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F L I C K E R Version 2.1 ________________________ | | | A SOFTWARE PACKAGE FOR | | PRESENTATION GRAPHICS | |________________________| by Brian J. Dooley -- Documentation -- Copyright 1985, 1986 by Brian J. Dooley. All Rights Reserved. Table of Contents Introduction..................................2 Previous Versions.............................2 Overview......................................2 Starting the Program..........................3 Processing Modes..............................5 Modes........................................5 Command Line................................5 Run.........................................5 File Format................................5 Break Key..................................5 Edit Mode...................................5 Edit Keys..................................6 Function Keys..............................6 Box Edit Mode..............................6 Work Screen.................................6 Colors........................................7 The Commands..................................7 Controls ....................................8 @LABEL......................................8 CHAIN.......................................8 DELAY.......................................8 FRAME.......................................8 GOSUB.......................................8 LOOP........................................8 ONKEY.......................................8 RETURN......................................9 File Routines................................9 SQUEEZE.....................................9 UNSQUEEZE...................................9 WRITE.......................................9 Music .......................................9 PLAY........................................9 Screen......................................10 CLEAR......................................10 COLOR......................................10 DOWN.......................................10 LEFT.......................................10 MERGE......................................10 REVERSE....................................10 RIGHT......................................10 SHOW.......................................10 UP.........................................11 WINDOW.....................................11 ZOOM.......................................11 Screen Write................................11 BOX........................................11 CIRCLE.....................................11 CUT........................................11 LINE.......................................11 PASTE......................................12 PATTERN....................................12 Text Entry .................................12 C=.........................................12 T=.........................................12 TD=........................................12 TEXT.......................................12 FONT.......................................12 Wipes ......................................13 CENTEROUT..................................13 DIAGONAL...................................13 DISSOLVE...................................13 WIPE.......................................13 Capabilities ................................14 Use in Different Environments...............14 In-Store Displays..........................14 Business Presentations.....................15 Training Presentations.....................15 Effects.....................................16 Animation..................................16 Banners....................................16 Text and Characters........................17 Sequence Planning...........................17 Presentation Frames........................17 Care in Preparation..........................18 Technical Notes .............................18 User Supported Software......................18 FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley I n t r o d u c t i o n The FLICKER program is a command file processor for graphics presentations. It is provided on an as-is basis through the user-supported software concept, as described later in this manual. No warranties, either expressed or implied, are made regarding the functioning of this product in a given setting. To use this software, you need the following equipment: An IBM PC or close compatible 128K+ memory A Graphics Board and suitable monitor The following accessories will make this program more useful: A word-processing program capable of generating ASCII text A graphics creation program capable of creating binary image files. P r e v i o u s V e r s i o n s Those who have participated in the development of this program will recognize it as PRESENT. A name change became necessary when it was found that another user-supported software package with that name was being uploaded to BBS systems shortly after this program became available. We hope that the name change has not caused any confusion. You may also find the new name quite appropriate. Version 2 has been somewhat long in coming, due to its ambitious specifica- tions. The first difference thatyou will note is that the program itself is over twice as large! The new, interactive edit capability (Edit Mode) makes it much easier to set parameters for screen placement and also makes it a treat to build screens with the new drawing and text commands; not only can you "unerase", but you can go back and alter the drawing commands themselves before creating a file. For the most part, FLICKER is compatible with PRESENT 1. Line numbers may be used in place of labels in files, for example. Check your syntax, though. And, while you're at it, check out the many new commands. -- 1 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley O v e r v i e w The FLICKER program is a graphics command processor. Its primary function is to provide a means for creating sequences of images and sound that may be used for store displays, for instruction, or for business (or other) presentations. In its current form, the program does contain limited facilities for creation of image files. These features augment the basic dis- play functions to create interesting effects not possible in most "slideshow" presentation systems. FLICKER reads image files which have been created using the popular BSAVE format, as specified in Microsoft Basic. Many graphics packages capable of creating and saving graphics in this format exist; to date, there have been few attempts to create a system for using these files in a sophisticated presentation. FLICKER can also compress files to save space, and these files can be read with ordinary processing commands. The functions of FLICKER are more easily understood when com- pared with a slide show. In this context, the ordinary graphics program is the camera--it creates a slide, consisting of a single image. FLICKER acts as a projector, allowing these slides to be linked together in a single presentation. FLICKER allows you to be creative after your images have been made. Functions that are supported include the following: Interactive Edit--you can create your FLICKER scripts and execute them at the same time. Limited Animation--rapid movement between screens can make the image appear to be animated. Zoom Capability--you can zoom in on any area of the screen, en larging it to 2x its original size. -- 2 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Windowing--you can shrink an image to half its size and place it on the screen in any location; in fact, you can place as many such reduction windows on a screen as you want. Merge--you can merge two graphics screens into each other, to create an overlay effect. Horizontal Scroll--you can scroll left or right to create banner- like effects. Vertical Scroll--you can scroll up or down to present a con tinuously rolling "sheet". Looping--you can create loops of a given number of passes (like FOR--NEXT in Basic). Key Trapping--you can make a given action dependent upon the operator's pressing of a key. Full Color Flexibility--you can change background colors and foreground palettes at will. Frame Sequencing--you can create sequences (including action) which can be switched forward and backwards on key. Reverse--you can reverse the background and foreground colors. Text entry--from within your command file, or from a separate AS CII text file, in several different typestyles. Drawing--you can actually draw lines, circles and boxes on screen from your command file. -- 3 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Wipes and Patterns--you can create interesting color textures on screen, and have the new screen open out from the sides, top, diagonal, or center. Cut and Paste--you can cut parts of screens, save them, and paste them onto other screens for animated effects. This can all be done from within your command file. Chaining, subroutines...and more--now you can keep a library of effects, and draw it into your present program...or reuse effects within your program. These effects are all obtainable because FLICKER allows you to create the program. It operates on a text "script" that you create by using a simple and easily understandable 'language'. The script can easily be changed through the interactive edit capabilities provided, or through use of any ASCII text editor. The new, in- teractive edit capability allows you to create screens and test them from within the program itself--then write them to command files that will run when you run the program. S t a r t i n g t h e P r o g r a m There are several methods for starting and using FLICKER, as described under the various available operating modes. The basic method is to call the program from DOS. To run the demo, place the FLICKER disk in your A drive. Enter FLICKER DEMO at the A> prompt. The demo will run from the Demo command file from start to stop, then return to DOS. This this will provide a good overview of the program. To create your own command files and screens, however, you need to get to the Edit screen. From DOS, enter FLICKER. This will call the "WorkScreen" to ap- ppear. The -- 4 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley WorkScreen is FLICKER's basic entry screen; it is used to move between edit and run modes, and obtain directories. Get the directory of your A drive, and check to see that you have FLICKER.HLP available. Now, type E. This will bring you into the Edit mode. The Edit mode is easy to recognize because it has a number (1, in this case) on the lower left edge of the screen, and a question mark followed by a dash on the second last line. This is the command line; the dash is a partial cur- sor. Now, press the F1 key. This will call the help screen. Since no commands have been entered, the screen showing the command list and keys will appear. Pressing any key will now return you to where you were in the Edit Mode. Try typing a command such as SHOW PIC1. Press the return (enter) key. The FLICKER logo screen will appear, and the instruction pointer in the lower left corner will display a two. Now enter WINDOW. Press the F1 key, and you will see a complete description of how the WINDOW command is used. Press any key to continue. You should now be back in the Edit Mode, with the WINDOW com- mand showing. WINDOW is a command that permits use of the Box Edit mode to accurately place your images. Press the F4 key. A large rec- tangle will appear; you can move this to the location where you want the image to appear with the cursor keys. Now, press the 'C' character key. The box marker will change color. This is useful when you are working on a screen that is mostly in a single foreground color. When you have found a suitable loca- tion, press F4 again. Numbers will appear after WINDOW, accord- ing to the syntax of that command. Press enter, and the current screen image will be reduced and placed in that location. Some Box Edit commands (CUT and the drawing commands) require another press of the F4 key. In these cases, you select one location by moving the marker to the first location, press F4, and move a second marker to a second location. Pressing F4 a third time then returns you to the Command Line as before. Press the F9 key--the previous command entered will appear. You can advance to the next command with the F10 key. The F7 key deletes the current line; the F8 key inserts a new line. The F6 -- 5 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley In using this processor, you will find that the capability to go back a few lines and manually change parameters is most helpful. You can also use the CHAIN command within edit mode, providing a simple method of maintaining a library of drawings. Other useful keys within the edit mode are the Pg Up, Pg Dn, Home, and End keys on the cursor pad. Pg Up copies a command line, and Pg Dn places it. This permits multiple entries of a single command; simply type in the command, enter it, and press Pg Dn to copy it to the next line. Pressing the Home key results in a request for a line number to go to. This is chiefly useful when dealing with large files. The End key erases the current screen. Commands can be entered and saved in memory without execution by pressing the Ctrl (control) key and, while it is still down, pressing the enter key. This will also move you to the next line for further commnd entry. Command files can be read and written within the Edit Mode by using the F6 and F2 keys. When you press F2, you will be prompted with a request for a command file to be read. Enter Demo. The Demo file will now be in memory. You can work with this file, making changes with the bottom function keys (F7,F8,F9,F10) and entering new commands. To save the new (changed) file, press the F5 key. You will be prompted for the name of the file to be written. Enter demo2. You have now created a FLICKER script, which may be used just as you originally called the Demo file from DOS; or, you may return to the WorkScreen and run it by specifying Run; or, you can run it directly from the Edit Mode by pressing F6. F6 is generally used to check command files before writing them to memory, so that you can make any necessary changes. To leave the Edit Mode, press the Control key (Ctrl). Withou releasing this key, press the END key (the '1' key on the numeric keypad). Since you started FLICKER from the WorkScreen, this will return you to the WorkScreen. From the WorkScreen, you can return to DOS by typing 'Q'; run a command file by pressing 'R'; obtain a directory by entering 'D' followed by the size (s) or time (t) -- 6 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley P r o c e s s i n g M o d e s FLICKER is equipped with a variety of processing modes that provide the user with considerable flexibility in creating and executing scripts. The basic modes are Command Line, Work Screen, Run and Edit. Command Line processing generally provides faster processing, and is suitable for short command sequences or to make quick changes in a file. The Work Screen mode is the "normal" mode; it permits movement to Run and Edit modes, provides various services, and retains files in memory after processing. The Run mode is actually a variation of the Command Line mode, and described in that section--it is used for final execution of a program file; it processes the file and simply returns to DOS. The Edit mode permits you to change and execute program files in memory. Modes Command Line Several processing types can be specified at the com- mand line (from DOS) by making entries after the program name: FLICKER filename : Runs a command file immediately. FLICKER *EDIT : Opens program in Edit Mode. FLICKER *command;command : Executes commands (128 chars). -ALL Command Line options return to DOS; no file is created. Run Run Mode may be specified from the Command Line (FLICKER filename) or from the Work Screen. In this mode, the command file is simply processed as-is. File Format -- 7 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley All FLICKER command files are straight ASCII text. Nor mally, commands are entered one per line, in upper or lower case letters. For files used in the Run Mode, it is also possible to separate commands with a semi- colon-- except after the last entry on a line. This is par ticularly convenient if labels are used (@label; show b:filename). Break Key Ctrl-Break key or Control-C halt processing of command file. Edit Mode Edit Mode permits entry, storage and execution of commands. A complete set of function keys is provided for these func- tions. From Edit Mode, you can move to Box Edit Mode to place picture items on screen (F4). Edit Mode dis- plays a command entry line near the bottom of the screen. The number of the current line is listed directly below. Edit Keys The following keys function only in Edit Mode: <Return> : Executes command, rgisters it, -- 8 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley to next line if not FRAME, ONKEY, or GOSUB. <Ctrl-Return>: Registers command without ex- ecuting, moves to next. <Ctrl-End> : Exits to Work Screen if in Workscreen mode, or to DOS if Edit Mode was entered from DOS. <INS> : Inserts characters without overwrite (toggle). <DEL> : Deletes character at current position. cursor right, left : Move edit position on line. <Backspace> : Deletes characters backwards. C key : in Box Edit, changes box color on press of cursor keys. Function Keys The following function keys are active in Edit Mode: F1 : Help F2 : Read Command File F3 : Clear Memory F4 : Box Edit switch F5 : Write Memory to File F6 : Run File in Memory F7 : Delete Current Line F8 : Insert Line F9 : Go to Previous Line F10 : Go to Next Line <Home> : Go To Line <End> : Clear Screen <Pg Up> : Copy Line <Pg Dn>: Place Copy <Ins> : Box Cursor Toggle (Box Mode Only 1- 10) -- 9 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Box Edit Mode Box Edit operates within the Edit Mode, when F4 is pressed and the command line contains one of the following: CUT, PASTE, WINDOW, ZOOM, BOX, CIRCLE, LINE, T=, TD=, C=. A box of the appropriate side ap- pears in the upper left corner. This may be moved by cursor keys (including diagonals). Toggle the Box Cursor be- tween 1 and 10 with the <Ins> key. For some commands, two loca tions are specified (switch with F4). When the location(s) have been marked on the screen, F4 is pressed again. This places the appropriate parameters on the command line for entry (or further editing) in Edit Mode. Only the first part of the command need be typed before pressing F4 : t=Flicker <F4> places x/y parameters on command line--T=FLICKER 20/20--according location in dicated. Work Screen The Work Screen is the normal first screen if FLICKER is run without command line parameters. This screen provides direc- tory services with size and time (s, t, st, or nothing). If Work Screen Mode is on (i.e., you started from this screen), termination (end of file, Ctrl-End, or Ctrl-Break) return -- 10 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley to Work Screen, with current file in memory. C o l o r s Many of the commands used in FLICKER make reference to numbers specifying color palettes and foreground and background colors. The num- bers used corre spond to the normal PC color scheme of four palettes specifying foreground groups of 4 colors each, and 16 background colors. Following are all color codes available: Palette Foreground Codes --------------------------------------------------------------- -------- 0 1 2 3 -------------------------------------------------------- 0 Background Green Red Brown 1 " Cyan Magenta Light Gray 2 " Light Green Light Red Yellow 3 " Light Cyan Light Magenta White --------------------------------------------------------------- --------- Background Codes 0 Black 1 Blue 2 Green 3 Cyan 4 Red 5 Magenta 6 Brown 7 Light Gray 8 Dark Gray 9 Light Blue 10 Light Green 11 Light Cyan 12 Light Red 13 Lgt Magenta 14 Yellow 15 White Table 1. Standard Color Codes When a single color is specified, it is generally the foregound. The actual color produced by the code is dependent -- 11 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley T h e C o m m a n d s In all cases, upper or lower case characters may be used. Each command must be placed on a separate line, followed by up to two parameters. A single space suffices to separate parameters and commands. The FLICKER command set provides a wide variety of functions for use in display and creation of presentation graphics sequences. For convenience, these commands may be broken down into the following general groups: Controls: Commands that provide program flow con- trol, such as processing halts, delays, subroutines, file chain ing, etc. File Routines: Commands used to process files and per- form such tasks as file writing, file 'squeezing' and 'unsqueezing'. Music: Commands used to play music files from FLICKER. Screen: Commands used for processing screens, such as directional movement, merge, reverse, etc. Screen Write: Commands used to draw boxes, lines and circles and create patterns on screen. Text Entry: Commands used to enter text or charac- ters on the screen, either directly, or from files. Wipes: Commands used to bring new screens into -- 12 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley a wiping motion (i.e., rather than moving the old screen out). All of these commands and functions are described alphabeti- cally below for convenience. --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Controls @LABEL Syntax : @label Used with ONKEY, LOOP, GOSUB commands. A label is placed on line to indicate a processing location (@thisplace). CHAIN Syntax : chain filename Transfers control to chained command file, then returns to next line. This allows previously created routines to be called from within command file. DELAY Syntax : delay n Halts processing for n milliseconds. FRAME Syntax : frame Halts display until + or - keys are hit. The + key con- tinues processing at next line; the - key resumes processing at -- 13 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley line after previous frame command. This command is used to create 'slide sequences' (which may include action) that can be reviewed or move forward. GOSUB Syntax : gosub @label Goes to subroutine referenced by label, and returns to next line when RETURN command is encountered. LOOP Syntax : loop @label n Actually, a goto statement. Line number may be substituted for label. Processing returns to indicated line, n times if n parameter is included (otherwise, always). ONKEY Syntax : onkey @label p A line number may be substitute for label. Any ASCII string prefaced by @ can be used as a label, and placed on line to move to. Default without label or line number holds pro- cessing until parameter (letter) key is pressed. With line number or label, processing moves to indicated line if letter, and there is no hold (i.e., must be used in loop). Use of ONKEY with no parameters holds till any key is pressed. RETURN Syntax : return Returns processing to next line at end of subroutine (GOSUB command). -- 14 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ File Routines SQUEEZE Syntax : squeeze filename1 filename2 Compresses file1 (filename1) and places results in file2 (filename2). UNSQUEEZE Syntax : unsqueeze filename1 filename2 Takes compressed file1 (filename1) and expands it to nor- mal picture file size, placing the result in file2 (filename2). All picture file commands (SHOW, LEFT, etc.) recognize squeezed files and process them to screen, but there is a delay for processing. WRITE Syntax : write filename Writes current screen to file indicated by filename. --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Music PLAY Syntax : play filename -- 15 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Plays music file (filename). Processing does not continue while music plays. Files can be created with BLUES public domain music program. If a music file generator is not available, an ASCII file with the following format will do: 1 note per line, followed by a return. tempo duration (inverse) / / // 12345678901 \ \\ \ note, and suffix (A#,Ab) octave (1-8) --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Screen CLEAR Syntax : clear Clears current screen and all screen buffers. COLOR Syntax : color n m Turns on palette n, background color m. Changes colors of current screen. -- 16 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley DOWN Syntax : down filename Moves the specified file (filename) onto the screen from the top while moving the existing screen off the bottom. Use- ful for creating moving banners. LEFT Syntax : left filename Moves the specified file (filename) onto the screen from the right, while moving the existing screen off the left. Use- ful for creating moving banners. MERGE Syntax : merge filename Merges file (filename) into current screen, using logical OR statements. REVERSE Syntax : reverse Takes current screen and reverses all colors. RIGHT Syntax : right filename Moves the specified file (filename) onto the screen from the left, while moving the existing screen off the right. Use- -- 17 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley for creating moving banners. SHOW Syntax : show filename n Brings file (filename) onto screen, holding it there for n milliseconds in addition to processing time. Default, with n not entered, is 2000 (2 seconds). UP Syntax : up filename Moves the specified file (filename) onto the screen from the bottom, while moving the existing screen off the top. Use- ful for creating moving banners. WINDOW Syntax : window filename x/y Shrinks file (filename) to one half its size, and places results in quarter of current screen whose upper left hand corner is x/y. window x/y (no filename) shrinks current screen and places it at specific location in current screen. ZOOM Syntax : zoom filename x/y Expands the quarter of file (filename) whose upper left corner is at location x/y (i.e., 10/20), and writes -- 18 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley to the screen. zoom x/y (no filename) zooms current screen from location specified and writes result to current screen. --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Screen Write BOX Syntax : boxn x1/y1 x2/y2 Writes box on screen in color indicated by n (box1=color 1), where x1/y1 is the upper left corner, and x2/y2 is lower right corner (360 x 200 matrix). CIRCLE Syntax : circlen x1/y1 x2/y2 Writes circle on screen in color indicated by n (circle1 = color 1) where x1/y1 is the upper left, and x2/y2 is lower right end of circle's diameter (360 x 200 matrix). CUT Syntax : cut filename x1/y1/x2/y2 Cuts a portion from current screen, with upper left corner at x1/y1 and lower right at x2/y2. Writes result to file (filename). Cut files are retrieved only with PASTE com- mand. Uses 80 x 100 matrix. LINE Syntax : linen x1/y1 x2/y2 -- 19 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Writes line on screen in color indicated by n (line1 = color 1) where x1/y1 is the upper left, and x2/y2 is lower right (360 x 200 matrix). PASTE Syntax : paste filename x/y Paste file (filename) formerly created with CUT command to location pointed to by x/y (upper left corner). Uses 80 x 100 matrix. PATTERN Syntax : pattern nnnn mmmm Writes pattern of colors to screen, where each parameter (m, n) is a color between 0 and 3. Patterns are on alternate lines, across screen (n above) as follows: pattern 1203 3132 = 1203120312031203... 3132313231323132... (colors) --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Text Entry C= Syntax : c=n m x/y Writes ASCII character number n to screen at x/y location in color m, at screen location x/y (40 x 25 matrix). T= Syntax : t=word n x/y Writes character string (word) to current screen in color n, left to right from location x/y (40 x 25 matrix). -- 20 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley TD= Syntax : td=word n x/y Works like T= command, only text goes down instead of left to right. TEXT Syntax : text filename n Writes ASCII file (filename) to screen in color n. The text file can be created by any editor producing ASCII format, and should be no more than 40 characters across and 24 lines down. FONT Syntax : font fontname Calls font specified by fontname. When a font is called, text commands write in that font (Text, T=, TD=). Avail- able fonts are NORMAL, SANSERIF, and GOTHIC. Normal calls the standard color graphics character set, and extended characters (over ASCII 128) are available with C=; the other fonts eliminate the special ASCII characters. --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Wipes CENTEROUT Syntax : centerout filename -- 21 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Brings file (filename) into current screen, all directions from center. DIAGONAL Syntax : diagonalp filename Works like WIPE command, only files enter from corners and move in diagonally. The parameter (p) specifies the corner numerically, clockwise from upper left (diagonal1, diagonal2 diagonal3, diagonal4). DISSOLVE Syntax : dissolve filename Dissolves current screen, and writes file (filename) to screen. WIPE Syntax : wipeu filename Brings file (filename) into current screen, in direction indicated by parameter (p). The following parameters may be used : U = up, D = down, L = left, R = right (wipeu, wiped, wipel, wiper). --------------------------------------------------------------- ------ -- 22 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley C a p a b i l i t i e s Use in Different Environments FLICKER contains special features for use in specific environ- ments. In writing a FLICKER script, you should focus upon the types of effects that will be most useful in the intended con- text. In-Store Displays Store displays using FLICKER can be particularly effective. In this environment, the loop command is particularly useful. A com- plete script can be written using the absolute looping function (LOOP 1) at the end. Once the presentation is finished, it will then begin again at the first line, and run continuously. Within the absolute loop, numbered loops can be used to provide animation, or to repeat information screens. An in-store display for a software store, for example, might begin with a banner identifying the store: show file1 0 left file2 left file3 It might then go on to show a screen depicting the names of popular products available in the store: show file4 show file5 The last screen could be emphasized through rapid shifts through colors and backgrounds: color 5 3 delay 100 color 4 2 delay 100 color 0 1 -- 23 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Pictures of various product types (icons) could be shown in the four quadrants of a screen; each quadrant could then be zoomed for emphasis: show file6 zoom 0 0 zoom 40 0 zoom 0 50 zoom 40 50 An animation effect could then be created to demonstrate, say communications between two terminals using a popular communica- tions package: @mark show d:file7 0 show d:file8 0 show d:file9 0 loop @mark 3 (d: is assumed to be a RAM drive, line 16 is the first line in this sequence) This could be followed by a final screen, some concluding music, and a return to line1 : show file10 0 play starspang loop @top Business Presentations Business presentation require a somewhat different type of script. Here, the primary command used is the Frame command. This is important, because it allows review of material covered previously. Most business presentations will also rely heavily upon charts and graphs, which may be created by saving screens from integrated programs -- 24 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley A business presentation may begin with a title screen, followed shortly by an extended list of the points to be covered, within a frame context: frame show file1 up file2 up file3 frame In this case, file1 contains the introductory material--who is presenting, and what the presentation is about. Files 2 and 3 contain points that are to be covered. The presentation begins when the presenter presses the '+' key, and stops with file3 on screen until '+' is pressed again. Next, the presenter may wish to show a chart of business ac- tivities, as created by a business graphics or integrated spreadsheet program. Because these graphs are small, he (or she) may wish to switch to an enlargement--as a separate frame: show file3 frame zoom 30,50 frame This allows the audience to view a selected portion of the chart in greater detail. Next, the presenter may wish to show a frame that con- tains an extended bar chart--two screens across: show file5 left file6 frame The presenter may then wish to reiterate initial points--this time, without the scroll: show file2 frame show file3 frame -- 25 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Of course, colors could be changed during the presentation, specific points could be zoomed in upon (provided they occupied quadrants of the screen), and some animation effects could be used. Training Presentations FLICKER can be particularly useful in training presentations, because it allows actions to be demonstrated on screen, in ad- dition to providing capability to show a set of graphic screens. As with business presentations, training presentations are mainly dependent upon the frame command, which allows switching back and forth between screens. Within training frames, animation effects can be used to demonstrate effects of actions. A helpful feature here is the Onkey command, which allows switching to the next screen--within a frame--either on any key being pressed, or on the pressing of a specific key. Therefore, a demonstration of spreadsheet usage may contain 3 screens, each one showing effects of an action. Present's screen creation is very fast, so pressing a key makes it appear as though that key is directly responsible for an entry on the screen: frame show file1 0 onkey show file2 0 onkey show file3 0 frame The Onkey command can also be made dependent upon entry of a specific letter, but this feature is only really relevant in special cases--such as in an interactive system, where pressing the letter specifying the correct answer results in continua- tion of the program. Effects Many interesting effects are available through creative use of -- 26 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley commands. Some of these effects are built into the system. Fol- lowing are sample scripts to produce special effects. Animation Animation is best done by placing the graphics files that you will be using on a RAM disk; the effect works when floppy or hard disks are used, but it tends to be slow. An animation script appears as follows: @top show file1 0 show file2 0 show file3 0 show file4 0 loop @top 10 The show commands indicate that each file is to be shown for 0 milliseconds; the sequence is then looped through 10 times. Files 1-4 contain images which, when shown rapidly in sequence, create an animation effect. The CUT and PASTE commands can also be used for animation. In this case, CUT the figure, leaving some background space opposite the direction of movement. then, simply paste the figure repeatedly across the screen. Banners Interesting banners of any length can be created. To develop a banner, use your graphics program to write large letters on the screen; take the letters as close as possible to the right edge of the screen and continue the banner on the next screen: ______ ______ ______ | || || | | GRA||PHICS || | | PRESE||NTATIO||N | |______||______||______| screen screen screen 1 2 3 To show the banner, the following script would be used: -- 27 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley show file1 0 left file2 left file3 This brings up file1 (screen 1) for the minimal period of time, then scrolls in screens (files) 2 and 3 from right to left. Text and Characters FLICKER provides several interesting ways of entering text. Three fonts, and numerous additional characters are available. If you are in the NORMAL (default) character set, you can access the complete PC ASCII extended character set. Non- al- phabetic characters may be entered by using the C= command, or by specifying the character within the T= command string. In the latter case, the lower ASCII characters can be specified by using a Ctrl-alphabetic key combination, or by using the DOS alt-cursor key combination. The latter method is also useful for entering upper range ASCII characters, including the spe- cial borders. To use the Alt key, first press Alt; while this key is pressed, press keys on the numeric keypad that cor- respond to the number of the character required (Alt 123, for example). Let up the Alt key, and the specified character will appear. The SANSERIF and GOTHIC fonts are provided for use in creating interesting displays. These can be called by using the FONT command. Once a font is specified, it is applied to all text entry routines until the next font is called. When using SAN- SERIF and GOTHIC, the special ASCII characters are not avail- able. Sequence Planning To plan FLICKER sequences, you can write a script that shows several screens at once, through use of the Window command. Thus, the following script: screen off show file1 window 0 0 -- 28 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley show file2 window 40 1 show file3 window 40 50 show file4 window 0 50 This short script places the four screens specified at each quadrant of the screen, in clockwise direction. This feature can aid in plan- ning placement of screens within a presentation sequence. The screen off feature is important, because in this case, the show command is used simply to get the required screen. If the screen were on, each show command would overlay the existing screen, and windowing would be lost. Presentation Frames The Frame command is most helpful when it is used to organize presentation material. In writing scripts for a presentation, you will find it best to offset the Frame command slightly from the rest of the com- mands, for easy identification of sequences: frame show file1 frame show file2 0 left file3 left file4 frame clear color 1 3 show file5 frame By allowing movement backwards and forwards between sequences ('+' and '-' keys), the frame command also allows you to go back and review material within a presentation. Such repetition works effec- tively as an aid to recall (show-explain-show). -- 29 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley C a r e i n P r e p a r a t i o n It is important to bear in mind that the FLICKER program is merely a tool. It is easy to get carried away with computer graphics, because they are fun to create and provide many in- teresting possibilities. FLICKER will contribute to graphics flexibility by providing a powerful projector for image files. In preparing a presentation, always remember that you are at- tempting to make a point--whether it be for sales, for train- ing, or for a business report. The point, not the graphics, must come first. This means that effects should not be used simply to "wow" the audience. There must be a reason for each screen used, and sufficient supporting material to make the point. T e c h n i c a l N o t e s FLICKER uses graphics files that have been created in the BSAVE format used with Microsoft Basic. In this format, the screen is essentially dumped into a file, which is about 16K in length (there are variations). Graphics programs generally permit this as an op- tion, though it may not be their standard method of saving files. To identify a BSAVE file, simply look for a picture file of 16K or more, since BSAVE options tend to create relatively long files of a standard length. Although it does tend to take up a lot of space, the BSAVE for- mat was used to speed execution and provide immediate (rather than drawn) screens. This was necessary due to the intensive processing required for many of the FLICKER functions. The built-in file compression functions will enable you to use fewer disks, but unsqueezing a file does take time--so you should continue to use BSAVE files where speed is essential. All animation sequence files should be kept on a RAM disk. Use of a RAM disk provides negligible speed advantages for other functions, since they are processor dependent. The maximum number of command lines that can be included in a FLICKER script is 450; the maximum number of loops is 100; the -- 30 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley For those who work within an operating system environment such as TopView or Gem, it should be noted that this program writes directly to screen memory. The speed and effects required made this absolutely necessary. U s e r S u p p o r t e d S o f t w a r e FLICKER is distributed under the user supported software con- cept. This means that you are encouraged to copy and distribute this program to others, with the sole proviso that this message be included. If you find this program useful, we request that you send a check for $25 to the following address: BRIAN J. DOOLEY 14 Northgate Village Burlington, NJ 08016 A contribution of this amount will entitle you to support, notices of new releases, and insure that development of this much-needed software will continue. In some cases, source code will also be released. To register your copy, complete the following form: Name __________________________________ Phone ____________________ Company __________________________________ Address __________________________________ City ___________________ State ______________ Zip _______________ To guide us in enhancing this software, please also answer the following questions: -- 31 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley 1.) In what setting is FLICKER being used ? (Personal, Institutional) _______________________________________________________________ 2.) What form of presentation is FLICKER supporting ? (training, educational, in-store display, trade show, etc.) _______________________________________________________________ 3.) What software are you using to create your FLICKER image files ? _______________________________________________________________ 4.) Are you using the music function ? _______________________________________________________________ 5.) What type of plotter/printer do you use? _______________________________________________________________ 6.) Do you use an enhanced graphics card ? If so, which one ? _______________________________________________________________ 7.) What features do you feel we should add to this program ? _______________________________________________________________ -- 32 -- FLICKER Documentation by Brian J. Dooley Thank you. We hope that you enjoy FLICKER, and look forward to serving your needs in future. ------------------------------------------------------------ This disk copy provided as a service of The Public (Software) Library the software library of The Houston Area League of PC Users For a copy of the latest monthly software library newsletter and a list of the 600+ disks in the library, call or write The Public (Software) Library P.O.Box 35705 Houston, TX 77235-5705 (713) 721-6104 Newsletter subscriptions are available for $12 a year. -- 33 --