Explore the World of Software 2: Kids, Adults, Educational

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| | | Typing PC-FasType | | Tutorial | | | | *** U S E R ' S G U I D E *** for CGA - Version 4.3 and MONO- Version 1.3 _______ ____|__ | MEMBER --| |o |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| (R) Copyright (C) 1991 Trendtech Corporation, Wayne, NJ * PC-FasType is a trademark of Trendtech Corporation * The ASP logo is a registered trademark of the A.S.P. Licensed Material - Program, Documentation, and Text Files are Property of Trendtech Corporation. Page 2 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S SHAREWARE..............................................6 LICENSE................................................7 REGISTRATION SCHEDULE..................................8 Single User License:...............................8 Network License:...................................8 Site License:......................................8 Right-to-Copy License:.............................8 Multiple Single-User Licenses - Volume Discount:...9 State Sales Tax:...................................9 SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION.................................9 REGISTRATION BENEFITS.................................10 Upgrade Policy....................................10 THE ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS............11 TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES......................12 TECHNICAL SUPPORT.....................................12 LIMITED WARRANTY......................................13 Limitation of Liability...........................13 GETTING STARTED.......................................14 INTRODUCTION......................................14 INSTALLATION......................................16 WHAT TO DO NEXT...................................16 Operating PC-FasType..........................16 During Operation..............................17 The "ESCape" Key..............................17 How To STOP Using PC-FasType..................17 TOUCH TYPING..........................................19 THE ART OF TOUCH TYPING...........................19 Preparing To Type.............................20 How Do I Learn?...............................21 THE KEYBOARD AND HOME KEYS............................23 KEYBOARD..........................................23 Shift Keys....................................23 Display.......................................24 Home Keys.....................................24 LEARNING LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION..................25 DEVELOPING SPEED AND ACCURACY.....................27 THE NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS...........................28 TIMINGS AND SCORING...............................29 CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME............................30 MENUS AND MENU SELECTIONS.............................32 BEGINNER DRILLS...................................32 EXERCISES.........................................32 THE "TEXT WINDOW".................................34 ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 3 ------------------------------------------------------------ Typing Statistics Definitions.....................35 MENU SELECTION AND FUNCTION KEYS..................37 MENU HOPPING......................................37 QUICK-HELP FACILITY...............................37 How To Use The Quick-HELP Facility............38 SPECIAL KEYS......................................38 TIMED EXERCISES...................................39 THE PRIMARY MENUS.....................................40 MAIN Menu.........................................40 BEGINNER DRILLS Menu..............................40 INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES Menu.......................40 ADVANCED EXERCISES Menu...........................41 KEYBOARD HELPERS Menu.............................41 SELECTING MENU ITEMS..................................42 MAIN MENU SELECTIONS..............................42 Beginner Skill Level..........................42 Intermediate Skill Level......................42 Advanced Skill Level..........................43 Save Program Settings.........................43 Save Typing Statistics........................43 Exit to MS-DOS................................44 BEGINNER DRILLS MENU..............................44 HOME Keys Only................................44 Add More Letters..............................45 Add Numbers...................................45 Add CAPITAL Letters...........................45 Include Punctuation Marks.....................45 CAPITAL Letters Only!.........................45 Do it ALL!....................................46 Choose Your Own...............................46 KAPS FOR KIDS.................................47 INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES MENU.......................47 WORDS - 3 Letter Groups.......................47 WORDS - 4 Letter Groups.......................48 WORDS - 5 Letter Groups.......................48 More WORDS....................................48 Common PHRASES................................48 ADVANCED EXERCISES MENU...........................48 EASY Sentences................................49 HARD Sentences................................49 SHORT Paragraphs..............................49 LONG Paragraphs...............................49 Type YOUR Own Text............................50 Open Typing...................................51 KEYBOARD HELPERS MENU.............................51 QUIET Mode....................................52 Hidden Keys...................................52 Outline HOME keys.............................52 ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 4 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ 'BEEP' Keystroke Errors.......................52 Align Finger Positions........................53 WORD WRAP.....................................53 Reset Keyboard Helpers........................53 Change Drill Count............................54 SUB-MENUS.........................................54 ADD MORE LETTERS Sub-Menu.....................54 ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu..........................55 ADD CAPITALS Sub-Menu.........................55 APPENDIX -A-........................................57 How To Print The HELP Screens.....................57 APPENDIX -B-........................................58 Creating "Type-Your-Own-Text" Files...............58 APPENDIX -C-........................................60 Special Files - Maintenance.......................60 APPENDIX -D-........................................61 Environment Variables.............................61 GLOSSARY OF TERMS...................................62 ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 5 ------------------------------------------------------------ COPYRIGHT NOTICES AND TRADEMARKS PC-FasType(Tm) is Copyright 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 by Trendtech Corporation, Inc., Wayne, New Jersey, All rights reserved worldwide. Licensed Material; this software program, documentation, accompanying written and disk-based notes and specifications, and all referenced and related program files, screen display renditions of keyboards, and text files, are the property of Trendtech Corporation, Inc., Wayne, NJ, U.S.A. No portion of the contents of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of Trendtech Corporation. This software may not be reverse-engineered or disassembled in any way, and includes certain trade secrets and confidential information of Trendtech Corporation. **** PC-FasType is a trademark of Trendtech Corporation, Inc., Wayne, NJ. Portions of the user-interface were implemented using "The Window Boss", Copyright 1984-1988 Phillip A. Mongelluzzo. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc. We have done our best to insure that the material found in this document is both useful and accurate. However, please be aware that errors may exist, and neither the author nor Trendtech Corporation makes any guarantee concerning the accuracy of the information found here or in the uses to which it may be put. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 6 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ SHAREWARE The Shareware method of software distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register with the author or copyright holder. Individual Shareware products differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, and some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, depending on the product you register, you will get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with a printed manual. Shareware is NOT the same as public domain software; public domain software typically does NOT contain copyright notices by the author. Shareware, on the other hand IS COPYRIGHTED by the author! Copyright laws apply to BOTH Shareware as well as commercial software (software distributed in retail markets), and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial program authors, and the programs are of comparable, if not better, quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author of a Shareware program specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry computer users or to a specific group. For example, most Shareware authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy and distribute their Shareware program. So, Shareware is a software "distribution method", not a "type" or "kind" of software. As a computer user, you should try to find software that suits your needs as well as your pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system accommodates your needs, because you can "try before you buy". And because the overhead is low, prices - in the form of registration fees are low also. Shareware has the ULTIMATE money-back guarantee -- "if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it". ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 7 ------------------------------------------------------------ LICENSE PC-FasType is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to the general personal-computing public for evaluation. Users are licensed to operate PC-FasType on their personal computers for the purpose of testing and evaluation as to its usefulness to them, on a trial basis for a time period not to exceed 30 days. We believe this to be a fair and equitable period for evaluation and we trust the user's judgement and sense of fair play to make an intelligent decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides PC-FasType is not of sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with Trendtech, he or she should remove PC-FasType from his or her personal computer. Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in fact in regular use on the user's computer system, then the user must register with Trendtech Corporation. The essence of Shareware is to provide personal computer users with high quality software at a reasonable price, and to provide an incentive for Shareware authors to continue to develop new products. Registered users of PC-FasType are those users who elect to register their use of it by paying the indicated registration fee to Trendtech. By virtue of registration and payment for PC-FasType, registrants are granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This "SINGLE-USER" license authorizes the registrant to use PC-FasType on any personal computer system he or she may own or use on a regular basis so long as PC-FasType is operated on only one computer system at a time. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 8 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ REGISTRATION SCHEDULE Single User License: The Single-User Registration fee for PC-FasType is as follows: U.S.A. - $25.00, plus $3.00 for shipping/handling Canada - $25.00, plus $5.00 for shipping/handling Overseas - $25.00, plus $10.00 for shipping/handling Credit cards are accepted. All paper payments (checks, MO, Postal MO, etc.) MUST be expressed in U.S. Funds (Dollars) and drawn on a U.S. bank. ATTENTION OVERSEAS REGISTRANTS: our USA Post Office handles monetary exchange internationally! If you're registering from outside of the USA, you can go to your own national post office and get a "POSTAL MONEY ORDER" with the registration fee and shipping charges made out in U.S. Dollars. The current currency exchange rate will prevail. Our USA Post Office will redeem your postal money order for the full face value in U.S. Dollars. Network License: See "Right-to-Copy" licensing provisions below. Usage of PC-FasType on a network constitutes usage of it for each workstation/"keyboard" connected to the network, whether PC-FasType is used on each of the workstations or not. A fully registered and paid-for copy of PC-FasType is required for each workstation/"keyboard". Site License: A site is defined as a single building or group of buildings at the same public mailing address. A site license allows unlimited INTERNAL use of PC-FasType, on any number of machines, at the specified location. Your organization's name and address are displayed on the programs' title screen. See the REGISTER.FRM file for price details. Right-to-Copy License: A Right-to-Copy License is available whereby a registered version of PC-FasType can be copied and distributed with serialized labels by the licensee. Your purchase of a Right-to-Copy license includes ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 9 ------------------------------------------------------------ the delivery of a master disk with printed serialized labels in the quantity desired. The volume price per copy of PC-FasType under a Right- to-Copy license can be very low. Special program customizations are available too; call us for details. Multiple Single-User Licenses - Volume Discount: Discounts begin at quantity two. You get one disk and one printed manual for each copy ordered. Quantities are priced at 2 to 5, 6 to 10, 11 to 15, etc. See the REGISTER.FRM file for price details. State Sales Tax: Single-User Licenses purchased in the State of New Jersey are subject to the current New Jersey State Sales Tax rate. SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION Any person, group, or organization who wants to distribute PC-FasType for any kind of remuneration must FIRST contact TRENDTECH CORPORATION by letter at the address below for distribution. This authorization will always be granted to distributors and disk vendors recognized by the Association of Shareware Professionals as adhering to its guidelines for Shareware distributors. These organizations are known as "Associate Members" of the ASP. Distribution to other vendors will be made at our discretion and on the basis of their understanding of Shareware principles. PC-FasType is a "Shareware"-distributed program and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Any fees paid by you - the user, to organizations other than Trendtech are for their disk duplication and distribution services only. Trendtech Corporation receives NO PART of those fees. "For-Profit" disk vendors must obtain permission from Trendtech Corporation to distribute PC-FasType. Vendors - please read the VENDOR.DOC file on the distribution disk for more information. All users are granted a limited license to copy PC-FasType and give it to others without charge for their evaluation and trial use, with the following additional conditions: ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 10 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-FasType must be distributed in its original, unmodified, complete form, including all documentation files, text files, files containing license agreements, registration fees and schedules, and Shareware information. PC-FasType may not be distributed in conjunction with any other product or service, without express written permission from Trendtech Corporation. REGISTRATION BENEFITS Registration of PC-FasType gives you many benefits: all registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of either PC-FasType/CGA or PC-FasType/MONO depending on which product you're registering, instructions on how to use a special registration code to eliminate the Shareware Information screens; plus a handsomely printed and bound User Guide, - and, free support from Trendtech Corporation by telephone or letter for a period of 90 days from the date you receive the registered package. Finally, the author's letter of sincere thanks for supporting Shareware will include an unconditional money-back-guarantee if you are not fully satisfied. The money-back-guarantee is limited to 30 days from the date you receive the registered package. Upgrade Policy Please be advised that Trendtech Corporation will NOT notify registered users directly of new versions of PC-FasType as we are constantly changing and improving the program. Notification, when necessary, may be made through press releases, disk vendor catalogs, ASP catalogs, vendor advertisements, etc. If registered users would like to keep current, they may send us their original registered distribution disk (the one with our label on it) along with $5.00 to receive a disk with the most current version of PC-FasType. We suggest you do this at least annually to benefit from significant program changes and enhancements. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 11 ------------------------------------------------------------ Single-user registration fees, and requests for other kinds of licenses should be mailed to: TRENDTECH CORPORATION PC-FasType Registration P.O. Box 3687 Wayne, New Jersey 07474-3687 U.S.A. VOICE: Call (201) 694-8622 (Anytime, 24 hours a day; please leave a message on the answering machine- unlimited time) FAX: (201) 694-2543 ( operates 24 hrs/day; 7 days/week ). The author can also be contacted on the CompuServe network. Send Electronic Mail to CompuServe ID: 76210,771 Please take a moment to complete and mail the PC-FasType registration form along with your payment. Be sure to specify the disk size needed. This action will register you as a bonafide user of PC-FasType and help us provide you with better service. THE ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP), was formed in 1987 to strengthen the future of "Shareware" (user-supported software) as an alternative to software distributed under normal commercial marketing methods. The ASP has established stringent standards for both its Members and any organization which has 'ASP Approved' status. ASP members subscribe to a code of ethics and are committed to the concept of Shareware as a way of marketing their product. The ASP itself does NOT rate members' software for functionality or usefulness. That is for you "the user" to decide. Shareware-distributed-software, especially software authorized to carry the ASP name, can be tested by you on a try-before-you-buy basis. If, after the evaluation period, you determine the program doesn't fit your needs, you won't have to worry about getting a refund - simply don't register; that's the beauty of Shareware. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 12 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ Trendtech Corporation along with William Letendre, the author of PC-FasType, are members of the ASP. The ASP wants to make sure the Shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a Shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, the ASP may be able to help you. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please read the file entitled SHARWARE.DOC on the disk for details. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES If you like PC-FasType tell your friends! If you don't like PC-FasType tell us! In order to keep prices for Shareware products like PC-FasType as low as they are, Shareware authors try to avoid advertising their products in commercial publications. You, the Shareware user, are our best form of advertising! Tell your friends and associates. If you have the opportunity to write an article in a newsletter or a trade magazine and like PC-FasType, then spread the word! We need all the help we can get to put quality software into users' hands without charging high prices! If you want to write an article about PC-FasType, or are considering a product review, we would appreciate hearing from you first to make sure you are evaluating the most current version. TECHNICAL SUPPORT We support our software. One of the great strengths of the Shareware concept is the direct interaction between the program author and the users. Many of the current features in PC-FasType are the result of user input. If you have a problem evaluating this program or desire to make a suggestion or comment (or even a complaint), please don't hesitate to contact us. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 13 ------------------------------------------------------------ LIMITED WARRANTY Trendtech Corporation warrants that for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of delivery of this licensed program, the program, if unmodified by the Licensee, will perform in substantial conformity with the user documentation. Trendtech Corporation does not warrant that the licensed program is free from coding errors. Any program problems reported to Trendtech Corporation during the warranty period and determined by the Licensor to be actual coding errors will attempt to be corrected by Trendtech Corporation within a reasonable time. Any modifications to the licensed program shall thereafter be licensed AS IS. The above warranty does not apply to the extent that any failure of the licensed program to perform as warranted is caused by the licensed program being (1) not used in accordance with the user documentation, or (2) modified by any person other than authorized Trendtech Corporation personnel. TRENDTECH CORPORATION MAKES, AND PC-FASTYPE LICENSEE RECEIVES, NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Limitation of Liability The total liability of Trendtech Corporation or its suppliers for any claim or damage arising out of the use of the licensed program or otherwise related to this license shall be limited to direct damages which shall not exceed the license fee(s) which have been paid by Licensee to Trendtech Corporation for the specific client project which is the subject of such claim or damage. IN NO EVENT SHALL LICENSOR OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE LICENSED PROGRAM OR RELATED TO THIS LICENSE. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 14 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ GETTING STARTED INTRODUCTION PC-FasType is an easy-to-use menu-driven interactive typing instruction program that is designed for use by computer enthusiasts who wish to improve their typing skills on personal computers running the MS-DOS Operating System. The program is ideal for use by intermediate and advanced typists who want to increase their typing accuracy and speed working with microcomputers, especially on the variety of keyboards that are available. PC-FasType is also an excellent vehicle for beginning typists who want to learn how to touch-type on various MS-DOS based microcomputers. PC-FasType is ideal for use in a private at-home environment or during spare time at the office, and it can be used in a classroom environment too. Time durations, WPM, percent of accuracy, typing errors, and other statistics are displayed at the end of each drill or exercise. Additionally, the highest WPM obtained, and a running average WPM is maintained. PC-FasType has the capability to drill you on all shifted special characters and upper-case symbols plus all CAPITAL Letters; you must use the CORRECT Shift key to successfully type any of these characters. You will also be drilled on using the ENTER Key which is required in exercises selected from the Advanced Exercises Menu. Most drills, exercises, and features are selectable with the function keys. There is also a Quick-HELP Facility available with every Menu and Sub-Menu for quick reference while learning how to type with PC-FasType. PC-FasType is very flexible for the beginning typist. By using various options from the menus, the beginner can select many combinations of drill sequences. Additionally, one or more typing helpers can be set from the Keyboard ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 15 ------------------------------------------------------------ Helpers Menu. The combinations are many; you can adjust your drills to boost your typing skills in those areas that you may feel are weak (i.e. Numbers, CAPITALS, special symbols, etc.), and you can improve your speed and accuracy. Advanced typists can improve their word-processing skills by using the OPEN TYPING feature. OPEN TYPING gives you the opportunity to type text of your choice in a full- screen window. You can use the cursor keys to navigate about the screen, adding text and overtyping. The program won't catch your mis-spellings, but you'll be penalized if you use the BACKSPACE key. If you're an intermediate or advanced typist you can use timed exercises in the OPEN TYPING and LONG PARAGRAPHS section of the advanced menu to test your speed and accuracy. You can time your exercises to last from one minute up to 20 minutes. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 16 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ INSTALLATION Prior to using PC-FasType you must install it on your PC. The installation process is very simple and will take just a few moments of your time. PC-FasType can be installed on a hard disk, a network file server, or on one or two floppies. If you've already installed PC-FasType then read on. Otherwise please follow the simple instructions given in the "readme" file named README.1ST. WHAT TO DO NEXT After the installation process is complete, you can run easily PC-FasType. Just type the following command to start using the program. This example assumes you've installed the program on drive D: and in a sub-directory named fastype: D:\fastype> enft <cr> and PC-FasType for the 101-Key Enhanced Keyboard will start up immediately. If you have an AT-Style keyboard, then type "ATFT" instead. Type "PCFT" if you wnat to use the old- style PC-XT keyboard. At the main menu display, you can press function key F10 to begin typing the basic 'HOME keys' drill, or you can press F1 to get more information from PC-FasType's Quick- HELP Facility. If you have any problems installing PC-FasType or using the program, please contact the author at Trendtech Corporation, (201) 694-8622 (voice), or at (201) 694-2543 (FAX) for assistance. Operating PC-FasType The first item you will see on your display when PC-FasType starts is the title screen. The title screen will remain on the display until PC-FasType's tables are loaded into memory. If you're running PC-FasType from a ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 17 ------------------------------------------------------------ hard-disk, this will only take a moment. If you're running from a floppy, it may take several seconds, so please be patient. When the tables have finished loading you must press any key to continue past the title screen to the Main Menu. At this point you can either browse through the menus, set program features from the keyboard helpers menu, and/or select drills or exercises. To begin typing immediately, just press F10 to start a drill. If you haven't made any selections yet, that's okay, PC-FasType will automatically select the 'HOME-keys-only' option from the Beginners Menu for you to practice typing. During Operation Whenever the screen keyboard is displayed and you're typing a drill or exercise, or even after a drill or exercise is completed: YOU CAN ALWAYS RETURN TO ANY OF THE PRIMARY MENUS BY SIMPLY PRESSING ONE OF THE FIVE FUNCTION KEYS LABELED F1 THROUGH F5, OR PRESS THE ESCAPE KEY. The "ESCape" Key The Escape key is effective anytime during a drill or exercise. If you are in the middle of typing and you press the escape key, your drill or exercise will end and your current statistics up to the last character you typed will be calculated and shown in the statistics window. The last primary menu that was displayed before you started your typing drill or exercise will be re-displayed if you are already at the end of a drill or exercise. Repeatedly pressing the escape key will eventually get you back to the MS-DOS Operating System. How To STOP Using PC-FasType There are two ways to end a PC-FasType typing session and return to the MS-DOS Operating System: o Display the Main Menu and select the "EXIT TO MS- DOS" option with the cursor bar or function key F9. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 18 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ o Press the ESCAPE key repeatedly until the confirmation to exit message is displayed, then respond with "Y" to finally exit to MS-DOS. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 19 ------------------------------------------------------------ TOUCH TYPING THE ART OF TOUCH TYPING For most computer owners, a word processor and/or a good text editor is one of their most treasured programs. It imparts the freedom to originate and generate documents away from the confines of the office. Often though, a severe flaw in this new freedom to create is the inability to type quickly. Typing accuracy is of less significance, since documents can always be cleaned up magnetically before printing them. However, the lack of skill in putting thoughts down on paper at a reasonable speed is always frustrating. If your heart's desire is to write The Great American Novel, or merely effective business letters, then it is imperative to learn the art of touch typing. Hunt 'n peck" typing is a flawed form of typing in that one or two fingers of each hand are used to type the letters one by one. It is a very mundane form of typing for the beginner to lapse into but has serious restrictions on the higher typing speed which can be achieved by correct touch typing. It is better to bite the bullet and go through a period of veritable awkwardness, learn the vagaries of correct touch typing, and arise at the end a genuine touch typist. It is a known fact that most typists who type a lot of plain text do not absorb the meaning of what they are typing. The text flows from the paper to the eyes and out again at the fingers. Your brain, conscientiously or unconscientiously controlling the process, can be occupied at least partly, with more entertaining thoughts. In other words, touch typing is not an intellectual exercise; it is essentially a reflexive motor skill. It appears at first, that touch typing is a slow process as the following steps are consciously followed: 1. Your eye reads a letter from the copy, or your mind ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 20 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ conceives of one while creating text; 2. Your brain recognizes the letter from its database of knowledge; 3. Your brain then locates the placement of the letter on the keyboard; 4. Your brain now selects the finger that will be used to type the letter on the keyboard; 5. Your brain orders the finger to move to the selected key; 6. Finally, the letter is typed (or mistyped as the case may be). The main objective of touch typing is to combine the four middle steps that take place in the brain, so they become one instinctive and unconscientious action, as natural as handwriting. This can be developed only with lots of practice; learning to touch type correctly is akin to learning to play a keyboard instrument. Preparing To Type There is more to typing than just memorizing the keyboard and learning finger placement. Other factors need to be taken into consideration too, such as posture and seating arrangement. You should observe proper posture while sitting at your PC. Find a position that is comfortable for you and that will help reduce fatigue. This will insure proper keyboarding and will help increase your accuracy. To impose specific chair sizes and desk heights is impossible, since everything depends on the shape and size of the individual. In general, the following rules should be followed in finding a comfortable typing position: o Sit upright in your seat with your back erect and your body leaning slightly forward. Be sure your feet are flat on the floor directly in front of you. o Hold your elbows to your side in a relaxed position and raise your wrists so your hands "drape" down toward the keyboard. It is important that you DO NOT rest the palms of your hands on the edge of the desktop or on the edge of the keyboard. The palms must be raised so the back of your hands are slightly above the knuckles of your fingers. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 21 ------------------------------------------------------------ o Rest the fingertips of both hands on the HOME keys asdf and jkl; and the thumb of your RIGHT hand just lightly touching the spacebar. o Your PC screen should be directly in front of you, clearly visible without having to lean forward or down. If necessary place something between the monitor and the computer to gain some elevation for the screen. o The pages of material or text to be typed should be propped up to the left or the right. One of the many kinds of copy holders sold in computer stores is a big help. Once you begin to develop a typing "style" you can modify your posture slightly to be more comfortable. When you begin to type, your fingers should strike the keys with as little movement of your hands as possible. Your fingers should reach up and down from their HOME position and return to their HOME position after each stroke. If you keep your fingers slightly curved and the fingernail portion of your fingers perpendicular to the keys (straight up-and-down) you will be able to reach all of the keys on the main typing area of the keyboard with little effort. Try to keep your hands stationary and let your fingers do all the work. If you can keep the typing motions mainly in your fingers you will gradually build up speed and accuracy. The furniture and equipment needed to achieve this ideal setting will depend upon availability and expense. Office style furniture is suitable, with chairs of adjustable height and a variety of computer tables and desks designed to hold PC's. Strict conformity to this ideal, however, is not necessary and adjustments to existing furniture can often be made using cushions, telephone books, and other objects. If you're not able to obtain a satisfactory setting, the subsequent aches and pains will soon let you know. How Do I Learn? Learning to type on a PC is much easier than learning to type on a conventional typewriter: ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 22 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ o There are no problems with paper insertion and alignment, "correct-o-type" cartridges, and paper margin settings. o After the initial setup of your PC, a good word processor or text editor eliminates all worries about page layout-margins, indents, line spacing, etc. These are handled easily by your software. o Typing mistakes are easier and less messy to correct; a quick flick of the backspace key eliminates the wrong letter. Above all, even a beginner can prepare a handsome looking document. However badly it was initially typed, it can be cleaned up electronically and printed without any trace of the original errors showing up. Thus, a beginner can be productive almost immediately. With a conventional typewriter, document production in the early phases of learning is either very slow or the final document is dripping with whiteout liquid. A more systematic approach to learning is highly desirable. Of course it's possible to use ordinary self- teaching typing books that can be found in many libraries and book stores. But a computer program like PC-FasType to help you learn touch typing is more desirable. It's much better to practice touch typing for fifteen to twenty minutes each day rather than have a two-hour onslaught every Saturday morning. Of course a longer typing period each day is more desirable. If it's possible, set aside a regular period for typing practice, preferably when you're reasonably fresh and alert. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 23 ------------------------------------------------------------ THE KEYBOARD AND HOME KEYS KEYBOARD The keyboard image that is displayed on the monitor is the heart of PC-FasType and is always shown during a typing drill or exercise session. Only the main typing area of the keyboard is displayed even though most keyboards have other keys on them such as cursor movement keys, function keys, and for most full-size keyboards, an extra "keypad". The idea of using a displayed keyboard is to allow you to look at a "simulated" keyboard, or an image of the actual keyboard that you will be learning to type on. This method will help you to keep your eyes off the real keyboard. It is extremely helpful because it will help you to form "spatial" relationships between your finger placements on the real keyboard and the image of the simulated keyboard on the screen. This spatial relationship will enhance your familiarity with the keyboard thereby increasing your speed and accuracy. The keyboard consists of 26 letters of the alphabet and the numbers 1 through 0, and special symbols. If you hold the shift key down while typing a letter, capital letters will appear. If you hold the shift key down and strike a number, symbols and punctuation marks will appear such as #$%^& or *. Shift Keys There are two shift keys on the lower bank of the keyboard. One shift key is located on the lower right and one on the lower left. The proper method for typing "upper- case" letters and symbols is to hold down the shift key firmly with the little finger of one hand while striking a key with a finger from the other hand. For example, if you want strike a key with any finger on your right hand, then use the little finger of your left hand to hold down the left shift key. If you want to strike a key with any ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 24 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ finger of your left hand, use the little finger of your right hand for the right shift key. If you type a word, title, or line in all capitals, use the CAPS LOCK key. This "locks" the shift keys in "upper- case" mode. This means capital letters can by typed without using the shift keys. But, if you want to type a lower-case letter while the CAPS LOCK key is still "on", you then have to press the appropriate shift key. The CAPS LOCK key is located just above the left shift key on the 101-key Enhanced keyboard. The use of the CAPS LOCK key allows you to type information without holding down the shift key for each stroke. Display The screen display consists of two elements, an exact image of the main typing area of the keyboard you have selected when you started PC-FasType, which occupies the lower half of the screen, and a text window which occupies the upper half of the screen. The contents of the text window will vary depending on whether you are in a beginner mode and typing basic drills from the beginner menu, or typing an exercise from one of the intermediate or advanced menus. More advanced typists can choose some advanced exercise options which eliminates the keyboard display. Home Keys The HOME KEYS are where your finger tips rest while you are poised for typing. The finger tips of your left hand rest on the ASDF keys. The little finger of the left hand rests on the A key, the ring-finger rests on the S key, the second finger rests on the D key and the index finger is on the F key. The thumb of the left hand is NEVER used in typing (well, almost never). The finger tips of the right hand rest on the JKL; keys. The index finger rests on the J key, the second finger on the K key, the ring finger of the right hand rests on the L key, and the pinky finger rests on the ; key (semi-colon). This row of keys is called the HOME ROW. Notice that your fingers do not cover all of the keys on the HOME ROW. The G and H keys are typed with the index fingers of each hand. The left index finger which normally rests on the F key is also used to type the G key; while the ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 25 ------------------------------------------------------------ index finger of the right hand which rests on the J key is also used to type the H key. The thumb of the RIGHT hand is always used to type the SPACEBAR. LEARNING LETTERS AND PUNCTUATION The basic premise of touch typing is that each key is to be typed by a specific finger and not some different finger each time. The keys for each finger are allocated in a fairly logical way, so that each key can be reached comfortably without having to stretch too much. The ultimate quest with touch typing is to make the striking of each letter so automatic that no conscious thought is required to perform the operation. The keys must first be learned though, and this can be done by using PC-FasType's Beginner Drills selections. Note that the right thumb is used for nothing more than striking the space bar. In the old days before PC's, strict typewriter teaching demanded that the left thumb never be used in touch typing; but you can use the left thumb just as easily as the right. The main point is that this leaves only the four fingers of each hand for the main task of striking the other keys. A critical point to remember in touch typing is that a rest position is defined for each finger. A rest position is where the finger always returns after striking a key. This rest position is located on the HOME row of keys. The fingers of the left hand are positioned over the letters asdf while the fingers of the right hand are positioned over the letters jkl;. In order to strike the other keys, the fingers move in a diagonal to the left. This means, for example, that to type the letter Q or Z the left-hand little finger moves from the home position which is over the A key, up and left to strike the Q key, and down and right to strike the Z key. To type the letters Y and H, the index finger of the right hand moves from the home position over the J key, up and left to strike the Y key, and down and left to strike the J key. The two index fingers have to share a bigger workload, since they must work two columns of letters. The left index finger strikes the letters G, T, and B, as well as F, R, and V. The right index finger has the additional task of typing the letters H, Y, and N, along with J, U, and M. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 26 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ For all the other keys away from the rest position, the typing action is always in three parts: 1. Move the finger; 2. Strike the key; 3. Return the finger to its rest position. The action of striking the keys should be a sharp, quick tap. Slow uncertain pecks can lead to repeated letters, and groping around often leads to two keys being struck together, with uncertain results. All computer keyboards allow the typing of both capital and small letters. The use of the shift key therefore must be learned, and PC-FasType will make sure you learn to use the shift keys properly. To type a capital letter, it is usually necessary to strike the letter key while at the same time holding down the appropriate shift key. All computer keyboards have two shift keys, one on the left and the other on the right. Again, the rules for typing shifted letters and characters is to use the little finger of the hand that is not being used to strike the letter key, and use it to hold down the shift key. However, computer and keyboard manufacturers vary considerably in their implementation of the shift key shape, size, and location. You should study the particular characteristics of your keyboard and practice moving your little fingers to the shift keys from their home position to achieve some measure of dexterity. To realize your full potential at true touch typing, you must understand that touch typing's fundamental principal is to learn to type without looking at the keyboard; that's why PC-FasType displays a facsimile of the keyboard on the screen. This method helps you form spatial relationships between your view of the screen-displayed keyboard and the placement of your fingers on the real keyboard. Therefore, when practicing typing, try to keep your eyes glued to the screen, and from that view, guide the motion of your fingers to the keys. Occasional glances to ensure that hands are in the correct positions are of course allowed, but visual searching for the keys on the real keyboard is discouraged. Also, before you begin worrying about learning how to touch type the numbers and symbols, it is best to learn the letters and punctuation marks thoroughly. These are the keys which are used most frequently, and your command of them is ninety percent of the quest of learning to touch type correctly. Undoubtedly then, the next step is to build up your speed and accuracy on the letters and punctuation marks, thus leaving the numbers and symbols until you feel more comfortable learning them. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 27 ------------------------------------------------------------ DEVELOPING SPEED AND ACCURACY Early on, during your typing drills or exercises, you will discover that you have typed a set of letters without consciously thinking about it. You will have thought of the word "there", and suddenly "there" is displayed on the screen just as you typed it. Wow! You've passed through the first bottleneck to good touch typing, and although there is plenty of hard work ahead, the knowledge that you can do it will encourage you to continue. There are two objectives for you to pursue; speed and accuracy. Historically, it's been shown that it's impossible to concentrate on both of these at the same time. Improved typing speed is your main goal for now; accuracy will follow naturally. To increase typing speed, it is necessary to drive yourself hard, giving your mind and fingers every chance to exhibit their knowledge of the keyboard, and ignoring any evidence to the contrary. It is like exercising; if it doesn't hurt, it's not doing you much good. On the other hand, if you don't make mistakes while going for speed, then you probably are not trying hard enough. When you're ready to work on accuracy, then it will be necessary to slow down a bit. One technique would be to deliberately think, or even say under your breath, each letter before typing it, and concentrate on making each keystroke quick and exact. Try to develop a regular typing "beat". Type in unison with the metronome-like 'clicks' of the prompting sound from the program. You could lightly tap your foot and type to that rhythm too. When starting a typing session targeted to improving your accuracy, start slowly and maintain control, and then when you feel ready, try to build up to a comfortable speed. You should decide before starting a session whether to practice for accuracy or speed. One possible plan for a session might be to start with accuracy as the goal, build up to your maximum comfortable speed, practice for a while, and then spend some time on developing your speed. You could then wind down and return to typing for accuracy, so that you don't get discouraged. As a rule-of-thumb, if your typing accuracy is above 95%, then you should try for more ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 28 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ speed. Then again, if your accuracy rate is below 85%, more time should be spent on improving accuracy. In the old days, a typist using a conventional typewriter should be aiming at an accuracy rate of 98 or 99 percent, but because error correction using a word processor or text editor is so simple nowadays, a higher error rate can be tolerated by a computer typist. You can intermix the PC-FasType typing exercises with some real typing using your word processor or text editor. If you are learning to type for a specific purpose, then finding applicable typing material will not be a problem. If you are stuck for something to type, simply open any book and begin typing what you see. When you have learned to navigate the keyboard thoroughly, and begin to practice typing in earnest, your speed will probably be between 5 and 10 words per minute. With regular practice, an increase in speed of about five words per minute each week can be realized. If this seems slow, don't worry -within a few weeks or so you should be typing as fast as you can write. Within two months you could be considered an average typist. Even if you are slower than this, and many will be, you will be encouraged to continue by your steady progress. And remember that once a reflex skill like touch typing is learned, it is hard to lose. THE NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS Once you have mastered typing the letters, it is easy to extend the technique to include the numbers and symbols. The numbers are located on a separate row of keys just above the top row of letters, which is the 'QWERTY' row. To reiterate, each of your fingers has a specific column of keys, or pair of columns assigned to them. So it is simply a matter of extending this pattern to include the number keys. Therefore, the little and middle fingers of the left hand will type the numbers 1 and 3 respectively, the ring finger will handle the 2, while the index finger controls both the numbers 4 and 5. The right hand follows the same pattern for the numbers 6,7,8,9,0. The symbols are slightly more complicated because they are "shifted characters". Most of them require the ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 29 ------------------------------------------------------------ simultaneous depression of one of the shift keys. Since the locations of some of the symbols vary depending on the keyboard you are using, it is not possible nor practical to describe specific key locations in detail. However, the same general rule applies as for typing capital letters; use the appropriate finger to strike the key, as determined by the column position of the letter or number, and at the same time hold down the shift key with the little finger of the opposite hand. Although it is useful to build up speed and accuracy on the numbers and symbols, they are not used as often as the letters and punctuation marks, so if you have to make a choice, spend your time practicing on the letters. TIMINGS AND SCORING Timings and WPM scoring are hard to compare to each other. When timings are graded properly, a combination of your keystroke accuracy and speed is taken into consideration. Taking timings on 15 or 20 seconds worth of typing practice does not tell you the rate you can type in one minute, but it does tell you the rate at which you are capable of attaining in a matter of time. Your typing speed is also relative to the number of typing errors. Most typing courses use the standard that every five keystrokes equals one word. A keystroke can be a letter, a number, a punctuation mark, or even a space. This allows you to easily figure your speed no matter what material you are typing. A general rule is to subtract one word or five keystrokes for each error. If you type 20 words per minute with one keystroke error, then your net rate is 19 WPM. Timings can be taken for any duration, but usually they begin at one minute, two minutes, three minutes, and usually end at five minutes. The timings that PC-FasType takes during your practice sessions are calculated according to this formula. The program does all the calculating automatically for you and displays various scores. After learning to navigate the keyboard it is common practice to type the same sentence a number of times and to even take timings on a repeated sentence. It is especially ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 30 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ helpful to use alphabetic sentences because all the letters of the alphabet are used in them. Generally speaking, if you can type accurately at 40 words per minute after a full typing course, you are doing well. After the second course, 50 or 60 words a minute on a five minute timing with five errors or less is very acceptable. Although speeds above this are obtainable, do not judge yourself harshly, especially during the learning process. As we said before, typing speed is achieved naturally, and accuracy falls into place with practice. One thing to consider when working on your timings is the "word difficulty" factor, which is based on the number of strokes in the word and the number of syllables it contains. Beginning typists should avoid material of a highly technical nature; using children's story books to practice your typing would avoid this problem initially. Do not emphasize speed over accuracy, even though you are trying for speed first. Keep trying. Continued practice will improve both your speed and accuracy; remember, you cannot learn to play a musical instrument in a few hours. But, you will be able to play the scales after a few practice sessions. CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME Like other learned skills, computer typing is not without its problems. Repetitive wrist motions, in activities such as this, can cause a painful condition in the wrists and hands known as "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome". At one time a little known phenomenon, it's recently come to light and has become more widespread with the explosion of computer usage in the last decade. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by damage to the median nerve, resulting in tingling, numbness or pain beginning at the tips of the thumb, index or middle finger. The median nerve passes through the wrist into the hand, on the palm side, from the arm. That nerve supplies the thumb, index finger, middle finger and part of the ring finger with sensation and muscle control. It then passes through a narrow space in the underside of the wrist called the carpal tunnel. Damage can also be caused by a sudden blow to the wrist such as breaking a fall or repetitive wrist motions as in typing. This can cause severe swelling ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 31 ------------------------------------------------------------ or compression of the nerve. Treatment may range from holding your wrists straight while typing for mild cases to surgical removal of tissue for more severe cases. Proper posture, correct typing techniques, good lighting, and a suitable work environment can help you avoid this debilitating condition. Learn to relax and pace yourself, there is no need to tense up. Good typing, speed, and accuracy all come with time. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 32 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ MENUS AND MENU SELECTIONS BEGINNER DRILLS While learning how to type you will be building a typing "vocabulary" as you learn new letters, numbers, symbols, and CAPITAL letters. The screen text window will show the various characters that are used in each drill and which you will be learning how to type. This information is displayed on four lines labeled "Letters", "Numbers", "Symbols", and "Caps". If you are just starting out on the HOME keys the "Letters" line will display "asdf jkl;", and the other three lines will be blank except for the label. If you are learning how to type numbers then the "Letters" line will contain whatever letters where there before, and the "Numbers" line will contain any numbers you selected from the ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu. If you select the CAPITAL-letters-only option then the "Caps" line will show all of the 26 capitalized letters of the alphabet; the other lines will be blank. This means that you will be drilled only on CAPITAL Letters; the other lines that normally show letters, numbers, and symbols will be blanked out. EXERCISES If you choose any of the exercises from the Intermediate Exercises Menu or the Advanced Exercises Menu then the text window portion of the screen will display two, three, or more lines of text that you are required to type. Below each character of the text will appear a "house- shaped" cursor which will indicate the next letter or character to be typed. As you type each character, the cursor will advance to the next character on the line. If you make an error, the keycap on the screen keyboard of the wrong character that you typed will be X'd, and an asterisk (*) will be placed under the letter in the text window where you made the error. You will be penalized one keystroke, ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 33 ------------------------------------------------------------ and the cursor will then advance to the next character to be typed. The OPEN TYPING and LONG PARAGRAPHS options won't use the keyboard display, thus giving you almost a full screen of text to type. If you want to practice using the backspace key, PC-FasType will allow you to backspace the cursor to the letter where you made the error so you can re-type it. If you do this, you must also retype all of the characters or letters following the error. You can backspace to the previous line too, all the way back to the top line of text still displayed in the text window. Text that you already typed and which has already "scrolled" off the top of the text window is "gone" - you cannot backspace into it. If you correctly re-type the character with the asterisk under it your keystroke error count will be reduced by one; however, your overall speed may be affected by the delay incurred while you are backspacing and correcting your errors. When you make a typing error you have to mentally weigh the advantages of backspacing and correcting the error against your calculated speed when the exercise is finished. However, if you elect to ignore errors your accuracy will suffer. The exercise ends when all displayed characters have been typed -or- the correct number of keystrokes have been made -or- you terminated the exercise early by pressing the ESCAPE key. Remember, the cursor will advance to the next character regardless of whether you type the correct character or not. Note too that the backspace feature is only available for exercises; during drills, you must successfully type the prompted character before PC-FasType will advance and randomly give you the next character to type. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 34 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ THE "TEXT WINDOW" The "Text Window" is the area above the screen keyboard display and serves several purposes. First, it indicates the letters, numbers, and symbols that you are learning how to type during the drills. Secondly, it's used to display the word groups, sentences and paragraphs that you have to type during exercises. Illustration 1 - Text Window during drills: +------------------------------------------+ |Menu 2 - Beginner Drills [20] 00:00| |------------------------------------------| |This drill will be for: | | | |Letters: asdf jkl; | |Symbols: | |Numbers: | | Caps: | | | | | | * START * 1st Keystroke starts timer | +------------------------------------------+ For Exercises chosen from the Intermediate or Advanced Menus, the text window displays several lines of text for you to type. If there is more text than is shown in the window, it will scroll up a line at a time when you're one or two lines from the bottom of the window. Illustration 2 - Text Window during exercises: +------------------------------------------+ | | |Now is the time for all good men to come | | | |to the aid of their country. | | | |The Quick brown fox jumped over the lazy | | | |dog's back 1234546789 times. | | | +------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 35 ------------------------------------------------------------ Illustrations 3 - Typing Statistics Window: +----------------------------------------------------------+ | Selections: | | BEGINNER DRILLS - Random letters | | | | YOUR BEST WPM so far: 23 - Average WPM: 12 | | | | Computed speed: 21 WPM this drill You practiced: | | Raw speed was: 25 WPM this drill 3 drills | | Drill Length: 20 characters 2 exercises | | You typed: 20 characters | | Gross keystrokes: 24 | | Number of Words: 4 | | Typing Errors: 4 | | Accuracy: 90 Percent | | | | **Press ENTER for another drill or exercise; | | or press F1 thru F5 for a Menu... | | | | F7 = Show Performance History | | | +----------------------------------------------------------+ Typing Statistics Definitions Selections: A reminder to you of the drill or exercise you selected from the menus. YOUR BEST WPM: The highest attained WPM (Words Per Minute) attained during this typing session using PC-FasType. AVERAGE WPM: This is a calculation of your average WPM during this session for drills or exercises lasting a minute or more. Anything lasting less than 60 seconds will NOT be included in this average. Computed Speed: Your true WPM rate with errors computed for the drill or exercise just completed. Standard typing practice calls for a penalty of 5 keystrokes for every typing error you make. Raw speed: This is simply your keystroke rate including error keystrokes and backspace keystrokes divided by elapsed time. Penalties are not included. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 36 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ Drill Length: The total number of characters you have to type to complete the drill or exercise. You Typed: The number of characters you typed before this drill or exercise finished. If you typed all of the characters that made up the drill length, then this count will NOT exceed the drill length. If you terminated by pressing the ESCAPE key, it's the count you typed so far. Gross Keystrokes: The total number of keystrokes you typed to complete the current drill or exercise; or up until you pressed the ESCAPE Key. Number of Words: Computed from Drill Length divided by five, which is the average word size. Typing Errors: The total number of errors made during the current drill or exercise. If you used the backspace key during exercises to correct errors, the errors will not be counted. However, each use of the backspace key during OPEN TYPING will count as an error. Accuracy: Is a percentage of correct keystrokes made against the total number of keystrokes required to complete the drill or exercise Elapsed Time: The total minutes and seconds it took you to complete the drill or exercise. Its the same time that was ticking away in the upper right hand corner of the screen during typing. You Practiced: The number of drills and exercised you selected to practice typing during this session. The text at the bottom of the window means you can just press the ENTER key again to practice typing another drill or exercise from your current selections. Or, you can select a menu to change your typing options. Additionally, you can view your typing statistics history file by pressing functions key F7. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 37 ------------------------------------------------------------ MENU SELECTION AND FUNCTION KEYS PC-FasType uses a menu display system with a highlighted selector bar that can be controlled with the ARROW keys. These are the keys to the right of the main keyboard and are also known as cursor keys because they control the position of the cursor in other software programs. As you tap the arrow keys, the menu selector bar will move up and down the menu and highlight (reverse video) the current selection. When you press the ENTER key, that selection is made. A CHECKMARK will appear to the left of the text indicating your choice was made; or, another "pop- up" menu or "dialog box" will appear if the highlighted menu selection is followed by an ellipsis ( ... ) which means "more follows". As an alternative to using the menu selector bar, the Function Keys are also available to make your selections quicker. Earlier versions of PC-FasType made extensive use of the Function keys to control the selection and initiation of various drills, exercises and program features. In most cases the same function key can still be used in this version to make your selections. The function keys on your keyboard are located either to the left of the main typing area or across the top of the keyboard depending on the keyboard style you are using. MENU HOPPING You can switch from one menu to another quickly by using the left and right "arrow" or cursor keys instead of the menu selector bar. If, for example you have the Beginners Menu currently displayed and you want to switch to the Keyboard Helpers Menu quickly without moving the menu selector bar, simply press the right arrow key for the "next" menu until the Keyboard Helpers Menu is displayed. Continually pressing the right arrow key will just "cycle" the menus around; the same will happen by repetitively pressing the DISPLAY PREVIOUS MENU key - the left arrow key. QUICK-HELP FACILITY All menus in PC-FasType have an option to select the Quick-HELP Facility, a help-feature you can use as a quick ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 38 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ reference while selecting an exercise or keyboard helper. If you want to have a printed copy of the Quick-HELP Facility screens, just press the "print screen" key(s) on your keyboard as you page-ahead through each Quick-HELP topic. See Appendix -A- for details. How To Use The Quick-HELP Facility Every menu in PC-FasType has a selection to get you to the Quick-HELP Facility easily. Selecting Quick-HELP will always clear the screen and present you with a menu of Quick-HELP topics to choose from. You can get to the Quick- HELP Facility by using either the menu selector bar with the ENTER key or by pressing the F1 "Help" key. When the Quick-HELP Facility menu is displayed, the menu selector bar will rest on the topic best suited to give you the information you need about the menu that was displayed when you selected Quick-HELP. You can navigate easily through the Quick-HELP Facility. Although the menu selector bar will rest on a particular topic when you switch to Help, you are free to move the menu selector bar to any other topic you choose. When you press the ENTER key for a selected Help topic, PC-FasType will read the appropriate Help file from the disk and present the contents to you in full-screen mode. The speed of the display will depend on your PC and the kind of disk you're running PC-FasType from. Each topic can have a variable number of display pages. Keep pressing the PGDN key to view successive Help pages. You will be "beeped" when you have reached the end of each Help topic text. Try the Quick-HELP Facility to become familiar with how the screens operate. If you have loaded PC-FasType into your PC and have a menu displayed, just press F1 and select a topic. SPECIAL KEYS PC-FasType will try to emulate the actions of a real keyboard where possible. PC-FasType will take action if the following keys are pressed during a drill or exercise: ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 39 ------------------------------------------------------------ CAPS LOCK - You can "toggle" the caps lock key on or off. If you toggle it on, the screen keyboard display will show the caps lock key in reverse video. With caps lock ON, lower case letters will need the shift keys to be typed properly. Capital letters will NOT need the shift key to be pressed. If the caps lock key is ON and you type a lower case letter without using the proper shift key, the letter keycap on the screen will flash as an error, and you will be penalized with one keystroke error. ONE EXCEPTION: if you select the CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY option from the Beginner Drills Menu, you will NOT be able to toggle the CAPS LOCK key ON! ALT & CTRL - Pressing these keys will cause keystroke errors and the indicated key on the screen keyboard display will flash the X error. TAB - The TAB key is not used in PC-FasType. Pressing it will cause a keystroke error. BACKSPACE - The backspace key can be used while you are typing exercises selected from the Intermediate or Advanced Exercises Menu. You can backspace the cursor to correct any typing errors. In fact, you can backspace all the way back to the beginning of the top line displayed in the text window. You cannot backspace to lines which have scrolled off the top of the screen. Each use of the backspace key during OPEN TYPING counts as an error. NUM LOCK - This key controls the setting of the key pad keys. If you're using the keypad to practice typing numerics, then the NUM LOCK key needs to be set ON. PRT SCREEN - If you have a printer, and would like to save your highest score-to-date for posterity, you can press the print screen key to obtain a printout of the statistics screen. TIMED EXERCISES Two sections of the Advanced Menu - OPEN TYPING and LONG PARAGRAPHS have a selection that lets you type for a fixed time duration. A press of the indicated function key will pop-up a time-selection menu. You can choose timings ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 40 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ from one minute up to 20. We suggest you stay within the three to seven minute range though; timed typing longer than this can get boring. THE PRIMARY MENUS There are five primary menus, several sub-menus, and a few dialog boxes available in PC-FasType to guide you with your selection of drills, exercises, keyboard helpers, and options. With a few exceptions, function keys F1 through F5 are always available to you; you can press them any time during, or at the completion of any drill or exercise and the equivalent menu will be displayed. The function keys for primary menu selection are not available during any sub-menu display, nor in the Quick-HELP Facility display. In these instances, use the ESCape key to return to the appropriate menu. MAIN Menu The Main Menu is like the table of contents in a book; it contains a list of the other four primary menus available and the optional function key to press to display that menu quickly on the screen. You can select skill levels and save options. This is also the menu from which you should "gracefully" end your typing session with PC-FasType and return to MS-DOS. BEGINNER DRILLS Menu The Beginner Drills Menu has selections that you can use to help you increase your typing speed and accuracy, or, if you are a beginner, to learn the basics of touch typing. You can start with the HOME keys and progress through additional letters, numbers, symbols, and Capital letters. INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES Menu The Intermediate Exercises Menu lists exercise selections that you can make after you have learned how to type all of the letters on the keyboard. Instead of randomly selected letters flashing on the screen keyboard as ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 41 ------------------------------------------------------------ in the basic drills, exercises are selected from disk files and displayed in the text window. Your task is to type the character pointed to by the "house-shaped" cursor. These exercises vary in length from 60 to 250 or more characters ADVANCED EXERCISES Menu The Advanced Exercises Menu lists tougher exercises that you can practice typing after you have learned how to type all of the letters, the numbers, Capital letters, and some punctuation symbols such as the period, comma, bracket, etc. These exercises consist of short sentences and paragraphs that are displayed in the text window above the screen keyboard. You have to type the characters pointed to by the house-shaped cursor. These drills are typically 120 characters in length, and some are up to 1000 characters. KEYBOARD HELPERS Menu The Keyboard Helpers Menu has handy features to assist your typing. These typing helpers can be "toggled" ON or OFF by using the menu selector bar or by pressing the indicated function key. Some of the available helpers include hidden keys, sound on or off, outline of HOME keys, etc. Advanced typists might like to try the hidden keys feature along with sound turned off to eliminate distractions. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 42 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ SELECTING MENU ITEMS MAIN MENU SELECTIONS There are three skill levels that can be set in PC-FasType, and they last for the duration of your typing session or until you set them to something else. Basically, these settings increase the character prompting rate and the length of the drill selections in terms of the number of characters to be typed before a drill ends automatically. You can change the number of characters you have to type with an option in the Keyboard Helpers menu, but the prompting rate is not variable; the only three prompting rates available are listed in this menu. Whatever skill level you select, - or "toggle" on, the other skill selection will toggle "off". You can only set one skill level set at a time. Beginner Skill Level This selection will toggle ON a delay mode that slows down the prompting rhythm and speed that makes PC-FasType unique. This is the skill level that is automatically selected when you start PC-FasType. The slow prompting rhythm will stay in effect throughout your typing session until you reset it by selecting the Intermediate or Advanced skill level. The Beginner skill level is for the beginning typist whose speed ranges from 0 to 15 WPM. The other two typing skill levels are automatically toggled "OFF" when this is selected. Intermediate Skill Level This selection will toggle ON a skill level that sets the prompting rhythm and speed to a degree that is appropriate for intermediate typists. If you're an intermediate typist you'll want to select this skill level. The medium speed prompting rhythm will stay in effect ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 43 ------------------------------------------------------------ throughout your typing session. The Intermediate Typist skill level is for experienced typists whose speed ranges from 15 to 45 WPM. Advanced Skill Level Making this selection will toggle ON a skill level that speeds up the prompting rhythm that is appropriate for advanced typists. If you are an experienced typist who only needs to become familiar with PC keyboards then you might like to try this skill level. It is really challenging to try to stay ahead of the delayed prompting while typing exercises chosen from the Intermediate or Advanced menus. This skill level is clearly designed to increase your speed. If you try typing drills, then the metronome-like quality of the prompting rhythm will excite you into typing faster. The advanced skill level is for highly experienced typists whose goal is to increase their speed. You should have the ability to type at least 45 WPM and above to be successful at this skill level. Save Program Settings This option lets you save your PC-FasType settings to a disk file. The next time you start PC-FasType, all of your option settings and file selections that were made during your last typing session will be restored. PC-FasType will create two disk files in your current directory when you exit PC-FasType with this option selected. The first is an initialization file named FASTYPE.INI and contains program initialization data. The second file is named SETTINGS.SAV and contains detailed information about the program's current settings. These are small files and take up very little disk space. However, if you're working from floppies, you should insure there's enough space and the notch on the floppy is NOT covered by a write-protect tab. See Appendix -C- for settings file details and file maintenance. Save Typing Statistics Your typing statistics for each drill or exercise where you've typed a minimum number of characters can be saved to disk in a statistics history file named HISTORY.HST. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 44 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ The statistics history is cumulative across typing sessions too. PC-FasType will keep adding history records to the existing file until you delete it or archive it. See Appendix -C- for history file details. If you're working from floppies we don't recommend saving typing statistics unless you have a hard disk or a two-floppy system. You can assign a drive and path name through the FTSPEC environment variable if you want settings and history records saved in a location other than the default drive/directory. See Appendix -D- for more environment variable details. Exit to MS-DOS This selection will cause your typing session to end. Pressing the ESCAPE key while the Main Menu is displayed will also take you to the end of your PC-FasType typing session. You will then be asked if you want typing statistics history displayed followed by a request to confirm your exit of PC-FasType. Upon confirmation to exit, the screen is cleared and a message will appear thanking you for using the program. After a brief moment the DOS prompt will re-appear at the top of the screen. BEGINNER DRILLS MENU The Beginner Drills Menu is where you select drill combinations that will build your typing vocabulary of letters, numbers, and symbols. If you're an intermediate typist, these drills will help increase your accuracy on the keyboard. As a beginner, you would typically start with the HOME keys and as your typing accuracy improves you would select additional letters from the Add More Letters sub-menu selection. Then you can try numbers, symbols, and finally Capital Letters. HOME Keys Only This selection will RESET all previous drill or exercise selections and will cause just the HOME keys to be available for you to practice typing. The count of the number of characters that you must successfully type for each drill remains set at the count you specified in the ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 45 ------------------------------------------------------------ Keyboard Helpers Menu, or is set to the skill level chosen from the Main Menu. Add More Letters This menu selection will cause the subsequent "pop-up" of a letter selection sub-menu. You can choose additional letters from this menu to build up your typing vocabulary of keyboard letters. For more information see the section entitled "ADD MORE LETTERS Sub-Menu". Add Numbers A "pop-up" menu will appear when this selection is made. You can select number sets from this menu to build up your typing vocabulary of numbers. For more information see the section entitled "ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu". Add CAPITAL Letters A "pop-up" menu will appear when this selection is made. You can select CAPITAL LETTER sets from this menu to build up your typing vocabulary of capital letters. For more information see the section entitled "ADD CAPITAL LETTERS Sub-Menu". Include Punctuation Marks This menu selection is a "toggle" that will cause all upper-case and lower case symbols and punctuation marks of the main typing area to be included in the list of characters for you to practice typing. These characters will be added to selections made from any of the "pop-up" menus. If you do not like typing punctuation marks and special symbols, press the ENTER key again to reset the CHECKMARK. Or press F6 to turn this selection OFF. The special characters and symbols will then be removed from your list of drill letters and characters to type. CAPITAL Letters Only! All previously selected drills or exercises will be reset when this selection is made. Your character set will ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 46 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ be replaced by all of the CAPITAL Letters. The count of the number of Capital Letters for each drill remains set at the count you specified in the Keyboard Helpers Menu or will is set at the skill level in the Main Menu. See the Quick-HELP Facility for information on how to properly type Capital Letters. Do it ALL! This selection will add all of the letters, symbols and punctuation marks, numbers, and Capital Letters in PC-FasType's vocabulary to your list for you to practice typing with. The count of the number of characters for each drill will remain set at the count specified. We suggest that you change the drill count to 80 or more to make this typing practice substantial. Choose Your Own A dialog box will appear over the menu that allows you to select your own set of characters to type. You must choose at least ten DIFFERENT characters from the list in the box. The list looks like the text window above the keyboard display during drills, but shown with ALL letters and characters appropriate to the keyboard you are using. This option has intriguing possibilities. For example, let's say you'd like to practice typing ONLY the letters on the "qwerty" row of keys, this is the row of keys above the "home" row. All you have to do is select the Choose Your Own option from the Beginner Drills Menu then type the letters that make up the "qwerty" row which would be: q, w, e, r, t, y, u, i, o, p. You could do the same with numbers. A variation on this scheme would be to choose letter columns instead of rows. Suppose you'd like to practice typing all of the letters that the index finger of each hand types. You would choose the following letters: f, r, v, b, g, t for the left hand; and the letters: j, m, u, y, n, h for the right hand. Then go to the Keyboard Helpers Menu and increase the drill count to make the test worth while. While you're there you can add the "Align Finger Positions" feature which draws vertical lines on the screen keyboard separating the columns of keys. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 47 ------------------------------------------------------------ Some other interesting things that you can do with this feature would be to choose letters for the left hand only, or the right hand only. You could include some CAPITAL letters that are giving you a problem. Another interesting typing practice technique is to select all of the NUMBERS on the number row - 1 thru 0 (zero), and then use the KEYPAD to practice your "calculator" key movements - make sure your NUM LOCK key is set to ON so the keypad produces numbers instead of cursor movements. A variation on the NUMBER row theme: how about selecting all of the UPPER CASE symbols on the "number" row, these are the characters NO ONE knows how to type! These custom selections can be used to help you build up your typing rhythm and dexterity in your hands and fingers. "KAPS FOR KIDS" Little children are BIG users of PC-FasType. They sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between upper and lower case letters. This option will display all lower case letters as CAPITALS in all selections from the Beginner's Menu. Selections from the Intermediate and Advanced menus will reset this feature to OFF. The CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY selection will turn this feature off too. With clever selections from the ADD MORE... menus, some drill combinations will show both LETTERS and CAPS as all capitals in the text window; even so, use of the shift keys will not be required or needed. INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES MENU If you're a beginning typist and have become familiar with the keyboard through the drills from the Beginner Menu, you'll want to try typing exercises with options selected from this menu. The exercise options consist of three, four, or five letter word groups, variable length words, or common, everyday phrases of speech or writing. You can select the exercise you want to practice typing by using the menu selector bar or pressing the appropriate function key. WORDS - 3 Letter Groups Each exercise will display lines of 3 letter word groups in the text window above the screen keyboard display. Your task is to type the letter pointed to by the house- ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 48 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ shaped cursor as it moves along under the line of text and the "roof" of the house "points" to the next letter to type. The cursor advances to the next character on the line when ANY typing key is pressed, not necessarily the one you were SUPPOSED to type. If you make an error, the cursor under the letter you mis-typed is replaced with an asterisk (*) and the cursor advances to the next letter. You have to type the spaces between the words too. The drill ends when the cursor has passed through all displayed letters in the text window. If there are more words to type than will fit in the text window, the text will scroll upwards. WORDS - 4 Letter Groups This selection will cause PC-FasType to access exercise files on disk containing lines of 4-letter word groups. The typing process works the same as the 3-letter word groups above. WORDS - 5 Letter Groups The exercise process works the same as above, except the lines will contain five-letter word groups. More WORDS These typing exercises are the same as above except that the word sizes will vary from 6 to 12 characters in length. Some of the words are hard to type and even more difficult to understand; you may want to check a dictionary to determine their meaning. Common PHRASES This selection will cause PC-FasType to access disk files of typing exercises that contain lines of common everyday phrases (not full sentences) you may find in speech or print. The typing process is the same as above. ADVANCED EXERCISES MENU You can select more advanced typing exercises from topics on this menu. These exercises consist of sentences, ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 49 ------------------------------------------------------------ quotations, and short paragraphs for you to type. The OPEN TYPING option lets you type anything you want, and LONG PARAGRAPHS use the full screen without the keyboard display. Your typing task for exercises chosen from the Advanced Exercises Menu is the same as the Intermediate Exercises Menu; type the letters in the text window pointed to by the cursor, and try to stay ahead of the delayed prompting. EASY Sentences Short, rather simple sentences with some simple punctuation, a few capital letters, and possibly a few numbers will be displayed in the text window above the screen keyboard. Your task is to correctly type the letter pointed to by the cursor. The cursor advances to the next character on the line as each one is typed successfully. HARD Sentences These exercises consist of longer, more complex sentences for you to type. The words are more complex too, there is heavier use of capital letters and numbers, and more difficult combinations of special characters and symbols. More intense concentration is required to do well, it's more difficult to stay ahead of the delayed prompt. SHORT Paragraphs The exercise text for you to type when this option is selected is similar to the Hard Sentences. The text is much longer and the words and phrases are more difficult to type. As you type, the text will scroll off the top of the screen and new lines will enter from the bottom of the text window. The moving cursor and the line you are typing will stay in the middle of the window. These exercises are also hard to type. They include extensive use of capital letters, punctuation, numbers, and special characters and symbols. LONG Paragraphs More advanced typists who don't need the keyboard display can select this exercise. It offers lengthy paragraphs and timed exercises. Text is displayed in a full ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 50 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ screen window. Elapsed or remaining time is displayed in the upper right corner, and function key selections are displayed at the bottom. As with all advanced exercises, you have to type the character pointed to by the cursor. You can end the exercise and display statistics anytime by pressing the escape key. The TIMED exercises range from one minute to 20 minutes. Type YOUR Own Text If you have text files that you are familiar with and you'd like to try typing practice with them, then this option will do it. When chosen, a dialog box will pop-up asking you to type the name of a text file that you'd like to practice typing. Text files contain characters of the standard ASCII character set and are readable when displayed on the screen or printed on your printer. To check if a file is an ordinary text file, use the MS-DOS command "TYPE" with the file name and watch the screen. The contents of the file will be displayed a line at a time and if it's readable then it's an ordinary text file. If you tried to "TYPE" a program file (a file ending with .COM or .EXE, the screen would display garbage because a program file is made up of computer instructions that are unreadable. If you select text files that were developed with your favorite editor or word processor, be sure you use the plain text version for typing practice. Some text files produced with word processors such as Microsoft WORD contain embedded formatting characters. PC-FasType will filter your text file and discard characters that cannot be typed on the keyboard. If you don't have any text files to practice with, there is a file called FORTUNE1.TYP that came with PC-FasType. Type this file name in the dialog box to practice typing its text. You could also try text files from other computer software products you bought. The most common text files distributed with software products are "README" files. These are files of readable text that give up-to-date information about the product. Most ordinary text files can be identified by the file name and extension. The file-extension is the one-to-three characters that follow the dot (.) in a file name, as in README.TXT, UPDATE.DOC, etc. Try to select small files of less than ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 51 ------------------------------------------------------------ 1000 characters. Read Appendix -B- entitled "CREATING YOUR OWN TEXT FILES" for instructions on assembling your own typing practice material. Open Typing This feature is designed to help you practice your word-processing skills. An empty window is displayed and you can type any text you want. You also have full use of the arrow keys for navigating around the window. Text is displayed as you type it at the cursor location, wherever it may be. You can set the cursor location to any position in the window by pressing the ARROW keys - up, down, left, and right. However, these are counted as keystrokes, so be careful. Your typing area is limited to the window boundaries. When you reach the bottom of the window and continue to type, the typed text will scroll off the top of the window one line at a time. Since there is no way to check your spelling, PC-FasType can only detect a potential error when you press the BACKSPACE KEY. Here's an important point, each press of the BACKSPACE KEY is noted by PC-FasType as an attempt to correct a typing error and will be counted as one keystroke error. This corrective action will affect your speed but will improve your accuracy. Elapsed or remaining time is displayed in the upper right corner, and function key selections are displayed at the bottom. The only way to end the OPEN TYPING exercise if you're not in a timed exercise is to press the ESCAPE key. You can select TIMED exercises while in this mode too. We suggest that your time selection be in the range of seven to ten minutes to make the exercise worthwhile. KEYBOARD HELPERS MENU You can select typing helpers and options such as outlining of HOME keys to aid you in finger placement on the keyboard. Or, you can select the "hidden keys" option. With hidden keys, the letters on the screen keyboard keys are erased. You can also turn all sound ON or OFF, etc. Any "typing helper" selected from this menu will remain in effect during any of the drills or exercises until you reset them. More than one helper can be selected, the checkmark ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 52 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ will indicate the active helpers. All typing helper settings are saved for the next time if you selected SAVE SETTINGS from the Main Menu. QUIET Mode This feature will turn all sound OFF during your PC-FasType session. This feature is a "toggle" and can be turned ON or OFF by repeatedly pressing the ENTER key. The CHECKMARK will indicate the ON setting of quiet mode after you press the key. This option remains set until you reset it again. The QUIET mode selection overrides the "BEEP" Keystroke Errors selection. Hidden Keys This typing helper will erase all of the typing letters from the screen keyboard keycaps. You may wish to use this feature after you have memorized the key letter placements. You will still be prompted to press the indicated key during a drill or exercise but will have to rely on your memory to remember where the adjacent keys are. Outline HOME keys Selecting this typing helper will cause boxes to be drawn around the HOME keys of the screen keyboard. The first box is drawn around the ASDF keys and the second box is drawn around the JKL; keys. This is a keyboard helper designed for beginners and assists you in the correct positioning of your fingers on the keyboard during typing. This option remains in effect until you turn it OFF. You might like to use the outline when you try typing with the HIDDEN KEYS helper active. 'BEEP' Keystroke Errors Making this selection will enable a 'beeping' sound whenever you make a keystroke error. A large X will flash over the key that you pressed incorrectly and at the same time the speaker will sound indicating that you made an error. This feature is "ON" when you start PC-FasType. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 53 ------------------------------------------------------------ Note: if all SOUND has been turned OFF via the QUIET Mode selection then the keystroke error 'beep' will also be turned off even though the CHECKMARK in the menu may indicate it's turned on. Align Finger Positions This selection is similar to the OUTLINE HOME KEY helper. This feature will cause lines to be drawn on the screen keyboard that will separate the keys vertically. It will indicate all the keys on different rows that could be pressed with the same finger for each hand. This is a keyboard helper designed to assist you in keying the letters with the correct fingers. You can use this typing helper together with the Outline Home Keys helper. WORD WRAP The WORD WRAP feature is for typists familiar with word processors. Word wrap means that as you type and reach the end of the line on the screen, the word that cannot fit will automatically "wrap" to the beginning of the NEXT line; you don't have to press the ENTER key to cause the cursor to go to the next line. This feature is only important when typing exercises chosen from the Intermediate or Advanced Menu. When the advancing cursor reaches the end of the line it will rest under a SPACE or a CARRIAGE RETURN symbol. With WORD WRAP turned ON, you can type either a space or press the enter key and the cursor will move to the first character of the next line; either one is correct and will be counted as a valid keystroke. When word wrap is turned OFF however, a CARRIAGE RETURN symbol (a back arrow) will be shown at the end of every displayed line. The presence of this character means that when the cursor reaches it you MUST type the ENTER key. Pressing the space bar will cause a keystroke error. Reset Keyboard Helpers Be careful with this selection; it will RESET all of the keyboard helpers to their original values of ON or OFF when you started PC-FasType. If you get confused as to what ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 54 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ features were ON and what were OFF after using PC-FasType for a while, you can press this key to reset them to their original status when you started. Change Drill Count Making this selection will cause a dialog box to "pop- up" over the menu. The dialog box will suggest that you enter the count, in number of characters to be typed, for any drill selected from the Beginner Drills Menu. You can enter a count of 10 to 999. If you don't enter a number, PC-FasType will use a the count from the Skill level on the main menu. The number of characters for any exercise selected from the Intermediate or Advanced Menu is already determined from the length of the text exercises on disk. The number shown in the dialog box is the current setting. SUB-MENUS In addition to the five primary menus, there are several sub-menus that can be selected from the Beginner Drills Menu. Selections from any of these sub-menus will help you to build your typing vocabulary by giving you the opportunity to add more letters, numbers, and CAPITAL letters to your typing vocabulary list. The sequence in which the letters and numbers can be added to your drill list follow generally accepted rules of typing practice. ADD MORE LETTERS Sub-Menu The "ADD MORE LETTERS" Menu is displayed over the Beginner Drills menu window when you select ADD MORE LETTERS while the Beginner Drills Menu is on the screen. This menu lets you increase your typing skills by letting you add more letters to your typing vocabulary. For example, the next set of letters that you have to learn after you have become proficient at typing the HOME keys are the letters "e" and "i". You can select these letters from the menu by moving the menu selector bar over the "e,i" set and pressing the ENTER key. A CHECKMARK will appear in the entry indicating they will be added to your list. When you choose BEGIN TYPING from a primary menu, these letters will show up in the TEXT window. So, in addition to being drilled on the HOME keys the beginner drills will also include the letters ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 55 ------------------------------------------------------------ e and i. The letter sets don't have to be chosen in sequence, although we recommend you do so. Your selection is cumulative, that is - whatever entries you choose, the drills will include ALL of the letters listed that have a CHECKMARK to the left of them. If you change your mind while the list is still displayed, just move the menu selector bar to the entry you want and press the ENTER key again - the CHECKMARK will disappear. Your chosen selection goes into effect only when you EXIT the sub-menu. If you decide not to make a selection, just press the ESCAPE key to return to the Beginner Drills menu. The Quick-HELP Facility is also available for sub- menus. When you choose Quick-HELP, the menu selector bar will rest on the ADD MORE LETTERS topic of the Quick-HELP Facility menu. ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu This sub-menu is displayed over the Beginner Drills menu window when you select ADD NUMBERS. The purpose of this sub-menu is to help you increase your typing skills by letting you add any or all of the number keys to your typing vocabulary. Your selection of number sets works the same as in the ADD MORE LETTERS Menu. For example, if you want to learn how to type the number "3" and the number "8", then move the menu selector bar to the "3,8" entry and press the ENTER key. A CHECKMARK will appear indicating the numbers 3 and 8 will be added to your drill list for Beginner typing drills. If you select "No Numbers", then any numbers previously selected or included in your drill as indicated by the CHECKMARKS will be eliminated from your next drill. Selecting the Quick-HELP Facility for this sub-menu will put you on the ADD NUMBERS entry of the help menu. ADD CAPITALS Sub-Menu The "ADD CAPITALS" Menu is displayed over the Beginner Drills menu window when you select ADD CAPITALS while the ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 56 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ Beginner Drills Menu is on the screen. The purpose of this menu is to let you select the CAPITAL LETTERS in the same manner that you would select regular letters to increase your typing vocabulary. You can select CAPITALS from the menu by moving the menu selector bar over the set you want added to your drill list. The first set of capital letters you should learn to type are the CAPITAL home keys. A CHECKMARK will appear in the entry indicating they will be added to your list. When you choose BEGIN TYPING from a primary menu, the CAPITAL letters you added will show up in the TEXT window. Your selection is cumulative, just like ADD MORE LETTERS. If you change your mind while the list is still displayed, just move the menu selector bar to the entry you want and press the ENTER key again - the CHECKMARK will disappear. Your chosen selection goes into effect only when you EXIT the sub-menu. If you decide not to make a selection, just press the ESCAPE key to return to the Beginner Drills menu. The Quick-HELP Facility is also available for sub- menus. When you choose Quick-HELP, the menu selector bar will rest on the ADD CAPITALS topic. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 57 ------------------------------------------------------------ APPENDIX -A- How To Print The HELP Screens If your PC has a printer attached to it you may want to have a printout of PC-FasType'sQuick-HELP Facility screens. First start the program as you normally would. Then simply press F1 at any menu to get into the Quick-HELP Facility, select each topic in succession from the Quick-HELP Facility and press the Print-Screen key on your keyboard as you page through the help topic. We suggest you space up your printer a few lines after each page and do a form-feed manually after every two Quick-HELP pages are printed. This will avoid the text "spilling" over the perforations onto the next page. Typing correctly is a discipline, and so is neatness. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 58 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ APPENDIX -B- Creating "Type-Your-Own-Text" Files PC-FasType will let you use any text file you specify in the dialog box when you choose TYPE YOUR OWN TEXT from the Advanced Exercises menu. Don't worry about line length, special characters or formatting considerations. PC-FasType will reformat your text to fit the screen size and filter out any characters it can't identify with the keyboard you are using. It's easy to create MULTIPLE exercises contained in one file, just insert the phrase @TEXT@ on a line BY ITSELF to separate the text into many exercises. Insert this phrase between lines as many times as you want. PC-FasType will randomly select text from a file whose lines are separated by this phrase. You may want to include special words or phrases that are unique to your business, profession, or student activities that you would frequently type such as scientific terminology, or "legalese". You can prevent PC-FasType from condensing paragraphs together by using a special symbol. Paragraphs can be terminated by a special character that PC-FasType will recognize but won't show in the exercise. It signals PC-FasType to begin the next line of text on a NEW line of the screen display. This special character is the PARAGRAPH MARKER ( - ASCII value 20). If your text editor or word processor doesn't attach special meaning to this character, you can enter it by holding down the ALT key and pressing the numbers two and zero on the KEYPAD section of your keyboard. If your keyboard does not have a KEYPAD area, you'll have to consult your PC User Guide to find how to enter non-typable ASCII characters. This means you could create a sample letter with your word processor specifying explicit line breaks using this PARAGRAPH MARKER. When you run PC-FasType, just specify ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 59 ------------------------------------------------------------ the path and filename that contains your letter in the TYPE YOUR OWN option. EXAMPLE: The following text illustrates the contents of a typical ASCII text file prepared for use by PC-FasType: @TEXT@ Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country. @TEXT@ The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog's back, 123456789 times. @TEXT@ aaa sss ddd fff ggg hhh jjj kkk lll ;;; fff jjj fff jjj fff jjj ddd kkk ddd kkk sss lll sss lll aaa ;;; aaa ;;; asdf jkl; asdf jkl; @TEXT@ TESTING CAPITAL LETTERS; I CAN TYPE CAPITAL LETTERS REAL FAST! @TEXT@ ads jad dad kad dak jak kaj laj saj saddl dassl those these them they though that this then PC-FasType is not very indulgent with anyone who writes a bad lesson. If any characters in the text that you've created cannot be interpreted by PC-FasType as being allowed for the particular keyboard, PC-FasType will replace it with a "caret" ( ^ ), sometimes known as the "hat" character. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 60 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ APPENDIX -C- Special Files - Maintenance PC-FasType will write up to three output files to either the default directory or to the directory specified by the FTSPEC environment variable. These files are necessary if you selected the save settings and/or save history options from the MAIN MENU. If you selected Save Settings, two files will be written to disk when you end your PC-FasType session. The first is an initialization file called FASTYPE.INI and contains information about the status of the settings and history files. The Save Settings option in the main menu will cause the program to save all of your PC-FasType menu selections in a file called SETTINGS.SAV. This file is written to disk at the end of your typing session. The Save History option will cause the program to write a record to HISTORY.HST every time you finish a drill or exercise and you've typed a minimum number of characters. With frequent use of PC-FasType, even though each history record is small, the file can grow substantially. You'll want to make sure there is enough space on your disk to accommodate it, especially if don't have a hard disk and are using floppies. We recommend you periodically archive the history file (save) to a floppy, then delete it from your disk. Your next typing session will create a fresh new file. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 61 ------------------------------------------------------------ APPENDIX -D- Environment Variables PC-FasType uses two environment variables if they are present in your environment list. The two are: FTREG and FTSPEC. Use of these environment names is optional and serve to control the behavior of PC-FasType. FTREG is required for registered users. It indicates the registration code assigned to the user. See the README file for details on its use. FTSPEC is useful if your PC is connected to a Local Area Network (LAN). FTSPEC has the full path name including the drive letter, and indicates where PC-FasType's special output files are to written. These files are your individual options "save" file and your typing history file. If PC-FasType resides on the File Server of a LAN and is shared by many PC's you'd want to save your special PC-FasType files on your PC in your own directory so you won't interfere with anyone else's files. If this variable is not set, PC-FasType will write these files to the default directory where PC-FasType was started from. For example, if PC-FasType was installed on the network's file server whose drive was G: and the directory was fastype, then you'd want to make sure your own settings file and history file were written to your own pc's disk drive. Therefore you could place the following set command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: set FTSPEC=c:\ftsave where c: is the hard drive on your PC and ftsave is the sub- directory where PC-FasType will place your settings and history files. If you wanted to save the files on a floppy, substitute c: with a: or b:. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 62 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ GLOSSARY OF TERMS Backspace Pressing the backspace key will cause the cursor to move one character to the left erasing the last character typed. Used for error correction. Beginner Drills Any selection from the Beginner Drills. Uses random prompting of the keyboard characters that you want to learn how to type. Caps Lock Locks the shift keys in upper-case mode. Shifted characters and letters can be typed without holding down the shift key. However, you must press the shift key to type a lower-case letter while the Caps Lock indicator is ON. Carriage Return Another name for the Enter Key. Delayed Prompting When using pre-defined exercises where you have to type a line of text displayed in the text window; if you don't type the letter pointed to by the cursor within a short period of time, the letter will flash on the keyboard display. Enter Key The "bent arrow" key to the right of the right hand when resting on the home keys. Sometimes known as the "return" key or "carriage return" on regular typewriters. Escape Key The <Esc>ape key is located in different positions depending on the keyboard style you are using. On the old-style PC keyboard, it's located in the upper left-hand corner of the main typing area. When pressed any time in PC-FasType will cause the drill to end and a menu displayed, or program exit. Hidden Keys A unique feature of PC-FasType whereby all of the typeable characters that are displayed on the screen keyboard keycaps are blanked out. Designed to help you memorize the keyboard. ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 63 ------------------------------------------------------------ HOME keys The keys of the standard typewriter keyboard where the four fingers of both hands normally rest in preparation for, and during typing; on the QWERTY keyboard they are the ASDF and JKL: keys. Keyboard Helpers Selections designed to help you in your quest of learning how to type. Some helpers are: sound, key outlines, drill count, etc. Keyboard Prompting The flashing of the key on the screen keyboard that you are supposed to type. During the exercises this prompting is delayed. When used with drills, you cannot proceed until the key you are being prompted for is pressed. Keypad The area on most standard computer keyboards located to the far right. Normally used for cursor movement but when the NUM LOCK key is on, allows numbers to be entered and can be keyed like a calculator. Keystroke Errors If you press a wrong key during drills or exercises other than the one you were prompted for, then PC-FasType will count that as a keystroke error. In calculating Words Per Minute you'll be penalized five keystrokes for every keystroke error. Main Menu The master menu from which you can switch to any one of four primary menus to select drills, exercises, or keyboard helpers. First displayed when you start the program; displayable any time afterward by pressing function key F1. Pre-defined drills Text files that accompany PC-FasType. They consist of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs from which the program randomly selects portions of, presents them to you in the text window and expects you to type them as shown during Intermediate and Advanced exercises. Program Function Keys The keys labelled F1 through F10 or F12 located in various places on the keyboard depending on which one you are using. These keys are used to select menus, and within each menu, ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 64 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ to select various drills, exercises, keyboard helpers, and other features. Program Termination The act of ending your practice typing sessions with PC-FasType and returning to MS-DOS. Screen Keyboard A display on the screen of the PC's keyboard without the function key area and keypad. Shift Keys Used to type capital letters and upper-case symbols and characters. Allows the same key to type two different characters. Text Window The upper half of the display area above the screen keyboard that shows you the characters, or pre-defined exercises that you are to type. Toggle The act of turning a feature or option ON and OFF by repeatedly pressing a particular function key. Most of the selections from the Keyboard Helpers Menu can be "toggled" ON and OFF. Quick-HELP Facility Pages of text that are displayed on the screen to assist in your use of the program. Available for all menus in PC-FasType. QUIET Mode Using PC-FasType with all sounds suppressed. Convenient in a classroom or office environment where the sounds may disturb others. Selectable through a menu choice. *** END OF USER'S GUIDE FOR PC-FasType *** ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 PC-FasType - User Guide Page 65 ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-FasType TYPING NOTES: ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3 Page 66 PC-FasType - User Guide ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-FasType TYPING NOTES: ------------------------------------------------------------ PC-Fastype/CGA Ver. 4.3 -- PC-Fastype/MONO Ver. 1.3