The students will need Read, Write, and Delete access, at a minimum, to be able to successfully save to a folder. We recommend full access.

This problem is almost always the result of a permissions conflict. In order for multiple users to access Kidspiration at the same time, permissions for users of the Kidspiration folder on the server must be set to Read/Execute or Read/Filescan ONLY; any write access will cause any user after the first to be locked out of the program. Once you have set the permissions correctly, multiple users should be able to run Kidspiration from the server at the same time. For a platform-specific, technically-worded, full set of network install instructions, please click here.

Yes. First, in the drawing program, copy your graphic using the Copy command. Then, open the Kidspiration diagram in which you want the symbol to appear and choose Paste from the Edit menu. The graphic will appear in your diagram. You can also install the graphic into a symbol library so that you'll be able to use it in any Kidspiration diagram.

To change your default settings, begin by enabling the Teacher menu. Then, choose Save Default Settings from the Teacher menu. Follow the instructions in each window to change your default setting.
 

Yes. You can select a graphic in another program, drag it into your Kidspiration document and let go to place the graphic. You can also drag and drop graphic files into Kidspiration directly. To do this, simply drag and drop the file into your Kidspiration document window. On the Macintosh, you can drag and drop PICT, JPEG and GIF files. In Windows, you can drag and drop WMF, BMP, GIF and JPEG files. Note: not all applications support dragging from their workspace.

You can create new symbol libraries for symbols you import, create or copy from other libraries. For example, you might want to create a new symbol library for the symbols you use frequently or for an activity that you create. You can place a new symbol library under any category on the Symbol palette. If you do not choose a category, the symbol library is automatically stored in the Custom category. To create a new symbol library, first enable the Teacher menu. On the Teacher menu, click New Symbol Library. From the category list, select the category that you want the new library to appear under on the symbol palette. In the New Library Name field, type a name for the new library.

Yes. Just make sure that you have write permission for the Symbol Libraries folder.

The difference between a regular Kidspiration file and an Activity is one of placement, rather than file type. Any Kidspiration file that is placed inside the categories in the Kidspiration Activities folder will be considered an Activity by Kidspiration (it will be available in the Activities sections from the starter screen). Files that are considered Activities can be opened by more than one user at a time, as Kidspiration is simply making a copy of the file before letting the user use it. Once a file is moved out of the Kidspiration Activities folder, it is considered a regular Kidspiration file and cannot be opened by more than one person at a time.
 

With all of that in mind - what some people choose to do is to save the file they wish to use as an Activity to somewhere easily accessible, then place it in a locked folder on the server. When others want to use that file as an Activity, they can copy it to their own machines before using it.
 

Yes, especially on Macintosh computers using the 68K-based processor.

Yes, Kidspiration can open Inspiration 6 files. However, it's possible that some elements of that file, including formatting, may be missing or changed when viewed in Kidspiration.

There are two ways to move your outline to another application. The first is to copy your outline, then paste it into a document in the other application. The other option is to export your outline to a format that can be read or imported by another application. To export your outline, choose Export from the File menu. In the window that appears, choose a text format, like Plain Text or RTF, that can be used with the destination application. Click Save. Use the other program to open or import the exported text file. Depending on the application you're using, what you see should look similar to the outline you created in Inspiration--the exact format can vary with the application.

There are two ways to include your Kidspiration diagram in a document created by another application. The first is to copy your diagram, then paste it into the other document. The other way is to export your diagram to an image format that the other application can use. To export your diagram, choose Export from the File menu. In the window that appears, choose one of the image formats, such as GIF or JPEG--pick the one that is accepted by the destination application (check that application's help system if you're not sure what format to go with). Click Save. In the other application, insert the exported diagram just as you would any other image file.

You can share your Kidspiration documents by exporting them as a file type that can be read by an application owned by those other people. For example, you can export your outlines as RTF (rich text format) so that they can be read by Microsoft Word, Claris Works and other word processors. Kidspiration outlines and diagrams can also be exported as HTML files, which can be viewed by any web browser. For more details on export formats, choose Export in the File menu and take a look at your options.

Yes. To do so, open the Kidspiration Activities folder inside the Kidspiration install folder on the hard disk of your computer. Copy the activity file from there to the same location on the other computer.

Enable the Teacher menu. On the Teacher menu, click Application Options. Uncheck the Talking Interface checkbox.

For full native compatibility with Mac OS X, please make sure you are using the OS X native version of Kidspiration. If you do not have the updated version already, the free updater can be found here. This updater will allow you to update an existing copy of Kidspiration to run natively in OS X.

When you export your writing document as a web page, it is encoded in HTML. HTML uses special characters to communicate with a web browser. If you use those characters in your outline, it may confuse the browser, and strange symbols will appear. The special characters you should avoid using in the Kidspiration documents you want to export as HTML are < (less than sign) and > (greater than sign).

Although this is the case on the screen, documents with overlapping animated GIFs will print normally. The frame will not be displayed. This problem can also be avoided by turning off the GIF animation in the Application Options settings (available under the Teacher menu).

Each SuperGrouper shape is a container into which students can add symbols. Students can use SuperGrouper categories that a teacher sets up for them, or they can easily create their own. When students drag a symbol into a SuperGrouper category, it is now grouped within that category. If the SuperGrouper shape is moved, any symbol inside it moves as well. When you switch to Writing view, the titles of the SuperGrouper categories assume a top-level position, and the symbols that each SuperGrouper category contains are supporting ideas.

There are two ways to do this. The first method we describe assumes that you normally start Kidspiration from the Start menu. The second method works for people who start Kidspiration with a shortcut from their desktop.

To customize your Start Menu:
1. Click on the Start button.
2. Locate your shortcut to Kidspiration.
3. Right-click on the Kidspiration shortcut.
4. From the menu that appears, select Properties.
5. A new window should appear. Click on the Shortcut file tab.
6. You should see a section called Start In. This is the directory that Kidspiration will default to when opening and saving files. Just change this section so that it points to the directory where you store your Kidspiration files. Once you're done with this, just OK/Close your way out of the windows that are open, and you should be done.

To customize your shortcut: Select the Kidspiration shortcut icon on the desktop. Right-click to open the menu and select Properties. Now follow steps 5 and 6 above.