PC World Komputer 1996 December/PCWKCD1296.iso/sharewar/neosoft/dos/neoshow/install/ns2.cmp/NEOSHOW.DOC

Text File | 1996-01-02 | 44.5 KB | 1,226 lines

           NeoShow & NeoShow Pro 2.6
            (C)1993-96 NeoSoft Corp.

               === OVERVIEW ===

Computer paint programs, such as NeoPaint from
NeoSoft Corporation, are capable of producing
eyecatching art, text and take-offs from scanned
pictures. While your work here may be printed or
imported into desktop publishing programs for
output, you could also be taking advantage of your
computer as a platform for presenting your work.

NeoShow is a simple, yet powerful means of
creating attractive, onscreen presentations.
NeoShow allows you to arrange PCX and BMP computer
image files into a logical sequence, much like a
slide show. You may even add audio for playback on
an installed compatible sound card.

The slide production may be set up to run
automatically, or to await prompts from a
presenter. You may determine how long each image
is displayed and apply different special effects
to make professional looking transitions and wipes
between the images in your production.

Aside from its obvious applications in business
and group settings, NeoShow may also be used in
the home to organize your artwork, produce
storyboards for videos or school plays, present
prescanned family photos, etc.


        === REGISTERING NEOSHOW ===

NeoShow may be shared with friends and acquaintances
to allow them to evaluate it for up to 30 days
before deciding to purchase it. If you make copies
to give to others, you must include all of the files
contained on the original NeoShow disks. You may
not charge for such copies. Duplication or
transmittal in any form of the manual, the
Customer Registration Card, Serial Numbers, or
related printed materials included with the
product is prohibited.

If you have received an evaluation copy of NeoShow,
you should notice reminders to register the program.
If you decide to continue to use NeoShow beyond the
evaluation period, please register it. Registration
entitles you to participate in future upgrade offers,
free technical support, an illustrated user's guide,
a disk containing the latest version, and other
benefits. Attractive rates for site and network
licenses are also available. for those with multiple
computer systems.

The cost to register the basic version of NeoShow
is $35 + shipping & handling.

NeoShow Pro allows you to compile your presentation
into a stand-alone executable (.EXE) file, which
may be freely distributed to end users. Registration
for NeoShow Pro is $89 + shipping & handling.

Shipping & handling charges are:
  United States: $5 US Mail, $9 FedEx
  Canada/Mexico: $7 Air Mail, $17 FedEx
  Other Nations: $12 Air Mail, $19 FedEx

Note: FedEx cannot deliver to PO Boxes

We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

TO REGISTER NEOSHOW:

Call:     [phone]  (Hours: 8:00 - 5:00 PDT)

Fax:      [phone]

Write:    NeoSoft Corp.
          354 NE Greenwood, Suite 108
          Bend, OR  97701-4631

ORDERS FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S.A.:
Please make payment in US dollars.


         === HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS ===

  To use NeoShow, you will need the following:

 - IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible
   computer
 - EGA, VGA or compatible graphics card and
   monitor. SuperVGA, 15/16-bit Hi-Color, and
   24-bit True Color modes are also available
   for systems with supported video hardware and
   sufficient video memory.
 - 640K minimum memory
 - A hard disk
 - MS-DOS or PC-DOS 3.1 or later
 - NeoShow program disk
 - Microsoft, Logitech or compatible mouse
 - SoundBlaster or compatible sound card (optional)


          === INSTALLING NEOSHOW ===

 - Boot your computer. (Turn the computer on!)
 - Insert the NeoShow Program disk into drive
   A.
 - At the DOS prompt (C:\), type A:\INSTALL and
   press the Enter key.
 - Follow the instructions on the screen.


          === CUSTOMER SERVICE ===

Registered users of NeoShow may obtain customer
service and technical help from NeoSoft. If you
receive a defective diskette, return it within
thirty (30) days to the address below for a free
replacement.
If you encounter other problems, follow the
steps below:

 - Consult the manual.
 - Consult documentation of any software used
   to produce images you are using, to be
   certain you are importing an image saved in
   a format compatible with NeoShow.
 - Try to duplicate the problem.
 - Retrace your steps to identify where, when
   and how the problem occurs.
 - Ask your dealer for help.
 - Contact NeoSoft Corp.

You may reach us by:

1. mailing your questions to:

     NeoSoft Corp.
     Customer Support
     354 NE Greenwood Avenue, Suite 108
     Bend, Oregon 97701-4631
     U.S.A.

2. sending a FAX message to [phone],

3. contacting our staff via modem using our 24
   hour BBS at [phone],

4. contacting our support staff on our CompuServe
   forum (type "GO NEOSOFT" at any ! prompt), or

5. calling our support staff at [phone]
   (weekdays 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific Standard
   Time)

Whether you call or write, please provide us
with the following information to give us a
complete picture of your situation.

 - Your NeoShow version number (this may be
   quickly located using the Help/About NeoShow
   option on the NeoShow menu).
 - Your registration number.
 - Computer brand and model. It is also
   important that we know the amount and type
   (Extended, Expanded and unused Disk) of
   memory on board and what memory manager you
   are using.
 - Brand and model of your video adapter,
   monitor, and mouse.
 - Operating system (DOS) version number.
 - A listing of the contents of your
   AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files
 - Names of other software program(s) or TSR's
   (terminate and stay resident utilities)
   which you may be running along with NeoShow
   when you notice this problem.
 - A description of the problem, how and when
   it appeared, and how to reproduce it.

           === STARTING NEOSHOW ===

If you installed NeoShow into a directory other
than C:\NEOSHOW, then substitute that name for
C:\NEOSHOW below.

To use NeoShow with a mouse, your mouse driver
(usually MOUSE.COM) must be loaded before starting
NeoShow. Please refer to your mouse's user manual
for more information.

At the DOS prompt (C:\), type CD\NEOSHOW and
press Enter. This puts you in the NeoShow
directory. Now type NEOSHOW and press Enter.


          === KEYBOARD OPERATION ===

Most command buttons and options may be accessed
directly with the mouse. In addition, many
commands on the command menu have one letter in
their titles underlined. Select these commands by
holding down the ALT key while typing the letter
corresponding to the desired command.

You may use the ARROW keys to move between
buttons and options on the menu. A highlight,
appearing as a shadowed box, surrounds the current
item. Once the command you wish to use is
highlighted, press the ENTER key to select or
activate.

At other times, you may need to select from a
list of files or controls in response to a command
to add a file or set an option. You may use the
TAB key to jump from item to item. Here the
currently active item is surrounded by highlight
which appears as a dotted box. Once the desired
item is highlighted, press the SPACE bar to select
or change that item.


            === MOUSE OPERATION ===

Your mouse requires that Microsoft or Logitech
compatible mouse driver software be loaded before
starting NeoShow. A a small mouse pointer (arrow)
will appear on your screen if a mouse is present.
Move the pointer to the desired command or option
and click the left mouse button to select or
activate.


            === SCREEN FEATURES ===

NeoShow's menus contain several control types
used to select, enable or deactivate various
features.

COMMAND BUTTONS - These are buttons which activate
commands or bring up submenus. To select a command
option, either click the button with a mouse or
hold down the Alt key and press the underlined
letter in the title of the desired command.

CHECK BOX - These controls appear as small boxes.
Activate/deactivate this option either by holding
down the ALT key and pressing the underlined
letter, or by clicking inside the box with a
mouse. A check mark will appear to show that the
option has been selected.

DROP DOWN LIST - Lists are used to allow you to
choose from a large group of options, such as
lists of image names. Boxes in dialogs which
contain lists have a small, downward pointing
arrow on a button to the right of the description.
The list may be displayed by clicking on the small
arrow with your mouse, or, from the keyboard,
either highlighting the item using the TAB key and
pressing the SPACE bar or by simultaneously
pressing the ALT key and the underlined letter in
the option title. The item with a dotted border
around it represents the currently active item on
the list. From the keyboard, use the UP/DOWN arrow
keys, the PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN keys, and the HOME and
END keys to move the selector highlight to the
desired item, then press ENTER to choose it. You
may also use the mouse to scroll through the list
and select an item. Clicking the arrow buttons on
the scroll bar to the right of the list will move
the window one item at a time. Clicking and
dragging the Scroll button up or down allows you
to scroll quickly through the list. You may also
scroll one page at a time by clicking the shaded
area on the Scroll bar.

ERROR MESSAGE - At times, you may be presented
with an error message, requiring that you merely
acknowledge its existence by pressing ENTER or
clicking the mouse.

TEXT BOX - Text boxes are used to enter
information such as file names, time intervals,
etc. If a dialog box contains more than one
text box, press the TAB key to move to the one you
want. If you have a mouse, just click within the
desired text field.

RADIO PUSHBUTTON - These appear as diamond shaped
depressions next to a description of the option.
This type of button is always found in groups.
Select the option you want to use. Only one radio
button per group may be selected at a time. Select
the desired option by holding down the ALT key and
pressing the button's underlined letter or by
clicking the item with the mouse. The button will
turn red (darkened on monochrome displays) to show
that the option is activated.

REMOTE CONTROL BUTTONS - These buttons perform the
same function as those found on a tape player or
VCR. Clicking on the square button in the center
(or pressing the ESC key) stops the show. Clicking
on the single arrow buttons (or using the arrow
keys from your keyboard) steps through the show
frame by frame, either forwards (arrow pointing to
right) or in reverse (arrow pointing to left). The
double arrow buttons fast forward or rewind
through the show. The buttons displaying a double
arrow with a bar advance to the end (click on
arrow/bar pointing right or use the End key) or
beginning (arrow/bar left or Home key) of your
presentation.


          === COMMAND BUTTON MENU ===

NeoShow's menu of command buttons lies along the
left side of the screen. Below are descriptions of
the major commands and functions available through
NeoShow's menu.

- THE FILE BUTTON -

Options under this command button are used to
load and save your presentations, and to exit from
NeoShow.

NEW - Use this option to load a fresh storyboard
screen which contains no slides.

OPEN - If you have saved previous NeoShow
presentations, you may load one of these using the
OPEN option. The dialog below will appear to allow
you to select the file name for the slide show.
Note that if the desired presentation file is in a
drive or directory other than the current
drive/directory, you may select a new drive using
the DRIVES drop down list. Directories may be
selected from the DIRECTORIES box. Simply click on
any subdirectory listed to go to that directory.
Clicking on the folder icon which is followed by a
backslash (\) will take you to the drive's root
directory. Clicking on the folder icon which is
followed by two periods (..) will take you to the
previous directory in the tree from which the
current directory has branched. See your DOS
documentation for additional information on
directory trees.

SAVE - This option saves the storyboard with all
changes you have made during your current session.
If you have not named your presentation, you will
be prompted to supply a name.

SAVE AS - If you wish to save a new
presentation, or make a copy of an existing
storyboard, use this option to supply a new name.
The new file name may contain up to eight valid
DOS characters (valid DOS characters include A-Z,
0-9, _, ^, $, ~, !, #, %, &, -, {}, (), @, ',`
with no spaces, commas, periods or backslashes in
the name). NeoShow will assign a three letter
extension "SHW" to your slide show filename. If
you wish to store the file on a different drive or
directory, precede the filename with the correct
drive and path, or use the drop down list (using
the small arrow button) to select the drive and
directory.

CLOSE - If you wish to move on to another
presentation file, select this option to unload
the current storyboard.

DELETE FILE - Use this option only if you wish
to delete the selected file(s) from both your
presentation and from your disk. This works for
both images and sound files, and is a great way
to clean unwanted files from your drives. To use
NeoShow as a file management tool, use the BUILD
option (below) to quickly load image files from
your disk, then use DELETE FILE to eliminate any
unwanted images. Note also that you can use
EDIT IMAGE (see under EDIT button) to launch
your paint program to edit the currently
selected slide image.

BUILD - This option permits several images to be
loaded onto the storyboard at once, based on a file
mask you specify. If, when creating images to use in
NeoShow, you assign file names containing the same
characters in certain positions, you can save time
in building your presentation. You may also place
image files in their own subdirectory and quickly
load them from that directory by using the *.* file
mask. The DOS wildcard characters (* and ?) can be
used to load a specific range of files. Example:
"*.PCX" would load all files having the .PCX
extension; "R*.BMP" will load only the files having
the .BMP extension which also begin with the letter
R; and "R?L.BMP" accepts files which start with the
letter R, contains any other character in the
second position, contains an L in the third
position, and has the extension .BMP. Files will be
loaded onto the storyboard in alphanumeric order.

ARCHIVE - Use this option to move all of the files
associated with the current presentation to another
directory or to back up your presentation's source
files to another disk. In the dialog box, type the
name of the drive and/or directory in which the
files will be placed, or click on the arrow to the
right and browse through your system.

COMPILE - This option is available in NeoShow Pro,
and converts a presentation and its attached images
into a single EXE file which may be distributed to
other users. You will be asked to supply a file name
for the executable command file (1-8 valid DOS
characters). You may use the small arrow button to
change the drive and subdirectory in which to place
the compiled file. The size of the EXE file will
depend on the size and number of the images and
sound files included in the presentation.

Four options are given to allow you to more
easily fit your compiled presentation onto diskettes.
Two options allow you to make sound files and image
files External to the compiled publication. In this
case, the images will not be included in the .EXE
presentation program produced by the compiler, and
you will have to separately include sound and image
files on a disk to distribute with the presentation
EXE file. This will reduce the size of the EXE file,
and may be used to keep the program to a size which
will fit on the media used to transfer to other
systems. In addition, one should be careful to
observe any copyright restrictions on images
obtained from outside sources. Some artist/
photographer/publishers require that you obtain
permission before distributing copies of their work.

The Optimize Images box converts all images to
match the number of colors in the video mode
selected for the presentation. This can greatly
speed the display of the presentation, but will only
reduce the size of the EXE file if the presentation
uses images which are in a higher resolution than
the mode selected for the presentation (using the
Options selection under the SHOW button). Finally,
the Compress Images option converts all images into
a compressed format before placing them into the
compiled presentation. This option can greatly
reduce the size of the compiled EXE, with only a
minor speed reduction caused by uncompressing
images as they are displayed.

DOS SHELL - Use this option to jump to DOS without
unloading NeoShow. To return to NeoShow at the same
place you left off, type "EXIT" at the DOS prompt.


EXIT - To leave NeoShow, select this option.

- THE EDIT BUTTON -

The options under this command button allow you
to import graphic files, and to copy, remove and
select files already included.

ADD SLIDE - Use this option to import PCX and
BMP graphics files into your presentation.

COPY SLIDE - This option will copy the currently
selected (highlighted) image or images within your
storyboard. The copies will be placed to the right
of the original.

REMOVE SLIDE - This option will remove the
currently selected  slide or slides from your
presentation.

SELECT ALL - If you wish to apply a Before or
After transition or Effect, use this function to
select all slides in the presentation.

EDIT IMAGE - Select this option to edit the image
contained in the currently highlighted slide frame.
NeoShow will load a paint/image editing program
specified in the "SETUP/SET PREFERENCES" menu. The
program will be accessed with the image already
loaded. When you exit the paint/image editor, you
will be returned to the presentation storyboard.

- THE BEFORE BUTTON -

The commands under this button control events
which occur before the selected slide or group of
slides appear in the presentation.

DO NOTHING - If this option is checked, any
previous slide will remain on the screen -
overwritten by the selected image. If a currently
selected image is smaller than the image it
replaces, the first image will be visible in the
background.

CLEAR SCREEN - If you use this option, the
screen will be cleared of any previous image(s)
before the selected slide image is displayed. Use
either this or the following options if differing
palettes cause undesirable colors to appear during
the transition.

FADE TO BLACK - Checking this option will cause
any previous image to fade to a black screen
before displaying the selected image. This will
produce a slower and less abrupt transition than
the Clear Screen option.

MATCH PREVIOUS PALETTE - This option will adopt
colors available from the previous image when
displaying the currently selected slide. NeoShow
will try to match colors as closely as possible.
This may make transitions less jarring if previous
slides are left on the screen (using the Do
Nothing option). If a subsequent slide is
instructed to Match Previous Palette, it too will
use colors from the first image matched.

- THE EFFECT BUTTON -

The options under this command button allow you
to control the transitional wipes and dissolves to
be applied to the currently selected image(s).
Once you have selected one of the options, you
will be asked to specify Size and Delay values.
Size is used to regulate the coarseness of the
wipe or dissolve. A higher value produces a
coarser and faster effect. A lower value produces
a finer, but slower transition. The speed of the
effect may be changed by using the Delay control.
The higher the value here, the slower the
transition. You may preview the effect by using
the Debug option under the Show button.

NONE - Selecting this option cancels any
previously selected effect. Before and After
options remain active, however.

BLIND - Use this option to use the currently
selected image as blinds to cover the previous
slide. You have a choice of using horizontal or
vertical blinds.

CRUSH - This effect uses the currently selected
image to crush the previous slide image either
horizontally or vertically.

DIAGONAL - The Diagonal options may be used to
wipe the currently selected image onto the screen
in the direction indicated by the arrows.

DISSOLVE - When using this option, the currently
selected image will gradually appear over the
background (either a previous slide, or a Cleared
background).

EXPLODE - Depending on which Explode effect you
choose, the currently selected image will either
be drawn exploding from the center - outwards
(option having arrows pointing out), or from the
edges into the center (effect listed with arrows
pointing in).

FADE - Fades out from the previous slide and
then fades in with the currently selected image in
place. If the Clear option under the Before
command button has not been selected, the previous
slide will fade in as a background, along with the
currently selected image.

SLIDE - If you use one of these options, the
currently selected image will slide onto the
screen from the direction as indicated by the
arrow.

SPIRAL - The currently selected image may be
made to spiral onto the screen from either the
center outwards (option with arrows pointing out),
or from the outside edge into the center (arrows
pointing inwards).

SPLIT - The current image will split the
previous slide or background, beginning from the
center of the screen. The arrow keys indicate
whether the split will be vertical or horizontal.

WEAVE - Sets of horizontal or vertical bars
travel from opposite sides of the screen to
produce this wipe. The effect thus produced is
somewhat like combining the Dissolve effect with
Split.

WIPE - These options may be used to wipe the
currently selected image onto the screen in the
direction indicated by the arrows.

- THE AFTER BUTTON -

The commands under this button control what
happens after the selected slide (or each slide in
a group of selected images) appears.

DO NOTHING - If this option is checked, the
presentation will move immediately to the next
slide.

TIME DELAY - To hold the currently selected
image or images are on the screen, use this option
to specify how long to show the picture during
your presentation. After selecting Time Delay,
enter the number of minutes and seconds you wish
the image kept on the screen.

WAIT FOR KEY/MOUSE EVENT - If you wish to allow
a presenter to determine when to move from the
currently selected image to the next slide in the
show, select this option. During the presentation,
any keyboard or mouse click will cause NeoShow to
cycle to the next image. If the presenter desires
to stand back from the computer or roam around
during the presentation, several devices (such as
infraredkeyboards and mice) are readily available
which will allow this.

SHOW REMOTE CONTROL - You may use this option,
along with the currently selected image, to have
the Remote Control bar pop up at this point during
your presentation. This is particularly handy to
include at review points, at which time you may
wish to fast forward or go back to a particular
slide within the show.

WAIT FOR SOUND TO END - This option causes the
image to remain on the screen until the sound
clip has finished playing.

- THE SOUND BUTTON -

If you have a SoundBlaster or compatible card
installed in your system you will be able to play
back sound effect and voice clips along with your
images. If you do not have a sound card, you may
still include sound files in your show, even though
you will not be able to hear them on your current
system. Sound files must be in the SoundBlaster
VOC file format.

NONE - This button turns off any sound clip for the
selected images.

PLAY ONCE - If a sound clip file has been attached
to the selected slide frame, you may use this
option to play the file one time only.

PLAY UNTIL NEXT SLIDE - This option will continue to
repeat the sound clip until the next slide appears.

PLAY AFTER EFFECT - Normally, the sound will start
playing just prior to any transition effect applied
to the current slide. If you wish for the sound to
start after the current slide is fully displayed,
enable this option.

SELECT SOUND - Use this option to import a sound
clip to attach to the selected image(s). A small
button will appear on the slide frame's title bar
to indicate that the file is attached to that
image. Pressing this button will play the sound
clip.

EDIT SOUND - This option appears only in the
NeoShow Pro edition. If you have a Sound Blaster
or compatible sound card installed in your system,
you will be able to use this option to directly
record and preview audio for the presentation.
   You may specify your favorite program for
editing audio files by specifying a program under
the "SETUP/SET PREFERENCES" menu selection. If you
do not specify a preferred program, non-Sound
Blaster 16/ASP users may use NeoShow Pro's internal
Sound Recorder feature to record audio through your
Sound Blaster compatible card's inputs.
   The Sound Recorder dialog contains a large
window at the top showing the sound file length,
size and filename.
   Below the file information, is a group of 3
buttons. The Record button starts recording sounds
from your card's input. The Stop button halts
recording or playback. The Play button replays the
recording.
   At the bottom of the dialog are five additional
command buttons. Load allows loading of a
previously saved file and is used to preview before
selecting and to determine file size and play
length. Save is used to save the current sound clip
as a file, for which you must provide an eight
character DOS file name. The Apply button places the
sound clip into the currently selected slide frames.
The Done button returns you to the storyboard.
   The Options button brings up a dialog containing
additional sound card controls. The Sample Rate
control governs the accuracy of the recorded sound.
The further towards the right (Max) the control is
moved, the better the sound reproduction and the
larger the file will be. As the control is moved
towards the left (Min), sound quality may suffer,
but the resulting sound file's size will be smaller.
Controls for Sound Blaster Pro (or compatibles)
cards include filters for low and high frequency
line noise, a selection for an alternate input
port, and volume controls for microphone and
line-in ports on the card.

- THE SHOW BUTTON -

Functions listed under the Show button allow you
to play, preview and set the playback mode for
your presentation.

PLAY - This option starts playing your
presentation. Note that at any time, you may press
the ESC key to stop the slide show.

DEBUG - Debug Slide Show allows you to pace
through your show one frame at a time without time
delays. Use this option to check for color
compatibility between slides, preview effects,
etc. The Remote Control Bar is shown during this
mode to allow you to fast forward, rewind, skip to
beginning and end, etc.

OPTIONS - Use this function to set the screen
resolution at which your presentation will be
played. If you will be showing the presentation
using a lower resolution monitor or graphics
board, use this feature to designate the video
resolution available on the target machine.
Setting this will ensure that your images appear
at the same size and screen position each time the
show is played. Note that higher screen
resolutions will be crisper on larger monitors and
overhead displays, but may be hard to see on
standard sized monitors. A compiled presentation
which calls for a video mode not available on the
display on which it is being viewed will ask the
user to select an alternative mode before running
the presentation.
   The Continuous Slide Show box allows you to
specify whether the presentation is to run in a
continuous loop, or if it will have a definite
beginning and end. If the box is checked, the
presentation will not end at the last slide, but
will automatically start again with the first slide.
The Continuous Slide Show feature is useful for
unattended displays - such as at trade shows, etc.

- THE SETUP BUTTON -

This is the place to configure NeoShow to
reflect your computer system and work habits.

SHOW THUMBNAILS - If this option is checked,
NeoShow will display reduced size images on the
storyboard to represent the images within the
presentation. Choosing not to display these
thumbnail sketches images will speed up many
NeoShow operations, particularly on slower
computer systems and computer systems having
limited RAM memory available. If you do not
display the thumbnails, file names for each image
and a representation of each image's size will
still be shown on the storyboard. The thumbnails
have no effect on the images when you use Debug or
play back your completed slide show.

SLIDE NUMBERS - If this option is checked, the
lower left portion of each slide frame will
display a number to indicate where the slide
occurs within the presentation.

SET PREFERENCES - NeoShow allows you to change
the following default settings: Swap Left and
Right Mouse Buttons allows  you to use the right
mouse button instead of the left to select and
drag items. Left handed and ambidexterous persons
may find operating NeoShow with the mouse buttons
switched to be more intuitive. This feature is on
when this box is checked. Generate Backup Files
will, if checked, enables you to recover a
presentation file if the last saved version has
been corrupted or contains unwanted edits. If this
feature is enabled, NeoShow will make a backup
file (having the .BAK extension instead of .SHW)
which contains any previously saved version of
your presentation. If you wish to make changes to
an existing presentation which you may wish to use
in the future, use the Save As function to assign
a new name to your edited version.

Beep When Error Occurs audibly alerts you to
errors and invalid actions when this box is
checked.

NeoShow will attempt to use all the free Memory
which is available in your system. If for some
reason you need to keep NeoShow from accessing one
of the types of memory available on your system,
you may do so by deselecting the corresponding
box. Note, however, that it is strongly
recommended that you NOT limit NeoShow's access to
memory. Doing this may slow down your system while
working in NeoShow. In any case, NeoShow needs
some memory - you should not uncheck all the
Memory boxes. The Temp Directory is where NeoShow
will store temporary files while it is operating.
You may designate any valid directory on your
system, or you may check the box below to allow
NeoShow to use the directory DOS uses to write
temporary files.

Finally, the Default Video Mode drop down list
will allow you to specify the screen resolution
you wish to use when creating new presentations.
This does not need to be the same as the mode used
for the slide show. You may always create new
presentations in another mode by setting the Video
Mode for that slide show heading above). Note that
the selections you will find on the Video Mode
drop down list represent only those modes
available for your monitor and video card which
are supported by NeoShow.

- THE HELP BUTTON -

Use the options under the Help button to obtain
information about NeoShow and your system.

HELP - This function will bring up this text
file in a window containing information about
using NeoShow. Use the mouse and scroll bars, or
your Arrow, PageUp and PageDown keys to move
through the file. Exit from the Help file either
by using your mouse to click on the small box with
the X in the upper left corner of the Help dialog
box, or by choosing the Close option from under
the File command button. If you wish, the Help
dialog window can remain open while you work on
your presentation.

SYSTEM INFO - This option brings up a dialog
which shows some of the equipment which NeoShow
found attached to your computer. Included are the
video card type, video card chip set, available
video memory, and your monitor type.

ABOUT NEOSHOW - This final option contains
copyright and other data concerning NeoShow.


         === USING THE STORYBOARD ===

The storyboard is the large area on the screen
which is used to lay out and manipulate the images
which will appear in your presentation. The
storyboard appears when you load a new or existing
presentation. The title of the presentation file
appears in a bar at the top of the screen. A
scroll bar along the right side of the storyboard
allows you to move through the various slides
collected in your presentation. To scroll through
the items on the storyboard, use your mouse to
click on the tab on the scroll bar and, while
holding down the button on your mouse, drag the
tab up or down through the slides in your
presentation.

- ARRANGING ITEMS ON THE STORYBOARD -

As you add image files to your NeoShow
presentation, they will appear on the storyboard.
Images on the storyboard are contained within
slide frames. Each slide frame is a proportional
representation of the type of screen selected for
the presentation (using Show/Options).

If you have used Setup to tell NeoShow> not to
Show Thumbnails, the space occupied by images will
be represented as a light colored blank area,
instead of thumbnail pictures. In the lower
portion of each slide frame, the filename
corresponding to that image is listed, whether or
not thumbnail images are displayed. If a sound clip
has been attached to the image, a small sound
button will appear on the title bar to indicate
this. Pressing the sound button will play the clip.

The images will appear during the presentation
in the same order (left to right/top to bottom) as
they appear on the storyboard. Once you have
loaded a set of pictures onto the storyboard, the
images may be rearranged by clicking on the lower
portion (i.e., the part of the frame containing
the filename) of the slide frame of any image and,
while holding down the mouse button, dragging the
slide frame to a new location. When the frame is
located at the desired spot, release the mouse
button, and the image will appear at the new
location. Should the new location lie up or down
beyond the edge of the storyboard display, simply
drag the slide frame to the top or bottom edge of
the storyboard, and the scroll bar will
automatically be activated. Continue to hold down
the mouse button in this position until you have
scrolled to the portion of the presentation in
which the slide is to be relocated, then move the
mouse away from the border and to the new
position. Release the mouse button to drop the
image.

If you click on a slide using the right mouse
button, a dialog box will appear which contains
all the attributes you have applied to that image.
Use this to fine tune positioning or to quickly
edit effects and other properties of the slide.

- SELECTING MULTIPLE SLIDES -

You may wish to apply an action to several
slides at once, such as when Deleting, Copying,
applying Effects, or selecting Before/After
functions. To select more than one slide, hold
down the Shift key and click on each slide you
wish to include. All selected slides will be
highlighted. To deselect a file from a group,
click a second time on that slide while still
holding down the Shift key.

- REPOSITIONING IMAGES -

Since each slide frame contains a representation
of the final presentation screen, you can see
exactly where images are positioned. Images
smaller than the screen size are centered when you
Add them to the presentation. Small images may,
however, be moved to any position within the
limits of the slide frame. You may do this by
clicking on the image (or the light colored fill
area if Display Thumbnails is off) and holding
down the mouse button while dragging the image to
a new location.

- EDITING SLIDE ATTRIBUTES -

By clicking on a slide frame's title bar using
the right mouse button, you may bring us a Slide
Info dialog box. Use this to quickly make
adjustments to attributes assigned to a slide
frame. The image's position on the screen may
also be adjusted exactly - which is handy when
producing simple animations, for placing small
pictures over a background image, etc. If an
audio card is present, a button for previewing
sound clips is at the right side of this dialog.
NeoShow Pro users having a sound card will also
find a microphone icon next to the sound preview
button that allows direct access to Sound Recorder
functions and information.

- POSITIONING THE REMOTE -

When you add the Remote to a slide (using the
After command button), the remote panel may
sometimes obscure important features in the image.
While in the Debug mode, however, you may use your
mouse to drag the remote panel to a less obtrusive
position. It will then appear at that location
during your presentation.

- IMAGE SIZE -

You will not be able to display whole images
which are larger than the size of the monitor on
which you run the presentation. Larger images will
be cropped to fit the screen, which may cut out
information important to your presentation. As
mentioned above, the screen size is set (measured
in pixel units) using the Show/Options feature.
Again, any good paint program, such as NeoPaint
from NeoSoft, will allow you to scale down larger
drawings to a size which will fit onto your
screen. The image of the Mona Lisa which appears
when you click on the About NeoShow function is an
example of a large image which was scaled down
using NeoPaint.

- IMAGE COLOR -

If you do not have a SuperVGA graphics card and
monitor supported by NeoShow, you will be limited
to monochrome or 16 color displays (normal VGA also
supports 256 colors in 320x200 low resolution mode).
Even if your hardware will not display 256 colors,
you may still import 256 color images, though
these will actually appear using either 2 or 16
colors on such equipment. If you move your
presentation onto a system which can support 256
colors in NeoShow, the presentation will display
with all image colors displayed, regardless of
the number of colors displayed on the machine on
which the show was created.

Sometimes the results obtained when converting a
256 color image to 2 or 16 colors will be less
than satisfactory. If a monochrome or 16 color
system is to be used to display the final
presentation, you may wish to use a paint or image
editing program to restore detail or spruce up any
reduced color image(s).


        === COPYING THE PRESENTATION ===

If you decide to display your presentation on
another system which is running NeoShow, you must
transfer the following files:

 - Your slide show file. This will have the
   filename you assigned when you used SAVE AS
   to save the presentation. This file will
   always have the letters .SHW as the DOS
   extension.
 - Each PCX or BMP image file you used in your
   presentation. The names of these files may
   be found at the bottom of each frame
   contained within the storyboard.

If the image files used in your presentation
were loaded from a different DOS directory,
NeoShow will first look for those directories
on the new system. If NeoShow cannot find the
image file in the same directory on the new
system, it will look for the file in the directory
which contains the .SHW slide show file. In most
cases you should just load the image files and the
.SHW file into the same DOS directory when
presenting on another system.

NeoShow Pro makes this process even simpler. All
you need to do is run the COMPILE option under
the FILE button, specify a file name, and NeoShow
Pro will turn your presentation into a self
contained, executable DOS program file. You may
then put this program on another machine, then
run it by typing the command name you specified.
When creating compiled slide show programs, keep
in mind that a slide show which contains many
large images and long sound clips can become very
large. You should make efficient use of such files
(repeated use of an image or sound clip does not
increase the size) to keep file size to a minimum.
Additional hints on producing compact presentations
may be found starting on page 41 of the User Guide.


       === COMMAND LINE OPTIONS ===

You may specify several options when starting
NeoShow. An option consists of a normal slash (/)
followed by an option letter followed by
information about that option.

- PLAY A SLIDE SHOW -

This option allows NeoShow to load and play a
specified slide show file. The slide show may be
interrupted by pressing the ESC key. When the
slide show has completed, NeoShow will return to
the DOS prompt, bypassing the interactive portion
of the program. Continuous slide shows will play
until the ESC key is pressed. You may wish to use
this option for presentations in which you do not
wish to distract your audience with the appearance
of the NeoShow interface while loading and
exiting.

     Usage: NEOSHOW [filename]
     Example: NEOSHOW C:\PCXFILE\SAMPLE.SHW

- DO NOT ATTEMPT TO INSTALL AUDIO * -

When loading, NeoShow attempts to detect whether a
Sound Blaster or compatible audio card is available.
To turn this feature off, follow the NEOSHOW command
with a "/A" switch. Use this feature if you find a
conflict between NeoShow and the sound card present
on a system. This option may also be used for
compiled presentations.

     Usage: /A
     Example: NEOSHOW /A

- LOAD OVERLAY INTO EXPANDED MEMORY -

For systems configured with Expanded Memory, loading
a portion of NeoShow into EMS will speed some
NeoShow functions. On exiting NeoShow, the portions
loaded into EMS will be removed from memory.

     Usage: /E
     Example: NEOSHOW /E

- SOUND PLAYBACK BUFFER SIZE * -

The quality of the sound recording can be improved
slightly by specifying a larger sound buffer size.
The default size is 2 but can be expanded to any
size between 2 and 15. This option may also be used
for compiled presentations.

     Usage: /Bx    x = buffer size 2-15
     Example: NEOSHOW /B6

- DISABLE DOS SHELL -

Use this command line switch to disable the
"FILE/DOS SHELL" menu item. Doing this will not
allow users to jump to the DOS command prompt
while editing presentations.

     Usage: /H
     Example: NEOSHOW /H

- DISABLE IMAGE EDITING OPTION -

Using this switch will disable the the "EDIT/
EDIT IMAGE" menu option.

     Usage: /I
     Example: NEOSHOW /I

- DISABLE SOUND EDIT -

Using this switch will disable the "SOUND/
EDIT SOUND" menu option.

     Usage: /O
     Example: NEOSHOW /O

- DISABLE ACCESS TO CONFIGURATION -

Using this switch will prevent the user from
reconfiguring NeoShow, by disabling the "SETUP/
SET PREFERENCES" menu option.

     Usage: /P
     Example: NEOSHOW /P

- DEBUG * -

This option may be used by support personel to
help identify sound and video card problems. This
switch may also be used for compiled
presentations.

     Usage: /D
     Example: NEOSHOW /D

- NETWORK SETUP FILES -

Normally, NeoShow stores its setup information
in the NEOSHOW.SET file in the \NEOSHOW directory.
This file contains information about the default
settings, such as video mode and memory usage
options. in a multi-user environment with PCs of
vastly different configurations, it is necessary
to specify setup files for different users and/or
different machine types. The /S option allows
users to load NeoShow with their own personalized
setup file. For example: if Cindy keeps her
personal files in the \PAINT directory of her C:
drive, then she might start NeoShow by typing
NEOSHOW /Sc:\paint\cindy.set

     Usage: /S[file]
     Example: NEOSHOW /Sf:\users\cindy.set

NOTE: If you intend to use NeoShow in a network
or multiuser environment, you must obtain a site
license from NeoSoft.

- ALTERNATE GRAPHICS MODES * -

This option can be used select an alternate
graphics mode to display compiled slide shows. This
is especially helpful when you want to see how a
presentation will appear on hardware that does not
support the default video mode.

     Usage: /G
     Example: MYSHOW  /G

* Items marked with an asterisk can also be used
with compiled slide shows.

(C)1993-96 NeoSoft Corp. All Rights Reserved