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Summary:
Get animated-and add a new dimension to your interface-with Microsoft Agent.

Quickly program interactive characters for your application or Web site with the MICROSOFT AGENT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT. This book-and-CD package provides complete documentation and tools to deploy animated tour guides, avatars, game opponents, and assistants for dynamic, new levels of user interaction and software usability. Work with the kit's sample code and toolset to:

. Extend and enhance the user interface of your Microsoft Windowsr-based applications or Web pages, using any programming language compatible with ActiveXr
. Design character interaction to support keyboard, mouse, or even spoken input
. Build conversational interfaces that respond with synthesized speech, recorded speech, or just text in a word balloon
. Understand how to blend character interaction with conventional interface components such as windows, menus, and controls
. Create interactive scenarios with one or multiple characters
. Deploy one of the ready-made Microsoft characters, or compile your own.

Table of Contents:
Introduction to Microsoft Agent ..... ix
System Requirements ..... ix
Support ..... x
Chapter 1: The Microsoft Agent User Interface ..... 1
Chapter 2: Guidelines for Designing Character Interaction ..... 7
Chapter 3: Microsoft Agent Programming Interface Overview ..... 23
Chapter 4: Programming the Microsoft Agent Control ..... 39
Chapter 5: Programming the Microsoft Agent Server Interface ..... 159
Chapter 6: Microsoft Agent Speech Output Tags ..... 275
Chapter 7: Designing Characters for Microsoft Agent ..... 281
Chapter 8: Designing Characters for Microsoft Office ..... 299
Chapter 9: Using the Microsoft Agent Character Editor ..... 305
Chapter 10: Using the Microsoft Linguistic Information Sound Editing Tool ..... 325
Appendix A: Animations for Microsoft Characters ..... 339
Appendix B: Troubleshooting Microsoft Agent ..... 357
Appendix C: Microsoft Agent Technical Notes ..... 365
Appendix D: Microsoft Agent Error Codes ..... 373
Appendix E: Microsoft Agent Licensing and Distribution ..... 377
Appendix F: Microsoft Speech Engines for Microsoft Agent ..... 379
Installing a Speech Engine ..... 379
Accessing a Speech Engine in Your Code ..... 380
Bibliography ..... 383
Index ..... 387