Contents
AniMap Plus Demo Help Topics

How to order AniMap Plus and SiteFinder

About AniMap Plus

Selecting a map

County Codes

Creating Overlays

Definitions of map features

Displaying the maps

Exporting maps

Filename conventions

Latitude-Longitude Databases

Latitude-Longitude Tracking

Plotting Locations

Legend

Markers

Mileage measuring

Overlays

Printing maps

Sample U.S. Map

Technical assistance

How to Order AniMap Plus and SiteFinder


Ordering AniMap
ORDERING ANIMAP AND SITEFINDER

AniMap and SiteFinder are now available on CD ROM. Included are the AniMap County Boundary maps for 48 states (no Alaska or Hawaii), the SiteFinder U.S. Place Name Database containing nearly 250,000 cities, towns and other places of interest both current and historical, and the SiteFinder Cemetery File containing over 100,000 cemeteries throughout the United States.

The AniMap/SiteFinder CD ROM is available from:

THE GOLD BUG, POST OFFICE BOX 588, ALAMO, CA 94507

Visa or Mastercard orders may be submitted by phone (510) 838-6277 or our toll-free number (888) 653-6277.  E-Mail to goldbug@compuserve.com

Price of the AniMap/SiteFinder CD ROM is $79.00+4.50 shipping & handling. California residents please add sales tax.


Viewing Maps
Displaying The Maps

The maps may be viewed either in full-screen mode, or you may re-size in the usual Windows fashion (click the double triangle in the upper right corner and drag the borders to where you want them). You may then open AniMap Plus again and display other maps on the screen, either the same or different states.

Several viewing options are controlled by buttons on the screen:

NEXT displays the next map in chronological order.

BACK reverts to the previous map.

RUN displays the maps in sequence something like a motion picture. Clicking on the "C" box will skip any years for which there were no changes. FWD runs the display in chronological order, REV runs in reverse chronological order.

1, 2, 3, and Q control the Run speed. The numbers indicate the number of seconds a map is displayed before moving on to the next. Q (for Quick) moves through the display very rapidly. Clicking on the circular (Radio) buttons will select these.

FLASH will alternately display two consecutive maps for easy comparison. Clicking on the "C" box before selecting flash will alternate the display between the selected map and the modern map

STOP will halt either the RUN or FLASH operation. All the other controls are inoperative until you have stopped these functions.

RESTART returns you to the first map in the series for that state.


County Codes

Limited space makes it necessary to use abbreviations for county names on the maps. The County Codes box provides a list of these abbreviations. This is only a list; clicking the mouse on a county name has no effect.


Markers

MARKERS: To mark reference points on a map, you have a selection
of 13 different designs which are color-selectable. Up to 50 of these
markers may be placed on any one map (all alike or mixed). Selecting
MARKERS from the Options Menu (K is the shortcut key for this) will
bring up a box showing the designs. Select one by clicking on the
circular button (Radio button) below it. Clicking the buttons in the Color Box will cycle
through the available colors. When you have made your selection, click
OK.

To set the markers, use the right mouse button to activate the marker
cursor. Move the marker to where you want it, then click the left mouse
button. You can then continue placing markers following the same
process or return to the Marker Box to choose another design or color.

An alternative which allows more control over placement of the
markers is to press the INSERT key to activate the marker cursor,
move the marker using the Arrow Keys, then press INSERT again to
place the marker.

If you are not using a mouse, the marker process may be started by pressing the INSERT key, moving the cursor with the Arrow Keys, then pressing INSERT again to place the marker.

To remove a single marker, point to it with the cursor and click the left
mouse button again. If you want to remove all the markers, bring up the
Marker Box and click on ERASE ALL.

If you want to save a set of markers you have on the screen, bring up
the marker box and click on SAVE. RETRIEVE will bring them back at
any time. Repeated clicking on RETRIEVE will cycle through and show
any additional marker sets you have saved for that state.

CLEAR MEMORY will erase the marker set you presently have
displayed on the screen. There is a limit of 10 marker sets that can be
saved, either for one state or all states in combination. If all the marker
memory slots are filled, SAVE will not appear in the box and you will
see a list of the states for which markers are saved to help you find
saved sets and possibly clear some space.

[Note for advanced users: The file in which the marker sets are saved
is ANIMAP.DAT. You can create a library of marker sets by saving a
copies of this file under other names, then bringing them back as
ANIMAP.DAT. Do not simply rename ANIMAP.DAT; this file must be
present for the program to run correctly.]

Loading up the screen with markers may slow the RUN operation down
a little, but not seriously on most systems.


Creating Overlays
Creating Your Own Overlays

Choose the map you want to use as the base for your overlay.
You may want to place some markers on this map to use as
reference points when you make the overlay. Select a color for
your markers that is not already being used on the base map
(this will make it easier to erase them later if you wish). When
the map is ready, select EXPORT from the File Menu, then
EXPORT TO PAINTBRUSH from the dialog box.

A transparent overlay, which is probably what you will use
most, will display only what you have done in black. It is best,
though, to start making the overlay using a color that is not on
the map you have exported. Dark Brown is a good choice
because it is easy to see your work as you go along.

Draw what you want to put in your overlay. You may want to do
things like connecting the markers you placed to show a trail or
migration route. You can use the Text Tool to add in names,
titles, etc. You can fill in the boundaries of a county with color
using the Roller Tool. There are a great many possibilities to
explore.

For a clean-looking transparent overlay, you should eliminate
the base map, and possibly the markers if you don't want them
to be part of the overlay. There is a small possible pitfall here...
before you start changing colors, switch to any tool in the
toolbox other than the one you have just used. For instance, if
you have just used the Text Tool, then change colors, the text
you placed will change to the new color. Switching to another
tool will avoid this.

For this example, we are assuming that you have done your
overlay in dark brown and want to eliminate everything else.
First, select Black as the foreground color and white as the
background color. The left mouse button selects foreground,
right mouse button selects the background color. Your
selections appear in the box to the left of the color palette.
Double click on the Color Eraser tool (this is the eraser icon on
the left). This should remove all the black in your viewing area.
Scroll across and down to repeat this process for the entire
map. Next, select Red as the foreground color and repeat the
process to remove all the red from the map. Do the same for
other colors until you are left with just the brown overlay. Select
VIEW PICTURE from the View Menu to be sure you have not
missed anything.

Now you need to change your Brown overlay to Black. Select
Brown as your foreground color and Black as the background
color and double click on the Color Eraser. Once again, you will
need to scroll around the screen and use VIEW PICTURE to be
sure you have changed everything. Your overlay is now
complete and you are ready to save it.

From the Edit Menu, select SAVE AS... (not just SAVE). Using
the correct name is important since AniMap Plus looks for a file
with a specific name and will ignore anything else. The state
abbreviation will be the first two characters of the title which
appears at the top of your Paintbrush screen. For instance, it
may be AL1876XP.BMP indicating you are working with an
1876 map of Alabama. The first overlay for Alabama would be
titled ALOVLAY1.BMP, the second ALOVLAY2.BMP, and so
on. (See Filename Conventions)

Be careful about overwriting files that already exist, unless this
is what you want to do. Paintbrush will warn you if a file with the
same name already exists which gives you the opportunity to
change the name before you save.

You can now exit Paintbrush and you will be returned to
AniMap. Follow the instructions for displaying overlays to view
your work.

Also see Overlays.


Map Feature Definitions

See Legend to view these features on sample maps.

 UNORGANIZED COUNTIES.  These are counties whose
boundaries have been established by the legislature, but do not have
an established government. Usually, they are attached to an adjacent
or nearby county which takes care of government services. These are
indicated on the maps.

     NON-COUNTY AREAS. Especially in earlier times, there were
areas within a state which were not assigned to any county. These are
shown on the maps with a unique shading pattern.

     EXTRA-TERRITORIAL COUNTIES. In some cases, states
established counties that were outside the accepted state boundaries,
sometimes for the purpose of laying claim to these areas. These are
indicated with green boundary lines on the maps.

     INDEPENDENT CITIES. Virginia has established a number of
"Independent Cities" which are not part of any county. These are shown
using a special color coding on the maps.


Exporting Maps

When you have a map on the screen, you can choose to export it using
this option. It will be placed in a bitmap (.bmp) file which can be used in
virtually any Windows application. The exported map will have a
filename like "AL1825XP.BMP". The first two letters indicate the state
(Alabama), the numbers are the year, XP indicates that it is an
exported map.

The county code list may also be exported for use in your word
processing software. The exported file for the above map, for instance,
would be AL1825XP.TXT.

A third Export option lets you take the map directly into Windows
Paintbrush for immediate editing. After editing an exported map, it is
suggested that you give it a new name. AniMap will not permit a
second export to the same filename.

Also see Filename Conventions.

              Creating Overlays


Filename Conventions

FILE NAME CONVENTIONS

State abbreviations have been used in the file names which mostly
conform to the postal abbreviations for those states. The exceptions
are MA which includes Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut,
MD which includes Maryland and Delaware, NH which includes New
Hampshire and Vermont and VW which is Virginia and West Virginia.

Alabama   AL                   Arizona   AZ                          Arkansas   AR
California   CA                 Colorado   CO                       Connecticut   MA
Delaware   MD                Florida   FL                            Georgia   GA
Idaho   ID                        Illinois   IL                               Indiana   IN
Iowa  IA                          Kansas   KS                           Kentucky  KY
Louisiana   LA                 Maine   ME                             Maryland   MD
Massachusetts   MA        Michigan   MI                          Minnesota   MN
Mississippi   MS              Missouri   MO                         Montana   MT
Nebraska   NE                Nevada   NV                           New Hampshire   NH
New Jersey   NJ              New Mexico   NM                  New York   NY
North Carolina   NC        North Dakota   ND                  Ohio   OH
Oklahoma   OK              Oregon   OR                             Pennsylvania   PA
Rhode Island  MA           South Carolina   SC                  South Dakota  SD
Tennessee  TN                 Texas   TX                              Utah   UT
Vermont  NH                   Virginia   VW                         Washington   WA
West Virginia   VW          Wisconsin   WI                       Wyoming   WY

The exported state files will have names like MAPZxx.ZP2. "xx" indicates the
state abbreviation. So, MAPZAL.ZP2 would be the map file for
Alabama.

Overlay files will be named xxOVLAY#.BMP. "xx", again, is the state
abbreviation and "#" being a sequential numbering between 1 and 9.
The first overlay for Alabama, for example, would be ALOVLAY1.BMP.
Overlay names must be correct for the program to detect them.
Numbers must be consecutive, beginning with 1 for AniMap to detect
all the overlays.


Latitude-Longitude Tracking

SHOW LAT-LONG: This feature will allow you to place your markers
very accurately on any point where the latitude and longitude are
known. Selecting this option will place a large button reading "Latitude-
Longitude" on the screen. This button can be moved to any position.

Activating this feature is the same procedure you use to place a
marker. Click the right mouse button to start it. The button will now
show you the latitude and longitude for the present cursor position and
will change as you move it. The left mouse button will drop the marker
at the desired latitude and longitude.

Since the display changes so rapidly, you may want to use the
keyboard to fine tune the location. Get the approximate location with
the mouse then use the right, left, up and down arrows to place it
exactly. You can drop the marker by using the Insert key on your
keyboard to avoid jiggling the mouse and changing the position.

Once you move the cursor, the button will show the new latitude and
longitude so you can place additional markers.

Latitude and longitude coordinates are available from a number of sources including geographic servers on the Internet, some atlases and gazetteers, and from SiteFinder databases.


Mileage Measuring

MEASURE MODE is a very useful feature in cases where you are
given a location description such as "47 miles NW of Baltimore". The
anchor point (in this case, Baltimore) is usually a well-known place for
which you can find the latitude and longitude coordinates. Having
placed that using AniMap's latitude-longitude tracking, mileage mode
makes it easy to place the location of the second place on the map.

Measure Mode is activated either from the Options Menu of by using
the hot key "M". The mileage button will appear on the screen and can
be re-positioned in the same way as the Latitude-Longitude button.
Clicking the right mouse button will bring up one of two different cursors
depending on whether or not you have any markers already on the
screen. If you do not have any markers, the cursor will appear as the
"X" mark which you can move into the desired position and place by
clicking the left mouse button. When the marker is placed, it will appear
as the "anchor on marker" illustrated above.

If there is at least one marker on the screen, the cursor will be the
anchor ring which is intended to be placed over an existing marker to
flag it as the anchor. You will not be able to drop it at any place other
than over an existing marker. It need only be close to being centered
over the marker and will lock on to the precise position when dropped.

Note that the anchor marker is a ring with four arrows pointing outward.
The destination marker is almost identical, but with the four arrows
pointing inward.

The same logic applies to the setting of a destination marker. If there is an anchor marker on the screen, the right mouse button changes the cursor to the destination marker pattern. If there are no other markers on the screen, a new marker can be placed, and will be flagged with the destination ring. If there are other markers on the screen, the destination cursor must be placed over one of them to flag it as the destination. The Mileage Button will give you a continuous reading of the number of
miles between the anchor and the present cursor position. The
destination marker is also dropped by clicking the left mouse button.

As with Latitude-Longitude tracking, you can use the arrow keys to
move the cursor and the INSERT key to place a marker.

Erasing Markers: Clicking the left button over the destination marker
will remove the destination ring, but will leave the marker in place.
Another click will remove the marker. Clicking on the anchor marker
will remove both the anchor and destination rings.


Overlays

Selecting Overlay from menu bar (Y is a shortcut key to do this) will
bring up a box with a number of choices. Please note that RUN, NEXT
and BACK may not operate properly with an overlay on the screen:

Modern Map: This will overlay a map of the present boundaries over
any other map you are displaying on the screen.

Save Map: If you want to overlay a map other than the modern map on
another, you can use this option to save the map you want to use as an
overlay. Then you can bring up the map you want to have below the
overlay and select USE SAVED MAP to display it.

Latitude-Longitude: This option will overlay a grid showing latitude and
longitude coordinates over the map you have displayed.

Import Overlay: AniMap Plus will allow you to import overlays in a
variety of colors on any of the maps generated by the program. You
have the choice of using overlays which we will have available in the
future or creating your own (or, of course, some of each). Only one
overlay at a time can be used. When there is an overlay available, the
Overlay Dialog Box will include an item for IMPORT OVERLAY. If
more than one overlay is available, there will be a numbered button.
Clicking on this button will cycle through the available overlays. There
is a limit of  9 overlays that may be used for each state or the U.S.
map. (See Appendix 2 to create your own overlays)

OPAQUE MODE will overlay a map or grid which will completely cover
the underlying map. Color options are not available in this mode.

TRANSPARENT MODE will use a color-selectable overlay through
which your map may be viewed. Clicking the buttons in the color box
repeatedly will cycle through the available colors.

Also see Create Overlays.


Printing Maps

This option will print the map on the screen to whatever default printer
you have set up for Windows. You may need to check Print Manager
(in your Main Group) to be sure your have the correct printer specified
as the default printer. AniMap provides a Printer Setup box to change the settings for your default printer.

Print Manager allows you to specify whether you want Portrait or
Landscape format. Printing in Portrait will produce a small map using
only the top half of an 8.5 by 11 page. Landscape will give you a full
page, about the same size as the map on your screen.

If your printer provides selections for Vector or Raster graphics, be sure
it is set for Raster mode. To find this selection, use the Printer Setup
box and select "Setup", and then "Options".

Just the map will be printed; not the control buttons. You also have the
option of printing the list of counties with their abbreviations for any
given year.

A third printing option will allow you to print the map and the county
code list on the same page (if space permits). States with many
counties, Texas for example, will run over to a second page. AniMap
automatically sets your printer in Portrait Mode if you select this option.

NOTE: Some printers may not work correctly  using this demo version of AniMap Plus. If you have a problem with printing from the File Menu, you may use Export and the Export to Paintbrush option, then print from the Paintbrush program.


Technical Assistance

If you have problems with AniMap Plus and need assisance, call us at
510-838-MAPS between 9AM and 6PM Pacific Time on weekdays.
Please leave a message if there is no answer (we have a very small
staff). If we are unavailable for any extended period, we will leave an
alternate number on the answering machine.

Online help is also available by addressing e-mail to:

Internet:              GOLDBUG@AOL.COM
America Online:   GOLD BUG
CompuServe:       70303,2363


New Features
What's New

The AniMap County Boundary Historical Atlas was first introduced in 1994 for the purpose of illustrating the changes in the county boundaries for each state in map form. All changes are included from colonial times up to the present. AniMap Plus is an enhanced version of that atlas which includes many enhancements.

AniMap Plus also includes a set of maps of the United States (except Alaska and Hawaii) from 1776 to the present showing the development of states and territories.

Among the new features in this version, you have the ability to place
markers on the map for places where the latitude-longitude coordinates
are known, or places which are a known distance from another point using Mileage Mode.Your markers are available in a variety of designs and colors, and a set of markers may be saved for future use.

Overlays are available for latitude and longitude plus the ability to save
any map to use as an overlay for another. You also have the ability to
create overlays of your own design.

Windows may be re-sized, and we have added the capability to open
multiple copies of AniMap so that more than one map may be viewed
at one time.

These instructions assume that you are using a mouse to operate the
program. All functions can be done with the keyboard, and those
instructions will follow later. Unless the instructions specify the right
mouse button, assume that clicking is to be done with the left button.

If  you are an experienced Windows user, some of this material may
seem redundant. We have included some very elementary items
because many of our users have minimal experience with computers in
general and Windows in particular.

This atlas is the product of many years of research and we believe you
will find it to be the best resource of its kind in any form.


Sample U.S. Map
Sample United States Map


Legend
See Definitions for additional explanations.


Map Selection

When you first activate AniMap Plus, a Welcome Screen apprears with a Pick State List. Double-clicking the mouse on the state of your choice will bring up the earliest map for the state you selected.

To change to another state, click the mouse on "Menu Bar" at the top of the screen, then select File and Open. This unusual menu bar operation makes it possible to provide slightly larger maps.


Anchor & Destination Rings
The Anchor point is the "from" location in Measure Mode. The destination marker is the "to" location.


Plotting Locations

Hot Key: P

AniMap is linked to a database containing the names, counties and locations for more than 230,000 places (past and present) in the United States. These locations may be accurately plotted on the state maps in AniMap.[This function is not presently available on the full U.S. map.]

To use this function, first select SiteFinder from the Options Menu in AniMap. This will bring you to the SiteFinder Welcome Screen where you will have choice of selecting a region to search, or the full database. The regional files are provided to allow  faster searching.

SiteFinder includes Search and GoTo functions to help you locate places quickly. When you have found a place you want to plot on a map, highlight it with the left mouse button and select Pluck from the Options Menu. You may pluck up to 20 items. More detailed instructions are contained in the SiteFinder Help File.

When you have finished with the plucking operation, exit SiteFinder. Selecting Plot from the AniMap Options Menu will display a list of the places you have plotted:

To get the Plot List, you must be displaying one of the states for which you have plucked an item. Double-clicking with the left mouse buttons on one of the items on the Plot List will display the location on your map.

The place-name label may be moved to another position by holding down the left mouse button and dragging it. The arrows (>>) may be removed by a single left-mouse click at the opposite end of the label. A second mouse click will place the arrows at the other end of the label.

Accessing the Help File in SiteFinder will provide detailed instructions on all the functions in that program.


Ordering info
ORDERING ANIMAP PLUS AND SITEFINDER

AniMap Plus and SiteFinder are now available on a single CD ROM. Included are the AniMap County Boundary maps for 48 states (no Alaska or Hawaii), the SiteFinder U.S. Place Name Database containing nearly 250,000 cities, towns and other places of interest both current and historical, and the SiteFinder Cemetery File containing over 100,000 cemeteries throughout the United States.

The AniMap/SiteFinder CD ROM is available for $79.00+4.50 shipping & handling from:

THE GOLD BUG, P.O. BOX 588, ALAMO, CA 94507

Credit card orders may be submitted by phone (510) 838-6277 or our toll-free number (888) 653-6277.  E-Mail to goldbug@compuserve.com.