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Suggested Applications
In this chapter you will find some uses for PC-Browse in addition to
those touched on earlier. We hope this will stimulate your own
creativity and allow you to develop unique applications of your own.
Dictionary
You could build just a word list, or a true dictionary with
definitions, parts of speech, hyphenation, and the like. If you sort
the dictionary alphabetically, you can search it quickly with a lookup
search. You can even trigger a lookup search of a word in the host
document with the Shf Ctl F2 hot key. Cross references between words
are easy to include. The dictionary acts like part of the application
program you are working on.
When you type a word into a document and want to verify its meaning,
press Shf Ctl F2. The definition is displayed in the window. To paste
the information into your document, press F7. You can also pop up
PC-Browse with Shf Ctl F9, type the word into the Find text and press
F2. When you are unsure of the spelling as well as the definition,
search for just the part of the word you know, using a normal search
with wild cards instead of a fast lookup Search.
Some examples of dictionaries that you can build:
Foreign Language dictionary
Chemical Engineering dictionary
Dictionary of Dept. of Education terminology
Dictionary of terms used in The Dune Trilogy
Accounting dictionary
Parts dictionary
Glossary
PC-Write Page Layout Library
If you find that most of the word processing documents you create
follow a few given formats, you can build a library of format templates
that can be pasted into a document when you create it. Each page of the
library can be dedicated to a different page layout: one for memos,
one for monthly reports, one for letters, and so on. You can include
standard text, such as your letterhead, as well as Guide lines and
Ruler lines.
To use a particular template, pop up PC-Browse and search for the
corresponding page. Then use paste, F7, to insert the page layout
information directly into your document.
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Political Party Platform
You can assemble position papers, speeches, and other documentation
together into a single file that outlines the candidate's (or party's)
views on the issues. The file can be used by people who are on the
phone or as a training tool for any campaign worker. It may also be an
interesting tool to send to the press.
A user pops up PC-Browse and is presented with a list of choices or
general topics of interest. They simply highlight the topic they wish
to learn about and press Enter. PC-Browse presents the information on
that topic, or it can be broken down into subtopics. The user continues
to step through the levels, moving from general towards specific.
Information from one topic area can be cross referenced to another. For
instance, one aspect of the education reform policy may include money
for a drug education campaign. If the two topics are linked at this
point, users can read about the drug program in brief and return to the
specific information about educational reform.
You could also use PC-Browse to do a political analysis of a city or
county. Enter information about the elected officials, corporate board
members, "Old-Boy" networks, and real estate owners and developers.
Fill in cross-references based on current and prior relationships. Find
out who's really important, and why.
Family Tree
You may think your family is already overly cross-referenced
(especially during the holidays) but reading a family history can leave
you flipping a lot of pages. The hypertext links that are created with
PC-Browse make flipping "pages" much easier. You can save both
genealogical information and your family history.
Pop up PC-Browse and type in your Find text. That could be the name of
a relative, a date, a city, or perhaps the old family home. Pressing
Enter quickly whisks you off to that place in history. If there is a
cross reference to another person or place you can highlight it with
the Tab key and press Enter to move on. As you move through the
branches of the tree, you can use the location list to quickly return
to your starting point.
Just as family members share common experiences, they share a page
describing those experiences, because each member can have a link to
the event. So your Great Grandmother will have a link to "Winter 1894"
about surviving in the family home in South Dakota and so will each of
her siblings. Now you can leave your family's branch of the tree and
see how your Great, Great Aunts and Uncles fared after that terrible
winter.
- 30 -
Class Notes
Notes taken during a lecture can be extremely useful. But often at the
end of a semester, half of them are unreadable and the other half don't
make sense. The only way to find anything is to read this scribble,
line by line, from day one. By entering your notes into the computer
every night (ok, once a week) you can clear up any inconsistencies
before you forget the entire lecture. Then you can PC-Browse through
them line by line, or search for specific words, phrases, or dates. The
search and paste features will make that term paper a snap.
If you feel adventurous you can build search triggers to link one piece
of information with another, or perhaps link notes from another class
in another file. Your class notes can be the foundation for a
specialized dictionary or glossary useful in future courses. For some
fields such as history or anatomy, cross references can be quite
useful. "Oh, the tibia is linked to the fibula, the fibula is linked to
the patella,...."
Your only problem comes when you try to explain to your instructor that
you can't take the test today because your dog ate your floppy disk.
Telemarketing Script
A telemarketing script can be formatted as a decision tree that walks
the salesperson through the sales pitch. Again, the ability to be
resident is an advantage, since you can pop up the script on top of
another program, such as an order entry form. Since PC-Browse links the
pieces of the script quickly and quietly, the customer doesn't wait
while the salesperson pages through his or her notebook.
The salesperson pops up PC-Browse with the Shf Ctl F10 hot key which
automatically moves to the beginning of the script. As the conversation
progresses, he or she need only use the Tab or Arrow keys and the Enter
key to move to the next part of the script. Related information such as
warranties, product descriptions, and the like can be quickly accessed
using cross references. The F4 key jumps back from the related
information to the previous place in the script.
The customer list can also be kept in a PC-Browse file, to quickly pop
up ordering history, preferences, or any collections problems you have
had. At Quicksoft, we use PC-Browse to check for valid registration
numbers. You can also link in your price list, terms, shipping rates;
all those notes taped to the office wall. Great for networks!
- 31 -
On-Line Help
PC-Browse is an outstanding tool for adding on-line help to an
application you've developed or a program you've purchased, because it
is memory resident and can pop up over any non-graphics application.
PC-Browse also uses the word at the cursor in the host document as the
Find text, which helps you create context sensitive help screens.
When users pop up PC-Browse, they are presented with an index of help
topics. They hi