Chapter 2: continued

Word Processing Windows

Frontier includes a built-in scriptable word processor for editing text objects stored in the Object Database. You can use this capability to create documents in Frontier and to format text documents you bring into Frontier from outside the Frontier environment.

Open the word processing object called examples.letter by double-clicking on the item marker next to its name in the examples table. You should see something like Figure 2-16. The content, scrolled position of the document and window size might be different on your system.

Figure 2-16. Sample Word Processing Text Window

You will also notice that a new menu appears in the menubar. It's called "WP" and it appears whenever a word processing text object's editing window is frontmost in Frontier.

The WP menu lets you toggle the ruler on and off or time-stamp a document (creating a new line at the insertion point with the present date and time along with your initials). With the ruler symbols, you can set and clear tabs and select text justification. With commands on the Edit menu or their keyboard equivalents, you can change fonts and styles of some or all of the text in a word processing text object.

If you've used any popular Macintosh word processor, using the word processing editing window will be comfortable and familiar. The crucial difference is that the Frontier word processor is fully scriptable, supported by more than three dozen UserTalk verbs that operate on word-processed text.

Outline Windows

One of the most important aspects of Frontier is its use of outlines. As you'll see, all UserTalk scripting is done in an outline form (except when you use the Quick Script window). Menubars are also maintained and edited as outlines, as we'll see in the next section.

You can also use Frontier outlines for storing and clearly organizing information of any type. To see a typical outline-editing window, locate an entry in the examples table called Universe and open it in the usual way. Notice that the "WP" menu is gone and an "Outline" menu has taken its place (just before the Window menu). Each Frontier object that has its own editor also has its own menu. We'll use the menu in a minute. Meanwhile, Figure 2-17 shows you approximately what this window should look like.

Figure 2-17. Typical Frontier Outline

As you can see, this is a fairly typical outline format (though its contents are admittedly something less than gripping.) It is shown in its "fully expanded" mode. Each line in an outline is referred to as a heading or sub-heading. The headings at the highest level of the outline are referred to as "summits." (Unlike some other commercial outliners, Frontier's built-in outliner permits you to have more than one summit, i.e. more than one heading at the leftmost position in the outline.)

In the sample outline, double-click on the item marker next to the label "North America." The outline now looks like Figure 2-18.

Figure 2-18. Partially Collapsed Sample Outline

You have now collapsed all of the sub-headings under the one on which you double-clicked. Notice that its item marker is solidly black. (You may have to move the bar cursor that is highlighting the line to see this clearly.)

Select the "Full Expand" option from the "Outline" menu and your outline returns to its previous state. Close the outline window.

Of course, Frontier's outliner is fully scriptable. We will have much more to say about using outlines in Frontier throughout this manual.

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