Exploder is a top-down documentation program designed for creating interactive documentation with multiple layers. It provides capabilities similar to PowerPoint but is specifically tailored for technical documentation applications.
- Interactive Documentation: Create multi-layered documentation with clickable objects
- Object Types: Circles, rectangles, triangles, lines, text, images, and URLs
- Navigation: Click objects to navigate to new pages or open documents
- Transparent Objects: Create highlight effects with transparent fills
- Text Overlay: Add text to any shape or object
- Resizable Images: Resize images using corner handles in edit mode
- Documents: PDF, Word, Excel, Video files
- Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP
- Links: URLs, internal page navigation
- Excel Integration: Select specific cell ranges from Excel files
- Project Creation: Create new projects with custom page sizes and orientations
- Save/Load: Save projects as .exp files with automatic backup
- Publish: Create self-executing packages for distribution
- Print: Print pages with all objects and formatting
- Ensure you have .NET 9.0 or later installed
- Download and extract the Exploder application
- Run
Exploder.exeto start the application
- Start the Application: Launch Exploder
- Create New Project: Click "New" and enter project details
- Add Objects: Use the toolbar to add shapes, text, and images
- Set Properties: Right-click objects to configure links and properties
- Navigate: Click objects to test navigation and document links
- Menu Bar: File operations, design tools, and help
- Toolbar: Quick access to drawing tools and modes
- Canvas: Main drawing area where you place objects
- Status Bar: Shows current mode and object count
- View Mode: Click objects to navigate (default)
- Insert Mode: Add new objects to the page
- Edit Mode: Move, resize, and modify existing objects
- Shapes: Circle, Rectangle, Rounded Rectangle, Triangle, Line
- Content: Text, URL, Image
- Edit: Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste, Delete
- Navigation: Back to Previous, Back to Main
- Name: Object identifier
- Position: X-Y coordinates on the page
- Size: Width and height dimensions
- Colors: Fill color, stroke color, transparency
- Opacity: Overall transparency level
- Link Type: None, Page, URL, Document, Excel Data
- Target: Page name, URL, or file path
- File Type: PDF, Word, Excel, Video, Image
- Content: Text to display
- Font: Family, size, weight
- Color: Text color
- Alignment: Text positioning
- Choose page size (A4, Letter, Custom)
- Set orientation (Portrait/Landscape)
- Configure margins and background
- Open existing .exp project files
- Save projects with automatic backup
- Save As to different locations
- Print current page with all objects
- Includes project and page information
- Maintains object positioning and formatting
- Create self-executing package
- Includes all linked documents
- Portable distribution format
- Access to all available object types
- Quick object placement tools
- PDF Document: Add PDF file links
- Word Document: Add Word file links
- Excel Spreadsheet: Add Excel file links with range selection
- Video File: Add video file links
- Image File: Add image file links
- Program version information
- Copyright and licensing details
- This documentation
- User guide and tutorials
- Ctrl+N: New Project
- Ctrl+O: Open Project
- Ctrl+S: Save Project
- Ctrl+Shift+S: Save As
- Ctrl+P: Print
- Ctrl+Z: Undo
- Ctrl+Y: Redo
- Ctrl+C: Copy
- Ctrl+V: Paste
- Delete: Delete selected object
- Use descriptive names for objects
- Group related objects together
- Use consistent colors and styles
- Create clear navigation paths
- Use intuitive object names
- Test navigation flow thoroughly
- Keep linked files in organized folders
- Use relative paths when possible
- Regularly save and backup projects
- Optimize image sizes for better performance
- Limit the number of objects per page
- Use appropriate file formats for documents
Object not responding to clicks
- Ensure you're in View mode
- Check that the object has a link configured
- Verify the target file/page exists
Images not displaying
- Check file path is correct
- Ensure image format is supported
- Verify file permissions
Print not working
- Check printer is connected and online
- Verify page size settings
- Ensure objects are within print margins
Excel links not working
- Verify Excel file path is correct
- Check cell range syntax (e.g., A1:B10)
- Ensure Excel is installed on target system
For additional support or feature requests, please refer to the project documentation or contact the development team.
- Initial release with core functionality
- Basic object types and navigation
- File linking and document support
- Print and publish capabilities
- Excel integration with range selection
- Operating System: Windows 10 or later
- Framework: .NET 9.0
- Memory: 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
- Storage: 100MB for application, additional space for projects
- Display: 1024x768 minimum resolution
This software is provided as-is for educational and development purposes. Please refer to the license file for complete terms and conditions.