Kosovo Orphans' Appeal Charity CD/KosovoOrphansAppeal.iso/graphicssoftware/_drawplus/_help

Text File | 1997-03-15 | 56KB | 1,341 lines

                         Draw Plusáÿ User Guide
                        ========================

Introduction
------------

This document describes DrawPlus, formerly Drawá1╜;  an alternative to
Acorn's Draw with lots of additional features.   All of the options are
described, although it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the
original Acorn version of Draw.

If you are reading this document in Edit, then select öExpandátabsò from the
öEditò menu to correctly format the text.

DrawPlus offers the following enhancements over and above Acorn Draw:

  1.    Layers allow drawing information to be structured into different
    categories.  A drawing can have up to 32 named layers, and each
    object in a drawing resides on a specific layer.  Each layer can be
    shown or made invisible, and objects on them can be selectable or
    not.

    Layers allow related information to be kept together, completed parts
    of the drawing to be made unselectable so that there is no danger of
    accidentally changing them, and information which is not needed for
    the moment to be hidden.

    Layers operate in addition to the background facility in previous
    versions of DrawPlus.   That is still present, for compatibility
    reasons, but the layer system is far more versatile.

  2.    Objects can be locked so that they cannot be changed until they are
    unlocked.  This offers a finer level of control than layers, but of
    course the two facilities can be used together.

  3.    Frequently used graphics, symbols or clip art can be stored in a
    library and retrieved from it when required.   The library can be
    saved in a file, independent of any drawings, and the objects in it
    pasted into any drawing.

  4.    Ten line patterns are available (in addition to solid lines), which
    can be edited to give custom dashed lines.

  5.    Information such as the text and path styles, layer and dash pattern
    information, grid and zoom options is saved along with the drawing,
    and is restored when it is reloaded.

  6.    Lots of other features too numerous to mention.


Operating systems
-----------------

Current versions of DrawPlus are only tested and supported under RiscOSá3╖10
and subsequent versions.  It will work with RiscOSá3╖00, as originally
supplied with the A5000, but there are some shortcomings in that version of
RiscOS (some of which can lead to file corruption).  It will not work under
RiscOSá2 or Arthur:  the last version of DrawPlus that can be used with
RiscOSá2 is 2╖24.  If you are running a version of RiscOS lower than 3╖10
then Iá(and Acorn) would strongly suggest that you upgrade.

No special versions of system modules are required over and above those
supplied as standard with RiscOSá3╖10.

DrawPlus is compatible with the RiscPC and is fully usable in 32K¡ and
16M¡colour screen modes.


Running
-------

To start DrawPlus, double-click on the application icon, or a saved Draw file
or library file, in the normal way.  If DrawPlus is not yet running, it will
be loaded and the drawing will appear in a new window.  If it is already
running, the drawing will be loaded into a new window.  In both cases, unless
the option to not do so has been set, a  tool window will also appear for
each document window.

To create a new blank drawing, click Select on the icon bar icon once
DrawPlus has been loaded.

To load a Draw file from the Filer or saved from another application, drag it
to the icon bar icon.

A settings file is loaded when the application is run up.  This contains such
information as the display colours, preference settings (see below), default
page size and grid settings and default text and path styles.  If a message
appears complaining that this file is not present, or is too old, use one of
the default save options to create the file.


Merging and Saving
------------------

To merge a drawing with another, load the first and then drag the second into
the drawing window; the two drawings will be combined.  If the appropriate
option has been set, the bottom left corner of the loaded drawing will be
placed at the pointer position where the mouse button was released.  If it is
not set, the bottom left corners of the drawings will be aligned without
regard to the pointer position.

To create a sprite object, drag a sprite file into a drawing window;  the
object will appear at the pointer position at its true size.  If the sprite
file contains more than one sprite, the first one will be used.

Due to changes in the way the operating system handles colours and sprites,
it is necessary to ensure that all sprites with 16ácolours or less which are
to be displayed in their true colours include a palette.  Sprites without a
palette are displayed using VDU colours, as opposed to desktop colours (i.e.
the same as would be seen in Paint with its öUseádesktopácoloursò option
turned off).

To create a text area object, drag a text file into a drawing window;  the
object will be created at the pointer position with the text columns set to
standard sizes.  If the file does not have a standard header, one will be
supplied.  If an existing text area object is selected when a text file is
loaded, the text in that area will be replaced by the contents of the file
without changing its size or position.  The number of columns cannot be
changed.

To allow the extended information and styles to be saved, the files saved by
DrawPlus are not compatible with the original Draw file format.  When saved
in this form, they  can only be used by DrawPlus.  For use with other
packages, the option to save in the original formatáÿ without the extended
informationáÿ is included.

The following options appear on the öSaveò menu.  Most of them lead to
öSaveáasò dialogue boxes which are used in the normal way:

Drawing        Saves the complete drawing as a Draw file.

Selection    Saves the selected objects as a Draw file, plus the drawing
        header and font information if required.  Only available in
        Select mode when at least one object is selected.

Sprites        Saves the selected objects as a sprite file.  Select mode
        must again be active, and all the selected objects must be
        sprites.

Text area    Saves the text contained in the selected area as a text file.
        A single text area object must be selected.  If the text did
        not have the standard header when it was loaded, it will be
        saved with it.

Defaults    Saves the current preference settings, and the current
        drawingæs settings and default styles, as the permanent
        default.  This default will be used for any new drawings
        created, and will be saved on disc so that it can be used
        next time DrawPlus is run up.

New format    Normally on;  when this option is ticked, the drawing will be
        saved in the extended format.  If it is not ticked then no
        layer or locking information, or the current styles and
        settings, will be saved.  Because a lot of information could
        be lost by re-saving a file in the old format, confirmation
        is requested when this option is turned off.

        When this option is off, files created are completely
        compatible with Acorn Draw and other applications which use
        Draw files.  Files saved with this option turned on can be
        loaded into Vector, and will retain their extended
        information.

With settings    Only available if öNew formatò is set;  normally on in that
        case.  Causes the current styles, layer settings, dash
        patterns, grid and paper options and zoom settings to be
        saved in the drawing file, so that they will be restored next
        time that drawing is loaded.  Some of these settings are
        understood by Vector.


Preferences
-----------

Selecting the öPreferencesò option from the icon bar menu opens the setting
window.  The display colours for various items are shown;  to change them,
step through the palette colours by clicking on the colour blocks.  The other
options available are:

Auto paper size        When set, the paper size is automatically set (based
            on the drawing dimensions) whenever a drawing is
            loaded.  If this is not set, the paper size will be
            taken from the default settings.

Show menu keys╣        When set, keystroke equivalents will be shown on the
            menus.

Merge at pointer    When set, and a Draw file is dragged into an existing
            drawing window to merge the two drawings, place the
            loaded drawing at the pointer position.  If this is
            not set, the bottom left corners of the drawings will
            be aligned.

Quit after printing╣    Set this if it is required to unload DrawPlus after
            it has been loaded at the printer driverÉs request,
            when a Draw file is dragged onto the printer icon.
            If this option is not set, it will remain loaded
            after printing has finished.  If this option is set,
            the application will unload itself after the file
            has been printed.

Confirm delete many    If this is set, a confirm box will pop up every time
            more than one object, or a group, is to be deleted.
            The objects will only be deleted if öYesò is chosen.

To implement the preferences, click öOKò;  these will persist until the
application is quit.  If any colours have been changed, the display will be
redrawn.  To save the options permanently, click öSaveò;  the default drawing
style will remain as before.  To save a drawing style as the default along
with the preferences, use öSave/Settingsò from the document menu as described
above.

The settings marked with a ╣ above only have an effect when they are saved as
the permanent default.


The toolbox
-----------

The toolbox contains various icons to select the drawing mode, display
controls and status displays.  From left to  right, the tool icons are:

Create line/curve    These four tools create paths of that type, in the
            same way as the original Draw.  They can be clicked
            when idle, to set the type of the initial segment, or
            while drawing to change the current segment to that
            type.  The two Éclosedæ tools insert extra line
            segments, of the same type as that last placed, when
            a path or subpath is completed.

Move            Inserts an invisible move into a path, starting a new
            subpath.  Can only be used when path entry is already
            in progress, and the previous segment was not a move.

Ellipse            Creates an ellipse.  Click Select to mark the centre,
            then Select again to define the size and
            eccentricity.  Orthogonal restriction will create a
            circle.

Box            Creates a rectangle.  Click Select to mark one
            corner, then Select again to mark the diagonally
            opposite corner.  Orthogonal restriction will create
            a square.

Polygon            Creates a regular polygon.  Click Select to define
            the centre, then drag out the circle on which the
            corners will be placed (the circumcircle for those of
            you who like big words).  Click Select again to
            define the size.  The number of sides is set by the
            option on the öCreateò menu.

Text            Creates a text object.  Click Select to position the
            caret, then type.  The text can be edited during
            entry, using the same keys as for text editing.
            Press Return to terminate entry;  the caret will be
            moved down ready for the next line of text.  The
            line spacing can be set using the öText Style/Line
            spacingò menu option.

Edit            Enters edit mode, for changing existing paths or
            text.

Select            Enters select mode.

Library            Enters library (retrieve) mode.

Abandon            Abandons an operation in progress.

Orthogonal        When selected, pointer movement is restricted to 90░
            or 45░ movement (rectangular grid) or 30░ movement
            (isometric grid) while dragging.  This can be used,
            for example, to force the ellipse or box tools to
            create a square or circle.  It will also force the
            path create modes to draw horizontal or vertical
            lines, and Select mode dragging to be similarly
            constrained.

Zoom            When selected, displays at the preset zoom setting;
            when not, at actual size.  Click Adjust to pop up the
            zoom setting box (this is also available from the
            öSettings/Zoomò menu).

Grid lock        When selected, this constrains pointer movement to
            the preset lock grid.  Click Adjust to pop up the
            grid setting box (this is also available from the
            öSettings/Gridò menu).

The message display gives various (hopefully) helpful messages.  The name of
the current layer (truncated if it is long) is shown to the right of the
message display.


Select mode
-----------

Select mode is fairly similar to the original.  Click Select over an object
to select it;  double-click Select over a selected object to find a deeper
one.  Click Adjust to add an object to, or remove it from, the selection.
Click Select over a blank area of the diagram to clear the selection.
Starting over a blank area, drag Select to enclose a box of objects and
select them all;  drag Adjust to enclose a box of objects and add them to the
selection.

Each selected object will appear with four Éhandlesæ, one on each corner:  to
move that corner, drag the handle with Select.  Drag any handle with Adjust
to rotate the object about its centre;  drag with Select over the body of an
object to move it.

A locked object can be selected, but will have no handles.  Locked objects
cannot be moved, resized or rotated;  if the selection includes locked
objects, they are deselected if this is attempted.  Text columns belonging to
locked text areas cannot be selected.

Note that the sensitive area of an object extends a distance on each side
equivalent to the size of a Éhandleæ.  This avoids a problem with the
original where it was very difficult to select or move objects consisting of
a horizontal or vertical thin line.

See the later sections for öSelectò and öArrangeò menu options.


Edit mode
---------

Edit mode is used to change existing paths or text.  Enter Edit mode by
clicking on the toolbox icon, then select an object by clicking Select on
it.  To start editing, click Adjust over the object, or over an unselected
object to select and then edit that.  Double-click Select to find a deeper
object.  Locked objects may not be selected for editing.

If the object over which Adjust is clicked is a text object, the caret will
appear.  Text can now be typed and amended; the following control keys can
be used:

Left, Right        Move the caret.
Ctrl-Left        Move to the beginning of the text.
Ctrl-Right        Move to the end of the text.
Backspace or Delete    Delete the character to the left of the caret.
Copy            Delete the character to the right of the caret.

Return            Finish editing and update the text object with the
            changes made.

Escape            Abandon text editing and do not change the text.

If the object over which Adjust was clicked is a path, it will be redrawn in
thin lines with a marker over each point and a different coloured marker over
curve control points.  The starting position for a new subpath is shown as an
open circle, other points as a filled square.

To select a point, click Adjust over it;  it and its associated segment (if
there is one) will be highlighted.  The öEditò menu options apply to this
point and segment.  Drag Adjust over the point, or over a curve control
point, to change its position.  To finish path editing and update the
original object, click Select.  To restore the original object without
changing it, click the öAbandonò tool.

When in path edit mode, clicking Menu will bring up the öEditò menu alone
which has the following options (they act on the currentáÿ highlightedáÿ
point or segment, where applicable).  If other menu options are required
(e.g. to change grid settings) while path editing is in progress, press Shift
while clicking Menu to bring the full menu up.

Move        Changes the current segment to a move.  This is only possible
        if the segment is not the first or last in the subpath, and
        the subpath is not closed.

Line        Changes the current segment to a line.

Curve        Changes the current segment to a (initially straight) curve.

Closed        When ticked, the current subpath is closed.  To open or close
        the subpath, select this option;  the last point is moved to
        coincide with the first point, or away from it, as
        appropriate.

Insert point    The current segment is replaced with two, each of the same
        type (line or curve) as the original.

Delete point    The current segment is deleted, and the two adjacent segments
        moved to close the gap.

Segment        Leads to a dialogue box showing information about the current
        segment, and allowing the coordinates of the current point to
        be changed.

Snap point    Aligns the selected point to the lock grid.

Snap all    Aligns all the points in the path to the lock grid.  Note
        that this option can distort regular shapes, if the grid is
        coarse;  it is usually  safer to use the öArrange/Snap to
        gridò menu option.

Straighten    Straightens the current curve segment (but does not change it
        into a line).

Smooth joins    Aligns the control points of the current curve segment so
        that the transitions at the start and end points are smooth.

Horizontal    Moves the end point of the current segment so that the line
        becomes horizontal.  For a curve, this moves the end point
        but leaves the curve control points in the same relation to
        the curve as they were originally.

Vertical    Moves the end point of the current segment so that the line
        becomes vertical.

Finish        Completes path editing.


Create Path mode
----------------

Select a toolbox icon to start path creation, then click Select to place the
initial point.  Move the line or curve as required, and click Select to place
points.  The segment type (line, curve or move) can be changed by clicking on
the appropriate toolbox icon;  no more than one successive move can be
created at a time, and the path cannot start or end with a move.

Double-click Select to place the final point.  If one of the closed path
tools is chosen, an additional segment will be placed to close the subpath
when the path is finished or a new subpath is started (with a move).  Click
Adjust to remove the last-entered point.

When curves are being drawn, their control points will be initially aligned
so that the transitions are smooth.


Misc menu
---------

Options that donæt fit in anywhere else.

File        Opens a dialogue box giving information about the document
        currently being edited.

Print        Opens a dialogue box allowing the drawing to be printed via a
        RiscOS printer driver.  Enter the number of copies, ensure
        that the printer is online and click öOKò to start printing.

Dashes        Opens the dash pattern edit dialogue box.  Select one of the
        ten patterns available with the up or down arrows.  In the
        enlarged view below, click Select to change a dot from black
        to white or vice versa.  Click Adjust to set the repeat
        length of the pattern;  the area available for editing is
        that to the left of the red bar and the pattern repeats after
        this if necessary.  An actual size view of the pattern is
        shown in the white area above.  Click öOKò to store the
        edited patterns.

        Note that editing a pattern does not change the appearance of
        any existing objects using that pattern.  If settings are
        being saved, this includes the defined patterns.

Layers        Opens the layer settings dialogue box.  See the öUsing
        layersò section.

Set bgnÉd    Only available when in Select mode and some objects are
        selected.  Moves the selected objects to the back, and marks
        them as unselectable background;  their position or
        appearance can not be changed until they are unmarked.  None
        of the selected objects may be locked.

        If some background objects exist already, the new objects
        will be added to that background.

        This feature is intended for such things as sheet borders or
        drawing grids, which are used as a backdrop to a drawing on
        top.  However, it is now considered obsolete and may be
        removed in a future version.  Layers give a far more
        versatile way of implementing this.

Clear bgnæd    Only available when a background is set;  unmarks all the
        background objects and makes them selectable again.


Settings menu
-------------

These options set operating or display parameters.  Many of them are
duplicated by toolbox icons.

Zoom        Selects preset zoom or normal size, and redraws the screen.
        Equivalent to clicking the button in the toolbox.

Enlarge        Increases the magnification, immediately redrawing the
        screen.

Reduce        Reduces the magnification, immediately redrawing the screen.

Set zoom    Standard öMagnifierò box for setting the preset magnification
        that will be used when zoom display is selected (this can
        also be opened by clicking Adjust over the öZoomò tool in the
        toolbox).

Orthogonal    Selects constrained angle or free movement;  equivalent to
        clicking the button in the toolbox.

Units        Select öInchesò or öCentimetresò from the menu as required.
        All user measurements are shown and input in these units.

Page size    Allows the paper size to be set.  Click on the up or down
        arrows to choose from a range of standard sizes.  Choose
        öPortraitò to orient the paper with the long side vertical,
        or öLandscapeò for the long side horizontal.

        Select the öAs printerò option to take the paper size from
        the currently loaded printer driver;  this option is
        obviously not available if no driver is loaded.  If the
        printer driver size is being used, choose öShow limitsò to
        show the paper margins on the drawing.

        The paper dimensions are shown in the currently selected
        units.

Grid        Sets the screen and lock grids.  The grid that pointer
        movement and drawing is constrained to can be finer (or
        coarser!) than the grid that is shown on screen.  A grid
        giving the required drawing resolution can therefore be set
        without it cluttering up the screen or taking a long time to
        redraw at low magnifications.

        The screen grid setting sets the spacing of the visible dots,
        in user units.

        The lock grid setting specifies how much finer than the
        screen grid the lock grid is.  For example, if the screen
        grid is set to É1æ (inch) and the lock grid multiplier to
        É5æ, then the lock grid will be at 0╖2" spacing and all
        drawing will be confined to this.

        Choose the öShow screen gridò option to show the screen grid
        points in the drawing window.   If this is set, öAuto adjustò
        can be chosen to coarsen the grid at low magnifications, so
        that it does not overwhelm the drawing or take a long time to
        redraw;  note that this affects the screen display only.

        Choose the öSnap to lock gridò option to constrain all
        pointer movements to the lock grid.  When this is not set,
        the pointer moves freely.  This can also be changed by
        clicking on the toolbox icon.

        Select öRectangularò or öIsometricò to use a grid of that
        type.  This setting also affects the angle that movement is
        constrained to when Orthogonal is selected.

Show tools    Choose this to display the toolbox window for that drawing.
        The option is ticked when the toolbox is open;  to remove the
        toolbox, use its close icon.

Show XY        Choose this to display the position window for that document,
        showing the position of the  pointer in user coordinates.
        (0,0) is at the bottom left corner of the paper.  To remove
        the display, use its close icon;  the option is ticked when
        the position display is on.

Auto scroll    If this is set, when the pointer approaches the edge of the
        drawing area during dragging (approximately ╝" on a standard
        monitor) the window will scroll in that direction.  If this
        options is not set, no scrolling will be done.

        Note that the automatic scrolling will stop if the pointer is
        moved out of the drawing area.


Create menu
-----------

This menu mostly duplicates the toolbox icons.

Line        Creates a line segment.

Curve        Creates a curve segment.

Move        Starts a new subpath.

Closed        When ticked, closes subpaths when the path is finished or a
        new subpath is started.

Finish        Completes creating the path.

Delete        Removes the last-placed point.

Box        Creates a rectangle.

Ellipse        Creates an ellipse.

Text        Creates a text object.

Polygon        Creates a regular polygon.  Enter the required number of
        sides in the entry box leading from this option.


Select menu
-----------

Apart from the first, these options are available when in Select mode and an
appropriate object or combination of objects is selected.

All        Select all of the selectable objects in the drawing, i.e.
        all those which are on selectable layers and not in
        background.

Clear        Deselects the current selection.

Copy        Makes a copy of the selected objects, slightly offset from
        the originals.  The copied objects remain at the same Édepthæ
        as the source objects, in contrast to the original where they
        were added at the front of the drawing.

Delete        Irretrievably deletes the selected objects from the drawing.
        Confirmation will be requested, if the appropriate option has
        been set.

Front        Moves the selected objects all the way to the front of the
        drawing, obscuring any non-selected objects that they
        overlap.  Locked objects cannot be ordered, but other objects
        may be moved around them.

Back        Moves the selected objects all the way to the back of the
        drawing, going behind any non-selected objects but in front
        of the background if one is set.

Forward        Moves the selected objects forwards by one place only.

Backward    Moves the selected objects backwards by one place only.

Group        Combines all the selected objects into a group.  None of the
        selected objects may be locked.  Objects on more than one
        layer may be grouped;  they remain on their own layers (the
        group is created on the current layer).  However, if the
        group is moved to a new layer then all of its included
        objects also move to that layer.

Ungroup        Dissolves the selected group.  A single, unlocked, group
        object must be selected;  it reverts to individual objects.

Lock        Locks the selected objects;  their handles will disappear.
        Locked objects cannot be changed in any way, or deleted
        (except that certain layer operations may move them to
        layerá0).  They may be copied;  the new objects will not be
        locked.  Locked objects may also be added to libraries, but
        will be unlocked when they are retrieved from the library.

Unlock        Restore the handles on selected locked objects, and allow
        them to be changed.


Arrange menu
------------

These options manipulate the selected objects in Select mode.

Rotate/Skew    Leads to a three-function dialogue box for entry of the
        required angle.  öRotateò rotates the objects about the
        centres of their own bounding boxes.  Specify the angle in
        degrees, and select  öClockwiseò or öAnticlockwiseò as
        required.

        öH Skewò displaces each point of the object horizontally, a
        distance depending on the height above or below the objectÉs
        centre (so squares turn into parallelograms, etc.).  The
        limit on the angle in this case is ▒85░ (think about tangents
        of large angles if you want to know why):  öClockwiseò
        displaces points above the centre to the right and ones below
        the centre to the left, while öAnticlockwiseò does the
        reverse.

        öV Skewò does the same, but in the vertical direction.

Reverse L-R    Mirrors the objects left-to-right.

Reverse T-B    Mirrors the objects top-to-bottom.

Scaling        Leads to a dialogue box allowing the objects to be scaled by
        a specified amount.  For scale factors greater than 1,
        selecting öEnlargeò makes the objects bigger while öReduceò
        makes them smaller (obvious really!).  Scale factors between
        0 and 1 have the opposite effect.  Entering a negative scale
        factor will reverse (mirror) as well as scale the objects
        (for those objects that can be reversed).

Transform    Similar to öScalingò, but allows the scale factors for
        horizontal and vertical dimensions, and line widths, to be
        specified independently.

Dimension scaling is applied about the objectæs centre.  Any type of object
        can be scaled.

New layer    Moves the objects onto the current layer.

Snap to grid    Aligns the objects to the lock grid.  For sprite or text
        objects, the bottom left corner is aligned.  For path
        objects, the pathÉs bounding box is aligned to the grid and
        all its points are scaled and moved to correspond with this;
        this avoids distortion of paths that happen if each point is
        individually snapped.  This option is available whether or
        not grid lock is on.

Size/Position    Allows the size and positioning of a single object to be
        altered.  At most one each of the horizontal and vertical
        position and sizes can be selected and altered.  Changing the
        left, right, top or bottom position moves the object;
        changing width or height scales the object about its centre.

Align        Leads to a dialogue box for specifying the type of alignment.
        Horizontal or vertical alignment can be selected at the same
        time if required;  the specified point on each object is
        aligned to the same point on the leftmost (for horizontal
        alignment) or lowest (for vertical alignment) object.  This
        option corresponds to öJustifyò on the original Acorn version
        of Draw.

Distribute    Leads to a similar dialogue box, except that only one option
        can be selected at a time.  The objects are moved so that the
        specified points are spaced evenly between same points on the
        leftmost and rightmost (for horizontal distribute) or the
        highest and lowest (for vertical distribute) objects.

Space/Pack    Leads to a dual-function dialogue box.  With öSpace outò
        selected, the objects are moved in a similar way to
        öDistributeò, but so that the space between the objects is
        constant rather than the reference points on the objects
        being spaced equally.  There must be enough room between the
        two extreme objects to fit in all the others without
        overlapping.  This option is not available if only two
        objects are selected.

        With öPack togetherò selected, the objects are moved so that
        their bounding boxes fit together without overlapping,
        starting from the leftmost or lowest as appropriate.

See the öAlignmentò drawing for a graphical explanation of the various
alignment options.

Interpolate    Leads to an entry box in which the number of intermediate
        objects can be specified.  Interpolation can only be
        performed between two path objects which have the same
        numbers and types of segments, except that a line may
        correspond to a curve or vice versa.

        A set of intermediate objects are created and selected.
        Position, line and fill colours, line width and triangle cap
        size are interpolated.


Text Style menu
---------------

This menu has two functions.  In Select or Edit modes, it sets the style for
the selected text objects or areas.  In Text Create mode, it sets the default
style that will be used for new text objects.

Font name    Selects the font family to be used for text objects.  Unless
        you have some unusually-named fonts, only the family name
        (first component of the name) will appear on this menu.  See
        later for more information on fonts.

Font style    Sets the font enhancement.  Only those options for which
        fonts are available in the current family can be selected.
        Not available for ÉSystem Fontæ text.

Size/Height    Sets the size of the text, in points (1/72 inch).  If
        öAsásizeò is selected, the size chosen will be used for
        both width and height and can be specified by choosing a
        preset size or entering it in the box.  If this is not
        selected, the width can be set as above while the height can
        be set independently by entering that in its box.

Text colour    Sets the foreground colour to be used for the text;  the
        Éinsideæ of the characters is normally displayed using this
        colour.  If the current palette allows, the text will be
        anti-aliased using a number of steps between this colour and
        the text background colour.  Text colour and background
        colour apply to text areas as well as text objects.

Background    Sets the text background colour.  This is normally white, but
        can be varied to control the anti-aliasing effect.

Line spacing    Only available when the default text style is being set;
        controls the amount of extra space that will be added between
        text lines when Return is pressed to terminate a text object,
        ready for the next one.  This is set in points.

Smart quotes    Only available to change the style of existing text objects
        or areas.  Changes simple quotes (as typed from the keyboard)
        into open and close pairs.  The enhanced quote characters
        may not be available in certain fonts.

        Note that drawings containing objects with enhanced quotes
        (or any other top-bit-set characters) cannot be loaded into
        some versions of Acorn Draw.

Reset quotes    Changes open and close quotes back into simple ones.


Path Style menu
---------------

This menu has two functions.  In Select or Edit modes, it sets the style of
the selected objects.  In Path Create mode, it sets the default style that
will be used for new objects.

Line colour    Sets the colour that will be used to draw path outlines.

Fill colour    Sets the colour that will be used to fill the insides of
        paths.

Line width    Sets the width to be used when drawing outlines, measured in
        points.  Select a preset size, or enter the width in the box.
        If öThinò is selected, the thinnest line that the screen or
        printer is capable of displaying will be used.

Line pattern    Sets the line style to be used for outlines;  either solid or
        one of the ten dash patterns.

Caps/Joins    Sets the way in which the ends of open paths and line joins
        are displayed.  The join, starting cap and ending cap can all
        be set independently, and the size of the triangle cap
        controlled.

Winding rule    Controls what is considered to be the Éinsideæ of a path when
        filling.  See the original Draw manual for an explanation.


Special menu
------------

These options are available in Select mode, when an appropriate object is
selected.

Text to path    Converts the selected text object into a group of paths (one
        for each character).  Initially, the appearance does not
        change, but the object can now be manipulated as a path and
        the path style rather than the text style applies.  This may
        not give very good results for small font sizes, and is only
        available for fonts which are defined as outlines.

Explode text    A single text object must be selected, which is converted
        into a group of text objects each containing a single
        character from the original and initially occupying the same
        positions.  Useful for effects such as spaced-out (kerned) or
        vertical text.

Resize sprite    Resets the bounding box of a sprite object so that the sprite
        appears at actual size (i.e. the size that it was set to when
        it was first loaded).

Bounding box    Creates a rectangular path object, in the current path style,
        which follows the bounding box of the original object and is
        separated from it by the specified distance (in user units).
        Positive separation makes the box larger than the object;
        negative separation makes it smaller (and so may overlap the
        object).


Using libraries
---------------

The library can be used to store any type of object (except for text
columns).  It is shared between all drawings being worked on, and objects are
stored and accessed by name.  The library is saved separately from any
drawings so it can be used for storing standard symbols, text fonts or clip
art.

To store an object in the library, it must be selected (in Select or Edit
mode).  Open the öStoreò dialogue box in the öLibraryò menu, and enter a name
for the object.  The name can be up to 20 characters long, and may include
any printable characters including space.  Press Return or click öOKò;  it
will be added to the library.

To store every object in a drawing in the library, choose öStore all...ò from
the öLibraryò menu and confirm.  Each object will be indicated in turn, and
the öStoreò dialogue box displayed;  enter a name for the object.  Cancelling
the dialogue will carry on with the next object without storing the current
one.

To display the contents of the library, choose öLibrary...ò from the icon bar
menu or öShow...ò from a document's  öLibraryò menu.  A window will open
showing a scrolling list of the object names.  There are two library display
modes:  one in a small window showing the list of object names only, and a
larger window additionally showing details and a thumbnail view of the
selected object.  To change from one view to another, use the window's
toggle-size icon (at the right hand end of the title bar).

To paste an object from the library into a drawing (which need not be the one
that it was copied out of), select it in the scrolling list.  Then select
Library mode from the toolbox, or choose öRetrieveò from the öLibraryò menu.
Click Select to place the object (centre at the pointer position), or press
and hold Select to drag the object about before releasing it.  This can be
repeated, or another object chosen and pasted, as required.

If the öReset layerò option is set, the library object will be added on the
current layer.  If this option is not set, the object will remain on the same
layer that it was on when it was added to the library.  If this layer is not
defined in the drawing, the object will not be visible and will be
unselectable.

To load a new library, double-click on it in a Filer display or drag its icon
to the icon bar.  This will replace the current library;  if it is modified,
confirmation is requested.  To merge libraries, drag the icon to the library
window;  its contents will be added to the current library and any objects
with duplicated names will be superseded by those in the merged library.

The library window can be closed and re-opened without losing the contents of
the library.  To update an object in the library, simply store it with the
same name that was used before;  the contents will be replaced.

The library window has its own menu with the following options:

File        Standard dialogue box giving information about the current
        library.

Save library    Saves the contents of the library as a library file;  used in
        the normal way.

Clear library    Clears out the library, i.e. deletes all objects.

Delete object    Deletes the selected object from the library.

Rename object    Changes the name of the selected object.  Edit the name in
        the entry box leading from this option.

Save object    Saves the selected object as a Draw file;  used in the normal
        way.

Units        Sets the unit which is used when displaying the details of
        the selected object.


Using layers
------------

Layers are always available, but if you take no specific action to use them
then everything will work as before.  A drawing can have up to 32 layers.
Each object appears on a particular layer, and each layer can be made visible
(i.e. the objects are shown on the screen, or printed) and selectable (i.e.
the objects can be selected and operated on) independently.  There is always
a current layer set, on which new objects are created and existing objects
can be moved to.

Most aspects of layers are controlled by a dialogue box opened by choosing
öLayers...ò from the öMiscò menu or by clicking Adjust on the layer display
in the toolbox.  It shows a scrolling list of the layers currently defined,
with two buttons by each one.  When öSelò is on, objects on that layer can be
selected and operated on;  otherwise they cannot be selected.  When öVisò is
on, objects on that layer will be shown on the screen and printed;  otherwise
they are invisible.  The current layer is shown by the highlight bar;  to
designate another one as current, click on the name or number in the
scrolling list.

To define a new layer, click öAdd layerò;  a new layer will be added with the
first free layer number and a default name.  It will also be selected as the
current layer.  To change the name or number of a layer, select it as
current and then edit the name or number in the boxes below and press Return.
If the number is changed, and the new number is already defined as a layer,
then the two layer names and information will swap.

To remove the definition of a layer, select it as current and then click
öDelete layerò.  Any objects that were on deleted layers will, when the
dialogue is finished, be moved to layer 0.

To select objects on all layers, click öSel allò.  To select only objects on
the current layer, click öSel thisò.  To make objects on all layers visible,
click öView allò.  To view only the objects on the current layer, click
öViewáthisò.

When all the layer settings are as required, click öOKò.  Press Escape or
click the dialogue boxæs close icon to abandon the dialogue and not change
any layer settings.

Any new objects will be created on the current layer.  To change the layer of
existing objects, select them and  choose öNew layerò from the öArrangeò
menu.  The objects will be moved onto the current layer.

Layer number 0 (default name öStandardò) is slightly special.  This is the
layer that will be used by default if no action is taken to define new
layers.  Files created by Acorn Draw and other applications, and those saved
without the new format option set, will have all their objects on layer 0.
Any objects on layers that are deleted, or objects merged from a file whose
layers are not defined, will also appear on layer 0.  This layer cannot be
deleted or renumbered, although it can be made unselectable or invisible like
any other layer.  If you intend to create a layered drawing, I would
recommend that you reserve layer 0 for unlayered objects and use layers 1
through 31 as required.

Layer numbers are important if layered objects are to be transferred between
drawings or drawings merged into one another.  Objects will be transferred
onto layers with the same number, regardless of the name;  if a layer is not
defined in the drawing that the objects are being merged into, any objects on
that layer will appear on layer 0.

When saving layered drawings, remember to have öNew formatò and öWith
settingsò turned on so that the layer information is retained.


Keystroke equivalents
---------------------

Any mouse action in a window causes it to grab the input focus from then on.
Keystroke equivalents for menu actions are shown on the menus (they can be
hidden, if desired, to make the menus smaller, but they will still perform
the action).  Note that some keystrokes have an  action on both the öCreateò
and öEditò menus;  when in path edit mode the öEditò menu applies, and the
öCreateò menu at other times.  The following keystrokes also have an effect:

Up,Down,Left,Right    When dragging, move the pointer by one pixel.  In
            Select mode, when not dragging, move the selected
            objects by one pixel (if grid lock is off) or one
            grid step (if grid lock is on).  In path edit mode,
            when not dragging, move the current point in the same
            way.

Escape            Abandon an operation in progress.

Shift-Select        Centre the display at the pointer position, if
            possible.

Space            Switch back and forth between the Select tool and the
            last tool used.

Print            Pop up the öPrintò dialogue box

f3            Pop up the öSave drawingò dialogue box.


Font Handling
-------------

There are two menus associated with fonts, "Font name"  and "Font style".
Normally, the name menu lists the font  family name (the first component of
the pathname) while  the style menu gives the valid options for that selected
family (if a font has only one component in its name, this  is shown on the
style menu as É(None)æ and standard  weight and upright is assumed).


Bugs, Features and Cautions
---------------------------

The following are the dropoffs, bugs and omissions that I know about in the
current version:

  1.    The little-known facility in the original to directly copy selected
    objects between drawings (by using the öSelect/Copyò menu option) is
    not supported.  More than one document at a time can be in Select
    mode.

  2.    Line pattern changes are not applied to path objects which are
    members of groups.

  3.    DrawPlus cannot load DXF files in the way that the original version
    of Draw could.  Use the original to convert DXF files, if you really
    want to.

  4.    The only major facility missing which was present in the original is
    the öNew viewò option to open two windows on the same drawing.  Sorry
    about this, but by the time I got around to thinking about
    implementing this the fundamental program structure didn't permit it
    to be implemented (too many extensive changes were required).
    Anyway, I never have enough room on my screen for one view, let alone
    two, and switching magnification is much more convenient...

  5.    If a drawing with background objects is merged with another, the
    background objects in the merged one lose their background status.

  6.    Text being edited displays wrongly in very low-resolution modes (e.g.
    mode 2).  But nobody ever uses these modes (and Acornæs Edit gets it
    wrong too!).

  7.    There is a limit of 255 fonts which DrawPlus can use (display on the
    font menus and use in a drawing).  This is because of to what I
    consider to be a very bad design decision by Acorn when implementing
    the Draw file format:  there is no feasible way around it, so please
    donÉt ask.

  8.    There is no Undo or Redo, as implemented in later versions of Acorn
    Draw.  It would be nice to have this, but it would be very difficult
    to implement at this stage of development.

Unforeseen errors are sometimes reported as öInternaláerrorò or öFatal errorò
and a message.  If you get one of these, let me know what happened (in the
case of öFatalò and your masterpiece being lost, after youæve counted to ten
and calmed down) with as much information as possible, namely:

    Machine type, OS version and memory available
    Version of DrawPlus being used
    Error message or other symptoms
    Is the problem repeatable, or is it confined to just one drawing?
    Any unusual modules which may be installed (e.g. screen savers).

If you believe that the problem is related to printing, and you are using a
TurboDriver, then try printing the same file using the standard Acorn driver.
If this gives a correct result then complain to Computer Concepts, not to me.

Note to Impression II users:  When saving Draw files for loading into the
border library, select the corner and edge pieces (corner at the front) and
then save them as a selection to disc or directly into the border setup
dialogue box.  Saving them as a drawing, even if they are the only two
objects in it, or trying to use anything other than path objects as a border
will cause Impression to crash.  Drawings can be loaded into frames with no
problem.


Finally...
----------

I hope you like using and are satisfied with DrawPlus.  If so, tell your
friends.  If not, or if you have any suggestions for improvements or
suggestions, please contact me;  I will  try to fix bugs and incorporate
reasonable ideas in forthcoming versions.

Standard boring Copyright Notice:  All program code and the contents of the
supporting files are copyright ⌐ myself (Jonathan Marten) 1990¡1997.  No
rights are taken or implied over any drawings or other works which may be
produced using this application.

DrawPlus is öFreewareò (not öPDò).  You are free to give this application to
anyone you please via any medium, provided it is delivered with all the
supplied files, unaltered.  Bulletin boards, PD libraries or magazines may
carry or distribute the application, but are requested to contact me first to
ensure that they have an up-to-date version (especially if it is to be
immortalised in plastic on a CD).  You may not sell this application, or
incorporate it or any part of it into a system or other application that is
for sale (for however much and for whatever reasons) or released as copyright
material, except that PD libraries may make a nominal charge to cover disc
duplication and postage.

A great many hours of work have gone into the development and maintenance of
this application, and I would like to keep supporting it.  Although I have
supplied the application free, donations will be gratefully received (amount
at your discretion).  If you send a blank disc as well, I will return it with
any useful PD or my own software that I may have lying around.  You can
obtain the latest version of the application, at any time, by sending a blank
disc.

Disclaimer (1):  Apart from using their (excellent) Cácompiler and (somewhat
dubious) RiscOS library, this application has no connection with Acorn.  Any
confusion caused by the use of the term öDrawò or similar is regretted.

Disclaimer (2):  This software is supplied öas isò;  no warranty, express or
implied, of the merchantability of this software or its fitness for any
particular purpose is given.  In no circumstances shall the author, or any
provider or distributor of this software, be liable for any damage, loss of
profits, or any indirect or consequential loss arising out of the use of this
software or inability to use this software.

Disclaimer (3):  This software has no connection whatsoever with any
commercial, introductory, demonstration or shareware application with the
same or any similar name produced by Serif Inc. for DOS or Windows.  No part
of DrawPlus was copied from, based on, derived from or even inspired by any
Serif product.  The name öDrawPlusò has been in use to denote this Acorn
application since 1991.  Any threats of legal or any other action regarding
copyright or trade mark violation will be ignored.

Acknowledgments:  Many thanks to those who wrote to me, pointing out problems
with the original or making suggestions (or just saying that they liked it!).
There are too many people to mention, but IÉm sure that those who made
(feasible) suggestions will recognise them here.

Special thanks to Barry Thompson, for loaning me his copy of Impression II
(with the dongle!) to track down the border library problem (and for finding
more bugs than everybody else put together...);  John Davey for the
ModeExtend module which allowed me to diagnose the multisync-related bugs.

Background:  I decided to develop this application after using Acornæs
original Draw for quite a number of drawings and finding some problems with
it (none of them serious, but quite a few of them annoying).  The hardware
and software that I used was as follows:

    Original É440 with 50Mb SCSI disc (a bit more room now!)
    Acorn ANSIáC release 3 compiler, debugger and RiscOS library (later,
      releaseá4)
    My version of Make (available on Norwich Computer Services Careware
      disc #1)
    An expanded version of MicroEmacs (originally from David Pilling)
    Some of David Pillingæs C Tools (notably Éctagsæ)
    ÉOld Faithfulæ BBC B with Lancaster Kermit, for remote debugging
    Various other tools such as Paint and FormEd

Most of the operations have the Élook and feelæ of the original Draw, and
this was indeed where most of the inspiration came from.  Many of the
additional facilities, notably the alignment operations and the four-way
object handles, also layers and dash patterns, were inspired by Claris'
MacDrawáII for the Apple Macintosh.  The library facility was also based on
this.  The original ÉText to pathæ facility was inspired by (but not copied
from) Data Store's FontFX application, which is recommended for achieving
even more exotic font effects.  The grid options and appearance, and the
Shift-Select display control (öWindowò) were copied from Racal-Redac's Visula
system.  The font name/style system, the background facility, polygon create
and the ÉSkewæ options were entirely my own work (honest!).

Etymology (look it up like I had to):  The original package was called Draw
One-and-a-Half because it was only halfway towards what I was intending to
write (the full package was going to be called Drawá2).  But then Acorn
started calling their next version Drawá2, so this application was renamed
DrawPlus.


Contacts:  I can be contacted by or at:

Snail-Mail:    11 Carmarthen Close
        Farnborough
        Hampshire
        GU14 8TJ

Phone:        [phone] (at reasonable hours)

E-mail:        [e-mail]



Jonathan Marten
August 1991 (last update: March 1997)







                             Technical Details
                            ===================

This section gives details of the additional data structures used by
DrawPlus.  They are defined in terms of C structures.  Details of the
standard types and objects can be found in the include file drawftypes.h
supplied with Acorn ANSIáC releaseá3 or higher.  Any future changes to these
structures will be backwards compatible with  DrawPlus version 2╖00.


Extended object tag
-------------------

This replaces the 4-byte object tag used in standard Draw objects, and stores
the layer information and miscellaneous flags.  The default for the extended
information is all zeros, which means that objects and files without this
information are fully compatible with other applications which produce or use
Draw files.

The extended tag is described by the following structure:

typedef unsigned char draw_tagtyp;
typedef unsigned char draw_layer;
typedef unsigned char draw_objflags;

struct draw_extag            /* Extended object tag */
{
    draw_tagtyp tag;        /* Basic object type */
      draw_layer layer;        /* Object layer, 0 to 31 */
      draw_objflags flag;        /* Object flags */
    unsigned char spare;        /* For future expansion */
};

The following bits in flag are used at present:

#define flag_NODISPLAY        1    /* Never displayed */
#define flag_LOCKED        2    /* Object is locked */
#define flag_HIDDEN         4    /* Temporarily hidden */

The NODISPLAY flag is used to mark objects, such as saved settings, used
internally.  The HIDDEN flag marks objects that are temporarily invisible,
such as path objects that are in the process of being edited.  The LOCKED
flag is set if the object has been locked.

The extended tag replaces the original draw_tagtyp in the object header, as
follows:

struct draw_objhdr            /* General object header */
{
    draw_extag t;            /* Extended tag */
    draw_sizetyp size;        /* Object size */
    draw_bboxtyp bbox;        /* Bounding box */
};


Saved settings
--------------

Settings, styles, layer and dash pattern information is saved in a number of
objects which are described by the following structure:

struct draw_setstrhdr            /* Settings object header */
{
    draw_extag t;            /* Extended tag */
    draw_sizetyp size;        /* Object size */
    draw_bboxtyp bbox;        /* Bounding box */
    int version;            /* Structure version */
    int contents;            /* What this contains */
};

The settings structure version field is used to detect incompatible or
out-of-date settings;  it is currently 4.  The contents field indicates what
is stored in this structure.  The types currently defined are:

#define set_USER        1    /* General user settings */
#define set_TEXTSTYLE          2    /* Default text style */
#define set_PATHSTYLE       3    /* Default path style  */
#define set_EXTRAS         4    /* Layers & dash patterns */
#define set_EXPAND         5     /* For future expansion */

The data immediately follows this structure.  Since the format and content is
subject to change, details are not included here.  The object type for a
saved settings object is 101.


Library file
------------

The library file format is very similar to a standard Draw file.  The header
is identical, except that the creator string is öLibraryò rather than öDrawò.
The major version 0number is 2.

The rest of the file contains standard Draw objects described by the
following structures:

struct draw_libstrhdr            /* Library object header */
{
    draw_extag tag;            /* Object tag */
    draw_sizetyp size;        /* Overall size */
    draw_bboxtyp bbox;        /* Objectæs bounding box */
    char name[21];            /* Object name */
    time_t time;            /* Time last updated */
};

The included object (with its own tag and bounding box) follows immediately
after the header:

struct draw_libstr            /* Library object */
{
    draw_extag tag;            /* Object tag */
    draw_sizetyp size;        /* Overall size */
    draw_bboxtyp bbox;        /* Objectæs bounding box */
    char name[21];            /* Object name */
    time_t time;            /* Time last updated */
    draw_objhdr object;        /* Object data */
};

The type time_t is defined in the header file time.h.  The object type for a
library object is 100.