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PC-CAI 2.0 Computer Assisted Instructional Language for IBM PC and Compatible Computers -----CONDENSED MANUAL ON DISK----- (c)Copyright Alan C. Elliott, 1983-1990 TexaSoft P.O. Box 1169 Cedar Hill, Texas 75104 (214)-291-2115 Version 2.0, October 1990 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information herein. This manual is a condensed version of the bound and illustrated manual you receive when you become a registered user. WHAT IS PC-CAI? - It is an authoring program - It is an automated teacher's language - It allows you write tutorials on any subject - It allows you to write computer automated tests - It allows you to automate diagnostic questionnaires - It allows you to create program demos - It allows you to create rolling demos and menus - It allows you to be very creative Become a Registered User 1 USING PC-CAI PC-CAI can be used by anyone who can use a word processor (which is most people who use computers) because it is designed to work like a word processor and not like a complicated programming language. In fact, you can use the PC-CAI CREATE authoring program to write tutorials without having to write a single line of programming code. PC-CAI allows you to create tutorials and run them directly from the program editor without having to exit and go to another program. PC-CAI gives you the capability of quickly creating a wide variety of programs on the PC -- from tutorials to tests to rolling demos. SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VERSION 1.00 and 2.0 New commands in version 2.0 are the LINE command, the PCX (Display Paintbrush Graphics) command and the CASE command. Improvements in the commands ANIMATE, SCREEN, SHELL, WAIT, STOP, RECORD and other commands have been made. Also, in version 2.0 you can encode the CAI program file so that it cannot be read by unauthorized persons. Other improvements have also been made. GETTING STARTED WITH PC-CAI To load PC-CAI on the hard disk, place the PC-CAI distribution disk in the A: drive. Make A: the default disk. Enter the command INSTALL and follow the instructions on the screen. To print LATENEWS.DOC, use the command: A>COPY LATENEWS.DOC LPT1: This documentation lists any changes that have been made since the printing of this manual. Become a Registered User 2 REQUIREMENTS TO RUN PC-CAI 2.0 1. An IBM PC, XT, AT or compatible computer. 2. DOS 2.0 or higher. 3. At least 320K of memory. 4. Any monitor, hard disk or floppy. NOTE: Color graphics monitors are preferred, and the DEMO program assumes you have a graphics monitor. USING PC-CAI PC-CAI is a computer language specifically designed to allow you to create computer driven tutorials, tests, and demos. WHERE PC-CAI FITS IN PC-CAI is a CAI (Computer Assisted Instruction) language based on the C.A.L.L. (Computer Assisted Learning Language) command set. PC-CAI is a superset of this original language. (Reference: "The Roll of CALL as a Teacher's Computer Language", Collegiate Microcomputer, February, 1985, Volume III, No.1 ) It works much like a word processor. SUGGESTED LEARNING SCHEME 1) Go through the PC-CAI tutorials provided on disk 2) Learn to use the EDITOR. 3) Learn to use the "dot" commands as described in the COMMANDS section. (Study the tutorials on disk) 4) Learn the "@" AT commands. 5) Learn to integrate graphics into your tutorial. SETUP DEFAULT PARAMETERS FOR PC-CAI Run the PC-CUTIL program to set up program defaults. Enter the command: C>CAI-UTIL SET UP DEFAULTS FOR CAI Choose to set up defaults for the editor program. You will be asked for the name of the disk drive where the programs will reside. The normal default values will be in parentheses, and you may simply press enter to accept these values. Become a Registered User 3 SETUP for CREATE PROGRAM A setup routine for the CREATE program is also in the CAI-UTIL program. In this routine you may choose default values for use in the CREATE program. PC-CAI TUTORIALS ON DISK Two tutorials are available on disk to help you learn about PC-CAI and how it works. The first tutorial you should look at is the DEMO program. Begin the PC-CAI DEMO with the command (from DOS). Note: this program requires that your monitor support CGA type graphics. C>CAI DEMO This program will demonstrate some of the things you can do in PC-CAI. There is also a tutorial named CREATE that explains how to use the CREATE program -- the PC-CAI authoring program. To begin the CREATE program, enter the command (from DOS): C>CAI CREATE THE PC-CAI EDITOR The PC-CAI Editor is a standard ASCII text editor. You can use any ASCII text editor to write PC-CAI programs, but the CAI editor allows you to easily go back and forth from the editor to running the program. To begin the CAI program (here from disk C), enter C>CAI Optionally, if you are editing an existing document, you may give the command: C>CAI FILENAME /EDIT Where "FILENAME" is the name of the file to edit. PROGRAM TIP:Once you have CAI code in the CAI editor, you may begin the CAI program that is in the editor's memory by pressing CTRL-G (GO). That is, hold the CTRL key down and press the G key once. NUMERIC KEYPAD COMMANDS Home - Puts the cursor at left margin. Arrow Keys(right, left, up, down) - Move in direction of the arrow. End - Moves the cursor to the end of the current line. PgUp (Page Up) - Move 11 lines up the document. PgDn (Page Down) - Move 11 lines down the document. Del - Deletes the character at which the cursor is located. Ins - Turns on the character insert mode. Tab --|> Moves to next tab position (see Ctrl-T, CTRL-K) Esc - End: Exits the editor. Become a Registered User 4 FUNCTION KEYS F1-Help F2-Delete: Deletes a specified number of lines F3-Top: Top of file F4-Bottom: Bottom of file F5-Files: Get a file F6-Center: Centers text, also see ".CEN" F7-Exit: Saves file to disk F8-Clear: Clears contents of editor, not buffer. F9-Mark: Mark upper left and bottom right of text to be copied. F10-Copy: Copy/insert a marked rectangular block of text. CONTROL COMMANDS (CTRL) ^A-Convert to UPPER case ^C-Copy overwrites. See F10 ^D-Deletes to the right of the cursor ^F-Fills the text from the current line to the next blank line. ^G - "GO" - When you press this command, PC-CAI will begin running the program that is currently in the editor. This allows you to immediately try out your program. ^J-Justify right ^K-Changes the "Help Bars" at the bottom of the screen ^L-Reset the line length specifications within CAI ^R-Search and Replace. ^S-Search for a specified text. ^T-Set the tab settings by entering up to 20 tabs. ^W-Delete word ^Y-Delete entire line ^Z-Convert to lower case ^F1 - Shell to DOS. Return by typing EXIT. BE CAUTIOUS - SAVE OFTEN Issue the F7 "Save" command periodically to protect your work - say every 10 to 30 minutes. CAI EDITOR TUTORIAL The following tutorial gives you a better understanding of how to use the PC-CAI editor to create PC-CAI programs. The example described here requires a CGA compatible monitor. To begin the CAI program editor, make sure you are in the correct directory. If your PC-CAI directory is named \CAI, for example, enter the DOS command CD \CAI To begin the editor, enter the following command from the DOS prompt: Become a Registered User 5 CAI Enter the following text, exactly as it appears on the next page: As you are entering entering this text, check: 1. Is everything spelled correctly? 2. Did you use the number 1, not the letter el? 3. Did you use the number 0, not the letter oh? 4. Is there a blank space after each command that begins with a dot (.) (ie. A space between the SCREEN and 0 in the first line.) HERE IS THE TEXT TO ENTER: .SCREEN 0 .COLOR 15,1 .CLS .SKIP 12 .CENTER (*My Very First Program*) .CENTER (*Written in PC-CAI*) This example illustrates how simple it is to enter information into the PC-CAI editor and to make it into a running program. .LOCATE 24,1 .PAUSE .SCREEN 1 .CLS .CIR CENTER=(160, 265) RADIUS=300 COLOR=2 .CIR CENTER=(160, 300) RADIUS=300 COLOR=2 .PAINT CENTER=(170, 20) COLOR=2 BOUND=2 .LOCATE 21,1 PC-CAI will make you a winner by a mile! .LOAD RUNNER1,RUNNER2,RUNNER3,RUNNER4 .ANIMATE (1,100)-(250,100) STEPX=4 STEPY=0 PAUSE=1 .LOCATE 24,1 .PAUSE .SCREEN 0 @STOP If everything looks okay, save the tutorial to disk. To do this, press the F7-Save function key. You will be prompted to enter the name of the file. Enter TUTOR. You will be asked if you want to Quit or Return to the Editor. Choose Return. Become a Registered User 6 RUNNING THE PROGRAM To run this program from the editor, press CTRL-G. If you get an error message while running the program, skip to the next paragraph. The first screen should be a title screen, and a prompt to press Enter at the bottom. When you press Enter, you should see an animation sequence. Press Enter again, and you will be asked if you want to Quit PC-CAI or return to the editor. Choose to return. If an error occurs while you are running the program, you may get a message asking of you want to Quit or Return to the editor. Choose to return to the editor. If the error causes you to return to DOS, you can get back into the editor with the command from the DOS prompt: CAI TUTOR.CAI/EDIT Check the code for mistakes and try again. When the program runs successfully, save it again (use F7) to the file TUTOR. To end the editor, press the ESC key and answer the prompts. To run the TUTOR program directly from the DOS prompt, use the command: CAI TUTOR PRINTING FILES YOU HAVE CREATED To print files you have created, use the DOS PRINT command (See DOS manual) or the COPY command to print the file. For example use one of the following commands to print the file TUTOR.CAI: COPY TUTOR.CAI LPT1: or PRINT TUTOR.CAI USING CREATE TO WRITE A PROGRAM There are two ways to create a PC-CAI program. The first is to use the authoring program called CREATE. The second method is to enter the CAI commands and text directly into the editor, which is discussed later. CREATING A PC-CAI PROGRAM WITH THE CREATE PROGRAM The PC-CAI Program Generator, CREATE, is simple to use. However, you must have a basic understanding about how a PC-CAI tutorial is set up. Refer to the CREATE tutorial on disk for more information on how to use CREATE. Become a Registered User 7 RUNNING THE PROGRAM To run a program from the DOS prompt after it has been created, use the command: CAI filename where filename is the name of the tutorial. You may also run the program from the CAI editor by bringing the program code into the editor and pressing the CTRL-G command key. USING THE EDITOR TO WRITE A PROGRAM Using the CAI editor, you can create a program or edit an existing program. A PC-CAI program consists of text, which is output literally from the program file, and commands which are acted upon according to their meanings. Each command begins with either an "at" sign (@) or a dot (.). These command markers must appear in the first column of a program line. At "@" commands are restricted in where they may appear within a program. Dot "." commands may appear on any line of a PC-CAI program stream. AT commands and DOT commands are listed in alphabetical order along with an explanation about how they are used. LONG LINES If a command will not fit on one line, extend the line by placing an & at the end of the line. For example, @RIGHT(*& WASHINGTON*) will be read by PC-CAI as @RIGHT(*WASHINGTON*) USING AT COMMANDS (@ Commands) As commands are defined, it will be indicated when a command is required within a Question section. If a command is not required, it is optional. Command parameters which appear in brackets "[]" are optional. For instance the @RIGHT command is @RIGHT (*ANSWER*) [KEYWORD,EXACT,EXACT NOCASE,DECIMAL,LIST, SOUNDEX,FORCE,FORCE NOCASE] The text in (* *) is a required parameter to the @RIGHT command, but the parameters in brackets [] such as KEYWORD, EXACT, and EXACT NOCASE are optional. If one of the optional parameters is assumed (default) that parameter will be mentioned as such. For the @RIGHT command, if none of the optional parameters is given, KEYWORD is assumed. Only the first three letters of an "at" or "dot" command are required (ie @RIG for @RIGHT.) Become a Registered User 8 @BEGIN QUESTION and @END QUESTION The @Begin Question and @End Question commands signal the beginning and ending of a question session. FORMAT: @BEGIN QUESTION [NOCOUNT] and @END QUESTION These commands are a required part of the QUESTION section. The optional parameter NOCOUNT indicates that this question should not be counted in any grading that is requested. This is helpful when a question is used to perform branching. @CASE The CASE command allows you to create menus that will branch to other parts of the program according to the option selected from the menu. The format of the @CASE command is: @CASE (*KEYS,LABEL1,LABEL2,...*) [CENTER][BORDER][JUSTIFY] MENU LINE 1 MENU LINE 2 etc @END The @CASE command consists of information on the command line plus several other lines of information which comprise the text of the menu. The @END command signals the end of the @CASE command. The parameters in the @CASE command line are as follows: KEYS - The keys are single letter "HOT KEYS" that correspond to the menu options. The first letter in the key list corresponds to the first label in the label list, etc. Generally, these keys will be numbers (ie. 1234) or letters (ie. ABCD). LABELS - The labels correspond to hot keys. When a hot key is pressed, the program will search for a matching label (like in the @GOBACK command). For example, if the hot keys are 123, and the labels are LAB1,LAB2,LAB3, and if the user presses the key "2", the program will then look for a line @LABEL:LAB2, and will branch to the line following that label. MENU LINES - Menu lines are lines that will be printed each time the @CASE command is encountered. All lines up to the @END command are menu lines. BORDER OPTION - If the word BORDER appears in the @CASE command, a border will be drawn around the menu lines. CENTER OPTION - The menu lines will be centered on the screen. RIGHT OPTION - The menu lines will be justified on the right edge of the screen. Become a Registered User 9 If neither the RIGHT or CENTER options are specified, the menu lines will appear on the left of the screen. An example of @CASE: .rem Example of using the @CASE command to create a menu @LABEL:BEGIN .screen 0 .cls .locate 10,1 @CASE(*ABCD:PCX,ANIM,MOVE,END*) center border A - Show A Sample PCX Graphics File B - Show a Sample Animation C - Show Sample Move D - End This Program @END .pause @LABEL:PCX .rem place code here to display PCX file @GOBACK:BEGIN @LABEL:ANIM .rem place code here to do animation @GOBACK:BEGIN @LABEL:MOVE .rem place code here to perform a move @GOBACK:BEGIN @LABEL:END .rem place ending code here .pause (*Press Enter to End this Program*) @STOP menu @END See description of @BEGIN QUESTION and @CASE. @ESCAPE Defines what to do if the user presses the ESC key during a tutorial. The default option is MENU. FORMAT: @ESC [MENU,SYSTEM] Thus, to cause the program to go to the CAI menu, place the command @ESC MENU at the beginning of the tutorial. If you want the program to return to DOS, use @ESC SYSTEM Become a Registered User 10 @GOTO and @GOBACK The GOTO command is used to skip a portion of PC-CAI code, and to go FORWARD in the program to a designated label (see @LABEL). The @GOBACK command begins looking for the matching label at the top of the program downward through the code. FORMAT @GOTO:label or @GOBACK:label Examples: @GOTO:NEXTSTEP @GOBACK:BEGINNING Must appear only OUTSIDE of a QUESTION SECTION. @IF The @IF command provides FORWARD branching in response to the result of the last Question section. The format of the command is: @IF (RIGHT, WRONG) [then] :label @IF may appear only OUTSIDE a Question section. The IF statement may be used to cause backward branching by going to a label which is then followed by a GOBACK statement. When grading is being performed, it would probably be advisable to use the NOCOUNT option of the @BEGIN statement in the question used for branching. Example: @IF RIGHT then :FORWARD : : @LABEL:FORWARD @LABEL Format: @LABEL:label To provide a location for the @CASE, @GOTO, @GOBACK, or @IF statements to restart program flow. Labels may appear only OUTSIDE a Question section. Example: @LABEL:NEXTSTEP @MENU Purpose:Displays a menu of .CAI program on the default disk, and gives the user the opportunity to select from the menu any program to run. Format: @MENU Become a Registered User 11 @OPTIONS Purpose:Select options that describe certain details of how the program will run. Specify what to do when the ESC key is pressed. Format: @OPTIONS [ESCAPE, NOESCAPE, NOEDIT] If ESCAPE is set, the program will watch for the ESCAPE key to be pressed. If the ESC is pressed, the program will display the menu of *.CAI programs or go to the system, whichever has been specified in the @ESC command. Go to menu is the default. If NOESCAPE is set, the program will ignore the pressing of the ESC key during a tutorial. The NOEDIT option means that when the tutorial is over, the user will not be given the option to edit the program. This is a safety measure to prevent unauthorized persons to see the actual program code. @READ Format:@READ [(*prompt*)] Purpose: To allow the user to input an answer to a question. This command is a required part of a QUESTION section. May appear only within a Question section. Example: The statement @READ (*ENTER THE ANSWER HERE: *) will produce the following prompt on the screen... ENTER THE ANSWER HERE:_ And the program will wait for a response from the user. @RIGHT The purpose of the @RIGHT command is to define the correct answer to the question. Format:@RIGHT (*answer*) [KEYWORD, EXACT, EXACT NOCASE, DECIMAL, LIST, SOUNDEX, FORCE, FORCE NOCASE] Remarks: Text lines which follow the @RIGHT command are displayed if the user's answer properly matches the designated right answer. At least one @RIGHT statement must appear in a Question section. KEYWORD: The KEYWORD parameter indicates that the user's answer must be a word or phrase which is contained in the indicated right answer. KEYWORD is the default condition. EXACT: The EXACT parameter indicates that the user's answer must match Become a Registered User 12 exactly, including case (upper and lower case). EXACT NOCASE: The EXACT NOCASE indicates that the user's answer must match exactly, where case does not matter. LIST: The LIST parameter allows the answer to be a list of words separated by commas such as (*wheat,barley,oats*). Case is not checked. DECIMAL: The DECIMAL parameter allows the answer to be a number or range of numbers such as (*10.5*) for a single number or (*10;20*) for a range of numbers from 10 to 20. SOUNDEX: The SOUNDEX parameter allows the answer to match even if spelling is slightly wrong. For instance, the words SMITH, SMYTH, and SMYTHE would all match the correct answer SMITH. Case is not checked in SOUNDEX answers. FORCE: The FORCE parameter forces the student to enter the correct answer. No other entry is accepted. If FORCE NOCASE is used, case is not checked. EXAMPLES OF @RIGHT COMMAND: @RIGHT (*WASHINGTON*) would allow "G WASHINGTON" or "GEORGE WASHINGTON" or "FRED Washington" as correct answers. (KEYWORD match) @RIGHT (*C*) EXACT would allow "C" only as a correct answer, "c" would be considered incorrect. @RIGHT (*C*) EXACT NOCASE would allow both "C" and "c" as correct answers. @RIGHT (*WASHINGTON*) George Washington is correct! In the above example, if the user answers the question correctly, the text "George Washington is correct!" is displayed. The text following @RIGHT may contain any dot command. All text up to the next "@" command will be displayed. @SHELL Allows you to enter DOS commands or other commands from a CAI tutorial. Format: @SHELL (*DOSCOMMAND*) Become a Registered User 13 If @SHELL is used with no options, it returns control to DOS temporarily. To return to PC-CAI, you must enter EXIT at the DOS prompt. If information is included in the (*DOSCOMMAND*) option, the text in (* *) will be sent to the system. After the command is completed, the program will return to PC-CAI at the point just after the SHELL command. For example, to cause a DOS Directory command to be executed, enter the command @SHELL (*DIR*) Once the directory has been displayed, control is returned to PC-CAI in the tutorial program where it left off. @STOP Format: @STOP [MENU, SYSTEM], [GRADE] [SCREEN, FILE=filename] Purpose: Ends the PC-CAI program, and either (by optional specifications) returns to the PC-CAI menu, grades the tutorial, goes to system, or (when no optional parameter is specified) will prompt the user... Please choose 1) End CAI or 2) Go to Editor When the GRADE option is chosen, one of two of the sub-options SCREEN or FILE= may also be chosen. This specifies where the grading will be output. Grading to the screen gives a summary, and grading to a file gives detail about whether each question was answered right or wrong. When the SYSTEM option is given, the program return to DOS. WARNING -- BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN USING THIS IN THE EDITOR. IF YOU DO NOT SAVE YOUR PROGRAM AND RUN (CTRL-G) IT WITH AN @STOP SYSTEM, THE PROGRAM WILL END, AND RETURN TO THE SYSTEM, AND YOUR INFORMATION IN THE EDITOR MAY BE LOST UP TO YOUR LAST SAVE!!!!! <D> @TRIES Format: @TRIES [N] Purpose: To specify how many wrong answers to allow the user before moving to the next question. The default number is one. @WRONG Format: @WRONG [(*answer*) [KEYWORD, EXACT, EXACT, NOCASE, DECIMAL, LIST, SOUNDEX, FORCE, FORCE NOCASE][FINAL] Purpose:To define text to display when a wrong answer is given. The parameters KEYWORD through FORCE NOCASE indicate that type of match to Become a Registered User 14 a specific wrong answer, and have the same meanings as in @RIGHT. An @WRONG statement which has no answer indicated is called a "general wrong answer". When a user's answer does not match any right answers or any specific wrong answers, then the text following the general wrong answer is displayed. FINAL indicates that the text following the @WRONG statement will be displayed when all tries are exhausted, and no right answer has been given. Example: @WRONG (*LINCOLN*) Lincoln was a president during the civil war. would cause the text about Lincoln to be displayed if LINCOLN was given as an answer to the question. As many WRONG statements as are needed may appear. If no matching text is given and no match is found for those @WRONG statements which have an answer, then the text following the @WRONG without an answer is displayed. An example of using several @WRONG statements is as follows: @WRONG (*c*) EXACT NOCASE No. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. @WRONG You must answer either A, B, C, or D. @WRONG FINAL The answer was C, George Washington. Once the text for the @WRONG statement is displayed, the question is displayed again, beginning with any text following the @BEGIN. Therefore, it may be necessary to use the command .pause (*Please press ENTER to continue*) To allow the user to read the reply to the wrong answer before trying the same question again, or going on to the next question. When @WRONG FINAL is indicated, the text following is displayed when all tries are exhausted, and no right answer has been given. This can be used to give the student a reference to find the right answer, or to indicate what correct answer had been expected. EXAMPLE QUESTION SECTION Become a Registered User 15 @BEGIN QUESTION @TRIES 3 Many patriots of the American Revolution served in the government of the new republic. Who was the first president of the United States? A)Paul Revere B)George Washington C)Thomas Jefferson D)Benjamin Franklin @READ (*Enter the letter of the correct answer :*) @RIGHT (*b*) EXACT NOCASE Very Good! George Washington was the first president of the United States. @WRONG (*c*) EXACT NOCASE No. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. @WRONG You must answer either A, B, C, or D. @WRONG FINAL The answer was C, George Washington. @END QUESTION USING DOT COMMANDS (.) The following is an explanation of the "dot" commands. Unlike the @ (at) commands which are restricted in where they may be placed, dot commands may appear anywhere in the PC-CAI program flow. Items in the descriptions of the command that appear in brackets [] are optional. .ANIMATE ANIMATE several images together on the screen. FORMAT:.ANIMATE (X1,Y1)-(X2,X2) [STEPX=#] [STEPy=#] [PAUSE=#] X1,Y1 and X2,Y2 are the beginning and ending points for the animation. Be careful that these points allow the entire image to appear on the screen. Otherwise, you could get an error. The options STEPX, STEPY and PAUSE have to do with how fast the image will go. STEPX is horizontal movement, STEPY is vertical movement and PAUSE is how much to pause between images. The defaults are STEPX=5, STEPY=5 and PAUSE = 0.1. A simple example is given in the following statements: .SCREEN 1 .LOAD RUNNER1,RUNNER2,RUNNER3,RUNNER4 .ANIMATE (1,100)-(100,100) STEPX=2 STEPY=0 PAUSE=0.1 Become a Registered User 16 .BLANK Format :.BLANK ## Purpose: Specifies that ## (a number) blank lines are to be printed. This may be used to erase selected lines on the screen. For example, if lines 5 to 10 are to be blanked out: .LOCATE 5,1 .BLANK 6 .CENTER The CENTER command centers text on the screen. Format :.CENTER [(*text*)] Example: .cen (*This line will be centered on the screen.*) .CLS or .CLEAR The CLS or CLEAR command clears the screen. Format :.CLS or .CLEAR .CIRCLE The CIRCLE command allows you to draw circles or portions of circles on a graphics screen. FORMAT:.CIR CENTER=(x,y) RADIUS=n where x and y is the location for the center of the circle, and n is the radius. Optional commands are COLOR=n n=0,1,2 according to palette START=a STOP=b where a and b are in radians ASPECT=n n is numerator of n/12, where 10/12 is normal aspect for medium resolution and 5/12 is normal for high resolution. (See your BASIC manual for a more complete explanation of aspect) Example: .CIR CENTER=(100,100) RADIUS=30 ASPECT=6 COLOR=2 Become a Registered User 17 .COLOR (In SCREEN mode 0) The COLOR command in screen mode 0 is used to specify color changes. Format :.COLOR [foreground[,background] [NORMAL,REVERSE] Foreground and background refer to designations described below. Remarks: The designation may be a number from 0 to 31, or the words NORMAL or REVERSE. NORMAL causes the monitor to be in normal color mode. Reverse causes the monitor to be in reverse video. The other color designations, which are specified by number, cause the text to be printed in various colors. If you are using a monochrome monitor, those color designations are as follows: 0, 2-6 White on black (normal) 1 Underlined 7 Invisible 8,10-15 High Intensity, White on Black 9 High Intensity, Underlined 16,18-23 Blinking 17 Blinking, Underlined 24,26-31 High Intensity, Blinking 25 Blinking, Underlined, High Intensity If you have the Color/Graphics Monitor, the following colors are displayed: 0 Black 8 Gray 1 Blue 9 Light Blue 2 Green 10 Light Green 3 Cyan 11 Light Cyan 4 Red 12 Light Red 5 Magenta 13 Light Magenta 6 Brown 14 Yellow 7 White 15 High Intensity White To creating a blinking color, add 16 to these colors. That is, 4+16=20 will create blinking red. The command ".COLOR 9" will cause text to be displayed as light blue, with a black (default) background. The command ".color 25,4" would cause text to be blinking blue on a red background. .COLOR (In SCREEN mode 1) In SCREEN 1 mode, the COLOR command may be used in changing the background color and palette. In SCREEN 1 mode, the color command is .COLOR BACKGROUND,PALETTE Become a Registered User 18 Palette 0 causes text to be brown, 1 is white. For example, the command .COLOR 4,0 will give you brown text on a red background. Background colors are: 0 Black 1 Blue 2 Green 3 Blue 4 Red 5 Purple 6 Brown 7 White 8 Gray 9 Lt. Blue 10 Lt. Green 11 Lt. Blue 12 Lt. Red 13 Lt. Purple 14 Lt. Yellow 15 Bright White EXAMPLE: Changing colors in Screen mode 1: .screen 1 .color 4,0 This is Brown on Red .pause .cls .color 4,1 Now its White on Red .pause .DRAW The DRAW command allows you to draw a picture consisting of lines on a graphics screen. The format of the command is: FORMAT:.DRAW (*information*) where the "information" is a series of commands which indicate how to draw the picture. The "n" in each command represents the distance moved. (see also .LINE) Some DRAW commands are: Un Move Up n pixels Dn Move Down n pixels Ln Move Left n pixels Rn Move Right n pixels En Move Diagonally up and right Fn Move diagonally down and right Gn Move diagonally down and left Meanings for the commands H, M, B, N A, C and S commands are in the PC-BASIC or MS-BASIC manual. Example: .DRAW (*U10L20R30D50*) Become a Registered User 19 .GET To place an image on the screen, you must first GET the image using the .GET command. The format of the command is: FORMAT:.GET filename The filename is the name under which the image is saved. For example, suppose you have an image named PC.IMG. To get the image, and then place it on the screen in location 100,100, you would use the following commands: .GET PC.IMG .PUT 100,100 .INFORMATION Format: .INFORMATION ## (*text*) [CONDITIONAL] Reads information about the user that may be used for documentation purposes. Up to 10 ".INF" statements may appear. ## may be 1 to 10. This information is useful when documentation of a student's performance on a tutorial or test is needed. The information may be sent to a line printer at the end of the session, or may be stored in a file for future evaluation. See the @STOP command. The ## may consist of the numbers 1 to 10. Once an information field is established, it may be used in text by embedding (.inf ##) in the text. That is, a "(.inf" plus the number of the information, followed by a ")". For example, suppose you wished to use the student's first name within a tutorial, you would find it out with the command .INF 1 (*Please enter your first name :*) and then you could use it in text to personalize the tutorial... Very good, (.inf 1), that was the right answer! The CONDITIONAL statement tells PC-CAI to skip the information question if information for that number is already been stored. .LINE The .LINE command allows you to draw lines on a graphic screen. The format of the command is: FORMAT:LINE (x,y)-(x,y) The screen must be in graphics mode. The beginning and ending of the line are specified by the two (x,y) parameters in the command. See the Become a Registered User 20 Screen command for a discussion about possible values of x and y. .LOAD FORMAT:.LOAD file1,file2[,file3,file4] The LOAD command loads images (.IMG type files) into CAI memory for use in an animation sequence. Be sure they are specified in the order that they are to appear in the animation. (See .Animate) .LOCATE The .LOCATE command locates the cursor on the display. The format of the command is: Format:.LOCATE y,x Y may range from 1 to 25, and designates horizontal row. X may range from 1 to 80 and designates vertical column. An example of this command is: .LOCATE 13,1 This text is on the middle line of the screen .MOVE The .MOVE command moves an image from one location to another on a graphics screen. The format of the command is: FORMAT:.MOVE (x,y)-(x,y) [STEPS=n] Steps specifies how many steps to take. A small number or steps causes a fast move, and a large number of steps causes a slow move. For a discussion about the possible values of x and y, see the SCREEN command. .PAINT The .Paint command fills in a closed graphic object with a color. The format is: FORMAT:.PAINT CENTER=(x,y) [COLOR=n1] [BOUND=n2] where x and y are location within an object, n1 is the color to paint n2 is the color of the boundary. Painting will fill from the "center" to the boundary in all directions. If the boundary is not solid, the entire screen will be painted. Become a Registered User 21 .PALETTE When a color monitor is used, and SCREEN 1 is selected, a palette of colors is selectable. The command is FORMAT:.PALETTE n where n is 0, 1 or 2, which selects the palette of colors. Only four colors at a time can be used, the background color plus three selectable colors, according to which palette is being used. .PAUSE Format:.PAUSE [(*text*)] Pause causes output to be suspended until any key is pressed. Example: .PAUSE (*Please press ENTER to continue*). .PLAY Format:.PLAY (*designation*) Play creates sound effects. The designation contains a string of characters which specify notes to be played: A to G with optional # or + to designate sharp, and - to designate flat. Ln sets the length of each note where n ranges from 1 to 64. L2 indicates a half note, and L8 an eighth note, etc. MF designates music foreground. Program halts until music is finished playing. MB designates music background. Music plays while execution of program continues. MN music normal. Each note is played 7/8 of the time specified by Ln. ML music legato. Music play a full period. MS music staccato. Each note plays 3/4 of time. Nn Play note n where n may range from 0 to 84. n=0 means rest. Note 1 is the lowest octave C. On Octave n where n may range from 0 to 7. Pn Pause, where n is as in L n. Become a Registered User 22 Tn Tempo, where n ranges from 32 to 255, and may be used to cause music to speed up or slow down. Example of the PLAY command:. .PLAY (*T120O1L8CDEF2G#ABO2C*) .PCX (Display Paintbrush type graphic) The PCX command displays PCX (Paintbrush) type graphics on the screen. The screen must be in a graphics mode. The format of the PC command is: FORMAT : .PCX filename Y,X The filename is the name of the file containing the PCX image. The Y and X are position locations on the screen. Example: .screen 1 .cls .pcx pcxdemo.pcx 1,2 This code places the screen in mode 1, clears the screen and displays the PCX file called pcxdemo.pcx at location 1,2. In order to correctly display a PCX type file, you must place CAI in the same mode as that which was used to create the PCX file. .PSET The purpose of the PSET command is to locate the graphics "pointer" somewhere on the screen. You may wish to place the pointer on the screen just prior using .DRAW. FORMAT:.PSET x,y where x is the number of pixels from the left, and y is the number of pixels from the top. .PUT FORMAT:.PUT x,y The PUT command puts the image on the screen at the specified location. The x,y specifies where to put the upper left corner of the image. If the image is placed in a position where it will not all fit on the screen, and error will occur. To erase an image which is already on the screen, you PUT the same image on top of the one to be erased. See the .GET command. Become a Registered User 23 .RECORD FORMAT:.RECORD (*TEXT*) FILE=outfilename Within the TEXT field, you may use (.INF #) to record information you have previously gathered with the .INF command, and use (.) to record the last answer entered by the user. For example, the .RECORD command may be: .RECORD (*(.INF 1) answered (.) to Question 1*) FILE=GRADE.OUT A related command to use with the .RECORD command is the GRADE option in the @STOP command. Here is an example of how it works along with the .RECORD command. Suppose you have a tutorial as listed below: .cls .INF 1 (*Please enter your name:*) @BEGIN @TRIES 3 This is a test question, (.INF 1) @READ(*Who invented the telephone?*) @RIGHT (*BELL*) nocase keyword That is correct!!! .RECORD (*(.INF 1):TELEPHONE ANSWER:RIGHT:(.)*) & FILE=GRADE.OUT @WRONG Try again .RECORD (*(.INF 1):TELEPHONE ANSWER:WRONG:(.)*) & FILE=GRADE.OUT @WRONG FINAL The answer is Alexander Graham Bell @end question @stop grade file=GRADE.OUT screen Notice the .RECORD and the @STOP statements. The .RECORD statement causes information to be written to the file GRADE.OUT recording the specific right and wrong answers as they are given. The @STOP command causes summary information to also be output to the file GRADE.OUT. .SCREEN FORMAT:.SCREEN n where n is 0,1 or 2. 0 - selects the monochrome screen (non graphics, 80 columns) 1 - selects low resolution graphics, 40 columns, 4 colors 2 - selects high resolution graphics, 80 columns, no colors Colors are only supported on a color monitor. Low resolution graphics gives you a screen in which you may access points on the screen (called pixels) 320 pixels from left to right, and 200 from top to bottom. High resolution gives you 640 pixels from left to right and 200 from top to bottom. Become a Registered User 24 SCREEN PIXEL PIXEL MODE HT WIDTH NOTES ------ ------ ------- ------------- 0 not a graphic mode 1 200 320 low resolution mode 2 200 640 high resolution mode Other SCREEN modes may be available depending on your monitor type. SCREEN COORDINATES Points on the screen will often be referenced by two numbers, the first is horizonal (left to right), and the second is vertical (up and down). The "home" position (0,0) is the upper left corner of the screen. For example, the location 100,200 would mean the location 100 pixels down the screen, and 200 pixels right of the left border of the screen. .SKIP Format :.SKIP ## Causes the cursor to skip down the screen ## number of lines. Example: .SKIP 4 .USE The purpose or the .USE command is to allow you to temporary bring in a series of commands (like a subroutine) which is stored in a separate file. Format: .USE PROG=programname The .USE commands will turn over the program stream to the indicated USE file until the end of that file is reached, at which time the program stream will return to the main program. Example:Suppose you often used a certain paragraph you have stored in a file B:OFTEN.CAI. The command to insert that program code is: .USE PROG=B:OFTEN.CAI .WAIT Format: .WAIT # This command causes the program to wait # seconds before continuing. Example: Become a Registered User 25 .WAIT 30 EXAMPLE TUTORIAL Following example will give you ideas about how to use the @ command and . command. These examples include a question and answer session with no branching, branching and the .USE command. .SKIP 10 .CENTER(*This is an example of Branching in CALL*) .SKIP 2 .USE PROG=USEFIL .SKIP 1 .PAUSE (*Please press ENTER*) @GOTO:ROBIN This will not be printed, since we skipped it. @LABEL:BATMAN This is text which follows the BATMAN label, which is only printed when I go BACK to it using a GOBACK command. .pause (*Please press ENTER*) @LABEL:ROBIN @BEGIN QUESTION .CLS Now we are in a Question section. The question for the day is... Did the SUN rise this morning? HINT:The correct answer is Yes. However, to test out the branching, you might want to see what happens when you answer NO. @READ(*ENTER YOUR ANSWER:*) @RIGHT (*Yes*) KEYWORD .play (*mfo2l16cdefgabo3c*) @END @IF RIGHT then GOTO:RIGHTANSWER .SKIP 2 This question is only asked if you answered the SUN question WRONG It is a very special day in which the SUN does not come up. In fact, when that happens, there won't be a day at all, will there? Of course, it could be 3 o'clock in the morning, or there could be a cloud cover, which would make it seem like there was no sun rise. @BEGIN QUESTION Did the SUN rise yesterday morning? The answer is YES whether you like it or not! Become a Registered User 26 @READ (*Enter your answer here:*) @RIGHT(*YES*) FORCE NOCASE .play (*mfo2l16cdefgabo3c*) @END QUESTION @GOTO :SKIP @LABEL:RIGHTANSWER This part of the program is performed if the first SUN question is answered CORRECTLY. @LABEL:skip @BEGIN QUESTION NOCOUNT DO YOU WANT TO STOP THIS? @READ(*ENTER Y or N :*) @RIGHT (*Y*) EXACT NOCASE @END QUESTION @IF RIGHT then GOTO:END Okay, then , I'm going back... @GOBACK:BATMAN @LABEL:END .PAUSE (*This is the END!!! Press Enter *) @STOP MENU THIS IS THE "USE" FILE USED IN THE EXAMPLE ABOVE: .PLAY(*mbo1l4cdefgabo2c*) This text was brought into the stream of the program by a .USE command. This program takes you through some exercises in branching, which will help you understanding what may be performed with the commands: @GOTO @GOBACK @IF @LABEL Become a Registered User 27 USING GRAPHICS COMMANDS There are two kinds of graphics that you can create in a PC-CAI program. One is character graphics and the other is pixel graphics. Character graphics are pictures that are made up of printable characters such as the characters - (dash) and | (vertical bar). Pixel graphics are drawings that can access every dot on the screen -- you can draw lines, circles, and so on. The following sections give some hints about using both character and pixel based graphics. USING CHARACTER BASED GRAPHICS Character based graphics use the ASCII character set and the IBM extended character set to form pictures on the screen. Character based graphics are the only kinds of graphics you can use in screen mode 0. The DEMO and CREATE programs use several examples of character based graphics. For example, the picture of the PC and the keyboard in the DEMO program are character based. These pictures made up mostly of extended ASCII characters. DRAWING WITH EXTENDED ASCII CHARACTERS To get an extended ASCII character to appear on the screen, you must use the following technique: 1. You must know the ASCII number of the character. For example, the ASCII code for the pound sign (£) is 156. 2. Place the cursor on the screen where you want the character to appear. 3. Hold the ALT key down (on the left side of the keyboard) and while holding it down, type in the number of the character on the numeric keypad at the right of the keyboard. 4. When you let the ALT key up, the character desired should appear. USING PIXEL BASED GRAPHICS In order to use pixel based graphics commands in PC-CAI, you must be using a monitor which will support these graphics. There are two CGA graphics modes, low resolution and high resolution. Monitors supporting this are composite graphics, CGA (RGB), EGA, MCGA, PGA, and VGA. Hercules graphic monitors are not currently supported -- however there are programs that will allow you to perform CGA graphics on a Hercules monitor. Become a Registered User 28 CAI-UTIL PROGRAM The program CAI-UTIL contains several programs to support you use of PC-CAI. The program includes: 1) The IMAGE Program 2) Set Up defaults for PC-CAI editor 3) Set Up Defaults for CREATE program. 4) Encode or Decode a File. To begin the utilities program, enter C>CAI-UTIL USING THE IMAGE PROGRAM To use the IMAGE program, begin the Utility program and select "Begin IMAGE Program" from the menu. You will be asked if you want to create a new image, or edit and old image. Press the N key to select New or O to select Old. As you edit, the image will appear on the screen. An example screen using the BEETLE is displayed below. An copy of the image in the actual size it will be displayed in CAI is displayed at the upper right. To edit the image, move the graphic cursor with the arrow keys (and Home, End, PgDn and PgUp). Press a 0, 1, 2 or 3 key to select the color of a spot in the image. If you are editing a large image, you may only have black and white to work with. Images displayed in high resolution mode will be in black and white on the screen. Save the image by pressing S for save. ENCODING AND DECODING FILES To prevent unauthorized snooping at the contents of a CAI file, the Encode/Decode program provides you with a method to "scramble" the contents of a file by encoding it. To encode a file, you must first supply a password and the file name of the file to be encoded as well as a new name for the encoded file. PC-CAI will run an encoded file as a program without you having to supply a password. Become a Registered User 29 APPENDIX I, USER'S BALLOT: Please indicate your preference for improvements in PC-CAI. On a scale of 0 to 10 0 = Very Low priority for this change 10 = Very High priority for this change Vote Proposed item of change --------------------------------------------------------------- ____ Provide a "question bank" from which to store and select questions at random or from a list. ____ Support output/control of VCR devices. ____ Support calculation ability in program. ____ Make display to screen faster ____ Support mouse/joystick ____ Improve "grading" procedures ____ Make the editor more like WordStar ____ Support subroutines in the language ____ ________________________________________ ____ ________________________________________ Comments: APPENDIX II, Bug Report for PC-CAI Explain in detail the problem that occurred. If possible, send a print out of the results or Print Screen, or send copy of the PC-CAI code that caused problems. Brand/Model computer you use:______________________________ Monitor Type:_____________________________________________ Amount of memory (RAM):__________________________________ Memory Resident Programs in Use:___________________________ Problem: Mail to:TexaSoft, P.O. Box 1169, Cedar Hill, Texas 75104. Become a Registered User 30 APPENDIX III, ERROR CODES These are selected error codes. A complete selection can be found in the IBM PC BASIC language manual. 7 - Out of memory 24 - Device timeout (ie printer) 25 - Device fault 27 - Out of paper 51 - Internal error 58 - File already exists 61 - Disk full 64 - Bad file name 67 - Too many files on disk 68 - Device unavailable (ie printer) 70 - Disk is write protected 71 - Disk not ready 72 - Disk Media error (hardware or media fault) APPENDIX IV, DISTRIBUTING PROGRAMS WRITTEN IN PC-CAI You may distribute programs written in PC-CAI without royalty under the following conditions. That is, you may distribute the run-time program CAI.EXE with your commercial or non-commercial programs. 1. Your copyright screen on your program should include the phrase: Portions (C)Copyright TexaSoft, Alan C. Elliott, 1983-1990 2. You must be a registered PC-CAI user, having paid the registration fee directly to TexaSoft. If you give away or distribute the PC-CAI disk, include all files, unaltered. Always mention that this is a shareware product, and users are expected to register. You may not photocopy and distribute the PC-CAI manual. Please help by encouraging the registration of copyrighted shareware programs so that these programs may be updated and improved on a regular basis. Thanks. 31