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PC-KEY-DRAW A KEYBOARD TO SCREEN GRAPHICS PROGRAM FOR THE IBM PC and COMPATIBLES Version 2.2 (C)Copyright OED, 1984 Edward H. Kidera IV OEDWARE P.O. Box 595 Columbia, MD 21045-0595 Portions copyright International Business Machines Portions copyright Microsoft, Inc. ..page DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT, NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED. GOOD DATA PROCESSING PROCEDURE DICTATES THAT ANY PROGRAM BE THOROUGHLY TESTED WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA BEFORE RELYING ON IT. THE USER MUST ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING THE PROGRAM. ANY LIABILITY OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED EXCLUSIVELY TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT. ..page INTRODUCTION This is a keyboard to screen drawing program, a zoom printer, and a slide show. The main drawing portion (DRAW) can best be described as a graphic screen editor, but it is also a powerful CAD program. The arrow keys on the right of keyboard are used to control the position of cursor. The function keys on left of the keyboard select a variety of drawing functions. Most of the function keys have multiple directives. The program is designed to make use of the graphics functions of an IBM PC or XT, Columbia Data MPC, or other compatible. It requires a graphics board, dual double sided disk drives, and 256K of memory as a minimum. A ram disk of at least 35K is desirable. The program is designed to be a general purpose drawing system that does not require, light pens, mice, digitizers, or other fancy hardware. PC-KEY-DRAW should prove valuable to a variety of users. It is ideal for the technical and engineering fields. Screens are created much like drawings on paper, only the screens can be combined with others to create an entire object. It is considerably faster than paper, triangle, and pencil for complex objects. For the student it will serve a wide variety of uses, while the artist can create patterns not readily possible without a computer. Basic operation involves moving the cursor to the desired position, selecting the appropriate function and following the prompts. Many operations require two or more cursor locations to be chosen. For speed of execution most actions require a single key stroke (without a RETURN). The program will run in either a high resolution or medium resolution mode. A Shift-Tab combination will switch between the two. In medium resolution there are several extra features to control the color of the screen and the drawing. Commands that are specific to the color version will be marked with "*C*" in the help file. Version 2.2 offers several improvements over early versions. Perhaps the most significant is the vertical screen scrolling capability. Version 2.2 allows the user to work with two main screens and two auxiliary screens for flexibility and power. PC-KEY-DRAW is fully compatible with screens created in a variety of graphics programs. It can be used to create complex background screens or to combine several graphs/screens on one page. It provides several features for producing screens for user generated programs as well. This software is intended to be distributed by the users. This helps keep the cost down and encourages circulation. If you find this package to be useful, please copy it and give it to a friend for their evaluation. I trust you to send me $70. By sending in $70 you will become a registered owner, which entitles you to updates for a minimal fee. Upon registering you will receive the most recent version. Your comments and suggestions are welcomed. ..page START UP Place a formatted DS/DD diskette in drive B: and the original in drive A:. Copy the original diskette onto B: and store the original in a safe place. While you are at it, make a copy or two for friends. If your system has more than 192K of RAM memory available, set up a ram disk of at least 40K for the program workspace. You may want to add an AUTOEXEC.BAT file to load the ram disk at start up. (RAM disk software is not included) If printing of the drawings on to a Epson or compatible printer is desired load GRAPHICS.COM (DOS 2.0). Note that GRAPHICS.COM will also work with other versions of DOS. Insert program diskette in drive A: Type KEYDRAW to load and run. After an introduction screen the main menu will appear. If this is the first time you have seen PC-KEY-DRAW then start with the PROGRAM INTRODUCTION and INSTRUCTIONS. If you are reading this off the screen you will want to print out the entire documentation. Hard copy of the manual is also available when ordering for an additional $10.00 to cover copying and postage. The program should be configured to your system and needs. Select CONFIGURE PROGRAM and answer the questions. You will be asked to choose medium or high resolution as the default screen mode, the drive for the workspaces (RAM disk if you have it), update frequency, and drive for storing completed drawings. You will also set the program to match your monitor. Generally this configuration needs only to be done once, but it can be done when ever required by system changes. To start drawing select DRAW from the main menu. Configuration parameters will be displayed. If these are incorrect exit DRAW with F10 <e> and configure the program. The program gives you the option of setting the horizontal screen dimension. This is useful for engineering drawings. For general pictures respond to the "set scale" question with a <n>o or RETURN for the default scale. CURSOR MODE should be displayed on the prompt line (bottom of screen) and you are ready to begin drawing. The cursor is a very small white mark in the center of the screen. It is moved by the 9 cursor keys. If you move off the screen the cursor will wrap around and appear on the other side. Entering <h>elp at any point in a function when prompted will display what options are available for that function. Entering <?> during cursor mode will display function key designation on prompt line until next key is hit. Entering <H> in cursor mode will display the function key designation in the top left corner of the screen. If <Esc> is hit to continue the function key designation will remain. This is useful if you are just starting out. With all functions the cursor must be in place before using the function keys. The cursor can only be moved during CURSOR MODE or when directed by the prompt line. Most actions require only a single key stroke without a RETURN. ..page DOCUMENTATION FOR DRAW The drawing you are working on is saved to memory after each function is completed. It will also save to the default drive at the update period you set (default period is 8). You can also update the file at any time by selecting in the CURSOR MODE. If a RAM disk is used as a default drive the save and load occur instantly. If a RAM disk is not available drive B: should be designated as the default for the workspace. You will have to wait occasionally if a drive other than a RAM disk is used. Two workspaces are used. They correspond to the two main screens that are available to work on. Updating will only occur when a full screen is in view, unless you force an update with for workspace 1 and for workspace 2. If an error results in program termination the last workspace saved can be obtained by running the program, selecting F10 and <w> or <W> depending on which workspace you want. CURSOR MODE FUNCTIONS <?>-displays function key designation on prompt line until next key is hit. <Ctrl-Home>-sets the display to screen 1. <Ctrl-End>-sets the display to the second screen. <Ctrl-Pg Up>-scrolls the screen up. <Ctrl-Pg Dn>-scrolls the screen down. <Esc>-Stops operation. <R>-refreshs the screen. Use after error trap, or stopped operation or to remove extra cursor marks. <m>-mark measure point. <M>-switches cursor to point where measured distance equals zero. <C>-exchanges cursor position with last center of circle. <$>-sets screen aspect ratio. KEYDRAW is used to set the default aspect ratio. -sets the program to draw isometric drawings. Select again to turn off. <D>-sets default drive for workspace. Configure program with KEYDRAW to your general use. Use <D> to change temporarily or when using another machine. -sets AVAT (anti video attribute) to one of 4 values. Use with spraypaint, rotation and zoom. Default value is the background. It becomes very obvious if AVAT is set to a value other than 0. As lines are drawn or boxes put around objects the previous lines are not erased, but left behind. -sets printer width of Okidata 92. Default is 8. ..page -updates workspace #1 and declares that the current screen is page #1-4. (BEWARE: the old Page is lost) -updates workspace #2 and declares that the current screen is page #5. (BEWARE: the old Page is lost) <k>-keeps the screen in memory as it appears. (The page is not changed.) Keep can be especially useful when -AVAT is set to 1, 2, or 3. Sht-Tab-switches between high resolution and medium resolution. <+>-increase cursor step by one. <->-decreases cursor step by one. <5>-displays the color that the cursor is on top of. The entire cursor key pad can be used to move the cursor around the screen. Keys 9, 7, 3, and 1 will move along the appropriate diagonal. Many of the function directives require a box to be drawn around the object of interest. The normal first point is the Top Left Corner (TLC), but any corner will work. Using the cursor keys will form the box by pulling the corner opposite the marked corner away. Using the numeric keys will move the marked corner. To mark the corners of the box either select the appropriate function key a second and/or third time or type a <RETURN> each time. (Note the first point marked is always marked when the directive is selected in the function.) FUNCTION KEY ASSIGNMENT IN DRAW F1-Rotation, mirroring, error check removal, reverse video, grid draw, screen flip, and zoom. F2-Box as Displayed outline or as Series of Points. F3-Arc, Circle, and Ellipse. F4-Shades or Spray Paints Area. F5-Paints Area *C* -Sets Background Color, Selects active palette. F6-Draws lines, spokes, adds text, parallel lines, cursor draw, and arrows. Also saves and retrieves vector drawings(those created with line). F7-Erases, copys, animates, moves, smears, replicates, and retrieves old partial screens. F8-Changes color at which all actions take place. F9-Changes speed. F10-Saves, prints, and retrieves old screens. Shows disk directory and clears On entering a function the various choices will be displayed on the prompt line as a series of letters. Use the cursor keys to display the directive that is activated with a corresponding letter. There are two methods to select the desired action from within a function. The first method is to use the cursor key to select the desired directive, followed by a <RETURN>. The second method is to simply type the appropriate letter using the <Shft>, <Ctrl>, and <Alt> as required. Either approach will work. In learning the program this feature should reduce the time spent remembering what letter does what. Once the program is learned it is faster to simply select a letter directly. ..page Many of the directives in a function respond only to lower-case commands. A * following a letter indicates that there is at least one other level to that directive. Some of the directives have as many as 4 total levels. The hierarchy is lower-case, Shifted (upper-case), Ctrl, and Alt. Additional information on what each directive does and how to use it is available from within the program by typing <h> after entering a function. F1 Program and Drawing Modification <r>-allows rotation about a point in the plane of the screen. First select center of rotation, next define any corner of area to be rotated, followed by the opposite corner. Follow prompts. Rotation can be stopped short of the full number of steps by selecting <Esc>. *C*-will rotate only current color as selected by F8. Use <Alt-r> to rotate all of an object. <a>-again-allows the same object to be rotated again with a new angle. <R>-revolves an object about a horizontal or vertical axis. Use like <r> by marking axis center, and any two opposite corners. If during rotation the edge of the screen is contacted the Revolving will end and control will return to the cursor mode. If this happens the screen has not been saved to memory. Reposition the object or Revolve smaller pieces of it to avoid this happening. <Ctrl-r>-rotates left half of screen 90 degrees. The size/complexity of an object is limited in rotation and so if the object contains too many point the entire object may not be rotated. <z>-zooms an object either up or down. Does not change drawing scale. Use like <r> by marking center, and any two opposite corners. If a number greater than one is entered the drawing will be shrunk, while numbers less than one expand the object. Expanded objects will be broken apart. *C*-will zoom only current color as selected by F8. Use <Alt-r> to zoom entire object. <Z>-zooms the entire screen up or down, changing scaling accordingly. When the screen is zoomed down it will be repositioned on the screen and can be retrieved as well with F7 <a>, <m>, etc. When the screen is zoomed up the top left corner is zoomed and so it may be necessary to reposition the object you wish to zoom before doing so. <m>-mirrors image of an object defined in box. Select mirror line orientation. First point should be on the mirror line. <M>-mirrors entire screen either horizontally or vertically. <F>-flips/rotates full screen through desired view angle. Input the vertical and horizontal angle in degrees. A zero degree angle does not change that view while a 90 degree angle will cause it to disappear. <v>-reverse video. <g>-grid is draw as series of points at set spacing, use F8 to set color of grid. A color of 0 will remove the grid. <c>-removes correction check normally occuring after each function. Selecting <c> again returns error check. <n>-exits function. ..page F2 Draws a box. <d>-display-displays box as cursor is moved <s>-produces shaded box with choice of light, medium, and heavy shade Use F8 to set color. Mark TLC and BRC <D>-same as <d> only box is copied for use with F7 animate, move, etc. <S>-same as <s> only box is copied for use with F7 animate, move, etc. <n>-exits box drawing. F3 Draws a circle, ellipse, or arc. <c>-circle-draws a full circle. The location of the cursor when <c> is selected will be the center of the circle. After marking the center, move the cursor to the desired radius. The length of the radius is shown on the prompt line and the circle is displayed. The center can be shifted with the numeric keys corresponding to the cursor keys. Select F3 again to mark the radius and draw the circle. If circle is not of desired roundness, select <$> and change screen aspect ratio. <a>-arc-draws an arc using cursor position as start and end. As with the circle, the current cursor position is the center of the arc. The second position is the radius and one end of the arc. The third position is the other end of the arc. Arcs are always drawn counterclockwise. <e>-ellipse-draws a full ellipse. The ellipse is displayed as it is being drawn as with circle. <n>-exits function While in the CURSOR MODE, selecting <C> exchanges the present cursor position with the last center of a circle, arc, or ellipse. F4 Shades area <l>-lightly shades enclosed area <m>-medium shading of enclosed area <d>-dark/heavy shading of enclosed area Use F8 to determine color of shading. Shading proceeds until the shade color is reached or until the edge of the screen. <s>-Spray paints area. Use on painted circle to give a 3-D effect. Effects active color only. First draw item and paint with F5. Current cursor location sets the position of light source (generally on the object). Next mark any corner of box containing object and select F4 again. Mark opposite corner of box and select F4 to spray paint. <Alt-s>-as above but effects all colors. Set screen aspect ratio to 0 to shade columns. Spraypainting will be lighter if Isometric function is turned on in CURSOR MODE WITH To stop shading while in process type <Esc>. While in the CURSOR MODE selecting ackground allows you to set the color used as the shade color. This is called AVAT for Anti-Video ATtribute. The default value is 0 or the background color. Setting it to 1, 2, or 3 will cause the spraypainting to take place in that color. <n>-exits to CURSOR MODE. ..page F5 Paints area and sets color palette Both paint until reaching boundary with same attribute. Gaps will cause the paint to leak out. <l>-light (on) <d>-dark (off) <c>-color (yes-color in high resolution) Use <c> to change palette to one of 15 colors. <C>-color background use with <c> to set background color or foreground color <n>-exits to cursor mode *C* -The medium resolution Paint allows the following. -paint-as above, paints the enclosed area with the specified fill color. You must also specify the border color by number. (eg. 2,3 paints color 2 until color 3 is reached. -background-sets the color of the entire screen. 16 colors are available. 0-Black 4-Red 8-Dark Gray 12-Light Red 1-Blue 5-Magenta 9-Light Blue 13-Light Magenta 2-Green 6-Brown 10-Light Green 14-Yellow 3-Cyan 7-Light Gray 11-Light Cyan 15-White Select the color of the background by using the <Space Bar>. Fix the color with a return. <c>-color-sets the active color palette. Three palettes with three colors plus background are available with a standard color board and an RGB monitor. <C>-16 unichrome colors are available. Use to select the desired color. <m>-modifies the color of an object. Sixteen color choices are possible. A color bar will be displayed and you will be asked to enter your choice. The above discussion refers to colors and effects when using an RGB monitor. If a composite monitor or TV is used the resultant colors will be different. Experiment with your system to see which color combinations you prefer. Some very interesting results are possible. ..page F6 Draws lines and adds text <d>-dot-places dot at cursor location. A <RETURN> will mark dot at color set by F8. <l>-line-connects cursor points with a line. A <RETURN> will mark next point and continue drawing. All points must be marked with a <RETURN> or they will not be saved. Use the <SPACE BAR> to temporarily suspend line drawing. This allows gaps to be incorporated in the line/vector. Start the next line with a <RETURN>. Lines can be drawn in any one of the colors. Select F6 a second time and <e> or <E> to end line drawing. If <E> is selected the line can be saved to disk. If you want the saved file to correspond directly to pixel coordinates, be sure the default scale is in effect and that the cursor is at 0,0 before ending. <c>-cursor-draws continuous lines as the cursor is moved. Use F8 to control the color as the cursor moves. <t>-text-enters text at cursor location. Only two text sizes are available as standard. Which size is used depends on which mode you are in. High resolution mode allows 80 column text, while in color mode only 40 column text is available. Use the Zoom function of F1 to enlarge the text to any size and use F7 <c> and <s>, <m>, etc to modify the look of the text. After entering the text hit <RETURN> to end. -parallel-draws parallel lines. Mark the first line with two points and all subsequent lines with one. Note that the lines are also of equal length. <s>-spoke-draws lines from common center point. <a>-arrow-places arrow head at cursor location either pointing up,down,left, or right. Use u or d to upsize or downsize the arrow. The cursor speed setting effects the size steps. <e>-exit-ends current mode. Required after any of the above except text and arrow. <E>-ends current mode and saves line drawing to disk using user specified name. These are saved as vectors and are ideal for commonly used symbols. <o>-old line drawing from disk. A single drive letter will display appropriate files on disk. Must specify rotation angle(any angle) and scale factor. A RETURN will display drawing at rotation and scale it was created. <O>-old, last drawing selected from disk. Allows alternate rotation and scale. Set the scale in the same fashion as the zooms in F1. If a <return> only is hit the scale will be matched to the current drawing. The scale can be forced by entering a number <1 to enlarge the object or >1 to shrink it. <n>-exits function. Note: Move cursor to desired position before using F6. Use <n> to exit if cursor not in correct position. Lines and parrallel lines are limited to 160. If more than 160 points are entered at one time the line mode will be automatically exited. ..page F7 Erases, copies, animates, moves, smears, or replicates an area Mark any two corners of object to be erased or copied with cursor. <e>-erases the enclosed area and copies it for use with a,s,r, and m. The last object erased can be viewed and modified on Page F7. <Alt-e>-erases enclosed area but does not copy it. Use to erase small areas. The last object erased with <Alt-e> can be viewed on Page Title. <c>-copies area to be moved, but does not erase. The last object copied can be viewed or modified on Page F7. <C>-copies the portion of the screen to disk for later use. No extension on the user supplied name creates a file that can be retrieved with F7 <o>. A .PIC extension saves the portion of the screen in a format compatible with many other graphics programs. A .BAS extension will save the screen as a basic subroutine for use in user written programs. <Ctrl-c>-copies the same size object as previously copied without remarking. <o>-retrieves drawings saved with <C>. A single drive letter will display appropriate files on disk. You must specify the extension .PIC when retrieving that type of file. <a>-animate allows a previously copied or erased area to be moved around the screen with the cursor. <m>,<M>, <Ctrl-m> and <Alt-m>-move area previously erased or copied to lower right of cursor, each with a different syntax. (different result) <s>,<S>, <Ctrl-s> and <Alt-s>-smear the copied object with each step of the cursor using different syntax. Use this as a paint brush. Copied size determine number of bristles in brush. <r>,<R>, <Ctrl-r> and <Alt-r>-replicates object with each cursor step. <n>-returns to CURSOR MODE. Note that when a very large or complex object is rotated or zoomed using F1, the last copied area maybe lost. It is possible to copy the entire screen. This allows two different drawings to be merged. The last screen copied or erased can be view and further manipulated on Page F7 by selecting <Ctrl-End> <Ctrl-PgDn>. F8 Selects the video attribute(color) that all of the functions use Selected color is displayed on status line as number to the right of a box painted in the color. If an action does not appear to work, it maybe that the color is set wrong. Note that the color of the box as it is being used to mark an object for manipulation is the color that F8 is set to. F9 Changes the speed at which the cursor moves across the screen. Two speeds are available. Spd 1 is for fine movement Spd 8 is for rapid movement Current speed is displayed on status line. Speed can be changed to anything desired by using the <+> and <->. These values will remain in effect until F9 is selected. The cursor speed is also set by selecting F7 <r>, <R>, <Ctrl-r>, or <Alt-r>. The horizontal speed is the horizontal size of the box drawn around the object when it was copied, while the vertical speed is the vertical size of the box. ..page F10 Directory, saves, retrieves an old drawing, starts fresh, or exits. <d>-directory of selected disk <s>-saves the current drawing - must be room on disk. For best results save drawings on B:. Two files will be saved. The first is the screen file designated automatically as yourfile.scn. The second is the data file for scale information. <o>-old-retrieves a stored drawing from disk Screens previously created with this program should have an associated data file with scale information. Screens from other programs can be retreived and will use current scaling. <t>-template-allows a template screen to be called up. Disables updating of disk. <f>-fresh-clears screen and starts again. If the current drawing has not been saved on disk it will be lost. -prints graphics screen on line printer #1 The last screen title is displayed and you are asked if it is OK. <y>-yes will print the title with the screen. <n>-no allows you to enter a new title on the prompt line. <w>-restores old workspace #1 to any screen or screen position. <W>-restores old workspace #2 to any screen or screen position. <k>-kills a file on the disk. User must specify full name including drive. <e>-exits program and returns to main menu. If you are switching to the Zoom Printer program be sure to update both screens first so that they are readily available in ZPRINTER. <E>-exits program completely and returns to DOS. <n>-exits function. DRAWING TECHNIQUES Start out using the program by experimenting. Try using the various functions and actions and noting the results. With a little time and practice using the program becomes very fast and efficient. For major works take time to plan out the order in which you will create the drawing. It is generally best to start with the details, shrink these down and combine them to produce the final drawing. If you want the printed drawing to look like the screen the reverse video action should be chosen from F1 just before printing. This is useful showing things like planetoids. The black background is more natural. Mechanical drawings should be printed out without reversing the screen so that they correspond to the standard method of viewing. Since many of the actions take place inside of boxed areas it is advisable to create parts of a drawing separately and then combine them at the end. This can be accomplished by drawing the various components on different parts of the screen or by using a screen for each component and combining screens using the copy action of F7. ..page EXAMPLES: To draw box: Move the cursor to one of the corners of the box. Select desired color of box with F8. Select F2 and <d> to display the box as it is drawn. Move the cursor to form the box as desired. Use the numeric keys at the top of the keyboard to adjust the start point of the box if needed. Hit either F2, RETURN, OR F1-F7 to complete function and draw box. Respond <y> to the "Correct (y/n)?" prompt to keep the box or <n> to return to the drawing as it was. To draw a circle: Move the cursor to the desired center of the circle. Select desired color of the circle with F8. Select F3 and <c> for circle. Move the cursor to the desired radius and hit either F3, RETURN, or F1-F7 to complete function and draw circle. Respond as desired to the "Correct (y/n)?" prompt. To draw a line: Move the cursor to the start of the line. Select F6 and <l>. Move cursor to position line as desired. Use a RETURN or F1-F7 <l> to mark next point on line. Continue drawing lines. When last point of line has been marked. Select F6 and either <e> or <E> to end the line. If <E> is chosen the line is not only drawn on the screen, but saved to disk under user specified name. If can be retrieved at any angle and any scale using F6 <o>. To erase an area: Move the cursor to a position at one of the corners of the area to be erased. Select F7 <e> to mark the corner. Move the cursor to enclose the desired area with the display box. As with box the numeric keys can be used to modify the initial corner position. Select F7, RETURN, or F1-F7 to mark the opposite corner. Copy works the same way. Very complex and interesting patterns can be created by copying and area and then moving off the screen with F7 animate. Try this with the file COLORBAR.PIC, which can be retrieved with F7 <o>. When you obtain a particular pattern you want to use leave on the screen with F7 <M> and then copy it again. Next move over the object you wish to paint with this new color pattern. Select F7 <Ctrl-m> to paint the object. (Note the object should be in color 3 for best results.) 3-D oblique drawings can be made quickly from 2-D drawings. In screen 2 (high resolution), draw a box with F2 <d>; copy the box with F7 <c>; set the cursor speed to 1; move one space to the left and one space up; select F7 <s>; move alternately one step left and one step up until cube is of desired size; select F7 <M>; and the cube is complete. ..page DOCUMENTATION for Z00M PRINTER This is a companion program to DRAW, in fact it contains several portions of DRAW to aid in the printing process of graphics screens. It will work with any program that saves the screen memory. Refer to DRAW for additional information. A total of nine printer tables can be created to match virtually any printer. F3 allows the user to set up the program for a particular printer. Use your printer manual to answer the set up questions. Drive B: should be used to load drawings created with DRAW or other programs. CURSOR MODE FUNCTIONS <c>-switchs cursor to last center calculated with F5. See CURSOR MODE FUNCTIONS for DRAW for details. FUNCTION KEY ASSIGNMENT for ZOOM PRINTER F1- mirroring, reverse video, screen flip, and zoom. F2-Not used in 2.2 F3-Set printer configuration, review set up, add new printer set up F4-Prints on single sheet or zoom prints to virtually any size. F5-Calculates areas and center of areas. F6-Adds text F7-Erases, copys, animates, moves, smears, replicates, and retrieves F8-Changes color at which all actions take place. F9-Changes speed. F10-Saves and retrieves old screens. Shows disk directory and clears. F1 Program and drawing modification See F1 - DRAW for details. F2 Not used in 2.2 F3 Selects printer configuration <r>-reviews printer configuration <s>-selects printer for use in printing zoom graphics <a>-adds a user specified printer configuration If your printer doesn't support a given pitch answer the corresponding prompts for character code and line step with a RETURN. <n>-exits function ..page F4 Prints graphics screen to printer <z>-zoom prints partial screen. Enclose area to be printed in box. <Z>-Zoom prints entire screen. With partial and full screen zoom printing you must specify the characters to use and the desired size. -sets up for screen dump or single sheet printing on Okidata 92. To print on Okidata select <o> when asked to "Print Screen (y/n)?" <n>-exits to cursor mode The zoom printing can be set up to work with almost any printer, while the single sheet print is currently limited to an Epson (with a screen dump) or an Okidata 92. Print sizes range from 1 to 41 Size 1 corresponds to 17 cpi Size 2 corresponds to 12 cpi Size 3 corresponds to 10 cpi Some printers do not support all three character pitches and will not be available for use. Size 4 through 41 are multiples of the first three sizes. Some experimentation maybe necessary to find the correct size to print with. To stop printing use <Ctrl-s>. F5 Calculates area and center of area of an object. <a>-area of object enclosed in box. Use F8 to set color of object to be calculated. Returns area of object and center of area. <A>-area of last object calculated. <m>-mass of object enclosed in box using user defined density parameters for each color. <n>-exits function. F6 Adds text to drawing <t>-text-enters text at current cursor location. <n>-exits function. F7-F10 are the same as DRAW. See DRAW for details. DIRECTIVES, FUNCTIONS AND WHAT THEY DO. A [Z] following a topic refers to zoom printer specific functions. Animate-(F7 a)-once an object has been copied or erased with F7 it can be moved about on the screen. Animate allows you to see the object as it moves to aid in proper positioning. Area[Z]-(F5 a)-the area of an object and the center of that area can be calculated based on the color set by F8. Also see Mass. Arc-(F3 a)-arcs are drawn using F3. First move cursor to center. Then mark the radius and end point followed by the second end point. Arcs are always drawn counterclockwise. To draw an elliptical arc use <$> to modify the screen aspect ratio just before selecting the first end point. Be sure to reset the proper aspect ratio after drawing the arc. ..page Arrows-(F6 a)-arrows of almost any size can be added to the screen. Set the direction the arrow is to point and use and <d> to change the size before saving the arrow. Arrow color is determined by F8. Background-(F5 b,c, C)- the screen background color can be set in medium resolution mode by using the space bar to page through the colors and the RETURN to fix the desired color. The background can also be set in high resolution using <C> and <c>. Box-(F2 d, D, or s, S)-a box is a rectangle or square. Start by positioning one of the corners. Selecting a <d> will display the box as you move the cursor. Position box as desired and mark. <D> displays the box and it is copied into F7 automatically. <s> produces a rectangular series of dots at the color set by F8 in light, medium or dark shading. <S> functions the same as <D>. Center[Z]-(F5 a or m)-The center of an area or the center of mass of an object can be calculated. Circle-(F3 c)-circles are drawn by first marking the center and then the radius of the circle. Use <$> to match the screen aspect ratio your monitor and/or printer. <$> only effects circles drawn after a change and not already drawn circles. To change a circle once it is drawn use F1 Flip to compress the screen in the appropriate direction. Color-(F5 c,C and F8)-Three color palettes are available with three colors each plus a background color in medium resolution from the standard color board. . F5 <c> will toggle between the three. 15 unichrome colors are also available in medium resolution by selecting <C>. 15 colors in high resolution are also available with <c>. F8 will select the active color from a given palette for use. The current color is displayed on the prompt line as a number to the right of the appropriately colored box. Some actions are color specific. If the action does not seem to work it may be that the color is set wrong. Copy-(F7 c, C, or Ctrl-c)-Enclose area is copied into F7 buffer to be used with smear, move, etc. <C> copies area and allows user to save that portion of the screen on disk. Enter name of file including drive. No extension on the name will result in the program adding a .FIG. Partial screens or even entire screens can be saved this way and the resulting file can be transmitted over telephone lines without modification. Use (F7 o) to get old or previously copied areas onto the screen from the disk. A .PIC extension added to the name will save the enclosed portion of the drawing in a format compatible with many other graphics programs allowing interchange (the extension must be specified). A .BAS extension will save the copied area as a BASICA subroutine for use in user generated graphics programs. <Ctrl-c> copies the same size area as last copied without enclosing it in a box first. Cursor-(F6 c)-lines can be drawn with the cursor. The line color can be changed at will during drawing. Use F6 <e> to end and save to the screen. The entire cursor key pad can be used, thus 45 degree lines are possible. Delete File-see Kill. ..page Directory-(F10 d; F6 o,E; F7 o,C; F10 o,s,t)-the complete disk directory for any drive is found with F10 <d> followed by a single drive letter. Partial directories can be obtained with the other listed functions by entering the drive followed by a RETURN when asked for file name. Only those files that pertain to a given directive will be shown. To be able to use the partial directory capability be sure to let the program add the required extension except as noted. Dot-(F6 d)-single pixel dots are placed by marking the correct spot with a RETURN. F8 determines the color of the dot. Ellipse-(F3 e)-as with circles and arcs the ellipse is drawn by first marking its center. The horizontal radius and vertical radius must also be marked. The radius is marked by moving the cursor keys over and up. End-(F6 e or E)-With the exception of the arrows, all functions in F6 must be ended. <e> applies to all the functions, while <E> applies only to line. If a line drawing is ended with <E> the drawing is saved as a vector for later use. See Line and Vector. Erase-(F7 e or Alt-e)-to erase an area enclose it in a box as with copy. With <e> the area will be erased and saved to the F7 buffer for use with move, animate, etc. With <Alt-e> the area is erased but not saved. <e> will erase any portion up to the entire screen, while <Alt-e> is limited to small areas. Exit-(F1-f10 <n>; F10 <e>)-a function can be exited with <n>. The program is exited with F10 <e>. FIG-figures-see Copy. Flip-(F1 F)-flip has a variety of uses. Think of it as rotating the screen through an angle. This can be used to compress the image. Useful in matching completed screen to printer. Grid-(F1 g)-a grid made of dots can be placed or removed. User must specify the spacing between grid points. Use F8 to set color. A color of <0> will remove an existing grid. Keep-(k)-While putting a box around an object or drawing a circle the drawing is modified by the box. When the return is hit to complete the box the screen is first restored and then the action takes place. Sometimes the effect is desirable. While in the CURSOR MODE selecting <k> keeps the drawing as it is seen at that moment. Kill-(F10 k)-unwanted files can be removed from a disk by using kill and specifying the complete name. ..page Lines-(F6 l)-lines are drawn by marking successive end points with RETURN. As the line is drawn its length and angle are displayed on the prompt line. Lines are used to generate vector objects that can be saved and retrieved at a later time at any angle or scale. F6 <e> will save the line to the screen only. F6 <E> will save the line to the screen and to a user specified file as a vector. The object is saved with scaling so that when it is recalled it can be matched to the scale of the drawing in progress. Vectors are useful for flow chart symbols, or for other commonly used line objects were scale and angle are important. Use the <SPACE BAR> to temporarily suspend line drawing. Lines can also be drawn with F6 <c> (see Cursor). Mass[Z]-(F5 m)-the mass of an object and the center of mass can be calculated based on user supplied density parameters for each color. Measure-(m and M)-the scaled distance between two points can be measured by marking on end with a <m> and moving the cursor to the second point. The distance is displayed on the prompt line. Measure is always active and gives the radius of circles, the dimensions of boxes, and the length of lines. <M> moves the cursor to the last measured point. Merge-(F7 m)-two screens can be merged together as one. Start by loading (F10 old) the first screen into either Page 1 or Page 5. Switch to Page F7 and load the screen to be merged. Switch back to the first screen and put the cursor in the top left hand corner. Select F7 <m>, <M> or <Ctrl-m> for the desired result. Mirror-(F1 m, M)-objects can be mirrored using <m>. The entire screen can be mirrored either horizontally or vertically with <M>. Mode-(Shft-Tab)-two screen modes are available. Screen 2 is the high resolution mode and screen 1 is the medium and color mode. You can readily switch between the two to achieve desired results. Sometimes when an object is copied with F7 in one screen and moved into another screen the object will be distorted. Use <Ins> to adjust. Modify-(F5 m)-painted areas can be changed or modified to produce additional colors. Set F8 to the color you wish to modify. Select F5 <m> and define object in box. Set the new color to anything from 0-15. (A file called COLORBAR.PIC is on the program disk and can be viewed with F7 <o>.) See Change Color also. Move-(F7 m, M, Ctrl-m, Alt-m)-previously copied or erased areas can be moved to a new location. Use animate to aid in positioning. The four different syntaxes of move will produce different results. The correct one to use depends on the desired result. Experiment with the different moves to learn the results. Use move after animate, smear, and replicate. <Ctrl-m> is very useful in painting odd shaped objects with complex patterns. See Examples in earlier section for tips on using it. ..page Old-(F6 o,O; F7 o; F10 o)-previously saved vectors, objects and screens can be retrieved with old. In F6 vectors drawn with line and saved with <E>nd can be called up later for use. Any angle may be specified as may any scale. A RETURN will take the rotation as drawn and will fit the scale of the vector to the scale of the current drawing. <O> takes the last vector and allows the rotation and/or scale to be changed. After setting the scale the vector object can be moved across the screen and left in position with F7 <M>. Objects that where saved with F7 <C> can be recalled with <o>. They will appear at the same size as drawn and so may be out of scale. Be sure to specify the .PIC extension or the program will look for .FIG. F10 <o> is used to retrieve entire screens saved in F10 or saved in some other program. If a .DAT file accompanies the drawing the scale will be changed accordingly. Page-(Ctrl-Home,Ctrl-End,Ctrl-Pg Up,Ctrl-Pg Dn)-Multiple screens or pages are available. They can be used to draw objects larger than the screen or to use as temporary workspaces. There are two primary screens and two secondary screens. The primary screens are "connected" and can be scrolled using <Ctrl-Pg Up> and <Ctrl-Pg Dn> in quarter screen increments. <Ctrl-Home> and <Ctrl-End> toggle between the two screens. The last object copied can be viewed on page F7 by selecting <Ctrl-Pg Dn> from page #5. F1 Zoom will not change the drawing scale if used in Page F7. The 25th line or title line is available to be viewed or modified by selecting <Ctrl-Pg Dn> one more time. Paint-(F5 l or d; *C* p)-Objects can be painted with one of the four colors from the palette in the color mode or one of two colors in high resolution. The border color and the fill color must be specified. An incorrect border color or gaps in the border will cause the paint to leak out. If this happens be sure to respond no to the "Correct (y/n)?" prompt. See also Shading and Modify. Paintbrush-see Smear. Parallel-(F6 p)-parallel lines can be drawn at any angle by first marking one of the lines and then only marking one end point on all subsequent lines. Use F6 <e> to end the drawing of parallel lines and save the lines to the screen. PIC-extension used to specify format of partial screen save in F7. Print-(F10 p)-If a graphics screen dump program is loaded the screen can be dumped to a dot matrix printer using <PrtSc>. The print routine allows the 25th line to be positioned before printing with a title as desired. If you have an Okidata 92 select <o> when asked if you want to "Print screen" and follow prompts. (You don't need a graphics screen dump routine.) is possible to alter the size somewhat by first selecting in the CURSOR MODE. 8 is the default. Replicate-(F7 r, R, Ctrl-r, Alt-r)-Once an object is copied it can be moved and replicated. Each touch of the cursor will step the size of the object until moved with F7 <M>. This can be used for a variety of applications. The syntax of replicate is the same as smear and move. Retrieve file-see Old. Revolve-(F1 R)-three dimensional appearing objects can be created as objects of revolution by first drawing the cross section then revolving it. User sets number of steps and view angle. ..page Reverse video-see Video. Review[Z]-(F3 r)-Printer tables for zoom printing can be reviewed. Rotate-(F1 r, Alt r, Ctrl r; F6 o,O)-F1 can be used to rotate any object on the screen. The object may be rotated once or a multiple of times (steps). *C*-In the color mode <r> will rotate only the current active color as selected by F8, while <Alt-r> will rotate all colors within the defined region. Use F1 <a> to rotate an object again, without redefining it. F1 <Ctrl-r> will rotate the entire left portion of the screen 90 degrees, but beware there is a size limit to rotate and not all of the picture may be rotated. In F6 vector objects can be created and saved. Using <o> or <O> they can be called back and rotated to any angle. Save-(F6 E; F7 C; F10 s)-There are five different ways to save objects and screens. F6 <E> saves objects drawn with line as vectors (.VCT) to the disk for later use. F7 <C> saves objects or entire screens to the disk in one of three ways. See Copy for use. F10 is the common way to save a complete screen for later use. The screens are given a .SCN extension and are retrieved with F10 <o>. A second file is saved with a screen that gives its scaling if other then the default and has a .DAT extension. Each screen must be saved independently. SCN-screen-see Save and Old. Screen Aspect Ratio-($)-The screen aspect ratio can be varied for a variety of results. Select[Z]-(F3 s)-a printer can be selected from the available printer tables. Shade-(F2 s,S; F4 l, m, d, s)-various methods of shading the drawing are available. F2 <s> or <S> produces a rectangular pattern (see box). F4 will fill an irregular area with dots of the color set by F8. It may take several times to fill a very irregular area. F4 <s> spraypaints (see Spraypaint). Smear-(F7 s, S, Ctrl-s, Alt-s)-previously copied or erased objects can be smeared across the screen in one of four syntaxes. Among other uses this allows the creation of a paintbrush of sorts. The cursor speed determines the step of the smear. Like replicate the smear will continue until the object is moved place with F7 <M>. Speed-(F9; +; -)-Cursor speed, smear size, and animation speed are controlled by F8. Two standard default speeds are available 1 and 8. The speed can be set to alternate values by using the <+> and <-> keys. Cursor speed is displayed on the prompt line. Spoke-(F6 s)-spoked lines from a common center can be generated quickly, since the center is only marked once. Use F6 <e> to end drawing spoked lines. Spraypaint-(F4 s, Alt s)-previously drawn and painted areas can be spraypainted to produce 3D type shading. With the screen aspect ratio set to its normal values the spraypainting will produce a circular pattern. If <$> is selected and set to 0 (zero) the spraying directive can be used to shade a vertical column. ..page Template-(F6 o; F7 o; F10 t)-See Old , Lines, Copy, and End for discussion on the use of vectors and figures for templating purposes. F10 <t> allows another method of templating. Previously saved screens of symbols can be called onto the screen with template in much the same fashion as calling old screens. In the template mode the updating of the workspace is disabled. Objects on the template can be manipulated at will and then copied and moved with F7. Selelcting F10 <w> or <W> returns updating of workspace. If no name is specified for the template file the present screen or a fresh one may be used to create part of a drawing to be added to the working drawing. Text-(F6 t)-text is entered directly on the drawing. Two sizes of text are available directly. The size is determined by the screen mode. A very wide variety of text size and form can be created quickly and easily with F1 <z> and F7 <c>, <S>, and <M>. Update-(u or U)-updates the appropriate workspace with the current screen (see workspace). VCT-vectors-see Lines. Video-(F1 v)-A reversed video image is produced. Useful in printing certain screens. Workspace-(F10 w, W)-two separate workspaces are available to save screens while working (see Update). <w> corresponds to screen #1-4 and <W> corresponds to screen #5. Zoom-(F1 z, Z; F6 o,O)-Sizes of objects can be changed in three different ways. F1 <z> is used to either enlarge or shrink a defined object. F1 <Z> will reduce the the entire screen by any amount or expand the top left corner of the screen. Screen scaling is changed accordingly, if the page is set to #1-5, but will leave the present scale when used in Page F7. F6 <O>, <o> will allow a vector to be sized to fit the drawing or as desired.(see Old and Line) All three use the same convention of scaling. A number greater than one will shrink the object or screen. For example a factor of two will cut the object in half. A number less than one will enlarge objects. Zoom Print[Z]-(F4 z or Z)-<z> prints partial screens to a printer. <Z> prints the entire screen to the printer. Printing is done by characters and not graphics so virtually any printer can be used, provided a printer table is first created for that printer. The print size is set before printing as a number between 1 and 41. Beware that the printed result can be very very large. Start with low numbers and work your way up. This is very useful for printing banners and the like. ..page SLIDE SHOW The main menu program is also the slide show. The slide show allows you to show screens, objects and text in an organized timed manner. It even supports animation and music. Select Slide Show in main menu. The function keys are displayed on the bottom line of the screen. Select F1-Edit to create a slide show. The program prompts you for the name and then awaits the first command. The following list of commands can be used in editing the slide show: O-Overlay/old - Retrieves screens or objects created with DRAW or other graphics programs. If a .PIC extension is given it retrieves a file into an array that can be moved or animated. There are three arrays. Array #1 can handle files of 16K and less. Array #2 can hold a 9k file and Array #3 can hold an 7k file or smaller. B-Background - Sets the background (0-32) C-Color - sets the color palette to use. M-Move - Puts an object on the screen at the specified location. Must first be loaded with O. A-Animate - Allows an array to be moved across the screen at the desired rate. The object should be moved first to the start position. F-Fresh Screen - clears screen. T-Text - allows text to be entered on the screen. User must provide row and column information for the start of the text. If a <C> is entered for the column the text will be centered. "*" are provide to indicate screen size. W-Wait - stops slide show execution and provides prompt to user while waiting for a key to be hit before continuing. Q-Question - Questions can be asked on the screen and the program will wait while for the response and check if correct or incorrect. L-Link - slide shows can be chained/linked together to create shows of infinite length. P-Play - music can be added through note strings using Microsoft's Music Macro Language. Note that Play will alter the timing. V-Visual horizon - sets horizon. Objects that are moved below the horizon will not be seen. R-Reset-resets timer to zero. Use when linking to another file. H-Help - displays command choices. X-eXit - exits edit. Slide show is first ordered to remove missing statements and to arrange events by time. D-Delete - deletes given line number. The slide show can be as simple as a sequence of screens or as complex as a test. Start simple and expand as you learn it. ..page USER-SUPPORTED SOFTWARE This software is being distributed under the User-Supported Concept. Individuals, clubs and other non-profit organizations are encouraged to copy this software and documention and distribute it to members and friends, provided no price other than the cost of a diskette is charged, the receiver is informed of the User-Supported Software concept and encouraged to participate, and the program and documentation are not modified in any way and they are distributed together. If an individual finds the program of use, he is trusted to send in a $70 payment to: Edward H. Kidera IV P.O. Box 595 Columbia, MD 21045-0595 If the software is not of use to you, you should discontinue its use, but please pass it along to friends for their evaluation. If you create any screens that you feel will be a particular use to others, please send in a copy for evaluation. A swap list of screen libraries will be created and sent to registered users on a periodic basis. Registered owners will receive periodic updates for a minimal charge and will receive a phone number for fast response to questions. I have many future improvements and companion programs planned. Please support my effort by registering. Updates to registered users will never be more than $10.00, no matter how substaintial the change is. IBM PC,XT (tm) are trademarks of International Business Machines, EPSON(tm) is a trademark of Epson America, Inc., Plug'N Play(tm) and Okidata(tm) are the trademarks of Okidata, Columbia MPC/VP are the trademarks of Columbia Data Products.