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F L O D R A W version 1.10 Reference Manual Copyright (c) 1987 George Freund i Disclaimer I offer FLODRAW as is, with no warranty. I will not be responsible for damages resulting from the use or inability to use this program. However, I will do my best to maintain FLODRAW free of errors. Trademarks IBM and Epson are registered trademarks. ii Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction to FLODRAW 1.1 Introducing FLODRAW 1.1 System Requirements 1.2 Files Included with FLODRAW 1.3 Chapter 2. Getting Started 2.1 Installation 2.1 Backup Your Disks 2.1 DEMO - a FLODRAW Tutorial 2.2 Drawing Your First Flowchart 2.2 Examples of FLODRAW Documents 2.4 Examples of FLODRAW Libraries 2.4 Help Screen of Program Keys 2.5 Starting the Program 2.5 Chapter 3. Entry menu 3.1 Entry Screen 3.1 File Number 3.1 File Loaded 3.1 Error Line 3.1 Directory Display 3.1 Menu 3.1 Entry Menu Selections 3.1 Return to Edit [F1] 3.1 Preview Document [F2] 3.1 Load New File [F3] 3.2 Save File with Same Name [F4] 3.2 Save File with New Name [F5] 3.3 Print Current File [F6] 3.3 Print All Flagged Files [F7] 3.3 Setup Options [F8] 3.4 Load New Symbol Library [F9] 3.5 Directory Options [F10] 3.5 Switch Files [Alt-F1] 3.6 Contributions [Alt-F9] 3.6 Help Screen [Alt-H] 3.6 Exit to DOS [ESC] 3.6 iii Chapter 4. TEXT Mode Editing 4.1 The Edit Screen 4.1 Ruler Lines 4.1 Menu Lines 4.1 Error Line 4.1 ESC Key 4.1 Text Mode Editing 4.1 Cursor 4.1 Cursor Movement 4.1 Drawing with the Cursor 4.2 Using the Tab Keys 4.2 Moving Around the Document 4.2 Menu Selections 4.2 Switching to DRAW Mode [F1] 4.2 Preview Document [F2] 4.2 Block Functions [F3] 4.2 Mirror 4.2 Rotate 4.2 Move 4.3 Copy 4.3 Delete 4.3 Font Menu [F4] 4.3 Small Font 4.3 Font Mode 4.3 Text 4.3 Draw 4.3 Character 4.3 Line Functions [F6] 4.4 Save Functions [F7] 4.4 Save Symbol 4.4 Save File 4.5 Merge File [F8] 4.5 UNDO [F9] 4.6 Symbol Menu [F10] 4.6 Switch Files [Alt-F1] 4.7 HELP [Alt-H] 4.7 iv Chapter 5. DRAW Mode Editing 5.1 Cursor 5.1 Cursor Movement 5.1 Drawing with the Cursor 5.1 Menu Selections 5.1 Switch to TEXT Mode [F1] 5.1 Preview Document [F2] 5.1 Block Functions [F3] 5.1 Move 5.2 Copy 5.2 Delete 5.2 Line [F4] 5.2 Circle [F5] 5.3 Misc [F6] 5.4 Save [F7] 5.5 UNDO [F9] 5.5 HELP [Alt-H] 5.5 Chapter 6. Using FLODRAW 6.1 Using Tab Keys 6.1 Starting Your Document with a Standard Form 6.1 Drawing Organization Charts 6.2 Printing Documents 6.3 Chapter 7. Symbol Libraries 7.1 Creating Symbols 7.1 Editing Symbols 7.2 Creating Libraries 7.3 Maintaining Libraries 7.4 Appendices Error Messages A.1 Library Charts B.1 Index X.1 Chapter 1. Introduction to FLODRAW 1.1 Introducing FLODRAW I began development of FLODRAW several years ago as a flowchart generator for personal use. But it soon developed into an all purpose symbol oriented graphics program. Over time, FLODRAW developed into a graphics program that I felt might be useful to others. I introduced FLODRAW 1.0 in the spring of 1987 as user-supported software. This is the first upgrade to FLODRAW. FLODRAW is a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" graphics editor that produces black and white diagrams on an IBM PC or compatible computer. FLODRAW has been designed to handle symbols quickly and conveniently. For that reason, it is ideal for documents such as flowcharts, organization charts, system diagrams, and other symbol oriented documents. FLODRAW is completely keyboard controlled and does not support a mouse. FLODRAW offers a choice of character fonts for entering text. And you can combine text and graphics on the same document. You can do basic graphics editing to generate lines and circles, and you can edit your document at the pixel level if you need to (each dot on the screen is a pixel). FLODRAW will generate lines and arrows to help you create diagrams like flowcharts. The FLODRAW program disk comes with a flowchart symbol library. Additional libraries are included on the supplementary documentation disk. These libraries include a HIPO symbol library, an electric symbol library, and an organization chart library. New symbols can be designed, saved, and added to the existing libraries or combined in new libraries. FLODRAW documents can be saved. printed, and edited again. All FLODRAW document files are condensed to take up a minimum amount of space on your diskette or hard disk. FLODRAW supports three formats for printing documents. 1. Portrait 8.5 X 11 inches. 2. Landscape 11 X 8.5 inches (printed sideways). 3. Large landscape 16 X 11 inches (printed on two 8.5 X 11). Portrait and landscape are terms that refer to how a rectangular page is oriented. Portraits are upright. Landscapes are sideways. Introduction to FLODRAW 1.2 System Requirements FLODRAW requires: - An IBM PC, XT, AT or close compatible. Some "compatible" PC's may not be compatible enough to run FLODRAW. - 320k of memory. - A color graphics adapter with either a color or black and white monitor. FLODRAW does not support the EGA, although FLODRAW will run on an EGA in CGA mode. FLODRAW might work with a Hercules board using software to emulate a CGA, but I haven't tried it. - DOS 2.0 or later. - EPSON FX printer or IBM Proprinter. An EPSON MX printer can be used for draft quality documents. I recommend an EPSON FX printer for speed. Printers that are graphics compatible with the EPSON FX or the IBM Proprinter may also work, but you will have to try your printer to find out. Okidata, Toshiba, and HP LaserJet will not work with this upgrade. Toshiba and HP LaserJet may be supported in the next upgrade. Introduction to FLODRAW 1.3 Files Included in the FLODRAW System FLODRAW 1.1 is distributed with 1 program disk (disk 1) and 1 supplementary documentation disk (disk 2). Disk 1 contains the following files. FLODRAW.EXE is the FLODRAW program. SYMBOL.LIB is the default FLODRAW symbol library. It is distributed as a flowchart library. OPTION.FIL is the file of user selected options such as printer type and default font. DEMO is the document used as a FLODRAW tutorial. README.1 is an overview of FLODRAW plus instructions for using the DEMO. Disk 2 contains the following files. FLODRAW.DOC is the FLODRAW Reference Manual on disk. FLOCHART.LIB is a library of flowchart symbols. This is the same library as SYMBOL.LIB on disk 1, except this library does not contain the flowchart heading symbol. You may want to design your own heading symbol and add it to this library. FLOCHART.PIC is a chart of all the symbols in the FLOCHART library. HIPO.LIB is a library of HIPO symbols. HIPO.PIC is a chart of all the symbols in the HIPO library. ELECTRIC.LIB is a library of electrical symbols. ELECTRIC.PIC is a chart of all the symbols in the ELECTRIC library. ORG.LIB is a library of symbols used in organization charts. ORG.PIC is a chart of all the symbols in the ORG library. MISC.LIB is a library of miscellaneous symbols. MISC.PIC is a chart of all the symbols in the MISC library. LIBRARY.BAT is the batch file used to create and maintain FLODRAW libraries. SAMPLE.FLO is a sample flowchart document. SAMPLE.ELC is a sample electrical diagram. SAMPLE.FRM is a sample standard form for flowcharts. SAMPLE.ORG is a sample organization chart. README.2 is a brief description of the files on disk 2. Chapter 2. Getting Started 2.1 Installation If you haven't already done so, make a backup copy of the distribution disks. From now on, we'll call disk 1 the program disk since it has the FLODRAW program and the default library file. We'll call the disks you use for keeping your FLODRAW documents the data disks. Instructions for running the tutorial DEMO appear later in this chapter. After you've taken the tutorial, you can erase the DEMO file from your program disk. You can also erase the README.1 file. If you need to refer to these files later, you will still have them on your backup disks. The only files required on the program disk are FLODRAW.EXE, SYMBOL.LIB, and OPTION.FIL. When you run FLODRAW, the program will look for SYMBOL.LIB and OPTION.FIL in the current directory. For that reason, you must run FLODRAW from the current directory. After the program has been loaded into memory and the two files SYMBOL.LIB and OPTION.FIL have been read, they will no longer be needed on the disk drive, and you can remove the program disk from the disk drive if you need to. The supplementary documentation disk (disk 2) contains additional library files. If you plan to create and maintain your own libraries, you'll find it more convenient to move the .LIB files and the LIBRARY.BAT file to a separate disk or directory. We'll call the disk with your library files the library disk. Just a word on naming conventions. FLODRAW requires library files to have a file extension of LIB. Symbol files must have an extension of SYM. Your document files can have any extension you like for example P01, P02, ... for multi-page documents. For single page documents, we suggest using an extension that describes the type of document. For example, FLO for flowcharts. Backup Your Disks After every session with FLODRAW, you should backup your data disks to protect yourself against a disk failure. If you keep your data on floppy disks, your DOS reference manual will tell you how to use the DISKCOPY command. If you keep your data on a hard disk, use the BACKUP command or any of the commercially available backup packages. Getting Started 2.2 DEMO - a FLODRAW tutorial The FLODRAW tutorial is included on the program disk to help you become familiar with the FLODRAW program. The tutorial is called DEMO and was designed to introduce you to the important features of FLODRAW in 15 minutes. Start the DEMO with the following files on the same disk. These files should be on your program disk. FLODRAW.EXE SYMBOL.LIB OPTION.FIL DEMO Now follow these instructions to take the tutorial. 1. Put this disk in drive A. 2. At the A> prompt, type FLODRAW DEMO and press carriage return. 3. Your computer will load FLODRAW into memory. FLODRAW will read the option and symbol files, and then read the DEMO file. FLODRAW will display the DEMO file on the edit screen. Then just follow the instructions that appear on the screen. Drawing Your First Flowchart After the tutorial, you're ready to start on your own. The symbol library on the program disk is a library of flowchart symbols. So you're all set to draw your first flowchart. The following instructions will help you get started. Let's assume you have an idea for a flowchart. If not, you can make one up as you go. 1. Put this disk in drive A. 2. Put an empty formatted disk in drive B as the data disk for your flowchart. If you have a single drive system, wait until the program has loaded before removing this disk and inserting your data disk. 3. At the A> prompt, type FLODRAW B:MY_CHART.FLO where MY_CHART.FLO is any valid filename you've chosen for your file. For single drive systems, type FLODRAW MY_CHART.FLO. 4. FLODRAW will prompt you for a document format. Select portrait for your first flowchart. Getting Started 2.3 5. When the edit screen appears, let's add a heading to your flowchart. Press HOME twice to move the cursor to the upper left corner of the screen. Now press F10 to display the symbol library. Press F10 twice again to display the last symbols in the symbol library. Press F3 to select the heading symbol. When the heading appears on the screen, press ESC to return to the TEXT menu. 6. Use the TAB keys to move the cursor to the location of your first symbol. Use Alt C to find the center of the page, then Alt D to tab down to where you want to put your first symbol. You can press Alt H if you forget what keys are used to tab. 7. Press F10 for the symbol menu again. You may have to press F10 several times to find the symbol you want to use. 8. Remember to let FLODRAW draw the lines between symbols. When you return to the TEXT menu, press F6 for the line function. 9. You're on your own, now. When you're finished with your flowchart, press ESC to return to the entry menu. 10. At the entry menu, press F4 to save your flowchart. 11. Press F6 for the print menu. Press F5 until your printer type appears on the menu. 12. Turn your printer on and align the print head with the top of the page. 13. Press F6 to start printing. 14. After printing is finished, press ESC to return to DOS. Getting Started 2.4 Examples of FLODRAW Documents The supplementary documentation disk contains a number of files you can read and edit with FLODRAW. All the SAMPLE files and all files ending in .PIC are FLODRAW document files. The files ending in .PIC are documents containing all the symbols in one library. The files beginning with SAMPLE are examples of documents created with FLODRAW. Use this procedure to load a file. 1. Put the FLODRAW program disk in drive A. 2. Put the supplementary documentation disk in drive B. 3. Type FLODRAW B:filename to load the file into FLODRAW. For example, to read the sample flowchart, type FLODRAW B:SAMPLE.FLO Another way to load a file is to use the "Load new file" function on the entry menu. Put the program disk in drive A and at the DOS prompt, enter FLODRAW When the entry menu appears, select F3, the "Load new file" function. When prompted for a file name, type B:SAMPLE.FLO And FLODRAW will read your file into memory and then display the file on the edit screen. Examples of FLODRAW Libraries All the files ending in .LIB are library files. The library files contain the symbols you use while editing your documents. Use the following procedure to try a new library. 1. Put the FLODRAW program disk (disk 1) in drive A. 2. Put a blank formatted data disk in drive B. If you have already started a data disk, you can use it. 3. Type FLODRAW B:filename to load FLODRAW and read or start a flowchart document. 4. Remove the program disk from drive A. Getting Started 2.5 5. Put this disk in drive A. FLODRAW will always look for library files on the default drive. 6. Press ESC to return to the entry screen. 7. Press F9 on the entry screen to get the Load New Library menu. 8. Enter the name of the library you want to load. For example, to load the library of organization chart symbols, enter ORG 9. FLODRAW will load the new library and return you to the entry screen. Now press F1 to edit your document. 10. Press F10 to try out the new symbols. HELP Screen of Program Keys While you're still getting familiar with FLODRAW, you can call up a HELP screen to remind you of the cursor movement keys that are available. You can call this HELP screen from either TEXT or DRAW mode edit screens or the entry menu. Press Alt-H to call the HELP screen. Starting the Program Let's assume that you have already booted your computer. Put the program disk in drive A. At the DOS prompt, enter the command, FLODRAW When the entry menu appears, you can use the "Load new file" function to load your document. You can bypass the entry menu if you enter the document name following FLODRAW on the DOS command line. Prefix the drive letter if your document is not in the default drive. For example, let's say you want to create a document called MY_CHART.FLO. And you want to keep the document on the data disk in drive B. You would enter the following command. FLODRAW B:MY_CHART.FLO Since this is a new document, FLODRAW will prompt you for the page format before taking you to the edit screen. After you create the document, save it, and exit FLODRAW, you will use the same command when you want to edit it again. Chapter 3. Entry menu 3.1 Entry Menu The entry menu is the first screen you see after the title screen. The entry menu provides functions that are not used during editing. The layout of this screen is described below. File number. This number is on the second line of the entry menu and determines which document you are working with when you have more than one file loaded. It will be "1" for all landscape format documents. When you are working with portrait format documents, you can load a second document and switch back and forth between them. The file number will be "1" when you are in the first document and "2" when you are in the second document. File loaded. The name of the file loaded is at the bottom of the entry menu. If no file has been loaded, the message "No file loaded" will appear. Error line. The error line is the line below the entry menu box. The program will report errors on this line. For example, if you press a key that is not available on the entry menu, you will get the message, "Try another key" on the error line. Directory display. The right side of the entry menu displays the files in the current directory. You can browse the list of files using the PgUp and PgDn keys. Subdirectories are displayed with a "d" following the name. The following functions are available from the entry menu. Return to Edit [F1]. Use this function to return to the edit screen. You can only use this function if a file has been loaded. Preview Document [F2]. Use this function to see a bird's eye view of the entire document. A window frame inside the preview screen shows you which part of the document appears on the edit screen. You can use the cursor keys to move the window frame around the document. Exit the preview screen by pressing ESC. The edit screen will reflect the position of the window frame on the preview screen. If you have two portrait format documents loaded, you can switch the window frame to the other document by pressing Alt-F1. Entry Menu 3.2 Load New File [F3]. Use this function to load a new document. If a document is already loaded, you will overlay it when you load a new document. If a document is already loaded and you haven't saved it, you will get the "Are you sure?" message to give you a chance to use the "Save" function before you load a new file. This function will prompt you for the file name that you want to load. You may enter any valid DOS file name. When you enter the file name, you can also enter the drive id (for example, B:) if the file is not on the default drive. If the file does not exist, the program will prompt you for the page format before taking you to the edit screen. Three page formats are available. The portrait format is 8.5 X 11. If you use this format, you can load a second portrait format document and switch back and forth between edit windows. The landscape format is also 8.5 X 11, but is printed sideways. The landscape format does not print as nicely as the portrait format. This is because the line spacing has been reduced in an attempt to retain the same aspect ratio for graphic symbols as in the portrait format. Unfortunately, this can also causes a problem in print clarity when graphics symbols or characters cross a character boundary. You can avoid print clarity problems in landscape format, if you follow one rule: Avoid using the font menu in draw mode. FLODRAW will override your option font with a slightly narrower font that prints much nicer in this format. If you override this font, some of your characters will overlap when printed. Also, using the font menu in draw mode may place the characters off their normal line position, so that a character may need two lines to print. Because the line spacing has been reduced, this can cause some characters to print distorted. The large landscape format is 16 X 11, but is printed on two 8.5 X 11 that can be connected side by side after printing. The large landscape format does not have the problem with print clarity since it is printed as a double portrait. Save File with Same Name [F4]. Use this function to save the current document with it's original name. This is the most common way to save your work before quitting FLODRAW. Entry Menu 3.3 Save File with New Name [F5]. Use this function when you want to create another version of the file you are editing. The program will prompt you for the new file name. You can use any valid DOS file name. And you can prefix it with the drive-id. Print Current File [F6]. Use this function to print the current document. This function will present a print menu with the following options. Save with same name [F4]. The "Print" function will not save the file. But you can save the document with this option, if you like. Printer model [F5]. Change printer model by pressing F5. FLODRAW is set to default to an EPSON model FX printer in a single strike mode. You can use the option menu to change the default. Refer to the section on Setup Options. Start printing [F6]. After you check that the printer is on, and the paper is lined up correctly, press F6 to start printing. Pause printing [F7]. At anytime during printing, you can press F7 to pause the printer. Pressing F7 again starts the printer. Stop printing [F9]. At anytime during printing, you can press F9 to abort printing of the current document. You will get the "Are you sure?" message to make sure that's what you really want to do. Print Flagged Files in Directory [F7]. Use this function to flag the current document, or to print all files in the current directory that have been flagged. This function is useful when you have several documents to edit and print. When you save a document, the print flag is turned on. When all documents have been edited, use this function to print them. The program will search the current directory and print every document that has the print flag turned on. After printing each document, the program turns the flag off. This function will present a print menu with the following options. Toggle print later flag [F1]. Pressing F1 will toggle the print later flag. If the flag is off, it will turn on. If the flag is on, it will turn off. Entry Menu 3.4 Save with same name [F4]. The "Print flagged files" function will erase your current file. Use the "Save" option before selecting the "Print" option if you are editing a document. Printer [F5]. Change printer model by pressing F5. FLODRAW is set to default to an EPSON model FX printer in a single strike mode. You can use the option menu to change the default. Refer to the section on Setup Options. Print all flagged files [F6]. Pressing F6 will select a menu of options similar to the "Print current file" function. Pressing F6 again will start the search for files. Pause printing [F7]. At anytime during printing, you can press F7 to pause the printer. Pressing F7 again starts the printer. Stop printing [F9]. At anytime during printing, you can press F9 to abort printing of the current document. You will get the "Are you sure?" message to make sure that's what you really want to do. Since the print later flag is not turned off until after printing the document, you can always restart this function if you abort it. Setup Options [F8]. Use this menu to change the following default options set for the program. When you set the options in this menu, they are used by the program until you reset them or leave the program. If you save the options with F10, the saved options will be loaded as the default options the next time you load the program. Set tabs [F1]. This option allows you to change the position of the horizontal and vertical tabs on the editing ruler lines. Pressing F1 to change the position of the horizontal tabs will present you with an edit screen. You can use all the cursor commands to move the cursor to a tab location. Press F1 to put a tab at that horizontal location. Press F2 to clear the tab. Vertical tabs work the same way. Press ESC to exit. Printer [F2]. This option selects the default print model. Press F2 to select another print model. The print models are discussed in detail in chapter 6. This option can be overridden at print time. Lines [F3]. This option determines whether lines are continuous or dashed. Press F3 to change the option. This option can be overridden in the F6 line menu in TEXT mode. Entry Menu 3.5 Arrow [F4]. This option determines whether arrowheads are placed at the end of lines when using the F6 line menu in TEXT mode. Press F4 to toggle between arrow and no arrow. This option can also be overridden in the F6 line menu. Images [F5]. This option determines whether your symbols will cover (delete anything under them) or superimpose (underneath shows) when you place them on the document. Press F5 to toggle between cover and superimpose. Font [F6]. This option selects which of the six standard size fonts you normally want to use when entering text. Press F6 to select the font. This option can be overridden on the font menu in TEXT mode. Remember that when you're using a landscape format document, FLODRAW will override your font selection with a narrow font. Your default option will return when you load a portrait format document. Save Setup Options [F10]. Press F10 to save your option selections on the file OPTION.FIL. FLODRAW will look for this file in the default drive when the program starts. It will use your saved options to set the defaults. Load New Symbol Library [F9]. Use this option to load another library of symbols. The program will prompt you for the name of the symbol library. Enter the name without the .LIB extension. The symbol library must be on the default drive. Directory Options [F10]. This menu has the following options. Change default drive [F1]. The program will prompt you for the drive-id letter. The directory display will reflect the change in default drive. Change search name [F3]. Press F3 to enter a directory display mask to search for certain files in the directory. The mask may contain the DOS global filename characters "?" and "*", sometimes referred to as wildcard characters. For example, if you only want to see files in the directory display that have an extension of ".FLO", you would enter the mask "*.FLO". Entry Menu 3.6 Change current directory [F5]. This option lets you change the current directory. It works the same as the DOS command CHDIR. Press F5 and enter the directory path. The current directory displays at the top of the screen. Note that only 22 characters are allowed for path names in this version. Switch Files [Alt-F1]. Use this function to switch to the second file when you have a portrait format document loaded. You have to have at least one portrait format document loaded to use this function. If you load a portrait format file, and then press Alt-F1, you will switch to file 2. You can then load another portrait format file using the "Load new file" function, or you can transfer to the edit screen and use file 2 as a scratch pad. Registration [Alt-F9]. I appreciate your support. Help Screen [Alt-H]. This is the edit HELP screen. Exit to DOS [ESC]. This function will return the message "Are you sure?", if you haven't saved your work. If you reply "Y" to the "Are you sure?" message, the program will exit to DOS, and you will lose any changes you made since the last save. If you reply "N", the program will return you to the entry menu, and you can use the "Save" function to save your work. If your work has been saved, the program will exit to DOS immediately. Chapter 4. Text Mode Editing Screen 4.1 The Edit Screen The editing screen provides a window to a part of your document. While you are in the window, you can draw dots, lines and circles, symbols, and write text. There are two modes of editing available, TEXT mode, and DRAW mode, and each mode has unique capabilities. The TEXT mode edit screen lets you work with character areas. The character area is the area defined by the TEXT mode cursor. In addition to writing text, you can draw symbols from the symbol library. And you can draw lines with the cursor keys. But all TEXT mode functions work with nothing smaller than the size of the TEXT mode cursor. The DRAW mode edit screen lets you work with pixels. Each pixel is one dot on the edit screen. In DRAW mode, each function works with pixels, so you can draw free-hand and draw lines and circles. The layout of the editing screen is the same for both TEXT and DRAW modes and is described first. Ruler lines. These are the measuring lines at the bottom and right hand side of the screen. They measure the text character rows and columns that are available on the document. Tabs are marked on these lines as the letter "t". Menu lines. Two menu lines are at the bottom of the screen. The menu lines define what functions are available at any time. The menu lines will change depending on the functions you select. Error line. The error line overlays the bottom ruler line. The ruler line returns with the next key press. ESC key. The ESC key always takes you back to the previous function. By pressing the ESC key several times, you will work your way back to the edit screen, then the entry menu, and finally back to DOS. TEXT Mode Editing Cursor. The TEXT mode cursor is a little box about the size of a character. Cursor movement. You can move the TEXT mode cursor all around the window using the horizontal and vertical cursor keys. You can also move the window by moving the cursor against the side of the window, or by pressing one of the cursor movement keys, like PgUp or PgDn. TEXT Mode Editing 4.2 Drawing with the cursor. You can draw lines in TEXT mode by holding down the shift key and pressing one of the cursor keys. Lines generated this way run through the center of the TEXT mode cursor. Note that the TEXT mode line drawing function generates lines the same way. To erase in TEXT mode, use the space bar. Using the tab keys. The tab key is located above the Ctrl key on the left side of the keyboard. Pressing the tab key moves the cursor to the next horizontal tab position. Pressing the shift key and the tab key moves the cursor to the previous tab position. Pressing Alt-U tabs up and pressing Alt-D tabs down. Moving the window around the document. You can move the window around the document in two ways. First, you can move the window one row or column at a time by pushing the cursor against the edge of the window. Second, you can move the window by using the PgUp or PgDn keys to move the window up or down the document. Or you can use the grey "+" or grey "-" keys on the right side of the keyboard to move the window right ("+") or left ("-"). You can use the Alt R key combination to move right and Alt L to move left. Menu selections. The following functions are available in TEXT mode. Switching to DRAW Mode [F1]. The F1 key will toggle you back and forth between TEXT mode and DRAW mode. You can tell which mode you are in by the shape of the cursor or by the capitalized description of the mode on the menu next to F1. Preview Document [F2]. The F2 key will show a view of the entire document. This feature is the same as discussed with the entry menu. Block Functions [F3]. Block functions operate on a block of the document which you define by marking the upper left corner and the lower right corner. The function will prompt you to move the cursor key and press the function key in order to outline the block you want to operate on. The following functions are available. Mirror [F1]. This function reverses the image of the block. Rotate [F2]. This function rotates the image 90 degrees. Due to the aspect ratio of the screen, the shape of the image is distorted when you use this feature. TEXT Mode Editing 4.3 Move [F3]. This function moves a block from one location in the document to another. This function can also move a block between two portrait format documents. Use Alt-F1 to switch to the other document when prompted for the target location. Copy [F4]. This function copies a block from one location in the document to another. This function can also copy a block between two portrait format documents. Use Alt-F1 to switch to the other document. Delete [F5]. This function deletes a block in the document. Font Menu [F4] The font menu displays the active font and list the fonts that are available. Any one of the six standard fonts can be selected as the active font. FLODRAW will use the active font when you leave the font menu. Small font. The small font is smaller than the standard fonts and the characters are placed proportionately closer together. When you select the small font, the mode changes to DRAW so you can adjust the cursor position for the change in font size. After you have moved the cursor, press F1 to change the mode to CHAR mode before typing text. The small font can only be used while you are in the font menu. If you leave the font menu without changing back to a standard font, the program will select the default font as the active font. Mode [F1]. There are three modes available on the font menu. Pressing F1 changes the mode. When you are in DRAW or CHAR mode, you must keep the cursor more than one character from the edge of the window. Change to TEXT mode move the window. TEXT mode. This is the standard mode for entering text and is the same as TEXT mode on the edit screen. The program determines how the characters are aligned on the screen. DRAW mode. This mode allows you to move the cursor one pixel at a time. You can determine where the characters will be aligned. You can enter text in DRAW mode, but if you have to move the cursor, you should change to CHAR mode. TEXT Mode Editing 4.4 CHAR mode. This mode leaves the cursor aligned the way you set it in DRAW mode, but now the cursor keys move the cursor one character at a time. Line Function [F6]. This function draws an arrow between two symbols. This function works by looking for starting and ending points along the direction of the line. This means you must have lines or other objects drawn to determine the starting and ending points of the line. The lines can be drawn in eight directions as shown by the arrows on the "Line" function menu. If the "Arrowhead" option is on, the arrowheads will be drawn in the direction shown on the menu. This function has additional options and the status of these options is capitalized on the menu line. Arrowheads [F9]. Arrowheads or no arrowheads at the end of the line. Press F9 to toggle between them. Line [F10]. Dashes or a straight line. Press F10 to toggle between them. Save Function [F7]. This function has two options. Save symbol [F1]. Use this option to create your own symbols. This option will prompt you to move the cursor to the following locations. 1) Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the symbol, then press F1. 2) Move the cursor to the first cursor position in the symbol, then press F1. This location determines where the cursor will be set when you call up the symbol from the symbol library. If it doesn't matter, you can leave the cursor in the upper left corner, and press F1. TEXT Mode Editing 4.5 3) Move the cursor to the center of the symbol, then press F1. This location determines how the symbol will be located on your document when you call it up from the symbol library. The program will align the center of the symbol with the cursor on the screen. The location of the center is entirely up to you. The only restriction is that it must be inside the symbol block. 4) Move the cursor to the lower right corner of the symbol, then press F1. Next, the program will prompt you for a symbol name. The extension must be SYM in order for the file to be used by the library batch file that maintains the symbol libraries. The file name can be anything, but I suggest that you try to use descriptive names. This will help you keep track of what is in the symbol files. The program will return you to the edit screen after it writes the symbol file to the disk. Save file [F7]. Use this option to save the current document. This option was provided here to make it easy for you to save your work. Just press F7 twice from the edit screen menu. Merge File Function [F8]. This function merges a symbol or other file into your document. You may have stand-alone symbols that are too big to use in a symbol library. Or you might want to use another document as a template or form to start your next document. The "Merge" function will read a file from the disk and merge it into your document. There are 3 options to determine how the merged file will be positioned on your document. Upper right corner [F3]. Use this option to position the upper left corner of the merged file at the cursor location. Center [F7]. Use this option to position the center of merged file at the cursor location. Remember that the center of the symbol is defined when you create the symbol using the "Save symbol" option of the "Save" function on the TEXT mode edit screen. TEXT Mode Editing 4.6 UNDO [F9]. When you see the F9UNDO function on the menu line, it means you can undo the last function you performed. The UNDO function is removed from the menu line if you write text or draw lines on the document. Symbol Library [F10]. This function displays up to eight symbols from the symbol library that is currently loaded. You can select one of the eight symbols to draw on the document, or you can request more symbols from the library. The options for this function are as follows. Symbols [F1 thru F8]. Each function key represents the symbol shown beneath it on the menu line. If you press one of the function keys, the symbol will be centered at the location of the cursor on the screen. While you're in the symbol library, you can use any of the tab keys and document location keys to move the cursor around the document. You can also enter text. After centering the symbol on the screen, the program will locate the cursor according to the first cursor location defined for that symbol. This is usually to make it easy to enter text. But it can also be used for drawing lines. For example, the HIPO library contains symbols for drawing wide lines. When you select one of the line symbols, the beginning of the line symbol is centered at the cursor, and then the cursor is moved over one character to the first cursor location. By repeatedly pressing the same key, you can generate a line of any length. UNDO [F9]. After you draw the symbol, you can "undraw" it if you change your mind. You might want to use a different symbol or change the location. More symbols [F10]. Pressing F10 displays the next eight symbols in the symbol library. After you get to the end of the library, you will start again with the first eight symbols in the library. Exit the symbol library [ESC]. Pressing ESC takes you back to the TEXT mode edit screen. TEXT Mode Editing 4.7 Switch Files [Alt-F1]. This key is available only when you have a portrait format document loaded. You can switch to file 2 even if you don't have a document loaded as file 2. This allows you to use file 2 as a scratch pad. You can design symbols on the scratch pad, and then copy them onto your document in file 1. You can also exit to the entry menu of file 2 and save your scratch pad using the "Save with new name" function. HELP Screen of Cursor and Tab Keys [Alt-H]. The HELP screen has key definitions for cursor movement, tab, and document location. Chapter 5. DRAW Mode Editing 5.1 The DRAW mode editing screen has the same layout as the TEXT mode editing screen, but there are some differences in the cursor and how it is used. These differences are described below. Cursor. The DRAW mode cursor is a curved arrow that points to the upper left. The tip of the cursor is a blinking dot. The blinking dot is the current cursor location. Cursor movement. You can move the cursor with the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal cursor keys. The cursor must stay within the current window. If you need to move the window, you must toggle to TEXT mode, move the window, then toggle back to DRAW mode. Drawing with the cursor. Drawing free-hand with the cursor is the same as for TEXT mode. While holding down the shift key, press one of the cursor keys. To erase, toggle the F8 key from WRITE to ERASE. The cursor will change to an outline of the DRAW cursor. The cursor will now work as an eraser. Menu selections. The following functions are available in DRAW mode. Several are similar or the same as functions that are available in TEXT mode. Switching to TEXT Mode [F1]. The F1 key will toggle you back and forth between TEXT mode and DRAW mode. You can tell which mode you are in by the shape of the cursor or by the capitalized description of the mode on the menu next to F1. Preview Document [F2]. The F2 key will show a view of the entire document. This feature is discussed with the entry menu. Block Functions [F3]. Block functions in DRAW mode operate on an area in the window. You define the area by drawing around it with the cursor. The function is used like this. 1. First this function will prompt you to select an option of move, copy, or delete, by pressing the F3, F4, or F5 key. DRAW Mode Editing 5.2 2. The function will prompt you to draw around the area using the shift key and the cursor keys. You can draw around the area in any shape you like, but the line you draw must completely enclose the area. The enclosed area does not include what is underneath the line you draw. After drawing the line, press the function key. 3. The function will prompt you to move the cursor to a point inside the area you enclosed. This reference point will determine how to locate the area. Press the function key after you have moved the cursor. If you are using the "Delete" option, this completes the deletion. 4. Move the cursor to the target area and press the function key. The enclosed area will be moved or copied to the target area. The program will align the reference point in the enclosed area with the location of the cursor. 5. Press ESC once to return to the block edit menu, twice to return to the DRAW mode menu line. The following block functions are available. Move [F3]. This option moves an area from one location in the window to another. Copy [F4]. This function copies an area from one location in the window to another. Delete [F5]. This function deletes an area in the window. Line Function [F4]. This function draws a line between two points in the window. The function will draw a straight line or dashes depending on how the "Line" option F10 is set. The "Line" option will appear when you select this function. The function works like this. 1. The function will prompt you to move the cursor to the start of the line, and then press F4. The starting point will flash on the screen until the line is completed. 2. The function will prompt you to move the cursor to the end of the line and press F4. The program will then draw a line between the two points. Now, you have several options. DRAW Mode Editing 5.3 a. You can continue drawing a line using the last point as the first point of the next line. Just move the cursor to the end of the new line and press F4. The program will draw a line between the end of your last line and your new point. You can repeat this as often as needed. b. You can UNDO the line you just drew by pressing the F9 key. Your first point will still flash, so just move the cursor to a new end point and press F4. c. Press ESC once if you want to start a new line somewhere else in the window. d. Press ESC twice to return to the edit screen menu. Circle [F5]. This function draws a circle or ellipse using points you mark inside the window. The actual circle or ellipse can extend outside the window. The function works like this. 1. The function will prompt you to move the cursor to the center of the circle and press F5, or select the "Ellipse" option with F6. Let's consider the circle first. 2. After you've selected the center of the circle, the program will mark that location with a flashing dot. The program will then prompt you to move the cursor to the edge of the circle and press F5. The edge can be in any direction. It doesn't have to be along the horizontal, although that's usually the most convenient. 3. The program will draw the circle. You now have four options. a. You can draw another circle using the same center, just by moving the cursor to the edge of a new circle and pressing F5. b. You can UNDO your circle by pressing F9, and then redraw the circle by moving the cursor to the edge of the circle and pressing F5. c. You can press ESC once to start another circle somewhere else in the window. d. You can press ESC twice to return to the edit screen. DRAW Mode Editing 5.4 If you select the "Ellipse" option, you will need to define the height and width of the ellipse in addition to the center. 1. The function will prompt you to move the cursor to the center of the ellipse and press F6. 2. After you've marked the center of the ellipse, the program will prompt you to move the cursor to the top of the ellipse and press F6. You are actually marking the height, so you don't have to worry about centering the cursor on the vertical axis. The program will remember the spot even though it doesn't mark it with a flashing dot. 3. The program will prompt you to move the cursor to the side of the ellipse and press F6. Again, you are actually marking the width, so you don't have to stay on the horizontal, and you can use the left or right side. After you press F6, the program will draw the ellipse. Now you can do one of the following. a. You can draw another ellipse using the same center, just by repeating steps 2 and 3. b. You can UNDO your ellipse by pressing F9, and then redraw the ellipse by repeating steps 2 and 3. c. You can press ESC once to start another ellipse or circle somewhere else in the window. d. You can press ESC twice to return to the edit screen. Miscellaneous Functions [F6]. There is only one miscellaneous function at this time. This function will draw an arrowhead in any one of eight directions. Press F6 to get the arrowhead menu. The arrowhead menu shows a function key for each of the eight arrowhead directions. Move the cursor to the location in the window where you want the point of the arrowhead to appear, and then press the function key for the arrowhead. DRAW Mode Editing 5.5 Save Function [F7]. This function has only one option in DRAW mode. Save file [F7]. Use this option to save the current document. This option was provided here to make it easy for you to save your work. Just press F7 twice from the edit screen menu. UNDO [F9]. When you see the F9UNDO function on the menu line, it means you can undo the last function you performed. The UNDO function is removed if you draw a line with the cursor. HELP Screen of Cursor and Tab Keys [Alt-H]. The HELP screen has key definitions for cursor movement, tab, and document location. Chapter 6. Using FLODRAW 6.1 Using Tab Keys Using the tab keys is the easiest way to ensure that your symbols will be aligned correctly. The tab locations form an invisible grid on your document, and as long as symbols are entered on the tab locations, they will appear aligned and evenly separated. After you've entered any headings on your document, use Alt-G (get nearest tab), then Alt-S (start line) to find the first tab location in the document. You may want to use Alt-D (down) to find the next lower tab location if you have several lines of headings. If you're starting symbols in the middle of the document, align them with the tab locations if possible. You can find the nearest tab location by pressing Alt G. If your document will be a complex diagram, it's helpful to sketch it roughly on paper first. Your rough sketch doesn't have to be neat, but you'll find it's faster to start your diagram using paper and pencil. Depending on the type of diagram, you might want to try different designs using paper and pencil until you find the best one. Then, using FLODRAW, you can concentrate on making it neat. You may want to change the tab marks if your symbols are consistently smaller or larger than the size of the flowchart symbols. You can change the location of the tab marks using the "Setup options" function on the entry menu. And you can save the tab locations so they will be reloaded the next time you use FLODRAW. Starting Your Document with a Standard Form If you use FLODRAW to create diagrams on a standard form, save the standard form as a separate document. Each time you create a new document, merge the standard form into the document before you start to edit it. I have included a file called SAMPLE.FRM on the supplementary documentation disk. This file is an example of a standard form used for drawing flowcharts. You could also include the standard form on your symbol file. Here is the procedure for merging a form into your empty document. 1. Put the program disk in drive A. 2. Put your data disk in drive B. 3. Enter "FLODRAW B:YOURDOC.FLO" where YOURDOC.FLO will be the name of your new document. Using FLODRAW 6.2 4. FLODRAW will prompt you for a page format. Reply with F1 for a portrait format document. 5. When FLODRAW shows a blank edit screen, press F8 for the "Merge" function. Press F8 again to merge center. When you're merging a file into a document and they are both the same size, it doesn't matter which "Merge" option you use, or where the cursor is. FLODRAW will align the merge file correctly. 6. FLODRAW will prompt you for the merge file name. Now remove the program disk, and put the supplementary documentation disk with SAMPLE.FRM in drive A. Type the filename SAMPLE.FRM and FLODRAW will merge the file into your document. 7. Press ESC to return to the edit menu. You can easily create standard forms in TEXT mode using the cursor to draw lines (holding down the shift key and pressing the cursor key). You can draw long lines quicker by drawing the start and end of the line using the cursor keys, then using the "Line" function to fill in the middle. Press F6 for the "Line" function, then press F9 to toggle the ARROW option off, before selecting your line option. Drawing Organization Charts You can draw organization charts using one of the flowchart box symbols. Or you can load the library ORG.LIB that contains an assortment of organization chart symbols. I've included an example of an organization chart on the supplementary documentation disk called SAMPLE.ORG. To illustrate how to draw organization charts quickly, here is the procedure to draw a simple two level chart. Our example has a president at the top level and two vice-presidents at the second level. First we'll draw the boxes. Then we'll draw the connecting lines, and finally, we'll fill in the text. In this example, we'll use the box symbol from the flowchart library in SYMBOL.LIB. We'll draw the chart using the TEXT mode edit screen. The symbols have been designed so that the lines drawn with the TEXT mode cursor will connect with the lines of the symbol. 1. Draw the box for the president. a. Press F10 to bring up the symbol menu. b. Position the cursor at the location for the first chart entry by pressing Alt C for center, then Alt G for get nearest tab. Press F1 to draw the box. Using FLODRAW 6.3 2. Draw the box for the first vice-president. a. Press Alt-D to tab down to the second level. b. Tab left to position the cursor for the first box on the second level, and press F1 to draw the box. 3. Draw the box for the second vice-president. Tab right twice and press F1 to draw the second box. 4. Draw the lines connecting the boxes using the shift key and the TEXT mode cursor. 5. Now finish by adding text to the boxes. Printing Documents FLODRAW uses the entire area of a document as the drawing area. This means you must allow for your own margin space at the top, bottom, and sides, if you expect to see margins on your printed document. For example, if you want a 1 inch margin on the left side of the document for a 3 hole punch, you would leave the first 10 columns of the document blank. Since row 1 is at the top of the page, you will normally start your drawing several rows below 1 to give your document a margin at the top of the page. Make sure the print head is aligned with top of the paper before printing, so that the first several blank rows will provide the margin you expect. Printer Support Due to differences in printer design between makes and models of printers, FLODRAW will not support all printers. This release supports the EPSON MX and FX and the IBM Proprinter. I will try to add more printers with each upgrade. For printers that FLODRAW does support, here are some guidelines for selecting printer modes. EPSON FX - FLODRAW was originally designed to work with the FX printer's CRT graphics mode (640 dots per 80 character line). It's the fastest print mode supported and the print quality is good. It's called single strike on the print menu. The bold strike uses quad density (1920 dots per 80 character line), but takes 3 times as long. However, the print quality is very good. Using FLODRAW 6.4 Average time for portrait format chart Single strike - 3 min. Bold strike - 9 min. EPSON MX - FLODRAW uses the double density bit mode on the MX printer (960 dots per 80 character line). Unfortunately, this produces an uneven print quality which is only fair at best. But it's acceptable for draft quality. This is the only print mode for the MX printer. Average time for portrait format chart - 10 min. IBM Proprinter - FLODRAW uses quad density (1920 dots per 80 character line) for both single strike and bold strike on this printer. So the print time will be the same. If you have a Proprinter, try both modes and select the one you like best. Print quality is good to very good. Average time for portrait format chart Single strike - 9 min. Bold strike - 9 min. I have made some changes to the EPSON FX printer driver to make it more compatible with other EPSON printers. If your printer is not listed here, try using the EPSON FX model in bold strike first. If you can't get your printer to work with FLODRAW, send me a postcard with your printer model. I'll let you know if I have plans to support it. Chapter 7. Symbol Libraries 7.1 Symbols are diagrams that may be used repeatedly when drawing a document. Usually, they're small, since the program was designed to display small symbols. However, symbols could be the size of the document itself. This program makes it easy to draw documents that require the use of standard symbols. For example, drawing an electrical diagram may require the same drawing of a resistor several times. By having the resistor symbol already stored in the computer's memory, you can call it up whenever you need it. This saves the time of drawing it or copying it each time you need a diagram of a resistor. A symbol library is a collection of symbol files in one file. A symbol library usually contains symbols that are related or used in the same application. For example, the symbol library called FLOCHART.LIB contains symbols that are used to draw computer system flowcharts. A DOS batch file called LIBRARY.BAT is used to collect the symbol files into a single file. I'll discuss how you can create your own symbols and then add them to a library. Creating Symbols You create symbols while you're editing a document. It doesn't matter whether you're working on a document and suddenly realize you need a symbol. Or you have an idea for a library of symbols, and just want to bring up the edit screen to create symbols. The procedure is the same. If you are already in the edit screen of a document, you're ready to start. If you aren't working on a document, and just want to create symbols for later use, start FLODRAW and use the name of any file, say TEMP (for temporary). We won't save the temporary file. It will just provide us with an area to work in. If you are working with a portrait format document, you might want to toggle to TEXT mode, and then press Alt-F1 to switch to file 2. This will provide you with a large scratch pad to design your symbol, so you don't mess up your document by mistake. After you've completed the symbol and saved it, you can move it back to your document in file 1. Now you can design your symbol using the drawing tools in FLODRAW. Let's say you want to create a library of symbols for documents describing how furniture should be arranged in a room. One of the symbols you will need will be a chair. So, in our example, you will draw a symbol of a chair and call it CHAIR.SYM. Symbols must have an extension of SYM in order to be recognized by the batch file, LIBRARY.BAT. Symbol Libraries 7.2 After you have drawn the symbol for the chair, toggle to TEXT mode if you're not already in TEXT mode. Press F7 for the "Save" function. Then press F1 for the"Save symbol" option. The "Save symbol" option will prompt you for the following cursor locations. 1. The upper left corner of the symbol. Symbols are always stored as rectangular blocks. Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the symbol. The cursor row and column define the top row and left column of the symbol. Then press F1. 2. The first cursor location in the symbol. When the program draws the symbol on a document, if will locate the cursor inside the symbol at the location you specify here. This is handy if you expect to write text inside the symbol. You can have the cursor appear at the first character location for text. If you don't care where the cursor appears, you can leave it at the upper left corner. Press F1 to continue. 3. The middle of the symbol. This is a reference point for locating the symbol. When the program draws the symbol, it will align the middle of the symbol with the location of the cursor. This is usually in the middle of the symbol, but it doesn't have to be. Press F1 to continue. 4. The lower right corner of the symbol. The cursor row and column will define the bottom row and right column of the symbol. Press F1. 5. The name of the symbol. In our example, we would enter CHAIR.SYM. And our symbol for the chair is saved as CHAIR.SYM on the default drive. 6. To verify that you have successfully saved the symbol the way you wanted to, use the "Merge" function. Select the "Merge" option to center the symbol, and move the cursor to an empty area of the document or scratch pad. When prompted for the name, enter CHAIR.SYM. You should now see your symbol displayed on the document. Editing Symbols You can edit a symbol by merging it into a document, or by editing the symbol file itself. In either case, when you save the symbol, you have to use the "Save symbol" option of the "Save" function in TEXT mode, and you will have to enter all the locations required by the "Save symbol" option. If you try to use the "Save file" option, you will save the whole document, rather than just the symbol. Symbol Libraries 7.3 Where possible, use the TEXT mode line drawing option. You'll find it's faster and easier to correct symbols drawn in TEXT mode. Creating Libraries You use the batch file LIBRARY.BAT to add symbols to a new or existing library. LIBRARY.BAT will work with 8 symbols at a time, but your symbol library can be much larger than that. The symbol library can be as large as 16k which is large enough for thirty-two 500-byte symbols, although most symbols are only several hundred bytes. FLODRAW will allow up to 64 symbols in a library. Let's call your library ROOM.LIB. Let's say you've created three symbols for your library. And those symbols are called CHAIR.SYM, TABLE.SYM, SOFA.SYM. You'll use LIBRARY.BAT to create your library like this. 1. Put your three symbol files and the LIBRARY.BAT file on a new disk that we'll call a library disk. If you're going to create your own symbol libraries, you'll find it more convenient to have all your library files, your symbol files, and LIBRARY.BAT on one disk. 2. Run the batch file with the following command. We'll assume you will run the batch file from the default drive. LIBRARY ROOM CHAIR TABLE SOFA This command executes the batch file LIBRARY.BAT to add to or create a library called ROOM.LIB using the symbol files CHAIR.SYM, TABLE.SYM, and SOFA.SYM. 3. The batch file will look for the library ROOM.LIB, and when it can't find it, it will create a new library using your three symbol files. Before it creates the library, it will tell you what it's going to do. You can abort the batch command at this point and start over. After you have created the library ROOM.LIB, you are ready to use it. When you want to use these library symbols in a document, select the "Load new symbol library" function from the entry menu. This function will prompt you for the library name. Put your library disk in drive A and answer the program prompt with "ROOM". The program will load the library, and you can return to the edit screen to use the symbols in library ROOM. Symbol Libraries 7.4 You can also make any library the default library that the program loads at start-up. The default library is called SYMBOL.LIB. SYMBOL.LIB is distributed as a copy of FLOCHART.LIB. You can change SYMBOL.LIB to another library simply by copying your library to SYMBOL.LIB. Since SYMBOL.LIB must be on your program disk, let's say you're going to copy ROOM.LIB from your library disk in drive B to your program disk in drive A. Type in the following DOS command. COPY B:ROOM.LIB A:SYMBOL.LIB This command copies the library file ROOM.LIB to the default library file SYMBOL.LIB. The next time you use FLODRAW, the library ROOM.LIB will be loaded as the default library. Maintaining Libraries After you have created a library, you can still add symbols to it. Use the batch file LIBRARY.BAT the same way as you used to create a new library. As an example, suppose you created two new symbols for your library, ROOM.LIB. These symbols are LIGHT.SYM and DESK.SYM. To add these symbols to your library, copy the symbols to the library disk. Then type the following DOS command. LIBRARY ROOM LIGHT DESK This command will execute the batch file LIBRARY.BAT. LIBRARY.BAT will look for the library file ROOM.LIB, and finding it, will prepare to add your symbol files to it. LIBRARY.BAT will prompt you to continue before it actually adds the symbols to the library. If you want to replace a symbol in the library, you must delete the old library and recreate it from the beginning using the replacement symbol. If you want to change the sequence that the symbols appear on the symbol menu, you must also delete the old library. You can then recreate it by entering the symbols in the sequence you want them to display on the symbol menu. You can create the original symbol files by editing the PIC files using FLODRAW. The PIC files are library charts containing descriptions of all the original library symbols. You can create a symbol file from each symbol using the "Save symbol" option of the "Save" function. I did not include the symbol files with the FLODRAW system. It is much easier to package the symbols in charts rather than individual symbol files. Appendix A - Error Messages A.1 When FLODRAW detects an error, it beeps to get your attention, then displays a message on the error line. The error line is at the bottom of the entry menu or on the ruler line if you're in the edit screen. The format of the error message is: (error number) (error description) This is a list of the possible errors. An explanation is supplied following the description. 001 A graphics monitor is required. FLODRAW will only work with a monitor driven by a color graphics adapter. 003 Try another key. Not all key presses are valid with each menu. Look at the menu line for a list of valid function keys. ESC will work at any time to take you back to the previous screen. 006 File name invalid. The name you entered as a file name is not a valid DOS file name. Follow the rules for naming DOS files. 008 Write unsuccessful - disk full. There is not enough space on the disk to save your document file. Use a disk with sufficient free space. 009 Temporary file could not be deleted. FLODRAW tried to delete a temporary file that you did not want to save, but could not. You can delete the file yourself with the DOS ERASE command. 010 File cannot be found. Your file name cannot be found in the current directory. Check that you spelled the name correctly. 011 Cannot find end of line. FLODRAW is trying to generate a line but cannot find a starting or ending point for the line. 013 Second cursor entry is invalid. The function you are using requires that the cursor location be within certain bounds. Appendix A.2 015 Symbol is too close to edge of screen FLODRAW won't draw a character of arrowhead if it is too close to the edge of the screen. Move the window so you won't be as close to the edge of the screen. 021 Symbol library is too large to load. You are trying to load a symbol library that is larger than the space available. 022 This is not a FLODRAW file. You have tried to load a document that did not come from the FLODRAW system. 023 Too many symbols in library. You are trying to load a library that has more symbols than FLODRAW can handle. 024 Symbol too large to load. You are trying to load a library that has a symbol too large for FLODRAW to handle. 026 File is too large to load. You are trying to load a file that is larger than the current document. This would occur if you tried to merge a sideways document into a standard document. 027 Error saving block. Please retry. FLODRAW was not successful with the last "Save" function. 031 No files found in directory. The current directory has no files in it. 032 Invalid drive letter. You have specified a drive letter that is not on your system. 033 Scratch file-save with entry menu. You are trying to use the "Save" function on the edit screen with a file that has not been named. Return to the entry menu and use the "Save with new name" function. 108 Bottom of page. You have reached the bottom of the document. 109 Top of page. You have reached the top to the document. 110 Right side of page. You have reached the right side of the document. Appendix A.3 111 Left side of page. You have reached the left side of the document. 121 2nd file is not active. You are trying to switch to the 2nd file, but you can only do it if you have at least portrait format document loaded. 201 Subject too large to copy or move. You are trying to use the TEXT mode "Copy" or "Move" block function, but your block is too big for FLODRAW to handle. 205 Subject too large to save for undo You are trying to use a function that would allow you to use the UNDO function, but there is not enough room. Retry with a smaller block. 211 Check line boundary or reference point. You are trying to do a DRAW mode block function, but you did not completely enclose your subject, or you did not set the reference point inside the enclosure. 901-999 are reserved for system error messages. Appendix B - Library charts B.1 It's a good idea to document your library symbols. To get you started, I've included library charts for FLOCHART.LIB, HIPO.LIB, ELECTRIC.LIB, ORG.LIB and MISC.LIB. These library charts are on the library disk and have an extension of PIC. Print them using the FLODRAW "Print" function, and then insert them in the manual in place of this page. Index X.1 Are you sure? 3.3, 3.4 arrow 3.5, 4.4 arrowhead 4.4, 5.4 backup 2.1 batch file 1.3, 7.1, 7.3 character 4.1 CHAR mode 4.3 circle 5.3 color graphics adapter 1.2 columns 4.1 copy - DRAW mode 5.2 copy - TEXT mode 4.3 create symbols 7.1 current directory 3.6 cursor 4.1 cursor movement keys 4.2, 4.7, 5,5 data disks 2.1 default drive 3.5 default library file 7.4 delete - DRAW mode 5.2 delete - TEXT mode 4.3 DEMO 1.3, 2.2 directory display 3.1, 3.5 directory display mask 3.5 DISK 1 1.3 DISK 2 1.3 distribution disks 1.3 document window 4.1, 5.1 dot 4.1 DRAW mode 4,3, 5.1 DRAW mode cursor 5.1 drawing free-hand 4.1 drawing with cursor 4.2, 5.1 drive 3.5 edit screen 4.1 edit symbols 7.2 EGA 1.2 ELECTRIC.LIB 1.3 ELECTRIC.PIC 1.2 ellipse 5.3, 5.4 entry menu 3.1 erase - see delete error line 4.1 error messages A.1-A.3 ESC key 3.6, 4.1 examples 1.3, 2.2, 6.1, 6.2 exit to DOS 4.1 Index X.2 file extension 2.1, 4.5, 7.1 file loaded 3.1 file number 3.1 flag current document 3.3 FLOCHART.LIB 1.3, 7.4 FLOCHART.PIC 1.3 FLODRAW.DOC 1.3 FLODRAW.EXE 1.3, 2.1, 2.2 font 3.2, 3.5, 4.3 format 1.1, 3.2 help screen 4.7, 5.5 HIPO.LIB 1.3, 4.6 landscape format 1.1, 3.2 large landscape format 1.1, 3.2 library - see symbol library library disk 2.1, 7.3 LIBRARY.BAT 1.3, 7.3 line - dashed 3.4, 4.4 line - DRAW mode 5.1, 5.2 line - TEXT mode 4.2, 4.4, 4.6 line - straight 3.4, 4.4 line - wide 4.6 load new file 3.2 load symbol library 3.5 memory required 1.2 merge file 4.5 move - DRAW mode 5.2 move - TEXT mode 4.3 naming convention 2.1 narrow font 3.2 option menu 3.4 organization charts 6.2 page format 1.1, 3.2 pixels 4.1 portrait format 1.1, 3.2 preview document 3.1, 4.2, 5.1 print - current file 3.3 print - flagged files 3.3 print document 3.3 print later flag 3.3 printer model 3.3, 3.4 printer pause 3.4 printer start 3.4 printer stop 3.4 printer support 6.2, 6.3 program disk 2.1 Index X.3 README.1 1.3 README.2 1.3 return to edit 3.1 rows 4.1 ruler lines 4.1 SAMPLE.ELC 1.3 SAMPLE.FLO 1.3, 2.4 SAMPLE.FRM 1.3, 6.1, 6.2 SAMPLE.ORG 1.3, 6.2 save file 4.3, 5.5 save setup options 3.5 save symbol 4.4 save with new name 3.3 save with same name 3.2 scratch pad 4.7, 7.1 set tabs 3.4 single drive computer 2.2 size - memory 1.2 size - symbol 7.1 size - symbol library 7.3 small font 4.3 standard font 4.3 standard forms 6.1 starting the program 2.5 supplementary documentation disk 1.3 switch files 3.1, 3.6 SYMBOL.LIB 1.3, 7.4 symbol - cover option 3.5 symbol library 1.1, 1.3, 3.5, 7.1 symbol library - create 7.1, 7.3 symbol library - load 3.5, 4.6 symbol library - maintain 7.4 symbol- superimpose option 3.5 system requirements 1.2 TEXT mode 4.1, 4.3 tab keys 4.2 tabs - horizontal 3.4 tabs - vertical 3.4 tutorial 2.2 UNDO 4.6, 5.5 window - document 4.1 The End