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SHAREWARE REGISTRATION FORM
Product: [ ] - PC-FASTYPE - Version 3.0 (current version)
1. Your Name: _____________________________________________________________
Company: _____________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________________________________________
City: ________________________ State:________ Zip:_________________
Telephone Number: (_____)-_______-_______________
2. Please tell us where you got your copy of PC-FASTYPE:___________________
3. And the Date that you received it:______________________________________
4. Check the computer that PC-FASTYPE is being used on:
[ ] IBM-PC FAMILY (PC, XT, AT, PCjr)
[ ] IBM-PS/2 - Model:_________(Please specify)
[ ] ATT-6300
[ ] Other: ___________________(Please Specify)
5. Shareware Registration: $20.00 - U.S. Funds
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| |
| |
| |
| (staple check or money order here) |
| |
| |
| |
| |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Fold this sheet with payment attached and mail to:
Trendtech Corporation, Inc.
PC-FASTYPE Registration
P.O. Box 3687
Wayne, New Jersey 07474-3687
7. We want your comments! Please write them on the back of this form.
8. Thank You.
__________________________________________________________________________
**** S H A R E W A R E ****
PC-FASTYPE
A custom typing instruction program for
IBM Microcomputer Keyboards
*** U S E R ' S G U I D E ***
Version 3.01
Copyright (C) 1983-87 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. Wayne, New Jersey 07470
* PC-FASTYPE is a trademark of Trendtech Corporation, Inc.
Licensed Material - Program and Documentation Property of Trendtech Corp.
__________________________________________________________________________
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 1
PC-FASTYPE
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
__________________________________________________________________________
Licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Disclaimer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The SHAREWARE Software Concept . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Chapter 1:
Equipment Required . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How to make a Working Copy of PC-FASTYPE . . . . 5
Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
How to use PC-FASTYPE. . . . . . . . . . . 8
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
How to Operate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
During Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The "Escape" Key . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
How to Stop Using PC-FASTYPE . . . . . . . . 9
The Screen Keyboard Display . . . . . . . . 10
Beginner Drills . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Text Panel above Keyboard . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 2:
Program Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . 14
Dual Purpose of Function Keys . . . . . . . . 14
Menu Hopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
HELP Facility . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
How to use the HELP Facility . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 3:
The Primary Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
F1 - The MAIN Menu . . . . . . . . . . . 16
F2 - Beginner Drills Menu . . . . . . . . . 19
F3 - Intermediate Exercises Menu . . . . . . . 21
F4 - Advanced Exercises Menu . . . . . . . . 23
F5 - Keyboard Helpers Menu . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 4 - Sub-Menus:
Progressive Letters Selection Menu . . . . . . 27
Progressive Numbers Selection Menu . . . . . . 28
How to Type CAPITAL Letters . . . . . . . . 29
APPENDIX:
Appendix A How to Print the HELP Screens . . . . . 30
Appendix B Modifying the Exercise Files . . . . . 31
Appendix C How PC-FASTYPE Selects Lines for Display . 34
"44" Files. . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Appendix D List of Files on PC-FASTYPE Diskette . . . 35
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 2
LICENSE -- PC-FASTYPE Version 3.01
__________________________________________________________________________
The term SHAREWARE, also know as freeware or User-Supported Software,
means that the software and documentation is copyrighted by the author,
and that only executable versions of the software are distributed. Software
that is in the "public domain" on the other hand, means that the author has
NOT copyrighted the work and has distributed the SOURCE code freely.
PC-FASTYPE is a SHAREWARE program. A limited license is hereby
granted to all public domain software distribution companies, shareware
distribution companies, computer clubs, and end-users of PC-FASTYPE to make
copies of the PC-FASTYPE software programs, associated documentation and
lesson files, and distribute them to end-users on the following
conditions:
a. NO price is charged for the program or documentation. However,
minimum DISTRIBUTION costs incurred by public domain software
distribution companies, shareware distribution companies,
computer clubs, and user groups may be charged to recipients.
b. Recipients are INFORMED of the SHAREWARE concept of software
distribution and are encouraged to support it with their
registration fees sent to the copyright holder if they use the
program.
c. Recipients are informed that both the software and documentation
for PC-FASTYPE are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, and
that copyrights and trademarks for this software is held by
Trendtech Corporation, Inc. of Wayne, New Jersey.
d. No one may modify the program or the documentation; EXCEPT that
PC-FASTYPE lesson files may be modified to suit the user as
outlined in the Appendix section of the User's Guide.
Free distribution of software and voluntary payment for its use
eliminates high advertising and distribution costs and expensive
copy-protection schemes. Users can obtain high quality software at reduced
costs; they can try it out in their own home or office and can do so at
their leisure. High quality software programs will survive based solely on
their usefulness to the computing community.
SITE LICENSE:
Site licenses for PC-FASTYPE are available as follows: $200 for
Educational institutions, and $295 for Corporations. A site is defined as
a single location; i.e. a college campus, or a corporate headquarters. The
registration fee for use on NETWORKS (non-site license) is still $20.00 for
EACH file server on the network. Call or write for details.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 3
DISCLAIMER
__________________________________________________________________________
In no event will Trendtech Corporation or the Author be liable to you
for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings or other
incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability
to use this program, even if Trendtech Corporation or the Author has been
advised of the possibility of such damages, or for any claim by any other
party.
THE SHAREWARE SOFTWARE CONCEPT
__________________________________________________________________________
Shareware software, also known as User-Supported Software, is a unique
method of distributing computer programs. The concept is based on three
beliefs:
1. That the value and utility of software is best
assessed by the user on his/her own system.
2. That the creation of personal computer software can
and should be supported by the computing community.
3. That copying of programs is encouraged rather than
restricted.
4. That satisfied users will register their use of the software with
the copyright holder by sending in the required registration
fee.
PC-FASTYPE is distributed on ONE double-sided diskette. The diskette
contains the program, drill and lesson files, help files, utility files and
a complete User's Guide consisting of over 45 pages and a DOS batch program
for printing it on your printer.
Anyone may request a complete up-to-date copy of PC-FASTYPE from
Trendtech Corporation by sending a check or money order for $20.00 in U.S.
Funds to cover the cost of shipping and handling, and includes your
registration fee. Don't forget to include your complete mailing address;
mail your request to:
Trendtech Corporation
PC-FASTYPE Registration
P. O. Box 3687
Wayne, New Jersey 07474-3687
For those of you who still have single-sided 5 and 1/4 inch drives,
just add $5.00 to the above amount and Trendtech will send you the program
and documentation on two single sided diskettes. Add $10.00 for 3 and
1/2 inch drives.
The author welcomes your comments and criticisms about PC-FASTYPE.
User-suggested changes and enhancements will be seriously considered.
Please send all queries and comments IN WRITING to the above address.
Enjoy the program and share it with others.
-- William J. Letendre, President/Author
Trendtech Corporation
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 4
INTRODUCTION
__________________________________________________________________________
PC-FASTYPE Version 3.01 is an easy to use menu-driven interactive
typing program that is designed for use by IBM Microcomputer and
PC-standard Personal Computer users who wish to increase their typing
skills using IBM Microcomputer keyboards. Beginners can also use
PC-FASTYPE to learn the basic skills of touch typing on IBM keyboards.
The program is ideal for use by intermediate and advanced typists who
want to increase their typing accuracy and speed working with
microcomputers, specifically on the various keyboards available. PC-FASTYPE
is also an excellent vehicle for beginning typists who want to learn to
touch-type on IBM Microcomputers. PC-FASTYPE is designed for use by
end-users in a private at-home environment, or during spare time at the
office. No scores or records are kept for auditing your progress; you'll
know if your're getting better. Timings, WPM, percent of accuracy, and
number of errors are displayed at the end of each drill or exercise.
Additionally, the highest WPM obtained during the current typing session is
maintained. The individual user may manually maintain his/her own typing
records if they so desire.
Intermediate and advanced typists will find this program useful for
learning the new IBM Enhanced Keyboard, the current standard style.
Beginners (and advanced) typists also have the ability to choose the
keyboard style they want to learn to type on. Two keyboard styles are
provided with PC-FASTYPE Version 3.01; the old-style keyboard distributed
with early IBM-PC systems and the new standard - the IBM Enhanced Keyboard
now being distributed with IBM PS/2 Systems.
PC-FASTYPE has the capability to drill you on all shifted special
characters and upper-case symbols plus all CAPITAL Letters; you must use
the CORRECT Shift key to successfully type any of these characters. You
will also learn how to use the ENTER Key; its use is required for exercises
selected from the Advanced Exercises Menu.
Most drills, exercises, and features are selectable by the use of the
function keys. There is also a HELP Facility available with every Menu and
Sub-Menu that you can use for quick reference while learning how to type
with PC-FASTYPE.
PC-FASTYPE is very flexible for the beginning typist. By using the
function keys, the beginner can select many combinations of drill sequences
from the Beginners Menu. Additionally, one or more typing aids can be set
from the Keyboard Helpers Menu. The combinations are many; you can adjust
your drills to boost your typing skills in those areas that you may feel
are weak (i.e. Numbers, CAPITALS, special symbols, etc.), and you can
improve your speed and accuracy.
------------------------
IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corp.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 5
C H A P T E R O N E
___________________________________________________________________________
EQUIPMENT REQUIRED TO USE PC-FASTYPE
To successfully use PC-FASTYPE on any of your IBM-PC family of
computers or PC compatibles, it must consist of the following minimum
configuration:
1. 256K of RAM
2. One 5-1/4" floppy disk drive
3. Color Graphics Adapter Card (CGA) or equivalent (EGA is ok).
IMPORTANT: The Hercules Monochrome Graphics Card is not CGA
equivalent- PC-FASTYPE won't work on it.
4. Graphics Display Monitor- Color or Monochrome
5. DOS 2.0 and up
6. IBM Enhanced Keyboard or the old-style PC keyboard
HOW TO MAKE A WORKING COPY OF PC-FASTYPE
To protect your original PC-FASTYPE diskette from accidental loss or
damage, even if you got it from a friend, we suggest that you create a
working copy that you can use on a day-to-day basis. Then you can put your
original PC-FASTYPE diskette in a safe place where you can have ready
access to it should your "working copy" become unusable.
To create a working copy, you will need:
o Your original PC-FASTYPE diskette
o Your DOS System utilities program diskette
o A high-quality BLANK diskette
You are now ready to start. If you have a two floppy-drive PC then
follow the instructions for a TWO-DRIVE System below. If you have only a
one floppy-drive PC then follow the instructions for a ONE-DRIVE System. If
you have a hard disk, then follow the instructions given under HARD DISK.
TWO-DRIVE SYSTEM (with or without a hard disk):
1. Insert your DOS System diskette in drive A.
2. Insert a BLANK diskette in drive B.
3. Format the BLANK diskette in drive B by typing in
the following DOS command:
FORMAT B:
5. Remove your DOS system diskette from drive A and insert
the PC-FASTYPE program diskette.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 6
6. Copy the contents of the program diskette in drive A to
your newly formatted diskette in drive B by
typing in the following DOS command:
COPY A:*.* B:
This will take a bit of time; there should be 57 files
copied. Check this by typing in the DOS command - DIR B:,
and check the count.
7. Remove your original PC-FASTYPE program diskette from drive A
and store it away in a safe place.
8. Remove the diskette from drive B and label it "PC-FASTYPE
WORKING COPY". You can write-protect this diskette if you want
to, no other files will be written to it.
9. Now go to the section entitled "HOW TO USE PC-FASTYPE".
ONE DRIVE SYSTEM:
1. Insert your DOS System diskette in drive A and insure
that the DOS "prompt" is A>.
2. Format a new high quality BLANK diskette by typing in the
following DOS command:
FORMAT B: (yes! - "B")
NOTE: Carefully follow the instructions given on the screen for
swapping diskettes on your one-drive system.
3. When formatting is finished insert your DOS System
diskette back into drive A and type in the DOS command:
DISKCOPY A: B:
Carefully follow the instructions given on the screen for
swapping diskettes on your one-drive system. Your PC-FASTYPE
diskette is the SOURCE diskette and the newly formatted blank
diskette is the TARGET diskette.
4. When the copy process is finished store the original
diskette away in a safe place and label the new diskette
"PC-FASTYPE WORKING COPY".
6. Creation of your "PC-FASTYPE WORKING COPY" diskette is now
complete. You can "write-protect" it if you want.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 7
HARD DISK
If you have a Hard-Disk you can load up PC-FASTYPE onto the hard disk
very easily. You will then be able to use PC-FASTYPE any time you like
without searching for the floppy and loading it into the drive every time
you want to practice typing. Just follow these simple instructions:
Since there are a large number of files distributed with
PC-FASTYPE, we recommend that you create a separate directory on
the hard disk to hold them:
To make a new directory for PC-FASTYPE, do the following:
1. Make sure you are in DOS and the hard disk drive
prompt is displayed. (usually "C>").
2. If you are not already there, go to the root
directory by typing in:
chdir \ <enter>
3. Create the new directory by typing in:
mkdir c:\pcft <enter>
Now copy the contents of the your original PC-FASTYPE
diskette into the newly created directory \pcft as follows:
1. Insert the original PC-FASTYPE diskette
into drive A.
2. Make sure you are in DOS (the C> prompt)
3. Type in:
copy a:*.* c:\pcft <enter>
4. Each file name will list on the screen
as it is being copied to the hard disk.
5. When the copy process is complete, remove your
original PC-FASTYPE diskette from drive A,
and put it away in a safe place.
6. You are now ready to use PC-FASTYPE:
a. Type in:
chdir \pcft <enter>
b. Type in:
pcft <enter> -or- enft <enter>
and the program will start.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 8
HOW TO USE PC-FASTYPE
You can begin to use PC-FASTYPE immediately. There are no special
preparations you have to make, although we strongly recommend that you
make a Working Copy as outlined above.
GETTING STARTED
You can use PC-FASTYPE from either the A drive or B drive, or the hard
disk. Insert your PC-FASTYPE "Working Copy" diskette (or your original
PC-FASTYPE diskette) in the drive of your choice. Follow the instructions
given below for starting the program:
1. If you want to use PC-FASTYPE with the old-style PC Keyboard
then simply type "PCFT" and the program will start. The
keyboard image displayed on the screen during drills or
exercises will be of the old-style PC keyboard.
2. If you want to use PC-FASTYPE with the IBM Enhanced Keyboard
standard then simply type "ENFT" and the program will start.
The keyboard image displayed on the screen during drills or
exercises will be of the Enhanced Keyboard standard.
HOW TO OPERATE PC-FASTYPE
The first thing you will see on your display when PC-FASTYPE starts is
the title screen. Please read the title screen and understand the concept
of shareware. A message on the bottom of the screen will tell you that the
tables that PC-FASTYPE uses are loading and to wait a moment. When the
tables have finished loading , then respond to the message that asks you to
"press any key to continue" by simply pressing any key - usually the space
bar will do because its the biggest key and not easy to miss.
At this point you can either browse through the menus, set program
features, or select drills or exercises. To begin immediately though, just
press F10 to start a drill. If you haven't made any selections, that's ok,
PC-FASTYPE will automatically select the HOME keys only for you to practice
typing.
DURING OPERATION
Whenever the screen keyboard is displayed and you are performing a
drill or exercise, or even after a drill or exercise is completed, YOU
CAN ALWAYS RETURN TO ANY OF THE FIVE MENUS BY SIMPLY PRESSING ONE OF
THE FIVE FUNCTION KEYS LABELED F1 THROUGH F5.
THE "ESCAPE" KEY
The Escape key can be pressed anytime during a drill or exercise and
the last primary menu that was displayed before you started your typing
drill will be displayed.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 9
HOW TO STOP USING PC-FASTYPE
There is only one way to end a PC-FASTYPE session and return to the
DOS Operating System.
* Display the Main Menu (F1) and then select and
press function key F9 to return to DOS.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 10
THE SCREEN KEYBOARD DISPLAY
The keyboard displayed on the monitor is the heart of PC-FASTYPE and
is always shown during a typing drill or exercise session. The idea behind
its use is to allow you to look at a "simulated" keyboard, or an image of
the actual keyboard that you will be learning to type on, thus keeping your
eyes off the real keyboard. This will help you form spatial relationships
between your finger placements on the real keyboard and the image of the
keyboard on the screen. This spatial relationship will enhance your
familiarity with the keyboard thereby increasing your speed and accuracy.
The screen display consists of two elements, an exact image of the
main typing area of the keyboard you have selected when you started
PC-FASTYPE, which occupies the lower half of the screen, and a text panel
which occupies the upper half of the screen. The contents of the text panel
will vary depending on whether you are in a beginner mode performing basic
drills, or exercising a lesson from one of the intermediate or advanced
menus. These are described below.
BEGINNER DRILLS
While you are learning how to type you will be building a typing
"vocabulary" as you learn new letters, numbers, symbols, and CAPITAL
letters. The text panel will show the various characters that are used in
each drill and which you will be learning how to type. This information is
displayed on four lines labeled "Letters", "Numbers", "Symbols", and
"Caps". If you are just starting out on the HOME keys the "Letters" line
will display "asdfjkl;(space)", and the other three lines will be blank
except for the label. If you are learning how to type numbers then the
"Letters" line will contain whatever letters where there before, and the
"Numbers" line will contain the numbers you selected from the Numbers List
of the Progressive Numbers Sub-Menu.
If you select the CAPITAL-letters-only option then the "Caps" line
will show all of 26 capitalized letters of the alphabet; the other lines
will be blank. This means that you will be drilled on CAPITAL Letters only;
the other lines will be blanked out.
EXERCISES
If you choose any of the exercises from the Intermediate Exercises
Menu #3 or Advanced Exercises Menu #4 then the text panel portion of the
screen will display two or three lines of text that you are required to
type. Below each character of the text will appear a "house-shaped" cursor
which will indicate to you the next letter or character to be typed. As you
type each character, the cursor will advance to the next character on the
line. If you make an error, the keycap on the screen keyboard of the wrong
character that you typed will be X'd, and an asterisk (*) will be placed
under the letter in the text panel that you made an error on; the cursor
will then advance to the next character to be typed.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 11
If you want to practice using the backspace key, PC-FASTYPE will allow
you to backspace the cursor to the letter where you made the error so you
can re-type it. If you do this, you must also retype the character or
letter following the error. If you re-type the character correctly you
will not be penalized for a keystroke error (1 WPM penalty); however, your
overall speed may be affected by the delay incurred while you are
backspacing and correcting your error. When you make an error you have to
mentally weigh the advantages of backspacing and correcting the error
against your calculated speed when the lesson is finished.
You can correct errors only if you are still on the same line where
you made the error. If you press ENTER (carriage return) at the end of the
line to go to the next line when indicated, you cannot backspace to the
previous line to correct any errors, by then it's too late.
The exercise ends when all displayed characters have been typed
- or - the correct number of keystrokes have been made; remember, the
cursor will advance to the next character regardless of whether you type
the correct character or not. Note too, that the backspace feature is only
available for exercises; during drills, you must successfully type the
prompted character before PC-FASTYPE will give you the next character to
type.
TEXT PANEL ABOVE KEYBOARD
The "Text Panel" serves three purposes with PC-FASTYPE. First, it
indicates the characters that you are learning how to type during the
drills. Second, it is used to display the word groups, sentences, and
paragraphs that you have to type during exercises. And thirdly, it is used
to show the results of your efforts by listing various typing statistics
at the end of each drill or exercise.
The following illustrations show what the text panel looks like for
each of the above purposes. The last illustration - drill statistics, will
be followed with a definition of each of the terms listed.
Illustration 1 - Text Panel during drills:
--------------------------------------------
|Menu 2 - Beginner Drills 00:00:37|
|------------------------------------------|
|This drill will be for: |
| |
|Letters: asdf jkl; |
|Symbols: |
|Numbers: |
| Caps: |
| |
| |
| Drill is 20 characters. ** START** |
--------------------------------------------
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 12
Illustration 2 - Text Panel during exercises:
--------------------------------------------
|Menu 4 - Advanced Exercises 00:00:01|
|------------------------------------------|
| |
|with a standard typewriter-like return; |
| |
|is designed for durability; easy to use |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| (Begin typing at the ^ cursor) |
--------------------------------------------
Illustration 3 - Text Panel at end of drill or exercise:
--------------------------------------------
(1) |Menu 3 - Intermediate Exercises 00:00:37|
|------------------------------------------|
(2) |DRILL COMPLETED: BEST WPM so far: 18 WPM|
| |
(3) | Computed speed: 21 WPM this drill |
(4) | Raw speed was: 27 WPM this drill |
(5) | Drill Length: 76 characters |
(6) | Gross Keystrokes: 79 |
(7) | Typing Errors: 3 |
(8) | Accuracy: 92 percent |
(9) |*Press F10 for another drill or exercise |
--------------------------------------------
This text panel contains various statistics regarding your typing
performance at the conclusion of each drill or exercise. They are
described as follows:
(1) The menu from which you selected your drill or exercise; elapsed time
from the beginning of the drill or exercise to its completion.
(2) End of drill or exercise; the highest attained WPM (Words Per Minute)
by during this typing practice session using PC-FASTYPE.
(3) Your true WPM rate with errors computed for the drill or exercise just
completed. Standard typing practice calls for a penalty of 5 words for
every keystroke error you make. PC-FASTYPE penalizes you only ONE word
per keystroke error because of the shortness of drills and exercises.
(4) Raw speed is simply your keystroke rate including error keystrokes and
backspace keystrokes divided by elapsed time.
(5) Drill Length is the total number of characters you have to type to
complete the drill or exercise.
(6) Gross Keystrokes is the total number of keystrokes you took to complete
the current drill or exercise.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 13
(7) Typing Errors is the total number of errors made during the current
drill or exercise. If you used the backspace key during exercises to
correct errors, they will not be counted.
(8) Accuracy; is a percentage of correct keystrokes made against the total
number of keystrokes required to complete the drill or exercise.
(9) This message means you can just press F10 again to practice typing
another drill or exercise from the menu listed in (1) without having to
first return to a menu.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 14
C H A P T E R T W O
__________________________________________________________________________
PROGRAM FUNCTION KEYS
PC-FASTYPE makes extensive use of the FUNCTION keys to control the
selection and initiation of various drills, exercises and program features.
The function keys are located in various positions depending on the
keyboard you are using. They are labeled F1 through F10, or F12.
DUAL PURPOSE OF FUNCTION KEYS
Function keys F1 through F10 are used with PC-FASTYPE and serve a dual
purpose. First, they are used to display the primary menus, and secondly,
while a primary menu is displayed,they are used to select a drill,
exercise, feature, or keyboard helper. For example, if you are typing a
drill and you press function key F2, the drill will end, the screen
keyboard will be erased and the Beginner Menu will be displayed on the
screen. If you press F2 again while the Beginner Menu is displayed, you
will select the "HOME Keys Only" option and all previous drill settings or
exercise selections will be reset.
On the other hand, a few function keys are used for only one purpose. An
example would be the use of the F10 function key. It is always used to
start an exercise or a new drill. This is the case when any primary menu is
displayed, or the screen keyboard is displayed and you are at the end of a
drill or exercise.
Become familiar with the use of the function keys in PC-FASTYPE, you
will use them to switch from one kind of exercise to another, and to turn
keyboard helpers ON or OFF.
See the section entitled "Explanation of Menu Lists" for a full
description of each function key.
-- Version 3.01 --
PC-FASTYPE User's Guide Page 15
MENU HOPPING
You can switch from one primary menu to another primary menu quickly
by using the ALT key. If, for example you have the Beginners Menu currently
displayed and you want to switch to the Keyboard Helpers Menu without
returning to the Main Menu first via F9 , you can do this by first pressing
and holding down the ALT key then pressing function key F5. The display
will switch from Menu #2 to Menu #5 immediately. Function key F5 is the
key you would normally press while the Main Menu is displayed to get to the
Keyboard Helpers Menu.
The ALT key only works when one of the five primary menus is
displayed, and only with function keys F1 through F5. Each primary menu has
a number shown next to the menu title. If you want to immediately display
a menu corresponding to the function key numbers, hold the ALT key down and
press the desired function key. The ALT key and function keys are not used
when the sub-menus are displayed - See Chapter 4.
HELP FACILITY
All menus in PC-FASTYPE have a HELP Facility available for you to use
as a quick reference while selecting an exercise or feature. There are four
HELP "screen pages" for each menu. Each HELP page is displayed in high
resolution black and white text mode and may be difficult to read if you
are using a composite monitor or TV set. As an alternative, you can print
out the help screens on your printer and use it for quick reference
instead. See Appendix A.
HOW TO USE THE HELP FACILITY
When any of the five primary menus are displayed, function key F1 is
the key you can use to get the HELP pages displayed. Page one of the four
screen pages is always displayed first. A blinking WAIT message is shown
while the HELP text is being loaded into screen memory.
Line 25, displayed in color at the bottom of the screen gives you
instructions for screen paging and for exiting out of the HELP Facility to
return to the menu. You can "PgDn" to the next screen page, "PgUp" to the
previous page, or press the <ESC>ape key to get back to the menu that you
asked HELP from.
The instructions change too depending on what page you are looking at.
For example, if you are looking at page four, obviously you can't PgDn to
the next page because there is no page five, therefore the PgDn message
won't show on the line.
Try the HELP Facility to become familiar with how the screens operate.
If you have loaded PC-FASTYPE into your PC and have a menu displayed, just
press F1, watch the Help Facility text fill the screens and then press the
PgDn and PgUp keys to observe the effects.
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C H A P T E R T H R E E
___________________________________________________________________________
THE PRIMARY MENUS
There are five primary menus (and two sub-menus) available to guide
you with your selection of drills, exercises, keyboard helpers, and
options. Each menu is activated by pressing one of the function keys.
With a few exceptions, function keys F1 through F5 are always
available to you; you can press them any time DURING, or at the completion
of any drill or exercise and the equivalent menu will be displayed. The
function keys are not available during the Progressive Letter and
Progressive Number selection sub-menus, nor during the HELP Facility
display. In these instances, use the Enter Key or the ESCape key to return
you to the appropriate menu.
[ F1 ] - The MAIN MENU
Function key F1 displays the Main Menu
The Main Menu is like the table of contents in a book; it contains a
list of the other four primary menus available and the function key to
press to display that menu on the screen. This is also the menu from which
you should "gracefully" end PC-FASTYPE and return to DOS.
The following text describes the purpose of each function key
available with the Main Menu. Don't forget about the dual purpose of the
function keys described earlier in Chapter Two (page 12).
F1 - HELP Facility
Pressing F1 while the Main Menu is displayed activates a "HELP
Facility" that you can use for quick reference while learning PC-FASTYPE.
F2 - BEGINNER DRILLS MENU
Pressing F2 while the Main Menu is displayed will cause the Beginner
Drills Menu in turn to be displayed. The Beginner Drills Menu contains
selections that you can use to help you increase your speed and accuracy,
or, if you are a beginner, to learn how to type, starting with the HOME
keys and progressing through additional letters, numbers, symbols, and
Capital letters.
F3 - INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES MENU
Pressing F3 while the Main Menu is displayed will cause the
Intermediate Exercises Menu in turn to be displayed. The Intermediate
Exercises Menu contains exercise selections that you can use after you have
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learned how to type all of the letters on the keyboard. Instead of randomly
selected letters being flashed on the screen keyboard as in the basic
drills, pre-defined exercises are selected from disk and displayed in the
text panel. Your task is to type the character pointed to by the
"house-shaped" cursor. These exercises are typically 80 characters in
length.
F4 - ADVANCED EXERCISES MENU
Pressing F4 while the Main Menu is displayed will cause the Advanced
Exercises Menu in turn to be displayed. The Advanced Exercises Menu
contains pre-defined exercises that you can use after you have learned how
to type all of the letters, all of the numbers, Capital letters, and some
punctuation symbols such as the period, comma, bracket, etc. The
predefined exercises read from disk consist of short sentences and
paragraphs that are displayed in the text panel above the screen keyboard.
Your task is to type the characters pointed to by the house-shaped cursor.
These drills are typically 120 characters in length.
F5 - KEYBOARD HELPERS MENU
Pressing F5 while the Main Menu is displayed will cause the Keyboard
Helpers Menu in turn to be displayed. The Keyboard Helpers Menu has handy
typing aids for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced typist. These
typing aids can be "toggled" ON or OFF by pressing the appropriate function
key. Some of the available typing helpers include hidden keys, sound on or
off, outline of HOME keys, etc. A message at the bottom of the menu
display will indicate the setting of your selection at the time the
function key is pressed.
F6 - Set the Beginning Typist Skill Level
Pressing this function key will toggle ON a delay mode that slows down
the prompting rhythm and speed that makes PC-FASTYPE unique. If you are a
beginning typist then you might want to select this skill level. The slow
prompting rhythm will stay in effect throughout your typing session until
you reset it by pressing F7 or F8 (see below), or end PC-FASTYPE. The
default skill level used when you start PC-FASTYPE is the intermediate
skill level (medium prompting rhythm). Beginning Typist skill level is for
inexperienced typists whose speed ranges from 0 to 15 WPM. The other two
typing skill levels are automatically toggled "off".
F7 - Set the Intermediate Typist Skill Level
Pressing this function key will toggle ON a skill level that sets the
prompting rhythm and speed to a degree that is appropriate for intermediate
typists. If you are an intermediate typist then you'll want to select this
skill level. The medium speed prompting rhythm will stay in effect
throughout your typing session until you reset it by pressing F6 or F8, or
ending PC-FASTYPE. This is the default skill level set when you start
PC-FASTYPE. Intermediate Typist skill level is for experienced typists
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whose speed ranges from 15 to 45 WPM.
F8 - Set the Advanced Typist Skill Level
Pressing this function key will toggle ON a skill level that speeds up
the prompting rhythm to a degree that is appropriate for advanced typists.
If you are an advanced typist then you might like to try this skill level.
It is really challenging to try to stay ahead of the delayed prompting when
you are typing exercises. This skill level is clearly designed to increase
your speed. If you try typing drills, then the metronome-like quality of
the prompting rhythm will really excite you into typing faster. The high
speed delayed prompting rhythm will stay in effect throughout your typing
session until you reset it by pressing F6 or F7, or ending PC-FASTYPE. The
default skill level selected when you start PC-FASTYPE is the intermediate
level (F7). The Advanced Typist skill level is for highly experienced
typists whose goal is to increase their speed. You should have the ability
to type at least 60 WPM and above to be successful typing at this skill
level.
F9 - Exit to DOS
Pressing F9 while the Main Menu is displayed will cause PC-FASTYPE to
end. The screen is cleared and a message will appear thanking you for
using PC-FASTYPE. After a brief moment the DOS prompt will appear at the
top of the screen.
F10 - Start a Drill or Exercise
Pressing F10 while the Main Menu is displayed will cause the keyboard
screen to be displayed and any selected drill or exercise to begin. If no
drill or exercise has been selected from another menu then PC-FASTYPE will
select the HOME-keys-only for you to practice on and the count of the
number of characters in each drill is initially set at 20 characters.
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[ F2 ] - BEGINNER DRILLS Menu --------------------------------------------
Function Key F2 displays the Beginner Drills Menu
The Beginner Drills Menu is displayed when F2 is pressed while the
Main Menu is on the screen, or any time during a drill or exercise. This
is the menu that you can use to select drills that will build your typing
vocabulary. If you are an intermediate typist, these drills will help
increase your accuracy on the keyboard. As a beginner, you would typically
start with the HOME keys and as your typing accuracy gets better you would
select additional letters to learn; then you can try numbers, symbols, and
finally Capital Letters. The function keys available in this menu are
described as follows:
F1 - HELP Facility
Pressing F1 will activate the "HELP Facility" for the Beginner Drills
Menu.
F2 - HOME Keys Only
Pressing F2 will cause just the HOME keys to be available for you to
practice on. All other selections you may have made will be reset (except
keyboard helpers). The count of the number of characters that you must
successfully type for each drill remains set at the count you specified in
Menu 5, or will be set to 20 which is the default.
F3 - Add More LETTERS
Pressing F3 will cause the subsequent display of a letter selection
sub-menu. You can select additional letters from this menu to build up
your typing vocabulary of keyboard letters. See Progressive Letters Menu
in Chapter Four (page 30).
F4 - Add More NUMBERS
Pressing F4 will cause the subsequent display of a number selection
sub-menu. You can select numbers sets from this menu to build up your
typing vocabulary of numbers. See the Progressive Numbers Menu in Chapter
4.
F5 - Learn Special Characters & Symbols
Pressing F5 is a "toggle" that will cause all upper-case and lower
case symbols and punctuation marks of the main typing area to be included
in the list of letters for you to practice typing. These characters will
be added to selections made from the Progressive Letters or Progressive
Numbers menu. If you do not like typing symbols, press F5 again to turn
this selection OFF; the special characters and symbols will then be removed
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from your drills.
F6 - Drill of CAPITAL Letters Only
Pressing F6 will cause the selection of Capital-Letters-Only for you
to practice typing. The count of the number of Capital Letters for each
drill remains set at the count you specified in Menu 5 or will be set at
20. Read the section entitled "HOW TO TYPE CAPITAL LETTERS".
F7 - Select the WHOLE Keyboard (All of the above!)
Pressing F7 will cause all letters, symbols and punctuation marks,
numbers, and Capital Letters in PC-FASTYPE's vocabulary to be available for
you to practice typing with. The count of the number of characters for each
drill will remain set at the count you specified in Menu 5 or will stay set
at 20. We suggest that you set the drill count to 40 or more characters to
make this typing practice meaningful.
F8 - Not Used
This key is not used in this menu.
F9 - Return to Main Menu
Pressing F9 will cause the Main Menu to be displayed. Selections made
from this Beginner Drills Menu will remain in effect.
F10 - Start Drill
Pressing F10 will cause the keyboard screen to be displayed and any
selected drill or exercise to begin.
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[ F3 ] - INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES Menu --------------------------------------
Function key F3 displays the INTERMEDIATE Exercises Menu
This menu is displayed when F3 is pressed while the Main Menu is on
the screen or any time during a drill or exercise. You can select
pre-defined exercises from disk with this menu. The pre-defined exercises
consist of three letter word groups, four letter word groups, or variable
length phrases. You can select the exercise you want to practice typing by
pressing the appropriate function key.
F1 - HELP Facility
Pressing F1 activates the HELP Facility for the Intermediate Exercises
Menu.
F2 - WORDS - 3 Letter Word Groups
This function key will cause PC-FASTYPE to access a series of disk
files containing 3-letter word group exercises. Each exercise will display
2 lines of word groups in the text panel of the screen keyboard. Your task
is to type the letter pointed to by the cursor. The cursor advances to the
next character on the line when any typing key is pressed. If an error is
made, the cursor under the character you mis-typed is replaced with an
asterisk (*) and the cursor advances to the next character. The drill ends
when the cursor has passed through all displayed characters in the text
panel.
F3 - WORDS - 4 Letter Groups
This function key will cause PC-FASTYPE to access a series of disk
files containing 4-letter word group exercises. The exercise process works
the same as above.
F4 - Short Phrase Groups
This function key will cause PC-FASTYPE to access a series of disk
files containing exercises of common everyday phrases you may find in
speech or print. The exercise process works the same as above.
F5 - Keyboard Prompting
This function key acts as a toggle to turn the screen keyboard
"delayed prompting" feature ON or OFF. The delayed prompting rhythm speed
is determined by the "Typist" skill level selected from menu 1. The
default skill level when PC-FASTYPE is started is the INTERMEDIATE level.
If you think you have mastered the keyboard well enough where you
could type the exercises without the screen keyboard prompting helper, you
can use this key to turn delayed prompting OFF. Pressing it again will
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cause the delayed prompt feature to turn back ON.
Note: The delayed keyboard prompting feature will also remain set to ON or
OFF for any selections from the Advanced Exercises Menu (described later).
Regular keyboard prompting is always ON for any selections from the
Beginner Drills Menu.
F6, F7, F8 - not used
These function keys are not used in this Menu.
F9 - Return to Main Menu
Pressing F9 while Menu #3 is displayed will cause the Main Menu to be
displayed. Selections made from this Menu will remain in effect.
F10 - Start Drill
This function key will cause the keyboard screen to be displayed and
any selected exercise to begin.
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[ F4 ] - The ADVANCED EXERCISES Menu --------------------------------------
Function Key F4 displays the Advanced Exercises Menu
This menu is displayed when F4 is pressed while the Main Menu is
displayed or any time during a drill or exercise. From this menu you can
select pre-defined exercises from disk. The pre-defined exercises consist
of sentences, and short paragraphs. You can select the exercise that you
want to practice typing by pressing the appropriate function key.
F1 - HELP Facility
Function key F1 activates the Help Facility for this menu.
F2 - Easy Sentences
This function key will cause PC-FASTYPE to access a series of disk
files containing various one line sentences. A pair of sentences will be
displayed in the text panel above the screen keyboard. Your task is to
correctly type the letter that is pointed to by the cursor. The cursor
advances to the next character on the line as each one is typed
successfully.
F3 - Hard Sentences
This function key will cause PC-FASTYPE to access a series of disk
files containing one line sentences which are more difficult to type. Each
pair of sentences include Capital letters and punctuation marks. The
exercise process works the same as above.
F4 - Short Paragraphs
This function key will cause PC-FASTYPE to access a series of disk
files containing short paragraphs. Each paragraph consists of three paired
lines of one or more sentences. These are hard to type; they include
capital letters, punctuation, numbers, and special characters and symbols.
The exercise process works the same as for F2 above.
F5 - Keyboard Prompting
This function key acts as a toggle switch to turn the screen keyboard
"delayed prompting" feature ON or OFF. It is described in detail above
under the Intermediate Exercises Menu.
If your really good and want to test the upper limits of your typing
skills, you could try typing the pre-defined exercises using the hidden key
feature with the "delayed prompting" feature turned OFF.
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F6, F7, F8 - not used
These function keys are not used in this menu.
F9 - Return to Main Menu
Pressing F9 will return you to the Main Menu.
F10 - Start Drill
This function key will cause the keyboard screen to be displayed and
any selected drill or exercise to begin.
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[ F5 ] - KEYBOARD HELPERS Menu -------------------------------------------
Function Key F5 displays the Keyboard Helpers Menu
The Keyboard Helpers Menu is displayed when F5 is pressed while the
Main Menu is on the screen or any time during a drill or exercise. From
this menu you can select features such as outlining of HOME keys to aid you
in finger placement on the keyboard, hidden keys - whereby the letters on
the screen keyboard keys are erased, turning all sound ON or OFF, etc. Any
helper selected from this menu will remain in effect during any of the
drills or exercises until you reset them. More than one helper can be
selected during a display of this menu.
F1 - HELP Facility
Function key F1 is the HELP Facility for this menu.
F2 - QUIET Mode
This function key acts as a toggle switch to turn all sound ON or OFF.
The message will indicate the setting of the sound option after you press
this key. This option remains set until you reset it again with this
function key. F7 below has no effect on the setting of QUIET Mode.
F3 - Hidden Keys
Pressing this key will erase all of the typing letters from the screen
keyboard keycaps. You may wish to use this feature after you have
memorized the key letter placements. You will still be prompted to press
the indicated key during a drill or exercise but will have to rely on your
memory to remember where the adjacent keys are.
F4 - Outline HOME keys
Pressing this key will cause boxes to be drawn around the HOME keys of
the screen keyboard. The first box is drawn around the "ASDF" keys and the
second box is drawn around the "JKL;" keys. This is a keyboard helper
designed for beginners and assists you in the correct positioning of your
fingers on the keyboard during typing. This option remains in effect until
you turn it OFF.
F5 - 'BEEP' Keystroke Errors
Pressing this key will enable beeping of keystroke errors. When you
make a keystroke error a large red X will flash over the key that you
pressed incorrectly and at the same time the speaker will sound indicating
that you made an error. This feature is "ON" when you start PC-FASTYPE.
Note: if all SOUND has been suppressed via the F2 key then the keying error
sounds will also be suppressed even though the message may indicate that it
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has been turned on.
F6 - Align Finger Positions
Pressing this key will cause lines to be drawn on the screen keyboard
that will separate the keys vertically. It will indicate all the keys on
different rows that should be pressed with the same finger of each hand.
This is a keyboard helper designed to assist you in keying the letters with
the correct fingers. You can use this feature together with the Outline of
the Home Keys feature.
F7 - Reset Keyboard Helpers
Pressing this key will reset all of the keyboard helpers to their
original values of ON or OFF when you started PC-FASTYPE. If you get
confused as to what features were ON and what were OFF after using
PC-FASTYPE for a while, you can press this key to reset them to their
original status when you started PC-FASTYPE.
F8 - Change Character Count
Pressing this key will cause a message to be displayed in the message
area requesting the count, in number of characters to be typed, for any
drill selected from the Beginner Drills Menu. You can select a count of 10
to 99 characters. If you don't select a count then PC-FASTYPE will use a
count of 20 characters for each drill. The number of characters for any
exercise selected from the Intermediate or Advanced Menu is already set
from the pre-defined lessons on disk. The number in brackets [] in the
message area indicates the current setting of the character count.
F9 - Return to Main Menu
Pressing F9 will return you to the main menu.
F10 - Start Drill
This function key will cause the keyboard screen to be displayed and
any selected drill or exercise to begin.
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C H A P T E R F O U R
___________________________________________________________________________
*** S U B - M E N U S ***
In addition to the five primary menus, there are two sub-menus that
can be selected from primary menu 2, the Beginner Drills Menu. The
selections from these sub-menus will help you to build your typing
vocabulary by giving you the opportunity to add more letters or add more
numbers to your drill practice. The sequence in which the letters and
numbers can be added to your drill list follow generally accepted rules of
typing practice.
PROGRESSIVE LETTERS SELECTION MENU
The Progressive Letters Selection Menu is displayed when you press
function key F3 while the Beginner Drills Menu is on the screen. The
purpose of this menu is to allow you to increase your typing skills by
letting you add more letters to your typing vocabulary. For example, the
next set of letters that you have to learn after you have become proficient
typing the HOME keys are the letters "e" and "i". Select these letters
from the menu by typing in the number from the displayed list - number 2.
Then, in addition to being drilled on the HOME keys, the drills will also
include the letters e and i.
Your selection is cumulative that is, whatever number you choose for
the new letters you want to learn, the drills will include ALL of the
letters listed up to that point and the menu selections will be hi-lighted
to show what letters will be included in your drills. So, if you select
number 5 for the letters "t" and "y"; you will be drilled on all of the
letters listed previously up to and including t and y; that is: (asdfjkl;
(space), enter key, ei,uv,ty).
You can repetitively select different numbers listed. If you change
your mind while the list is still displayed, just type in a different
number; to cancel a selection already typed in, just press the space bar.
Your chosen selection goes into effect only when you press the ENTER key.
If you decide not to make a selection just press the enter key to return to
the Beginner Drills menu.
The HELP Facility for this menu will give you helpful hints on the
correct method for typing letters. Type the letter "h" to get the Help
Facility for this sub-menu.
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PROGRESSIVE NUMBERS SELECTION MENU
The Progressive Numbers Selection Menu is displayed when you press
function key F4 while the Beginner Drills Menu is on the screen. The
purpose of this sub-menu is to allow you to increase your typing skills by
letting you add the number keys to your typing vocabulary.
Your selection of number sets that you want to learn works the same as
the Progressive Letters Menu that is, whatever set of numbers you choose,
all of the numbers in the previous sets will be included and the selection
will be hi-lighted on the screen. For example, if you want to learn how to
type the numbers "3" and "8", then select #2 from the list; that selection
will also include the numbers 4,5,6,7 from #1 in the list and both will be
hi-lighted.
If you select #0 - "No numbers", then any numbers previously selected
or included in your drill will be eliminated from your next drill.
The HELP screen for this menu will give you helpful hints on the
correct method for typing numbers. Type the letter "h" to get the Help
Facility for this sub-menu.
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HOW TO TYPE CAPITAL LETTERS
__________________________________________________________________________
Using the SHIFT (up-arrow) keys:
The shift keys on all PC keyboards are located on either side of the
row of keys above the space bar. Notice where they are. The shift keys are
pressed down and held with either pinky finger while the letter to be
capitalized is being typed with a finger of the opposite hand.
The right hand shift key is used to capitalize a letter that is struck
with the left hand, and the left hand shift key is used to capitalize a
letter that is struck with the right hand.
Typing capitalized letters will seem to be slow at first, but when you
have gained enough skill with your typing, you will find that the time
required to type a capital letter will gradually decrease and the operation
will be performed without conscious effort on your part. As a beginner,
your primary aim is to develop a smooth, even operation and to avoid any
break in your typing rhythm.
To capitalize a letter that is struck with the right hand -
1. Reach over with the pinky (a-finger) of your left hand
and depress the left-hand shift key.
2. While holding down the shift key, press the letter to be
capitalized with the right hand finger.
3. Release the shift and return the a-finger to its HOME
position.
To capitalize a letter that is struck with the left hand, follow the
same procedure outlined above, using the semi-colon (;) finger on the right
hand to press the right shift key.
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-- A P P E N D I X A --
___________________________________________________________________________
HOW TO PRINT THE HELP SCREENS
If your PC has a printer attached to it you may want to have a
printout of the HELP Facility screens associated with the five menus and
two letter and number selection sub-menus.
Included on your PC-FASTYPE diskette is a short BASIC program that can
be used for this purpose. It will neatly print two HELP "screen pages" per
printed page (assuming 11" page length), including a title and page breaks.
The full printout of all menu HELP screens will require about 14 pages. To
use this utility program, just perform the following actions:
1. Set the DEFAULT drive letter to the same drive
where PC-FASTYPE resides. Get into BASICA.
2. With your PC-FASTYPE disk in the default
drive or on the hard disk,
type:
LOAD"prthelp.bas"
3. Turn on your printer and align the
paper to top of form.
4. Press F2 or type RUN <Enter> to start
the printing process.
Keep the printed HELP pages handy, they may be easier to reference
than using the PC-FASTYPE Help Facility. Some PC graphics cards not
equipped with the screen paging hardware feature will not be able to use
the Help Facility; printing the help pages will then be necessary.
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-- A P P E N D I X B --
___________________________________________________________________________
MODIFYING THE EXERCISE FILES
The disk files that are used when making selections from the
Intermediate or Advanced Exercise Menus can be modified by you at any time.
You may want to include special words or phrases that are unique to your
business, profession, or student activities and which would be frequently
typed such as scientific terminology, or "legal-eze". The following text
describes the process for modifying the files and some dangers you should
be aware of when doing so.
FILE BACKUP
Before you do anything at all about modifying PC-FASTYPE's exercise
files, you should make BACKUP copies of the files you intend to modify.
Copy the "MFnn.typ" files that you are going to change to a diskette and
keep it handy so you can recover the files if you mess up. Remember, you
also have your original copy of PC-FASTYPE to recover files from.
FILE IDENTIFICATION
Each exercise file name is associated with a particular set of
function keys from the Intermediate and Advanced Exercise Menus. The file
name is in the format "MFnn.typ"; for example, "3211.typ". The first
character of each file name is really a number corresponding to the primary
menu number (which will be 3 or 4) from which an exercise was selected.
The Intermediate Exercise Menu is displayed with function key F3 so all
exercise files whose name begins with the number 3 are used by selections
from Menu 3 (Intermediate Exercises Menu). The same goes for Menu 4
(Advanced Exercises Menu). So, all files that begin with the number 3 are
for exercises selected from the Intermediate Exercises Menu and all files
that begin with number 4 are for exercises selected from the Advanced
Exercises Menu. No other menu selection uses exercise files. Go ahead and
do a DOS "DIR" command on the drive or directory where PC-FASTYPE resides
to verify this.
The second character of the file name corresponds to the function key
number (F) selected from within the primary menu. For example, if you have
the Advanced Exercises Menu displayed and you press F2 for Short Sentences,
PC-FASTYPE will randomly select a file from the group of files whose names
begin with "42" (MF..).
The third and forth characters (..xx) of the file name make up the
file number of the six files within each group. The file numbers range from
10 to 15. Files beginning with "44" range from 10 to 19 (10 files).
Each file name has a file extension of ".typ" attached to indicate
that is associated with the PC-FASTYPE program. Now you can identify each
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exercise file. Use the following guide to assist you:
Exercise file name identification:
M F n n . t y p
M = Menu Number - 3 for Intermediate Menu;
4 for Advanced Menu
F = Function Key Number in each menu
2, 3, or 4
nn = File number in each "MF" group
10, 11, 12, ....
.typ = File Extension
The following table summarizes the file associations:
Intermediate Exercises Menu (F3)
F2 = files named 3210.typ thru 3215.typ
F3 = files named 3310.typ thru 3315.typ
F4 = files named 3410.typ thru 3415.typ
Advanced Exercises Menu (F4)
F2 = files named 4210.typ thru 4215.typ
F3 = files named 4310.typ thru 4315.typ
F4 = files named 4410.typ thru 4419.typ
Note: PC-FASTYPE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE ANY OTHER FILE NAMES
DURING ITS EXERCISE SELECTION PROCESS.
FILE CONSTRUCTION
All files are ASCII text and were created using a standard editor
program. Each file is twelve (12) lines in length and each line is up to 39
characters long; the last character on each line is a line feed/carriage
return. You can use EDLIN or any suitable text editor to modify the files
as long as you abide by the following rules.
FILE MODIFICATION
LINE LENGTH - Each line in a file is limited to a length of up to 39
text characters plus carriage return (total - 40). PC-FASTYPE displays the
line in the text panel and places a special viewable carriage return symbol
after the last character in the line (if the length is 39 characters then
the last displayable character will be the <cr> symbol). If you make the
lines longer than 39 characters PC-FASTYPE will not use the extra
characters and you won't see them displayed.
CHARACTERS - You can compose each line using whatever characters you
like but PC-FASTYPE will only recognize the following:
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lower case letters: a thru z, space bar, enter key
upper case letters: A thru Z
symbols: []/\.,;-='`!@#$%^&*()_+{}:"~|<>?
numbers: 1 thru 9 and 0 (top row of keys)
Any characters not listed above that appear in the first 39 of each line
will be replaced with a "hat" (^) symbol before being presented to you on
the screen.
NUMBER OF LINES - The number of lines in each file is limited to
twelve. PC-FASTYPE will only process the first twelve lines of text in the
file. You can enter less than twelve lines if you want to, but you will
limit PC-FASTYPE's random selection of lines.
EXERCISE FILE MODIFICATION - SUMMARY
Remember:
- Backup lesson files before changing them
- All characters are standard ASCII text characters
- Use EDLIN or suitable editor
- Line length - up to 39 characters
- Number of lines - up to 12 lines
- Limited selection of characters (see above set)
- Pay attention to file naming conventions
If you accidentally delete or mis-name one or more of the exercise files,
PC-FASTYPE will let you know with a screen message that the file is missing if
the program attempts to select it through its randomizing selection, but --
ONLY when PC-FASTYPE makes an attempt to use it.
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The following section describes how PC-FASTYPE selects lines from all
of the pre-defined exercise.
HOW PC-FASTYPE SELECTS LINES FOR DISPLAY
For all exercise files with the exception of those starting with the
name "44" (see below), PC-FASTYPE treats each line independently of the
others in the same file. It randomly selects any two of the twelve lines
to display on the screen for you to type. Six consecutive non-repeating
exercises are allowed using lines from the same file before PC-FASTYPE
reads another file. The selection process is somewhat random, and measures
have been taken to reduce duplicate exercise selection in the same session.
When modifying the exercise files you should consider this by limiting
phrases and/or sentences to ONE displayable line (39 or less characters).
Since there is no guarantee that sentences of more than one line will be
displayed together (except "44" files) it may appear that phrases and/or
sentences seem fragmented.
"44" FILES
File names that begin with "44" are selected from the Advanced
Exercises Menu by pressing F4 for "Short Paragraphs". PC-FASTYPE will
display three of the twelve lines in consecutive order; however, any of the
four groups of three lines may be selected randomly. PC-FASTYPE will use
all four groups from that file before reading the next randomly selected
file.
Here you may create sentences of greater than one line (but only 39
text characters per line) and they will be displayed together when selected
by PC-FASTYPE. Be careful about continuing a sentence from line 3 to line
4 because when lines 1, 2, and 3 are displayed on the screen the paragraph
or sentence will appear to be incomplete because of their continuation onto
lines 4, 5, and 6 and so on. If you decide to modify these files then you
should know that the line groupings of each of these files are: 1-2-3,
4-5-6, 7-8-9, and 10-11-12.
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LIST OF FILES ON THE PC-FASTYPE DISKETTE
Use the DOS command "DIR" to verify that these files exist on your
PC-FASTYPE program diskette:
readme newver.doc
3210.typ, 3211.typ, 3212.typ, 3213.typ, 3214.typ, 3215.typ
3310.typ, 3311.typ, 3312.typ, 3313.typ, 3314.typ, 3315.typ
3410.typ, 3411.typ, 3412.typ, 3413.typ, 3414.typ, 3415.typ
4210.typ, 4211.typ, 4212.typ, 4213.typ, 4214.typ, 4215.typ
4310.typ, 4311.typ, 4312.typ, 4313.typ, 4314.typ, 4315.typ
4410.typ, 4411.typ, 4412.typ, 4413.typ, 4414.typ, 4415.typ
4416.typ, 4417.typ, 4418.typ, 4419.typ
hm1.hlp, hm2.hlp, hm3.hlp, hm4.hlp, hm5.hlp, hml.hlp, hmn.hlp
prthelp.bas, enft.bat, enscrn.fil, pcft.bat, pcscrn.fil
pcfastyp.exe, printdoc.bat, pcfastyp.doc
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