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┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │ " HELP │ │ # NEXT │ │ $ PREVIOUS│ │ % CONTENTS│ │ & QUIT │ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ Chapter 9. Document Integration Writing and Editing Hypertext ... UnMagic Uses for Hypertext Writing a hypertext document is not like conventional writing, it is more akin
to building a document as opposed to writing a document. It is not an easy
process, but it gives results that far outshine conventional writing. Building vs. Writing Audience Appropriate Structure Whose Word Processor ? Document Assembly Editing Hypertext Search and Replace The building aspect of hypertext creation comes from both having to know and juggle the different types of links, and from having to know where you are in a document (reference link, replacement link, etc). Despite this, hypertext documents tend to be different combinations of all the types of links, because at least in our experience, working with all the types of links in one document tends to give the best results. Audience The first aspect of creating a hypertext document that needs to be considered
is that of the intended Audience for your document. Is the person who is
going to be reading the document a computer novice, a technical professional, or somewhere in between ? Knowing the intended audience for your document is
very important as it will affect the overall structure of the document. For example, would you turn over to a novice a "mega document" consisting of
dozens of different sections all interconnected by a vast web of reference links ? Obviously the answer is no you wouldn't; unless that
document was specifically designed for a novice. Typically any novice could
easily get lost in a document of that scope. Appropriate Structure This brings up the issue of appropriate structure. This simply means that the
overall organization and structure to a document must be appropriate to both
the audience and the document's purpose. In some situations the appropriate structure may be basically a linear
document that only uses hypertext to integrate graphics and text. If this is
the appropriate structure then so be it. A hypertext document need not use all of the abilities of hypertext. Structure Planning A Caution Structure Planning Once the audience is decided on, the structure must be planned. To facilitate this we recommend that some sort of diagram or drawing of the overall structure be made, even just a mental visualization of it may be all that is necessary. Perhaps even a flow chart will work. This diagram will help you flesh out your ideas as to exactly how the document should be constructed. As the structure of the document will be essentially defined by reference links, it is important to think about how they will be constructed and interrelated. For example, when we created the hypertext version of this manual, we faced a real quandary as to whether or not to create a document that would show off hypertext to its fullest or to create a simple basic document that all could understand. What we ended up doing was taking a middle of the road approach, neither too complex nor too simple. Once the audience has been determined, the structure planned, and the structure diagrammed, then it is time to start writing. A Caution One cautionary note that I can give you is that once you have defined a structure and diagrammed it, try to stick with it. In any hypertext document the urge to make lots of links is very strong and you can end up making a document little more than a snarled mass of links. Hypertext is non-linear - the way that all of us think, but few of us are used to writing in a non-linear fashion. This is the primary hurdle to overcome in using hypertext, the mental re-adjustment. Once you have readjusted to writing in a true non-linear fashion then you should disregard this advice. Until then it can help you with your initial hypertext documents. Some of you may feel that this advice is very cautious - it is. Those who feel that they don't need don't have to take it, however it is a solid and conservative approach to hypertext document creation that will work. Whose Word Processor ? As far as the practical aspects of creating a hypertext document go, the first
question to answer for yourself is what word processor will you use to create
the text for the document. If you are using the word processor built into Black Magic, then you may skip the rest of this paragraph. If you decide to
use another word processor then please read on. When using another word
processor, several problems can arise with the files. File Management The problems that arise with the files are those of management. For example
if you have a document composed of primarily reference links then each one of
those links will be in its own file. Even by giving each file a unique name, it would be difficult to know where each section in the document should
go. One answer to this is to use the diagram you created for your document.
By writing the filename for each section onto the diagram, the document can be assembled much more easily.
Where Do The Links Go ? Where Do The Links Go ? The other practical aspect to creating a hypertext document in another word processor is how to know where the links should be made. One way to indicate where the links are to go is through a coding scheme embedded in the text. This scheme would use a recognition code to indicate where the link would be in the document. This scheme could be as simple as follows: @Note Link = "Text" @Reference Link = "Text" @Replacement Link = "Text" The above codes will tend to be unique due to the use of the "@" sign. This makes it easy to search out the areas where links should be. The "Text" indicates the text that would become the Link Originator for the note link. While more of the above codes would be needed (for graphics), the above example shows how a coding scheme might work. Once the text from the word processor is in Black Magic, then by using the search functions you could find all the codes and make the links. This coding technique can make using another word processor a definite option for creating hypertext. Document Assembly Assembling the graphics and the text into a finished hypertext document is the final step to creating a hypertext document. If you can, the most efficient way to do this to have all the files created and stored to disk so that they can be imported into Black Magic all at once. This will minimize the amount of switching back and forth between applications that is required, making the process more efficient. The best fashion to create a finished document from a quantity of files is to import the documents's first file, forge the first link that will require another file, import that file, and continue in this fashion until the document is complete. Integration The final aspect that remains to be considered in any hypertext document is that of Integration. By integration we mean not only does the text flow
smoothly from section to section, but is the document globally integrated unto
itself.. Questions To Ask Yourself This is the final step to creating hypertext, to decide if what you have done
is an integrated hypertext document, and if not how to change it so that it
is. Questions To Ask Yourself ∙ Do all the text and graphics flow together, or are they awkward and seem merely placed there not a true part of the document ? ∙ Do the graphics seem to serve a purpose that relates to and flows with the text ? ∙ Does the structure of the links fit in with the document considering the audience and style of the document ? ∙ Most importantly, is the Document esthetically Pleasing ? My definitions of aesthetically are too long to go into here. Contact me via NTERGAID or Bix (s.johnson) for an elaboration. I won't bother to go into it here because many people I have
mentioned it to have intuitively seemed to know what I mean - even it
they themselves can't vocalize it. Editing Hypertext Editing a hypertext document is similar to editing any other document with one exception. This exception arises when editing ' Link Originators, which is covered below. The material is any Link End can be edited in normal fashion and all the regular editing tools apply. To edit the material in any Link End merely move the cursor to that Link End and edit the text that is there. Editing The Link Originator UnMagic UnMagic is used in the following fashion. Place the cursor between the symbols that surround the link you wish to eliminate. Now press <Ctrl> <F4>. Black Magic will prompt you as to whether or not the link is to be eliminated. Depending on your answer, Black Magic will eliminate the link in the following fashion. Note Links and Replacement Links When Note Links and Replacement Links are eliminated, the Link End is deleted thus losing any information contained within the link end. Reference Links When a Reference Link is eliminated, the means of traversing from the Link Originator to the Link End is deleted, but the contents of the Link End are not deleted. They are instead stored for future use on the assumption that you will wish to reconnect them to a Link Originator. In order to relink a UnMagic Reference link End, mark the Link Originator as a Block block, by pressing <Shift> <ArrowKey> Make it a reference Link by Pressing <F3>, Answer 'Y' to the Point Mode Query Press <Ctrl><F2> Now with the map displayed on screen, press <Tab>. This pulls up a display of the various links that have been deleted. If more than one reference link has been deleted, pressing the <UpArrow> & <DownArrow> will scroll through a list of the deleted links displaying a portion of all of them. Once you know which of the deleted links you wish to link to, Display it on screen in the: "Un-Magic Reference Link Text View" Window And Press <F1>. This will put you (the cursor) in that link. Now simply go to the spot that you wish to link to and mark it as a block and press <Esc> (as you would for a point mode link). This will reconnect the Link End into the document and remove it from the list of deleted links. Deleting Links Ultimately As you can probably imagine, if Black Magic stores every deleted Reference Link, there must be a way to eliminate them from this list. To eliminate a link from the list of other "deleted" links, simply display the Link you wish to eliminate and press <Del>. Black Magic will then prompt you as to whether or not you wish to delete this link. By answering "Y", Black Magic will delete the link. NOTE - This is FINAL and IRREVOCABLE. Use it with care. Editing The Link Originator The only aspect of hypertext that requires care in editing is the Link Originator. The Link Originator is displayed on screen as the text that is surrounded by hypertext symbols. If you wish to change the text that is serving as the Link Originator, move the cursor between the symbols and edit what is there. When you are doing this, make sure that you are in INSert mode (a "Ins" shows on the command line) so that you do not eliminate the hypertext markers. These markers cannot be eliminated except through the use of "UnMagic" (<Ctrl> <F4>). Links cannot be eliminated except through the use of UnMagic. NEVER simply delete a link with the delete key. Search and Replace More On Search & Replace Given hypertext and its global branching multi level type of structure, you might wonder how search and replace functions in this environment. Search and Replace is limited to either the current text stream or the entire document.
The current text stream is any area that can be accessed only through the use
of the cursor keys. For example, when creating a Note link only the contents of the Note window
itself can be accessed through the arrow keys therefore the current text
stream is the contents of the Note link. Or phrased another way Search and
Replace can be limited to functioning only inside a single link not across
links. Uses Given the fact that we have spent the past sixty pages or so talking about
hypertext, and its capabilities, and virtually nothing about what to use
hypertext for, it is now time to discuss that subject. The uses for
hypertext are limited solely by your imagination. Sure I bet you've heard
that before, its what nearly every program says, but in this case it is true. Information Exhange Disktop Publishing Reports Desktop Presentations Group Writing !Educational Applications Overall we feel that these uses for hypertext represent merely the tip of the
iceberg as far as the applications for hypertext go. They are limited only by
your imagination. Hypertext can be used to create a new means for information distribution. Due to the reader programs being public domain reader, documents can be created and then distributed freely. This allows a new way to exchange information that is not limited by royalties, graphics standards, or ultimately even computer brands as there will be versions of the reader programs for every major personal computer. The availability of public domain reader programs could even breed a completely new computer application called Disk Top publishing. Just as the term Desk Top publishing refers to the using a computer to generate published works on paper, the term Disk Top publishing refers to publishing on Disk. As we are particularly in seeing these sort of applications for Black Magic flourish, we at NTERGAID would be more than happy to help in any way we can. Other uses for hypertext can include interactive sales reports that include graphics. These reports could be created by whoever has a copy of Black Magic, and then the reader programs could be used to handle distribution of these reports within a company. This type of distribution can be considerably cheaper than conventional techniques as it bypasses the medium of paper and related printing costs entirely. Additional uses of hypertext could include group writing efforts. By using Note links and Replacement links, non destructive modifications can be made to any document and then the agreed upon modifications can be made at once. Another use for hypertext can include any type of presentation document. An exceptional use for hypertext is in the creation of educational applications. The interactive nature of hypertext can create training documents that are suited to all readers from the most advanced to the novice. This can create educational documents that are unsurpassed. Overall we feel that these uses for hypertext represent merely the tip of the iceberg as far as the applications for hypertext go. They are limited only by your imagination. Hypertext can be used to create a new means for information distribution. Due to the reader programs being public domain, documents can be created and then distributed freely. This allows a new way to exchange information that is not limited by royalties, graphics standards, or ultimately even computer brands as there may be versions of the reader programs for every major personal computer. The availability of public domain reader programs could even breed a completely new computer application called Disk Top publishing. Just as the term Desk Top publishing refers to the using a computer to generate published works on paper, the term Disk Top publishing refers to publishing on Disk. As we are particularly in seeing these sort of applications for Black Magic flourish, we at NTERGAID would be more than happy to help in any way we can. Other uses for hypertext can include interactive sales reports that include graphics. These reports could be created by whoever has a copy of Black Magic, and then the reader programs could be used to handle distribution of these reports within a company. This type of distribution can be considerably cheaper than conventional techniques as it bypasses the medium of paper and related printing costs entirely. Desktop Presentations are a growing area of interest these days. Hypertext Software like Black Magic, can be used to prepare interactive
presentations that unlike most, will involve the Reader. By giving the
reader the ability to roam at will within your presentation, the interest
level will be heightened and the effectiveness of the presentation increased. Additional uses of hypertext could include group writing efforts. By using Note links and Replacement links, non destructive modifications can be made to any document and then the agreed upon modifications can be made at once. An exceptional use for hypertext is in the creation of educational applications. The interactive nature of hypertext can create training documents that are suited to all readers from the most advanced to the novice. This can create educational documents that are unsurpassed. HELP C10 C8 , CONTENTS k cls C7 (
