The exercises are accessed via a pictorial index page. Click on any picture on the page to access the exercise.
The help available from the Help Menu or Toolbar is only a general guide. Each page has very brief instructions, use the help button on each page if you want more detailed guidance. Dismiss the help box by click on the OK button.
All pages have a left pointing button which takes you back to the interactives index page and a cross button which closes the interactive page and returns you to whichever main Plants UK page you were using previously. This will end any exercise or activity you are engaged in and where applicable you should save or print your work first. Some pages have a book button. Click to obtain further information related to the page.
In addition to buttons there will other active areas. An active area is indicated if the mouse cursor shows as a pointing finger. Left click to select or drag and drop according to instructions. If you leave the cursor over a button for a few moments you will get a very brief description of the function.
These pages use Web-page type scripts and most features are also available if you run them in Internet Explorer version 5.0 or better. They may not run in other web browsers. Depending on your screen resolution you may need to select full screen view to see all of the page. For security reasons the file save and load facilities will only run in Plants UK. Click on the "Interactive Index" link on the Plants UK start menu and proceed as above.
(Not for the faint hearted)
The "Making keys" and "Questions" interactives may be extended by the user using Excel. You can then select your new exercise using the scroll button. This process is only suitable for those with some experience of Excel and good grasp of the PC basics, such as being able to put files in the right directories and using paint packages to prepare image files of the right type and size. Errors will not affect any part of Plants UK other than the interactive page you have modified. There is a copy of the original files in the Plant UK resources subdirectory, simply copy these to the interactives directory to repair any damage.
Pictures you use can be of jpg or gif format and must be at least approximately square. Although the interactives will resize pictures, the best size for keys is 100x100 pixels and the best size for questions is 350x350 pixels. It is recommended that you first prepare your pictures and place them in the Plants UK resources directory.
Keys exercises uses keys.csv. in the Plants UK Interactive subdirectory. Double click to open in Excel and resize columns to suit. To add keys simply create a new row and follow the example of the row above. If you check the file against the operation of the exercises the working should be clear. Do not make any alterations to the top row or the existing rows. As your image files will not be in the interactive subdirectory you must specify full path, eg C:/Program files/Plants UK/resources/flower1.jpg.
The questions exercise uses questions.csv and is slightly more complex. A question that is just plain text creates an input box for a free format answer. A question followed by answers separated by the Tilde (~) creates a question with a multi choice box eg. "What shape are the leaves?~Oval~Long and pointed~Arrow shaped". You can have up to ten choices. You may also have less than ten questions by simply leaving unused columns blank. Due to the file format used your questions must not include any commas.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to save the file in exactly the same format when you have finished, not as Excel or standard csv.