How To Write A File
Setting Window Margins
Format For Text
Tips
Example

:How To Write A File

     You may find it useful to write your own Reference Files
for the User's Menu help windows.  These files are simple to
make and extremely handy to have.

     Before you begin to write these files, you must first
change the right hand margin of the editor.  The screen on
the Gal2 editor is 80 characters long.  The windows in the
help screens are only 62 characters long.  If the editor's
margin is not changed to match the help screen's margin, the
text from your file will not fit properly into the window.
Changing this margin is simple.  Please refer to &d"Setting
&dWindow &dMargins".

     There is also a special format you must follow when
writing Reference Files.  This format is explained in
&d"Format &dFor &dText".

     The most important points of writing a Reference File
are highlighted in &d"Tips".  Please look at this file.

     Finally, there is an example to refer to if extra help
is needed.  This example is under &d"Example".
:

:Setting Window Margins

     The first thing you must do when writing Reference Files
for User's Menu is set the margins for the windows.  Once you
are in Gal2, follow these easy steps:

     1) Go to the Command mode. (CTRL C)

     2) Enter an O (for Options -- not a zero).  Press
           RETURN.

     3) "Printer Left Margin Width[10]:" will appear in the
           lower left hand cornor of the screen.  Press
           RETURN.

     4) Now "Text Line Length[80]:" will appear.  Enter:
           62       (RETURN)

     5) Press RETURN until you are back in the editing mode.

     6) You may use sF2 to format your help file as you
           normally would.
:

:Format For Text

     The format for writing Reference Files is simple.
 There are only a few things to remember.


     1) All Reference Files must have the extension
           &d=.hlp.

     2) The windows are 62 characters wide and 13 lines long.
           It is important to set the edetior's right-hand
           margin to 62 so the text will fit properly into
           the window.  Refer to &dSetting &dWindow
           &dMargins.

     3) Make sure that your cursor is in the home position
           (top left hand side of the screen) when you begin
           to create your file.  If your text does not start
           here, the window will be blank.

     4) Starting in this home position, make a dirictory for
           the window. This is done by listing the titles of
           the specific sections that will be in your file.
           Each title will be a separate window.  There can
           be only one title per line.  You may have any
           number of titles.

     5) Skip a line.  Now you must type a colon (":").  It
           &dmust be in the first column.  Next type the
           first title EXACTLY as it appears at the top.

     6) Now you may write the text for that title.

     7) When you are through, type another colon  in the
           first column and press RETURN.

     8) Repeat steps  3 - 6  for the rest of the titles.

     9) There may be spaces between your sections if you
           wish.

    10) If you wish to have text printed in a new window
           before the 13 lines in the previous window are
           filled, type a double colon ("::").

    Please refer to &d"Example" to see an actual Reference
File.
:

:Tips
     There are 5 helpful hints to remember when writing
Reference Files.  Keep these in mind.

     1) Always use the extension =.hlp to label your files.
           ex:  filename.hlp

     2) Make sure your cursor is in the home position when
           you begin to list the titles of your files.

     3) Make sure when you write the actual text for the file
           that you begin and end each file with a colon in
           the first column.  If this colon is not in the
           first column, it will appear in your text and the
           sections of your text will not be separated
           correctly.

     4) It also very important to type the title exactly as
           it appears in the title list.

     5) If you wish to have text printed in a new window
           before the previous window is filled, type a
           double colon ("::").
:

:Example

 Here is an example of a Reference File.

 misspelled
 problems

 :misspelled

   Here are words I recently mispelled.
      conceive, receive, misspell
 :

 :problems

   Here are common problem words.
      separate, occurred, accommodate, cemetery,
      medieval, symmetry
 ::

  Place Names
      Poughkeepsie, Schenectady, Albuquerque
 :
:
