MDL Chime is easy to use. After you install the plug-in on your computer, you can view HTML pages that include live chemical structures. The Chime plug-in supports a variety of file types such as MOL, PDB, JDX, TGF and SKC. If you want to create your own Chime site, we recommend that you carefully define the objectives of the Web site. Then, browse the Chime Web site for information that can help you.

Tutorials, FAQs, and developer language references (Chime embed tags and Rasmol extensions) can help you get started using Chime.

Please refer to the system requirements before working with Chime. Chime is supported on the major Web browsers (Internet Explorer and Netscape Communicator) and both Windows and Macintosh. The Chime team tests a limited set of configurations, so please take a moment to make sure yours is supported. If you plan to use Java or JavaScript within your Web pages, please check the Web browser vendor recommendations for hardware and software requirements. Note: You cannot use LiveConnect with Chime on an Internet Explorer Web browser, nor can you use Chime with Internet Explorer on the Macintosh. There are currently no plans to support Linux or to make the Chime plug-in open source.

Chime makes your HTML pages chemically savvy. You have the flexibility to build your Web pages with the technology you choose. Chime's sole purpose is to render the structures once you define your embed tags and the display properties.

If you plan to use JAVA or JavaScript within your Web pages, we recommend that you check the Web browser vendor recommendations for hardware and software requirements. We also recommend that you check the Chime system requirements. Note: You cannot use LiveConnect with Chime on an Internet Explorer Web browser or use Chime with Internet Explorer on the Macintosh.

Background information

1. Plug-ins enhance the capabilities of browsers like Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer so that you can view any file type, either embedded in an HTML page or as a document itself.
2. All plug-ins are read by the browser when you launch the application.
3. A plug-in is loaded when the file or MIME type associated with the plug-in is embedded (embed tag) in an HTML file or loaded as a separate file in Netscape Communicator. MIME is the acronym for "Multi Purpose Internet Mail Extensions"—the standard for multimedia electronic mail messages and Web hypertext documents.
4. Chime has self-extracting installer that locates the Netscape Plug-in directory for you and directories needed for Microsoft Internet Explorer and performs the installation for you.

Why Plug-ins?

1. Plug-ins are platform-dependent modules that extend the browser's functionality.
2. Plug-ins provide an application program interface (API) designed to be functionally the same across all supported platforms.
3. Plug-ins are designed to complement other platform-dependent interapplication standards, such as OLE and OpenDoc, and languages, such as Java.
4. A developer can use C or C++ to create plug-ins. This allows programmers to use existing code to extend the browser's capabilities.
5. A developer can create windowless plug-ins. A plug-in does not require its own native window. This allows for flexibility when creating plug-in based Web pages.

Normal Embedding of Plug-ins

• ALIGN="|left|right|bottom| - determines text flow
• HEIGHT="number" - sets height of plugin
• HIDDEN="true|false" - determines whether plugin is visibile on page or not.
• HSPACE="number" - amount of space to left and right of plug-in before printing text.
• NAME="text" - sets name of plug-in
• PALETTE="foreground|background" - only for Windows. Background palette is default.
• PLUGINSPACE="URL" - instructions for the plug-in on where to download plug-in if not already installed.
• SRC="URL" - location of the file to be sent to the plug-in.
• TYPE="MIME type" - what plug-in to load based on the MIME file type given.
• UNITS="|pixels|en" - sets unit of measurement for the HEIGHT and WIDTH Attributes.

View Chime in action within an HTML page [1.34 MB AVI file]

The Chime Developer Support section provides a full language reference for the Chime embed tags and a reference for the Rasmol tags. Use this set of materials for information on how to extend the Chime plug-in and add more interactivity to your Web pages. You can also add to the interactivity using JavaScript and Java. Refer to the tutorials for examples.