Getting Started with Pachyderm

This page contains information for Pachyderm authors, including downloadable templates and guides, a link to the Pachyderm Frame Editor (beta version), and a list of known issues with the current Pachyderm implementation.

Getting an Account

NMC Members: Your institution receives 10 free accounts per year as a benefit of membership. Please contact info@nmc.org to find out how to obtain an account.
Not an NMC member? In January, 2008, NMC will offer hosted accounts for a small subscription fee. Please contact info@nmc.org to inquire. No new free trial accounts will be available after June 30, 2007.
California State University: If you are associated with the California State University system, please contact info@cdl.edu to find out how to obtain an account.

Pachyderm User Manuals

Ready to get started? Download the Pachyderm User Manual, a comprehensive guide to authoring in Pachyderm. As you plan your presentations, try the Template Workbook: printable, full-sheet template blanks to help you map out your screens.

Pachyderm 2.0 User Manual (525k)
A comprehensive guide to authoring in Pachyderm
Template Workbook (44k)
Printable, full-sheet template blanks for planning your presentations
Grid-Based Template Workbook (140k)
Printable tables for each template, specifying media types and allowable content. (by Jared Bendis, Case Western Reserve University)

Pachyderm Email Lists

Several email lists exist for Pachyderm authors. If you are interested in any of these, you may self-subscribe by sending a blank email to the address next to the list(s) that interest you.

Pachyderm News List (list name: pachyderm-news; pachyderm-news-subscribe@lists.cdl.edu)
For announcements pertaining to the Pachyderm Project.
Pachyderm Users' List (list name: pachy-users; pachy-users-subscribe@lists.cdl.edu)
For user-related items of interest. Ask questions of other Pachyderm users, share projects and ideas, and receive notice of scheduled maintenance and bug fixes.
Pachyderm Developers' List (list name: pachy-dev; pachy-dev-subscribe@lists.cdl.edu)
For programmers who are working on the open-source code and/or installing Pachyderm servers.

Custom Frame Editor

Put your own brand on your presentations! Change the color of the background frame, add text, graphics, and links, and create your own custom frame. The beta version of the Pachyderm Frame Editing Tool is available for you to try.

Pachyderm Frame Editor (BETA)
Please use the instructions (below) for best results.
Instructions for Pachyderm Frame Editor (BETA) (36k)
Two-page instructions for creating and using your own custom Pachyderm frames.

Known Issues in Pachyderm

Updated: November 5, 2007
The team is aware of the following issues and is working to resolve them:

[861, 862, 863, 864, 937] Pachyderm Is Difficult to Install
This is a known issue, and the team is working on it. Please refer installation questions to the Pachyderm Developers List (pachy-dev@lists.cdl.edu). You may also wish to check the Windows installation notes.

[904] Pachyderm Presentations Will Not Play Locally
When a presentation is downloaded and run on a local machine, it sometimes will not play. Sometimes there is a message that a local file has been blocked; sometimes there is no message. It is suspected that this has to do with Flash permssions; the presentation will usually play if the Flash Global Security Settings are changed to allow Flash to run in the directory where the presentation is kept.

[856] Movies Will Not Load During Screen Preview
When previewing a screen (during authoring), movies in that template will not load. Instead, a movie-shaped window opens with the Pachyderm log-in screen. Just close the movie window. Quicktime movies will load properly in published presentations.

[730, 791, 795] Tombstones May Not Display Correctly on Some Templates
We are aware of an issue affecting the display of tombstones on some templates, where the tombstone may be cut off on the right or the left side, the tombstone triangle may display to the right of the image it is associated with, and the scroll arrow may overlap the close box.

[732] Unlinking Images or Screens Does Not Save Text
If you enter text in a template and then use the "unlink" control to remove an image or a screen link, the text will not be saved. The "unlink" control does not submit the form contents, but it does reload the page, so any unsaved text will be lost. Workaround: Before unlinking an image or a screen, click the "Save" button in the lower left to save your work.

[554, 750, 784] Apostrophes, Diacriticals, and Linebreaks May Not Display Correctly
On some templates, in some text locations, apostrophes, diacritical marks (like accented characters), and line breaks may not display properly. Workaround: Make sure you are not using "curly quotes" or curly apostrophes. To avoid this, retype quotes and apostrophes within the Pachyderm form if you have cut and pasted text from a word processor. Try using HTML codes for other special characters that do not display normally.