README

KP Typing Tutor for Win95 is a easy utility help you learn to type as soon as possible. This program is a full functional freeware. To install the program, just simply copy all files listed below, then run 'kpw.exe'.

File list:
Kpw.exe	Main executable file of KP.	
Game.exe	The executable file for the game function, DOS mode.	
Kp.cfg	The setting of KP, it is not recommanded to modify it directly using text editor except when you need to redefine the password.	
Kpc.cfg	Recording the progress of the course and time used.	
*.key		The definition files of virtual keyboard layout.	
Kpcourse.txt	Text file for the course.	
Kp.txt	Text file for the Sentence Exercise and Article Exercise.	
Kpgame.txt	Text file for the game.	
Coursed.txt	Text file for the course of Dvorak keyboard.	
Readme.rtf	Brief help and other issues.	
Dvorak.txt	Introduction to Dvorak keyboard.	
Coother.txt	Recording works from others who extend the KP.

Note: KP Typing Tutor for DOS was available from 1995 via Internet, this version can run well on a 8086 PC. Now it is also freeware.

Brief Help

The Course section is designed for you beginner to practice step by step.

The Free Exercise section is for you to pick up any key combination you like to practice.

The Sentence Exercise section provides sentences for you to practice common words when your fingers already knew where to go.

In the course section, you may go to next sample line by pressing the Right Arrow key, or go to the previous sample line by pressing the Left Arrow key, or to anywhere of the course by pressing the Insert key.

You may use the Backspace key to delete input within a line. To leave the current session, press the Esc key.

Typing Skill Concerned

Use all you fingers to type. With your fingers curved and positioned upright, place your fingers on the home keys 'A S D F  J K L ;', index fingers on key `F' and key `J'.  Place your thumbs slightly above the space bar.

Hit the keys with your tips gently. Use one of your thumbs to press the space bar. Always keep fingers touching slightly upon home keys. 

Tip: if your fingers are not the type of playing piano, you may keep either the index finger or the little finger of one hand on the appropriate home key. For example, when you type 'E' with the middle finger, you may keep the little finger touching upon the 'A' key. Nevertheless, when you are skillful enough, your fingers can always back to home keys easily after leaving.

To type a upper case character, press Shift key with a little finger. While it is fully pressed, strike the letter key using a finger of the other hand, then release the Shift key. For example, you want to type 'E', so you may press the Right Shift key using the little finger of the right hand, then strike the 'E' key using the middle finger of the left hand.

Three sections of KP show a virtual keyboard and palms that guide your fingers. Please don't watch the real keyboard when you type. If you forget which finger to type, just watch the virtual keyboard and palms.

Management of KP

KP provides you with several virtual keyboard layouts, as well as those that you or others defined. You may also select text files for practices. You may do these on the Option dialog box. 

Some of the controls of the Option dialog box are disabled, until you press the Advance button and input a password. After you do so, a panel will appear for you to modify or create a layout of the virtual keyboard and palms. This function is only recommended to teachers. In addition, you may enable or disable the game function by clicking the game box.

Defining the virtual keyboard and palms

KP for Win provides mechanism for you to change the layout of the virtual keyboard and palms. You may use this mechanism to define new layout on your own flavor, as well as in alphabetic languages other than English. This mechanism is for those teachers or language centers. Since the process of the definition may take time, this mechanism is not intent to be used by general learners.

Defining the size of keys
The Key Width and Key Height item let you define the size of all keys but the space key.

Defining the alignment of key lines to the left
The four items of Offset 1-4 define the distances between the first key of each line and the left edge of the keyboard form.

Defining each key
Each key needs the following information:
Line	: Which line it is located on the keyboard.
Column	: The position of a key in a line.
Characters	: KP for Win allow you define up to 4 characters for one key, though English keyboard usually only has up to 2 characters printed on the key cap. You may define characters in the group of 4-edit boxes. The order of the 4-edit boxes is from top to bottom, and from left to right. You may enter a character in one of the boxes, or you may enter the ASCII code of a character by prefix of '/'. For example, 'a' can be '/65'; however, if you want to define '/', you either input '//' or '/ASCII code'.
Fonts	: You may define fonts for each of the 4 characters by double-clicking each of the edit boxes. If next key will use the same fonts, you don't need to explicitly define the fonts again.
Color	: The background color of the key. If next key will use the same color, you don't need to press the 'Key Color _' button again.
Which Finger : You should define which finger to type the key  by pressing one of the radios of the 'Which Finger' radio group. From left to right, the first one stands for left little finger, the fifth stands for left thumb finger, the sixth for right thumb finger, and the last one for right little finger.
Key Number: This is an identification of a key. When you define next key, please do remember to change either 'Line' or 'Column', otherwise, two virtual keys may step on each other. 

You may see the effect of the key definition by pressing 'Show Key' button. To finally define the key, press 'Define Key' button. If you want to cancel definition of one of the keys, you may either modify the definition, or press 'Cancel Key' button. If you press 'Cancel Key' button, you must fill the definition later, unless you are dealing with the last one.

The last defined key is considered as the space key.

Defining virtual fingers
You may define the color and length of each virtual finger. In the 'Finger' spinedit box, you may select 1-5, which 1 stands for little finger, and 5 stands for thumb finger.

After you define and save the definition in a file with extension of '.key', you may register it. To do so, you fill 'New Layout Name' edit box in the Option dialog box and select a '*.key' file from the box below, then press the 'Register New Layout' button.

Note: the default password is 'love'. You may change it by modifying the 'kp.cfg' file, the password is the second term from the end. 

Defining your own course

Since KP uses a text file as the content of the course, you may define your own course. The author of KP made the course of KP using Typing Course Generator (TCG). TCG can carry out most work of writing a typing course. 

In addition, the game of KP uses a text file named "kpgame.txt". A small utility is provided for generating such file.

These two utilities are not accompanied with KP Typing Tutor. You must ask the author of KP for them.

Support

A bit to know
The KP Typing Tutor is designed as an easy-use software utility, and a typing tutor is not intended to be used for a long time since the typing learners should learn to type as soon as possible then they type for the work. The author of KP learned to type on a mechanic typewriter within 10 hours in 3 days. What do you expect for yourself? By the way, I developed KP Typing Tutor in my spare time. I don't like software with most functions the user will never use. I try my best to make it easy to use. It is not likely for me to answer how to use KP to learn to type. However, comments are welcome.

You may contact me by E-mail: zjhuang@sti.gd.cn, or zijian.huang@usa.net
Or visit http://inf.sti.gd.cn/~zjhuang/indexe.htm

I only handle messages related to KP in my spare time. For me to handle the messages efficiently, please follow the following guidelines.

To comment, you may send E-mail with subject: 'KP comment'.

To report bugs, with subject: 'KP bug'.

For KP extension
If you are a teacher who want to adjust the KP, for example, to define a new course, you may asked for the TCG (it is free of charge) by sending an E-mail with subject: 'KP TCG'.

By the way, supports are needed to make KP be more popular around the countries that use alphabetic languages in order to make more people to learn to type, saving time and making more efficiency.

If you make a new keyboard layout in a language other than English, please send me a copy as well as the address of the new site where you re-distribute the KP Typing Tutor with the new layout. Please then send E-mail with subject 'KP New Layout'.

If you want the interface of KP is in your language, please send me E-mail with subject 'KP my language'. If you are the first one who sends such request, I may ask for your help to write the interface text in your language.

Declaimer

This software is provided to you AS IS without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Zijian Huang does not warrant that the functions contained in this program meet your requirements or work uninterrupted or error free. In no event will Zijian Huang be liable to you or any third party for any damages, including any loss of profit, lost savings or other incidental, consequential or special damage.

In addition, the files listed above should not be removed. Any work by others who extend the KP should be recorded in a file named 'Coother.txt'.