NeedleCraft Plus/needlecraftplusvolume1.iso/dos/xs150/xs.doc

Text File | 1992-08-24 | 12KB | 475 lines

                                   X-STITCH

             A Computer Program for Generating Needlework Patterns

                                  Version 1.5































(c) Copyright 1992 by Bill Lovegrove

Software Solutions
P.O. Box 16615
Greenville, SC  29606

INTRODUCTION

Overview

This program for IBM-PC compatible computers allows you to design
your own cross-stitch patterns. It can also be used for
needlepoint and other types of needle craft patterns.

Features of this program include:

      - Support for VGA (recommended) and EGA
      - Graphical interface with support for mouse (required)
        and keyboard
      - Up to 64 colors/symbols in one pattern
      - See actual stitches in color on the screen!
      - 16 possible fabric colors
      - 64 different display colors on standard EGA/VGA
      - Up to 300x300 stitch pattern size
      - Pan and zoom the pattern
      - Back-stitch, half-stitch, and quarter-stitch support
        (any length, any direction)
      - Move, Copy/Paste, Mirror, and Rotate capability
      - Print patterns including back-stitches at any angle
      - User selectable symbol set and color names

Program Limits

     Maximum Drawing Size                    300x300 stitches
     Stitch sizes                            5-20 stitches/inch
     Maximum number of backstitches          2000
     Maximum number of colors                64

About Colors

Both EGA and VGA video systems are capable of only 16
simultaneous colors in their standard high-resolution modes. This
program displays 64 different colors by blending ("dithering")
combinations of the 16 colors. This works well for large blocks
of color but does not produce perfectly even color on small
narrow stitches. For this reason two viewing modes are provided:
"View Stitches" which actually draws the individual stitches, and
"View Squares" which draws a colored square for each
cross-stitch.

Registration

This program is distributed as shareware. It is not public domain
and it is not free. You may freely copy it for evaluation
purposes. However, after a reasonable examination period you must
either pay the registration fee or stop using the program.

See the registration form and important information in the
accompanying file REGIST.DOC.


INSTALLATION AND EXECUTION

Except for the graphics driver (described below), the program is
completely self-contained in the file XS.EXE, which may be copied
onto another floppy disk or a hard disk. You are encouraged to
make a backup copy of the program for safe keeping.

This program requires a graphics driver. The standard driver is
called "EGAVGA.BGI" and is included on the disk along with the
program. By default, this driver must be in the working directory
when the program is run. If you would like to run the program
from another directory, set the environment variable XS to the
path where the driver can be found.  For example:

 SET XS=C:\XSTITCH

System requirements are:

     DOS 3.30 or later
     256K (512K for large pictures)
     VGA (recommended) or EGA
     Mouse

To execute the program, type "xs". The program will attempt to
automatically detect the type of monitor you are using.  Of this
does not work or if you want to force a particular monitor type,
add one of the following
options:

      xs -v           Force VGA graphics
      xs -e           Force EGA graphics

A optional file name can be added on the command line to specify
that a particular file is to be loaded.  For example,

     xs santa.fil

will run the program and load the sample file called "santa.fil"
(included with this program).

These options can be combined.  For example,

       xs -e santa.fil

will load "santa.fil" in EGA mode.

USING THE KEYBOARD

A mouse required. This program is most easily operated with a
mouse. However, nearly all of the functions can also be operated
using only the keyboard. A list of the keyboard equivalents for
each function are listed below. Many of these keyboard
equivalents are useful alternatives to the mouse.

KEY            FUNCTION
------------------------------------------------------------
X                 Cross-stitch mode
|                 Back-stitch mode

first letter      Activate the button
of all buttons

#                 Change the stitch counts and sizes

ESC key           Exit (from almost anything)

Delete or         Undo the most recently drawn stitch
Backspace         (up to 100 times)

+                 Zoom larger
-                 Zoom smaller

arrow             Move the cursor one stitch
shift-arrow       Change the current color in the palette
alt-arrow         Pan (scroll) the picture if it extends beyond
                  the screen
SPACE key         Cross-stitch mode:
                       Place a cross-stitch at the current cursor
                       location.
                  Back-stitch mode:
                       Begin a cross-stitch.
                       Use the arrow keys to mark the end of the
                       stitch.
                       Press SPACE when finished.
                  Tools:
                       Begin/end a block.

shift-SPACE       Delete a stitch

DRAWING AND DELETING

A mode box in the upper left corner allows you to select one of
two modes:

Cross-stitch mode which draws full cross-stitches with each
mouse click. Holding down the mouse button while moving the
mouse will draw multiple stitches automatically.

Back-stitch mode, which lets you draw individual stitches of
any size and direction.

You can draw cross stitches by drawing two individual
backstitches, but it will usually not print properly and is not
recommended. You should draw 1/4 and half stitches as
backstitches.

In cross-stitch mode, clicking on an existing stitch will erase
it. Holding the mouse button down while moving the mouse will
erase multiple stitches as well.

In back-stitch mode, clicking on a back-stitch will select the
stitch for deletion. Be careful not to move the mouse while you
are clicking or the program will think that you are drawing a new
backstitch.

TOOLS

Cut will remove a selected rectangular region of the drawing. The
removed stitches are saved in a "clipboard" and may be pasted
back into the drawing or into another drawing.

Duplicate will copy a rectangular region of stitches into the
"clipboard" without removing them.

Move will move stitches, overwriting any existing stitches that
are there.

Flipping can be applied to any rectangular region of the screen.

Rotation can only be done to square regions of the drawing. The
program will not allow you to select a region for rotation which
is not square.

Note that a "mirror image" of a pattern can be obtained by
duplicating and then flipping.

PRINTING

Several different types of printers are supported. Most printers
will recognize either the Epson compatible printing or the IBM
compatible printing.  You should try these two options first.

Your printer may require switches to be set in order to print
these graphics. Consult your printer manual for details.

The ASCII and Extended ASCII options print symbols only (no
backstitches). They are not particularly attractive, but they can
be used for printers which do not support the graphics modes.

If your printer is not supported, write to Software Solutions and
describe the make and model of your printer. Your printer may
already be supported in a newer version of the software. If so,
we will send you the newer version at no extra cost. If not, we
will attempt to support your printer in future versions, if
possible.

PALETTE AND FABRIC

To change colors in the palette, click on the small color box
beside the color name in the bottom half of the screen. Then
click on the new color.

To delete colors from the palette, click on the small color box
beside the color name in the bottom half of the screen. Then
press the delete key. Caution: any stitches in the pattern of
that color will also be deleted.

To change the name or symbol of a color, click on the name or on
the symbol and then type the new name or symbol. Read in the
HINTS chapter how to create symbols which are not on the
keyboard.

The fabric color can be set to one of sixteen different colors.
This choice is made in the upper right hand corner of the palette
screen.

The fabric size is shown on the main screen just below the
drawing area. The size can be changed by clicking on the number
and then typing the new number. The largest allowable size is 300
by 300 stitches. If you do not have 640K of memory, you may not
be able to work with drawings this large.

SUPPORT

If you have questions or comments about this program, please
write to

Software Solutions
P.O. Box 16615
Greenville, SC  29606

Or send electronic mail on CompuServe to 70451,2255.

Of course only registered users can expect a response. We will do
our best to fix any program "bugs" which you identify and send
you a new version free of charge.

We would also appreciate your comments about what features you
would like to see included in future versions of this program.

If you have special needs or would like a custom version of this
program, we would like to hear from you as well.

HINTS

When using colors that are nearly identical, it can be difficult
to distinguish them on the screen. To make your work easier, you
can temporarily change one of the colors to something that
contrasts sharply.  You can then change it back later when you
are finished. Symbol mode is also useful for distinguishing
similar colors.

To create a mirror image of a section, copy and then flip the
section.

Several sample patterns are included with this program. All have
file names ending with ".fil".  You are encouraged to load some
of these example files and examine them to get some idea of the
capabilities of this program.

Due to the inherent limitations of your monitor, your pattern may
appear slightly distorted when zoomed so that the drawing is very
small.  This is especially noticeable on EGA monitors.

When printing in the "Extended ASCII" mode, your printer must be
capable of printing the "IBM Graphics Character Set." On many
printers this is an option which is off by default. Check your
printer manual for information on how to enable this feature.
This feature is not required for any of the other printer
choices.

When printing quarter stitches in "smart" mode, the computer
looks for enclosing back stitches that are one regular half-
stitch in size. If you make a long diagonal covering several
stitches, smart printing may not recognize it. Redraw it as
individual half-stitches for better printing.

In addition to the characters on the keyboard, any printable
symbol in the IBM ASCII character set can be used in your chart.
To generate the characters which are not on the keyboard, hold
down the ALT key and then type the ASCII code number on the
numeric keypad. Below is a list of the symbols in this set.

128 Ç
129 ü
130 é
131 â
132 ä
133 à
134 å
135 ç
136 ê
137 ë
138 è
139 ï
140 î
141 ì
142 Ä
143 Å
144 É
145 æ
146 Æ
147 ô
148 ö
149 ò
150 û
151 ù
152 ÿ
153 Ö
154 Ü
155 ¢
156 £
157 ¥
158 ₧
159 ƒ
160 á
161 í
162 ó
163 ú
164 ñ
165 Ñ
166 ª
167 º
168 ¿
169 ⌐
170 ¬
171 ½
172 ¼
173 ¡
174 «
175 »
176 ░
177 ▒
178 ▓
179 │
180 ┤
181 ╡
182 ╢
183 ╖
184 ╕
185 ╣
186 ║
187 ╗
188 ╝
189 ╜
190 ╛
191 ┐
192 └
193 ┴
194 ┬
195 ├
196 ─
197 ┼
198 ╞
199 ╟
200 ╚
201 ╔
202 ╩
203 ╦
204 ╠
205 ═
206 ╬
207 ╧
208 ╨
209 ╤
210 ╥
211 ╙
212 ╘
213 ╒
214 ╓
215 ╫
216 ╪
217 ┘
218 ┌
219 █
220 ▄
221 ▌
222 ▐
223 ▀
224 α
225 ß
226 Γ
227 π
228 Σ
229 σ
230 µ
231 τ
232 Φ
233 Θ
234 Ω
235 δ
236 ∞
237 φ
238 ε
239 ∩
240 ≡
241 ±
242 ≥
243 ≤
244 ⌠
245 ⌡
246 ÷
247 ≈
248 °
249 ∙
250 ·
251 √
252 ⁿ
253 ²
254 ■