. In other words, playing scripts on prior versions of Vox Proxy is backward-compatible. Editing them is not.

Running Vox Proxy Version 4 on PowerPoint 2007
Once PowerPoint 2007 is installed, previously-developed scripts that have been converted with Vox Proxy Version 4 while you were still running PowerPoint 2000-2003 will play exactly as they did on prior versions of PowerPoint. Presentations saved with PowerPoint 2007, however, must be played with Vox Proxy version 4 or the free Vox Proxy Version 4 Player. They will not play on prior versions of Vox Proxy.

Playing presentations on the free Vox Proxy Player
You should update all installed copies of the Vox Proxy Player to Version 4. This is a free upgrade. Any presentation prepared with any version of Vox Proxy on any version of PowerPoint will play correctly with the Vox Proxy Version 4 Player.

CDs prepared with CD Prep
Most CDs prepared with CD Prep will play using the PowerPoint 2003 Viewer and are not affected by what version of PowerPoint is installed on the end-user's computer.

However, this depends on how the CD Prep disk was prepared. If you used the QuickPrep option, the CD will always be played using the PowerPoint 2003 Viewer even if the end-user has PowerPoint installed. If you did not use QuickPrep, but you checked the box "Play only on PowerPoint Viewer", the CD will play on the Viewer. In either of these cases, the CD will play correctly regardless of what PowerPoint version is installed on the end-user's computer.

If you did not use QuickPrep, and you did not check "Play only on PowerPoint Viewer", and the end user has PowerPoint 2007 installed, the CD will not play its Vox Proxy scripts.

Why is there a problem?
Must I do anything before installing PowerPoint 2007?
Can I lose my scripts if I don't convert before installing 2007?
Can I protect my scripts with my existing Vox Proxy Version 3?
Does this problem affect the Vox Proxy Player?
Is it worth upgrading to PowerPoint 2007?
Can I download the upgrade?
Will disks already prepared with CDPrep run on PowerPoint 2007?

Why is there a problem?

For reasons of security, Microsoft has eliminated the "scripts" object in which Vox Proxy scripts are stored. Consequently, Version 4 of Vox Proxy has been re-programmed to store scripts in a different place within the presentation PPT files. Because the scripts object has been removed from the PPT files, once PowerPoint 2007 is installed, Vox Proxy has no way to recover scripts that have not been previously converted or exported.
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Must I do anything before installing PowerPoint 2007?

YES! Before installing PowerPoint 2007, you must convert your scripts using one of the two methods outlined above.
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Can I lose my scripts if I don't convert before installing 2007?

YES! Once you open an unconverted PPT file in PowerPoint 2007, the scripts are lost. If you save that file, even in the so-called "compatibility mode", the scripts will be irretrievably lost.
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Can I protect my scripts with my existing Vox Proxy Version 3?

YES! Use the "Export to File" feature on the Script Writer's Tools menu to export your scripts into a text file. The text file is located in the same folder as the PPT file and has the same name. The file extension is VPS (for Vox Proxy Scripts). If you copy or move a PPT file, be sure to copy or move its accompanying VPS script text file. If you update the presentation scripts, be sure to re-export them.

After installing PowerPoint 2007 and Vox proxy Version 4, you can import the saved script files into their original presentations.
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Does this problem affect the Vox Proxy Player?

YES! You should upgrade any Vox Proxy Player installation to Version 4. This is a free upgrade and does not require a full re-installation of the player. As soon as the release is ready, you can download the Version 4 Player Upgrade file by clicking here. After downloading, open the file to begin the upgrade installation. NOTE that this is required ONLY on systems containing the Vox Proxy Player, not the full Vox Proxy product.
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Is it worth upgrading to PowerPoint 2007?

YES! This is a matter of personal opinion, of course. But 2007 may be the most important single upgrade to Microsoft Office since Office 97. In addition to the new user interface, PowerPoint in particular has many incredible new formatting and design features that allow you to do things you could previously do only in a design editor like Adobe Photshop. In our view, this is an upgrade that you will definitely want to have!

Here are some resources to examine PowerPoint 2007:

PowerPoint 2007 Training Presentation
PowerPoint Team Blog
PowerPoint 2007 Preview Site

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Can I download the upgrade?

YES! If you are currently running Version 3 of Vox Proxy, the upgrade file can be quickly downloaded and installed. For users of Versions 1 or 2, you must purchase the upgrade on CDs, uninstall the old version and install Version 4 as a new program. In no case will you lose scripts as a result of upgrading Vox Proxy.
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It depends on how the CDPrep disk was prepared. If you used the QuickPrep option, the CD will be played using the PowerPoint 2003 Viewer even if the end-user has PowerPoint 2007 installed. Or, if you did not use QuickPrep, but you checked the box "Play only on PowerPoint Viewer", the CD will play on the Viewer. In either of these cases, the CD will play correctly regardless of what PowerPoint version is installed on the end-user's computer.

However, if you did not use QuickPrep, and you did not check "Play only on PowerPoint Viewer", and the end user has PowerPoint 2007 installed, the CD will not play its Vox Proxy scripts.
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