The main PaletteTool window consists of the following items:

 1) Palette Closed/Open Sm/Lg

    Key equivalent is either "p" or "P".

    The "Closed/Open" cycle gadget controls the opening/closing of
    the window containing the actual screen palette.

    The "Sm/Lg" cycle gadget controls the size of the window containing
    the actual screen palette.

    Within this separate window, you can optionally select (using the
    pointer and the left-mouse-button):

       - the pen to be modified by the Red/Grn/Blu sliders
       - the pens associated with copy, spread, and exchange actions.
       - the pen whose color is to be "flashed" by the "Show" button

    The currently selected pen is recessed within the palette gadget.

 2) ColorByName Closed/Open

    Key equivalent is either "n" or "N".

    The "Closed/Open" cycle gadget controls the opening/closing of
    the window containing the "color by name" database.

    This ColorByName window is where you can choose RGB values for
    the currently selected pen by simply left-clicking on one of the
    names in the scrolling list.

    The ColorByName window can be positioned independently of the main
    PaletteTool window.  The location of the ColorByName window will also
    be restored upon un-iconifying.

    However, when the ColorByName window is closed using the "ColorByName"
    button, it will re-open immediately adjacent to the main PaletteTool
    window.

 3) A box which displays the color of the currently selected pen (on 
    the middle-right side of the window).

 4) Red Grn Blu Sliders

    Three color modification sliders, one each for the Red (Red),
    Green (Grn), and Blue (Blu) color components.

    These affect the color of the currently selected pen.

 5) Copy Button

    Key equivalent is either "c" or "C".

    Allows the copying of one pen's color into another pen.

    To perform a copy:

	- first select the pen whose color is to be copied

        - hit the "Copy" button

        - then select the pen where that color should be copied-to

    NOTE that you can either pick the copy-to color from the Palette
    window >> OR << use the "Pick" button to select the copy-to color
    from anywhere on the screen.

 5) Sprd Button

    Key equivalent is either "s" or "S".

    Allows spreads (gradients) between the colors of two selected pens.

    To perform a "spread":

	- first select the starting pen

        - hit the "Sprd" button

        - then select the ending pen

    The colors of each intermediate pen will then be changed to a smooth 
    gradient between the staring and ending pen colors.

    NOTE that you can either pick the spread-to color from the Palette
    window >> OR << use the "Pick" button to select the spread-to color
    from anywhere on the screen.

 6) Excg Button

    Key equivalent is either "x" or "X".

    Allows the exchange of one pen's color with another pen's color.

    To perform an "exchange":

	- first select the starting pen

        - hit the "Excg" button

        - then select the containing the color you wish exchanged with
          the previously selected pen

    NOTE that you can either pick the exchange-with color from the 
    Palette window >> OR << use the "Pick" button to select the
    exchange-with color from anywhere on the screen.

 7) Undo Button

    Key equivalent is either "u" or "U".

    Restores the palette pen colors to how they were prior to the
    immediately previous color action (Copy/Spread/Exchange).

    Note that I said "how they were prior to the immediately previous
    action".  Don't get confused and think that the program is acting
    up when you do an Undo, and some individual pen color mods you have
    made since the last Copy/Sprd/Excg get wiped out!

    IMPORTANT - Repeatedly selecting Undo will toggle the palette between
                where it was (before the last Copy/Spread/Exchange) and
                where it is (before you selected Undo).  Try this to get
                a better (or any) sense of what I'm trying to explain ;v).

 8) Protect/Free Cycle Gadget

    "Protect" means that PaletteTool will pay special attention to those
    pens which it determined were locked at the time PaletteTool was
    started.  A pen can be locked by any 3.0-aware program (like AmigaDOS).

    Examples of locked pens would be those used to render the Intuition
    windows, menus, and gadgets (background/borders/text/buttons/etc.)

    What "Protect" means to you is that:

      - You will be unable to select a locked pen from the palette gadget

      - The spread action will "skip over" the colors in any locked pen

      - The cycle action will "skip over" any locked pen

      - The "Pick" function will not select a locked pen, even when the
        screen color you pick is contained in one of the locked pens

    "Free" means that PaletteTool will not pay ANY attention to locked
    pens.  This mode is what you are probably used to in all the other
    palette programs you are using.

    What "Free" means to you is that:

      - You will be unable to select any pen from the palette gadget

      - The spread action will affect the color of EVERY "in between" pen

      - The cycle action will cycle EVERY pen's color

      - The "Pick" function will always result in the selection of a pen

    Obviously, CARE MUST BE EXERCISED while in "Free" mode, or you can
    quickly hose things up (i.e., end up with an unreadable screen).

    That's why I added the "panic reset" button ("Reset") with it's "R"
    key equivalent.  You can always reset the screen palette to where it
    was at PaletteTool startup by either:

      - Selecting the "Reset" button   >>OR<<

      - Pressing the "R" key on your keyboard

    At startup, PaletteTool attempts to set the palette mode to "Protect".
    If, however, it finds that ALL the screen's pens are locked, it opens
    in "Free" mode.  When this occurs, the "Protect/Free" cycle gadget is
    disabled.

 9) Show Button

    Key equivalent is either "h" or "H".

    Flashes the color of the currently selected pen.

    This comes in handy if you are looking at a screen with a lot of
    similar (or just a lot of) colors, and are curious as to which
    pen is responsible for that color.

10) Pick Button

    Key equivalent is either "i" or "I".

    Allows you to select a pen by picking any color on the current 
    screen via the mouse pointer.

    To use, first select the "Pick" button.

    Some (hopefully) descriptive text will then be displayed in the
    current screens banner (at the top of the screen), and the "Pick"
    button will disable, reminding you that you're doing a "Pick".

    Move the mouse pointer (anywhere on the screen), until it is over
    the desired color.
  
    DO NOT PRESS THE LEFT MOUSE BUTTON WHILE YOU'RE "PICK"ING - one of
    the displayed PaletteTool windows (main/palette/colorbyname) must
    be active when you're doing your "pick".

    To select the pen associated with this color, either:

       - Press the space bar on your keyboard  >>OR<<

       - Press the middle button on your mouse (if you have 3 button mouse)

    The reason I asked you not to press the left mouse button during the
    "Pick", is that either the PaletteTool or ColorByName windows must
    be active for the "Pick" to work.

    If you're having problems with "Pick":

       - Make sure either the PaletteTool, Palette, or ColorByName windows
         are active by left-clicking on either window border

       - Don't forget that in "Locked" mode, PaletteTool will NOT select
         a locked pen (which in this case is being located via "Pick")
   
       - If you're using a commodity which traps the middle-mouse-button,
         PaletteTool may not "see" this button press.  You can always use
         the space bar in this instance.

11) Cycle Button

    Starts/stops the cycling of the pen colors in the current palette.

    Press once to start cycling.  Press again to stop cycling.

    See the "Protect/Free" palette mode discussion (#8) above for important
    info relative to "Cycle".

    Note that all non-cycle-related sliders/buttons/etc. are disabled
    while cycling is in progress.

12) Fwd/Rev Cycle Gadget

    Controls the direction of the color cycling. 

       Fwd  =  Forward Cycle

       Rev  =  Reverse Cycle

    Note that the cycle-direction control is ACTIVE during cycling 
    (i.e., you can change directions while you are cycling).

13) Spd Slider

    Control the speed of the color cycling.

    Values range from 1 (= slowest) to 20 (= fastest).

    Note that the cycle speed control is ACTIVE during cycling (i.e., you
    can change speeds which you are cycling).

14) < and > Buttons

    Incrementally shift the palette in either the left (<) or right (>)
    direction.

    Key equivalent for "shift left" is either "<" or the cursor-left
    (arrow) key.

    Key equivalent for "shift right" is either ">" or the cursor-right
    (arrow) key.

14) Reset Button

    Key equivalent is either "r" or "R".

    Restores the screen palette to where it was when PaletteTool was
    started.

15) I Button

    Iconify.

    Closes all PaletteTool windows and opens into a single small window
    (known as the "iconified" window).

    Color cycling is available from this "iconified" window, using the
    same cycling controls as specified above.

    Pressing the Open button in the "iconified" window will reopen the
    PaletteTool window(s) 

16) ? Button

    About the program/author.

    Opens an info requestor.