Chestnut's Multimedia Mania/MM_MANIA.ISO/multi/mmlitetu/multi-1.#

Text File | 1992-09-05 | 19KB | 449 lines

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~    BY CLARENCE  S. WRIGHT, JR. ▐▐▐▐ CREATIVE  COMPUTING  CONCEPTS. ~
~    COPYRIGHT 1992 BY BEACON HILL MARKETING // ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ~





   If you see a topic you wish to read, just `[Tab]` or use  your
      mouse cursor to move to the topic and `=Click= or [═╝].`

   `╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗`
   `║~   PURPOSE* INTRODUCTION*  Hypertext* Linking* Hotwords*    ~║`
   `║~   Asterisks*  Files*   Contents*  Goto*  Jump*  Screen*    ~║`
   `║~        Search*  About*  PRINTING*  SCREEN_BLANK*           ~║`
   `║~   Go to the  <APPENDIX.#1>*  or Next File <MULTI-1.#1>*    ~║`
   `╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝`



~                           IN THE BEGINNING......                     ~

:A SPECIAL NOTE.

     Throughout   this   file  you  will see `=Click= or [═╝]` symbols.
These refer to words  we  call `hotwords.` These are always followed  by
an  `asterisk`.   If  you  have not used a hypertext manual before this,
here's how it works.  If you do not  have  a  mouse,  just  press  the
`[Tab]`  key.   Your cursor  will  immediately jump to the first hotword
`[or asterisk]`  on  the  page.  Each  time you  press  the  `[Tab]`  key,
your  cursor  will  hop  to the next hotword.  When you have read that
section, you may return  to  the  previous  section  by  pressing  the
`[Backspace]`  key.  Try  it  now  to  get to the hotword `PURPOSE*`.  The
symbol `[═╝]` indicates  for  you  to  press the `[Enter]` key.  You will
see  that  your  cursor  is  now  on  the  label  (`~PURPOSE~`)  for  that
section.   Or,  if  you  have a mouse, center your mouse cursor on the
hotword and `=Click=` your  left  mouse button to skip  to  the  correct
label.   So,  whenever  you  see `"=Click= or [═╝]"`,  you will know to
use the hotwords to skip to specific sections of this manual.

:PURPOSE:

:  I.  Object Oriented Programming.

     Now,  before we get eyeball deep in this thing  with all sorts of
graphics files and command lines and what-not, let me explain  just  a
little bit about what we're doing here.



     First  of all, I am going to attempt something that we believe is
somewhat unique in  Shareware  tutorials.   Using  the  principles  of
`~O~bject   ~O~riented   ~P~rogramming`,   I   am   going  to  do  my  best to
design a tutorial that does several things at once. It will ...



   `A.]` Show  you,  with  examples  that are `intended` to  be  run  from
within  `MULTI-MEDIA  1`,  how  `MULTI-MEDIA 1` handles  the  presentation
of GIF graphics, delays, wipes, fades,  scroll-ups,  scroll-downs  and
all  of  the other slick things that `MULTI-MEDIA 1` does.



   `B.]`  That's   not   all.   While  the  program authors never really
designed `MULTI-MEDIA 1` to  handle  other graphics forms  and  formats,
we'll  dive  right in and show you how you can incorporate ANSI, ASCII
and TIFF graphics  into  your `MULTI-MEDIA 1` presentations.  We'll also
show you how you can use many readily available Shareware  and  Public
Domain  utilities  to  provide  extra-sharp  wipes, fades, scrolls and
what-have-you  when  clearing  your  screen  of  the  ANSI  and  ASCII
graphics.   (`MULTI-MEDIA's` screen  clearing  programs do not work with
text-based graphics, but no matter.  This tutorial contains  a  number
of such  goodies as well as information on where to get other programs
to enhance your presentations.)


   `C.]`  Finally,  we  will  discuss  how you can create `your own` music
files to run  "in  the  background"  while  your  graphics  files  are
on-screen.

   `D.]`  We'll  explain  to  you, as  we  go along, exactly what we are
doing and how we got the effects that you will be  seeing.   In  doing
this,  I will use  my  text editor to import the actual `----.OOP` files
into this text and explain things line-by-line. (SEE `E.`, BELOW.)

   `E.]` We  will  provide you with a series of text  files,  just  like
the  `Object  Oriented  Programming`  files,  that  you  can import into
your `MULTI-MEDIA` driver  batch  file.  (When I originally wrote  these
files  for  use  in  `DART`,  I  gave  them  the  file  extension `OOP` to
remind you that they may be imported into your driver batch,  just  as
we    import   `O`bject-`O`riented   `P`rogramming  modules  into  programs.
You   will   find  the  `----.OOP`   files   in   a   directory   called
`~GRAB-BAG~`.) It  is  my  hope  that, by providing you with explanations,
visual   examples   and  a  grab-bag  filled  with  reasonably  short,
importable files that you can use as a time and work-saver, this  will
become  a  tutorial that you will use over and over again.  Hopefully,
you will enjoy using it so much that you'll give copies of it  to  all
your friends.

:  II.   Getting You Started.


     Since  we  are talking about `MULTI-MEDIA`, you might wonder why we
are   not   `~using~   MULTI-MEDIA  1`.    Well,   while   `MULTI-MEDIA`  is
probably the best Shareware Graphics Presentation program that's  ever
come  down  the  pike,  it  really isn't designed to be of much use in
delivering a clean and lean Tutorial.  We  need  `The  Best  ~{DART}~`  to
present   `The  Best  ~{MULTI-MEDIA 1}~.` That  seems  fair  enough to me.
However, as  you  may not  have  used  `DART`  or  any  other  hypertext
program  before,  I suspect I'd better tell you a bit about how to you
is before you start learning how to use `MULTI-MEDIA 1.`

:  HINTS FROM DART'S CREATOR  TED HUSTED.


     Here   are   some  quick  tips to get you started in using `DART's`
hypertext  features.  If   you  are  already  familiar  with  `DART`  or
similar   hypertext   programs,  either  use your `[Tab]` key to jump to
`<MULTI-1.#1>*`  and  press `[Enter]` or  put   your  Mouse-cursor  on  it
and =click= to take you directly to the next file.


■Press (`PgDn`) and (`PgUp`) to scroll through the text.


■`Asterisks*` mark references to other parts of the text.

·Press (`Tab`) or (`Shift-Tab`) to move to an asterisk.

·Press (`Enter`) to view the referenced text. {`~Click= or [═╝].~`}


·Afterwards, press (`BackSpace`) to return.


■Press (`F8`) to use the Table of Contents.

■Mouse users can click the left button to  select  hotwords,  buttons,
 items  in  menus,  lists,  and  dialogs.  A mouse can also be used to
 scroll text using the bars displayed alongside each window.

:INTRODUCTION

Dart is a `hypertext*` file viewer and program launcher.  It is designed
for people wishing  to  publish  material  on-disk,  for  personal  or
commercial  use.   Dart can view any text file or run any DOS program,
memory  permitting.   Special  features  are   available   to   people
formatting texts for Dart, but no type of "programming" is required.

Applications ideal for Dart include distribution of

■Articles.     ■Catalogs.  ■Magazines.   ■Manuals.

■Newsletters.  ■Novels.    ■References.  ■Textbooks.

:  a. Desktop environment

Dart offers a modern "desktop" environment featuring

■Multiple, overlapping windows, limited only by available memory.

■Mouse support, menus, dialogs, input boxes.

■Online hints for menu selections.

■Complete save and restore of desktop.

:  b. Navigation features

Dart's navigation features include

■Scroll forward or backward by line, screen, or label.

■Scrollbars showing relative location in file.

■Conventional and one-pass global text search*.

■Global screen* history, with manual override.

■Hypertext* table and index of contents*.

■Hotkeys for navigation features.

■Online printing by screen, label, or file.

■Built-in editor for notetaking.

■Black & white mode for LCD monitors.



■43/50 line mode for EGA/VGA monitors.


:Hypertext
:A Glossary of Terms.

So  what  is  hypertext?  In its simplest form, hypertext lets readers
jump  from  one  place  to  another  place  by  selecting  a  hotword.
Generally, this is called linking*.

:Linking
:Hotwords

To  form a link, all a hypertext really needs is a hotword and a place
to jump.  Dart  lets  authors  indicate  "places  to  jump"  by  using
"labels".   Dart  defines  a  label  as  any  line  that begins with a
colon (:) -- just like a DOS Batch file.  When Dart prints a label  on
the  screen,  it  will  appear  in  bold  attributes,  and without the
colon.  (This is so they look nice.)


To keep it simple, Dart considers every word a potential hotword.  You
can  use  the cursor keys, or mouse, to move the cursor to any word on
the  screen.  When  you , `[Tab]` or  use  your   mouse  to  `=Click=  or`
`[═╝]`  Dart   reads  the  word at the cursor.  If the word is a label,
Dart jumps to that label.


:Asterisks

To  point-out  which words are the names of hotwords, authors can type
an asterisk (`*`) after  a  label or file name.   The  reader  can  then
move  between  asterisks  using  (`Tab`) and (`Shift-Tab`), and select one
by   pressing   (`Enter`).   After  making a hypertext jump, readers can
press (`Backspace`) to return.

For example introduction*, hypertext*, linking*,  and  asterisks*  are
all  `hotwords`  that  a  reader  can  quickly  select by pressing (`Tab`)
and  then  (`Enter`).   To  move   to   a   previous   asterisk,   press
(`Shift-Tab`) instead.

Note  that if the selected hotword is a numeral, Dart will assume that
it's a page number, rather than a label, and goto that  page  instead.
Dart  uses the  ASCII  form-feed character (`^L`) to separate pages, and
will draw a line of hyphens across the screen  to  mark  page  breaks.
One such page break follows ..

:READING TEXT WITH DART


Besides  the  point-and-shoot  hypertext  features  described  in  the
Introduction*, Dart provides other features to make reading text  more
convenient.


The  following  overviews  the  major  features on Dart's Menubar.  To
select any item  from  within Dart, press (`F10`), use the  cursor  keys
to hilite the appropriate item, and press (`Enter`) when ready.

:Files


Dart's  "Files"  menu  lets  you select files to view, drop to DOS, or
exit the program altogether.

The  `Open`  item   displays   a  dialog  with   three   lists:   Files,
Directories, and Drives.

Each  of  these  is  a  sorted list.  Entries can be selected by using
the (`Arrow`) keys, or  by  typing the first letters of the entry.  When
the appropriate entry  is  hilited, press (`Enter`).  To move  from  one
list to another, press (`Tab`).

The  Open  `Files`  list  displays files  in  the current directory.  To
view a file, select its name from the list.  If a  program  --  rather
than a text file -- is selected, the program is launched.

 To  change  the   current  file   mask,  press  (`Tab`)  to move to the
 `Directories` list and select the ".  "current"" entry.

 The Open `Directories` list  displays  subdirectories.  To change to  a
 subdirectory, select its name from the list.

 The  Open  `Drives`  list   displays   available  drives.  To change to
 another drive, select its letter.

 By hiliting a file  and  selecting the [`E`dit]  button  you  can  make
 changes  to  a  selected text file.  Note that some files distributed
 with Dart may be readonly, and cannot be edited this way.

 To create a file, or edit a file  you  are  already  viewing,  choose
 the [`N`ew] button, and Dart will prompt you for a file name.

 The built-in editor is intended only as a convenience.


 To  write  your  hypertext  files, use a good ASCII text editor, like
 BlackBeard,   or   export   text  from   your  word  processor.   See
 `<APPENDIX.#1>*`

The `Dos Shell` item  temporarily  returns you to the  operating  system
without exiting Dart.

The `Exit` item closes the  Dart  program, and returns you to DOS.

When  you  exit  from  Dart,  the  program will automatically save the
current Desktop to a file named DART.DSK.  Later,  when  you  run  the
program again, DART will look for this file, and if found, reload your
Desktop.  It will appear as though you had never left.

:Contents


Dart's  "Contents"  menu  will  display  labels found in a text in two
different ways.

■The `Table` of Contents lists the labels sequentially.

 This menu will also hilite the name of the passage currently in view,
 lending a "you are here" affect.

■The `Index` of Contents lists the labels sorted alphabetically.

 The index does not "autoseek" the current passage, but remains at the
 label selected when it was last used.

To return  to  a  previous  screen  after  using  either  menu,  press
(`Backspace`), or (`Shift`)(`F9`) for the screen* History.

:Navigate

The Navigate item leads to three submenus, Goto*, Jump*, and Screen*.

:Goto

Dart's  `Goto`  menu  is  a  hyper  fastlane; instead  of bothering with
lists, readers can input label or file names, or page or  row  numbers

directly.   This is handy for the reader (or author) who already knows
the text well.

Goto  `File`  can  also  be  used  to launch external programs that need
command line arguments.  Just type the name of the program  (including
the  `.EXE,  .COM or .BAT extensions`) followed by the parameters as you
would use them at a DOS prompt.

:Jump

Jump  `Label` assumes  the  cursor is on or next to the name of a label.
Pressing (`Enter`) is another  way  to make  this  type  of  jump.   The
Jump  `File`  item  assumes  the  cursor  is on or next to the name of a
file:  just  as  if  the  words  were  "quoted".   See  Linking*   and
Multiple Files    for   more    about   jumping.   The  `Next star`  and
`Prev star` items  move  the cursor to the next or previous asterisk.

:Screen

Screen `History` lists the  last  line the cursor was on  for  the  last
128 screens viewed.  To return to a prior screen, simply select a line
from the `History` list.  If  the  file is not already loaded, Dart will
try to load it for you.

Screen  `Insert`   adds  the  current  line to the `History` list, just as
if you had jumped or scrolled  from   it.   Screen  `Insert`  is  Dart's
answer to bookmarks.

The `Back track`  and  `Retrack`  items  allow you to move  quickly  along
the  screen  History.  After you have back tracked to review a screen,

you can use Retrack to resume your reading.  The screen  History  list
works  like an infinite loop: if you Backtrack or Retrack long enough,
you will always return to where you began.

:Search

Dart's Search menu provides for  two  types  of  search.   The  first,
called  `Find  text`,  is  the  conventional type of search used by most
any text viewer or editor: input  a  text string, press  (`Enter`),  and
Dart jumps to the next occurrence of that string in the file.

Additionally,  Dart  also  offers  a `Global` search.  This feature will
quickly find every occurrence of the given string in a  file,  compile
a `Hit List` of  the  lines containing that string, and then display the
list.

You  can  then  scan  the `Hit List` for the lines you want, and jump to
them on demand.  The  `Hit   List`  remains  available  until  the  next
`Global`  search,  so   you   can  jump  back and forth between finds as
needed.

When searching for text, Dart uses the same upper/lower case  matching
used by WordPerfect(tm).  UPPERCASE letters only match other UPPERCASE
letters,  while  lower-case  letters  match  UpperCase  and  lowercase
letters.


To search for a whole word, type a space before and after the word.  A
single leading or trailing space can also be used to find a prefix  or
suffix.


:About

The  `Dart`  item   on   the  About  menu  displays  an information box.
Included is information about the registered user (if any), and how to
contact UserWare.

The only way to have your own  name,  address,  or  other  information
displayed  here  is  to  register  the  program  with  UserWare.  (See
`<DART-REG.#>*`.

:PRINTING

`NOTE  -=-  If  you  would like to print any of these files from within`
`DART`, press  `Alt-P`  to  call  up  the  `Print Menu`.  It will appear  as
a  small  window  box near the upper right edge of your screen.  Press
the letter `F` to  print  the  current  file.  `~WARNING~`: If  you  make  a
hard-copy  of  these  tutorial  files,  they will `~=NOT=~` look as pretty
or neat as what you see on-screen.  The  actual  text  files  will  be
filled  with  the special presentation codes that are used to make the
text appear as it does  from  within  `DART`.   However,  there  may  be
times  when  you  will  want  to  refer  to  a hard-copy while you are
creating a `MULTIMEDIA` driver batch file.

:SCREEN_BLANK


The  `Blank screen`  item  `(Alt-A)`  blanks  the  screen  until  a key is
pressed.  You can also press (`Ctrl`)(`PrtSc`) to do this.

     Now, are you ready to move on to the next section ?  Well, just
go to `<MULTI-1.#1>*` and you're as good as there !