The PC-SIG Library 10/The PC-Sig Library - Shareware for the IBM PC and Compatibles (PC-SIG)(Tenth Edition Disks 1-2804)(1991).iso/PC_SIGCD/17/2/DISK1720.ZIP/HYPMAIN.LZH/HS.HYP/hs.HXP

Text File | 1991-04-24 | 42KB | 1,171 lines

.INDEX
.HEADER
  ~Tg$1~TG - $2 $N ~C55~TC$4  $5~TW
~a~i6
.FOOTER
~L21~i0
                    ~APress space bar to continue~PF+~K ~E
~X79~b1
F1 ~AHELP~PkF1~E F2 ~ACONTENTS~PkF2~E F3 ~ABACKTRACK~PkF3~E F4 ~AUNWIND~PkF4~E F5 ~ANOTES~PkF5~E F6 ~ASEARCH~PkF6~E F7 ~ATYPE~PkF7~E F10 ~AQUIT~PkF0~E
.REMARK
HyperShell hyperfile - Copyright (c) N.G.Taylor 1989,1990,1991
.REMARK
Global menus, notes and scripts
.MENU Help
Selecting     |NSelecting
Contents      |NContents
Backtrack     |NBacktrack
Select back   |NSelect back
Noted Frames  |NNoted Frames
Search text   |NSearch text
Type File     |NType File
Do action     |NDo action
DOS Gateway   |NDos Gateway
Quit          |NQuit
Funct. keys   |NFkeys
Other Keys    |NOther Keys
Information   |NInfo
Colour key    |NKey
Noting frames |NINS
Popup menus   |Npopup menu
Paged lists   |NPaged list
.NOTE Selecting
Use the  cursor  keys or  the mouse to
move the mouse cursor ('block') to the
reference,  or use  TAB (or SHIFT TAB)
to  move  to  the  next  (or previous)
reference.        Press the LEFT mouse
button or RETURN (ENTER) to select the
reference.

Press  RIGHT mouse button or ESCAPE to
select control ~Npopup menu~E.
.NOTE Help
            -  F1  -

This gives help about using the
HyperShell program.
.NOTE Contents
          -  F2  -

This provides a ~Npaged list~E
showing the full list of frames
in the hyperfile, and allows
selection of one of them from
the list.
.NOTE Backtrack
           -  F3  -

This returns to the previous frame
displayed, stepping back one frame
at a time.
.NOTE Select back
              -  F4  -

This displays a ~Npaged list~E of
frames visited so far, and allows
you to unwind the backtrack list
to the selected frame.
.NOTE Noted frames
             -  F5  -

This key allows you to  select a
reference previously noted using
the  ~NINS~E  key, from a ~Npaged list~E
of noted references.
.NOTE Search Text
                     -  F6  -

This selection allows a search to be made for a text
string in the frame texts,  producing a ~Npaged list~E
showing the line of text containing the string and
the  frame within which it was found. You can select
one of the located frames, and you can note the
frames for later viewing using the ~NINS~E key when
the cursor is over their reference. Press any key
during the search to abort at the current point.
.NOTE Type file
            -  F7  -

This produces a ~Npaged list~E showing
the named file, and permits searching and
bidirectional paging through the file.
.NOTE Do Action
             -  F8  -

This allows you to enter a HyperShell
action for immediate execution.
Try the action    p=2+3*4
.NOTE DOS Gateway
            -  F9  -

If you want to  temporarily suspend
viewing the hyperfile, press the F9
key.  When you wish to return, type
'EXIT' at the DOS prompt.
.NOTE Quit
      -  F10  -

This exits HyperShell
and returns to DOS.
.NOTE INS
Pressing the  INS  key when viewing a
frame  or  when  positioned   over  a
reference  will  add  a  reference to
the  noted  frames  list,  for  later
selection from the ~NNoted frames~E menu.
The  ~NDEL~E  key can be  used  to remove
noted references from the list.
.NOTE DEL
The DEL key can be used
to remove  noted frames
from the  notepad list.
Simply position the
cursor for selection
and press the DEL key.
.NOTE popup menu
You can select from a  popup menu
by using the cursor keys or mouse
to  highlight  the  option  to be
selected, then press  LEFT  mouse
button or RETURN (ENTER) key.  Or
select using function keys for F1
to F0 or  shifted  function  keys
for S1 to S0.     Press the RIGHT
mouse button or the ESCAPE key or
select outside the menu to cancel.
.NOTE Paged list
Paged lists, such as the contents
list,  allow you to page  through
the list using the PgDn, PgUp and
Home keys.       You can select a
frame reference just as you do in
the frame display.  Some function
keys may also be used  in a paged
list  display,  and depend on the
list being viewed.
.NOTE Key
A ~Mmenu~PNKey~E gives a menu.
A ~Nnote~PNKey~E displays a note.
A ~Freference~PNKey~E allows a
new frame to be selected.
An ~Aaction~PNKey~E does some
other action.
An ~Iinput field~Pp%s;NKey~E permits some
value to be entered.
.NOTE Fkeys
F1 Help        F2  Contents
F3 Backtrack   F4  Select backtrack
F5 Notepad     F6  Search text
F7 Type file   F8  Do action
F9 DOS Shell   F10 Quit
.NOTE Info
   - $9 -
 Frame: $1
 Title: $2
 File : $3
 Date : $4
 Time : $5
 ~ABacktrack ~O2 ~PO2A;NInfo~E with $6 entries
 Error status $? ~C32~AClear~PYah;NInfo~E
.SCRIPT envvar
Nenvironment variable
DSET
.NOTE environment variable
For details on what environment
variables are, see your MSDOS
manual. Type SET at the DOS
prompt to see the currently
set environment variables.
.SCRIPT Onexit
NThanks
Q
.NOTE Thanks
    Thank you for trying HyperShell.

Why not try the other demonstrations and
then try developing a simple file yourself.
The documentation tells you how to do this.

If you find HyperShell of use for developing
your own applications, you must pay a
registration fee to Text Technology for a
licence.

See the README file for further details.
.SCRIPT SETUP
O#
KF1MHelp
KM1HELP
KF0SOnexit
O30
.CHECK of

.FRAME Welcome
.TITLE to HyperShell
~TG~i0
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
~Tg
  ╓      ╖                   ╔═════╗
  ║      ║                   ║        ╖            ╖  ╖
  ║      ║                   ║        ║            ║  ║
  ╠══════╣                   ╚═════╗  ║            ║  ║
  ║      ║  ╓    ╖  ╔════╗  ╔════╗  ╔═════     ║  ╠════╗  ╔════╗  ║  ║
  ║      ║  ║    ║  ║    ║  ╠════╝  ║         ║  ║    ║  ╠════╝  ║  ║
  ╙      ╜  ╚════╣  ╠════╝  ╚════╝  ╙       ╚═════╝  ╙    ╜  ╚════╝  ╙  ╙ tm
  ────────────── ║  ║  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
            ╚════╝  ╙

    ~TrThe hypertext system that's a menu system, a help system and much more!~TB
 ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓~TW

        HyperShell is Copyright (c) Text Technology 1988,1989,1990,1991
.END
.FRAME Navigation
.TITLE How to browse a HyperShell document

Welcome to ~FHyperShell~E. Where do we go from here?
~A~PZX74;ZY6~E~Q
If you have a mouse, you can use it to move the mouse cursor  ->
around the screen to certain highlit words called references,
and press the left button to select the reference.
Select ~FMouse~E for a full description of mouse usage.

If you don't have a mouse, you can always use the keyboard.
The cursor keys move the mouse cursor around. Press Tab
for the next highlit field and Shift/Tab for the previous one.
Press the RETURN key to select a field, or ESCAPE to cancel.
Select ~FKeyboard~E for a full description of keyboard usage.

If you want to exit to DOS at any point, just press F10.
.END

.FRAME References
.TITLE Types of reference in text
~i2
[f]   A ~FFrame~PnFrame~Kf~E reference allows you to move to a new frame

[n]   A ~nNote~Kn~E reference pops up a small textual note for you

[m]   A ~MMenu~PnMenu~Km~E reference pops up a menu for you to choose from

[s]   A ~SScript~PnScript~Ks~E reference does a sequence of actions

[a]   An ~AAction~PnAction~Ka~E does an unspecified action of some sort
~i6
The above references in this frame all pop up notes describing
their normal function. Press the key in [brackets] to select one.
As you can see, keys can also be mapped to references.
.NOTE Frame

  A frame reference allows you to
  move to another frame of text.
  To get back from that frame, you
  can use the backtrack facility.


  ~FMore on Frame references~PFFrame Reference~E

.NOTE Note

  A note pops up a small window
  containing some information
  about the word highlighted.
  You are reading a note now.

  ~FMore on Notes~PFNote~E

.NOTE Menu

  A menu pops up a list of items
  for you to select from. You can
  cancel the selection by clicking
  the mouse outside the menu or
  by pressing the right mouse button

  ~FMore on Menus~PFMenu~E

.NOTE Script

  A script performs a sequence of
  actions. This may do something like
  displaying a series of notes, or
  prompting for a number of parameters
  for a command to be issued to DOS.

  ~FMore on Scripts~PFScript~E

.NOTE Action

  An action is almost anything,
  including Notes, Menus,
  Backtracking, Prompting, issuing
  DOS commands or even Quitting.

  ~FMore on Actions~PFAction Reference~E

.FRAME Frame reference
.TITLE go to a frame

When a frame reference is selected, the ~Fframe~E selected is
displayed on the screen, replacing the one currently on display.
Frames, or other references may be selected from this frame to
further follow up the reference.

When the necessary information has been found, it is possible
to ~Fbacktrack~E to any of the previous frames you have seen, either
one step at a time or by selecting from the ~Alist of frames~PFbacktrack list~E you
have seen.

Certain frame reference selections do not get added to
the ~Fbacktrack~E information.
.FRAME Expansion references
.TITLE Changing what you see in a frame

When users of differing expertise read a hyperfile, they do
not necessarily want to read the full detail about a topic.

It is possible to have varying degrees of detail 'hidden'
from display until a request is made for that detail. In
hypertext jargon, this is known as an expansion reference.
To show how this works, select the following reference.

[d]  ~ADetail~PZL1~Kd~E

~h1When you first read this frame, this paragraph was not shown.
~h1Selecting the 'Detail' reference caused this text to be displayed.
~h1If you now select the 'Detail' reference again, it will disappear.
~h1
When you return to the frame, the level of detail displayed will
remain as you left it. It is also possible to influence the degree
of detail shown throughout a hyperfile in a similar fashion.
.FRAME Note
.TITLE display a note

A note is a pop-up display of information. This appears in a
box which is smaller than the overall size of the screen.

The note may have highlighted ~Freferences~E or input fields in it,
and this can be selected as for those in the main ~Fframe~E text.

The note is cleared when a reference is selected from it, or
when a ~Fmouse~E button or ~Fkey~PFkeyboard~E is pressed.

When the note is finished with, it 'pops down', redisplaying
the part of the screen it had overlayed.

.END

.FRAME Menu
.TITLE popup a menu
A pop-up menu is a list of options displayed so that a choice
can be made from them. Menu options can result in any kind of
~Faction~PFactions~E, unless the menu is used to provide the ~Fparameter~PFdynamic menu~E for
an action, in which case all options have the same effect.

An option is chosen by clicking the ~Fleft~E mouse button, or pressing
the ENTER key, when the required option is highlighted. Function
keys may be mapped to the menu options, in which case the keys are
shown as 'F1', 'F2' etc. alongside the options. An option may be
selected by pressing the corresponding key. If function keys are
not mapped, the initial letter of the option may be pressed to
select the option.

The menu can be cancelled by pressing the ~Fright~E mouse button, or
pressing the ESCAPE key.

Certain menus contain ~FMenu symbols~E which show the kind of actions
which will be performed when the options are selected.
.END

.FRAME Menu symbols
.TITLE Guide to menu actions
Some menus contain symbols to act as a guide to what the menu
actions are. These symbols are as follows:-

ƒ       Frame                          Note
   ≡    Menu                       ≈    Script
«       Backtrack               Ω       Quit
   δ    DOS command                Σ    Direct command
∞       Chained command         Φ       Change directory
   #    Set key mapping            α    Set/test variable
º       Set option              °       Refresh screen
   τ    Type file                  π    Print/popup message
≤       Open/Read file          ≥       Open/write file
   ?    Do unspecified action      ▒    Graphic display
¿       Extended/negative actn  ¬       Next input field
   ⌡    Jump in script             ⌠    Label/load variable
.FRAME Script
.TITLE perform a script

A script is a sequence of ~Factions~E, possibly with some flow
control structures such as loops and selections.

Scripts are used for a number of purposes:-

 - to display a sequence of ~Fnote~Es

 - to set up a number of parameters for a program command line

 - to set up ~Fvariables~E to modify the displayed information

 - to act as a small 'program' to perform complex processing
.END

.FRAME Action reference
.TITLE do some action

An action reference shows that some action is to take
place that is not one of the usual actions i.e. a ~FMenu~E,
a ~FNote~E, a ~FFrame~E or a ~FScript~E.

Selecting an action reference will have some effect other than
the usual actions, and the contextual information should give
you some clue as to what this may be.
.END

.FRAME Backtrack
.TITLE retracing your steps

When you have followed up a ~Freference~PFreferences~E, you may wish to
retrace your steps back to the initial text you were reading.

The backtrack capability allows you to do this.

The ~Fcontrol menu~E has an option called BACKTRACK, which steps
you back one frame.

If you wish to go directly back without having to do it one
step at a time, the SELECT BACK option of the ~Fcontrol menu~E
will allow you to choose any frame on the ~Fbacktrack list~E.
.END

.FRAME Backtrack list
.TITLE multiple backtrack

The ~Fcontrol menu~E provides an option to select the point in
the list of text frames you have visited to which you wish
to return, 'unwinding' the list of frames you have visited
since then in the process.

A full screen menu is presented, allowing you to select a
frame reference from the frames visited.
.END

.FRAME Control menu
.TITLE general control menu for HyperShell

When you are viewing a text frame, you may request a
general menu for controlling HyperShell, by pressing
either the ~Fright~E mouse button or the ESCAPE key on
the ~Fkeyboard~E.

This menu presents a number of options.
.END

.FRAME Control options
.TITLE choices on the control menu

The default control menu offers the following options:-

~FHOME~E (or ~FHELP~E)  -   Go to home frame (or give help)
~FCONTENTS~E        -   List contents of current file for selection
~FBACKTRACK~E       -   Backtrack one frame
~FSELECT BACK~PFbacktrack list~E     -   List backtrack list for selection
~FNOTEPAD~E         -   List noted actions for selection
~FSEARCH~E          -   Search current file for text string
~FTYPE FILE~E       -   Type contents of text file
~FDO ACTION~E       -   Allow action to be directly requested
~FDOS SHELL~E       -   Provide DOS command subshell
~FEXIT TO DOS~E     -   Exit directly to DOS
.END

.FRAME HOME
.TITLE Initial frame in hyperfile

The HOME frame is the first ~Fframe~E in a ~Fhyperfile~E, and
generally provides some kind of lead-in to the browsing
of the hyperfile. It is useful to return to the home
frame if you appear to be lost. The ~Fcontents~E list and
the ~Fbacktrack~E list are also useful when this happens.
.FRAME HELP
.TITLE Provide help menu

The HELP menu is usually invoked by pressing the '?' key,
although some hyperfiles may map the first control menu
action (and the F1 key) to it.

The help menu is an application specific set of information
and will usually offer a number of note displays describing
the application provided by the hyperfile.
.FRAME DOS SHELL
.TITLE permit DOS commands

This option permits a DOS shell to be executed to allow
commands to be entered at the command line.

When you wish to return to ~FHyperShell~E, enter the EXIT
command to the DOS command processor.
.END

.FRAME CONTENTS
.TITLE list contents of HyperFile

This command lists the contents of the current ~Fhyperfile~E.
The list is displayed a page at a time, and a selection
can be made from the highlighted ~Fframe~E names, using the
usual ~Freference~PFreferences~E selection mechanism.
.END

.FRAME DO ACTION
.TITLE perform action directly

This option permits an ~Faction~PFactions~E command to be entered
directly. An example action would be to perform a DOS
command such as DIR /W by entering the ~Faction~PFactions~E :-

    DDIR /W
.END

.FRAME NOTEPAD
.TITLE List noted actions for selection

This option lists the ~Freferences~E added to the notepad
list, and permits them to be selected and followed.

During this paged display, the entries on display can
be removed from the notepad by pressing the Del key on
the keypad when the mouse cursor is positioned over the
item. All occurrences of the reference in the notepad
will be removed.
.END

.FRAME SEARCH
.TITLE Search current file for text string

This option prompts for a search string and then
searches the title and text of all frames in the
current hyperfile for occurrences of the string.

All occurrences are listed, followed by the frame name
of the frame containing the search string.

The search is not case sensitive, and the search
string may be entered in lower or uppercase.
.END

.FRAME EXIT TO DOS
.TITLE exit from HyperShell

This action exits immediately from ~FHyperShell~E.
No confirmation is sought before doing this, unless
configured into the hyperfile.
.END

.FRAME TYPE FILE
.TITLE list contents of text file

The contents of the specified file are listed. The listing is
presented a page at a time, and certain keys may be used for
movement up and down the file. Other keys are used for
control purposes. Pressing the ~Fleft~E ~Fmouse~E button or the
RETURN key returns to the frame display, where subsequent selection
of the TYPE FILE option returns to the file at the current point.

The PgUp and PgDn keys may be used to move through the file, and
the HOME key and the END move to the start and end of the file.

The '/' or F6 key allows a search string to be entered, and a search
made. The F5 key searches for the next occurence of the search string.

The '#' key allows a page number to be entered to position the file.

The ~Fright~E ~Fmouse~E button or ESCAPE terminates the display.
.END

.FRAME Actions
.TITLE Commands for control of HyperShell

HyperShell actions are the commands used to cause various
this to take place. There are a large number of actions,
many of which can be further modified to influence the
resulting action. For example, actions perform the
following things:-

Display frames, notes, menus and text files.

Display Graphic screens to allow selection.

Run programs or batch files.

Run scripts, and control the flow of scripts.

Set configuration options, colours and key mappings.
.END
.FRAME Effects
.TITLE Special presentation effects

HyperShell provides some facilities for special display
effects and control over the creation of subwindows for
special purposes. The box draw facility is used for the
double line frame in this hyperfile. It can also be used
for drawing adhoc boxes on the screen. A similar facility
allows a window, with an optional box surround, to be
defined for subsequent text output. Also it is possible
to enter delays in text, and to use a 'teletype mode'
which slowly displays the text. These facilities are
demonstrated by the following reference:-

[e]   ~ABox explode and windows~PsExplode~Ke~E
.SCRIPT Explode
Vx=1
Vy=1
-- clear screen
i~X1~Y1~a~X79~Y24~b6
LEXP
Vj=80-x
Vk=25-y
i~X$x~Y$y~a~X$j~Y$k~DK~b1~DT
Vx=x+1
Vy=y+1
vy12;jeXOUT
JEXP
LXOUT
i~X$x~Y$y This is an example of what we can do with box drawings
i~X$x~d What else can we do with boxes - wait and see
Y&G200
LEXP2
Vj=80-x
Vk=25-y
i~DT~X$x~Y$y~a~X$j~Y$k~b7
Vx=x-1
Vy=y-1
vy0;jeDOWIN
JEXP2
LDOWIN
i~X1~Y1~a~X79~Y24~DD~b6
-- i~X1~Y1~a~X78~Y24~b6
Vx=1;Vy=1
LWINS
Vs&N$xKJMUVSWALP
Vj=x+10
Vk=y+4
-- i~X$x~Y$y~a~X$j~Y$k~D$s~b3~DT
i~X$x~Y$y~a~X$j~Y$k~D$s~b3
iHi there
iThis is
ia window
Zr
Vx=x+8
Vy=y+2
vy18;jgNEXT
JWINS
LNEXT
Y&G400
y
.FRAME hyperfile
.TITLE HyperShell control file

HyperShell uses data (or 'media') files called ~Fhyperfile~Es.

A hyperfile is a simple text file, and can be edited with a
word processor or a text editor, and viewed using text file
viewing programs, such as TYPE.

The process of creating a hyperfile is known as 'authoring'.
As a hyperfile is the equivalent of a book, the creator of
a hyperfile is its 'author'.
.FRAME frame
.TITLE unit of display

A frame is a unit of textual information containing references,
which is displayed during the normal operation of HyperShell.
What you are reading now is a frame called 'frame'.

Frames generally fit on one screen, but it is possible that
they could be split onto two or more screenfuls, in which
case you can use the PgDn, PgUp and Home keys to move around
them.

A list of frames in a ~Fhyperfile~E is given in a ~Fcontents~E listing.
.FRAME Mouse
.TITLE Using a mouse

If you have a mouse compatible with HyperShell installed on
your system, with a mouse driver installed, HyperShell will
use the mouse driver directly. If you don't want to use the
mouse driver, specify the -m command line switch when running
HyperShell:-

    hs -m hs

The block cursor should respond when you push your mouse about.
If it is not compatible, or if you do not have the driver
installed, it will have no effect. In this case, see the ~Fkeyboard~E
instructions for details of keyboard control of HyperShell.
.END

.FRAME left
.TITLE left mouse button

The left mouse button, and the RETURN key, both have the
same action. This is generally to select an item over
which the ~Fmouse~E cursor is positioned.

When viewing a text file, requested by the ~FTYPE FILE~E
option from the ~Fcontrol menu~E, this selection returns to
the frame display, on a temporary basis.
.END

.FRAME right
.TITLE right mouse button

The right ~Fmouse~E button has two main uses:-

To request the ~Fcontrol menu~E to control HyperShell,
when viewing a text frame. This facility is not
available at other times.

To cancel an operation which is in progress and
awaiting some input.
.END

.FRAME middle
.TITLE the Insert button

If you have a 3 button mouse like the Genius mouse, the
middle key might be able to be used as an INSert key.

This can be used for:-

[1]    ~NSelecting references~PNINS~K1~E - for the notepad

[2]    ~FPicking words~PFText input~K2~E - on text input
.END

.FRAME Keyboard
.TITLE Using the keyboard

The keyboard may be used in ~FHyperShell~E in a number of ways.

The ~Fcursor keys~E and others can be used when viewing ~Fpaged displays~E.

The ~FFunction keys~E can generally be used for control functions,
and the unshifted function keys are mapped to the actions provided
on the ~Fcontrol menu~E.

The RETURN and ESCAPE key have the same purpose as the ~Fleft~E
and the ~Fright~E mouse buttons.

The remaining keys can be mapped for control purposes or
selection of ~Freferences~E.

Also see ~FText Input~E for details of entering strings.
.END

.FRAME Function Keys
.TITLE Direct control actions

The function keys, when used without the shift keys,
are mapped to the control menu actions. Pressing ESCAPE,
or the right mouse button, will bring up the ~Fcontrol menu~E
to show the available control actions.

Certain ~Fhyperfile~Es may map the ESCape key and right mouse
button to another form of control, such as a menubar, or
disable them altogether.
.END

.FRAME Cursor Keys
.TITLE Selection cursor movement

The cursor keys are used to move the mouse cursor, which
may be positioned to enable selection for a ~Freference~PFreferences~E, or
a choice on a ~Fmenu~E.

.END

.FRAME Text input
.TITLE String input and the copy cursor

When input is requested on the bottom line of the display and
when an input field is being used, the keyboard is used as usual
for inputting text. The RETURN key should be pressed to terminate
input, and the cursor keys may be used to position the cursor
within the text string to insert or delete characters.

It is also possible to copy a word or number from the screen when
in this mode by first pressing the PgUp key. Then by positioning
the mouse cursor over the word to be copied, pressing the INSERT
key will insert the word into the text. Also any text can be copied a
character at a time using the HOME key. This will copy a character
and move the cursor along one position, so the key can be held down
to auto-repeat when copying a string, or alternating INSERTs and
HOMEs can be used to copy a sequence of words. This mode can be
exited by pressing the PgDn or any normal key.
.END

.FRAME Paged displays
.TITLE multi page selection lists

Paged displays are used to display various lists that may
occupy more than one screenful. Certain keys are available
during a paged display.

The PgDn and the HOME keys are always available, and allow
you to page through the list or return to the start.

The PgUp and END keys may also be available, and allow you
to move backwards through the list, or move to the end.
.END

.FRAME HyperShell
.TITLE The friendly hypertext system

HyperShell is a general purpose ~Fhypertext~E control system,
providing a text frame based presentation style with highlighted
references permitting navigation to other frames in the same or
another file, to graphic screens with selection zones on CGA
and EGA systems, to popup notes which can themselves have
further references, and allowing backtracking through visited
frames, and collection and annotation of references. Also inline
~Fexpansion references~E in support of the main text are possible.

In addition to the more usual hypertext facilities, HyperShell
provides popup menus, menu bar operation, paged displays of menus
or text files, DOS management facilities, scripting language with
programming capability, variables, formfill input fields, program
invocation and support for compressed input files.
.FRAME Uses
.TITLE What can you use it for

HyperShell is an advanced hypertext system which can be used for :-

 -  Multi-file Hypertext with ~FReferences~E of various
    forms embedded in the text.
 -  Help system with access to other sources of help information
 -  Menuing system for control of application programs
 -  Computer aided instruction (CAI)
 -  Text file browser / interactive hypertext system
 -  DOS directory navigation and management
 -  Simple databases with formfill, sequential lookup etc.
 -  A combined menu and help system to act as a control program
    for the programs on your hard disk.
 -  Slide show presenter with mouse selection to provide
    supporting textual information about slide detail
 -  Program design specification support
 -  Program documentation coupled to source code browser
.END
.FRAME Equipment
.TITLE What you need to run it

HyperShell is designed to run on the widest range of equipment,
and the components do not need any more than a minimal 256k
single floppy mono system, although they will benefit from the
use of colour, a mouse, and a hard disk. You need at least a
twin floppy system to develop hyperfiles yourself.

Microsoft compatible mice are directly supported. Others
can be used in emulation mode if they are mapped to the
cursor keys, and the buttons to the RETURN and ESCAPE keys

HyperShell runs on MSDOS 3.0 and above, Concurrent DOS, OS/2,
DRDOS, and compatible systems such as the Archimedes PC emulator.
It can be run under Desqview if the -d command line flag is used,
and sufficient space is given to allow commands to run alongside
it (180k upwards). It should also run under MS Windows.
.FRAME Hypertext
.TITLE Non linear text

So what is Hypertext? Normal 'text', or literature, takes the form
of linear  text  in,  for  instance,  a book.  Hypertext is an
attempt  to  apply  the  technology provided by  interactive
computers to the presentation of information in a non-linear form.
When  we  are  reading a reference book or a tutorial  book, we
look things up in a contents list  or  an index, and follow
references in certain parts of  that book  to  other  chapters, or
even to other  books. Hypertext provides the  means  to  follow
~Freferences~E  in the text, without worrying about 'losing  your place'
due to lack of fingers, pencils and slips of paper to mark pages on
the way to following up a reference. The index of a book is replaced
by a powerful search capability which is quite happy to tell you where
every occurrence of 'the' is in the document. Hypertext may also
display pictures for you to look at and to select zones in to get more
information.  It  generally  provides a mouse driven interface  where
you  can  select the references to follow by just pointing at them.
.FRAME Why HyperShell
.TITLE Small and cheap but powerful

HyperShell is  an  attempt  to  make hypertext available at minimal
cost  to  the  general  PC user.  By providing  menu  systems,  DOS
control and a comprehensive set of building  blocks, HyperShell can
be used for many more application areas than previous systems.

HyperShell also provides  an  extension to the Hypertext concept by
removing the requirement  to  always use a specially formatted text
file.   By  loading a HyperShell reference  file  on  a  particular
subject, for instance MSDOS commands,  you  can then browse through
ANY text file containing the odd reference to MSDOS commands.  When
a command is within the  section  of  text displayed on the screen,
that  command  is highlighted as a  frame  reference,  and  can  be
selected  to  display  a frame giving details of that command,  and
permitting full reference selection to take place, before returning
to browsing through the text file.
.FRAME HyperShell as a menu
.TITLE It can do more than just show text

As well as providing a basic  Hypertext system, HyperShell provides
the kind of facilities you expect to find in a 'Menu'  system.  You
can have many levels of menu, implemented as frames or popup menus,
and there is a way of having a menu reenter at the  same  point  if
you want HyperShell to leave the whole memory for running a program
You can also include you own help system within a menu  - something
which the other menu systems cannot do. You can also kick off a DOS
'shell'  to  execute  a  few  commands  from  the command line, and
return to the same position in HyperShell.  It  is also possible to
use password entry before running a program.

A menu creation and management system is under  development,  using
HyperShell as a driving engine. This will be released later.
.FRAME Look and feel
.TITLE Design your own system

The fact that HyperShell does not impose  a  fixed screen format on
you is of great benefit to those  using HyperShell as the front-end
to their own  systems.

As HyperShell provides input fields, popup menus and  windows,  you
can in fact use  HyperShell  to  'prototype' the  appearance  of  a
system, which can be of benefit to  those  developing  applications
software, as it allows them to try out various layouts  and  styles
before doing the labour intensive work of writing the software.

In fact, some users of HyperShell  have  not  bothered with the last
step,  as  they have found the system capable of meeting their needs
as it stands.

The next frame shows how you can utilise another program's appearance.
.FRAME Captured screen
.TITLE )Example of captured text
~TK~BW   ~TRF~TKile   ~TRE~TKdit   ~TRR~TKun   ~TRC~TKompile   ~TRP~TKroject   ~Tw~BKOptions~TK~BW   ~TRD~TKebug   ~TRB~TKreak/watch
~TW~BB╒════════════════════════════════════~Tw Edit~TK~BW┌──────────────────┐~TW~BB═════════════════╕
│      Line 1     Col 1   Insert Indent Ta~TK~BW│~Tw~BK Compiler         ~TK~BW│~TW~BBHELLO.C          │
│~Ty/*      HELLO.C -- Hello, world */       ~TK~BW│ ┌───────────────────────────┐~Ty~BB      ~TW│
│~Ty                                         ~TK~BW│ │ ~TRM~TKodel            Small    │~Ty~BB      ~TW│
│~Ty#include <stdio.h>                       ~TK~BW│ │ ~TRD~TKefines                   │~Ty~BB      ~TW│
│~Ty                                         ~TK~BW│ │~Tw~BK Code generation           ~TK~BW│~Ty~BB      ~TW│
│~Tymain()                                ~TK~BW┌──────────────────────────────────────┐~TW~BB│
│~Ty{                                     ~TK~BW│ ~TRC~TKalling convention       C           │~TW~BB│
│~Ty        printf("Hello, world\n");     ~TK~BW│ ~TRI~TKnstruction set          8088/8086   │~TW~BB│
│~Ty}                                     ~TK~BW│ ~TRF~TKloating point           Emulation   │~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRD~TKefault char type        Signed      │~TW~BB│
│~Ty~A~PnExample~E~Q                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRA~TKlignment                Byte        │~TW~BB│
│~Ty~A~PF+~K ~E                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRG~TKenerate underbars       On          │~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW│~Tw~BK Merge duplicate strings  On          ~TK~BW│~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRS~TKtandard stack frame     On          │~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRT~TKest stack overflow      Off         │~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRL~TKine numbers             Off         │~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW│ ~TRO~TKBJ debug information    On          │~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                      ~TK~BW└──────────────────────────────────────┘~TW~BB│
│~Ty                                                                              ~TW│
├────────────────────────────────── Message ───────────────────────────────────┤
│~Tw   Press space to continue                                                    ~TW│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
~TK~BW ~TRF1~TK-Help  ~TRF5~TK-Zoom  ~TRF6~TK-Switch  ~TRF7~TK-Trace  ~TRF8~TK-Step  ~TRF9~TK-Make  ~TRF10~TK-Quit  ~Tw~BB NUM ~TK~BW
.
.NOTE Example
This is an example of a text
screen captured with HCAP and
then converted to a frame using
the HE editor. It shows that
you can easily capture the
presentation style of other
programs. Press the space bar
to continue.
.
.FRAME The hyperfile
.TITLE HyperShell media files

HyperShell  reference  files (known as hyperfiles) have a  notation
which can  be  readily  understood,  whilst  providing  a degree of
conciseness in  the  more  powerful areas that is far preferable to
the excessive verbosity of  some of the scripting languages used by
other Hypertext systems.  Extensive  parsing  has  been avoided for
performance and space reasons,  and  because it does not provide as
much  as it costs.

Version 4 provides a verbose scripting language which is translated
by the HyperShell Syntax  Check  program,  for those who don't like
the terse 'hyperglyphix' language.
.FRAME Hyperbooks
.TITLE A new publishing method

Using a special compression format, it is possible for authors to
write hyperfiles up to around 5 or 6 hundred frames, which can be
compressed and fitted onto a 360k floppy disk along with the
HyperShell reader program.

It is thus possible to publish your own material. See the README
file for registration details if you wish to do this.
.FRAME Design aims
.TITLE What it should provide

HyperShell has been designed with the following goals in mind:-

Speed of execution reasonable and independant of hyperfile size.

Minimal  memory  occupancy  for  when  HyperShell used as a menuing
system.

Text  based  hyperfile to facilitate production and maintenance  of
material.

Primary usage as hypertext, with secondary emphasis on menuing, DOS
management, text file viewing and user interface prototyping.

Complexity of specification  related to complexity of functionality
 - simple hyperfiles are easy to specify.
.FRAME Components
.TITLE What you get with HyperShell

Components provided include the following-
1.  Standard version of HyperShell reader supporting about 500 frames
2.  Version of HyperShell reader supporting thousands of frames
3.  Integrated Development and application environment
4.  Extensive preprocessor and syntax checking program
5.  Formatted hyperfile printout utility with glossary and index
6.  General text and note file editor
7.  Resident graphic and text screen capture program
8.  Graphic screen selection preparation facilities
9.  Compression and expansion components
10. Popup subset of HyperShell for help applications
11. Resident floating point extension
12. Example hyperfiles
.FRAME Documentation
.TITLE documentation files provided

Documentation includes:-

1. Extensive users (authors) guide to HyperShell specification

2. A hypertext document containing a full reference guide.
   This can be printed out using the formatted print program.

3. Quick reference guide
.FRAME Integrated Environment
.TITLE The interactive development environment

Version 4 of HyperShell provides a number of additional
capabilities the most important of which is the sophisticated
configurable editing environment, which can be used for creating
and maintaining hyperfiles just as easily as it can be used for
free text storage databases and other similar applications.

The integrated environment offers the full reader
functionality, so you can browse around a hyperfile and edit
it immediately, with the option of 'backing out' changes you
have made. Optional 'in-memory' editing makes editing easy and
fast, whilst the capability of working 'from disk' for larger
hyperfiles is retained.
.FRAME Hyperfile checker
.TITLE Syntax and referential integrity checks

The Hyperfile checker provides a preprocessor for translating
the verbose HSL (HyperShell source language) into standard
HyperShell runtime specification language.

The HyperShell Checker program also performs a number of
checks against a hyperfile. It does checks for cross
references, duplicates, action codes in action references,
scripts and menus, dynamic menu codes, formatting codes,
sizing checks and section ordering. It can also provide:-

1. Summary totals of frames, items, and errors.
2. Cross-reference file showing inter-relationships.
3. Automatically generated frames and items to match references
4. Embedded error messages for use in the editor
.FRAME Hyperfile printer
.TITLE HyperShell formatted print utility
The HyperShell Printer program allows your hypertext documents
to be formatted and printed. This component provides:-

1. A listing of the text with optional highlighting using Epson(tm)
   or IBM(tm) printer compatible escape sequences. Also, other
   printers can be configured using the configuration file.
2. Optional page breaks and index.
3. Optional full list showing all items, or notes as glossary.
4. Serial numbering of frames and items
5. Optional reference details after each item.
6. Support of special .PRINT directives allowing full control
   of printing, headings, page throws, section numbering, etc.
7. Single frame print for use from reader component.
8. Optional output in Word Processor form (no line breaks).
.FRAME Graphics preparation
.TITLE Graphics capture and preparation

The screen capture and preparation system provides the tools
necessary to capture text and graphic screens from other
program displays, and prepare them for use within HyperShell.
The components provided are:-

1.  TSR (Resident) screen capture program for text screens and CGA
    and EGA graphic screens.

2.  Preparation facility to allow selection zones to be defined
    interactively, and actions mapped to the selections in a menu
    for inclusion in a hyperfile.

Graphic screens can be compressed using the ~FFile compression~E
component, and substantial reductions in size are possible.
.FRAME File compression
.TITLE For reducing the size of files

The HyperShell reader program, the print program and the
checking program can determine if any input file is compressed
and handle the file access accordingly. The compressed file
maintenance program handles the compression and expansion of
text files, including hyperfiles, and screen image files:-

1. When compressing a file it can optionally change the
   compression so that the file cannot be accessed as other
   than a main hyperfile - to protect it from prying eyes.
   It can also optionally handle file renaming so that the
   compressed file ends up with the same name as the original.

2. It can expand a file to its previous form, or display it
   on the screen a page at a time.
.FRAME Popup subset
.TITLE For help systems

The resident popup HyperShell subset, known as HyPop, provides
a context sensitive popup help system, which can be used for
a wide range of applications.

It is available at the touch of a Hot Key. It takes the word
you currently have the text cursor positioned over as a search
string, and tries to find a frame about this word. Otherwise
it displays the index frame for you to navigate to the frame.
.FRAME Floating Point
.TITLE For mathematicians and engineers
A new kind of program called a HyperShell Resident Extension,
or HRX for short, is now possible.

The first one of these is supplied with version 4, and this
provides full floating point maths and unit conversions.

This resident extension has a very fast 'seamless' interface
which makes it appear as though the facilities are built
into HyperShell. Don't expect outstanding results from the
floating point benchmarks though!
.FRAME Resident Shell for HyperShell
.TITLE to popup HyperShell and its variants

HSRES is a resident shell occupying just 7k which permits HyperShell
to be popped up when you are in any non-graphic application.

It is configurable, can utilise hard disk or extra memory for
swapping, and is available for a registration fee of just 10 pounds.

Please add this to your order if you want to register for this.
.