This was not a question about authoring per se. But thanks anyway. There are SO many assets and menus in this project that I would like to keep them in order of use for visual checks. If I accidentally miss adding one and add it later there is no way that I can see of re-ordering the list in the project window. Apparently there is no simple way to re-order the list.

Why are you adding so many media files to a single DVD project?

Doing so creates a separate title for each asset, which is the least efficient and least reliable method, considering the vast variations among players, some of which won't handle multiple titles correctly at all?

The most efficient and reliable strategy is to create a single video file in Vegas, with each segment marked as a chapter. At the very least, your segments will load more quickly and correctly on almost any player, besides being far easier to link from your DVD menus.

Not too mention DVD spec limits on the actual number of assigned assets to menus. has to be carefully controlled to maximize effort.

And Musicvid is right-on - the way to a better authored product is to get many assets out of a continuous video segment. This is where DVD handling IS a good manager of many videos.

The tree window for a project reflects the ordering of the menus and links - as such again, I must say it is not concerned with the import of asset order, although it may first appear to be organizing that way - it will really change based on your authoring plan for menu and asset links.

For you programming wizards, remember flow-charts - any decent author plan starts with a hand-drawn and well-thought out flow chart on piece of paper.

Yes indeed, flowchart in hand I venture forth! This project is salvaging a wonderful instructional laserdisc program, effectively duplicating the way a laserdisc worked. The laserdiscs in question had a gazillion 'still frames'. The user needs to step through some long sequences of stills, then jump to the appropriate vid clip, then on to a series of stills and so forth. Now, however, I have discovered that I can simply have many pages to a single menu, each with a unique background (e.g., pg1=Q1, pg2=answr1, pg3=Q2, pg4=answr2, etc.). See any problems with using this approach? (It also minimizes the clutter in the project window.)

The downside of the Powerpoint to DVD program I tried was that each "slide" was a menu page, and each page had previous/next buttons displayed on it. Can you have multi-page menus with no buttons on the pages? Or can you make the buttons so small that you can ignore them? Or make them transparent?

YOU can change the physical order that the files are stored on the disk. This can sometimes speed up access to files.

Under the file tab is "ORDER TITLES".

Dave T2

"effectively duplicating the way a laserdisc worked."
Why?

Why not just put the content in a DVD (if you have rights to do so) using one title and many chapters; it seems you may be trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Perhaps I have mis-read the intent of the OP - but I would suggest his mindset is looking to create nested "if-then-else" logic into his video panel screens. For example on menu panel 'A' there would be logic to goto Menu Panel 'B', or Menu Panel 'C' - and you could do this for a few panels with a DVD spec.

But it is going to get very problematic if you try to nest the logic, and I would predict that given spec limits, you would run out of menu panels by asking as few as 20 questions to be answered by the logic. Navigation for the end-user could be a nightmare as the cheap set-top player trys to keep up.

Interestingly if the OP would decide to do the very same panels on a DVD-ROM disc for PC use - the action of the free-mouse cursor could overcome some of the transport problems for disc reads on a set-top player. AND yet the overall limit for questions applies to the DVD menu limits.

Why? Well,(1) because the instructional design of the original program (created with laserdiscs in mind) is based on using short instructional modules (videos), then stopping for (many many) questions (as still frames) and then branching to whatever is appropriately next, based on student performance; (2) this way the program only requires a cheap DVD player (or a cheap laserdisc player back in the day) and a TV. Schools can far more easily afford a DVD player and TV/monitor than computers for every student in the science classrooms. This kind of program is the most effective and least expensive possible. Yes, a very unusual situation and yes, a square peg in a round hole inmany ways. However, this wonderful program (and its companion prpograms) was no longer available with the demise of the laserdisc. If it CAN be resurected in this manner, it will aid science instruction.

Thanks Dave T2 but my issue is the order in the project window, not on the physical disc. There are so many pieces to keep track of as I assemble this program it would be nice if I could easily rearrange things in the project window. (And yes, VideoITguy, if I could use a computer to run it, the if-then logic would be simple to implement, and life would be MUCH easier!) Before I (sort of) retired, I spent a lot of time in many schools, seeing what actually worked and what the schools had. The dream of a computer for every student in every classroom is just that, a dream, in the majority of schools. This is an earth science program that outteaches 95% of science teachers. If only enough schools even had laptops and projectors in the science classrooms I would prefer to go that way. Maybe some day...

Sorry, misunderstood.

You have to drag them up in the window in the order you want one at a time.

Dave T2