Software of the Month Club 1995 December

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| | | Typing PC-FASTYPE | | Tutorial | | | | *** U S E R ' S G U I D E *** for CGA - Version 4.1 and MONO- Version 1.1 _______ ____|__ | MEMBER --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| (R) Copyright (C) 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Wayne, NJ * PC-FASTYPE is a trademark of Trendtech Corporation * The ASP logo is a registered trademark of the A.S.P. Licensed Material - Program, Documentation, and Text Files are Property of Trendtech Corporation. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 2 ____________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ____________________________________________________________ 1. SHAREWARE 5 2. LICENSE 6 2.1 REGISTRATION SCHEDULE 7 2.1.1 Single User License: 7 2.1.2 Network License: 7 2.1.3 Site License: 7 2.1.4 Right-to-Copy License: 7 2.2 Sales Tax 8 3. SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION 8 4. REGISTRATION BENEFITS 10 4.1 Upgrade Policy 10 4.2 THE ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS 11 4.3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES 12 4.4 TECHNICAL SUPPORT 12 5. DISCLAIMER 13 6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 13 7. INTRODUCTION 14 8. INSTALLING PC-FASTYPE ON A HARD-DRIVE 15 9. WHAT TO DO NEXT 16 9.1 Operating PC-FASTYPE 16 9.2 During Operation 17 9.3 The "ESCape" Key 17 9.4 How To STOP Using PC-FASTYPE 18 10. THE SCREEN KEYBOARD DISPLAY 18 11. BEGINNER DRILLS 19 12. EXERCISES 19 13. THE "TEXT PANEL" ABOVE THE KEYBOARD 20 14. MENU SELECTOR BAR AND FUNCTION KEYS 24 15. MENU HOPPING 25 16. QUICK HELP FACILITY 25 16.1 How To Use The Quick HELP Facility 25 17. SPECIAL KEYS 26 18. THE PRIMARY MENUS 27 18.1 MAIN MENU 28 18.1.1 Beginner Drills Menu 28 18.1.2 Intermediate Exercises Menu 28 18.1.3 Advanced Exercises Menu 28 18.1.4 Keyboard Helpers Menu 29 18.1.5 Setting Skill Levels 29 18.1.5.1 Beginner Skill Level 29 18.1.5.2 Intermediate Skill Level 30 ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 3 ____________________________________________________________ 18.1.5.3 Advanced Skill Level 30 18.1.6 Exit to MS-DOS 31 18.2 BEGINNER DRILLS MENU 32 18.2.1 HOME Keys Only 32 18.2.2 Add More Letters 32 18.2.3 Add Numbers 32 18.2.4 Add CAPITAL Letters 32 18.2.5 Include Punctuation Marks 33 18.2.6 CAPITAL Letters Only! 33 18.2.7 Do it ALL! 33 18.2.8 Choose Your Own 33 18.3 INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES MENU 35 18.3.1 WORDS - 3 Letter Groups 35 18.3.2 WORDS - 4 Letter Groups 35 18.3.3 WORDS - 5 Letter Groups 35 18.3.4 More WORDS 36 18.3.5 Common PHRASES 36 18.4 ADVANCED EXERCISES MENU 37 18.4.1 EASY Sentences 37 18.4.2 HARD Sentences 37 18.4.3 SHORT Paragraphs 37 18.4.4 Type YOUR Own Text 38 18.5 KEYBOARD HELPERS MENU 40 18.5.1 QUIET Mode 40 18.5.2 Hidden Keys 40 18.5.3 Outline HOME keys 40 18.5.4 'BEEP' Keystroke Errors 41 18.5.5 Align Finger Positions 41 18.5.6 WORD WRAP 41 18.5.7 Reset Keyboard Helpers 42 18.5.8 Change Drill Count 42 19. SUB-MENUS 43 19.1 ADD MORE LETTERS Sub-Menu 43 19.2 ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu 44 19.3 ADD CAPITALS Sub-Menu 44 20. APPENDIX -A- 46 21. APPENDIX -B- 47 22. APPENDIX -C- 48 23. APPENDIX -D- 49 ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 4 ____________________________________________________________ COPYRIGHT NOTICES AND TRADEMARKS PC-FASTYPE(Tm) is Copyright 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 by Trendtech Corporation, Inc., Wayne, New Jersey, all rights reserved. Licensed Material; this software program, its documentation, other accompanying written and disk-based notes and specifications, and all referenced and related program files, screen display renditions of keyboards, and text files, are the property of Trendtech Corporation, Inc., Wayne, NJ, U.S.A. Portions of the user-interface were implemented using "The Window BOSS", Copyright 1984-1988 Phillip A. Mongelluzzo. PC-FASTYPE is a trademark of Trendtech Corporation, Inc., Wayne, NJ. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc. The ASP and logo are registered trademarks of the Association of Shareware Professionals. PC-FASTYPE/CGA and PC-FASTYPE/MONO are distributed as Shareware and have specific licensing provisions, please read the following text for more information about Shareware, Licensing, and Registration procedures for these products. This software may not be reverse-engineered or disassembled in any way, and includes certain trade secrets and confidential information of Trendtech Corporation. Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 5 ____________________________________________________________ 1. SHAREWARE The Shareware method of software distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register with the author or copyright holder. Individual Shareware products differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, and some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, depending on the product you register, you will get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with a printed manual. Shareware is NOT the same as public domain software; public domain software typically does NOT contain copyright notices by the author. Shareware, on the other hand IS COPYRIGHTED by the author! Copyright laws apply to BOTH Shareware as well as commercial software (software distributed in retail markets), and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial program authors, and the programs are of comparable, if not better, quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author of a Shareware program specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry computer users or to a specific group. For example, most Shareware authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy and distribute their Shareware program. So, Shareware is a software "distribution method", not a "type" or "kind" of software. As a computer user, you should try to find software that suits your needs as well as your pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system accommodates your needs, because you can "try before you buy". And because the overhead is low, prices - in the form of registration fees are low also. Shareware has the ULTIMATE money-back guarantee -- "if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it". ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 6 ____________________________________________________________ 2. LICENSE PC-FASTYPE is a Shareware product. As such, it is made available to the general personal-computing public for evaluation. Users are licensed to operate PC-FASTYPE on their personal computers for the purpose of testing and evaluation as to its usefulness to them, on a trial basis for a time period not to exceed 30 days. We believe this to be a fair and equitable period for evaluation and we trust the user's judgement and sense of fair play to make an intelligent decision as to its usefulness. If the user decides PC-FASTYPE is not of sufficient merit to warrant purchase through registration with Trendtech, he or she should remove PC-FASTYPE from his or her personal computer. Otherwise, if the program is deemed useful and is in fact in regular use on the user's computer system, then the user must register with Trendtech Corporation. The essence of Shareware is to provide personal computer users with high quality software at a reasonable price, and to provide an incentive for Shareware authors to continue to develop new products. Registered users of PC-FASTYPE are those users who elect to register their use of it by paying the indicated registration fee to Trendtech. By virtue of registration and payment for PC-FASTYPE, registrants are granted a license to continue to utilize the program on their personal computer for as long as they choose. This "SINGLE-USER" license authorizes the registrant to use PC-FASTYPE on any personal computer system he or she may own or use on a regular basis so long as PC-FASTYPE is operated on only one computer system at a time. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 7 ____________________________________________________________ 2.1 REGISTRATION SCHEDULE 2.1.1 Single User License: The Single-User Registration fee for PC-FASTYPE is as follows: U.S.A. - $25.00, plus $3.00 for shipping/handling Canada - $25.00, plus $5.00 for shipping/handling Overseas - $25.00, plus $10.00 for shipping/handling Credit cards are accepted. All paper payments (checks, MO, Postal MO, etc.) MUST be expressed in U.S. Funds (Dollars) and drawn on a U.S. bank. Others will be returned. 2.1.2 Network License: See "Right-to-Copy" licensing provisions below. Usage of PC-FASTYPE on a network constitutes usage of it for each workstation/"keyboard" connected to the network, whether PC-FASTYPE is used on each of the workstations or not. A fully registered and paid-for copy of PC-FASTYPE is required for each workstation/"keyboard". 2.1.3 Site License: A site is defined as a single building or group of buildings at the same public mailing address. A site license allows unlimited INTERNAL use of PC-FASTYPE, on any number of machines, at the specified location. Corporate and Educational customers, please contact TRENDTECH CORPORATION for a copy of our General Licensing Provisions and up-to-date registration fee schedule. 2.1.4 Right-to-Copy License: A Right-to-Copy License is available whereby a customized master of the registered version of PC-FASTYPE can be copied and distributed with serialized labels by the licensee. Your purchase of a Right-to-Copy license includes the delivery of a master disk with a customized opening screen containing the name of the licensee, and printed serialized labels in the quantity desired. The volume price per copy of PC-FASTYPE under a Right-to-Copy license can be very ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 8 ____________________________________________________________ low. Contact Trendtech Corporation for a complete Right-to-Copy contract and License Fee Schedule. 2.2 Sales Tax Single-User Licenses purchased in the State of New Jersey are subject to the New Jersey State Sales Tax of 6%. 3. SHAREWARE DISTRIBUTION Any person, group, or organization who wants to distribute PC-FASTYPE for any kind of remuneration must FIRST contact TRENDTECH CORPORATION by letter at the address below for distribution. This authorization will always be granted to distributors and disk vendors recognized by the Association of Shareware Professionals as adhering to its guidelines for Shareware distributors. These organizations are known as "Associate Members" of the ASP. Distribution to other vendors will be made on the basis of their understanding of Shareware principles. PC-FASTYPE is a "Shareware"-distributed program and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Any fees paid by you - the user, to organizations other than Trendtech are for their disk duplication and distribution services only. Trendtech Corporation receives NO PART of those fees. "For-Profit" disk vendors must obtain permission from Trendtech Corporation to distribute PC-FASTYPE. Vendors - please read the VENDOR.DOC file on the distribution disk for more information. All users are granted a limited license to copy PC-FASTYPE and give it to others without charge for their evaluation and trial use, with the following additional conditions: PC-FASTYPE must be distributed in its original, unmodified, complete form, including all documentation files, text files, files containing license agreements, registration fees and schedules, and Shareware information. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 9 ____________________________________________________________ PC-FASTYPE may not be distributed in conjunction with any other product or service, without express written permission from Trendtech Corporation. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 10 ____________________________________________________________ 4. REGISTRATION BENEFITS Registration of PC-FASTYPE gives you many benefits: all registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of either PC-FASTYPE/CGA or PC-FASTYPE/MONO depending on which product you're registering, instructions on how to use a special registration code to eliminate the Shareware Information screens; plus a handsomely printed and bound User Guide, - and, free support from Trendtech Corporation by telephone or letter for a period of 90 days from the date you receive the registered package. Finally, the author's letter of sincere thanks for supporting Shareware will include an unconditional money-back-guarantee if you are not satisfied. The money-back-guarantee is limited to 30 days from the date you receive the registered package. 4.1 Upgrade Policy Please be advised that Trendtech Corporation will NOT notify registered users directly of new versions of PC-FASTYPE as we are constantly changing and improving the program. Notification, when necessary, may be made through press releases, disk vendor catalogs, ASP catalogs, vendor advertisements, etc. If registered users would like to keep current, they may send us their original registered distribution disk (the one with our label on it) along with $5.00 to receive a disk with the most current version of PC-FASTYPE on it. We suggest you do this at least annually to benefit from significant program changes. Single-user registration fees, and requests for other kinds of licenses should be mailed to: TRENDTECH CORPORATION PC-FASTYPE Registration P.O. Box 3687 Wayne, New Jersey 07474-3687 USA Call (201) 694-8622 (Anytime, 24 hours a day; please leave a message on the answering machine- unlimited time) FAX facilities are available, call for details. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 11 ____________________________________________________________ The author can be contacted on the CompuServe network. Send Easyplex mail to CompuServe ID: 76210,771 Please take a moment to complete and mail the PC-FASTYPE registration form. It is in a file on the disk called REGISTER.FRM and contains a SINGLE-USER License agreement and an order form. Be sure to specify the disk size needed. This action will register you as a bonafide user of PC-FASTYPE and help us provide you with better service. 4.2 THE ASSOCIATION OF SHAREWARE PROFESSIONALS The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP), was formed in 1987 to strengthen the future of "Shareware" (user-supported software) as an alternative to software distributed under normal commercial marketing methods. The ASP has established stringent standards for both its Members and any organization which has 'ASP Approved' status. ASP members subscribe to a code of ethics and are committed to the concept of Shareware as a way of marketing their product. The ASP itself does NOT rate members' software for functionality or usefulness. That is for you "the user" to decide. Shareware-distributed-software, especially software authorized to carry the ASP name, can be tested by you on a try-before-you-buy basis. If, after the evaluation period, you determine the program doesn't fit your needs, you won't have to worry about getting a refund - simply don't register; that's the beauty of Shareware. Trendtech Corporation along with William Letendre, the author of PC-FASTYPE, are members of the ASP. The ASP wants to make sure the Shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a Shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, the ASP may be able to help you. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006, or send a CompuServe message via Easyplex to: ASP Ombudsman, CompuServe ID: 70007,3536 ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 12 ____________________________________________________________ 4.3 TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES If you like PC-FASTYPE tell your friends! If you don't like PC-FASTYPE tell us! In order to keep prices for Shareware products like PC-FASTYPE as low as they are, Shareware authors try to avoid advertising their products in commercial publications. You, the Shareware user, are our best form of advertising! Tell your friends and associates. If you have the opportunity to write an article in a newsletter or a trade magazine and like PC-FASTYPE, then spread the word! We need all the help we can get to put quality software into users' hands without charging high prices! If you want to write an article about PC-FASTYPE, or are considering a product review, we would appreciate hearing from you first to make sure you are evaluating the most current version. 4.4 TECHNICAL SUPPORT We support our software. One of the great strengths of the Shareware concept is the direct interaction between the program author and the users. Many of the current features in PC-FASTYPE are the result of user input. If you have a problem evaluating this program or desire to make a suggestion or comment (or even a complaint), please don't hesitate to contact us. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 13 ____________________________________________________________ 5. DISCLAIMER THE "SHAREWARE"-DISTRIBUTED VERSION OF PC-FASTYPE(Tm) IS LICENSED WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS OF PARTICULAR PURPOSE, PERFORMANCE, OR OTHERWISE; ALL WARRANTIES ARE DISCLAIMED. BY USING THE PC-FASTYPE(Tm) PRODUCT, YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER TRENDTECH CORPORATION NOR ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, OWNERS, OR OTHER RELATED PARTIES WILL BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THIS SOFTWARE, OR FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER. EVEN IF TRENDTECH CORPORATION AND/OR THE AUTHORS ARE APPRISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OCCURRING. TRENDTECH CORPORATION ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES, DIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL, WHICH MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF PC-FASTYPE(Tm). 6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to my wife for her patience and understanding every time I said "...well I guess I'll go downstairs and 'compute'". And thanks to my boys for letting me use my computer to develop this version of PC-FASTYPE; with special thanks to William for allowing me to continuously interrupt his adventure games. I'd also like to thank all of the nice people who assisted me with testing PC-FASTYPE/CGA and PC-FASTYPE/MONO. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 14 ____________________________________________________________ 7. INTRODUCTION PC-FASTYPE is an easy-to-use menu-driven interactive typing instruction program designed for use by computer enthusiasts who wish to improve their typing skills on IBM PC's and close compatibles running the MS-DOS Operating System. 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 various MS-DOS based Microcomputers. PC-FASTYPE is designed for use in a private at-home environment or during spare time at the office. It can be used in a classroom environment too; however, no historical scores or records are kept for auditing your progress; you'll know if you're getting better. Time durations, 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. 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 be drilled on proper use of the ENTER Key; it will be required for exercises selected from the Advanced Exercises Menu. Most drills, exercises, and features are selectable with the high-lighted cursor bar and Enter key, or quickly with the function keys. There is also a QuickHELP Facility available with every Menu and Sub-Menu for quick reference while learning how to type with PC-FASTYPE. PC-FASTYPE is very flexible for the beginning typist. By using various options from the menus, the beginner can select many combinations of drill sequences from the Beginners Menu. Additionally, one or more typing helpers can be set from the Keyboard Helpers Menu. The combinations ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 15 ____________________________________________________________ are many; you can adjust your drills to boost your typing skills in those areas you may feel are weak (i.e. Numbers, CAPITALS, special symbols, etc.), and you can improve your speed and accuracy. 8. INSTALLING PC-FASTYPE ON A HARD-DRIVE You can optionally install PC-FASTYPE on a hard disk. If you choose to do this, PC-FASTYPE and its associated files should be installed in its own directory or sub- directory. Follow these easy step-by-step instructions for installing PC-FASTYPE on your hard disk: If your disk is partitioned, select the drive you want PC-FASTYPE installed on by typing the drive letter and a colon at the DOS prompt: C:> D: <cr> (user chooses D: -for example) At the DOS prompt, make sure you are in the 'root' directory by typing in the DOS command to change to the 'root' directory: D:> cd \ <cr> Now type in the DOS command to make a sub-directory. Please note that it's a good idea to put the files into a directory other than the root directory: D:> mkdir fastype <cr> Change to the 'fastype' directory by typing the 'change directory' command at the DOS prompt: D:> cd fastype <cr> Insert the PC-FASTYPE master disk into floppy drive A (or B) and type the following at the DOS prompt: D:> copy A:*.* <cr> -or- copy B:*.* <cr> The PC-FASTYPE files will be installed into the directory named "FASTYPE" on drive D. Again, if you wish, ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 16 ____________________________________________________________ you may substitute a different drive letter instead of C: or D: shown in the example, (but not A or B). Additionally, you may install to a different sub-directory by specifying the complete path from the designated disk's root, but be sure to omit the disk and the trailing backslash. Be warned that the installation process will fail unless the directory already exists on the target drive. Please consult your MS- DOS Operating System Manual for details about making and removing directories. 9. WHAT TO DO NEXT After all of the files are copied from the floppy to the directory on your hard disk, just type in the following command to start using PC-FASTYPE: D:> enft <cr> and PC-FASTYPE for the 101-Key Enhanced keyboard will start up immediately. If you have an AT-Style keyboard, then type "ATFT" instead. At the main menu, just press F10 to begin typing the basic HOME keys drill, or press F1 for the Quick HELP Facility. If you have any problems installing or getting started using PC-FASTYPE, please call Trendtech Corporation at (201) 694-8622 for assistance. 9.1 Operating PC-FASTYPE The first thing you will see on your display when PC-FASTYPE starts is the title screen. The title screen will remain on the display until PC-FASTYPE's tables are loaded into memory. If you are running PC-FASTYPE from a hard-disk, this will only take a moment. If you're running from a floppy, it may take a while so please be patient. When the tables have finished loading you must press a key to continue on to the next screen. You will then see either a Shareware Information screen or the Main Menu depending on whether you have the Shareware version or the REGISTERED version of PC-FASTYPE. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 17 ____________________________________________________________ At this point you can either browse through the menus, set program features, and/or select drills or exercises. To begin typing immediately though, just press F10 to start a drill. If you haven't made any selections yet, that's ok, PC-FASTYPE will automatically select the HOME-keys-only for you to practice typing on. 9.2 During Operation Whenever the screen keyboard is displayed and you are typing a drill or exercise, or even after a drill or exercise is completed: YOU CAN ALWAYS RETURN TO ANY OF THE PRIMARY MENUS BY SIMPLY PRESSING ONE OF THE FIVE FUNCTION KEYS LABELED F1 THROUGH F5, OR PRESS THE ESCAPE KEY. 9.3 The "ESCape" Key The Escape key can be pressed anytime during a drill or exercise. If you are in the middle of typing and you press the ESCape key, your drill or exercise will end. Your current typing statistics up to the last character you typed will be calculated and shown in the text panel. The last primary menu displayed before you started your typing drill or exercise will be re-displayed if you are already at the end of a drill or exercise. Repeatedly pressing the ESCape key will eventually get you to the confirmation to exit PC- FASTYPE message. Reply (Y)es or press the ENTER key and you will return to MS-DOS. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 18 ____________________________________________________________ 9.4 How To STOP Using PC-FASTYPE There are two ways to end a PC-FASTYPE session and return to the MS-DOS Operating System: o Display the Main Menu (press F1) and select the "EXIT TO MS-DOS" option with the cursor bar or function key numbered F9. o Press the ESCAPE key repeatedly until the confirmation message is displayed. 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 for its use is to let you look at a "simulated" keyboard, or an image of the actual keyboard you will be learning to type on, thus keeping your eyes off the real keyboard. This is extremely beneficial as it will help you to form "spatial" relationships between your finger placements on the real keyboard and the image of the simulated 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. The first is 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. The second is 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 typing basic drills, or typing an exercise from one of the intermediate or advanced menus. These are described below. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 19 ____________________________________________________________ 11. 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 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 ADD 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. This means you will be drilled only on CAPITAL Letters; the other lines will show letters, numbers, and symbols will be blanked out. 12. EXERCISES If you choose any of the exercises from the Intermediate Exercises Menu or the Advanced Exercises Menu then the text panel portion of the screen will display two, three, or more lines of text you're required to type. Below each character of the text will appear a "house-shaped" cursor which will indicate the next letter or character you have to type. 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 you typed will be X'd, and an asterisk (*) will be placed under the letter in the text panel where you made the typing error. You will be penalized one keystroke, and the cursor will then advance to the next character to be typed. If you want to practice using the backspace key, PC-FASTYPE will let you backspace the cursor to the letter where you made the error so you can re-type it. If you do this, you must also re-type all of the characters or letters following the error. You can backspace to the previous line ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 20 ____________________________________________________________ too, all the way back to the top line of text still displayed in the text panel. Text already typed and "scrolled" off the top of the text panel is "gone" - you cannot backspace into it. If you re-type the character with the asterisk under it correctly your keystroke error count will be reduced by one. However, your overall speed may be affected by the delay incurred while you are backspacing and correcting your errors. When you make an error you have to mentally weigh the advantages of backspacing and correcting the error against your calculated speed when the exercise is finished. The exercise ends when all displayed characters have been typed -or- the correct number of keystrokes have been made -or- you terminated the exercise early by pressing the ESCAPE key; remember, the cursor will advance to the next character regardless of whether you type the correct character or not. Note too, the backspace feature is only available for exercises; during drills, you must successfully type the prompted character before PC-FASTYPE will advance and randomly give you the next character to type. As is the tradition with text that is type-written or set with "fixed-width" fonts, sentences will be separated by TWO (2) spaces. Sentences ending in a PERIOD (.), QUESTION MARK (?), or EXCLAMATION (!) will be followed by 2 spaces before the next sentence begins, unless the sentence ends at the end of a line. In that case you only need to type a single space or carriage-return (enter key) to get to the next line. Other punctuation such as commas, semi-colons, etc. will be followed by only one space. 13. THE "TEXT PANEL" ABOVE THE KEYBOARD The "Text Panel" serves three purposes during your use of PC-FASTYPE. First, it indicates the letters, numbers, and symbols you are learning how to type during the drills. Second, it is used to display the word groups, sentences and paragraphs 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. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 21 ____________________________________________________________ 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: ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 22 ____________________________________________________________ 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** | -------------------------------------------- Illustration 2 - Text Panel during exercises: -------------------------------------------- | | |Now is the time for all good men to come | | | |to the aid of their country. | | | |The Quick brown fox jumped over the lazy | | | |dog's back 1234546789 times. | | | -------------------------------------------- Illustration 3 - Text Panel at end of drill or exercise: -------------------------------------------- (1)|DRILL COMPLETED: BEST WPM so far: 18 WPM| (2)| Computed speed: 21 WPM this drill | (3)| Raw speed was: 27 WPM this drill | (4)| Drill Length: 76 characters | (5)| You Typed: 76 characters | (6)| Gross Keystrokes: 79 | (7)| Typing Errors: 3 | (8)| Accuracy: 92 percent | (9)| Elapsed Time: 00:33 | | | (10)| *Press ENTER for another drill/exercise | -------------------------------------------- ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 23 ____________________________________________________________ The last text panel (Illustration 3) contains various statistics regarding your typing performance at the conclusion of each drill or exercise. If you are using PC-FASTYPE/MONO, this panel will be displayed separately. The fields are described as follows: (1) End of drill or exercise; the highest attained WPM (Words Per Minute) attained during this typing session using PC-FASTYPE. (2) 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. (3) Raw speed is simply your keystroke rate including error keystrokes and backspace keystrokes divided by elapsed time. (4) Drill Length is the total number of characters you have to type to complete the drill or exercise (5) The number of characters you typed before this drill or exercise finished. If you typed all of the characters that made up the drill length, then this count will NOT exceed the drill length. If you terminated by pressing the ESCAPE key, it will be the count you typed so far. (6) Gross Keystrokes is the total number of keystrokes you made to complete the current drill or exercise; or up until you pressed the ESCAPE Key. (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, it 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. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 24 ____________________________________________________________ (9) The elapsed time is the total minutes and seconds it took you to complete the drill or exercise. Its the same time that was ticking away in the upper right hand corner of the screen during typing. (10) This message means you can just press the ENTER key (or F10 again) to practice typing another drill or exercise from your current selection without returning to a menu. 14. MENU SELECTOR BAR AND FUNCTION KEYS PC-FASTYPE uses a menu display system with a highlighted selector bar that can be controlled with the ARROW keys. These are the keys to the right of the main keyboard and are also known as cursor keys because they control the position of the cursor in various programs. As you tap the arrow keys, the menu selector bar will move up and down the menu and highlight (reverse video) the current selection. When you press the ENTER key, the selection is made. A CHECKMARK will appear to the left of the text indicating your choice was made; or, another "pop- up" menu or "dialog box" will appear if the highlighted menu selection is followed by an ellipsis ( ... ). As an alternative to using the menu selector bar, the Function Keys are also available to make your selections quicker. Earlier versions of PC-FASTYPE made extensive use of the Function keys to control the selection and initiation of various drills, exercises and program features. In most cases the same function key can still be used in this version to make your selections. The function keys on your keyboard are located either to the left of the main typing area or across the top of the keyboard depending on the keyboard style you are using. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 25 ____________________________________________________________ 15. MENU HOPPING You can switch from one primary menu to another primary menu quickly by using the arrow keys <- or -> instead of the menu selector bar. If, for example you have the Beginners Menu currently displayed and you want to switch to the Keyboard Helpers Menu quickly without moving the menu selector bar with the cursor keys, simply press the right arrow key ( -> ) for "next" menu until the Keyboard Helpers Menu is displayed. Continually pressing right arrow key will just "cycle" the menus around; the same will happen by repetitively pressing the DISPLAY PREVIOUS MENU key - the left arrow ( <- ) key. 16. QUICK HELP FACILITY All menus in PC-FASTYPE have an option to select the Quick HELP Facility you can use as a quick reference while selecting an exercise or feature. If you would like to have a hard copy of the Quick HELP Facility screens, just press the "print screen" key(s) on your keyboard as you page-ahead through each HELP topic. See Appendix -A- for details. 16.1 How To Use The Quick HELP Facility Selecting Quick HELP from any menu will always clear the screen and present you with another menu of HELP selections to choose from. You can get to the Quick HELP Facility by using either the menu selector bar or by pressing the F1 "Help" key. When the Quick HELP Facility menu is displayed, the menu selector bar will rest on the topic best suited to give you the information you need about the menu that was displayed when you selected Quick HELP. You can navigate easily through the Quick Help Facility. Although the menu selector bar will rest on a particular topic when you switch to Help, you are free to move the menu selector bar to any other topic you choose. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 26 ____________________________________________________________ When you press the ENTER key for a selected Help topic, PC-FASTYPE will read the appropriate Help file from the disk and present the contents to you in full-screen mode. The speed of the display will depend on your PC and the kind of disk you are running PC-FASTYPE from. Each topic can have a variable number of display pages. Keep pressing the PGDN key to view successive Help pages. You will be "beeped" when you have reached the end of each Help topic text. Try the Quick 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 and select a HELP topic. 17. SPECIAL KEYS PC-FASTYPE will try to emulate the actions of a real keyboard where possible. Unlike earlier versions, PC-FASTYPE will take action if the following keys are pressed during a drill or exercise: CAPS LOCK - You can "toggle" the caps lock key on or off by just pressing it. If you toggle it on, the screen keyboard display will show the caps lock key in reverse video. With caps lock ON, lower case letters will need the SHIFT keys to be typed properly. Capital letters will NOT need the shift key to be pressed. If the caps lock key is ON and you type a lower case letter without using the proper SHIFT key, the letter keycap on the screen will flash as an error, and you will be penalized one keystroke. ONE EXCEPTION: if you select the CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY option from the Beginner Drills Menu, you will NOT be able to toggle the CAPS LOCK key ON! ALT & CTRL - Pressing these keys will cause keystroke errors and the indicated key on the screen keyboard display will flash the X error. TAB - The TAB key is not used in PC-FASTYPE. Pressing it will cause a keystroke error. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 27 ____________________________________________________________ BACKSPACE - The backspace key can be used while you are typing exercises selected from the Intermediate or Advanced Exercises Menu. You can backspace the cursor to correct any typing errors. In fact, you can backspace all the way back to the beginning of the top line displayed in the text window. You cannot backspace to lines which have scrolled off the top of the screen. NUM LOCK - As always, this key is totally ignored. PRT SCREEN - If you have a printer, and would like to save your highest score-to-date for posterity, you can press the print screen key to obtain a printout of your score in the text panel. 18. THE PRIMARY MENUS There are five primary menus, several sub-menus, and a few dialog boxes available in PC-FASTYPE to guide you with your selection of drills, exercises, keyboard helpers, and options. 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 for primary menu selection are not available during any sub-menu display, nor during the HELP Facility display. In these instances, use the ESCape key to return you to the appropriate menu. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 28 ____________________________________________________________ 18.1 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 optional function key to press to display those menus quickly on the screen. You can select skill levels too; and there are other selections for traversing the menus. This is also the menu from which you should "gracefully" end your typing session with PC-FASTYPE and return to MS-DOS. 18.1.1 Beginner Drills Menu The Beginner Drills Menu has selections you can use to help you increase your typing speed and accuracy, or, if you are a beginner, to learn the basics of touch typing. You can start with the HOME keys and progress through additional letters, numbers, symbols, and Capital letters. 18.1.2 Intermediate Exercises Menu The Intermediate Exercises Menu lists exercise selections you can make after you have learned how to type all of the letters on the keyboard. Instead of randomly selected letters flashing on the screen keyboard as in the basic drills, exercises are selected from disk files and displayed in the text panel. Your task is to type the character pointed to by the "house-shaped" cursor. These exercises vary in length from 60 to 250 or more characters. 18.1.3 Advanced Exercises Menu The Advanced Exercises Menu lists tougher exercises you can practice typing after you have learned how to type all of the letters, the numbers, Capital letters, and some punctuation symbols such as the period, comma, bracket, etc. These exercises consist of short sentences and ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 29 ____________________________________________________________ paragraphs 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, and some are up to 500 or more characters. 18.1.4 Keyboard Helpers Menu The Keyboard Helpers Menu has handy features to assist your typing. These typing helpers can be "toggled" ON or OFF by using the menu selector bar or by pressing the indicated function key. Some of the available helpers include hidden keys, sound on or off, outline of HOME keys, etc. Advanced typists might like to try the hidden keys feature along with all sounds turned off to eliminate distractions. 18.1.5 Setting Skill Levels There are three skill levels that can be set in PC-FASTYPE, and they last for the duration of your typing session or until you set them to something else. Basically, these settings increase the character prompting rate and the length of the drill selections in terms of the number of characters to be typed before a drill ends automatically. You can change the number of characters to type with an option in the Keyboard Helpers menu, but the prompting rate is not variable; the three prompting rates available are listed in this menu. Whatever skill level you select, - or "toggle" on, the other skill selection will toggle "off". You can only have one skill level set at a time. 18.1.5.1 Beginner Skill Level This selection will toggle ON a delay mode that slows down the prompting rhythm and speed that makes PC-FASTYPE unique. This is the skill level automatically selected when you start PC-FASTYPE. The slow prompting rhythm will stay in effect throughout your typing session ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 30 ____________________________________________________________ until you reset it by selecting the Intermediate or Advanced skill level. The Beginner skill level is for the inexperienced typists whose speed ranges from 0 to 15 WPM. The other two typing skill levels are automatically toggled "OFF". 18.1.5.2 Intermediate Skill Level This selection will toggle ON a skill level setting the prompting rhythm and speed to a degree appropriate for intermediate typists. If you are an intermediate skill level typist 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 selecting the Beginner or Advanced level. The Intermediate Typist skill level is for experienced typists whose speed ranges from 15 to 45 WPM. 18.1.5.3 Advanced Skill Level Making this selection will toggle ON a skill level speeding up the prompting rhythm appropriate for advanced typists. If you are an experienced typist who only needs to become familiar with PC keyboards then you might like to try this skill level. It is really challenging to try to stay ahead of the delayed prompting while you are typing exercises chosen from the Intermediate or Advanced menus. 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 excite you into typing faster. The high speed delayed prompting rhythm will stay in effect throughout your typing session until you reset it. The default skill level set when you start PC-FASTYPE is the beginner level. The advanced skill level is for highly experienced typists whose goal is to increase their speed. You should have the ability to type at least 45 WPM and above to be successful typing at this skill level. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 31 ____________________________________________________________ 18.1.6 Exit to MS-DOS Making this selection via the menu selector bar or by pressing the F9 function key will cause your typing session with PC-FASTYPE to end. Pressing the ESCAPE key while the Main Menu is displayed will also end your PC-FASTYPE typing session and return you to the MS-DOS Operating System after you respond to the confirmation to exit. The screen is cleared and a message will appear thanking you for using PC-FASTYPE. After a brief moment the MS-DOS prompt will re- appear at the top of the screen. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 32 ____________________________________________________________ 18.2 BEGINNER DRILLS MENU The Beginner Drills Menu is where you select drill combinations that 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 from the Add More Letters menu selection. Then you can try numbers, symbols, and finally Capital Letters. 18.2.1 HOME Keys Only This selection will RESET all previous drill or exercise selections and will cause just the HOME keys to be available for you to practice typing. The count of the number of characters you must successfully type for each drill remains set at the count you specified in the Keyboard Helpers Menu, or will be set to the skill level chosen from the Main Menu. 18.2.2 Add More Letters This menu option will cause the subsequent "pop-up" display of a letter selection sub-menu. You can select additional letters from this menu to build up your typing vocabulary of keyboard letters. For more information see the section entitled "ADD MORE LETTERS Sub-Menu". 18.2.3 Add Numbers A "pop-up" menu will appear when this selection is made. You can select number sets from this menu to build up your typing vocabulary of numbers. For more information see the section entitled "ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu". 18.2.4 Add CAPITAL Letters A "pop-up" menu will appear when this selection is made. You can select CAPITAL LETTER sets from this menu to build up your typing vocabulary of capital letters. For ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 33 ____________________________________________________________ more information see the section entitled "ADD CAPITAL LETTERS Sub-Menu". 18.2.5 Include Punctuation Marks This menu selection is a "toggle" causing all upper- case and lower case symbols and punctuation marks of the main typing area to be included in the list of characters for you to practice typing. These characters will be added to selections made from any of the "pop-up" menus. If you do not like typing punctuation marks and special symbols, press the ENTER key again to reset the CHECKMARK. Or press F6 to turn this selection OFF. The special characters and symbols will then be removed from your list of drill letters and characters to type. 18.2.6 CAPITAL Letters Only! All previously selected drill or exercises will be reset when this selection is made. Your drill set will be replaced by all of the CAPITAL Letters. The count of the number of Capital Letters for each drill remains set at the count you specified in the Keyboard Helpers Menu or will be set at the skill level in the Main Menu. See the Quick HELP Facility for information on how to type Capital Letters. 18.2.7 Do it ALL! This selection will add all of the 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 or will stay set at the skill level in the Main Menu. We suggest you set the drill count to 80 or more to make this typing practice meaningful. 18.2.8 Choose Your Own A dialog box will appear over the menu letting you select your own characters to type. You must choose at ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 34 ____________________________________________________________ least ten DIFFERENT characters from the list in the box. The list display looks like the text panel above the keyboard display during drills, but shown with ALL letters and characters appropriate to the keyboard you are using. This option has interesting possibilities. For example, let's say you'd like to practice typing ONLY the letters on the "qwerty" row of keys, this is the row of keys above the "home" row. All you have to do is select the "Choose Your Own" option from the Beginner Drills Menu, then type in the letters making up the "qwerty" row which would be: q, w, e, r, t, y, u, i, o, p. You could do the same with the very top "numbers" row of keys. A variation on this scheme would be to choose columns instead of rows. Let's say you'd like to practice typing all of the characters that the index finger of each hand types. You would choose the following characters: f, r, v, b, g, t for the left hand; and the characters: j, m, u, y, n, h for the right hand. Then, go to the Keyboard Helpers Menu and increase the drill count to make the test worth while. While you're there you can add the "Align Finger Positions" feature which draws vertical lines on the screen keyboard separating the columns of keys. Some other interesting things to do with this feature would be to choose letters for the left hand only, or the right hand only. You could include some CAPITAL letters that are giving you a problem. Another interesting practice technique is to select all of the NUMBERS on the number row - 1 thru 0 (zero), and then use the KEYPAD with the NUM-LOCK key ON to practice your "adding machine" key movements. A variation on the NUMBER row theme: how about selecting all of the UPPER CASE symbols on the "number" row, these are the characters NO ONE knows how to type! These custom selections can be used to help you build up your typing rhythm and dexterity in your hands and fingers. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 35 ____________________________________________________________ 18.3 INTERMEDIATE EXERCISES MENU If you're a beginning typist and have become familiar with the keyboard through the drills from the Beginner Menu, you'll want to try typing exercises with options selected from this menu. The exercise options consist of three, four, or five letter word groups, variable length words, or common, everyday phrases of speech or writing. You can select the exercise you want to practice typing by using the menu selector bar or pressing the appropriate function key. 18.3.1 WORDS - 3 Letter Groups Each exercise will display lines of 3-letter word groups in the text panel above the screen keyboard display. Your task is to type the letter pointed to by the house- shaped cursor as it moves along under the line of text and the "roof" of the house "points" to the next letter to type. The cursor advances to the next character on the line when ANY typing key is pressed, not necessarily the one you were SUPPOSED to type. If you make an error, the cursor under the letter you mis-typed is replaced with an asterisk (*) and the cursor advances to the next letter. You have to type the spaces between the words too. The drill ends when the cursor has passed through all displayed letters in the text panel. If there are more words to type than will fit in the text panel, the text will scroll upwards. 18.3.2 WORDS - 4 Letter Groups This selection will cause PC-FASTYPE to access exercise files on disk containing lines of 4-letter word groups. The typing process works the same as the 3-letter word groups above. 18.3.3 WORDS - 5 Letter Groups The exercise process works the same as above, except the lines will contain 5-letter word groups. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 36 ____________________________________________________________ 18.3.4 More WORDS These typing exercises are the same as above except the word lengths will vary from 6 to 12 characters in length. Some of the words are complicated and hard to type; you may want to check a dictionary to determine their meaning. 18.3.5 Common PHRASES This selection will cause PC-FASTYPE to access disk files of typing exercises consisting of lines of common everyday phrases you may find in speech or print. The typing process is the same as above. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 37 ____________________________________________________________ 18.4 ADVANCED EXERCISES MENU You can select more advanced typing exercises from topics on this menu. The exercises selected from this menu consist of sentences, quotations, and short paragraphs for you to type. You can select the exercise you want to practice typing by using the menu selector bar or by pressing the appropriate function key. Your typing task for exercises chosen from the Advanced Exercises Menu is the same as the Intermediate Exercises Menu; type the letters in the text pointed to by the cursor, and try to stay ahead of the delayed prompting. 18.4.1 EASY Sentences Short, rather simple sentences with some simple punctuation, a few capital letters, and possibly a few numbers will be displayed in the text panel above the screen keyboard. Your task is to correctly type the letter pointed to by the cursor. The cursor advances to the next character on the line as each one is typed successfully. 18.4.2 HARD Sentences These exercises consist of longer, more complex sentences for you to type. The words are more complex too, there is heavier use of capital letters and numbers, and more difficult combinations of special characters and symbols. More intense concentration is required to do well, it's more difficult to stay ahead of the delayed prompt. 18.4.3 SHORT Paragraphs The exercise text for you to type when this option is selected is similar to the Hard Sentences, the text is much longer and the words and phrases are more difficult to type. As you type, the text will scroll off the top of the screen and new lines will enter from the bottom of the text panel. The moving cursor and the line you are typing will stay in the middle of the panel. These exercises are also hard to ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 38 ____________________________________________________________ type; they include extensive use of capital letters, punctuation, numbers, and special characters and symbols. 18.4.4 Type YOUR Own Text If you have text files you are familiar with and you'd like to try typing practice with them, then this option will let you do that. When this option is chosen with the menu selector bar or function key, a dialog box will pop-up asking you to type in the name of a text file you'd like to practice typing. Text files contain characters of the standard ASCII character set and are readable when displayed on the screen or printed on your printer. To check if a file is an ordinary text file, use the MS-DOS command "type" with the file name and watch the screen. The contents of the file will be displayed a line at a time and if it's readable to you then it's a text file. If you tried to "type" a program file, the screen would display garbage because a program file is made up of computer instructions that are unreadable. If you select text files developed with your favorite editor or word processor, be sure you use the plain text version for typing practice. Some word processors such as Microsoft WORD contain embedded formatting characters. PC-FASTYPE will filter your text file and discard characters which cannot be typed on the keyboard. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 39 ____________________________________________________________ If you don't have any text files to practice with, there is a file called FORTUNE1.TYP that came with PC-FASTYPE. Type this file name in the dialog box to practice typing the text contained in this file. You could also try text files from other Shareware products you registered. The most common text files distributed with most software products are "README" files. These are files of readable text giving up-to-date information about the product. Most text files can be identified by the file extension. The file-extension is the one-to-three characters that follow the dot (.) in a file name, as in README.TXT, REGISTER.FRM, NEWVER.PRT. Try to select small files of less than 1000 characters. Read the section entitled CREATING YOUR OWN TEXT FILES in APPENDIX -B- for instructions on assembling your own typing practice material. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 40 ____________________________________________________________ 18.5 KEYBOARD HELPERS MENU You can select typing helpers and options 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 "typing 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, the checkmark will indicate the active helpers. 18.5.1 QUIET Mode This feature will turn all sound OFF during your PC-FASTYPE session. This feature is a "toggle" and can be turned ON or OFF by repeatedly pressing the ENTER key. The CHECKMARK will indicate the ON setting of quiet mode. This option remains set until you reset it again. The "BEEP" Keystroke Errors option below has no effect on the setting of QUIET Mode. 18.5.2 Hidden Keys This typing helper 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. 18.5.3 Outline HOME keys Selecting this typing helper 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 ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 41 ____________________________________________________________ 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. You might like to use this option when you try typing with the HIDDEN KEYS helper. 18.5.4 'BEEP' Keystroke Errors Making this selection will enable a 'beeping' sound whenever you make a keystroke error. A large red X will flash over the key you pressed incorrectly and at the same time the speaker will sound indicating the error. This feature is "ON" when you start PC-FASTYPE. Note: if all SOUND has been turned OFF via the QUIET Mode selection then the keystroke error 'beep' will also be turned off even though the CHECKMARK in the menu may indicate it's turned on. 18.5.5 Align Finger Positions This selection is similar to the OUTLINE HOME KEY helper; this feature will cause lines to be drawn on the screen keyboard separating the keys vertically. It will indicate all the keys on different rows that could be pressed with the same finger for each hand. This is a keyboard helper designed to assist you in typing the letters using the correct fingers. You can use this typing helper together with the "Outline Home Keys" helper. 18.5.6 WORD WRAP The WORD WRAP feature is for typists familiar with word processors. Word wrap means that as you type and reach the end of the line on screen, the word that can't fit will automatically "wrap" to the beginning the NEXT line. You don't have to press the ENTER key to cause the cursor to go to the next line, pressing the space bar will do the same thing. This feature is only important when typing exercises chosen from the Intermediate or Advanced Menu. When the ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 42 ____________________________________________________________ advancing cursor reaches the end of the line it will rest under a SPACE or a CARRIAGE RETURN symbol. With WORD WRAP turned ON, you can type either a space or press the enter key and the cursor will move to the first character of the next line. Pressing either key is correct and will be counted as a valid keystroke. When word wrap is turned OFF however, a CARRIAGE RETURN symbol (a back arrow) will be shown at the end of every displayed line. The presence of this character means that when the cursor reaches it you MUST type the ENTER key. Pressing the space bar will cause a keystroke error. 18.5.7 Reset Keyboard Helpers Be careful with this selection; it 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. 18.5.8 Change Drill Count Making this selection will cause a dialog box to "pop- up" over the menu. The dialog box will suggest you enter the count, in number of characters to be typed, for any drill selected from the Beginner Drills Menu. You can enter a count of 10 to 999. If you don't enter a number, PC-FASTYPE will use a the count from the Skill level in effect from the main menu. The number of characters for any exercise selected from the Intermediate or Advanced Menu is already determined from the length of the exercises on disk. The number shown in the dialog box is the current setting. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 43 ____________________________________________________________ 19. SUB-MENUS In addition to the five primary menus, there are several sub-menus that can be selected from the Beginner Drills Menu. Selections from any of these sub-menus will help you to build your typing vocabulary by giving you the opportunity to add more letters, numbers, and CAPITAL letters to your typing vocabulary list. The sequence in which the letters and numbers can be added to your drill list follow generally accepted rules of typing practice. 19.1 ADD MORE LETTERS Sub-Menu The "ADD MORE LETTERS" Menu is displayed over the Beginner Drills menu window when you select ADD MORE LETTERS while the Beginner Drills Menu is on the screen. The purpose of this menu is to let you increase your typing skills by letting you add more letters to your typing vocabulary. For example, the next set of letters you have to learn after you have become proficient at typing the HOME keys are the letters "e" and "i". You can select these letters from the menu by moving the menu selector bar over the "e,i" set and pressing the ENTER key. A CHECKMARK will appear in the entry indicating they will be added to your list. When you choose BEGIN TYPING from a primary menu, these letters will show up in the TEXT panel. In addition to being drilled on the HOME keys the beginner drills will also include the letters e and i. Your selection is cumulative, that is - whatever entries in the menu you choose, the drills will include ALL of the letters listed having a CHECKMARK to the left of them. If you change your mind while the list is still displayed, just move the menu selector bar to the entry you want and press the ENTER key again - the CHECKMARK will disappear. Your chosen selection goes into effect only when you EXIT the sub-menu. If you decide not to make a selection, just press the ESCAPE key to return to the Beginner Drills menu. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 44 ____________________________________________________________ The Quick HELP Facility is also available for sub- menus. When you choose HELP, the menu selector bar will rest on the ADD MORE LETTERS topic of the Quick HELP Facility menu. 19.2 ADD NUMBERS Sub-Menu This sub-menu is displayed over the Beginner Drills menu window when you select ADD NUMBERS. The purpose of this sub-menu is to help you increase your typing skills by letting you add any or all of the number keys to your typing vocabulary. Your selection of number sets works the same as in the ADD MORE LETTERS Menu. For example, if you want to learn how to type the number "3" and the number "8", then move the menu selector bar to the "3,8" entry and press the ENTER key. A CHECKMARK will appear indicating the numbers 3 and 8 will be added to your drill list for Beginner typing drills. If you select "No Numbers", then any numbers previously selected or included in your drill as indicated by the CHECKMARKS will be eliminated from your next drill. Selecting the Quick HELP Facility for this sub-menu will put you on the ADD NUMBERS entry of the help menu. 19.3 ADD CAPITALS Sub-Menu The "ADD CAPITALS" Menu is displayed over the Beginner Drills menu window when you select ADD CAPITALS while the Beginner Drills Menu is on the screen. The purpose of this menu is to let you select the CAPITAL LETTERS in the same manner you would select regular letters to increase your typing vocabulary. You can select CAPITALS from the menu by moving the menu selector bar over the set you want added to your drill list. The first set of capital letters you should learn are the CAPITAL home keys. A CHECKMARK will appear in the entry indicating they will be added to your list. When you choose BEGIN TYPING from a primary menu, the CAPITAL letters you added will show up in the TEXT panel. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 45 ____________________________________________________________ Your selection is cumulative, just like ADD MORE LETTERS. If you change your mind while the list is still displayed, just move the menu selector bar to the entry you want and press the ENTER key again - the CHECKMARK will disappear. Your chosen selection goes into effect only when you EXIT the sub-menu. If you decide not to make a selection, just press the ESCAPE key to return to the Beginner Drills menu. The Quick HELP Facility is also available for sub- menus. When you choose HELP, the menu selector bar will rest on the ADD CAPITALS topic. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 46 ____________________________________________________________ 20. APPENDIX -A- How To Print The HELP Screens If your PC has a printer attached to it you may want to have a printout of PC-FASTYPE's Quick HELP Facility screens. First start PC-FASTYPE as you normally would. Simply press F1 at any menu to get into the Quick HELP Facility, select each topic in succession from the Quick HELP Facility and press the Print-Screen key on your keyboard as you page through the help topic. We suggest you space up your printer a few lines after each page and do a form-feed manually after every two HELP pages are printed. This will avoid the text "spilling" over the perforations onto the next page. Typing correctly is a discipline, so is neatness. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 47 ____________________________________________________________ 21. APPENDIX -B- Creating "Type-Your-Own-Text" Files PC-FASTYPE will let you use any text file you specify in the dialog box when you choose TYPE YOUR OWN TEXT from the Advanced Exercises menu. Don't worry about line length, special characters or formatting considerations. PC-FASTYPE will reformat your text to fit the screen size and filter out any characters it can't identify with the keyboard you are using. It's easy to create MULTIPLE exercises in one file, just insert the phrase @TEXT@ on a line BY ITSELF to separate the text into multiple exercises. PC-FASTYPE will randomly select exercises from a file whose text is separated by this phrase. The typing exercise will consist of all the characters following the @TEXT@ phrase until the next @TEXT@ phrase is found or the end of the file is reached. The exercise files accompaning PC-FASTYPE can be used as a guide to help you prepare your own exercises. These files are named with the file-extension ".TYP" and are readable with an editor, word-processor, or screen display utility such as the MS-DOS 'type' or 'more' commands. You may want to include special words or phrases unique to your business, profession, or student activities and would be frequently typed such as scientific terminology, or "legalese". ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 48 ____________________________________________________________ 22. APPENDIX -C- *** List of Files On The PC-FASTYPE Diskette *** Use the MS-DOS command "DIR" to verify these files exist on your PC-FASTYPE program diskette: =========================================================== README.BAT - Program to display README.TXT README.TXT - Quick start instructions REGISTER.FRM - REGISTRATION FORM AND COMMENT FORM FTDOC.EXE - User Guide-Self-extracting ZIP file ENFT.BAT - Batch program for the 101-Key Keyboard ATFT.BAT - Batch program for the AT-Style Keyboard xFASTYPE.EXE - The PC-FASTYPE executable program (x=C or M) H01.HLP - QuickHELP Facility files H02.HLP - " H03.HLP - " H04.HLP - " H05.HLP - " H06.HLP - " H07.HLP - " H08.HLP - " H09.HLP - " H10.HLP - " FT32.TYP - Exercise Files FT33.TYP - " FT34.TYP - " FT35.TYP - " FT36.TYP - " FT42.TYP - " FT43.TYP - " FT44.TYP - " FORTUNE1.TYP - Sample file for the TYPE YOUR OWN TEXT Option FTxVn.GCP - PC-FASTYPE General Control Parameters ATKBSCRN.FIL - Description file for the AT-STYLE Keyboard ENKBSCRN.FIL - Description file for the 101-Key Keyboard VENDOR.DOC - VENDOR Information SYSOP.DOC - BBS Sysop Information ========================================================== If you received this version of PC-FASTYPE from a disk vendor, there may be other files the vendor has added for their distribution purposes. If one or more of the above files are missing, please contact Trendtech Corporation (201) 694-8622 and tell us. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 49 ____________________________________________________________ 23. APPENDIX -D- TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS PC-FASTYPE/CGA and PC-FASTYPE/MONO were developed on an AST 386/20 running under the MS-DOS Version 3.3 Operating System. Both programs were written in the "C" Language using Microsoft's ANSI "C" Compiler, Version 5.1. The total size of ALL source code is about 20,000 lines. The text editor of choice was BRIEF 3.0, and Microsoft WORD version 5.0 was used as the word-processor for the documentation and help files. Microsoft's NMAKE from QuickC 2.0 was used during development and for building the final product. The WINDOW BOSS windowing software was used for portions of the user interface. PKZIP was used for creating the Self- extracting ZIP files. ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 50 ____________________________________________________________ *** END OF USER'S GUIDE FOR PC-FASTYPE *** ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 51 ____________________________________________________________ PC-FASTYPE TYPING NOTES: ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc. PC-FASTYPE - User Guide Page 52 ____________________________________________________________ PC-FASTYPE TYPING NOTES: ____________________________________________________________ Copyright 1990 Trendtech Corporation, Inc.