Index
Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

Disclaimer

What is It?

Registration

Distribution

If you have problems...

Shareware and the ASP

Sound Support

Procedures

How to Color a Drawing

How to Create a New Drawing

Menu Commands

File Menu

Edit Menu

View Menu

Options Menu

Help Menu

For Help on Help, Press F1


Disclaimer

THIS SOFTWARE AND MANUAL ARE SOLD AS IS AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. BECAUSE OF THE VARIOUS HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENTS INTO WHICH THIS PROGRAM MAY BE PUT,  NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS  FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED.   ANY PROGRAM SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY TESTED  WITH NON-CRITICAL DATA  BEFORE RELYING ON IT.   THE USER MUST ASSUME  THE ENTIRE RISK OF USING  THE PROGRAM.   ANY LIABILITY  OF THE SELLER WILL BE LIMITED TO PRODUCT REPLACEMENT OR REFUND OF PURCHASE PRICE.


What Is it
What is It?

Z & Z Color is named after my two children, Zachary and Zoë.  It is intended for used by children ages two to ten but is most appropriate around the pre-K and Kindergarten years.

As a professional computer programmer and a devoted parent (soon to be a demoted parent as the little lady keeps having to nag or drag me away from the computer) I can't help but look at a children's game without thinking about how I can make it better on a computer.  It can be more fun, more educational, and less frustrating.

It started out as a simple color by number program and gradually evolved over the course of its development into something bigger and better.  I hope you and your children enjoy it as much as my kids do.

See the information on How to Color a Drawing for the different ways to use this program.  It teaches numbers, letters, colors, and at the higher difficulty levels provides a good memory exercise.


Registration

 The author of this program is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP ).

Z & Z color is a shareware product.  As such, it is provided to you at little or no initial expense for a trial period of thirty days.  After the thirty day period if you find that you do not wish to purchase the program simply delete it from your hard disk and/or floppies.  If you like the program, thank me by paying me $15 plus postage and handling.  It is not free.  A great deal of effort went into the creation of this program.  If you hope to see more programs like it you must support the shareware concept by sending in your registration.

Preferred method of payment is to mail your check for $18 ($15 + $3 postage and handling) to:

Jason Balmuth

Z & Z Software

1511 Norman Avenue

Lutherville, MD 21093

USA

International orders (except for Canada and Mexico) please add an additional US $2 to cover the increased cost of postage.

For an additional $5 you can purchase the  Pennington Bonus Pack which is a seperate floppy disk containing an additional FIFTY FOUR high quality drawings supplied by artist and Z & Z Color user Ross Pennington.  The Pennington Bonus Pack may be purchased at the time of your initial registration for $5 or at a later date for $7 ($5 plus $2 postage and handling).

Feel free to print this topic and complete your address below :

Name 	:

Address	:

City	:

State	:

Country	:

ZIP	:

Indicate whether you prefer 3 1/2 or 5 1/4 inch disks and I'll send you a copy of the registered version.  Note that registration can also be done on-line via Compuserve or by using your credit card.

Registration entitles you to the following :

The registered version, which includes a total of  THIRTY drawings as well as digital audio for each number and letter (works with any audio board that can play Windows WAV format files).  Audio makes the game twice as much fun and three times as educational.

Three months of support via telephone and the CompuServe computer service.  My CompuServe ID is 76021,2256.  I can be reached through the Internet at 76021,2256@compuserve.com

Please send me any suggestions you might have for improvements and new features.  If I use your suggestion I'll send you a copy of the next version for free!

You may copy this program and share it with others but you may not sell the software.  For more information refer to the topic on distribution.


Compuserve Registration

Z & Z Color may be registered in CompuServe's Shareware Registration Forum (GO SWREG).  The registration ID is 1406.


Credit Card Registration

You can order with MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394, by sending a FAX to 713-524-6398, by CompuServe Email to 71355,470, or by Internet Email to 71355,470@compuserve.com. You can also mail credit card orders to

PsL

P.O.Box 35705

Houston, TX 77235-5705.

THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY.

THE AUTHOR OF THIS PROGRAM CANNOT BE REACHED AT THESE NUMBERS.

Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, non-credit card orders, etc, must be directed to Z & Z Software (see registration).

To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify Z & Z Software the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you.


Distribution of Z & Z Color

You may copy this program and share it with others but you may not sell the software.  Anyone wishing to charge people a fee for giving them a copy of Z & Z Color must have the written authorization of the author, without which, the distributor is guilty of copyright violation.  To receive such authorization print and sign the agreement listed below and send it to me at the address listed above.  Include $3 to cover postage and handling for the latest version of Z & Z Color.  For distributors already recognized by the Association of Shareware Professionals this authorization is not necessary.

TERMS OF DISTRIBUTION OF Z & Z Color

1. The fee charged may not exceed $10, including postage, mailer and any other charges.

2. Your libraries catalog or listing must state that this program is not free, but is copyrighted software that is provided to allow the user to evaluate it before paying.

3. The offering and sale of Z & Z Color will be stopped at any time the author so requests.

4. Copies must be made from the disk sent to you with this agreement.  This is required for control purposes.

5.  Problems or complaints about the program will be reported to the author for investigation.  In return for a license to charge a fee for the distribution of the program Z & Z Color, I agree to comply with the above terms of distribution.

Signed, _____________________________________   ______________

                             your signature                                         date


If you have problems...

Z & Z Color underwent quite a bit of testing by myself, my kids, and other Beta testers before it reached your hands.  However, I would not want to bet my life that there are no bugs remaining in the program.  If you have a registered copy of the program (see Registration for more information) and you are the first one to inform me of a problem, I'll fix it and send you a free copy of the next version as soon as possible.  If you have an unregistered copy I'm still interested in hearing about the problem but you must register in order to get the free copy.

Some common problems and suggested solutions :

Problem : Too slow, needs too much memory

Solution : Buy a faster machine with more memory and a faster video card.  Just kidding.  Stay away from the zoom commands and a magnification other than 100% (shown on title bar of window).  Also make sure your display driver is not set for a mode with more than 16 colors.  This can be changed via the Windows Setup icon in the Main group of the program manager.  If in doubt choose VGA or Super VGA.

Problem : Some menu items are always grayed (disabled).

Solution : Z & Z Color has two modes of operation - coloring pictures and creating pictures.  Some menu commands, such as the command to validate a picture (located on the edit menu), are exclusive to one mode or the other.  Other menu commands, such as the Paste command, depend on other things as well as the operating mode of Z & Z Color.  In order for the Paste command to be enabled you must be in create mode and there must be a bitmap present on the Windows clipboard.

Problem : Colors filled in on the picture look different than the one on the button that was selected.

Solution : Some pictures require colors which are not pure but dithered.  Dithered means that the color is faked by alternating dots of other colors.  For example, brown can be created by alternating maroon and black dots.  When the (zoom) magnification is set to 200% on a VGA screen you can start to see the dots for dithered colors.  If you shrink the picture down to 50% or 25% the dots are mixed together resulting in a color which appears different from the one you used to fill it.  When and if you restore the picture to 100% the correct color will be visible.

Send as much information as you can gather on any other problems to

Jason Balmuth

Z & Z Software

1511 Norman Avenue

Lutherville, MD 21093

Compuserve :	76021,2256

Internet	:	76021,2256@compuserve.com


Shareware and the ASP

This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP).   The ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products.  Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536.

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period.  With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual.  Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware.  Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.  And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.


Sound Support

Z & Z Color contains sound effects which are compatible with any sound board which works under Windows.  As anyone with a sound board will attest, adding audio to a children's game doubles the fun (and doubles the educational value, too!).  Partially as a bonus for registration and partially due to the relatively large amount of disk space required for the sound information, some of the audio files (the sounds for the numbers and letters) are distributed with the registered version only.

Note that you can create your own audio files for use with Z & Z Color.  Simply use whatever WAV file recording tools came with your sound board to record your own sounds and save the file under one of the names listed below, in the same directory as the Z & Z Color program.  The audio files used by Z & Z Color for all drawings are as follows :

WELCOME.WAV	Introduction, plays on entry to program

BYE.WAV	Good-bye, plays on exit from program

WIN.WAV	Default congratulations for completing picture correctly

OB.WAV	Informs user that you can't color on black area

NZ.WAV	Informs user that area is not zoned with any color (but can be filled in if the bell is turned off)

0.WAV to 15.WAV	Tells user the number of the button pushed.  One file for each number between 0 and 15 inclusive.  Registered version only.

A.WAV to P.WAV	Tells user the letter of the button pushed.  One file for each letter between A and P inclusive.  Registered version only.

TRY_0.WAV to TRY_15.WAV	Tells user the correct number to use for the spot where they clicked the mouse.  One file for each number between 0 and 15 inclusive.  Registered version only.

TRY_A.WAV to TRY_P.WAV	Tells user the correct letter to use for the spot where they clicked the mouse.  One file for each letter between A and P inclusive.  Registered version only.

AGAIN.WAV	Try again, used for all shapes.  If number and/or letter files are missing (as in the unregistered version) it will be used for all of these as well.


How to Color a Drawing

When Z & Z Color first starts up a drawing of the letters in Z & Z Color is shown.  To select another drawing use the Open command from the File menu.

Next select the desired options - numbers, letters, shapes), colors and beep on wrong via menu commands (see the Options menu for more information) or the buttons along the left hand side of the window.  Refer to the table below for a brief description of the various ways to configure Z & Z Color.  For beginners we recommend using numbers and leaving the beep on wrong off to avoid early frustration.

Select a color by pressing one of the color buttons along the bottom of the window.  Press and release the left mouse button anywhere in the drawing to fill in the area around it.  The selected color spreads out from the point where you clicked the mouse until it reaches a black border or a region of any other color.  The color remains selected until another color is chosen.

Pressing the right mouse button fills an area with white but only if the beep on wrong switch is disabled. .

Choose another color required in the drawing and fill in the areas where that number/letter/shape is found.  Continue this until all marked areas of the drawing have been colored in.  If the beep on wrong switch is enabled (check mark appears in Options menu and button appears depressed) when the drawing is completed you will be rewarded with a prize.

If you want to do the same drawing again use the Clear command on the Edit menu to start over again.  If you want to try another drawing use the Open command from the File menu.

Marker Options

Numbers	Letters	Shapes	Colors	Description	Difficulty

On	On	Number markers, numbered and

colored buttons	Very Easy

On	Number markers, numbered

buttons	Easy

On	On	Letter markers, lettered and

colored buttons	Very Easy

On	Letter markers, lettered buttons	Easy

On	On	Shape markers, shapes and

colored buttons	Easy

On	Shape markers, shapes on

buttons	Medium

On	No markers, colored buttons	Hard

No markers, plain buttons	Very Hard


How to Create a New Drawing

To create a new drawing first you need to find or draw a picture in another application (such as Paintbrush, which is included with Windows) and then copy it to the Windows clipboard or save it as a bitmap file.

Start up Z & Z Color if it isn't already running and load the picture.  If you copied it to the clipboard then use the Paste command from the Edit menu.  If you saved it to a file then use the Open command from the File menu.

Make sure you are in create mode - there should be a check mark next to the command in the Options menu.  You are now ready to add the number/letter/shape markings to your drawing.

Select a color by pressing one of the color buttons along the bottom of the window.  If the color you need is not available, select a color which you do not need and then use the Change Color... command from the Edit menu to switch it to the desired color.

Now move the cursor to the area you want to label and then press and release the left mouse button to add the marker.  If the location is not satisfactory there are three choices : use the Undo command, move the cursor close to the marker and then press the right mouse button and drag the marker to the preferred location, or double click with the right mouse button to delete it.  Continue adding markers until all areas which should be colored have been labeled.

If you have not saved the new drawing yet now is a good time to do it - use the Save As... command from the File menu to enter a file name for the drawing.  Validation will be performed automatically and the file will not be saved if any errors are found.  Correct any errors and then save the file.

To test the new drawing turn create mode off and then use the Show Completed Picture command from the Edit menu to see what the drawing will look like.  To make changes press the Clear button (or use the menu command), turn Create mode back on, and then add and/or remove markers and change colors as required to make the picture look as good as possible.  Be sure to save the drawing when you are finished.

A pencil drawing tool is provided to make minor changes to drawings.  To activate this tool click on the pencil icon (top left button when in create mode).  Press and hold the left mouse button to change pixels in the drawing to the currently selected color.  Press and hold the right mouse button to change pixels in the drawing to white.  The main function of this tool is provide a quick and easy way to make corrections to new drawings.  If you've spent ten minutes choosing colors and numbers for a new drawing it can be very frustrating having to re-create the drawing when you find out that a numbered area is connected to another numbered area because of one or two missing pixels.

The final step in creating a drawing is to optionally assign custom prize drawing and sound files so that when the drawing is completed correctly, the user will be "rewarded" with an entertaining drawing moving across the screen and an encouraging sound bite.  Use the Prize Options command from the Options menu to set this up.  If you elect not to set a custom prize the default picture (a blue ribbon) and sound ("excellent... great job!) will be used.

Finding the subject matter for a good looking drawing is more difficult than you might expect as the picture should be relatively simple without small areas that are difficult to position the cursor over.  If there are just a few small areas you may wish to color them yourself before saving the ZZC file.  This is also the only way to get a drawing with more than 16 different colors in it.


File Menu

The Open command is used to select a new drawing.  A dialog box appears to allow for selection of either a Z & Z Color file or a bitmap file.  Select a Z & Z Color file for a drawing to color.  Select a bitmap file if you wish to create a new Z & Z Color drawing.

The Select Drawing command (same as the [image] button) brings up a dialog box to provide an interactive method for selecting a new drawing.  For small children (and even bigger children such as myself) this is a much easier method for drawing selection.  A thumbnail sketch of each drawing is provided, six drawings to a page.  To select a drawing, double click with the left mouse button or single click and then press the OK button.  Use the Prev and Next buttons to see additional "pages" of drawings to select from.  Alternatively, the keyboard can be used for selection.  The arrow keys move among the drawings and the Enter key can be used to complete your selection.  Page Up and Page Down are identical to Prev and Next, respectively.

The Save command saves the current drawing to its current file.  If you are in create mode the default file type is a Z & Z Color file.  If you are working on a drawing, the default file type is a bitmap file that can be read in to another application (such as Paintbrush) at a later time.

Use the Save As command to pop up a dialog for selection/creation of a different file to save the current drawing.

Exit closes the Z & Z Color Window.  Do not use this command until you are finished playing with this application.

To Print a drawing in its current state select this command from the file menu.  The drawing without markers (numbers, shapes, or letters) will be sent to the currently selected printer.  In create mode the markers are also sent to the printer.  This gives you a drawing that you can manually color with crayons or markers.  If you are informed of insufficient memory try un-checking the Use Print Manager checkbox found in the printers part of the Windows control panel.

The Print Setup command brings up a dialog box that allows you to configure your currently selected printer as well as to select a different printer (if your computer has access to multiple printers or print drivers).


Edit Menu

The Undo command (same as the [image] button) restores the drawing to its state prior to the last change.  For example, if the Beep on Wrong switch is disabled and you fill an area in with the wrong color, use this command to correct it.  In create mode the undo command removes the last marking (number, letter, or shape) which was added to the drawing.

The Clear command (same as the [image] button) is used to restore a drawing to its initial (uncolored) state.  Use this to try the same drawing again.

Show Completed Picture completes the current drawing for you.  If for some reason you can not complete the drawing in the normal manner (filling in each area) this command can be used to show you what the completed drawing looks like.  Follow this with the clear command (described above) and then try to do it the right way.

The Validate command is used in create mode only in order to avoid the situation where a single area in a drawing contains multiple markings.  Each new drawing which you create must be validated before it can be saved as a ZZC file.  Areas which contain multiple markings will be automatically corrected but may require you to make a manual correction in order to have the color of your choice.

The default 16 colors used by Z & Z Color are the 16 solid colors that are used by default in most VGA displays.  If you need a color for your drawing other than one which is displayed on the color buttons simply select the button for a color which you do not need and then use the Change Color... command.  A Dialog box appears to assist you in the selection of another color.

The Reset Colors command restores all 16 colors to the VGA defaults.

The last two commands on the Edit menu both relate to the Windows clipboard.  The Copy command copies the current drawing (without numbers, letters, or shapes) to the clipboard so that it can be pasted into another application.  The Paste command accomplishes the opposite function; it inserts a drawing (referred to as a bitmap) from another application into Z & Z color.  Once a drawing has been pasted into Z & Z Color you can then mark areas with the desired colors in create mode.  Note that the  Paste command is disabled unless Create Mode is active.


View Menu

Commands on the View menu are used to change the magnification of the drawing to allow for easier access to small areas and so you can see the whole picture on larger drawings.

Fit in Window automatically computes the magnification so that the entire drawing fits within the window.  Actual Size resets the magnification to 100%.  Zoom In (same as the [image] button) increases the magnification to make the drawing larger.  Zoom Out (same as the [image] button) decreases the magnification to make the drawing smaller.

The minimum magnification is 25%.  The maximum magnification is 200%.  Try to avoid using the 200% magnification unless your computer has a lot of available memory.


Options Menu

If the Numbers switch is enabled ( [image] button is down, check mark appears next to menu item) the numbers zero through fifteen are used to indicate which color should be used in each area.

If the Letters switch is enabled ( [image] button is down, check mark appears next to menu item) the letters A through P are used to indicate which color should be used in each area.

If the Shapes switch is enabled ( [image] button is down, check mark appears next to menu item) shapes are used to indicate which color should be used in each area.

If the Colors switch is enabled ( [image] button is down, check mark appears next to menu item) colors are shown on the color buttons (displayed along the bottom of the Z & Z Color Window) in addition to the appropriate number, letter, or shape for each button.

If Numbers, Letters, and Shapes are all disabled and the Colors switch is enabled, nothing will be displayed to mark each area but the color buttons at the bottom of the window will contain the color associated with each button.  To complete the drawing in this mode you must remember which color goes with each area.

If all four switches are disabled nothing will be displayed to mark each area and the color buttons at the bottom of the window will be blank.  This is the most difficult way to complete the drawing as you must remember not only which color to use for each area but which button to use to obtain the desired color.

Beep on Wrong (same as the [image] button) toggles the switch controlling the beep when the wrong color is used to fill an area.  When this switch is off, any color may be used on any area in the drawing with the exception of black areas, which are always assumed to be boundaries.  When the switch is on, only the designated color may be used to fill in the area containing the current location of the cursor.

Create Mode toggles the switch to go between drawing mode and creation mode.  For more information on creating drawings refer to the section on creating new drawings .

The Cursor Hot Spot at Center command toggles the "hot spot" on the paint jar cursor between the tip of paint coming out of the jar (the default) and the center of the jar.  In my experience in using Z & Z Color with very small children they all seemed to want to position the paint jar such that the center was over the area they wanted to fill in rather than the tip of the paint.  If the user understands how to position the cursor properly, I'd recommend sticking with the paint tip since it is easier to position more accurately.  Otherwise, give this option a try.

Digital Sounds is also a toggle switch.  When checked or enable, as it is by default, Z & Z Color will attempt to respond to the user with pre-recorded digital sounds in the form of windows WAV files.  If the switch is unchecked or disabled, no sound will be emitted.  See Sound Support for more information on sound in Z & Z Color.

Font... brings up the dialog box to change the font which is used to draw the guiding numbers, letters, or shapes.  Note that the font information is saved along with each drawing so that larger drawings can use a larger font.  On the other hand, this makes changing the font used for all of the drawings more difficult : you must open each file, change the font, and then save it again.

Set Prize Options... brings up a dialog box to allow for custom selection of a picture file (.BMP) and sound file (.WAV) for use as a prize when the drawing is completed correctly (with the bell on!).  Use the Browse... buttons to assist you in finding the particular file or files that you are looking for.  Note that If you elect not to set a custom prize when creating or modifying a drawing, the default picture (a blue ribbon) and sound ("excellent... great job!) will be used.  This menu command is available only when in create mode.


Help Menu

Selecting Contents from the Help menu brings you to the title/table of contents page in the Z & Z Color online help system.

Using Help displays general information on how to use the Windows Help system.

About Z & Z Color... brings up a brief dialog box tells you the version number of the program, its authors, and your registration status, or lack thereof.