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1994-02-15
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[BASICS.DOC]
Basic instructions overview
---------------------------
This document tells you how to install CompuShow 2000! on your computer,
and illustrates the many ways you can perform actions with the keyboard or
a mouse. If you're familiar with modern PC software, you should have no
trouble using CompuShow 2000! However, whether you're a novice or power
user, you may find examples here describing terms and techniques that are
new to you:
the MENU RADIO BUTTONS
HOT KEYS INPUT LINES
the STATUS BAR HISTORY window
FOCUSED items push BUTTONS
DRAGGING with a mouse DEFAULT button
DIALOG boxes SELECTING items
CHECK BOXES DOUBLE-CLICKING a mouse
Installing CompuShow 2000!
--------------------------
Install on a computer which only has FLOPPY DRIVES by executing:
COPY A:*.* B:
to copy everything from a disk in drive A: to a formatted disk in drive B:
To install on a HARD DISK, we recommend that you put the three CompuShow
2000! program files (2SHOW.EXE, 2SHOW.HLP and 2SHOW.DRV) in a directory by
themselves. There's no need to put the program in the same directory as
your graphic files, and in general it's a good idea to avoid mixing a lot
of programs and other files in one big 'catch-all' directory.
Make a new directory, and "move into" it:
MD \2SHOW
CD \2SHOW
To copy the program from a floppy disk in A:
COPY A:*.*
To copy the program from somewhere else on your hard disk (assuming you
downloaded it to a directory named \DOWNLOAD):
COPY \DOWNLOAD\2SHOW.*
In order to be able to execute CompuShow 2000! "from anywhere":
PATH <-- you type this
PATH=C:\PROGRAMS;C:\BATS;C:\DOS <-- DOS responds
select one of the directories on the path (I'd pick "C:\BATS", in this
example), and create a batch file with the DOS EDIT program (or a word
processor):
EDIT C:\BATS\2SHOW.BAT
type in:
C:\2SHOW\2SHOW %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7 %8 %9
then Alt-F X Y (to exit the edit program and save the file)
The menu, hot keys, and status bar
----------------------------------
The pull-down MENU (across the top of the screen) contains entries for all
the things you can do in the program. Many of these operations have HOT
KEYS assigned to them. For example, in the File menu, you'll find "New
window F3", so pressing the F3 hot key is a short-cut to open a new window.
The STATUS BAR (across the bottom of the screen) does two things. First, it
shows some of the most used hot keys, both as a reminder and also so that
you can click the hot key on the status bar to "push it" with a mouse.
Secondly, as you move across the menu bar and pull down menus, the status
bar shows a short description of the menu item that's FOCUSED (the one at
the highlight bar).
Using the menu
--------------
Here are examples of various ways to call up the Graphics Options dialog:
___With the keyboard___
F4: press the hot key assigned to Graphics Options.
Alt-O: Since the O in Options (on the menu bar) is highlighted, it's the
hotkey for that menu.
F10: moves the focus to the menu bar. Then, either move across to Options
with the arrow keys and press enter, or just press O.
After using Alt-O or F10 to pull down the Options menu, either move the
focus with the arrow keys and press enter, or just press "G".
___With a mouse___
Click "F4 Graphics options" on the status bar at the bottom of the screen.
Click "Options" on the menu bar at the top of the screen to pull down the
Options menu, then click on "Graphics".
Move the mouse to "Options" on the menu bar, hold the left button down,
pull the focus down to "Graphics" and release the button. (This
press-move-release operation is known as DRAGGING with the mouse.)
Dialog boxes
------------
Some settings, presented as CHECKBOXES [X] may be turned on or off. Others
appear as RADIO BUTTONS (.) and selecting one setting turns the others off
(like the pushbuttons on a car radio). There are also INPUT LINES, where
you type something, and these usually have a HISTORY of your previous
entries. At the bottom of each dialog box are "Okay" and "Cancel" BUTTONS,
with the color of "Okay" indicating that it's the DEFAULT.
___With the keyboard___
Move from section to section with the TAB key. Turn check boxes on or off
with the spacebar. Change radio buttons with the arrow keys. Pull down the
history for an input line with the down arrow key, scroll through the
previous responses with the arrow keys and press enter. Press the default
button by pressing enter.
You can also change checkboxes and radio buttons and press Okay or Cancel
buttons by typing the highlighted letter.
___With a mouse___
Change checkboxes, radio buttons, access history and push Okay or Cancel by
clicking.
Directory windows
-----------------
The program automatically opens one directory window, which shows what's on
your computer; a listing of the files on your disk.
Sometimes beginners think that CompuShow 2000! has "pictures inside it",
and ask how they "import" more pictures, or get "other CompuShows" that
have different pictures. Just remember that CompuShow 2000! is the PROGRAM
(the "computer tool") that displays pictures, and the pictures are actually
graphics FILES ON YOUR DISK(S). Wherever the files are located on your
disk(s) you can move around, find and display them.
File/Drive [F2] lets you switch the current window to a different disk
drive.
File/New window [F3] lets you open additional windows, up to a total of
nine!
SELECT a file by DOUBLE-CLICKING (click twice, quickly) with the LEFT mouse
button or move the focus to it with the arrow keys and press the spacebar.
Selecting a directory <dir> moves you into that directory. Keep in mind
that DOS uses "." to mean THIS directory, and ".." to mean the directory
ABOVE THIS ONE.
If the disk has a volume label <vol> selecting it jumps immediately to the
root (top) directory.
TAG a file by DOUBLE-CLICKING with the RIGHT mouse button or press the "+"
key. A checkmark following the file name indicates that it's tagged. (A
second right-double-click or "+" key untags it.)
Advanced "Good Stuff"
---------------------
CompuShow 2000! is also a tool for organizing your files. As an example,
let's say you have GIF files (pictures) mixed in with other files that you
downloaded from your local BBS in a directory named "C:\BBS", which is in
the current window.
1. Press [F3] (File/New window) to open another window (on drive C:).
2. Select ".." (or <vol>) to move to the root directory.
3. Pull down the File menu, select "make sub-directory", and enter "GIFS".
4. Select "gifs <dir>" to move into it.
You now have a new, empty C:\GIFS directory in window 2 and your C:\BBS
directory in window 1.
5. Switch back to window 1, by pressing Alt-1 or [F6] (Window/Next).
6. Press [F7] (File/Tag) and enter "*.GIF" to tag all files in the current
window which end in GIF.
7. Press Alt-M (File/Move) and select window 2 as the destination, or drag
a TAGGED file with the RIGHT mouse button from window 1 to window 2.
You've just moved all the GIF files from your "cluttered" BBS directory
into a new directory of their own. Notice that using Alt-M (File/Move) or
dragging with the right mouse button MOVES the files (they're now in
C:\GIFS and have been erased from C:\BBS). Using Alt-C (File/Copy) or
dragging with the left mouse button COPIES the files (you have them in both
places).