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SHOW Partner Lite 3.7 User's Guide ___________________________________ for IBM Personal Computers IBM Personal Systems and Compatibles Brightbill-Roberts & Company, Ltd. Show Partner Lite Page 2 C O N T E N T S Before You Begin ...........................................6 WHAT YOU NEED .........................................6 ABOUT THIS GUIDE ......................................7 A NOTE FOR USERS OF MICE ..............................7 PRODUCT SUPPORT .......................................8 README.DOC ............................................8 Chapter 1: A Quick Tour of Show Partner Lite 3.7 ...........9 HOW THE QUICK TOUR WAS CREATED ........................9 EXERCISE 1: CAPTURE A SCREEN ..........................10 EXERCISE 2: DISPLAY YOUR CAPTURED SCREEN .............12 EXERCISE 3: SAVE YOUR SLIDE SHOW .....................13 EXERCISE 4: EXPLORE THE MENU COMMANDS ................13 EXERCISE 5: LOAD AND VIEW A SLIDE SHOW ...............13 EXERCISE 6: LINK YOUR SLIDE SHOW TO A SCRIPT .........14 EXERCISE 7: SAVE YOUR WORK AND QUIT SLIDE SHOW EDITOR 15 EXERCISE 8: DISPLAY YOUR SLIDE SHOW WITH SHOW ........15 CONTROLLING A SLIDE SHOW FROM YOUR KEYBOARD ...........15 Chapter 2: Getting Started .................................17 THE SHOW PARTNER LITE PROGRAMS ........................17 TO START A SHOW PARTNER LITE PROGRAM ..................17 VIDEO MODES: AN OVERVIEW .............................18 Chapter 3: Using SHOW ......................................22 ABOUT THE BRIGHTBILL-ROBERTS LICENSE AGREEMENT ........22 STARTING SHOW .........................................22 CREATING A DISK FOR DISTRIBUTION ......................23 USING THE NOSHOW OPTION ...............................24 A FINAL SUGGESTION ....................................24 Chapter 4: Using CAPTURE .................................25 CAPTURING SCREENS: AN OVERVIEW .......................25 CAPTURING A SCREEN ....................................26 Chapter 5: Using Slide Show Editor .........................29 SLIDE SHOW EDITOR: BASIC TASKS .......................29 FILE MENU COMMANDS ...............................34 NEW ...................................................34 LOAD ..................................................34 SAVE ..................................................34 SAVE FOR SED ..........................................35 PRINT .................................................35 CHANGE DIR ............................................35 QUIT ..................................................35 Edit Menu Commands ...............................35 UNDO CHANGE ...........................................36 COPY ROWS .............................................36 MOVE ROWS .............................................36 INSERT ROW ............................................36 ERASE ROWS ............................................37 View Menu Commands ...............................37 ALL ...................................................37 ROWS ..................................................37 Jump Menu Command ................................38 TO ROW NUMBER .........................................38 Special Menu Command .............................38 HELP ..................................................38 Chapter 6 Using Script Editor .............................39 SCRIPT EDITOR: AN OVERVIEW ...........................39 SCRIPT EDITOR: BASIC TASKS ...........................39 Show Partner Lite Page 3 FILE MENU COMMANDS ...............................47 NEW ...................................................47 LOAD ..................................................47 SAVE ..................................................48 SAVE AS ...............................................48 PRINT .................................................48 CHANGE DIR ............................................48 QUIT ..................................................48 Edit Menu Commands ...............................49 UNDO ..................................................49 COPY ROWS .............................................49 MOVE ROWS .............................................49 INSERT ROW ............................................49 ERASE ROWS ............................................50 SAVE ROWS .............................................50 INSERT SCRIPT .........................................50 View Menu Commands ...............................50 ALL ...................................................50 ROWS ..................................................50 OPTIMIZE 256 ..........................................51 Jump Menu Commands ...............................51 TO ROW NUMBER .........................................51 TO LOCATION ...........................................51 SEARCH ................................................52 Special Menu Commands ............................52 CLIP BLOCK ............................................52 GED EDIT ..............................................54 AUTO-BUILD ............................................54 KEYBOARD HELP .........................................54 SYSTEM ................................................54 Chapter 7: Show Partner Lite Effect Reference ..............55 SHOW PARTNER LITE EFFECTS: AN OVERVIEW ...............55 Show Partner Lite Screen Effects .................56 REPLACE ...............................................56 WIPE ..................................................56 H-SPLIT ...............................................56 V-SPLIT ...............................................57 SCROLL ................................................57 FADE ..................................................57 BOX ...................................................57 DIAGONAL ..............................................57 WEAVE .................................................58 MOVE ..................................................58 X-MOVE ................................................58 SHAKE .................................................58 DRIP ..................................................58 SPIRAL ................................................59 HALF ..................................................59 QUAD ..................................................59 Show Partner Lite Sound Effects ..................59 NOISE .................................................59 SLIDE .................................................59 BOMB ..................................................59 Show Partner Lite Flow Control Effects ...........59 Menu ..................................................60 PAGE ..................................................60 EXECUTE ...............................................61 GOTO ..................................................62 LOAD ..................................................63 SCRIPT ................................................63 Show Partner Lite Page 4 COMMAND ...............................................65 CALL AND RETURN .......................................65 END ...................................................66 ESCKY .................................................66 Show Partner Lite Special Effects ................67 CHANGING COLORS WITH THE SPECIAL EFFECTS ..............67 PALSHF ................................................68 PALLOAD ...............................................68 COLSHF ................................................69 COLCHG ................................................70 COMMENT ...............................................71 INT ...................................................71 256FADE ...............................................72 Chapter 8 Using GraFIX Editor .............................73 GRAFIX EDITOR: AN OVERVIEW ...........................73 GRAFIX EDITOR: BASIC TASKS ...........................75 File Menu Commands ...............................78 NEW ...................................................78 LOAD . . . ............................................78 SAVE ..................................................78 SAVE AS . . . .........................................79 CHANGE DIR ............................................79 LOAD BLOCK ............................................79 SAVE BLOCK ............................................80 LOAD SCRN 2 ...........................................80 QUIT ..................................................81 Edit Menu Commands ...............................81 COPY ..................................................81 MOVE ..................................................81 ERASE .................................................82 ZOOM ..................................................82 UPEND .................................................82 REFLECT ...............................................83 ROTATE ................................................83 CENTER ................................................83 CLIP SCRN 2 ...........................................83 TRANSPARENT ...........................................84 Draw Menu Commands ...............................84 FREEHAND ..............................................84 LINE ..................................................84 BOX ...................................................84 CIRCLE ................................................85 PAINT .................................................85 REPAINT ...............................................85 WIDTH .................................................86 REPEAT ................................................86 Color Menu Commands ..............................86 SELECT COLOR ..........................................86 ALTER COLORS ..........................................86 SELECT PATTERN ........................................87 ALTER PATTERNS ........................................87 SWAP COLORS ...........................................88 LOAD PALETTE ..........................................88 SAVE PALETTE ..........................................88 Color Menu Commands (256-color Mode) .............89 MAKE COLOR ............................................89 REUSE COLOR ...........................................90 ALTER COLOR ...........................................90 SWAP COLOR ............................................90 GRAB COLOR ............................................91 Show Partner Lite Page 5 COLOR STATUS ..........................................91 SAVE PALETTE ..........................................91 Mode Menu Commands ...............................91 MORE RESOLUTION .......................................91 LESS RESOLUTION .......................................92 MORE COLORS ...........................................92 LESS COLORS ...........................................92 Special Menu Commands ............................93 TEXT FORMAT ...........................................93 CURSOR SPEED ..........................................94 EXPAND BLOCK ..........................................94 SHRINK BLOCK ..........................................94 SAVE CONFIG ...........................................94 STATUS ................................................94 Appendix A Display Adapters ...............................96 SUPPORTED DISPLAY ADAPTERS ............................96 Appendix B System Memory Requirements .....................97 SYSTEM MEMORY REQUIREMENTS ............................97 CALCULATING MEMORY REQUIREMENTS ON YOUR SYSTEM ........97 Appendix C Using Your Keyboard or Mouse ...................99 RULES FOR USING THE MOUSE BUTTONS .....................99 GRAFIX EDITOR KEY COMBINATIONS ........................100 SCRIPT EDITOR AND SLIDE SHOW EDITOR KEY COMBINATIONS ..101 Show Partner Lite Page 6 Before You Begin Thank you for purchasing Show Partner Lite, the premier desktop presentation software for IBM Personal Computers, IBM Personal Systems, and 100% compatible systems. This User's Guide is both an introduction and a reference to Show Partner Lite. In Chapter 1, you will take a tour of the Show Partner Lite programs and learn how each one helps you create desktop presentations. In Chapter 2, you will learn how to install and begin using Show Partner Lite. In the subsequent chapters, you will find detailed information about each Show Partner Lite program. ___________________________________________________________________________ WHAT YOU NEED Here's what you'll need to install and use Show Partner Lite: * An IBM Personal Computer, Personal System, or 100% compatible. * 320K of memory, assuming at least 256K of available memory. (On sophisticated systems that include Enhanced Graphics Adapter or Video Graphics Array graphics, this memory requirement may be higher.) * One or more disk drives. * Disk Operating System (DOS), version 2.0 or later. This guide assumes you are familiar with basic MS-DOS commands. You may want to keep your computer's user's guide and your MS-DOS manual at hand to refer to while you are setting up and using Show Partner Lite. * A system with the ability to display one of the following: IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) graphics; IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) graphics; Hercules Graphics Card monochrome graphics; IBM MultiColor Graphics Array (MCGA) graphics; or IBM Video Graphics Array (VGA) graphics. * An IBM Personal Computer Display, IBM Enhanced Color Display, a display monitor from the IBM Personal System/2 series, or a 100% compatible. * The Show Partner Lite software disks (Program Disk, Utility Disk, and Learning/Clip Art Disk.) Show Partner Lite Page 7 ___________________________________________________________________________ ABOUT THIS GUIDE The following table lists the eight chapters in this guide and recommends where to begin if you are trying to accomplish a specific task: ___________________________________________________________________________ To: Begin with: ___________________________________________________________________________ Gain an overview of Show Chapter 1, "A Quick Tour of Partner Lite and a basic Show Partner Lite 3.7" understanding of its programs Learn to set up and start Chapter 2, "Getting Started" Show Partner Lite Learn how to display a Chapter 3, "Using SHOW" finished presentation Learn how to capture screens Chapter 4, "Capturing from other MS-DOS software Screens" Learn to create full-screen Chapter 5, "Using Slide Show slide shows Editor" Learn to create the scripts Chapter 6, "Using Script which control your more Editor" complex presentations Look up detailed information Chapter 7, "Show Partner about Show Partner Lite Lite Effect Reference" effects Learn to create and edit Chapter 8, "Using GraFIX graphics screens Editor" ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ A NOTE FOR USERS OF MICE This User's Guide focuses upon actions performed with your keyboard. Please note, however, that Show Partner Lite supports devices such as the Microsoft Mouse and the Logitech Mouse. Show Partner Lite Page 8 There are four special keys that are used in the Show Partner Lite programs. The following table lists their mouse-based equivalents. Key: Mouse-based equivalent ___________________________________________________________________________ INS Left mouse button ENTER Left mouse button DEL Right mouse button ESC Left and right mouse buttons (simultaneously) ___________________________________________________________________________ PRODUCT SUPPORT If you have a question about Show Partner Lite and can't find the answer in this guide, call our Customer Support department at (800) 444-3490. They will be ready to give you the support you need in order to get the most from your Show Partner Lite software. When you call, please have this manual at hand. ___________________________________________________________________________ README.DOC Show Partner Lite may include a file named README.DOC. You should read this file for additional information that may have become after this manual was printed. To read this file on your screen: 1. Start DOS. (If necessary, refer to the DOS manual that came with your computer.) 2. Change the current directory to the directory where Show Partner Lite was installed. For example, if the directory where you installed the program is C:\SPLITE you would enter : CD \SPLITE <enter> while on the C: drive. 3. Then type: TYPE README.DOC <enter> If you want a printout of this file: 1. Start DOS. (If necessary, refer to the DOS manual that came with your computer.) 2. Change the current directory to the directory where Show Partner Lite was installed. Then at the DOS prompt, type: TYPE README.DOC >PRN <enter> This command tells MS-DOS to redirect the output of the TYPE command to your printer. Show Partner Lite Page 9 Chapter 1: A Quick Tour of Show Partner Lite 3.7 This Quick Tour introduces you to Show Partner Lite. First, you'll view a Show Partner Lite presentation on your system. Next, you'll learn how the presentation you viewed was created. Finally, you'll be given a chance to create a simple desktop presentation of your own. To take the Quick Tour of Show Partner Lite: 1. Start MS-DOS. If necessary, refer to the MS-DOS manual that came with your computer. 2. Change your current directory to the Show Partner Lite directory and then type: QKTOUR <enter> ___________________________________________________________________________ HOW THE QUICK TOUR WAS CREATED The Quick tour of Show Partner Lite that you have just finished viewing was created in much the same way as most Show Partner Lite presentations. After planning the presentation with a simple storyboard, we captured several screens and created several others with the GraFIX Editor. Next, we used Slide Show Editor to create the simpler sequences in the presentation; and we used the Script Editor to create the more complex sequences. Finally, we copied the SHOW run-time module onto disk, along with the files that are needed by the presentation, and then created the QKTOUR.BAT batch file that loads SHOW and the appropriate script file. In this section, you will be introduced to the five Show Partner Lite programs used to create a desktop presentation. THE SHOW PARTNER PROGRAMS Show partner gives you five tools for producing and displaying presentations, each with its own special purpose. * CAPTURE CAPTURE is a memory-resident program that copies an image of a screen from another software application such as Lotus 1-2-3 or WordPerfect. The copied image is saved on disk for use by the other Show Partner Lite programs. CAPTURE creates picture files for later use by any other Show Partner Lite program. * SLED (SLIDE SHOW EDITOR) SLED (SLIDE SHOW EDITOR) takes your Show Partner Lite pictures and assembles them into a slide show. Using a variety of effects, your slide show can display your images in any order and then wait for a predetermined length of time -- or until the viewer presses a key -- before displaying the next image. Show Partner Lite Page 10 Slide Show Editor creates slide show files, which control the sequence, timing, and means by which your images appear on screen during a presentation. * SED (SCRIPT EDITOR) SED (SCRIPT EDITOR) performs many of the same functions as Slide Show Editor, yet with more flexibility and power. Like Slide Show editor, it allows you to assemble a series of images into a presentation. But Script Editor allows you to display parts of images, where Slide Show Editor requires you to display the full screen. Script Editor also includes a full range of flow control and other special effects that may come in handy as you become an accomplished Show Partner Lite user. Script Editor creates script files, which like slide show files control the sequence timing, and means by which your images appear. Yet script files can be far more complex than slide show files, being able to contain sound effects, a variety of special effects, and several powerful flow control effects for controlling your presentation at run- time. * GED (GRAFIX EDITOR) GED (GRAFIX EDITOR) is a full-featured paint program that edits the graphics images you've captured with CAPTURE. It works with images captured from a variety of different graphics modes, from medium resolution 4-color screens and 256-color screens up to very high resolution 16-color screens. GraFIX Editor modifies graphics-based images created by CAPTURE, as well as creating graphics-based images from scratch. Once saved, these images are available for use by a slide show file or script file. * SHOW SHOW allows you to run Show Partner Lite slide shows and scripts from the MS-DOS prompt without starting Slide Show Editor or Script Editor. You are freely encouraged to copy SHOW -- and your slide shows and pictures -- onto a disk that you can give to a customer or friend. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 1: CAPTURE A SCREEN Now that you have taken the Quick Tour of Show Partner Lite 3.7, and have gained an overview of how the various Show Partner Lite programs work together, it is time to use Show Partner Lite on your own. In this and the following exercises, you will use Show Partner Lite to create a simple presentation of your own. With a special Show Partner Lite program called CAPTURE, you can take a "snapshot" of nearly any screen displayed by your MS-DOS software. One of the advantages of using an MS-DOS system to create a desktop presentation, therefore, is that so many fine software products have been developed for the Microsoft operating system. Show Partner Lite Page 11 LOAD CAPTURE INTO MEMORY Like such software as Borland SideKick and Lotus Metro, CAPTURE is a Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) application. As such, CAPTURE remains resident in your system's Random Access Memory (RAM) after you quit using it. Once CAPTURE has been loaded into resident memory, you can start another software application -- like Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, or dBASE III Plus. Even though you don't see CAPTURE on screen, it continues to run, waiting to save a copy of what is displayed on the screen by that application to disk. You can also capture screens displayed by MS-DOS. In this exercise you will ask MS-DOS for a directory listing, and then capture the listing. 1. Begin at the MS-DOS prompt. Insert your Program disk in drive A, then close the disk drive door. 2. Type a: and press ENTER to make A the current drive. 3. Type capture and press ENTER. You will see the following screen: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 4. Press any key to continue. CAPTURE is now loaded into memory, where it is ready to respond when you press its trigger keys. CAPTURE A DIRECTORY LISTING To learn what it means to capture a screen: 1. Type dir and press ENTER to display a listing of the current directory. 2. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys, then press the MINUS (-) key located to the right of your numeric keypad. 3. Press ENTER. This step tells MS-DOS to allow CAPTURE to take over the screen. At other times, you will not need this step when using CAPTURE. 4. Type dir and press ENTER twice to highlight the SAVE command button. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 5. Press ENTER once again to save the directory listing. 6. CAPTURE will ask you if you wish to translate this screen to graphics mode. Press 'N' and then ENTER to save the screen as a text screen. Show Partner Lite Page 12 With this final step you have created a copy of the image that was on your screen when you called upon CAPTURE. Now, after you name the file, the screen is saved in a format that Slide Show Editor and CAPTURE can work with. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 2: DISPLAY YOUR CAPTURED SCREEN In this exercise you will use the Slide Show Editor to create a simple one- screen slide show. START SLIDE SHOW EDITOR 1. Make sure that your current directory contains the Show Partner Lite programs. If you installed Show Partner Lite in C:\SPLITE then type: CD \SPLITE<enter> to make that directory current. 2. Type: SLED<enter> The Slide Show Editor editing screen appears on your monitor. FILL IN THE PICTURE, EFFECT, AND TIME FIELDS Your editing screen is set up in the form of a table, with six columns and twenty rows visible. You will enter the name of the screen you have just captured into the first column, or field, of this table. 1. After making sure that the highlight is in the Picture field of the first row, press the INS (Insert) key to view a list of pictures on the current disk drive. 2. With DIR highlighted, press ENTER. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 3. Press the TAB key once to move into the Title field. 4. Type My First Screen and press the TAB key again to move into the Effect field. 5. Press the INS key to view a list of effects. Press the DOWN arrow repeatedly until the Diagonal effect is highlighted, then press ENTER. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 6. Now press the END key to quickly move the highlight into the Time field. Type 30 and press ENTER. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 7. Press Ctrl-V (hold down the CTRL key and press 'V') to open the View menu. With the highlight over the 'All' command, press ENTER. Show Partner Lite displays a menu screen listing the title of your screen. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 8. Press ENTER. The screen you captured in Exercise 1 is displayed for three seconds. Show Partner Lite then returns you to the menu screen. Show Partner Lite Page 13 9. Press ESC. Show Partner Lite returns you to the slide show editing screen. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 3: SAVE YOUR SLIDE SHOW You'll save your work by choosing the Save Slide show command. 1. Press Ctrl-F to open the File menu. 2. Press 'S' to highlight the Save command. 3. Press ENTER. 4. Type myfirst and press ENTER three times to carry out the command. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 4: EXPLORE THE MENU COMMANDS The procedure used to choose any command is similar to the procedure you followed in Exercise 3 to save your slide show file: * Press the Ctrl key plus the first key of the menu you wish to open. * Press the first letter of the command you wish to select, or use the arrow keys to highlight a different command. Then press ENTER. If you aren't sure of the name of the menu you wish to open, here's another way to choose menu commands: 1. Press the Del key to turn on the menu bar. Then use the RIGHT and LEFT arrow keys to highlight different menus. 2. Press ENTER to open a menu once it is highlighted. Then use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to highlight different commands on an open menu. 3. To choose a highlighted command from an open menu, press ENTER. 4. Press ESC once to close an open menu. Press ESC again to turn off the menu bar and begin editing again. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 5: LOAD AND VIEW A SLIDE SHOW In this exercise you will load an existing slide show and then view it on your own screen. Before beginning this exercise, you should make sure that you have started Slide Show Editor, using the procedures described in the above exercises. 1. Remove the Program disk from drive A, then insert the Learning/Clip Art disk and close the door to drive A. 2. Press Ctrl-F to open the File menu, then press 'L' to highlight the Load menu. Show Partner Lite Page 14 3. Press ENTER with the Load menu highlighted. The following screen will appear. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> 4. Press the DEL key to view a list of slide show files on the Learning/Clip Art disk. 5. Move the highlight over GRAPHS and press ENTER. 6. Now press the Enter key twice more to highlight the OK command button, then press the ENTER key again. Now that you've loaded a slide show file from disk, you can view it from within Slide Show Editor. 1. Press the Ctrl-V key to open the View menu. 2. With the 'All' command highlighted, press ENTER to view your slide show. 3. When Show Partner Lite returns you to the menu screen, press ESC to return to the editing screen. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 6: LINK YOUR SLIDE SHOW TO A SCRIPT One of the most interesting things about Slide Show Editor is its ability to link to script files created with Script Editor. (You many think of Script Editor as an advanced version of Slide Show Editor, containing an identical set of screen effects but a great many more sound, special, and flow control effects. In this exercise, you will link GRAPHS slide show to the QKTOUR script. As you begin this exercise, you should have completed the procedures found in the first five exercises. 1. Press Ctrl-END to move the highlight to the final row of the slide show you have been working on. 2. After moving the highlight into the Picture field, type QKTOUR.SPS and then press the TAB key. 3. With the highlight now in the Title field, type A Quick Tour of Show Partner Lite and press the TAB key. 4. With the highlight in the Effect field, type script and press ENTER. 5. Now press Alt-A (the shortcut to the View All command) to view your slide show. After displaying the GRAPHS slide show, Show Partner Lite will begin running the Quick Tour. 6. Press the ESC key to end the Quick Tour. Show Partner Lite Page 15 Notice that Show Partner Lite returns you to the menu screen of your GRAPHS slide show. 7. Press the ESC key to return to Slide Show Editor. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 7: SAVE YOUR WORK AND QUIT SLIDE SHOW EDITOR Take a few moments to save your slide show to disk, so it will be there when you want to use it again. 1. Choose the Save command from the File menu. 2. Press the BACKSPACE key to remove the proposed filename, then type newshow. 3. Press ENTER twice to highlight the OK button and press ENTER to save your slide show as NEWSHOW.SLD. To quit Slide Show Editor: 1. Press Ctrl-F to open the file menu, then press Q to highlight the Quit command. 2. Press ENTER. Slide Show Editor returns you to the MS-DOS prompt. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXERCISE 8: DISPLAY YOUR SLIDE SHOW WITH SHOW You can use the SHOW program to view the slide show you have created. 1. Type show newshow and press ENTER. The slide show file you created is displayed on screen. 2. Press ESC. 3. Point to any comment listed on the carousel screen, then press ENTER to view the picture associated with that comment. 4. Press ESC twice to end your presentation. SHOW will return you to the MS-DOS prompt. ___________________________________________________________________________ CONTROLLING A SLIDE SHOW FROM YOUR KEYBOARD You can use your keyboard to control a slide show as SHOW displays it. Four keys take on special roles while you are viewing a slide show: Show Partner Lite Page 16 ___________________________________________________________________________ Key: Effect: ___________________________________________________________________________ ESCAPE Halts the show. SPACEBAR Pauses the show. (Press any key -- except ESCAPE, PgUp, PgDn, or the SPACEBAR -- to continue). PGUP Jumps forward in show to the next row in the slide show file. PGDN Jumps backward in show to the previous row in the slide show file. ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Page 17 Chapter 2: Getting Started In Chapter 1 you were taken on a brief tour of Show Partner Lite: you learned how to run a show, capture a screen, display the screen in a slide show, and then link a slide show to a Show Partner Lite script. Now it's time to install Show Partner Lite on your system, and to learn more about the individual programs that make up Show Partner Lite. When you are done with this chapter, you'll understand when to use and how to start each Show Partner Lite program. In later chapters, you will learn detailed information about using each of the Show Partner Lite programs. ___________________________________________________________________________ THE SHOW PARTNER LITE PROGRAMS Show Partner Lite consists of six applications, each with its own particular role: ___________________________________________________________________________ Use this application: If you want to: ___________________________________________________________________________ CAPTURE Capture a "snapshot" of a (Program Disk) screen from other MS-DOS software SLED Assemble screens into a (Program disk) slide show -- type presentation SED Assemble screens into a (Program disk) script-based presentation. GED Create and modify graphics- (Program disk) based images SHOW Display a finished (Program disk) presentation from MS-DOS ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ TO START A SHOW PARTNER LITE PROGRAM Starting a Show Partner Lite program is as easy as inserting the appropriate disk, typing the name of the program (listed in the above table), and pressing ENTER. For example, to start the CAPTURE program: 1. Insert the Program disk in drive A. Close the drive door. 2. Type a: and press ENTER. This step makes A the current drive. 3. Type capture and press ENTER. Show Partner Lite Page 18 This CAPTURE title screen will appear on your display monitor. To start one of the other Show Partner Lite applications, insert the disk specified in the table above into the A drive, make A the current drive, type the program's name, and press ENTER. If you are working with a hard disk, use the CHDIR command to change to the \SHOW directory before typing the program name. ___________________________________________________________________________ VIDEO MODES: AN OVERVIEW Before continuing on with the following chapters, in which you will find detailed information about each of the Show Partner Lite programs, you will find it helpful to spend a few minutes examining the issue of what video modes you can use in your Show Partner Lite presentations. The first thing that must be said is that a significant constraint upon what you can create with Show Partner Lite is the nature of the graphics system you are working with. If you are working with an advanced system that can display IBM Video Graphics Array (VGA) graphics, you have a vast range of choices. If, on the other hand, you are working simply with a system based on the IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) or the Hercules Monochrome Adapter, your choices are more limited. What determines the resolution and available colors on your screen is your system's graphics adapter, the device that is the intermediary between your system's Central Processing Unit (CPU) and your display monitor. Each graphics adapter supported by Show Partner Lite can display images in at least two modes: in character mode, the adapter displays characters at specified coordinates on the screen. In a graphics mode, the adapter displays colored pixels at specified points on the screen. An MS-DOS application can use either character mode or a graphics mode to display what you see on screen. Nearly all MS-DOS software uses character mode for at least some of its screens; a smaller, yet sizable, number use one or more graphics modes. Some applications, such as Lotus 1-2-3, use both character mode and graphics modes. HOW SHOW PARTNER LITE HANDLES VIDEO MODES The system of video modes that IBM has created on its Personal Computers and Personal Systems is not a simple one. To add to the confusion, a monochrome graphics mode created by Hercules Corporation has caught on as an industry standard and hence is supported by Brightbill-Roberts software products. The remainder of this chapter explores the video modes available on IBM microcomputers and on compatible systems, starting with character mode and proceeding through the various graphics modes that are available. IBM CHARACTER MODES Although character modes and graphics modes are similar in that they are formed of dots of light displayed on your screen, they have different properties in terms of how software can display an image. Whereas in a graphics mode each dot of light, or pixel (for picture element), can be Show Partner Lite Page 19 individually addressed by a software application, in a character mode the pixels are not directly addressed. Rather, a software application displays a character from a pre-defined list of characters. Furthermore, the character may only appear in a limited number of locations on the display. Show Partner Lite does not support the IBM 40-column character modes (Modes 0 and 1 in the IBM nomenclature). It does, on the other hand, support each of the IBM 80-column character modes (Modes 2, 3, and 7). In an 80-column character mode a software application can display a character from those made available by the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) at the juncture of any of the 25 rows and 80 columns. It cannot display the character elsewhere. As it displays a character, the application can assign an attribute (foreground color, background color, blinking, etc.) to the character. Show Partner Lite's CAPTURE program allows you to capture character mode screens from software like Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, dBASE III Plus, and many other products. Its GraFIX Editor program, on the other hand, works only with graphics screens. Slide Show Editor, Script Editor, and SHOW each make full use of character mode screens that have been created with CAPTURE. Character Modes Supported by Show Partner Lite There are two character modes supported by Show Partner Lite. ___________________________________________________________________________ Mode Rows Cols Boards Colors ___________________________________________________________________________ 2,3 25 80 CGA, EGA, Herc, VGA 16 ___________________________________________________________________________ IBM AND HERCULES GRAPHICS MODES This section details the IBM and Hercules graphics modes supported by Show Partner Lite. IBM CGA modes The IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) makes two graphics modes available to the software application. These modes, available on all systems with CGA, EGA, MCGA, or VGA graphics capabilities, are: (1) 320 x 200, 4-color, and (2) 640 x 200, 2-color. All Show Partner Lite programs fully support these two modes. IBM EGA modes The IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) graphics modes are essentially a superset of the CGA modes. It adds several new graphics modes to the two CGA modes. A medium-resolution (320 x 200), 16-color mode is available. A high resolution (640 x 200), 16-color mode is also available. And two new high resolution modes (640 x 350) and available. On monochrome systems, Show Partner Lite can run at a resolution of 640 x 350. And on systems with an Enhanced Color Display, a NEC MultiSync, or an equivalent display monitor, Show Partner Lite supports 16 colors (from a palette of 64 colors) at a resolution of 640 x 250. Show Partner Lite Page 20 All Show Partner Lite programs fully support each of the EGA modes. IBM MCGA modes The IBM MultiColor Graphics Array (MCGA) is a superset of the IBM Color Graphics Adapter; as such, it supports the two CGA graphics modes. It also contains two other modes. The first, called Mode 17, is a high-resolution (640 x 480), 2-color graphics mode. The second mode is a 320 x 200, 256- color (from a palette of 256k colors) graphics mode. This mode is easily the most spectacular mode for color graphics currently available on IBM Personal Computers or Personal Systems. Show Partner Lite fully supports the graphics modes available on MCGA systems such as the IBM PS/2 Models 25 and 30. IBM VGA modes IBM's Video Graphics Array (VGA) includes all capabilities of the CGA, EGA, and MCGA, plus one mode available only on VGA-compatible systems. This special mode is a 640 x 480 resolution, 16-color graphics mode. Show Partner Lite supports each graphics mode available on VGA systems such as the IBM PS/2 Models 50, 60, and 80. Show Partner Lite also supports the SigmaVGA graphics card from Sigma Designs. Hercules Monochrome Graphics Mode The Hercules Monochrome Graphics Adapter can display a special graphics mode supported by Show Partner Lite. This mode features high-resolution (720 x 348), monochrome graphics. If you are using Lotus 1-2-3 on a monochrome system that can display graphics, chances are good that yours is a Hercules monochrome graphics system. Each Show Partner Lite program supports the Hercules graphics mode. A special feature of the SHOW program is how it handles slide shows and scripts created on CGA systems. Remarkably, SHOW can display CGA-based presentations on Hercules-based systems; it does this by fooling the Hercules card into behaving like a CGA card. Graphics Modes Supported by Show Partner Lite The following table lists each of the graphics modes that Show Partner Lite supports. The modes available to you as you create presentations depends, of course, on the graphics board installed in your system. Show Partner Lite Page 21 ___________________________________________________________________________ Mode Resolution Boards Colors ___________________________________________________________________________ 4 320 x 200 CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA 4 6 640 x 200 CGA, EGA, MCGA, VGA 2 13 320 x 200 EGA, VGA 16 14 640 x 200 EGA, VGA 16 15 640 x 200 EGA, VGA Monochrome 16 640 x 350 EGA, VGA 16 (of 64) 17 640 x 480 MCGA, VGA 2 (of 256k) 18 640 x 480 MCGA, VGA 16 (of 256k) 19 320 x 200 MCGA, VGA 256 (of 256k) Herc 720 x 348 Herc Monochrome ATT 640 x 400 AT&T, Compaq 2 ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Page 22 Chapter 3: Using SHOW One of the remarkable things about a Show Partner Lite presentation is that you don't have to own the product to view one. The reason is a special program called SHOW that is included with your copy of Show Partner Lite. The purpose of the SHOW program is simple: it allows you to run a Show Partner Lite presentation directly from the MS-DOS prompt, without starting the programs that created the presentation. Therefore, a Show Partner Lite presentation may be stored on floppy disk and run on any system with the required graphics capabilities. Since your license to use Show Partner Lite includes the right to freely distribute SHOW, you have in effect gained a new mode of distribution with your purchase of Show Partner Lite. Just place SHOW and a presentation on a disk, and send copies to whomever you like. In this chapter you'll learn how to start and control SHOW. At the end of the chapter, we will explain how to start the various presentations that we have placed on your Learning/Clip Art disk. You can view these presentations at your convenience to learn more about Show Partner Lite. ___________________________________________________________________________ ABOUT THE BRIGHTBILL-ROBERTS LICENSE AGREEMENT You are free to distribute SHOW of disk to any person or entity without paying royalties to Brightbill-Roberts & Company. They may use SHOW as they see fit. This policy is meant to encourage you to create Show Partner Lite scripts and to publish and distribute them as widely as possible. In return, we ask that you respect three simple requests: 1. Please do not distribute copies of any of the other Show Partner Lite programs unless you are distributing the full and complete shareware files. The programs and files on the registered version of Show Partner Lite should never be distributed to anyone else; with the exception of the SHOW.EXE program. 2. If you are distributing the shareware files to a third party along with your own work, your work must be physically separate from the shareware files (or disks) and must not seem to be the same product. 3. Please do not modify any of the programs and files in any way. This voids your warranty and, if distributed, violates our copyright. ___________________________________________________________________________ STARTING SHOW You can transfer your script and picture files onto a disk, then present your show on a color or monochrome monitor. If you have access to a projection unit that you can attach to your personal computer, you can display your show on a large screen. If you wish, you can copy your show to disks and distribute them to customers and friends. To run a script from a floppy disk, you must copy SHOW onto the disk along with the files in your presentation. To run a script from a disk containing SHOW: Show Partner Lite Page 23 1. Insert the disk containing your script in a drive, then make that drive the current one. 2. Type show <filename> and press ENTER (where filename is the name of the script you wish to run). The SHOW credits screen appears: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> CONTROLLING A SCRIPT FROM YOUR KEYBOARD Several keys control a running presentation. Four keys take on special roles while you are viewing a script: ___________________________________________________________________________ Key Effect ___________________________________________________________________________ ESCAPE Halts the show. (Note: By using the EscKy effect, you can change the function of the ESC key so it will do something other than halt your show. See Chapter 5, "Using Script Editor," for details on the EscKy effect.) SPACEBAR Pauses the show. (Press any key -- except ESCAPE, PgUp, PgDn, or the SPACEBAR -- to continue). PgUp Jumps forward to show the next Page effect. (See Chapter 5, "Using Script Editor," for details on the Page effect.) PgDn Jumps backward to show the most recent page effect. (See Chapter 6, "Using Script Editor," for details on the Page effect.) ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ CREATING A DISK FOR DISTRIBUTION After you've created a Show Partner Lite script, you may want to distribute it to other users of IBM PCs, IBM PS/2s and compatible systems. To create a distribution disk: 1. Format a blank disk. Show Partner Lite Page 24 This will become your master disk. (Refer to your DOS manual for information about the FORMAT command.) 2. Copy the file named SHOW.EXE from the Show Partner Lite Program disk onto the newly formatted disk. 3. Copy the scripts, pictures, and any other files (such as palettes, fonts, text files, etc.) used in your presentation onto the master disk. For a list of the picture files used in a given show, use the Print command found in Slide Show Editor and Script Editor to produce listings of the scripts used in the presentation. Once you've made a master disk and verified that it operates correctly, use the DOS DISKCOPY command to make copies of your show. Each disk that you distribute containing the SHOW program must be labeled as follows: CONTAINS Show Partner Lite run-time module (SHOW.EXE) (c) Copyright Brightbill-Roberts & Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved ___________________________________________________________________________ USING THE NOSHOW OPTION You may have purchased the NoShow option when you ordered your copy of SHOW. This option allows you to remove the Brightbill-Roberts & Company credits screen from your shows. If you wish, you may substitute your own title screen for our credits screen. ___________________________________________________________________________ A FINAL SUGGESTION If you have a few moments to spare, we suggest that you use SHOW to view some of the presentations we have placed on your "Learning/Clip Art" disk. Begin by listing all the slide show files (.SLD extension) and script files (.SPS) extension, using the DIR command. Then type show followed by the name of the slide show or script. To return to MS-DOS once the presentation is in progress, press the ESC key. Then use SHOW to view another slide show or script. Show Partner Lite Page 25 Chapter 4: Using CAPTURE In Chapter 3, you learned about SHOW, the program that displays a completed Show Partner Lite presentation. In doing so, you may have noticed screens that seemed to come from popular MS-DOS software such as WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and Microsoft Chart. These screens became part of a Show Partner Lite presentation by means of a special program that gives you the ability to take a "snapshot" of a screen produced by other MS-DOS software. It's called CAPTURE, appropriately enough; in this chapter you will find all you need to know about this very helpful utility. ___________________________________________________________________________ CAPTURING SCREENS: AN OVERVIEW Once you have decided to use Show Partner Lite to create a desktop presentation, you should draw up a simple storyboard that includes a short description of the screens you will need. You have a basic choice: you can create a needed screen with the Show Partner Lite GraFIX Editor program; or you can capture the screen after creating it with another software application. There are thousands of MS-DOS software applications whose screens can be captured. If your software can display a screen of meaningful information -- a document, spreadsheet, drawing, chart, or whatever -- you can probably make good use of that screen in a presentation. Capturing a screen is a three step process: 1. Load CAPTURE into resident memory. 2. From the MS-DOS prompt, start any MS-DOS software application. 3. After displaying a screen you wish to capture, simultaneously press Ctrl, Alt, and MINUS -- the CAPTURE trigger keys. ABOUT THE SHOW PARTNER TRIGGER KEYS The CAPTURE trigger keys are three special keys that tell CAPTURE to copy the currently displayed screen on disk. By pressing the CAPTURE trigger keys, you are telling the operating system to halt the program you are running and pass control to CAPTURE. Once CAPTURE has control, it prompts you for a directory and filename under which to save a copy of the screen. Before you use CAPTURE for yourself, you should make sure that its assigned trigger keys do not conflict with key sequences used by other software you use. ___________________________________________________________________________ To trigger the Press ___________________________________________________________________________ CAPTURE program CTRL-ALT-MINUS (-) ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Page 26 Notes: On the standard IBM PC keyboards, there are two distinct sets of PLUS and MINUS keys; one set is associated with the numbers across the top row of the keyboard, the other set with the numbers on the keypad found at the keyboard's right edge. Show Partner Lite recognizes only the PLUS and MINUS keys next to the numeric keypad as trigger keys. ___________________________________________________________________________ CAPTURING A SCREEN Once you have made sure that the CAPTURE trigger keys are not likely to conflict with other software you use, you are ready to capture a screen. Recall from the description above that loading CAPTURE into resident memory is the first step in capturing a screen: 1. Insert your Program disk into drive A, then make drive A the current drive. 2. Type capture and press ENTER. 3. Press any key to return to MS-DOS. To load CAPTURE from a hard disk: 1. Make the directory containing the files from the system disk the current directory. 2. Type capture and press ENTER. 3. Press any key to return to MS-DOS. CALLING CAPTURE FORWARD Once you have loaded CAPTURE into resident memory, you can activate it by pressing its trigger keys. To capture a screen: 1. With CAPTURE resident in memory, display the screen you want to capture. 2. Press the CAPTURE trigger keys. The CAPTURE screen should appear immediately. If it does not, this is an indication that the operating system is busy and cannot be safely interrupted. Under some conditions, you can press ENTER at this point and thus force CAPTURE to come forward. (For more information about conditions under which CAPTURE will not come forward, see the following section, "If CAPTURE Doesn't Come Forward." 3. The CAPTURE screen prompts you to enter a filename. Type and valid filename, but do not add a file extension: Capture adds the extension .GX2 to the filename automatically. 4. Press ENTER. Accept the proposed directory name, or change it if you prefer. 5. Press ENTER to highlight the Save command button. Show Partner Lite Page 27 6. Press ENTER to save the captured screen. IF CAPTURE DOESN'T COME FORWARD If CAPTURE fails to come forward when you use the procedure described above, you may try an alternative set of trigger keys. Be careful, however: this procedure may fail and force you to reset your computer. (Be sure to save your work before attempting this procedure.) To capture a screen by making CAPTURE more aggressive: 1. Press Ctrl-Alt-ENTER. This key combination tells CAPTURE to ignore its usual monitoring of the operating system and to capture the screen if at all possible. If even the Ctrl-ALT-ENTER trigger keys fails to bring CAPTURE forward it means that, for some reason, your foreground application finds it necessary to keep the keyboard all to itself. CAPTURE will not come forward, for example, if you are running Microsoft Windows. (You should use WINCAP, a special utility available from Brightbill-Roberts & Company, to capture screens from that operating environment.) Microsoft Flight Simulator is another example of a program whose screens you cannot capture. CAPTURING CHARACTER-BASED SCREENS Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE III, Crosstalk XVI and many of today's other software applications rely primarily on character mode for their screens. (Nevertheless, some character-based applications like Lotus 1-2-3 will switch to graphics mode when needed.) CAPTURE senses when you are capturing a character-based screen, and informs you of the fact. It does so because you have a choice when capturing character mode screens; and there are both advantages and disadvantages with each choice. * You can save the screen as is, in text mode. This creates an exact copy of the screen on disk. If you do so, you will edit your screen with TexPaint rather than GraFIX Editor. You will not be able to "clip" the screen inside Script Editor: the Clip Block command only works with graphics-based screens. Nor will you be able to use animated objects or the Article effect with text screens. Note, finally, that character-based screens generally take up less space on disk than do their graphics-based associates. Or you can convert the screen into graphics mode. CAPTURE will translate your screen into a black and white image with a resolution of 640 x 200. Once converted to graphics mode, you can then edit the screen with GraFIX Editor -- and not with TexPaint. You will lose some resolution Show Partner Lite Page 28 and some color however, since text mode features more colors and resolution than the 640 x 200, 2-color graphics mode. You will, on the other hand, be able to use animated objects on top of any text screens you have converted when capturing them. And the Article effect works just fine with 640 x 200, 2-color graphics-based screens. CAPTURE'S USE OF MEMORY CAPTURE uses memory differently for each graphics card it supports. In essence, it reserves a buffer large enough to capture the most memory- intensive screen it may encounter. Since higher-resolution screens and screens with more colors require more memory to store their data, CAPTURE will take up far more room in memory on a Video Graphics Array or Enhanced Graphics Adapter system than it will on a Color Graphics Adapter or Hercules system. In some cases CAPTURE will take up memory that another application needs; as a result, you will find that CAPTURE cannot fit "behind" the other application. Note: Since CAPTURE will make use of expanded memory if present, you should make use of a system that has expanded memory if at all possible when capturing screens from memory-intensive software. REMOVING CAPTURE FROM MEMORY CAPTURE will remain in memory until you turn off your system or until you remove CAPTURE from your system's memory. Since CAPTURE occupies memory in your computer, and since memory can become scarce due to MS-DOS's 640k limit on addressable memory space, we have provided you with a means of removing CAPTURE from memory. To remove CAPTURE from memory, you should first quit any application you are running and return to the operating system prompt. 1. Press CTRL-ALT-MINUS together to activate CAPTURE. 2. Press the DOWN arrow twice, then press the RIGHT arrow twice to highlight the UNLOAD button. 3. Press ENTER to remove CAPTURE from memory. An error message will appear if the foreground program won't allow CAPTURE to be removed from memory. If this happens to you, quit the foreground program and then repeat the CAPTURE de-allocation procedure described above. Show Partner Lite Page 29 Chapter 5: Using Slide Show Editor In Chapter 4, you learned how to display a finished presentation from MS- DOS, using the SHOW run-time module. In this chapter you will learn about Slide Show Editor, one of the two programs that assemble screens of text and graphics into the desktop presentations that SHOW can display. In its simplest form, the process of creating a desktop presentation may be as simple as creating a series of screens with CAPTURE and assembling them into a given sequence with Slide Show Editor. Yet, as you will learn in this chapter, Slide Show Editor has enough power to create presentations that feature interesting dissolves from one screen to the next, timing that you or your viewer can control, and a wonderfully simple means of creating a menu-driven presentation. ___________________________________________________________________________ SLIDE SHOW EDITOR: BASIC TASKS This section describes a small set of basic tasks. Once you have mastered these tasks, you will be able to explore Slide Show Editor on your own. STARTING SLIDE SHOW EDITOR To start Slide Show Editor: 1. Start MS-DOS. If necessary, refer to the DOS manual that came with your computer in order to perform this step. 2. If you have a floppy disk system, insert your Program disk in drive A and make drive A the active drive. Or if you have a hard-disk system, make sure that the current directory contains the Show Partner Lite program files. 3. Type sled and press ENTER. When you start Slide Show Editor, a special editing screen appears. Each slide show has 400 rows that may be filled in as you work with Slide Show Editor. Twenty rows and six columns are visible at one time. At the top of each of the six columns in this table is the name of the field represented by the given column. The status area at the bottom of the editing screen provides three important pieces of information: * It displays the name of the current slide show, if the slide show you're working on has been saved. * It indicates the current row. * It identifies the current directory. Show Partner Lite Page 30 CHOOSING COMMANDS When you press the DEL key, a menu bar appears across the top of the screen; this menu bar lists the menus from which you can choose commands. While the menu bar is on the screen, you cannot edit your presentation. To begin editing, you must first close the menu bar. Use the RIGHT and LEFT arrow keys to highlight a different menu title. Then press ENTER to open the menu that is highlighted. Once a menu is open, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to highlight different commands on the open menu. When the command you wish to choose is highlighted, press ENTER. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> ANOTHER WAY TO CHOOSE COMMANDS If you prefer, you can choose commands without using the DEL key and arrow keys. Press the Ctrl key and the first letter of a menu to open that menu. For example, Ctrl-F will open the File menu, Ctrl-E will open the Edit menu, Ctrl-V will open the View menu, and so on. Once a menu is open, press the first letter of a command to highlight that command. Then press ENTER to choose the command. WORKING WITH DIALOG BOXES A dialog box appears after you choose a command if Slide Show Editor needs more information. For example, after you choose the Load command, Slide Show Editor displays a dialog box because it needs to know what slide show file to load. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> Press TAB to move the highlight from field to field within this dialog box. Press ENTER when a command button -- such as "OK" or "Cancel" -- is highlighted. And press the DEL key to view a list of choices for a field, such as the Filename field in the preceding illustration, that are within the current directory. To close a dialog box or list box without choosing a command or option: 1. Press ESC. FILLING OUT A SLIDE SHOW After choosing a command, you are returned to the editing screen. The labels and values you add to this screen determine the form and content of your presentation. Show Partner Lite Page 31 MOVING AROUND A SLIDE SHOW As you work in a slide show, you will often find it necessary to work on rows that are not currently displayed on the screen. Slide Show Editor provides you with several different ways to move around a slide show: * You can use your DOWN and UP arrow keys to scroll to parts of the slide show that are not visible on the screen. * You can use the keyboard movement keys -- such as the PgDn, PgUp, Home, End keys -- to quickly move through a slide show. * Or you can use the Jump to Row command to quickly move to a specified row. ADDING INFORMATION TO FIELDS You add information to the fields in the editing screen in one of two ways: * You can select a field, then type in a label or value appropriate for the field you selected. * You can select a field, then press the INS key to choose a label or value for the field you selected. If you are sure about what label or value to enter into a field, you might find that you can type it without difficulty. In most instances, however, you will find it easier to press the INS key to choose labels and values for the fields in your slide show. You can clear the dialog box that appears when you press INS by pressing the ESC key. FILLING IN THE PICTURE FIELD The Picture field stores the names of the pictures to be displayed. To choose a picture filename: 1. Select the Picture field of a row. 2. Press the INS key. A list of picture files on the current directory appears. 3. Point to the filename of a captured picture, then press the INS key. ADDING TITLES Adding Titles to your slide show is a good way to create an index for your presentation. To add a title: 1. Select the Title field of the row you want to add a title to. Show Partner Lite Page 32 2. Type your title. 3. Press ENTER when your title is complete. You can also edit existing titles. 1. Move the highlight over an existing title. 2. Press INS. A box will appear around the title. 3. You can now edit your title like it was a word processing document, instead of retyping it should you need to change it. Press HOME to move to the first character in the title field. Press END to move to the last character. Use the RIGHT and LEFT arrow keys to move right and left. Press DEL to delete a letter. Press INS to insert a blank space. When Show Partner Lite displays a slide show, it begins with a list of titles you've added. Your viewer can use the arrow keys to point to a title and press ENTER to begin with that title. FILLING IN THE EFFECT FIELD After deciding what picture to display, you will choose an option in the Effect field, The option you choose determines how your picture will replace the previous picture on the screen. To choose an effect: 1. Select the Effect field to any row with a filename in the Picture field. 2. Press the INS key. 3. Highlight any effect from the list that appears, then press the INS key to move it into the Effect field of the current row. For a complete list of the effects available from within Slide Show Editor, please refer to Chapter 7, "Show Partner Lite Effect Reference." FILLING IN THE DIRECTION FIELD When you choose one of the screen effects you may be able to assign a direction to it. If, after entering a screen effect into the Effect field you notice a label in the Dir field, you'll know that you can edit the label in the Dir field. To choose a direction for an effect: 1. Highlight a label appearing in the Dir field of any row. 2. Press the INS key. 3. Select a direction from the list that appears, then press the INS key. Show Partner Lite Page 33 FILLING IN THE SPEED AND TIME FIELDS Once you've chosen a picture and specified its effect and direction, the final decision you must make involves the timing by which the image will appear. The value in the Speed field tells Show Partner Lite how fast to carry out an effect. To enter a value into the Speed field: 1. Select the Speed field of a row. 2. Press the INS key to view a list of available speeds. 3. Select the Speed option you wish to use, then press the INS key to move that option into the Speed field of the current row. The value in the Time field tells Show Partner Lite the length of time that should be devoted to a row. The Time field should be used to put in any delays your audience will need to absorb the ideas and facts you are presenting. To enter a value into the Time field: 1. Select the Time field of a row. 2. Press the INS key to increase the value of the Time field increments of 10. Or, if you prefer, enter a number between 0 and 9999. Entering a negative number in this field results in a value of "Key." That is, the show will pause until a key is pressed. Note: Values in the TIME column are stated in units of one-tenth of one second. An increment of 10, in other words, is equal to one second of time. This is true regardless of the system on which you use Show Partner Lite. LINKING YOUR SLIDE SHOWS TO SCRIPTS If you have developed a simple slide show that you would like to incorporate into a presentation that also uses some of the more complex features available in Script Editor, you can easily link the slide show to one or more scripts. In the following slide show, the Script effect is used to branch from a slide show to one of three scripts (depending on whether the viewer presses '1', '2', or '3' at the menu screen: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> Show Partner Lite Page 34 FILE MENU COMMANDS FILE MENU COMMANDS FILE MENU COMMANDS The File menu commands are used to load and save Slide Show Editor files, change the directory, and quit Slide Show Editor. ___________________________________________________________________________ NEW To start a new slide show, you must first clear the slide show editing screen. The New command clears the current slide show from the slide show editing screen. If the current slide show has not been saved a dialog box will appear to remind you to save the current slide show. Alt-N is the shortcut to the New command. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD The Load command loads a slide show from the current directory and displays it on the slide show editing screen. If the current slide show has not been saved a dialog box will appear. Alt-L is the shortcut to the Load command. To open an existing slide show stored on the current directory: 1. Choose the Load command from the File menu. A Filename dialog box appears. 2. Press the DEL key to view a list of slide show files on the current directory, then highlight the file you want to load. Press ENTER. 3. Press TAB until the OK button is highlighted, then press ENTER. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE The Save command saves the active slide show in the current directory. Slide Show Editor saves the slide show with the name you used the last time you saved it, and replaces the old copy of the slide show on the disk. To save both the old and new files, alter the slide show file name. Alt-S is the shortcut to the Save command. To save changes to an existing slide show file: 1. Choose the Save command from the File menu. 2. Click the OK button if you want to write over the old file. Show Partner Lite saves your changes, and you can continue working on the file. When you save a slide show file, Show Partner Lite will add the extension "SLD" for you automatically. Show Partner Lite Page 35 ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE FOR SED Save for SED saves the current slide show as a Show Partner Lite script file; once saved in this format, you can load it into Script Editor and add the effects that are not available in Slide Show Editor. ___________________________________________________________________________ PRINT The Print command lets you print a slide show or any part of a slide show. Once the command is chosen, a dialog box appears requesting specifications for page length and the rows on which to begin and end. Alt-P is the shortcut to the Print command. ___________________________________________________________________________ CHANGE DIR The Change Dir command lets you change directories so you can work with the files located in another directory. To change the current directory: 1. Choose the Change Dir command from the File menu. A dialog box appears. 2. Press the BACKSPACE key to delete the current directory name. 3. Type the new directory name. For more information about directories and path names, see the MS-DOS manual that came with your computer. 4. Press TAB until the OK button is highlighted, then press ENTER. ___________________________________________________________________________ QUIT The Quit command ends a Slide Show Editor session. If you have made changes to your slide show without saving them, Slide Show Editor presents a dialog box. ESC is the shortcut to the Quit command. Edit Menu Commands Edit Menu Commands Edit Menu Commands The Edit menu contains commands that allow you to work with more than one record at a time. You can erase, move, or copy a block of records; and you can save a block to disk or read an existing slide show file into the editing screen as a block. Show Partner Lite Page 36 ___________________________________________________________________________ UNDO CHANGE The UNDO CHANGE command undoes the previous editing action, such as inserting a row. ___________________________________________________________________________ COPY ROWS The Copy Rows command is used to copy one or more rows to another location in a slide show. If a group of rows is to be copied, the cursor must first rest on the top row. 1. Move the highlight into the first row to be copied. 2. Choose the Copy Rows command. 3. Press the DOWN arrow key until the rows you wish to copy are highlighted. 4. Press ENTER. 5. Point to the target for your copied rows, then press ENTER. Alt-C is the shortcut to the Copy Rows command. ___________________________________________________________________________ MOVE ROWS The Move Rows command is used to move one or more rows to another location in a slide show. 1. Move the highlight into the first row to be moved. 2. Choose the Move Rows command. 3. Press the DOWN arrow key until the rows you wish to move are highlighted. 4. Press ENTER. 5. Point to the target for your moved rows, then press ENTER. Alt-M is the shortcut to the Move Rows command. ___________________________________________________________________________ INSERT ROW The Insert Row command is used to insert a blank row into a slide show. The line is inserted above the line on which the cursor lies. The shortcut for the Insert Row command is ALT-I. ___________________________________________________________________________ ERASE ROWS Show Partner Lite Page 37 The Erase Rows command is used to delete one or more rows from the current slide show. Use this command carefully, since you cannot recover records once they are erased. 1. Move the highlight into the first row to be erased. 2. Choose the Erase Rows command. 3. Press the DOWN arrow key until the rows you wish to erase are highlighted. 4. Press ENTER. Alt-E is the shortcut to the Erase Rows command. View Menu Commands View Menu Commands View Menu Commands The View Menu commands allow you to view the active slide show in part or in full. ___________________________________________________________________________ ALL To view the current slide show, choose the Slide Show command from the View menu. Alt-A is the shortcut to the All command. ___________________________________________________________________________ ROWS The Rows command allows you to view the instructions contained in one or more rows for the time indicated. 1. Move the highlight into the first row to be viewed. 2. Choose the Rows command from the View menu. 3. Press the DOWN arrow key until the rows you wish to view are highlighted. 4. Press ENTER. The sequence described by the block of rows you selected will be displayed on the screen. When the final selected row has been displayed, Slide Show Editor returns to the editing screen, placing the cursor in the final row of the selected block. Show Partner Lite Page 38 Jump Menu Command Jump Menu Command Jump Menu Command ___________________________________________________________________________ TO ROW NUMBER The To Row Number command allows you to quickly move to any row in the current slide show by specifying the row number. Special Menu Command Special Menu Command Special Menu Command The Special menu contains commands used to view a help screen or make a master disk for distributing a presentation. ___________________________________________________________________________ HELP The Keyboard Help command displays a screen that lists the keystrokes that are equivalent to choosing commands. The F2 key is the shortcut to the Help command. Show Partner Lite Page 39 Chapter 6 Using Script Editor In the previous chapter you learned about Slide Show Editor, one of the two Show Partner Lite programs that assembles screens into a simple presentation. Here you will learn about Script Editor, a program that shares many functions with Slide Show Editor, yet goes far beyond it in capabilities. Script Editor assembles the files created by CAPTURE and GraFIX Editor into a presentation by creating a set of instructions called a script. These instructions tell your system what files to load into memory, what pictures and objects to display, what to do when the user presses a specified key, and so on. In this chapter, you will find detailed information about creating scripts. ___________________________________________________________________________ SCRIPT EDITOR: AN OVERVIEW Script Editor creates instructions that control your presentation, instructions that are stored in a script file. You will edit script files using a special script editing table with a keyboard or another input device like a mouse. The instructions in your script can be simple or sophisticated. They can create anything from a monochrome slide show of several screens to a multi- color show packed with dramatic information to draw viewer interest. You will add the names of the files you want the script to use and then make choices about how they should be used. Your instructions will also control the presentation's flow, which you or your audience can change as your presentation is shown. For example, you can add instructions that will link a script to another script -- or to applications that you ordinarily run from the operating system prompt. On systems able to display the more sophisticated graphics made available by IBM on its advanced machines, you can add instructions to directly manipulate colors and color palettes during your presentations. ___________________________________________________________________________ SCRIPT EDITOR: BASIC TASKS As you create your scripts, you will find that certain basic tasks, such as choosing commands from menus and adding rows to a script, are performed repeatedly. You should have a basic understanding of how to choose menu commands from Chapter 2, "An Overview." This section, therefore, will concentrate on how to quickly and efficiently create the instructions that make up a script file. STARTING SCRIPT EDITOR To start Script Editor: 1. Insert the Program disk in drive A. 2. Type a:sed and press ENTER. Show Partner Lite Page 40 <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> The Script Editor editing screen appears. A LOOK AT THE SCRIPT EDITING SCREEN The script editing screen consists of 400 rows and 8 columns. At the top of each column is the name of the field represented by the given column. You will enter labels and values into the fields in the editing table to create the instructions that control your presentation. The status area at the bottom of the editing screen provides three important pieces of information: * It displays the name of the current script, if the script you are working on has been saved. * It indicates the current row of the highlight. * It shows you the current directory. LOADING A SCRIPT Script Editor loads a file when you choose the Load command from the File menu. Other file operations -- saving scripts, changing the current directory, clearing the current script from memory, etc. -- are also accessed through File menu commands. For example, to load the script called QKTOUR from the Learning disk: 1. Insert the Learning/Clip Art disk in drive A and close the drive door. 2. Press Ctrl-F to open the File menu, then press C to highlight the Change Dir command. Press ENTER. 3. Press BACKSPACE repeatedly to erase the current directory name, then type a: and press ENTER twice to make the A drive the current directory. 4. Press Alt-L to choose the shortcut to the Load command. Type qktour in the Load dialog box and press ENTER repeatedly until Script Editor loads the script named DEMO. VIEWING A SCRIPT To view the script you have just loaded, press Alt-A. (This is the shortcut to the View Script command.) Script Editor displays the current script, from start to finish, on your monitor. As you create your scripts, you will often use this command, as well as its complementary command, View Rows. (The shortcut to the View Rows command is Alt-V) Viewing Part of a Script Show Partner Lite Page 41 To view part of the active script: 1. Select a field in the first row of the range you wish to preview. 2. Choose Rows from the View menu. 3. Use the DOWN arrow key to extend the highlighted area. 4. When you have highlighted the rows you wish to view, press the INS key. Script Editor will display the animation sequence described by the block of rows you selected. When the final row has been displayed, Script Editor returns to the editing screen, placing the cursor in the final row of the selected block. MOVING AROUND A SCRIPT Since Script Editor displays only 20 of the 400 rows in a script, it is obvious that you will often find yourself scrolling to different areas of more complex scripts. Script Editor provides you with several ways to move about a script: * You can use your keyboard to scroll to parts of the script that are not visible on the screen. * You can use the Jump commands to quickly move to specified rows or locations, or to search through a field for a target you choose. For example, to jump the final row of a script, use the Jump to Row command to move to the row number displayed in the status area as the final row. * You can use the vertical scroll bar, found at the right screen border. Point to the vertical scroll bar and press the INS key (or left mouse button). * You can use the keyboard movement keys -- such as the PgDn, PgUp, Home, End keys -- to quickly move through a script. Show Partner Lite Page 42 ___________________________________________________________________________ To: Press: ___________________________________________________________________________ Move up or down one row UP or DOWN arrow Move left or right LEFT or RIGHT arrow Move down one screen PgDn Move up one screen PgUp Move to the left edge of the HOME screen Move to the right edge of END the screen Move to the first row of the Ctrl-HOME script Move to the final row of the Ctrl-END script ___________________________________________________________________________ ADDING INSTRUCTIONS TO A SCRIPT You create a script by filling in the columns, or fields, of the script editing table. The nine fields are displayed below: You can add an instruction to a script in one of two ways: * You can move a highlight into a field -- thus selecting it -- and then type in a label or value appropriate for the field you selected. * You can select a field and then press the INS key (or press the left button of a mouse) to choose a label or value for the field you selected. Note: The type of files in the list that appears when you press the INS key in the Picture Comment field depends upon the label in the Effect field. If there is no label in the Effect field, Script Editor assumes you wish to add a picture filename and gives you a list of pictures. But if Script Editor sees an effect that operates on something other than picture files, it displays a different list, according to the file type used by the effect. Filling in the Picture Comment Field You will add filenames and comments to the Picture Comment field. In order for Script Editor to know what images and information to display on screen, you must specify what files on disk it should use. By entering the name of a file into the Picture Comment field you are telling Script Editor that the current instruction applies to that file. Show Partner Lite Page 43 The Picture Comment field stores the following types of labels: ___________________________________________________________________________ Label Type: Description: ___________________________________________________________________________ Picture Filenames The names of the screens, character-based or graphics- based, to be displayed. Picture files created with CAPTURE and GraFIX Editor are the basis of any show you create with Script Editor. Script Filenames The names of the scripts to be linked to the active script. Comments Reminders of what your script should do. Command line statements Statements that run applications external to Show Partner Lite Clear statements Statements that clear the screen during a show ___________________________________________________________________________ Note: You do not need to enter a picture filename into each row of a script. If no filename is found in a Picture Comment field, Show Partner Lite assumes it should continue working with the last picture file named in a previous row of the script. Adding Comments Adding comments to your script is a good way to keep track of what happens at different points in your script. You can add comments to a row which instructs Show Partner Lite to carry out an effect, or to a row that contains only a comment. To add a comment to a blank Picture Comment field: 1. Select the Picture Comment field of the row you want to add a comment to. 2. Press the spacebar to insert a blank space in the Picture Comment field, then type your comment. 3. Press ENTER when your comment is complete. You can also include comments in a Picture Comment field that contains a filename. Show Partner Lite Page 44 To add a comment to a Picture Comment field containing a filename: 1. Press and hold down CTRL, then press the RIGHT direction key repeatedly to move the cursor to the right of the picture filename within the Picture Comment field. 2. Type a comment, then press ENTER To make Show Partner Lite ignore the row on which you have placed a comment in the Picture Comment field, choose the "Comment" option in the Effect field of that row. Adding a Clear statement You will add a Clear statement to a script when you want your show to clear all or part of a screen to the background color. To enter "Clear" into a row: 1. Select the Picture Comment field of any row, type clear, and press ENTER. When Script Editor encounters "Clear" in the Picture Comment field, it will clear the specified area of the screen -- full or partial picture -- replacing all pixels in that area with the background color. It will then proceed to the subsequent rows in the script. Use a Clear statement when making the transition from one sequence of your show to another. A good example is at the beginning of a script; a script with a Clear statement in the Picture Comment field and the label, "Full Picture", in the Location field will clear the entire screen before displaying the rest of the script. A Clear statement will work with full or partial pictures, and may take on any of the attributes -- Direction, Location, Size, Target, Speed, and Time -- available to picture files. Choosing Options in the Effect Field After deciding what picture to display, you will choose an option in the Effect field. The option you choose determines how your picture will replace the previous picture on the screen. To choose an effect: 1. Select the Effect field of any row. 2. Press the INS key. A list of effects appears -- as long as the last effect you chose was a screen effect, you will see the screen effects. 3. Select any option, then press the INS key to move it into the Effect field of the current row. The screen effects are one of the four types of effects that you may enter into the Effect field -- screen effects, sound effects, flow control effects, and special effects. If you have recently chosen an option from one of the other types of effects, you must first change the displayed list of effects to the screen effects. Show Partner Lite Page 45 To change the type of effect shown in the Effect list box: 1. Select the Effect field, then click the left button to view a list of options. 2. Press the DEL key, and a list of effect types appears. 3. Select the type of effect you would like to work with, then press the INS key. The list of options for the effect type you have chosen will appear. Filling in the Dir Field The label in the Dir (short for "Direction") field controls the direction of an effect. (Note that many of the effects do not have variable directions; when you enter one such effect, Script Editor will clear the label in the Dir field.) After filling in the Effect field, you may see a default direction appear in the Dir field. If so, you may change the specified direction: move into the Dir field, press INS, then choose a direction from the list that appears. Filling in the Speed and Time Fields Once you have decided upon a picture and how it should appear on screen, the third decision you must make involves the timing by which the image will appear. The options you choose in two fields -- the Speed and Time fields -- control the timing of an effect. The value in the Speed field tells Show Partner Lite how fast to carry out an effect. If the value in the Speed field is "Fast", the speed of the effect depends on the speed of your system -- the same effect will run faster on a speedier machine than on a slow one. If the value in the Speed field is "Minimum" or "Slow," on the other hand, the effect will take the same length of time regardless of the system. To enter a value into the Speed field, select the Speed field, press the INS key (or click the left mouse button) to view a list of available speeds, then select the Speed option you wish to use. Press ENTER. The value in the Time field tells Show Partner Lite how long it should devote to a single effect. Use the Time field to put in any delays your audience will need to absorb the ideas and facts you are presenting. To enter a value in the Time field: Select the Time field of a row, press the INS key (or left mouse button) to increase the value of the Time field increments of 10. Or, if you prefer, enter a number between 0 and 9999. Entering a negative number or a letter in this field results in a value of "Key." That is, the show will pause until a key is pressed. Notes: Values in the TIME column are stated in units of approximately one- tenth of one second. An increment of 10, in other words, is about one second. This is true regardless of the system on which you use Show Partner Lite. CLIPPING A PARTIAL PICTURE Show Partner Lite Page 46 An instruction can act upon a full screen picture or a partial picture. You specify that a given instruction, such as a screen effect or an Article effect, should act upon a partial picture by "clipping" the region that defines your partial picture. To clip a partial picture into a script: 1. Point to any row that has an active picture associated with it. 2. Choose the Clip Block command from the Special menu. The active picture appears on screen. 3. Use the arrow keys (the 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 keys on the numeric keypad) to move the cursor to a point outside the area you want to select, then press the INS key. 4. Move the adjustable box until it is large enough to enclose the area you want to select, then press the INS key. Adjust the blinking cursor until your block is fully enclosed, then press the INS key again. At this point, Script Editor plays back any partial picture effects that occur between the last full picture and the row immediately above the current one. This allows you to see the sequence of partial picture events in a sequence and the frozen frame at the end of the sequence. 5. Select the target within the frozen frame for the block you have selected. 6. Move the rectangular cursor that marks the dimensions of the selected partial picture to the place where you would like it to appear during your show, then press the INS key. Script Editor returns you to the active script. Notice that values have been added to the Location, Size, and Target fields. USING SCRIPT EDITOR WITH GRAFIX EDITOR As you revise your script, you may notice that a picture needs modification. If your system has enough memory for GraFIX Editor and Script Editor to run concurrently, you can use the programs together. To use GraFIX Editor with Script Editor: 1. Start GraFIX Editor, then quit by choosing the Quit and Stay Resident option. 2. When you return to the DOS prompt, start Script Editor. 3. When you want to use GraFIX Editor to modify a picture listed on the picture editing screen, point to the picture filename, then choose the GED command from the Special menu. The picture will appear on your screen. 4. The screen is now under the control of GraFIX Editor. Make any needed modifications to the image, then save it on the disk. Show Partner Lite Page 47 5. When you have finished using GraFIX Editor, choose the Quit command, using the Quit and Stay Resident option. Be sure to save your picture before exiting. If you quit GED without saving your changes, they will be lost. Note that Script Editor will not list newly created .GX2 files until you choose a command from the File menu. (You can force Script Editor to update its file listing by pressing ALT-F.) QUITTING SCRIPT EDITOR To quit Script Editor: 1. Choose the Quit command from the File menu. A dialog box appears. 2. Click the Yes button to quit Script Editor. FILE MENU COMMANDS FILE MENU COMMANDS FILE MENU COMMANDS The File menu commands are used to load and save Script Editor files, change the directory, and quit Script Editor. ___________________________________________________________________________ NEW The New command clears the current script from memory and from the script editing table in preparation for creating a new script. If you have not yet saved your recent changes, Script Editor will give you a chance to do so. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD The Load command loads a script from disk into memory, displaying the script on screen. To load a file from another directory, select the Directory text box and edit the directory pathname. Then point to the Filename text box, press the DEL key, and choose a file from list that appears. Note, however, that the pictures referred to by the script you are loading should be in the current directory (displayed in the status area, below the editing table.) Therefore, you will usually load a script from a different directory by first changing the directory with the Change Dir command, and then the Load command to load the script file. Show Partner Lite Page 48 ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE The Save command saves the active script in the current directory. Script Editor saves the script with the name you used the last time you saved it, and replaces the old copy of the script on the disk. After you choose the Save command, the script remains on the screen so you can continue working on it. You should save your work periodically, because a power interruption or failure may cause you to lose changes you have made since the last time you saved. To save a script for the first time or to save a picture under a different name, choose the Save As command. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE AS The Save As command saves a new script or a new version of an existing script. If the script already has a name, Script Editor proposes it in the filename text box. To accept the proposed name, click the OK button. To save the document under a different name, edit the proposed name or type a new one, then click OK. After you save a script with Save As, it remains on the screen, but its name changes to the name you gave it. ___________________________________________________________________________ PRINT The Print command prints the active script, in part or in full. After choosing the Print command, you are presented with a dialog box. Fill in the starting row number and ending row number of the range you wish to print, or accept the proposed range. Then point to the OK button and press ENTER. ___________________________________________________________________________ CHANGE DIR The Change Dir command lets you change directories when you want to work with the files in another directory. When you choose the Change Dir command, Script Editor presents a dialog box with a single text box. Edit the directory pathname in this box, then click the Proceed button to change the directory. ___________________________________________________________________________ QUIT The Quit command ends a Script Editor session. If you have made changes to your script without saving them, Script Editor presents a dialog box. To exit Script Editor, click the OK button; to save your changes, click the Cancel button to return to the current script, then choose the Save As command and save the script on the disk. Show Partner Lite Page 49 Edit Menu Commands Edit Menu Commands Edit Menu Commands The Edit menu contains commands that allow you to work with more than one row at a time. You can erase, move, or copy a block of rows; and you can save a block to disk or read an existing script file into the editing screen as a block. ___________________________________________________________________________ UNDO The Undo command undoes your most recent editing action. If, for example, you have just changed the contents of the Picture Comment field, choose the Undo command to return to the original contents of the field. ___________________________________________________________________________ COPY ROWS The Copy Rows command is used to copy one or more rows to another location in a script. 1. Move the cursor over the first row to be copied. 2. Press Ctrl-E to open the File menu, press 'C' to highlight the Copy Rows command, then press ENTER. 3. Use the DOWN arrow to highlight the rows you wish to copy, then press ENTER. 4. Move the cursor to the row to which you want to copy your selected rows, then press ENTER. Script Editor copies your selected rows to your specified targets. ___________________________________________________________________________ MOVE ROWS The Move Rows command is used to move one or more rows to another location in a script. Follow the procedures described immediately above for the Copy Rows command to move a row or rows. ___________________________________________________________________________ INSERT ROW The Insert Row command is used to insert a blank row into a script. To insert a row, point to the row that you want to be blank, then choose the Insert Row command. The shortcut to the Insert Row command is Alt-I. ___________________________________________________________________________ ERASE ROWS The Erase Rows command is used to delete one or more rows from the current script. Use this command carefully, since you cannot recover rows once Show Partner Lite Page 50 they are erased. (Follow the procedures described for the Copy Rows command to erase a row or rows.) ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE ROWS The Save Rows command is used to save one or more rows as a script file. 1. Move the highlight to the first row you want to save. 2. Choose the Save Rows command. 3. Use the DOWN arrow keys to highlight the rows you wish to save, then press ENTER. 4. Choose a filename in the dialog box that appears, then press ENTER three times to highlight, and then choose, the OK button. ___________________________________________________________________________ INSERT SCRIPT The Insert Script command is used to insert a script file into the current script. 1. Move the highlight to the row where you wish your inserted script to appear. 2. Choose the Insert Script command. 3. Fill out the dialog box that appears with the filename of the script you wish to insert. 4. Press ENTER three times to highlight, and then choose, the OK button. View Menu Commands View Menu Commands View Menu Commands The View menu commands allow you to view the active script, in part or in full. ___________________________________________________________________________ ALL To view the current script, choose the All command from the View menu. ___________________________________________________________________________ ROWS The Rows command allows you to view the instructions contained in one or more rows. To view one or more rows, select the first or last row you want to view, then choose the Rows command from the View menu. Show Partner Lite Page 51 ___________________________________________________________________________ OPTIMIZE 256 The Optimize 256 command is used to view scripts that contain 256-color pictures. Some programs (particularly GraFIX Editor) will treat the 256-color palette available on MCGA and VGA systems dynamically, changing the palette as drawing commands are performed. This dynamic treatment of the palette may result in a situation were two pictures may have the same colors arranged in a different order within their palettes. The Optimize 256 command consolidates the palettes in 256-color pictures that are used in the same script. This ensures smooth transitions from one 256-color screen to the next. Note that this consolidation takes some time to perform; therefore, the Optimize 256 command displays a script somewhat slower than the All command. Once this consolidation has been performed, however, Show Partner Lite will display your script at its normal speed. Jump Menu Commands Jump Menu Commands Jump Menu Commands The Jump menu commands make it easy to move quickly to specified areas of the active script. ___________________________________________________________________________ TO ROW NUMBER The To Row Number command allows you to quickly move to any row in the current script. To jump to a row, choose to To Row Number command from the Jump menu. Script Editor presents a dialog box. Edit the row number in the dialog box, then click the OK button to jump to the row you entered. ___________________________________________________________________________ TO LOCATION The To Location command allows you to quickly move to the first row containing the specified value in its Loc# field. Location numbers are listed in the Loc# column; they are used for flow control effects like Goto, Loop, and Call. To jump to a location number, choose the To Location command from the Jump menu. Script Editor presents a dialog box. Edit the location number in the dialog box, then click the OK button to jump to the location number you entered. Show Partner Lite Page 52 ___________________________________________________________________________ SEARCH The Search command allows you to search for a label within any specified field of a script. Special Menu Commands Special Menu Commands Special Menu Commands The Special menu contains commands used to create partial picture effects, activate GraFIX Editor from resident memory, quickly build a script of all files on the current directory, or temporarily load the operating system. ___________________________________________________________________________ CLIP BLOCK The Clip Block command allows you to create partial picture effects. Notes: There are many advantages to creating screen effects that affect partial pictures. It allows you to create sequences by which a single screen is built in stages, with parts of the screen added as you specify. Partial picture effects allow you to combine elements from several sources into a single screen. For example, you can take a title from one picture file, a chart from a second, and an image from a third. The first step in creating a partial picture effect is to select the area of a Show Partner Lite picture file that you want to use. After selecting this rectangular area, or block, you will select the area on the screen where this block will appear when your script is viewed. Note: The shortcut to the Clip Block command is to press the PLUS (+) key. An alternative shortcut is to select either the Location, Size, or Target field, then press the INS key (or left mouse button.) DETERMINING THE ACTIVE PICTURE As you create partial picture effects, you determine which picture will be used when Script Editor reaches a given row. There are two simple rules for identifying the active picture: * If a picture filename appears in the Picture Comment field of a given row, then that picture is the active picture. * If a picture filename does not appear in the Picture Comment field of a given row, then the last picture filename to appear in a Picture Comment field above that row is the active picture. The implication of these rules should be clear: you can use the same picture file as the source of images that are displayed in different rows of a script. CREATING AN IMAGE FROM MULTIPLE PICTURE FILES You can build an image that appears in a show by drawing upon the images stored in more than one picture file. The following script animates an image using two different picture files: Show Partner Lite Page 53 ___________________________________________________________________________ Picture Effect Locat Size Target Time ___________________________________________________________________________ FLAGS.GX2 Weave 0,110 67,43 16,156 20 Diag 120,110 63,41 136,156 20 Fade 224,110 67,41 228,156 20 WORLDS.GX2 Scroll 4,26 33,13 4,0 30 ___________________________________________________________________________ ENTERING VALUES IN THE LOCATION, SIZE, AND TARGET FIELDS Although it is preferable to enter values into the Location, Size, and Target fields indirectly in the manner described above, you can type values into these fields. To make minor adjustments after using the Clip Block command, enter values directly. The following provides a brief explanation of what the values in these fields represent: Location: The values in the Location field indicate the pixel coordinates of the upper-left corner of the picture file that serves as the source of the partial picture. Two numbers, separated by a comma, appear in this column after you clip a block. The first refers to the horizontal distance between the upper-left corner of the screen and the upper-left corner of the partial picture; the second refers to the vertical distance between the same two points. Size: The values in the Size field indicate the width and height, in pixels, of the clipped partial picture. Target: The values in the Target field refer to the coordinates where the upper left corner of your partial picture will appear during your presentation. MOVING IMAGES ACROSS THE SCREEN You can also use partial picture effects to create the illusion of movement on your screen. Three of the Script Editor effects -- Scroll, Move, and X- Move -- are very useful when you want to move an object across the screen. SIMULATING MOTION Artistically inclined Show Partner Lite users may find that Script Editor provides the tools needed for some fairly sophisticated animation effects. The basic principles of cartooning can be used to create the illusion that motion is occurring on the screen. For example, you could use the two images contained in the following picture to create the illusion that eyes are opening and closing. <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> ___________________________________________________________________________ GED EDIT Show Partner Lite Page 54 If GraFIX Editor has been loaded into resident memory, you can activate by choosing the GED Edit command. This allows you to edit the picture files that you use in your script. After editing a picture, be sure to save it to your disk in the same directory in which you are creating your script. When you return to the script editing table, press ALT-R to update the internal listing by which Script Editor keeps track of the picture files on the current directory. ___________________________________________________________________________ AUTO-BUILD The Auto Build Command allows you to build a script automatically using all of the picture files on the current directory. Script Editor will place the filenames of these pictures in the Picture Comment field, arranging them in alphabetical order. You can then use the Move and Copy commands to form the script you want. ___________________________________________________________________________ KEYBOARD HELP The Keyboard Help command displays a box listing the keystrokes that are equivalent to choosing commands from the Script Editor menus. ___________________________________________________________________________ SYSTEM The System command allows you to temporarily exit Script Editor and work with MS-DOS. After choosing the System command, the operating system displays its prompt, informing you that you are at its command line. You can enter any commands that you would ordinarily type at the operating system command line; as long as there is enough memory to carry out your command, DOS will do so. You can use the System command to perform tasks such as copying Show Partner Lite files into the current directory. When you want to return to Script Editor, type exit and press ENTER. Note: You should always save the current script before choosing the System command. In the event that you issue a command that halts your system, the changes you have made to the current script will be preserved on the disk. Show Partner Lite Page 55 Chapter 7: Show Partner Lite Effect Reference In Chapters 6 and 7 you learned about Slide Show Editor and Script Editor, the two Show Partner Lite programs that assemble a set of screens into presentations. You learned to create slide shows and scripts by filling out the rows in the editing screens used by slide Show Editor and Script Editor. This chapter is devoted entirely to one field in the slide show and script editing screens: the Effect field. The reason for this is simple: your ability to create memorable and effective presentations depends upon your use of the Show Partner Lite effects. ___________________________________________________________________________ SHOW PARTNER LITE EFFECTS: AN OVERVIEW Each row in a Show Partner Lite slide show or script is a separate event in your presentation. A row may display a color graphics screen with a Replace effect, or it may fade a text screen over another. One row might display a screen of choices, while the next row waits for you to press a key and then branches depending on what key you press. The following screen illustrates a slide show that uses a variety of different screen effects: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> There are four types of Show Partner Lite effects: screen effects, which are available in both Slide Show Editor and Script Editor; and sound effects, flow control effects, and special effects, which are available only in Script Editor. ___________________________________________________________________________ Effect Type: Description: ___________________________________________________________________________ Screen Effects One screen is replaced by another by means of a screen effect. The simplest screen effect is Replace, where one screen replaces another as quickly as your system allows. The more complex screen effects, like Diagonal, Wipe, Move, and X- Move, dissolve one screen into another in a pattern and/or direction. Sound Effects As a screen is displayed, your system's speaker makes a noise like a bomb, slide, or a random noise. Show Partner Lite Page 56 Flow Control Effects Instead of continuing from row to row in a straight sequence, a slide show or script will branch to a different row or even to a different slide show or script. Special Effects The Special effects are used to directly manipulate colors and palettes as a picture is displayed in a presentation. ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Screen Effects Show Partner Lite Screen Effects Show Partner Lite Screen Effects The most basic type of Show Partner Lite effect is the screen effect. A screen effect causes one of your pictures to replace another in a specified pattern and direction. There are fourteen Show Partner Lite screen effects shared by Slide Show Editor and Script Editor. The only difference between the two programs in how they use screen effects is that, whereas Slide Show Editor can perform screen effects only on full screens, Script Editor can use a screen effect to replace one partial screen with another. ___________________________________________________________________________ REPLACE The Replace effect is by far the simplest of the screen effects; it replaces one screen with another by means of a direct overlay. This effect occurs as fast as your hardware allows. Note: Replace is the effect to use to create fast animation, screen clearing, or anything else you would like to occur at the fastest possible speed. ___________________________________________________________________________ WIPE The Wipe effect causes the new picture to overlay the old in a specified direction, beginning at one of four edges of your full or partial picture. The valid directions for a Wipe effect are Up, Down, Left, and Right. Note: Wipe is much like Replace, except that it recognizes values in the Direction and Speed fields. ___________________________________________________________________________ H-SPLIT The H-Split effect replaces the old picture with the new one, splitting the screen in half along the horizontal axis. The result is that the screen will split either towards or away from the center of the screen. The valid directions for an H-Split effect are In and Out. ___________________________________________________________________________ V-SPLIT Show Partner Lite Page 57 The V-Split effect replaces the old picture with the new one by splitting the screen in half along the vertical axis. The result is a split screen towards the top or bottom of the screen. The valid directions for the V- Split effect are In and Out. ___________________________________________________________________________ SCROLL A full or partial picture forces the old picture off screen in a specified direction, beginning at one of four edges of your picture. The valid directions are Up, Down, Left, and Right. In the PLANE.SPS script found on your Learning/Clip-Art disk, a Scroll effect is used to move an airplane across the screen: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> To view this script, insert the Learning/Clip-Art disk in a drive, and load the script file called plane into Script Editor. Then choose Script from the View menu. Note: When used with a partial picture, the Scroll effect works by forcing another partial picture off the screen, proceeding in the direction specified in the Dir field; as it forces the partial picture off the screen, it replaces it with the partial picture specified in the Location and Size fields. ___________________________________________________________________________ FADE New picture overlays the old, following a random pattern. Note: If you wish to use a Fade effect against a black background rather than against the picture developed in previous steps in your show, insert a Clear instruction in the row prior to using the Fade effect. ___________________________________________________________________________ BOX In a Box effect a full or partial picture appears over the old one as four sides of the box move towards or away from the center of the picture. The valid directions for the Box effect are In and Out. ___________________________________________________________________________ DIAGONAL The Diagonal effect replaces the old picture by bringing the new one on screen along a straight, diagonal line that proceeds towards one corner of the screen. The diagonal line will move towards the corner specified in the Dir column; the valid directions are UL (Upper Left), DL (Down Left), UR ( Upper Right), and DR (Down Right.) Show Partner Lite Page 58 ___________________________________________________________________________ WEAVE The Weave effect moves a picture on to the screen from two directions at once. It moves the first row of pixels -- and every odd row as well -- from the left of the screen towards the center, while moving the second row of pixels -- and every even row -- from the right of the screen towards the center. In effect, the new picture forces the old one off the screen in two directions simultaneously, with even lines being pushed to the left, odd lines to the right of your full or partial picture. ___________________________________________________________________________ MOVE The Move effect takes a partial picture and moves it from its original location in the picture file to the target specified in the Target field. Note: Pixels in the path of the partial picture's movement on the screen are erased. ___________________________________________________________________________ X-MOVE Partial picture moves from original position on picture file to target specified in the Target column. Note: Pixels in the path of the partial picture's movement on the screen are not erased. The Move and X-Move effects work somewhat differently than the Scroll effect. The most important feature of Move and X-Move is that the partial picture moves from the screen coordinate in the Location field to that specified in the Target field, proceeding in a straight line. (Recall that all other screen effects use the value in the Location field only to determine what to clip from the active picture, and do not use this value to determine where the image appears in the show.) ___________________________________________________________________________ SHAKE The Shake effect moves a picture onto the screen with what amounts to a Replace effect; as soon as the new image appears, however, it begins to "shake." ___________________________________________________________________________ DRIP The Drip effect moves a picture onto the screen one row at a time in a manner that makes it appear that the image is "dripping" towards the specified direction. ___________________________________________________________________________ SPIRAL Show Partner Lite Page 59 The Spiral effect replaces a picture by moving a new picture onto the screen in a circular direction. The valid directions are clockwise (Clkw) and counterclockwise (Cntr). ___________________________________________________________________________ HALF The Half effect places a graphics-based picture on the upper or lower half of the screen, leaving the remainder of the screen for a different graphics-based picture. Note that this effect does not work with character-based screens. ___________________________________________________________________________ QUAD The Quad effect places a graphics-based picture in one of four quadrants of the screen, leaving the other three quadrants free for other Quad effects. Note that this effect does not work with character-based screens. Show Partner Lite Sound Effects Show Partner Lite Sound Effects Show Partner Lite Sound Effects You can add one of the Show partner sound effects to any row in a script simply by typing its name into the Effect field. If you prefer, you can also choose a sound effect from a list containing only sound effects. ___________________________________________________________________________ NOISE The Noise effect causes random frequencies to be transmitted by the on- board speaker. ___________________________________________________________________________ SLIDE The Slide effect causes sound to move from one end of the speaker's frequency range to the other end. The valid directions for the Slide effect are Up and Down. ___________________________________________________________________________ BOMB The Bomb effect causes sound to move from the high end of the speaker's frequency range to the low end, with the sound of an explosion following. Show Partner Lite Flow Control Effects Show Partner Lite Flow Control Effects Show Partner Lite Flow Control Effects When displaying a show, Show Partner Lite normally processes the instructions it finds in a script by beginning at the first row and continuing until each row in the script has been processed. However, Script Editor allows you to manipulate the flow of a script. To change the sequence by which Show Partner Lite displays the instructions in a script, you use one of the flow control effects. Show Partner Lite Page 60 ___________________________________________________________________________ Menu Branches to a location following input from keyboard. Use it to offer choices to viewers. Your shows can include menu screens that present your viewers with the opportunity to choose what they'd like to view next. Two things are required for a menu effect to operate properly: * A picture screen that presents the viewer with choices. You create this screen with CAPTURE or GraFIX Editor. * The logic that controls the branching to locations and possibly the return to the menu screen. This logic is created with Script Editor. The following is an example of the correct syntax for a menu effect: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ MENU.GX2 Replace Fast 0 ABQ$ Menu 200 A Page A.SPS Script B Page B.SPS Script Q Page End ___________________________________________________________________________ The first row displays the screen that presents the viewer with a menu of choices. The row containing the Menu effect forces the script to wait until a key is pressed, and compares it against the three valid keys -- A, B, and Q. (It will wait 20 seconds for a valid key before continuing). After Show Partner Lite branches to page A, B, or Q, it begins to process the instructions found in the rows that follow those pages. Notice that there are three page effects in this script. A page effect requires an argument that matches one of the characters in a string specified by the Menu effect; this character must be the very first character in the Picture Comment field of the row containing the Page effect. ___________________________________________________________________________ PAGE The Page effect acts as a target for PgUp and PgDn keys or for a Menu effect. PAGE EFFECTS AS TARGETS FOR PGUP AND PGDN If the viewer presses the PgUp key when a script is running, Show Partner Lite searches from the current line towards the beginning of the current script for a Page effect; when it finds a Page effect, it resumes from the Show Partner Lite Page 61 subsequent line. A press of the PgDn key, and Show Partner Lite searches towards the end of the script for a Page effect, resuming execution of the script at the row following the Page effect if found. If the viewer presses PgUp or PgDn when a script with no Page effects is open, Show Partner Lite starts the script from the beginning. If you use Page effects as targets for PgUp and PgDn keys, make sure you inform the viewer of what will happen if these keys are pressed. You should inform the user when you create Page effects to serve as targets for PgUp and PgDn keys. PAGE EFFECTS AS TARGETS FOR A MENU EFFECT The second important use of Page effects is as targets for a Menu effect. The string in the Picture Comment field of a Menu effect contains a list of the keystrokes that cause Show partner to branch. You should create one Page effect for each valid key. (See the description of the Menu effect, above, for an example of the correct use of Page effects for this purpose.) ___________________________________________________________________________ EXECUTE Script Editor allows you to execute any program you would ordinarily start from the operating system prompt, as long as that file is on the current directory or in the current path and there is enough memory to run the program. MS-DOS has two types of executable files, that is, files that can be executed from the DOS prompt or by calls from within other applications such as Script Editor or FXSHOW. These files must have a file extension of either .COM or .EXE. Notes: Executable files can come from either of two sources: you can create one yourself, using a compiler, or you can purchase one from a third party. Although you don't think of them as such, the software you use everyday like Lotus 1-2-3 and WordPerfect are in fact executable files. The following example will change the directory, then start Lotus 1-2-3: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ cd \lotus Command 123.exe Execute ___________________________________________________________________________ When Script Editor runs your script, it will pass control to the specified application. When that application ends, control will be returned to the script that called the application. As long as system memory is sufficient, any executable file that can be run from the DOS prompt can also be run from within a script. Note: When planning the transition from your show to an outside executable file, be sure to have your outside program return the screen to the same graphics mode in which it received control from SHOW or Script Editor, and Show Partner Lite Page 62 that it sets the screen back to the same mode when passing control back to the show. Otherwise, subsequent rows in the script may not be displayed. A Note to programmers: If you are writing programs to be used with the Execute effect, you can exercise come flow control over the script by supplying a Show Partner Lite return code when your program ends. Here is a list of the return codes Show Partner Lite recognizes: ___________________________________________________________________________ Return Code Effect ___________________________________________________________________________ 160 Simulate ESC key press 161 Simulate PgUp key press 162 Simulate PgDn key press 163 . . . 239 Goto Loc# 163 . . . 239 ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ GOTO The Goto effect causes a script to branch unconditionally to the location number found in the Picture Comment field. The primary use of the Loop effect is to force Show Partner Lite to repeat rows. You might, for instance, want to display a menu several different times. Or you may want to repeat a sequence repeatedly to create a blinking effect. The following example shows two ways to use a Goto effect. The Goto effect in Row 4 returns the user to the menu after an error message, the Goto effects in Rows 8 and 12 return the user to the menu after calls to subroutines found at Loc# 30 and 40, respectively. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ MENU1.GX2 10 Replace 0 AB$ Menu 20 ERROR1.GX2 Replace 10 Goto A Page 30 Call 10 Goto B Page 40 Call 10 Goto ___________________________________________________________________________ The major drawback to the Goto effect is that as an unconditional branching effect, it is inflexible. For example, you can unwittingly create an infinite loop that forces you to end your script prematurely. Show Partner Lite Page 63 Note: The most common use of Goto is to return the viewer to a menu after a choice has been carried out by Script Editor. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD In any presentation there are bound to be times when you need to give your viewer a little time to absorb the information on the screen. You can concentrate disk access in this time by using the Load effect. The Load effect can be set up in several different ways. * If you put a duration in the Time field of the Load effect, the time spent accessing disk will never exceed that value. * If you include a number in the Picture Comment field with a Load effect, the specified number of files which will be loaded -- as long as there is enough free memory to do so. For example, if you wanted to load the next 10 files into memory but didn't want to spend any longer than 5 seconds reading the disk, you would create the following instructions: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ 10 Load 50 ___________________________________________________________________________ Note: A TIME of KEY or 0 in the Time field of a Load effect means that time is not critical for the load. If enough memory is available, the number of files specified in the Picture Comment field will be loaded. ___________________________________________________________________________ SCRIPT The Script effect passes control unconditionally to a second script, which is then run in its entirety. Notes: You can link scripts together with the Script effect, which passes control from one script to another. There are two important uses for Script effects: * They allow you to create Show Partner Lite presentations greater than 400 rows in length (the limit for a single script). * They allow you to divide a show into modules that can be used repeatedly. If your show consists of numerous scripts that are linked with Script effects, it becomes easy to use each script again -- all you have to do is use a Script effect in another script to link the two together. The following script presents the viewer with a menu and branches to one of three scripts depending upon whether the viewer presses A, B, or C. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE EFFECT DIR TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Page 64 MENU.GX2 V-Split Out 0 ABC$ Menu Key A Page SCRIPTA.SPS Script B Page SCRIPTB.SPS Script C Page SCRIPTC.SPS Script ___________________________________________________________________________ When Show Partner Lite encounters a row containing a valid Script effect, it immediately begins to run the script named in the Picture Comment field. When Show Partner Lite encounters a row containing a valid Script effect, it immediately begins to run the script named in the Picture Comment field. When it finishes running the specified script, Script Editor returns to the editing screen. Note that it will do so without running any rows below the one containing the Script effect. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOOP The Loop effect causes the script to branch to a location a specific number of times, then passes control to the subsequent row. The following script displays PIC1 and PIC2, loops to the top of the script (Loc# 50) three times, and then continues by displaying PIC3. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ PIC1.GX2 50 Weave Fast 10 PIC2.GX2 Fade Medium 10 50,3 Loop PIC3.GX2 Replace Fast 20 ___________________________________________________________________________ Like Goto, a Loop effect redirects the flow of a script to a location number specified in the Picture Comment field; the difference is that the Loop effect causes Show Partner Lite to keep count of the number of times the row containing the Loop effect is reached during a script. When the specified number is reached, the script stops looping to the location number and continues on to the next row in the script. There are two obvious uses for a Loop effect: * You can use the Loop effect to replace one image with another any number of times, thus creating a blinking effect. * You can alternate between two images in quick succession, thus creating the illusion that sustained motion is taking place. ___________________________________________________________________________ COMMAND Show Partner Lite Page 65 The Command effect passes the label in the Picture Comment field to the operating system for evaluation. If the instruction is valid, the operating system carries it out; it not, the instruction will not be carried out. Notes: Use the Command effect to perform such operations as copying files, changing the drive or directory, listing files, running an executable file with command line parameters, etc. There are other files that can run from the operating system, yet they are not standard executable files. The DIR and CHDIR commands, as well as batch files, are good examples of such files. Script Editor also allows you to link to batch files and MS-DOS commands by adding a Command effect. One use of a Command effect might be to change the directory while a script is running. You would do this if you wanted to link your script to one located on a different directory. The following script provides an example of a valid Command effect. If the user presses C when the menu is on the screen, the script branches to Page C, where a batch file called BACKUP.BAT is run. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT EFFECT SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ MENU.GX2 Replace Fast 0 ABC$ Menu Key A Page SCRIPTA.PRO Script B Page SCRIPTB.PRO Script C Page BACKUP Command ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ CALL AND RETURN The Call effect calls the Script Editor subroutine located at the location number specified in the Picture Comment field. In many cases, you'll use this in conjunction with a Menu effect. The Return effect returns from a Script Editor subroutine, to the line from which the subroutine was called. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ 10 Call . . . End PICA.GX2 10 Fade Fast 10 PICB.GX2 Wipe Right Fast 10 Return Show Partner Lite Page 66 ___________________________________________________________________________ Notes: One of the most powerful features of Script Editor is its ability to create and call subroutines. A subroutine is simply a self-contained sequence of rows that may be called from anywhere in a script. The first row of the subroutine should contain a number in the Loc# field; this location number will serve as the target of the Call effect. The final row of the subroutine should contain a Return effect; this instructs Show Partner Lite to return to the line from which the subroutine was called. Between the first and final rows of the subroutine, you can add any Script Editor instruction. Each time the subroutine is called, Show Partner Lite will process those instructions. You should place all subroutines in a single area of your script, perhaps at the very end; you should also place a flow control effect -- such as End, Script, or Goto -- in front of the rows containing the subroutines. Following these practices will prevent the unwanted entry by Show Partner Lite into your subroutines. ___________________________________________________________________________ END The End effect terminates a script, returning your viewer to the operating system if FXSHOW is running your presentation. Notes: Use an End effect with a Menu effect to offer the viewer the chance to quit viewing your show and return to the operating system. ___________________________________________________________________________ ESCKY The EscKy effect causes an unconditional branch to the row following the EscKy effect when the viewer presses ESC as your presentation is running. This alters the normal role of the ESC key, which is to end the presentation. Show Partner Lite Page 67 The following script will repeat from the beginning when ESC is pressed: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ EscKy PICA.GX2 Replace . . . ___________________________________________________________________________ Notes: For an EscKy effect to work properly, it must be present in the script file that is open when the user presses ESC. Therefore, it you wish the ESC key to return your viewer to a main menu from any script accessible from the menu, an EscKy effect must be created in each script called from the main script. You should only use one EscKy effect per script; Show Partner Lite will ignore all but the first one it finds. Since ESC is the normal way for your viewer to end a presentation, make sure that you provide a means (perhaps a menu with an End effect as a choice) for your viewer to stop the show. Show Partner Lite Special Effects Show Partner Lite Special Effects Show Partner Lite Special Effects The special effects give you a varied assortment of tools for enhancing your Show Partner Lite scripts. Each of the Special effects requires an argument in the Picture Comment field. The arguments they require and the way that each flow control effect is used are explained in this section. To choose a special effect: 1. Move the highlight into the Effect field. 2. Press the INS key to view a list of the effects that are currently available. 3. Press the DEL key to view a list of effect types. 4. Select the Special Effect option, then press the INS key. Script Editor displays a list of the special effects. 5. Select the effect you wish to enter into the script, then press the INS key to move it into the Effect field of the current row. ___________________________________________________________________________ CHANGING COLORS WITH THE SPECIAL EFFECTS Four special effects -- PalShf, PalLoad, ColShf, and ColLoad -- allow you to change the color of a picture while it appears on screen. These effects work only on IBM color graphics systems in modes that allow for color and palette effects. These modes are: * 320 x 200 resolution, 4 colors Show Partner Lite Page 68 * 640 x 350 resolution, 16 colors (of a 64-color palette) * 640 x 480 resolution, 16 colors (of a 64-color palette) * 320 x 200, 256 colors (of a 262,144-color palette) Pictures created in other modes will not be affected by any of these effects. ___________________________________________________________________________ PALSHF The PalShf effect allows you to shift through the foreground colors available in a given mode. To add a PalShf effect: 1. Enter PalShf into the Effect field, then enter the number of times you want the palette to shift into the Picture Comment field of the same row. For example, the following script will cause your show to change the palette of a picture called PIC1 six times: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ PIC1.GX2 Replace Fast 10 6 PalShf ___________________________________________________________________________ The PalShf effect has a special function when working with 256-color pictures on systems with MCGA or VGA graphics. When working with such pictures, you may add a second and third number, separated by commas, in the Picture Comment field. When the two additional numbers are present they define the starting and ending color numbers that will participate in the shift. If the two extra numbers are missing, the effect will shift all 256 colors. In the following example, the first 10 colors in the 256PIC.GX2 picture are shifted fifteen times. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ 256PIC.GX2 Replace Fast 10 15,1,10 PalShf ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ PALLOAD The PalLoad effect allows you to change the color of the current screen to a palette defined in a palette file. (Palette files are created with GraFIX Editor's Save Palette command.). Show Partner Lite Page 69 The palette file must be created in the same mode as the current screen for this effect to operate properly. For example, a palette file created in EGA Mode 16 must be used with a screen created in the same mode. To add a PalLoad effect: 1. Enter PalLoad into the Effect field, then enter the filename of a palette file on the current directory into the Picture comment field of the same row. For example, the following script change the palette of a 256-color screen called 256KICK to the colors found in the palette file, PALEX.256 (256- color palettes have the .256 extension; other palettes have the .CLR extension): ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ 256KICK.GX2 Scroll Up Fast 20 PALEX.256 PalLoad ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ COLSHF The ColShf effect allows you to shift one of the colors on the current screen to another color, and to continue shifting to other colors a specified number of times. Notes: The syntax of the label you'll add to the Picture Comment field depends upon the number of available colors in the mode in which the current picture is displayed. The syntax is as follows: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ colornumber,n ColShf ___________________________________________________________________________ (where colornumber is in the range 0 to 3 for four-color pictures, 0 to 16 for sixteen-color pictures, and 0 to 255 for 256-color pictures, and where n is the number of shifts desired.) The valid directions for the ColShf effect are Fwd (for Forward) and Bwd (for Backward). In 320 x 200, 4-color mode, only the background color can be shifted. (Use the PalShf effect to shift the foreground colors.) For example, the following instruction will cause the background color (Color 0 on a screen created on a CGA system) to shift 16 times: Show Partner Lite Page 70 ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ 0,16 ColShf ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ COLCHG The ColChg effect allows you to change one color on a screen to another, as long as the screen was created in one of the color graphics modes in which this is allowed. (For a list of these modes, see above, "Changing colors with the Special effects." The syntax for a ColChg effect is as follows: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ c1,c2 ColChg ___________________________________________________________________________ where c1 is the color to be changed and c2 is the number corresponding to the color you wish to change to. C1 must be in the range 0 to 3 for four- color pictures, 0 to 16 for sixteen-color pictures, and 0 to 255 for 256- color pictures. C2 must be in the range 0 to 3 for four-color palettes. On EGA and VGA systems, C2 represents an RGB number, a three digit integer where the first integer represents the red component, the second integer represents the green component, and the third integer represents the blue component of the number. The following table lists some RGB numbers and the colors they represent: ___________________________________________________________________________ RGB number Represents this color ___________________________________________________________________________ 000 Black 100 Red 010 Green 001 Blue 111 White ___________________________________________________________________________ Examples: The following script loads a CGA picture, then changes its background color to blue (Color number 1 in the CGA palette). Show Partner Lite Page 71 ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ CGAPIC.GX2 Replace 20 0,1 ColChg ___________________________________________________________________________ Note that you cannot change the foreground colors (colors 1, 2, or 3) in this mode, which groups colors in fixed sets. The following script loads a picture called HIRES (which may be a 16-color or 256-color picture) and changes the third color in its palette to white: ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ HIRES.GX2 Replace 20 3,111 ColChg ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ COMMENT Use the Comment effect when you want to add a comment to a blank row; remember that comments may be added to the Picture Comment field of any row in a script, as long as a blank space precedes the comment. Note: Script Editor hides other labels on lines containing the Comment effect. ___________________________________________________________________________ INT The Int (for Interrupt) effect is included primarily as a way of interfacing to device drivers (or other resident programs) not directly supported by Show Partner Lite. For those experienced with 8088 assembly language and who desire to interface their code to Show Partner Lite, the following description is provided. The Interrupt effect loads the AX, BX, CX, and DX registers and invokes an interrupt vector. Values are optional for the registers and are decimal numbers of character strings delimited by commas. The following instruction deletes the file named BADFILE.DOC using MS-DOS. ___________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ 33,,,BADFILE.DOC Int ___________________________________________________________________________ The following instruction uses the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) to put the screen in CGA graphics mode: __________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME Show Partner Lite Page 72 ___________________________________________________________________________ 16,4 Int ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 256FADE When a ".256" palette file is named in the Picture Comment field, the direction field of the effect is ignored. Instead, the palette of the screen fades towards the colors in the palette file. For this effect to work properly with palette files, the color consolidation which normally takes place during a 256-color load must be disabled. This is accomplished by loading the initial starting palette (using a PalLoad effect) before the screen effects using the picture to be faded. For example: __________________________________________________________________________ PICTURE COMMENT LOC# EFFECT DIR SPEED TIME ___________________________________________________________________________ START.256 PalLoad MYPIC.GX2 Replace Wipe Drip FADETO.256 256Fade ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Page 73 Chapter 8 Using GraFIX Editor The previous chapters taught you to put together presentations using CAPTURE, Slide Show Editor, and Script Editor. You learned how to "capture" screens from your other MS-DOS software and how to assemble them into slide shows and scripts. In this, the final chapter of your User's Guide, you'll learn about GraFIX Editor, the Show Partner Lite program that edits your graphics screens. ___________________________________________________________________________ GRAFIX EDITOR: AN OVERVIEW GraFIX Editor is a "paint" program that operates in nearly a dozen graphics modes on IBM Personal Computers, IBM Personal Systems, and compatible systems. Its purpose is to create screens for later use in presentations; once you've created a screen, you can print it out on one of many popular printers, or save it on disk for later use by your Show Partner Lite slide shows and scripts. GraFIX Editor features a pull-down menu interface that works well with the keyboard or with a Microsoft Mouse; ideally, your system will include both input devices and you will learn to put each to its best use. Your keyboard or mouse helps you add text and graphics to the picture editing screen upon which your menus will appear. Using GraFIX Editor, you can: * Change a captured screen from one graphics mode to another. For instance, you can transform a 4-color chart into a chart with 256 colors -- if your system's graphics hardware allows you to do so. * Add text in a variety of fonts and colors. GraFIX Editor allows you to add headlines or any detailed information you wish to present. * You can add boxes, lines, circles, or freeform figures. GRAPHICS MODES To be productive with GraFIX Editor, it is helpful for you to understand a few fundamentals concerning the modes in which IBM Personal Computers and Personal Systems display information on a display monitor. An IBM PC or PS/2 can display information in either of two ways: * IBM PCs and PS/2s can display information in graphics mode. In one of these modes -- and there are more than a dozen graphics modes supported by GraFix Editor, images are created out of pixels that can be set to a variety of colors. You can use GraFIX Editor to create and modify these graphics images. * IBM PC's and PS/2s can also display information in character mode. In this mode, used by applications like Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect, dBASE III Plus, etc., the screen is divided into twenty-five rows and eight columns. Any of 256 characters can appear in any location within this 25 x 80 grid; but only those characters defined in the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) can appear in these locations. Show Partner Lite Page 74 You can capture screens displayed in character mode with CAPTURE; however, GraFIX Editor cannot edit character screens. GRAPHICS MODES SUPPORTED BY GRAFIX EDITOR GraFIX Editor now supports a variety of graphics modes . . . Its Mode menu commands allow you to easily translate an image from one graphics mode to another mode supported by your graphics card . . . The following section lists the IBM and Hercules graphics modes supported by GraFIX Editor. CGA Modes If your system includes an IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) or a compatible display adapter, it can display graphics in either of two graphics modes: * 320 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 4-color * 640 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 2-color EGA Modes * 320 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 4-color * 640 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 2-color * 320 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 16-color * 640 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 16-color * 640 horizontal by 350 vertical pixels, monochrome * 640 horizontal by 350 vertical pixels, 16-color MCGA Modes If your system is an IBM Personal System/2, it can display graphics in at least the following two graphics modes, which IBM calls its Multi Color Graphics Array (MCGA): * 320 horizontal by 200 vertical pixels, 256-color * 640 horizontal by 480 vertical pixels, 2-color VGA Modes And if your Personal System/2 includes Video Graphics Array (VGA) capabilities, it can display each of the graphics modes listed above, plus a special high-resolution mode: * 640 horizontal by 480 vertical pixels, 16-color Hercules Mode Show Partner Lite Page 75 If your system includes an Hercules Monochrome Adapter or a compatible display adapter, it can display graphics in a single graphics mode: * 720 horizontal by 348 vertical pixels, monochrome VGA Modes And if your PC or PS/2 includes Video Graphics Array (VGA) capabilities, it can display each of the graphics modes listed above, plus a special high- resolution mode: * 640 horizontal by 480 horizontal pixels, 16-color ___________________________________________________________________________ GRAFIX EDITOR: BASIC TASKS As you work with GraFIX Editor, you'll perform certain basic tasks repeatedly; these basic tasks are described in this section. STARTING GRAFIX EDITOR To start GraFIX Editor: 1. Insert your Program disk in drive A. 2. Type a:ged and press ENTER The GED editing screen appears: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> THE GED EDITING SCREEN After you start GraFIX Editor (FXGED.EXE), a menu bar appears at the top of a blank screen, listing the menus from which you can choose commands. The blank screen you see is the picture editing screen. This is the screen to which you will add freehand figures, boxes, circles and other shapes, as well as text in a variety of sizes, type styles, and colors. Once you have loaded a picture into the editing screen, you can choose commands from the menus that will appear on top of the image you're working on. The size of the menus depends upon he resolution of the image. For example, if you've loaded a picture captured from AutoCAD on a high- resolution system, your menus will occupy a smaller amount of space than if you're working with a screen of lower resolution. Show Partner Lite Page 76 CHOOSING COMMANDS FROM MENUS To choose any of the GraFIX Editor commands, you must first open the menu containing the command, then highlight the command and press ENTER. Opening a menu is easy once you have understood a few simple rules: * To bring the GraFIX Editor menu bar to the screen, press the DEL key. To pull down a menu, highlight the title of that menu by sliding across the bar with the arrow keys. Press ENTER to open the highlighted menu. * To select a command from an open menu, move the highlight with the arrow keys. Press ENTER to choose the highlighted command. * To open a different menu, press the DEL key to close the open menu, then use the procedures described immediately above to choose a command from the menu. And closing menus is easy as well. * To exit a menu, press the DEL key. To exit the menu bar, press DEL again. For example, to choose the Load command from the File menu: 1. Press the DEL key to make the menu bar appear. 2. With the File menu highlighted, press the INS key to choose the File menu. 3. Use the DOWN arrow key to highlight the Load command. 4. Press the INS key to choose the Load command. ADDING GRAPHICS TO THE PICTURE You'll create pictures with GraFIX Editor by doing such things as freehand drawing and adding circles, lines, and boxes to the image you see on screen. To specify the editing tool that should be used (Freehand, Box, Line, etc.), you choose a command from the Edit menu. To perform an action upon a rectangular area of the screen, you first choose a command like Cut or Copy, then select the area to be cut or copied. And to modify the colors of the images you see on screen, you'll use the commands on the Color menu. Finally, to translate the image on screen from one graphics mode to another, you'll use the commands from the Mode menu. UNDOING AN ACTION After adding to your picture you may find it necessary to undo the change. You can undo your most recent action as long as you do so immediately. To undo an editing action: Show Partner Lite Page 77 1. Press the BACKSPACE key. Note that as soon as you press the DEL key (or right mouse button) to turn on the menu bar it becomes impossible to undo an action. ADDING TEXT TO THE PICTURE You can add text to your pictures in many different sizes, type styles, and colors. You can add text to the picture editing screen by simply moving the cursor to a starting point and then typing; there's no need to choose a special command from a menu. To add text when the menus are open, press the DEL key until they are closed. Use the arrow keys to point to the location where you'd like your text to begin. Begin typing. To start a new line, press ENTER. The cursor will drop down one line so that it is in the same column as the first character you typed. Until you change it, this column is your left margin. Each time you press the ENTER key when adding to the picture editing screen, the cursor moves down one line and to the current left margin. GraFIX Editor makes the last place where you began to enter text the left margin. Pressing the DEL key to open the menus, on the other hand, will remove the left margin. Changing the left margin, then, is easy to do. Press the DEL key twice to open and then close the menu bar. Point to your new left margin and begin entering text. When you press the ENTER key, you'll see that GraFIX Editor has changed the left margin. If you make a mistake when entering a line of text, press the BACKSPACE key to delete unwanted characters. Note that once you press the ENTER key to begin a new line, you can no longer use the BACKSPACE key to delete text entered on the previous line. You can delete up to 100 characters on a single line by pressing the BACKSPACE key after typing characters. Once you open the menus, however, you can no longer use the BACKSPACE key to delete characters. Instead, you'll use the Erase command, found on the Edit menu. When you enter text into a picture editing screen, the style in which the characters you type will appear depends upon the type style, or font, that is currently selected. When first started, GraFIX Editor uses a font called CHICAGO. You can choose a different font with the Text Format command. USING GRAFIX EDITOR WITH SCRIPT EDITOR GraFIX Editor may also be used while you are using Script Editor. If your system has enough memory, you can load GraFIX Editor into resident memory behind Script Editor. Then, with a simple Script Editor command, you can call GraFIX Editor forward to edit your graphics without exiting Script Editor. Show Partner Lite Page 78 File Menu Commands File Menu Commands File Menu Commands The File menu commands are used to load and save files, load a file into the area of memory called "Screen 2," change the directory, and quit GraFIX Editor. ___________________________________________________________________________ NEW The New command blanks the image on the screen, giving you a clean screen to work with. Since this command removes the current image from memory, make sure you've saved your work to disk if you plan to use it again. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD . . . The Load . . . command loads a picture file from disk and displays it on the picture editing screen. To open an existing picture file stored on the current directory: 1. Choose the Load command from the File menu. 2. Point to the Filename box and press the DEL key to view a list of Show Partner Lite picture files on the current directory. 3. Highlight the name of the file you wish to load, then press ENTER. 4. Press TAB to highlight the Load command button, then press ENTER. To load a picture from a directory that is not the current directory, point to the Directory text box and enter a different directory name. Then follow the steps listed above to load the file from the directory you have selected. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE The Save command saves the active picture on the current directory. Notes: All the information you add to a Show Partner Lite screen stays in your computer's memory until you save it in a file or quit Show Partner Lite -- or until the power goes off. If there's a power failure, you could lose a lot of work. That's why you should frequently save the work you do on your screen. When you name a Show Partner Lite picture file, you follow the same guidelines you use to name any DOS file. When you save the picture file, Show Partner Lite will add the extension "GX2" for you automatically. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE AS . . . Show Partner Lite Page 79 The Save As . . . command saves new pictures or new versions of existing ones. If another file with the name you've entered is already on the current directory, GraFIX Editor asks if you want to replace it with the file you're saving. You can replace it or cancel the command. GraFIX Editor saves the file with the new name. The original file remains on the disk with its old name. ___________________________________________________________________________ CHANGE DIR The Change Dir command lets you change the default directory used to save and load your GraFIX Editor files. Notes: There are five default directories used by the various GraFIX Editor commands: the picture directory, block file directory, palette file directory, font file directory, and the partial picture directory. You can change each of these directories with the Change Dir command. Picture file directory: Directory used to store the Show Partner Lite picture files created by DOSCAP, WIN3CAP, and GraFIX Editor. Block file directory: Directory used to store the GraFIX Editor block files created by the Save Block command. Palette file directory: Directory used to store the palette files created by the Save Palette command. Font file directory: Directory used to store the fonts included on the Show Partner Lite Program disk. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD BLOCK The Load Block command transfers a block file from disk to your picture screen. Notes: One of the two ways to share images between pictures is to save part of a screen as a block file, and then to load the block file from disk into the picture editing screen. To save a block, see Save Block command below. When you select the Load Block command, a Filename dialog box appears. You can enter a block name in two ways. You can type the name or you can press the DEL key to view a list of the block files on the current directory, then choose a block name from the list. After you enter a block name and click the OK button, a blinking rectangle appears on the picture editing screen. This rectangle represents the block. Move it to any location on the active picture, press the INS key. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE BLOCK The Save Block command saves a block from the picture on your screen in a file on the current directory. Show Partner Lite Page 80 Notes: When you choose the Save Block command, a Filename dialog box appears. Enter a name for the block you intend to select, then click the OK button. A cursor will then appear on the picture editing screen. Move then cursor, then press the INS key to select the first corner of the block, then stretch the expandable box and press the INS key again to select the opposite corner of the block. Adjust the blinking cursor if necessary, then press the INS key to save the block. If, while selecting your block, you notice that you've made a mistake, press the DEL key and start the selection process again. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD SCRN 2 The Load Scrn 2 command allows you to load a different picture onto the screen, then clip a block from this picture and past it into the original picture on the screen. Notes: Although you can open only one picture file at a time in the picture editing screen, you can also open a second picture file in a temporary storage area called Screen 2. Once a picture has been loaded into Screen 2, you can make copies of the images it contains, and then paste these rectangular images into the current picture. 1. The first step in copying an image from Screen 2 into the current picture is to load a picture file from disk into Screen 2. Choose the Load Scrn 2 command from the File menu and view a list of picture files on the current directory, then choose a picture. Or, if you wish, edit the pathname in the Directory text box to change the directory, then view your list of picture files. Load the picture into Screen 2. 3. The picture loaded into Screen 2 appears on your screen. The next step is to select a rectangular block from this picture and then paste it into the current picture. Move the cursor outside the block you wish to copy and press the INS key. Move the expandable box until it is large enough to contain your block, then press the INS key for the second time. 4. Move the blinking box until it contains the block you'd like to copy from Screen 2, then press the INS key. Your active picture appears on screen. Move the box, which represents the block you've selected, anywhere on the screen. Then press the INS key. Your block will be pasted into the location you specified. GraFIX Editor returns you to Screen 2; if you wish, you can clip another block from this picture and paste it into the picture editing screen. If you wish to resume editing your picture, however, press the DEL key to open the GraFIX Editor menus, then choose any menu command. GraFIX Editor will then return you to the current picture. Once you've used the Load Scrn 2 command, the file you chose will remain there until you choose a different picture for Screen 2. While a picture is in Screen 2, you can clip a block from it and paste it into the current picture without using the Load Scrn 2 command. Instead, you choose the Clip Scrn 2 command from the Edit menu. Show Partner Lite Page 81 ___________________________________________________________________________ QUIT The Quit command allows you to quit GraFIX Editor. Notes: After you choose the Quit command, Show Partner Lite presents a dialog box with three options: Quit & Stay Resident: You can quit GraFIX Editor, while leaving it resident in Random Access Memory (RAM). This allows you to begin GraFIX Editor from within other MS-DOS programs, including Script Editor, by pressing the GraFIX Editor trigger keys. Quit Completely: You can quit GraFIX Editor and release the program from memory. Choose this option if you do not wish to use GraFIX Editor in its memory-resident mode after quitting. Do NOT Quit: You can change your mind and return to Show Partner Lite GraFIX Editor. Edit Menu Commands Edit Menu Commands Edit Menu Commands The Edit menu contains commands that allow you to move, copy, erase and edit your pictures. ___________________________________________________________________________ COPY The Copy command duplicates a rectangular block of the current picture and allows you to paste the copy into a new location. Notes: After choosing this command, move the crosshair cursor to a point outside the area you want to move, then press the INS key. Move the expandable box until it is large enough to enclose the block you wish to copy, then press the INS key for the second time. GraFIX Editor begins to operate in adjust mode. Move the blinking box until the area you wish to copy is fully enclosed, then press the INS key a third time. Finally, choose your target. Move the box that represents your block to any location, then press the INS key to carry out the Copy command. The shortcut to the Copy command is Alt-Y. ___________________________________________________________________________ MOVE The Move command allows you to move a rectangular block from one location to another on the current picture screen. Notes: The procedure to move a block is similar to that of copying a block, except that, after choosing the move command, the block you move will not remain in its original location. The shortcut to the Move command is Alt-M. Show Partner Lite Page 82 ___________________________________________________________________________ ERASE The Erase command eliminates a rectangular block from the current picture screen, replacing all pixels in the block with the current background color. Notes: Select the area to erase like you would an area to copy. If you are unsure whether or not you will like the results of your erasure, save the picture before you execute this command. The shortcut for the Erase command is Alt-E. ___________________________________________________________________________ ZOOM The Zoom command allows you to edit the picture elements, or pixels, that make up your picture. Notes: To zoom in and edit, choose the Zoom command and then using the arrow keys select the block you want to edit. The PgDn, PgUp, End and Home keys will move the zoom box diagonally. When you've selected your area, press the INS key. The block you selected is now magnified: each rectangle you see represents a single pixel. The box in the upper left-hand corner represents the true size and appearance on screen of your zoom area. To choose a color to draw with, press the Del key. Your current palette will appear. Use the arrow keys to select the color you want; then press the Ins key. Now each time you press the Ins key you will change the pixel the cursor is on to the color you chose. If you hold down the INS key as you move the cursor, each pixel in the cursor's path will change color. To exit the Zoom screen, press ESCAPE. The shortcut to the Zoom command is Alt-Z. ___________________________________________________________________________ UPEND The Upend command flips a rectangular block on its horizontal axis. Notes: You can use the Upend command to flip a rectangular block of any size, including one as large as the current picture. After selecting the block you want to flip, choose the area into which to paste your upended block, then press the INS key. The shortcut to the Upend command is Alt-U. ___________________________________________________________________________ REFLECT The Reflect command creates a mirror image of a rectangular block. Show Partner Lite Page 83 Notes: GraFIX Editor reflects a block by flipping it on its vertical axis. After selecting the block you want to flip, choose the area into which to paste your mirrored block, then press the INS key. ___________________________________________________________________________ ROTATE The Rotate command lets you select and rotate a rectangular block by 90 degrees clockwise. Notes: After selecting the block you want to rotate, choose the area into which to paste the rotated block, then press the INS key. If it will not fit within the current picture, press the DEL key and begin again. The shortcut to the Rotate command is Alt-R. ___________________________________________________________________________ CENTER The Center command lets you select a rectangular block and center it on the horizontal axis of your screen. Notes: After selecting the block you want to center, GraFIX Editor automatically places it in the center of your screen. If you are centering text on the screen, be sure to select your block so that an equal number of columns are to the left of the first character as to the right of the final character in your block. If the Center commands fails due to improper selection of your block, press the BACKSPACE key before choosing another command to undo the Center command. The shortcut to the Center command is Alt-H. ___________________________________________________________________________ CLIP SCRN 2 The Clip Scrn 2 command lets you clip a block from another screen on disk onto the active screen. Notes: After using the Load Scrn 2 command to load a picture file into Screen 2, you can clip a block from Screen 2 without again using the Load Scrn 2 command. Before you choose the Clip Scrn 2 command, be sure that the disk from which you loaded the picture that is the current Screen 2 is still in the drive, since GraFIX Editor must access this disk before carrying out the Clip Scrn 2 command. Note: The Clip Scrn 2 command behaves slightly differently when you are working in 320 x 200, 256-color graphics mode than other modes. In other modes, the colors of the image to be pasted change to the color of the target picture; this is not so in the 256-color mode. The shades of the incoming image are added to the current palette of the picture, thus preserving the color content of the image you paste to your picture. Show Partner Lite Page 84 ___________________________________________________________________________ TRANSPARENT The Transparent command determines what happens to the color of the pixels in the area where a block is copied or moved. When Transparent is turned off, the image that is copied or moved will completely replace the targeted area. When Transparent is turned on, in contrast, the targeted area is affected only by colored pixels in the pasted block; that is, black pixels in the pasted block will not replace pixels in the targeted area. Draw Menu Commands Draw Menu Commands Draw Menu Commands The Draw menu allows you to choose the type and shape of drawing tools needed to edit your pictures. ___________________________________________________________________________ FREEHAND The Freehand command lets you draw free-form figures. Notes: Hold down the INS key and move the cursor to draw. To draw freehand figures with larger lines, choose the Width command from the Draw menu, then choose Freehand and begin drawing again. The shortcut to the Freehand command is Alt-F. ___________________________________________________________________________ LINE The Line command lets you draw straight lines. Notes: Select one point and press the INS key to set one endpoint. Select the opposite point and press the INS key to set the second endpoint. Your line will connect the endpoints. To draw larger lines, choose the Width command from the Draw menu until the size of your lines is "Medium" or "Large." The Shortcut to the Line command is Alt-L. ___________________________________________________________________________ BOX The Box command lets you create rectangular boxes. Notes: Set one corner by pressing the INS Key, then move the cursor and set the opposite corner before pressing the INS key again. The shortcut to the Box command is Alt-B. ___________________________________________________________________________ CIRCLE The Circle command lets you create circles in the current color and width. Show Partner Lite Page 85 Notes: Set the midpoint of the circle by pressing the INS key, then move the cursor to a point on the perimeter of the circle you wish to create. Press the INS key again and the circle will appear on screen. Select the Repeat command from the Special menu before choosing the Circle command to create a series of circles with a common origin. The shortcut to the Circle command is Alt-C. ___________________________________________________________________________ PAINT The Paint command lets you fill an enclosed area with the current draw color. Notes: Pressing INS will paint an area with the present color. If you pour paint into an area that is not completely enclosed, paint will spill into the surrounding area. Press the ESCAPE key to stop the paint command before it finishes, then press the BACKSPACE key to remove any new paint from your picture. Notes: In most instances, the best way to complete an unfinished shape in preparation for the Paint command is to use the Zoom command, found on the Special menu. The shortcut to the Paint command is Alt-P. ___________________________________________________________________________ REPAINT The Repaint command allows you to change the color of a continuous shape such as a circle or rectangle. Notes: After choosing the Repaint command, select a point on the current picture that belongs to a continuous figure of a single color, then press the INS key. The pixel you selected -- and all contiguous pixels of the same color -- will change to the current draw color. To use the Repaint command with a different draw color, choose the Select Color or Select Pattern command before using Repaint. Repaint should not be used to fill areas unless the area is rectangular; to fill non-rectangular areas, use the Paint command. ___________________________________________________________________________ WIDTH The Width command changes the width of the draw line you use to create lines, boxes, circles, and freehand figures. Notes: Three sizes are available: Small, Medium, and Large. Note: The Width command does not affect the size of text. To change text size, choose the Text Format command from the Special menu. The shortcut to the Width command is Alt-W. Show Partner Lite Page 86 ___________________________________________________________________________ REPEAT The Repeat command allows you to repeat a Draw or Block command. Notes: This is used, for example, to draw a series of circles with the same origin. There you would activate Repeat mode and then begin adding circles to the current picture. To turn the Repeat option off, choose Repeat from the Draw menu. Color Menu Commands Color Menu Commands Color Menu Commands The Color menu commands let you select and alter the draw and paint colors. ___________________________________________________________________________ SELECT COLOR The Select Color command lets you select the draw color from choices suited to your machine. Notes: The text and graphics you add to your picture will appear in the current draw color. You can change the current draw color at any time. The Select Color dialog box shows you what colors are available for your use. (There will always be at least four colors displayed here; it you are using a system that is capable of displaying more colors, there may be as many as sixteen colors displayed in this dialog box.) Move the box over the color you want to draw with, then press the INS key. One of the colors displayed in the Select Color dialog box matches the background color; this color is located at the left edge of the top row. Use the arrow keys to move the box on top of this color, which may be chosen and used like the other available colors. ___________________________________________________________________________ ALTER COLORS The Alter Colors command allows you to alter the colors that are available to you as you work on the current picture. Notes: If you are using GraFIX Editor on a color system, you may be able to change the colors that appear on your screen. If your system supports this feature, you will change the currently available colors with the Alter Colors command. When the Alter Colors dialog box appears on screen, move the box over one of the colors that appear along the top row. Press the INS key. If your system allows you to change the available colors in the current graphics mode, the colors in the current graphics mode, the colors displayed on your screen will change. The following is a guide to how the colors will be altered on various systems: ___________________________________________________________________________ Show Partner Lite Page 87 If the Mode is Then Alter Colors: ___________________________________________________________________________ 320 x 200, 4-color Alters background and foreground colors 360 x 348, 4 -color Has no effect on the current picture 320 x 200, 16-color Has no effect on the current picture 640 x 200, 16-color Has no effect on the current picture 640 x 350, 16-color Alters the foreground colors 640 x 480, 16-color Alters the foreground colors ___________________________________________________________________________ Note: The available colors on a monochrome graphics are fixed, and cannot be altered by GraFIX Editor. To save the colors you have chosen with the Alter Colors command, for later use with other pictures, choose the Save Palette command from the Color menu. ___________________________________________________________________________ SELECT PATTERN The Select Pattern command allows you to choose a color pattern for use with the draw and text commands. Notes: In addition to the solid colors, there are always four patterns available to use as the current draw color. GraFIX Editor patterns consist of a rectangle filled with pixels for varying colors. Select your pattern by placing the box around your choice and press INS. ___________________________________________________________________________ ALTER PATTERNS The Alter Patterns command lets you change the patterns presented in the Select Pattern command. Notes: To edit a pattern, select the pattern you wish to edit, then press the INS key. The Edit Pattern window appears. It operates exactly like the Zoom window in the Edit menu. Press the DEL key, then move the cursor to select a draw color. Release the DEL key when you have chosen a color. Select a pixel and press the INS key. The pixel you chose will change to the current color. Continue as you wish. ___________________________________________________________________________ SWAP COLORS The Swap Colors command allows you to select a rectangular area of the current picture and to replace one color in that area with another. Show Partner Lite Page 88 Notes: When you choose the Swap Colors command, GraFIX Editor presents a window containing the current colors, and prompts you to select the color you want to change. GraFIX Editor then refreshes the window, and prompts you to select the color you want to change to. After selecting the rectangular block in which to swap colors, press the INS key to carry out the Swap Colors command. The Swap Colors command is especially useful for erasing or changing the color of non-rectangular figures; choose the color of the figure as the "Swap Form" color, and the background color as the "Swap To" color. ___________________________________________________________________________ LOAD PALETTE The Load Palette command will replace the active colors and patterns with a set of colors and pattern saved in a palette file on the disk. Notes: The current set of colors and patterns is called the current palette. If you have created a set of patterns and saved them to disk using the Save Palette command, you can use the Load Palette command to make those patterns available to you. After loading new patterns with the Load Palette command, choose the Select Pattern command to change the draw color to one of the patterns you've created. To load a palette file, choose the Load Palette command from the Color menu. Type the filename of the palette file you wish to load in the Filename text box, or press the DEL key to choose a filename from a list. Click the OK button. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE PALETTE The Save Palette command saves to disk a palette you've created. Notes: You can use Save Palette command to save patterns you have created on the current directory. Then, when you next start GraFIX Editor, you can use the Load Palette command to load the patterns you've created and use them with a different picture. You can also use the Save Palette command to save the current set of sixteen colors that you've altered on a system with the IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter running in its 640 x 350, 16-color mode. To save the current set of colors and patterns in a file, choose the Save Palette command from the Color menu. Type a filename in the Filename text box. Edit the pathname in the Directory text box if you wish. Point to the OK button and press ENTER. Color Menu Commands (256-color Mode) Color Menu Commands (256-color Mode) Color Menu Commands (256-color Mode) The Color menu changes when you are in the 256-color mode available on systems with IBM Multi Color Graphics Array (MCGA) or IBM Video Graphics Array (VGA) capabilities. This section describes the commands on this special Color menu. Show Partner Lite Page 89 The IBM 320 x 200, 256-color mode is capable of displaying 256 different colors on screen at once; these 256 colors are drawn from palette of 262,144 colors. With so much color capability at hand, FXGED uses a different strategy to maintain the palette of the picture in 256-color mode. Instead of a static palette of 256 color, GED adds colors dynamically to the palette as they are used in the picture. Note: To translate a picture from a CGA mode or EGA mode into the 256- color mode, use the More Colors and/or More Resolution commands. ___________________________________________________________________________ MAKE COLOR To add a color to the screen, and hence to the palette of the current picture, you use the Make Color command. Notes: After choosing the Make Color command from the Color menu a special dialog box appears. Located at the top of the box is a large rectangular array of basic hues. One of the small hue squares will be blackened. This is the cursor for this box. You can move the cursor by using the arrow keys or your pointing device with no buttons pressed. As you move the hue cursor, a vertical bar located beneath the hues changes color appropriately. A small white mark beneath this vertical bar points at the level of intensity you are selecting. You can move this mark by holding down the DEL key (or right mouse button) and pressing the LEFT or RIGHT arrow keys (or moving the mouse horizontally). At the bottom of the dialog box is a block of color showing the combination of the hue and intensity you are selecting. When this box contains the shade you desire, release the DEL key (or right mouse button) if you are pressing it, then press the INS key (or left mouse button) to select that shade. The dialog box will disappear and the shade will be added to the palette for immediate use. Any text or figures you add will appear in the shade you choose. Show Partner Lite Page 90 ___________________________________________________________________________ REUSE COLOR The Reuse color command allows you to make one of the colors that you see in your picture the current picture, thus allowing you to "reuse" a color you have created. Notes: Choose the Reuse Color command from the Color menu. The menus will disappear and a box will appear showing the color under the cursor. Move the cursor until the color in the box changes to the color you wish to reuse. Then press the INS key (or left mouse button) and the color will be selected for use. This command allows you to exactly match an existing color, a task that is all but impossible with the Make Color command. ___________________________________________________________________________ ALTER COLOR The Alter Color command changes each pixel of an existing color to different color; this color is changed throughout the current picture. Notes: After choosing the Alter Color command, the menus disappear and GraFIX Editor presents the same crosshair and color box used for the Reuse Color command. Move the cursor until the box contains the color you wish to alter. Press INS (or left mouse button) and you will be presented with the Make Color dialog box with which you select a different shade for the chosen color. (See the description of the Make Color command, above, for instructions on using the Make Color dialog box.) ___________________________________________________________________________ SWAP COLOR The Swap Color command is used to alter an existing color only within a selected region. To swap a color within a region: 1. Choose the Swap Color command from the Color menu. 2. Move the cursor to one edge of the region you wish to select, then press INS. Move the cursor to the opposite corner, then press INS again. Adjust the blinking cursor so that each pixel of the color you wish to swap is enclosed within the block cursor. 3. Press INS to finish selecting the Block. 4. Now choose the "Swap To" color, using the procedures for using the Make Color dialog box described above. 5. Once you have made the "Swap To" color, press INS to carry out the command. ___________________________________________________________________________ GRAB COLOR Show Partner Lite Page 91 This command is invaluable if you are trying to match a shade found in an existing 256-color picture. Notes: After choosing the Grab Color command, GraFIX Editor presents you with the File Load dialog box. Enter the file name and directory of the 256-color picture containing the color you wish to grab, and choose the OK button to let Script Editor know you are done with the dialog box. The file is then loaded to the screen. Move the cursor over the color you wish to grab, then press the INS key (or left mouse button). GraFIX Editor returns you to the current picture, where your current draw color matches the color you just grabbed. ___________________________________________________________________________ COLOR STATUS This command will inform you of the number of colors you have used in your picture and the number of slots left for new colors. A third number is displayed showing the number of duplicate colors in the palette. If you have duplicate colors you can consolidate them to the same color number by choosing the NoDups command button. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE PALETTE The Save Palette command works in the 256-color mode just as it would in any other mode, saving the current set of colors to disk. Notes: Palettes saved from 256-color pictures have the file extension ".256" to denote that they are palettes saved in the 256 color mode. This command can be used to greatest advantage in conjunction with the PalLoad effect of Script Editor. You can perform very sophisticated effects by repeatedly changing the palette of a finished picture and saving the palette to disk. One application of this would be an effect which would gradually turn night into day for a picture. Mode Menu Commands Mode Menu Commands Mode Menu Commands The Mode menu allows you to use GraFIX Editor in the different graphics that your system supports. ___________________________________________________________________________ MORE RESOLUTION The More Resolution command will give you more resolution if your graphics mode supports it. Notes: If your system supports graphics modes with resolutions higher than that of the current picture, you use the More Resolution command to increase the resolution of the picture screen. For example, by choosing more resolution, you can go from 4-color CGA mode to 16-color EGA mode. You can choose the More Resolution command repeatedly to reach the mode with the highest resolution supported by GraFIX Editor and your display adapter. When you've reached that mode and try to increase the resolution, Show Partner Lite Page 92 you'll receive an error message informing you that more resolution is not available. ___________________________________________________________________________ LESS RESOLUTION The Less Resolution command decreases your screen's resolution, if your computer supports those modes. Notes: After creating Show Partner Lite pictures in a high-resolution graphics mode, you can convert the screen to a mode with less resolution and then create pictures in that mode. When you chose the Less Resolution command, GraFIX Editor displays a dialog box warning you that the image in the picture editing screen will lose resolution. Click the Yes button to translate the screen; click the No button to return to the current picture without translating it to a mode with lower resolution. ___________________________________________________________________________ MORE COLORS The More Colors command increases the number of available colors, if you are working on a system that supports graphics modes with more colors that are available in the current mode. Notes: If you choose the More Colors command when you are working on a system with monochrome graphics or one that does not support extended graphics modes, GraFIX Editor displays a message informing you that more colors are not available. You can choose the More Colors command repeatedly to translate the picture screen into the mode with the greatest number of screen colors supported by GraFIX Editor and your display adapter. When you've reached that mode and try to increase the screen colors, you'll receive an error message informing you that more colors are not available on your system. You can always determine the mode of the current picture by choosing the Status command from the Special Menu. ___________________________________________________________________________ LESS COLORS The Less Colors command allows you to decrease the number of colors on your picture screen. Notes: After you choose the Less Colors command, GraFIX Editor displays a dialog box warning you that your current picture will lose colors. Click the Yes button to change the mode of the current picture to one with fewer available colors; click the No button to return to the current picture without changing the mode. Special Menu Commands Special Menu Commands Special Menu Commands Show Partner Lite Page 93 The Special menu makes it easy to control a variety of special attributes of your editing commands, such as the size, shape, and direction of text, and cursor speed. ___________________________________________________________________________ TEXT FORMAT The Text Format command is used to choose the format of text that you want to add to a picture. Notes: When you choose the Text Format command, a dialog box appears. ___________________________________________________________________________ Parameter Choices ___________________________________________________________________________ Size: Determines how big Small, Medium, Large text characters will be. Slant: Determines if text Normal, Left, Right will be vertical or italicized. Direction: Determines in Normal, Up, Down what direction characters will appear on the screen when typed. Mode: Determines the color Overtype, Overlay of the pixels that appear behind the characters you type. ___________________________________________________________________________ CHANGING THE FONT To change the current font, choose the Text Format command from the Special menu. Point to the Font button, found at the bottom of the Text Format dialog box, and press ENTER. The Load Font dialog box appears on screen: <<A picture or screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> Press the DEL key to view a list of fonts on the current directory. Move the highlight over the filename of the font you wish to use, then press the INS key. Point to the OK button and press ENTER to carry out the Load Font File option. Note that Show Partner Lite's fonts are located on your Install disk. Show Partner Lite Page 94 ___________________________________________________________________________ CURSOR SPEED The Cursor Speed command changes the rate at which the cursor moves on the screen when you press an arrow key on the keyboard. Notes: You can choose a value between 1 and 10 as the cursor speed. A value of 10 means the cursor will move ten pixels in the direction of the arrow key you press. You can change the cursor speed while editing your picture by pressing the ALT key and one of the function keys. ALT-F1 selects a cursor speed of 1, ALT-F2 a cursor speed of 2, and so on. ___________________________________________________________________________ EXPAND BLOCK The Expand Block command is used to double the length and width of a rectangular block and move it to another part of the picture. Notes: After choosing this command, press the INS key. A box will appear. Use the arrow keys to define the shape of the box you want. Press the INS twice and you can use the arrow keys to move the enlarged box around the screen. Pressing the INS key a fourth time will fix the new block. ___________________________________________________________________________ SHRINK BLOCK The Shrink Block command is used to halve the length and width of a rectangular block and move it to another part of the picture. Notes: After choosing this command, press the INS key. A box will appear. Use the arrow keys to define the shape of the box you want. Press the INS twice and you can use the arrow keys to move the smaller box around the screen. Pressing the INS key a fourth time will fix the new block. ___________________________________________________________________________ SAVE CONFIG The Save Config command saves to disk the configuration of GraFIX Editor you design. ___________________________________________________________________________ STATUS The Status command displays the status of six GraFIX Editor variables: editing operation, draw color, brush width, text type, cursor speed, cursor location, and screen mode. You can also check the status of these variables by pressing the F1 key whenever any of the GraFIX Editor menus are open. <<A picture of screen shot appears here in the printed manual>> Show Partner Lite Page 95 Appendix A Display Adapters This appendix describes the display adapters supported by Show Partner Lite 3.7. ___________________________________________________________________________ SUPPORTED DISPLAY ADAPTERS Show Partner Lite runs on the IBM PC-XT, PC-AT, PS/2 series, and 100% compatible systems capable of displaying monochrome or color graphics. The display that you see when you work with your computer is produced with a special circuit board called a display adapter; this device connects your computer to a display monitor. Show Partner Lite 3.7 supports five major display adapters, each of which has been widely imitated by other manufacturers: * IBM Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) * IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter (EGA) * IBM Multi Color Graphics Array (MCGA) * IBM Video Graphics Array (VGA) and SigmaVGA * Hercules Monochrome Graphics Adapter Show Partner Lite Page 96 Appendix B System Memory Requirements This appendix describes the memory requirements for using Show Partner Lite 3.7 on different microcomputer systems. ___________________________________________________________________________ SYSTEM MEMORY REQUIREMENTS Your personal computer works by moving programs and data into Random Access Memory (RAM). If there is not enough memory to begin a task, MS-DOS will not allow you to load the application that performs that task. To use the Show Partner Lite programs on your system requires varying amounts of RAM, depending on the configuration of your system. The determining factors are: * The version of MS-DOS you are using. * The number of buffers and files specified in your CONFIG.SYS file. * The type of display adapter installed in your system. * The presence or absence of a device that supports the Lotus/Intel/Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification (EMS). ___________________________________________________________________________ CALCULATING MEMORY REQUIREMENTS ON YOUR SYSTEM Use the following procedure to determine the minimum amount of available memory needed to run the Show Partner Lite programs on your system. 1. Take the base amount required for the program you want to use: ___________________________________________________________________________ Program: Base Amount: ___________________________________________________________________________ Script Editor 216K Slide Show Editor 216K GraFIX Editor 134K CAPTURE 75K SHOW 144K ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. Add the amount of memory needed to store a full screen picture on your display adapter. (If your system includes a device with Lotus/Intel/Microsoft EMS memory, do not add this amount). ___________________________________________________________________________ If Your Display Adapter is: Then Add: Show Partner Lite Page 97 ___________________________________________________________________________ An IBM Color Graphics 16K Adapter or compatible An IBM Enhanced Graphics 128K Adapter or compatible An IBM Video Graphics Array, 160K SigmaVGA, or compatible A Hercules Monochrome 32K Adapter or compatible ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. If you are using Script Editor and GraFIX Editor and GraFIX Editor simultaneously, with GraFIX Editor running in resident memory, subtract 64K since Show Partner Lite will conserve this amount of memory when the two programs are used together. Show Partner Lite Page 98 Appendix C Using Your Keyboard or Mouse This User's Guide explains how to use the Show Partner Lite programs by using your keyboard. There are two ways to choose menu commands not fully described in this guide: 1. You can use key combinations (using the Alt or Ctrl key with another key). 2. You can use an input device such as the Microsoft Mouse or Logitech Mouse. The table in this appendix show: * How to use Show Partner Lite with a Microsoft Mouse, Logitech Mouse, or compatible device * Which keys perform specific actions in GraFIX Editor * Which keys perform specific actions in Script Editor and Slide Show Editor ___________________________________________________________________________ RULES FOR USING THE MOUSE BUTTONS Although this User's Guide refers primarily to procedures for choosing commands and editing Show Partner Lite files with your keyboard, you can also use a mouse in place of the keyboard. You've probably noticed the important role played by the Ins, Del, ESC, and ENTER keys. These keys are emulated by the two buttons of a Microsoft Mouse and by the inside and outside buttons of a Logitech Mouse. ___________________________________________________________________________ To emulate the: Click the: INS key Left mouse button ENTER key Left mouse button Del key Right mouse button ESC key Both buttons simultaneously ___________________________________________________________________________ RULES FOR USING THE MOUSE BUTTONS In general, you can use the four following rules to remember how to use the mouse buttons when choosing commands: 1. Click the right mouse button to open and close the menu bar. 2. Point to a name within a menu bar, menu, or list box, then click the left mouse button to choose that menu, menu command, or filename. Show Partner Lite Page 99 3. Point to a text box and click the right mouse button to rotate though the available options. (If there are so many options that it's impractical to rotate through them all, a text box listing the options will appear.) 4. Press the left and right mouse buttons, then release them simultaneously to cancel and close a menu, dialog box, or list box. ___________________________________________________________________________ GRAFIX EDITOR KEY COMBINATIONS The following table lists keyboard shortcuts for choosing GraFIX Editor's menu commands: ___________________________________________________________________________ Too Choose This Command: Press: ___________________________________________________________________________ Undo BACKSPACE Copy Alt-Y Move Alt-M Erase Alt-E Zoom Alt-Z Upend Alt-U Reflect Alt-X Rotate Alt-R Center Alt-H Freehand Alt-F Line Alt-L Box Alt-B Circle Alt-C Paint Alt-P Width Alt-W Alter Colors Alt-A ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ To select a cursor speed of: Press: ___________________________________________________________________________ 1 pixel per direction key Alt-F1 Show Partner Lite Page 100 2 pixels per direction key Alt-F2 3 pixels per direction key Alt-F3 4 pixels per direction key Alt-F4 5 pixels per direction key Alt-F5 6 pixels per direction key Alt-F6 7 pixels per direction key Alt-F7 8 pixels per direction key Alt-F8 9 pixels per direction key Alt-F9 10 pixels per direction key Alt-F10 ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ SCRIPT EDITOR AND SLIDE SHOW EDITOR KEY COMBINATIONS The following table lists keyboard shortcuts for choosing Script Editor and Slide Show Editor menu commands: ___________________________________________________________________________ To open: Press: ___________________________________________________________________________ File menu Ctrl-F Edit menu Ctrl-E View menu Ctrl-V Jump menu Ctrl-J Special menu Ctrl-S Help F1 Keyboard Help F2 ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ To Update: Press: ___________________________________________________________________________ The listing of picture files Alt-F in the current directory ___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ To Choose This Command: Press: Show Partner Lite Page 101 ___________________________________________________________________________ New Alt-N Load Alt-L Save Alt-S Print Alt-P Quit Alt-Q Undo Alt-U Copy Rows Alt-C Move Rows Alt-M Insert Row Alt-I Erase Rows Alt-E Delete Row Alt-D Save Rows Alt-B View Script Alt-A View Rows Alt-V Jump to Row Alt-G Jump to Location Alt-J Clip Block PLUS (+) GED Edit Ctrl-Alt-PLUS (+) System Alt-F10 ___________________________________________________________________________