USAGE Element

---

Indicates how the parent element should be used.

Syntax

<USAGE
    VALUE="Channel" | "DesktopComponent" | "Email" | 
          "NONE" | "ScreenSaver" | "SoftwareUpdate"
> 

Attributes

VALUE

Required. String value that specifies how the parent element will be used.

"Channel"	Items that appear in the browser channel pane. This is the default behavior when no USAGE element appears under an ITEM.
"DesktopComponent"	Items that are displayed in a frame located on the Active Desktop™. Attributes assigned this value can only be used in the context of an Active Desktop item. Channels require a separate CDF file.
"Email"	The parent element is an e-mail that is sent when the channel content is updated (one per CDF).
"NONE"	If a "NONE" value is assigned to the only USAGE element in an ITEM, the item will not appear in the Channels Explorer Bar.
"ScreenSaver"	This one item is displayed in the special Microsoft® Internet Explorer screen saver (one per CDF).
"SoftwareUpdate"	This indicates the CDF file is being used for a Software Update channel, which allows software to be automatically updated over the Web. This value is only valid for the top-level channel.

Element Information

Number of occurrences	Any number
Parent elements	ITEM, SOFTPKG
Child elements	See Remarks
File formats supported	CDF
Requires closing tag	Yes

Remarks

Some older implementations of CDF clients look for a SHOW attribute instead of the USAGE child element inside the ITEM element. An attribute of SHOW="string" in an ITEM element is functionally equivalent to adding a child element of <USAGE VALUE="string"></USAGE> to an ITEM element.

When the parent element is used as a desktop component, a number of formatting elements (children) are supported.

"SmartScreen," a trademark of PointCast Inc., can be used in place of the "ScreenSaver" value to display the PointCast Network SmartScreen in the Internet Explorer screen saver.

Example

The following example demonstrates how to identify an ITEM used as a screen saver.

<ITEM HREF="http://www.joyware.tld/screensaver.htm">
    <USAGE VALUE="ScreenSaver"></USAGE>
</ITEM>

See Also

For information on other CDF elements that can be used for Software Update Channels, see CDF Extensions for Software Update Channels. For information on other CDF elements that can be used as desktop components, see CDF Extensions for Active Desktop Items.