Once you've created content in a media editor, you need to import it into Authorware, either by embedding or by linking. If you embed a file, the actual file data is stored in the Authorware piece. If you link to a file, the only data stored in Authorware is the file's name and location. For information on specific procedures, see Embedding and linking content--step-by-step procedures.
With externally linked media, if you need to change content--for example, by shortening a sound file--you simply change the original file. As long as the file has the same name and the same location, Authorware automatically includes the change when the piece is played. You can link content over a network or across the Internet. If you edit content frequently in the application you used to create it, linking to external media files is an efficient way to update changes.
Although linking helps keep your piece small, it also means that you end up with lots of separate files to distribute. Linked media files in different locations can be tricky to manage. The External Media Browser helps you manage these files. See Using external content and the External Media Browser.
With embedded media, the content becomes part of your Authorware piece; it is no longer linked to the program that created it. Embedded media is harder to update. To change sound, for example, you must open the original sound file, make the changes, and then reimport the file into Authorware. On the other hand, using embedded media makes file management easier: Although the size of the piece increases because the media files are all contained within it, you need to distribute fewer files.
If you use the same media elements over and over in a piece, you can collect them in libraries. For more information, see External content, libraries, and models.
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