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i Contents Legal notices 1 Program warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 U.S. Government restricted rights . . . . . . . . 2 Evaluation copies 3 Disk vendors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Bulletin board operators (sysops) . . . . . . . . 3 Colleges & teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Registering Lecture 4 Volume discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Site licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Reseller discounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Part 1: Getting started Chapter 1: What is Lecture? 7 Chapter 2: Installation 8 2.1 Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2.2 Setting up Lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2.3 Command line summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Part 2: Using Lecture Chapter 3: Presenting a lecture 10 3.1 Start a presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.2 Flip slides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.3 Automated lectures . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3.4 Lecture messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.5 Lecture noises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.6 Repeat a lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.7 Save window settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3.8 Terminate Lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Chapter 4: Developing a lecture 12 4.1 Advanced concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.1.1 Title screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4.1.2 Initialization file . . . . . . . . . . 12 Chapter 5: Lecture file commands 13 5.1 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 5.2 Command lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 5.3 Command syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 5.3.1 ACCEPT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ii 5.3.2 AUTOSHOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.3.3 BEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 5.3.4 COLORBACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5.3.5 COLORMASTERTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5.3.6 COLORPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 5.3.7 COLORSUBTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5.3.8 COLORTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 5.3.9 COMMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5.3.10 FONTMASTERTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 5.3.11 FONTPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5.3.12 FONTSUBTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 5.3.13 FONTTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5.3.14 ICONIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5.3.15 IGNORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5.3.16 MASTERTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5.3.17 MESSAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5.3.18 MESSAGETITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 5.3.19 MINVERSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5.3.20 POINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 5.3.21 RUNFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5.3.22 SAMEPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5.3.23 SHOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5.3.24 SHOWANDSAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5.3.25 SUBPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 5.3.26 SUBSUBPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 5.3.27 SUBSUBSUBPOINT . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 5.3.28 SUBTITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 5.3.29 TITLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 5.3.30 TOTALPOINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 5.3.31 UNCOMMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5.3.32 UNICONIZE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 5.3.33 UNZOOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 5.3.34 WAIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 5.3.35 ZOOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Part 3: Appendixes Appendix A: Status & error messages 30 Appendix B: Helpful hints 32 B.1 Invoking Lecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 B.2 Common questions & answers . . . . . . . . . 32 Appendix C: Troubleshooting a lecture file 33 Index 34 Tables Table 2.1: Mandatory Lecture files . . . . . . . . . 8 Table 2.2: Optional Lecture files . . . . . . . . . . 8 iii Table 3.1: Lecture shortcut commands . . . . . . . . 10 Legal notices LECTURE Version 1.0 Barn Owl Software P.O. Box 1115, O'Fallon, IL 62269 Voice line (618) 632-7345, regular business hours Orders only (800) 242-4775 tollfree (713) 524-6394 outside U.S.A. (713) 524-6398 24hr fax machine Public software Library Visa/MC/Discover/AmEx Fax line (618) 632-2339 Compu- Serve 74017,1344 InterNet 74017.1344@compuserve.com Telex 3762848. First line must say "TO:EASYPLEX:74017,1344" Lecture software & documentation Copyright 1992,93 by Barn Owl Software; all rights reserved worldwide. Any specific hardware/ software names used in this manual are the (registered) trade- marks of specific companies. Barn Owl Software is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals and Lecture falls under ASP guidelines for shareware products. You may not modify Lecture in any way that changes the program's actual computer instructions unless these methods are approved by Barn Owl Software. Barn Owl Software strives to produce technically accurate docu- mentation for its products but we're only human. This manual may contain any number of typographical, graphical, printing, or interpretation errors. 2 Lecture v1.0 User Manual This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. Program warranty Lecture is offered under the shareware concept: users may thoroughly test the program before paying for it. Because of the diversity of conditions, hardware, and other software under which the program may be used, no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose can be offered. Barn Owl Software offers a 30-day money back guarantee after purchase, no questions asked. You may return all materials for a full refund during this time. Materials must be in good condition. This applies only to copies sold directly by Barn Owl Software or purchased through direct resellers (such as Public software Library). WE DO NOT REFUND PRODUCTS SOLD BY INDIRECT RESELLERS. Physical materials (manuals, disks, etc.) supplied by Barn Owl Software are warranted to be free of defects in workmanship for the life of the product. Users may return defective materials anytime for replacement at no charge. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE TERMS OF THE EXPRESS WARRANTIES. IN NO CASE SHALL LIABILITY EXCEED THE MONETARY FEES PAID FOR THE RIGHT TO LEGALLY USE THE PRODUCT. U.S. Government restricted rights Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to restrictions as set forth in Rights in Technical Data and Com- puter Software, para (c)(1)(ii), DFARS 242.227-7013 (10/88) and FAR 42.227-19 (6/87). Contractor is Barn Owl Software, P.O. Box 1115, O'Fallon, IL 62269. Evaluation copies 3 Evaluation copies You may try Lecture on a 30-day trial basis to determine if this program meets your needs. You must then either purchase your copy/copies of the program or quit using it. You may give UNMODIFIED copies of Lecture to others so they can evaluate it for their needs, subject to the same restrictions and conditions above. Disk vendors The Association of Shareware Professionals sets standards for disk vendors if they wish to obtain ASP approved status. You can learn more by writing to the ASP vendor membership committee, 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442. Barn Owl Software, like many ASP members, lets ASP approved disk vendors distribute Lecture without having to ask first. We send master disks to ASP approved disk vendors at no charge. If you are not an ASP approved disk vendor, please send a copy of your catalog with your request to distribute our product. Bulletin board operators (sysops) Bulletin board operators (sysops) may offer unmodified copies of Lecture on BBSs and other electronic information services so others can download the program and evaluate it for their needs. Colleges & teachers Barn Owl Software is happy to help teachers offering courses on Lecture. We can supply master disks & manuals as course materials. Please contact us for more details. You'll find our address & phone numbers on page 1. 4 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Registering Lecture Please submit a completed registration form with proper payment to continue using Lecture after your 30-day trial period. Look for the REGISTER.FRM file on your master disk. Your Lecture registration includes the following: * One year of voice support at (618) 632-7345, fax support at (618) 632-2239, and newsletter support; * The latest version of Lecture is sent on disk and you will be notified for at least a year when major enhancements are made to the program; * Information on how to get a CompuServe IntroPak that waives the normal sign-up fee and gives you a $15 usage credit on top of it. Volume discounts The following discounts apply for regular orders. Each package consists of a set of disks, a professionally printed manual, and the registration benefits shown above. This is a per order discount, not an accumulative order discount. 001 - 002 packages 00% discount 003 - 009 packages 05% discount 010 - 019 packages 10% discount 020 - 049 packages 20% discount 050 - 099 packages 30% discount 100 - XXX packages ask for details Barn Owl Software accepts purchase orders (POs) only from schools, government agencies, and Fortune 1000 companies. Please add a $10 processing fee on POs less than $100. Site licenses Barn Owl Software offers site licenses if you don't need manuals and technical support for each copy of the program you use. We supply you with one gold disk & manual and give you a license so up to XX people in your organization can legally use the program. See the SITELIC.DOC file included with Lecture for more details. Registering Lecture 5 Reseller discounts Please contact Barn Owl Software if you resell software or hardware and wish to offer Lecture to your customers. We also offer an attractive runtime license for companies wishing to include lecture files with their products. Contact Barn Owl Software for details. 6 Lecture v1.0 User Manual PART 1 Getting started Chapter 1, `What is Lecture?' 7 Chapter 1 What is Lecture? Lecture, quite simply, gives you the power to present a text- based slide show lecture in the Windows environment. Similar "presentation packages" (notably Microsoft's PowerPoint) focus primarily on the graphics aspect of a slide show. Graphics-based slide show packages look pretty and they certainly appeal to people who have the time to create a snazzy presentation. But these programs overwhelm many potential users with power, complexity, graphics orientation, and often a high price tag. College professors, business professionals, local/state politicians, and many others need a program to deliver text-only presentations on a moment's notice. Lecture solves this need. You create lectures with Microsoft's NotePad or any other text editor, then tell Lecture to display it on the screen in a traditional window. The program has numerous commands to augment a presentation, but the core of every lecture rests on just six commands: MasterTitle, Title, SubTitle, Point, SubPoint, and Show. You can learn how to use these commands and write your first slide show lecture in just a few minutes. Like any good slide show program, Lecture lets you flip slides with the click of a mouse button. Lecturers don't have to move from the podium to a keyboard -- they can hold the mouse in one hand while delivering a speech. Lecture comes out of the box with several example lecture files, including (of course) one describing Lecture itself. Feel free to study the samples to learn how to write your own lectures. 8 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Chapter 2 Installation 2.1 Requirements Lecture requires an IBM AT, PS/2, or compatible computer with Windows 3.0 or better running in standard or 386enh mode. The program does not need scalable fonts (available via third-party font packages and included with Windows 3.1) but users of such fonts will find this program more aesthetically appealing. The following tables describe the necessary and optional files which make up Lecture: Table 2.1: Mandatory Lecture files ----------------------------------------------------------------- LECTURE.EXE The actual program ----------------------------------------------------------------- Table 2.2: Optional Lecture files ----------------------------------------------------------------- LECTURE.LEC Sample lecture file. Demonstrates all the capabilities of the program. READ.ME! Contains late-breaking Lecture notes *.LEC Various sample lecture files. Shows how easily you can create a slide show lecture of your own. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2.2 Setting up Lecture Lecture is easy to install: copy all the files to a directory of your choice and use the Windows `File/New' menu option to create an icon for it in Program Manager. (Consult your Windows manual or call Barn Owl Software if you need help.) Start the program by double-clicking the program's icon. 2.3 Command line summary LECTURE [lecturefile] Lecture begins when you choose "File/Run" from Windows and enter "LECTURE" or when you double-click on the program's icon. You may also specify an optional lecture filename to run immediately. 9 PART 2 Using Lecture 10 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Chapter 3 Presenting a lecture Table 3.1: Lecture shortcut commands ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ctrl+R run a lecture file Spacebar RMouseButton Enter PgDn Ctrl+N show next slide Backspace show previous slide Alt+F4 close window, end program ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3.1 Start a presentation Choose the "File/Run" menu item or press Ctrl+R to process a lecture file. The file must already exist. Lecture will immediately interpret commands in the file. 3.2 Flip slides Choose the "File/Next slide" menu item to present another slide in a lecture file. Or press the right mouse button, or press the Spacebar, or press Enter, or press PgDn, or press Ctrl+N -- they all do the same thing. Choose the "File/Prev slide" menu item to present the previous slide in a lecture file. Or press the Backspace key -- it does the same thing. 3.3 Automated lectures Some lecture files include one or more AutoShow commands so the presentation runs in automatic mode. You can tell the program whether to accept any such command with the "Options/AutoShow allowed" menu item. (A checkmark appears next to the menu item when activated. Choose the menu item again to deactivate it.) Chapter 3, `Presenting a lecture' 11 3.4 Lecture messages Some lecture files augment their presentation with one or more Message commands. You can tell the program whether to accept any such command with the "Options/Messages allowed" menu item. (A checkmark appears next to the menu item when activated. Choose the menu item again to deactivate it.) Note: you cannot turn off syntax error messages via this menu item. 3.5 Lecture noises Some lecture files generate noises as a way to augment their presentation. You can tell the program to accept any such command with the "Options/Noises allowed" menu item. (A checkmark appears next to the menu item when activated. Choose the menu item again to deactivate it.) 3.6 Repeat a lecture Select the "Options/Repeat when done" menu item to automatically repeat the current lecture file at the end. (A checkmark appears next to the menu item when activated. Choose the menu item again to deactivate it.) Lecture will wait ten seconds and then process the file again. This loop continues until you deactivate the option or terminate the program. 3.7 Save window settings Choose the "Options/Save window settings" menu item to let Lecture automatically save the current state of its window to a configuration file. (A checkmark appears next to the menu item when activated. Select the menu item again to deactivate it.) When you start the program next time, it will appear in the same place on the screen with the same window dimensions. 3.8 Terminate Lecture Choose the "File/Exit" menu item or press Alt+F4 to close the Lecture window and terminate the program. 12 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Chapter 4 Developing a lecture A good lecture flows smoothly from one slide to the next. Presentations normally start with a title slide and follow with an abstract of what you hope to cover. The end of the lecture usually wraps up with a summary of what you covered, followed perhaps by a "The End/Thank you" slide. A slide generally should list no more than seven points/ subpoints, and Lecture defaults to this value at startup. You can change the maximum number of points allowed on a slide either with the TotalPoints command (chapter 5) or by changing the LECTURE.INI file (chapter 4.1.2). 4.1 Advanced concepts 4.1.1 Title screen You can create the equivalent of a title slide by temporarily overriding the default TotalPoints value with a smaller number (perhaps a value of 2 or 3). Lecture uses this value to calculate the size of text so it fits within the visible window. Study the LECTURE.LEC file if you need more details on how to implement this technique. 4.1.2 Initialization file You can modify the way Lecture works by adding certain items to its LECTURE.INI configuration file. (Consult your Windows manual if you need more details about how such files work.) The following items must appear under the "[Lecture]" heading: RepeatDelay=10 Tells Lecture how many seconds to wait before it repeats a lecture file. Defaults to 10 seconds. You can specify a value from 0 to 65 here. SmallCursor=0 Lecture uses a default cursor in its window (normally an arrow). This configuration item tells the program to use a tiny "crosshair" cursor when you set this value to 1. Note: the tiny cursor only appears inside Lecture's display window -- it switches back to a regular cursor when you move it to the program's menu or to some other window. TotalPoints=7 Lecture allows up to seven points per slide by default, but you can specify a new value from 1 to 32 here. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 13 Chapter 5 Lecture file commands Lecture uses a traditional "script" language to assemble each slide for a lecture. You store commands in a standard text file created by Microsoft's NotePad or any other program which can edit ASCII files. (Caution: you can edit files with Microsoft's Write or Word for Windows but you must not let them convert files to their own format.) 5.1 Comments Lecture files may contain any number of blank lines or comments. Comments begin with a semicolon ";" character. You may also optionally use Comment/Uncomment to enclose lines of comments, but we don't recommend it. (See the command summary for a full explanation.) 5.2 Command lines Lecture files contain any number of command lines which direct the program to perform a given task. Each command appears on a line of its own and starts with a keyword (see below). Most keywords take optional or required parameters; if so, they come immediately after the keyword. A space or tab character separates the keyword from its parameter(s). Keywords may appear in uppercase, lowercase, or mixed case. Example: "SHOWANDSAVE", "showandsave", and "ShowAndSave" all reference the same command. 5.3 Command syntax 5.3.1 ACCEPT Syntax ACCEPT [AUTOSHOW] [BEEP] [COMMENT] [MESSAGE] Function cancels a previous Ignore. You can choose which commands the program should now accept. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Accept Comment Beep See also AutoShow, Beep, Comment, Ignore, Message Comments Lecture accepts all commands by default. 14 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.2 AUTOSHOW Syntax AUTOSHOW delay Function sets a default delay value (in seconds) for all commands which accept delay values. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example AutoShow 5 See also Accept, Ignore, Show, ShowAndSave, Wait Comments use a value of zero to disable a previous AutoShow. The user can disable AutoShow via the menu. 5.3.3 BEEP Syntax BEEP [times] BEEP SHOW Function syntax #1: issues a traditional "beep" command to Windows. You can beep multiple times by supplying an optional value. Syntax #2: causes the program to beep whenever it waits for the user to proceed to the next slide. Specifically affects Show and ShowAndSave. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Beep 3 Beep Show See also Accept, AutoShow, Ignore, Message, Show Comments syntax #1: optional value cannot exceed 255. Syntax #2: has no effect during an AutoShow, or if the affected commands specify an optional delay value, or if the user has disabled noises via a menu option. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 15 5.3.4 COLORBACKGROUND Syntax COLORBACKGROUND colorname COLORBACKGROUND redvalue,greenvalue,bluevalue Function syntax #1: sets the window background to the named color (Black, Blue, Green, Red, White). Syntax #2: sets the window background to the specified red/green/blue "electron gun" values. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example ColorBackground White ColorBackground 255,255,255 See also ColorMasterTitle, ColorPoints, ColorSubTitle, ColorTitle Advice use colors sparingly, preferably no more than three colors per slide. Comments colors remain constant until changed. Specifically, ColorBackground uses the default background window color unless you override it with your own color. Electron gun values range from 0 to 255 for each color. Specific values for the named colors: Black (0,0,0), Blue (0,0,255), Green (0,255,0), Red (255,0,0), White (255,255,255). 16 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.5 COLORMASTERTITLE Syntax COLORMASTERTITLE colorname COLORMASTERTITLE redvalue,greenvalue,bluevalue Function syntax #1: sets the master title so it displays text in the named color (Black, Blue, Green, Red, White). Syntax #2: sets the master title so it displays text according to the specified red/ green/blue "electron gun" values. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example ColorMasterTitle Blue ColorMasterTitle 0,0,255 See also ColorBackground, FontMasterTitle, MasterTitle Advice use colors sparingly, preferably no more than three colors per slide. Comments colors remain constant until changed. Electron gun values range from 0 to 255 for each color. Specific values for the named colors: Black (0,0,0), Blue (0,0,255), Green (0,255,0), Red (255,0,0), White (255,255,255). 5.3.6 COLORPOINT Syntax COLORPOINT colorname COLORPOINT redvalue,greenvalue,bluevalue Function syntax #1: sets the points so they display text in the named color (Black, Blue, Green, Red, White). Syntax #2: sets the points so they display text according to the specified red/green/blue "electron gun" values. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example ColorPoint Black ColorPoint 0,0,0 See also ColorBackground, FontPoint, Point Advice use colors sparingly, preferably no more than three colors per slide. Comments colors remain constant until changed. Electron gun values range from 0 to 255 for each color. Specific values for the named colors: Black (0,0,0), Blue (0,0,255), Green (0,255,0), Red (255,0,0), White (255,255,255). Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 17 5.3.7 COLORSUBTITLE Syntax COLORSUBTITLE colorname COLORSUBTITLE redvalue,greenvalue,bluevalue Function syntax #1: sets the subtitle so it displays text in the named color (Black, Blue, Green, Red, White). Syntax #2: sets the subtitle so it displays text according to the specified red/ green/blue "electron gun" values. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example ColorSubTitle Red ColorSubTitle 255,0,0 See also ColorBackground, FontSubTitle, SubTitle Advice use colors sparingly, preferably no more than three colors per slide. Comments colors remain constant until changed. Electron gun values range from 0 to 255 for each color. Specific values for the named colors: Black (0,0,0), Blue (0,0,255), Green (0,255,0), Red (255,0,0), White (255,255,255). 5.3.8 COLORTITLE Syntax COLORTITLE colorname COLORTITLE redvalue,greenvalue,bluevalue Function syntax #1: sets the title so it displays text in the named color (Black, Blue, Green, Red, White). Syntax #2: sets the title so it displays text according to the specified red/green/blue "electron gun" values. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example ColorTitle Red ColorTitle 255,0,0 See also ColorBackground, FontTitle, Title Advice use colors sparingly, preferably no more than three colors per slide. Comments colors remain constant until changed. Electron gun values range from 0 to 255 for each color. Specific values for the named colors: Black (0,0,0), Blue (0,0,255), Green (0,255,0), Red (255,0,0), White (255,255,255). 18 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.9 COMMENT Syntax COMMENT Function treats every subsequent line of the file as a comment until you specify Uncomment. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Comment See also Accept, Ignore, Uncomment Caution use only while developing a lecture file. Do not use this command to insert comments in the file -- an Ignore Comment could wreak havoc with your file, especially if the user runs it via a RunFile command. Instead, use a semicolon ";" character at the start of each comment line. Comments Lecture displays a syntax error message if it reaches the end of a file before encountering an Uncomment. Multiple Comment commands have no effect after the first one executes (unless you issue an Uncomment between them, of course). 5.3.10 FONTMASTERTITLE Syntax FONTMASTERTITLE fontname Function sets the master title so it displays text in the named font. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example FontMasterTitle Helvetica See also ColorMasterTitle, MasterTitle Advice use fonts sparingly, preferably no more than two fonts per slide. Comments fonts remain constant until changed. Windows will substitute a font if it can't find the named font. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 19 5.3.11 FONTPOINT Syntax FONTPOINT fontname Function sets the points so they display text in the named font. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example FontPoint Helvetica See also ColorPoint, Point Advice use fonts sparingly, preferably no more than two fonts per slide. Comments fonts remain constant until changed. Windows will substitute a font if it can't find the named font. 5.3.12 FONTSUBTITLE Syntax FONTSUBTITLE fontname Function sets the subtitle so it displays text in the named font. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example FontSubTitle Helvetica See also ColorSubTitle, SubTitle Advice use fonts sparingly, preferably no more than two fonts per slide. Comments fonts remain constant until changed. Windows will substitute a font if it can't find the named font. 20 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.13 FONTTITLE Syntax FONTTITLE fontname Function sets the title so it displays text in the named font. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example FontTitle Helvetica See also ColorTitle, Title Advice use fonts sparingly, preferably no more than two fonts per slide. Comments fonts remain constant until changed. Windows will substitute a font if it can't find the named font. 5.3.14 ICONIZE Syntax ICONIZE Function forces the Lecture window down to an icon. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Iconize See also Uniconize, Unzoom, Zoom Comments has no effect on an already-iconized window. 5.3.15 IGNORE Syntax IGNORE [AUTOSHOW] [BEEP] [COMMENT] [MESSAGE] Function tells the program to ignore AutoShow, Beep, Comment, and/or Message. You can choose which commands to ignore and list them in any order on this command line. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Ignore Message AutoShow Beep See also Accept, AutoShow, Beep, Comment, Message Comments you may repeat an Ignore without worry. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 21 5.3.16 MASTERTITLE Syntax MASTERTITLE [text] Function initializes the upper-right-corner text of each slide to display the associated text. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example MasterTitle Calculus 402 (Mr. Rosenberger) See also ColorMasterTitle, FontMasterTitle, Point, Show, ShowAndSave, SubPoint, SubTitle, Title Comments the master title text remains constant until changed. 5.3.17 MESSAGE Syntax MESSAGE text Function displays a message with the specified text and waits for the user to acknowledge it. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Message Copyright 1992 by Barn Owl Software; all rights reserved. See also Beep, MessageTitle, Show, Wait Comments you may want to use Wait to create a slight delay between the time a slide appears versus when the message appears. Lecture displays a syntax error message if you don't specify any text. 5.3.18 MESSAGETITLE Syntax MESSAGETITLE text Function sets the window title for future Message commands. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example MessageTitle Copyright notice See also Message Comments the message window title remains constant until changed. The program initializes the title to "Lecture Message" at startup. 22 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.19 MINVERSION Syntax MINVERSION [WINDOWS] [version number * 100] Function lets Lecture know if it can process all the commands in a file. It displays a warning message if it detects a value higher than its own version number (multiplied by 100), or a value higher higher than the Windows version number (multiplied by 100). Example MinVersion 104 MinVersion Windows 310 Caution use only once, at the top of the file, with a value based on the highest "MinVersion" number specified for commands used in the file. Multiple identical MinVersion commands may generate redundant warning messages, annoying the user. Comments future versions of Lecture will almost certainly offer new commands, some of them possibly based on the capabilities of a specific Windows version. This provides a way for future lecture files to warn older program versions, or a current Lecture program running in an older version of Windows. 5.3.20 POINT Syntax POINT [text] Function sets the (first or) next presentation point of an upcoming slide to a given line of text. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Point Isaac Newton wasn't the only one See also ColorPoint, FontPoint, MasterTitle, Point, SamePoint, Show, ShowAndSave, SubPoint, SubSubPoint, SubSubSubPoint, SubTitle, Title Comments Lecture increments an internal counter after each Point/SubPoint so you don't have to use numerous different commands. Use Point with no text to leave a blank line between other points on the slide. Points reinitialize after every Show; use ShowAndSave if you want to keep the text on hand for another slide show display. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 23 5.3.21 RUNFILE Syntax RUNFILE filename Function suspends processing of the current file and begins processing the named file. When finished, the program will continue processing the original file. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example RunFile NEWS-RLS.LEC See also AutoShow Comments you can process a file containing a RunFile of its own, up to a total "nested level" of four files. Lecture displays a syntax error message if you nest too many of these commands. 5.3.22 SAMEPOINT Syntax SAMEPOINT [text] Function identical to Point, but it overwrites the text of the (only or) last Point. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example SamePoint Isaac Newton wasn't the only one See also ColorPoint, FontPoint, Point, ShowAndSave Advice use with ShowAndSave to "animate" a slide. Comments does not affect Lecture's internal counter (normally incremented for each Point/SubPoint). Points reinitialize after each Show, so use ShowAndSave to keep the text on hand for another slide show display. SamePoint does not have a corresponding "SameSubPoint" command. 24 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.23 SHOW Syntax SHOW [delay] Function displays the currently assembled slide and stops processing until the user wants to go to the next slide. Or you can include a delay value (in seconds) to automatically continue processing the file after showing the slide. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Show 5 See also AutoShow, Message, ShowAndSave, Wait Comments clears the values of any previous SubTitle or Point; in other words, the second of two Show commands in a row would display only a MasterTitle and Title. Users can bypass the optional delay value by choosing to go on to the next slide. 5.3.24 SHOWANDSAVE Syntax SHOWANDSAVE [delay] Function identical to Show, but it doesn't clear the text of any previous SubTitle or Point. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example ShowAndSave 2 See also AutoShow, Show, Wait Comments often used to "animate" a slide, displaying one point at a time in a delayed fashion. 5.3.25 SUBPOINT Syntax SUBPOINT [text] Function identical to Point, but it indents the text. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example SubPoint Isaac Newton wasn't the only one See also ColorPoint, FontPoint, Point, SubSubPoint Advice use after a Point. Comments see Point. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 25 5.3.26 SUBSUBPOINT Syntax SUBSUBPOINT [text] Function identical to SubPoint, but it indents the text. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example SubSubPoint Isaac Newton wasn't the only one See also ColorPoint, FontPoint, Point, SubPoint, SubSubSubPoint Advice use after a SubPoint. Comments see Point. 5.3.27 SUBSUBSUBPOINT Syntax SUBSUBSUBPOINT [text] Function identical to SubSubPoint, but it indents the text. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example SubSubSubPoint Isaac Newton wasn't the only one See also ColorPoint, FontPoint, Point, SubSubPoint Advice use after a SubSubPoint. Comments see Point. 5.3.28 SUBTITLE Syntax SUBTITLE [text] Function sets the subtitle of the upcoming slide to a given value. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example SubTitle Safely dividing by zero See also ColorSubTitle, FontSubTitle, MasterTitle, Title, Point, Show, ShowAndSave, SubPoint Comments the SubTitle text reinitializes after every Show. Use ShowAndSave if you want to keep the text on hand for another slide display. 26 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.29 TITLE Syntax TITLE [text] Function sets the text for future slide titles. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Title The Need for Calculus See also ColorTitle, FontTitle, MasterTitle, SubTitle, Point, Show, ShowAndSave, SubPoint Comments the title text remains constant until changed. 5.3.30 TOTALPOINTS Syntax TOTALPOINTS value Function specifies the maximum number of points/subpoints allowed on a single slide. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example TotalPoints 10 See also Point, SubPoint Caution use only once, at the top of the file. Changing it "on the fly" during a presentation will make the program resize text so everything fits in the window (based on its visible height). Comments defaults to a maximum of seven points/subpoints per slide. The specified value must fall in the range of 1..32, else Lecture will display a syntax error message. Chapter 5, `Lecture file commands' 27 5.3.31 UNCOMMENT Syntax UNCOMMENT Function negates a Comment. File processing continues normally. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Uncomment See also Accept, Ignore, Comment Caution use only while developing a lecture file. Do not use this command to insert comments in the file -- an Ignore Comment could wreak havoc with your file, especially if the user runs it via a RunFile command. Instead, use a semicolon ";" character at the start of each comment line. Comments Lecture displays a syntax error message if it reaches the end of a file before encountering an Uncomment. Multiple Uncomment commands have no effect after the first one executes (unless you issue a Comment between them, of course). 5.3.32 UNICONIZE Syntax UNICONIZE Function forces the Lecture window to its "normal" window dimensions. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Uniconize See also Iconize, Unzoom, Zoom Comments has no effect on an already-normal-size screen. Unzoom performs the same function. 28 Lecture v1.0 User Manual 5.3.33 UNZOOM Syntax UNZOOM Function forces the Lecture window to its "normal" window dimensions. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Unzoom See also Iconize, Uniconize, Zoom Comments has no effect on an already-normal-size screen. Uniconize performs the same function. 5.3.34 WAIT Syntax WAIT delay Function stops processing for the specified number of seconds. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Wait 5 See also AutoShow, Show, ShowAndSave Comments users can bypass the optional delay value by choosing to go on to the next slide. 5.3.35 ZOOM Syntax ZOOM Function forces the Lecture window to occupy the full screen. MinVersion Lecture=100, Windows=300 Example Zoom See also Iconize, Uniconize, Unzoom Comments has no effect on an already-zoomed window. 29 PART 3 Appendixes 30 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Appendix A Status & error messages Couldn't locate the specified lecture file. * The filename listed with the Lecture command line doesn't exist. * A RunFile command specified a bad filename. Couldn't open the specified lecture file. * You specified a file containing binary data rather than ASCII text. (Often occurs if you save a file in Write, Word, or WordPerfect format.) * You specified a file containing zero bytes. Incorrect syntax. Continue? * You specified a lecture file command with incorrect, missing, or excess parameters. Read about the command in question to determine the cause of the problem. End of file reached with no Uncomment command. Continue? * A Comment command appears somewhere in the lecture file with no corresponding Uncomment command. Runtime error nnnn at xxxx:yyyy * This "catch-all" error message means Lecture encountered a problem it couldn't handle. Please tell Barn Owl Software if you get this message and give a detailed description of what you did. Specified value out of range. Continue? * The lecture file command in question takes a numeric value only within a specified range. Read about the command to determine the cause of the problem. This file uses capabilities of a later version of Lecture and will not operate as expected under this version of the program. Continue anyway? * The current lecture file contains a MinVersion command which claims it uses commands allowed under a newer version of Lecture. The lecture file will probably not operate as expected, but you can choose whether or not to process the file anyway. Note: a syntax message will pop up whenever the program encounters a command it can't handle. You cannot turn off syntax error messages via the "Options/ Messages allowed" menu item. This file uses capabilities of a later version of Windows and will not operate as expected under this version of Windows. Continue anyway? * The current lecture file contains a MinVersion command which claims it uses commands designed for a newer version of Microsoft Windows. The lecture file will probably not Appendix A, `Status & error messages' 31 operate as expected, but you can choose whether or not to process the file anyway. Note: a syntax message will pop up whenever the program encounters a command it can't handle. You cannot turn off syntax error messages via the "Options/ Messages allowed" menu item. Too many points/subpoints specified for one slide. Continue? * You failed to specify a Show command. Lecture continued to assemble a slide using points for the next slide, and it eventually exceeded the total number of points allowed. * You didn't specify a correct TotalPoints value for the slide in question. * You previously used a TotalPoints command and failed to reset the value for this slide. Unknown command. Continue? * You failed to use a semicolon as the first character of a comment line. * You enclosed comments with a Comment command, but a previous Ignore Comments command has canceled its effect. * You have an older version of Lecture and decided to run a lecture file with commands recognized by a newer version of the program. Windows couldn't allocate enough resources to perform this function! * Windows didn't have enough memory, file handles, etc. available for the program to execute a given function. Close other windows to free up needed resources. 32 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Appendix B Helpful hints B.1 Invoking Lecture LECTURE Windows loads the program into memory with no special instructions. LECTURE MYTALK.LEC Windows loads the program into memory; it then immediately begins processing the MYTALK.LEC file. B.2 Common questions & answers "I just need to present a quick lecture. What commands do I absolutely have to know about to get started?" You need to learn six commands: MasterTitle, Title, SubTitle, Point, SubPoint, and Show. "The Lecture window sometimes zooms in/out of full-screen status or pops back up after I iconize it. How come?" Lecture files can issue commands affecting the state of Lecture's window. Specifically, the lecture file contains one of the following commands: Zoom, Unzoom, Iconize, or Uniconize. "Can I edit lecture files with another program besides NotePad?" Certainly -- but remember, many word processors use their own proprietary file format by default. Please make sure the program you choose saves your file in ASCII format. Appendix C, `Troubleshooting a lecture file' 33 Appendix C Troubleshooting a lecture file We at Barn Owl Software build lecture files "on the fly" by resizing Lecture and Microsoft's NotePad as small windows. We assemble three or four slides in a file, save it, and run it under Lecture to see how it looks. If all goes well, we "comment out" those slides with the Comment/Uncomment commands and assemble another few slides. The process continues until we finish a lecture, at which point we remove all the Comment/ Uncomment commands. Naturally, we check the final result one last time just to make sure it runs correctly. In many cases where a lecture file doesn't display slides as it should, you may simply have forgotten a Show command. Lecture will continue to assemble a slide based on commands for the next slide, possibly displaying a syntax error message in the process. 34 Lecture v1.0 User Manual Index A L ACCEPT command 13 Lecture AUTOSHOW command 10, 13, limited license 3 14, 20 support 4 legal notices 1 B license See: registration Barn Owl address 1 BEEP command 13, 14, 20 M BLACK color command 15, MASTERTITLE command 7, 21, 16, 17 24 BLUE color command 15, 16, MESSAGE command 11, 13, 17 20, 21 MESSAGETITLE command 21 C MINVERSION command 22 cautions 13, 18, 22, 26, 27, See Also: warnings N COLORBACKGROUND command 15 notes 8, 11, 12, 30, 31, COLORMASTERTITLE command See Also: cautions 15 COLORPOINT command 16 P COLORSUBTITLE command 17 POINT command 7, 22, 23, COLORTITLE command 17 24, 25 COMMENT command 13, 18, 20, 27 R RED color command 15, 16, D 17 disk vendors 3 registration 4 distributors See: disk site 4 vendors volume discounts 4 RUNFILE command 18, 23, 27 F files 8 S FONTMASTERTITLE command 18 SAMEPOINT command 23 FONTPOINT command 19 shareware 1, 2 FONTSUBTITLE command 19 SHOW command 7, 14, 22, FONTTITLE command 20 23, 24, 25 SHOWANDSAVE command 14, G 22, 23, 24, 25 GREEN color command 15, SUBPOINT command 7, 24, 25 16, 17 SUBSUBPOINT command 25 SUBSUBSUBPOINT command 25 H SUBTITLE command 7, 24, 25 hints 32 T I TITLE command 7, 24, 26 ICONIZE command 20 TOTALPOINTS command 12, 26 IGNORE command 13, 18, 20, trademarks 1 27 Index 35 U W UNCOMMENT command 13, 18, WAIT command 21, 28 27 warnings See Also: notes UNICONIZE command 27, 28 warranty 2 UNZOOM command 27, 28 WHITE color command 15, 16, 17 V visual aids 32 Z ZOOM command 28