Welcome to K-Chess, the chess program with the lot.
K-Chess allows you to play with two opponents, one person against the computer, or the computer against itself. To move, pick up a piece with the mouse and drag it and drop it where you want it. Or just type in the move that you want to perform. {
The main part of the screen is occupied by the Board and the Pieces on it. To the right of the the board is the Status
Window which displays information about the game's progress. Above this window is the Menu
Bar from which all functions of the game can be operated. And at the bottom of the screen is the Status
Line which displays important Check and end game information. ]
You can get all sorts of helpful information by clicking on squares on the board with the right mouse button, selecting Hint or Help from the Menu Bar, or by watching the movements in the Status Window. In fact, K-Chess can help you to play better by showing you more information about the game, and even letting you see some of its own workings.
Drag Mode
You are in Drag mode, where you can move or resize a Window on the Desktop. 2
You entered Drag mode by clicking and holding with the mouse button on the window's Title Bar (along the top) or the Resize icon (at the bottom right corner). You can now move the mouse around to either Move or Resize the window. Release the mouse button to save the new size or location of the window.
Text File Viewer
A Text File Viewer shows the contents of any file in normal text format. The following arrow keys may be used to move about in the file.
<Up> Move up one line
<Down> Move down one line
<Right> Move right one column
<Left> Move left one column
<PageUp> Move one page up
<PageDown> Move one page down
<Home> Move to start of current line
<End> Move to end of current line
<Ctrl+PageUp> Move to top of file
<Ctrl+PageDown> Move to bottom of file
The Desktop
The Desktop is the main part of the screen that you can see. It is comprised of the chess
board on the left and the Status
window on the right. The desktop may also contain Windows and Dialog
Boxes of different types at various times.
The Board
The Chess Board is the main area covering the left and centre of the screen, and is of course where all the action of the game takes place. Pieces may be moved in one of two ways:
1. Drag and drop the piece with the mouse where you want it to go. If the move is invalid then the piece will jump back to its original location and allow you to make another move. Note: to Castle, move the King the two squares and the Rook will automatically jump over it.
2. Type in the move in an unambiguous form, as in "e2e4". As you begin to type, the Enter
dialog
box will pop up to show you what you have entered. Press <Enter> or the [OK] button to perform the move. Note: moves may be entered in any combination of upper and lower case. A
At any time you may get help on the game in the following ways:
a) Click on a square with the left mouse button. If the square contains a piece, then all the squares to which that piece can move are highlighted. If the square is empty, then all the squares which contain a piece which threaten that square are highlighted. U
b) Press <Alt-I> or select Move
Hint to display a suggested move that can be made.
c) Look under the "Best Line" section of the Status
Window to the right of the screen to see the steps that the computer is thinking about as it works.
The Pieces
The Pieces are drawn as follows:
++++
King Queen Rook
P
Bishop Knight Pawn
The colours in which the pieces are displayed may be altered by selecting Colours from the Window
pulldown
menu.
Entering and Displaying Moves
K-Chess uses a slight variation on the algebraic system to enter and display moves. On long form moves specify the name of the piece, the starting square, and the destination square. %
The following piece names are used: H
K = King
Q = Queen
B = Bishop
N = Knight
R = Rook
P = Pawn
Squares are identified by the rank (1-8 starting from white's end of the board) and file (A-H starting from white's Queen side). A
If moves are entered through the keyboard they do not need to be complete, they need only be unambiguous. For example, enter the starting square and the destination square as in "e2e4", or the piece and destination square as in "Pe4", or just the destination square "e4" if there is only one piece that can move there. {
The move list in the Status
Window displays the complete piece name and starting and destination squares, except that for pawn moves the piece is left blank. A minus sign "-" between the starting and destination squares indicates a normal moves, and an "x" indicates that a piece was taken. A plus sign "+" after the moves indicates Check, and an asterisk "*" indicates Mate.
Status Window
The Status Window is the area on the main screen to the right of the board, between the Menu
Bar and the Status
Line. It is really a permanent dialog
box which displays information about the status and progress of the game. `
The first line specifies the turn number, and which player (white or black) has the next move.
The second line indictes the mode of play: Auto Play, One Player, or Two Player. Auto Play mode is chosen by selecting Auto
Play from the Move
pulldown
menu, and One or Two player modes are selected from the Options
dialog
box. L
The next two lines show the game clock, both overall, and for each player. ~
The following lines show some of the values assigned to each combination of moves that the computer opponent is working out.
Below this is the list of all moves in the game so far. This list may be scrolled backwards by clicking on the right hand edge of the list.
The Best Line indicator shows what the computer opponent is working on, and is followed by a list of the best possible moves for each opponent. This can be very helpful information!
Promotion dialog box
The Promotion dialog
box is displayed when a Pawn advances to the opposite end of the board. It allows a piece to be selected which the Pawn will be promoted to: either a Queen, Rook, Knight or Bishop.
Use the <Tab> key to select the desired piece and press <Enter>, or simply double click on the desired piece with the mouse. This will close the dialog box and promote the pawn to the selected piece.
Windows
Each Window on the Desktop has a Frame, a Title, and one or more Icons and Controls for handling the window and its contents. There may also be one or more Buttons to perform specific actions relating to the window.
There is a Close icon [
] in the top left corner of every window. Click on this with the left mouse button to close the window. =
Grab the Title Bar with the mouse to move the whole window.
There may be a Zoom icon in the top right corner of the window. If the window is full size (Maximised), the Zoom icon will look like [
]. Click on it with the left mouse button to Restore the window to its "normal" size. If the window is in its Restored state, then the icon will look like [
]. Click on it to Maximise it again. Edit and View windows start out the full size of the desktop, therefore their Restored and Maximised size is initially the same. $
There may also be a Resize icon
in the bottom right of the window. Grab this with the mouse to change the size of the window.
Normal windows are usually "non-modal", which means they do not take control of the desktop while they are active. You may open and close them and switch between them as you like. ;
Note that Dialog
Boxes are just special kinds of Windows.
Dialog Boxes
Dialog Boxes are special types of Windows. Like any other window, they have a Frame, a Title, and a Close icon. However, they cannot normally be resized. W
Dialog boxes are usually shown to inform you of something that is happening, warn of possible consequences of an action, or ask for input from the user. To do this, they contain text to describe what is the purpose of the dialog box, one or more controls to accept information, and/or one or more buttons which tell K-Chess what to do next.
Use the <Tab> or <Shift+Tab> keys to jump forwards or backwards between the controls and buttons on the dialog box. Press <Esc> or press the [Cancel] button or click on the Close icon to quit out of the dialog box. |
Because of their nature, dialog boxes are usually "modal", which means they take control of the whole desktop while they are displayed. You cannot do any other action until you have responded to the dialog box. One notable exception to this is the Status
Window which remains on the screen all the time while activity is going on in the Board or other windows or dialog boxes.
Icons
Icons are tiny pictorial representations of functions or objects that may be on Windows or Dialog
Boxes. Clicking on icons with the mouse will either perform the function or open the object that the icon represents. A
Following is a list of some of the most common icons in K-Chess
] is a Close icon, which is in the top left hand
corner of every window and dialog box. Click
on it to close the window.
] is a Zoom icon showing that a resizable window
is at full size (Maximised). Click on it to
Restore the window.
] is a Zoom icon showing that a resizeable window
is at normal size (Restored). Click on it to
Maximise the window.
is a Resize icon which is at the bottom right
corner of every resizable window. Grab it with
the mouse to change the size of the window.
is a Page Up icon which is at the top of every
vertical Scroll Bar and some other places.
Click on it to page up one screen.
is a Page Down icon which is at the bottom of
every vertical Scroll Bar and some other
places. Click on it to page down one screen.
is a Page Left icon which is at the left of
every horizontal Scroll Bar and some other
places. Click on it to page left one screen.
is a Page Right icon which is at the right of
every horizontal Scroll Bar and some other
places. Click on it to page right one screen.
Controls
Controls are used to display information in a particular way, and/or accept input from the user. There are a number of different types of controls.
INPUT LINES:
Label
Input Lines are spaces where you can enter text or numeric data. They will often have a label to the left or immediately above to indicate what is expected to be entered. They may also have a History of previous entries into this input line which may be viewed and selected by pressing <Down> or clicking on the History button to the right of the input line. Often the type of input is restricted so that invalid data will not be accepted, such as alphabetic characters where a number is required. An example of an Input Line is in the Enter
dialog
box.
CHECK BOXES:
[X] This option is selected
[ ] This option is not
Check Boxes are items which can be in just one of two states, such as ON/OFF or YES/NO. They may be on their own, or in groups of related entries such as in the Options
dialog
box. Any number of check boxes in a group can be on or off. The state of each check box is toggled by jumping to it and pressing <Space> or by clicking on it.
RADIO BUTTONS:
) This option has been chosen
( ) These others have not
Radio Buttons, like Check Boxes, can be in one of two states, and are toggled in the same way. Unlike check boxes, only one radio button in a group may be on. In other words, they are used to indicate mutually exclusive options.
LIST BOXES:
Label
First item in the list
Second item in the list
Third item in the list
Last item in the list
List Boxes are short or long lists of objects such as files or items, displayed in one or more columns. You may scroll through the list by pressing the <Up> and <Down> keys, or by clicking on the Scroll Bar which will usually be found to the right of the list box. An example of a list box is in the Open
dialog
box. ~
An item in the list box is selected by moving the cursor to it and pressing <Enter> or <Space>, or by double clicking on it.
Buttons
Buttons are found on many Dialog
Boxes and some other Windows. Many functions are activated by "pressing" buttons. Most of these functions are also available from the Menu
Bar.
A button can be "pressed" either by clicking on it with the mouse, or by pressing the <Tab> key to highlight the button and then the <Space> or <Enter> keys. J
There are a number of standard buttons that are used throughout K-Chess. O
[OK]
[Yes]
[No]
[Open]
[Save]
[Change]
[Preview]
[Defaults]
[Cancel]
[ OK ]
If you choose [OK], the changes made in the dialog box are accepted, and the dialog box is closed.
[ Yes ]
If you choose [Yes], the action specified in the dialog box is performed, and the dialog box is closed.
[ No ]
If you choose [No], then no action is performed, and the dialog box is closed.
[ Open ]
The [Open] button will open an existing game file, and reset the Board to the last position in that previously saved game.
[ Save ]
The [Save] button will save the current game to the game file with the name you have specified.
[ Change ]
The [Change] button will make the selected Directory the current default Directory.
[ Preview ]
The [Preview] button will allow you to see the effects of changes in a window or dialog box without committing the changes. v
Even after [Preview] has been selected, you may reverse the changes by selecting the [Defaults] or [Cancel] buttons.
[ Defaults ]
The [Defaults] button will change all settings and options in the current window back to their original default values, and close the dialog box.
[ Cancel ]
The [Cancel] button cancels any changes or pending actions and closes the dialog box. >
This action can also be performed by pressing the <Esc> key.
Menu Bar
All the functions in K-Chess can be accessed from the Menu Bar at the top of the screen above the Status
Window. Selecting any item on the Menu Bar opens a pulldown menu which contains many operations that can be performed. Many of these operations can also be activated by shortcut
keys. z
The Menu Bar itself can be activated with the mouse by clicking on any menu item; or with the keyboard by pressing <F10> or </> and then using the cursor movement keys and <Enter> to select the required item; or by holding the <Alt> key and pressing the letter highlighted for a menu item, that pulldown menu is opened. For example, the "Game" menu is pulled down by <Alt+G>. 7
There are four pulldown menus listed on the Menu Bar.
Game Move Window Help
The Game menu contains operations relating to the commencing, saving and restoring a whole game. O
The Move menu contains operations which affect a single move within the game.
The Window menu contains operations to close and alter individual windows, and customise the way the game operates or how it is displayed on the screen. R
The Help menu gives access to several types of useful information about K-Chess.
Status Line
The Status Line is at the bottom of the screen below the Status
Window. It displays important messages about the status of the game and its completion. In particular, it tells whether either player is in Check. It also indicates when the game has come to an end through Resignation, Checkmate, Stalemate, the Fifty Move rule, or the Repetition rule.
Shortcut Keys
Most functions within K-Chess can be accessed directly by shortcut keys.
FUNCTION KEYS u
<F1> Help about current object or task
<F10> Select the Menu Bar
<Shift+F1> Help Index
MENU SHORTCUTS
<Alt+G> Activate Game pulldown menu
<Alt+M> Activate Move pulldown menu
<Alt+W> Activate Window pulldown menu
<Alt+H> Activate Help pulldown menu
GAME SHORTCUTS
<Ctrl+N> New game
<Ctrl+O> Open existing game
<Ctrl+S> Save game
<Ctrl+A> Save game As
<Ctrl+P> Print game
MOVE SHORTCUTS
<Alt+U> Undo last move
<Alt+R> Redo last move
<Alt+E> Enter move
<Alt+I> Show Hint
<Alt+C> Computer move
<Alt+A> Auto Play
<Alt+S> Stop
OTHER SHORTCUTS
<Alt+F4> Close window
<Alt+F5> Zoom (maximise/restore) window
<Alt+F7> Move or Resize window
<Shift+F7> Jump to Previous window
<Shift+F8> Jump to Next window
<Alt+O> Change game options
<Alt+X> Exit from K-Chess
Game menu
<Alt+G>
The Game pulldown menu on the Menu
Bar contains operations to commence, load and save games, and exit the program. .
New Reset the board to commence a new game
Open Open a previously saved game
Save Save the current game
Save
As Save the current game with a specific name
Print Print the current game
Change
Dir Change the default directory
Exit Exit from K-Chess
<Ctrl+N>
The New operation on the Game
pulldown
menu resets the board ready to start a new game.
Open
<Ctrl+O>
The Open operation on the Game
pulldown
menu allows a previously saved game to be retrieved and played.
Games are stored in files with a .KCH extension. The Open
dialog
box is displayed to allow the appropriate game to be selected and opened.
Open Game dialog box
The Open Game dialog
box allows a previously saved game to be selected and opened.
This dialog box contains:
a File
input
line with a history list
a File
box to browse the directory
a File
information
panel that describes
the selected file
Press <Enter> or the [Open] button to open the selected game file. [
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without opening any game file.
Save
<Ctrl+S>
The Save operation on the Game
pulldown
menu saves the current game into a file.
If the the current game has not already been given a name (ie it has been opened with the New operation) then the Save
dialog
box will be shown automatically so that a name can be assigned prior to saving.
Save As
<Ctrl+A>
The Save As operation on the Game
pulldown
menu displays the Save
dialog
box. This allows the current game to be saved under a new name.
Save Game As dialog box
The Save Game As dialog
box allows a game file to be selected, or a new name to be entered. This will then save the current game under that name. When a game is saved under a new name, the original game file, if any, remains unchanged under it's old name.
This dialog box contains:
a File
input
line with a history list
a File
box to browse the directory
a File
information
panel that describes
the selected file
Press <Enter> or the [Save] button to save the current game under the new name. U
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without saving the game.
Print
<Ctrl+P>
The Print operation on the Game
pulldown
menu prints the current game to the default printer. Each page contains up to 165 moves.
Change Directory
The Change Dir operation on the Game
pulldown
menu displays the Change
Directory
dialog
box. In this dialog box you select the directory you want to be the default.
Change Directory dialog box
The Change Directory dialog
box allows a new directory to be specified as the default. The default directory is the one whose contents are displayed first when the Open or Save
As dialog boxes are shown.
This dialog box contains:
a File
input
line with a history list
a Directory
box to browse the directory
a File
information
panel that describes
the selected directory
Press <Enter> or the [Open] button to navigate around the directory tree so that the appropriate directory can be selected. |
Press <Alt+H> or the [Change] button to make the selected directory to be the current directory, and close the dialog box. d
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without changing the current directory.
File/Directory Name input line
Name
The Name input line is where you enter the name of the directory or file, or a file mask to use as a filter for the Files
box ("*.*" for example). Pressing the Down arrow key, or clicking on the History button to the right of the input line, opens a small window with a list of previous entries that may be selected.
Directory Tree list box
Tree
[Drives]
C:\
KCHESS
DATA
FRED
JANE
The Directory Tree list box shows the directory structure down to the currently selected directory.
Press the <Tab> key if necessary to move the cursor to the list box, then use the arrow keys to highlight a directory. Press <Enter> or <Space> to select it.
File list box
List
FILENM01.KCH
FILENM08.KCH
FILENM02.KCH
FILENM09.KCH
FILENM03.KCH
FILENM10.KCH
FILENM04.KCH
EXTRA\
FILENM05.KCH
TUTOR\
FILENM06.KCH
..\
FILENM07.KCH
The File list box lists the names of files in the current directory that match the file mask in the Name
input
line, plus the parent directory and all subdirectories.
Press the <Tab> key if necessary to move the cursor to the list box, then use the arrow keys to highlight a file or directory name. Press <Enter> or <Space> to select it.
File information panel
Disk Size 42366976 Free 5228544
C:\KCHESS\*.KCH
FRED.KCH 3803 14 Apr 1993 3:54:15 ---A
The File information panel shows two or three lines of data about the selected disk, directory and file. The third line is not displayed in the Change
Directory dialog box. U
The first line gives the total size, and free space, of the selected disk in bytes. O
The second line gives the selected path name, and current file mask (if any). u
The third line gives the file name, size, date, time and other attributes of the selected file. The attributes are 5
R Read Only
H Hidden
S System File
A Archive
If any attribute is not set, then it's place is denoted by "-". Therefore if a file's attributes are "R--A" then it's Read Only and Archive attributes are set, but the others are not. =
None of the items on this information panel are selectable.
Exit
<Alt+X>
The Exit operation terminates K-Chess.
Move menu
<Alt+M>
The Move pulldown menu on the Menu
Bar contains operations to perform or reverse a move, get a hint, or cause the computer to start or stop making moves itself.
Undo Reverse the last move
Redo Restore the previous reversed move
Enter
move Type in a move in normal notation
Hint Get help for the next move
Computer
move Make the computer perform the next move
Auto
Play Start the computer playing itself
Stop Make the move and/or stop Auto Play
Options Change the way the game plays
Undo
<Alt+U>
The Undo operation on the Move
pulldown
menu reverses the last move that either the computer or human opponent made. This reversed move may be reinstated by Redo.
Redo
<Alt+R>
The Redo operation on the Move
pulldown
menu reinstates the last move that had been reversed by an Undo.
Enter Move
<Alt+E>
The Enter Move operation on the Move
pulldown
menu displays the Enter
dialog
box in which a move can be typed. This can be used instead of the mouse to perform a move.
Enter Move dialog box
The Enter Move dialog
box allows a move to be typed in rather than performed with the mouse. At any time while the game is in progress you may begin to type in a move. If this dialog box is not on the screen already, then it will pop up to display what you have typed.
The move is entered using the 1-8 and A-H rank and file references on the side of the board. For example, "e2e4" will move the piece on square E2 to square E4. P
Press <Enter> or the [OK] button to perform the move and close the dialog box. Y
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without performing the move.
Hint
<Alt+I>
The Hint operation on the Move
pulldown
menu shows the move the computer would make in the situation.
Computer Move
<Alt+C>
The Computer Move operation on the Move
pulldown
menu instructs the Computer to make the next move for you. {
If you don't like the move the Computer makes, you can always reverse it by selecting Undo, and then enter your own move.
Auto Play
<Alt+A>
The Auto Play operation on the Move
pulldown
menu instructs the Computer to play against itself. This mode can be terminated by selecting Stop.
Stop
<Alt+S>
The Stop operation on the Move
pulldown
menu instructs the Computer to stop it's calculations and perform its move immediately. It also cancels Auto
Play if it is currently running in this mode.
Options
The Options operation on the Move
pulldown
menu allows the game play to be altered, including number of players and time allowed to play.
Options dialog box
The Options dialog
box contains a number of Controls to tailor the way the game is played and the information that is displayed. U
The Time Limits radio buttons specify the time allowed for the computer opponent. You may specify an absolute time limit per game or per turn, or that the computer must match the user's playing time, or that there is no time limit. If an absolute time limit is selected, then the Input Line below is used to enter the desired time limit.
The Hints check boxes specify various behaviour and display options for the game. The Show Attacks, Show Jeopardies and Show Best Line options determine how much information is displayed in the Status
Window. The Right Click Queries option allows the right mouse button to be used to show on the Board what pieces can move where. And the Think Ahead option allows the computer to calculate moves even while it is not its turn.
The Mode radio buttons allow you to specify either one or two (human) players. In one player mode the computer is the other opponent. Note that Auto
Play may be selected from the Move
pulldown
menu to make the computer take the place of both players. \
Press <Enter> or the [OK] button to accept the new game settings and close the dialog box. [
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without changing any settings.
Window menu
<Alt+W>
The Window pulldown menu on the Menu
Bar contains operations to close, move and change the size of windows, and also alter the way K-Chess looks and operates. )
The following operations are available.
Close Close active window
Zoom Maximise or Restore active window
Move/Size Move or Resize active window
Prev Go to Previous window
Next Go to Next window
Mouse Alter the behaviour of the mouse
Colours Customise the colours
Window
Close
<Alt+F4>
The Close operation on the Window
pulldown
menu closes the active window. n
You can also click the Close icon [
] in the upper left hand corner of any window or dialog
box to close it.
Window
Zoom
<Alt+F5>
The Zoom operation on the Window
pulldown
menu Maximises the active window (ie, expands it to the full size of the desktop). If the window is already maximised, selecting this operation will Restore it to its previous size.
You can also double click anywhere on the window's Title Bar except on the Close icon, or click on the Zoom icon ([
] or [
]) to Maximise or Restore the window.
Window
Move/Size
<Alt+F7>
The Move operation on the Window
pulldown
menu changes the size or position of the active window. F
The window will go into Move mode, which is indicated by a change in colour of the border frame. While in Move mode, press the arrow keys alone to move the whole window in that direction. Hold down the Shift key and press the arrow keys to expand or contract the window. When complete, press Enter to terminate Move mode. E
Windows can also be moved by dragging the Title Bar with the Mouse.
If a window has a Resize corner in the bottom right (a single line corner of a different colour to the rest of the frame), then the window can be Resized by dragging that corner with the mouse.
Window
Prev
<Shift+F7>
The Prev operation on the Window
pulldown
menu cycles backwards through the windows on the desktop.
Window
Next
<Shift+F8>
The Next operation on the Window
pulldown
menu cycles forwards through the windows on the desktop.
Window
Mouse
The Mouse operation on the Window
pulldown
menu allows the responsiveness of the mouse, and the operation of each mouse button to be altered.
Mouse Options dialog box
The Mouse Options dialog
box allows you to change the settings that control how the Mouse operates. It consists of a Slider Bar and Check Box.
Mouse Double Click
Fast Medium Slow
The Mouse Double Click slider bar adjusts the double click speed of the mouse. You can try out the speed by clicking on the "Mouse Double Click" text. ^
[X] Reverse Mouse Buttons
Reverse Mouse Buttons makes the right mouse button take on the normal functions of the left and vice versa. ]
Press <Enter> or the [OK] button to accept the new mouse settings and close the dialog box. a
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without changing the mouse settings.
Window
Colours
The Colours operation on the Window
pulldown
menu allows all colours on the screen to be customised.
Colours dialog box
The Colours dialog
box allows you to change the colours of the desktop, menus and windows. It consists of two list boxes, a text display area, and either two colour palettes (on colour and black-and-white systems), or a set of radio buttons (on monochrome systems).
Group
Desktop
Menus
Editors
Information
Games
Dialogs
Help
Blanker
The Group list box contains the names of the different regions of the program that you can customise. e
Item
Frame passive
Frame active
When you select a group from the Group list, the Item list box displays the names of the different views in that region.
Foreground
Background
On colour and black-and-white systems, you use the Foreground and Background palettes to modify colours.
Colours
) Normal
( ) Bold
( ) Underline
( ) Inverse
( ) Bold Undr
( ) Bold Invr
On monochrome systems, you use the Colours set of radio buttons to modify the character attributes. Q
Text Text Text
Text Text Text
On all systems, the display text shows the current colour or attribute settings. V
Press <Enter> or the [OK] button to accept the new colours and close the dialog box. S
Press the [Preview] button to display the new colours without committing to them. f
Press the [Defaults] button to return all settings to their default values and close the dialog box. Z
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to close the dialog box without changing any colours.
Help menu
<Alt+H>
The Help pulldown menu on the Menu
Bar contains a number of different types of assistance and information about K-Chess. l
Help Get help about the current object or action
Help
Index See a list of major Help topics
Using
Help Find out how to use the help system
About
K-Chess See program and author information
Documentation View additional documentation
Registration View registration and support information
Catalogue View product catalogue and print order
Using Help
K-Chess has an extensive context-sensitive hypertext-style Help system. It is activated in any one of the following ways: |
WITH THE KEYBOARD: Press the <F1> key, or press <Alt-H> to get the Help pulldown menu and then press <H> to activate Help.
WITH THE MOUSE: Move the mouse pointer over the "Help" menu at the top of the screen and press a mouse button, then move the mouse pointer down to the first item in the pulldown menu and press a mouse button again. _
From anywhere in the Help system you can get back to this information by pressing <F1> again.
It is context sensitive, because the Help screen that is shown is related to the specific object, window, dialog, menu item, or control that is currently selected on the screen. At any time in K-Chess you can get Help about the thing you are currently doing or looking at. @
You can get the Help
Index at any time by pressing <Shift+F1>.
It is hypertext style, because most Help screens provide links to other related Help information. These links are identified by highlighted text on the Help screen. (You can see these at the bottom of this page.) The related information can be obtained by pressing the <Tab> key to select the required topic and pressing <Enter> on the keyboard, or by moving the mouse pointer over the highlighted text and double clicking a mouse button. `
You may now want to get further information about K-Chess, or it's Menu
Bar, Board or Windows.
About
The About operation on the Help
pulldown
menu displays a window showing program details and copyright information.
About dialog box
The About dialog
box shows program name, version, date and edition, and copyright information. V
To close the dialog box press the <Esc>, <Space> or <Enter> key, or the [OK] button.
Documentation
The Documentation operation on the Help
pulldown
menu opens a Text
Viewer
window and displays the contents of the KCHESS.TXT file which comes on the original installation diskettes.
This file contains a general description of K-Chess, installation procedures, the history of the program, and any last minute information that may not be included in the Manual or online Help. N
See Help
Registration for information on pricing, registration, and support.
Registration
The Registration operation on the Help
pulldown
menu opens a Text
Viewer
window and displays the contents of the REGISTER.TXT file which comes on the original installation diskettes. R
This file contains all pricing and registration details and support information. O
See Help
Documentation for product information and installation instructions.
Catalogue
The Catalogue operation on the Help
pulldown
menu shows the online ARK ANGLES product catalogue. An order form for this or any other product can also be printed from the catalog.
Warning message
The Warning message dialog
box warns you of an action that is about to be performed that cannot be easily undone. O
Press the <Enter> key or the [OK] button to continue to carry out the action. K
Press the <Esc> or <F4> keys or the [Cancel] button to cancel the action.
Error message
The Error message dialog
box tells you that an error of some type has occurred. The message may also describe some action that needs to be taken. V
Press the <Enter> or <Esc> or <F4> keys or the [OK] button to close the message box.
Information message
The Information message dialog
box conveys information of an incidental nature. No action needs to be taken as a result of this information. V
Press the <Enter> or <Esc> or <F4> keys or the [OK] button to close the message box.
Confirm message
The Confirm message dialog
box asks for confirmation before performing a particular action. x
Press the <Enter> or <Y> keys or the [Yes] button to carry out the action on this object and go on to the next object. X
Press the <N> key or the [No] button to skip this object and go on to the next object. C
Press <Esc> or the [Cancel] button to cancel the whole operation.
The Keyboard
The keyboard is the main way that information is entered into K-Chess. All functions of K-Chess can be accessed by the keyboard or the Mouse. To speed things up even more, many common operations may be done quickly through the use of Shortcut
Keys, which are either the Function Keys or two other keys pressed together.
There are several styles of keyboard available. The most common one is the Enhanced keyboard with 101 keys, which looks something like the picture below. However, K-Chess will operate just fine with any keyboard.
THE ENHANCED KEYBOARD
- - - -
The Mouse
All functions in K-Chess can be accessed by the Mouse or the Keyboard. The Mouse however cannot be used for entering text. \
K-Chess, like many other programs, allows you to use the mouse in many very flexible ways.
You can "select" objects by moving the mouse so that the mouse pointer on the screen is over the object, and then pressing the left mouse button once. Some action may then be performed on the selected object.
You can perform the default action on an object (usually "Open") by "double clicking" on the object. This is like selection, but the mouse button is pressed twice in rapid succession. ^
You can move or copy objects such as Pieces and Windows using "drag and drop". This is done by moving the mouse pointer over an object and pressing and holding the left mouse button. This will "grab" the object. Now "drag" it by moving the mouse. When you have moved to the destination location, "drop" the object by releasing the mouse button.
The Mouse
dialog
box on the Window
pulldown
menu can be used to alter the way the mouse operates with K-Chess. For example, you can reverse the functions of the left and right mouse buttons, and you can alter the speed of a double click.
There are several styles of mouse available. They will have either two or three buttons, and may look something like one of the pictures below. K-Chess requires only a two button mouse, but a three button mouse will work just fine - just ignore the middle button.
(.txt)