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- Lesson 8
-
- OPERATION
-
-
- Perfect Writer provides several editing modes that allow
- for a variety of editing tasks. To see what these are, select:
-
-
- Escape...Operation...Mode
-
-
- As you know, "Wrap" is Perfect Writer's default editing
- mode, in which text is automatically wrapped to a new line when
- it reaches the right screen margin.
-
- "No-wrap" and "Overwrite" are handy for editing in tight
- places. That is, if you are revising a delicate screen
- configuration, such as a Perfect Calc spreadsheet that you have
- copied to a report in Perfect Writer, and the "Wrap" mode would
- be a dangerous nuisance, use one of these instead.
-
-
- In "Justify" mode, lines of text are automatically aligned
- flush with the left and right screen margins. If you want your
- document to have that professional look, use this mode. (This
- paragraph was typed using Justify mode.)
-
- "Spell" mode takes you into Perfect Speller. (For details
- on this option, see the Perfect Writer User's Guide.)
-
- Besides mode selection, the Operation submenu also provides
- commands for performing certain "Setup" operations, such as
- changing the Tab interval, setting screen margins, and changing the
- menu delay. Let's look at a few of these.
-
- CHANGING THE TAB INTERVAL
-
- Perfect Writer uses a system of fixed tab intervals, which
- means that tab stops are set at a constant interval across the
- screen. Initially, this interval is 5 spaces. You can change this
- interval using an option on the Setup menu.
-
- When changing either the tab interval or screen margins, it
- is convenient to create two windows, since the "Ruler" which
- divides the screen shows the location of tab stops and screen
- margins.
-
- At this time, create two windows, by selecting:
-
- Escape...Operation...Windows...2
-
- Depending on your computer, tab stops are designated on the
- Ruler by regularly spaced vertical lines. To change the tab
- interval, select:
-
- Escape...Operation...Setup...Tab stops
-
- Enter a new interval of 10, followed by
- the Return key. The new interval is
- immediately reflected on the Ruler
- (and wherever a tab appears in the text
- of this lesson).
-
-
- Now return to one window by selecting:
-
- Escape...Operation...Windows...1 window
-
- Reset the tab interval to 5 spaces by selecting:
-
- Escape...Operation...Setup...Tab stops...<5>
-
-
- CHANGING SCREEN MARGINS
-
- Screen margins, which are represented on the Ruler by pound
- signs, # , can be adjusted just as simply.
-
- To see how this works, reset the left screen margin to 10,
- by selecting:
-
- Escape...Operation...Setup...Left margin...10
-
-
- (On the screen Ruler, the symbol marking the left margin
- will move to column 10.)
-
- Next, reset the right screen margin to 40, by selecting:
-
- Escape...Operation...Setup...Right margin...40
-
- (On the screen Ruler, the symbol marking the right margin
- will move to column 40.)
-
- When the margins have been changed, place the cursor
- within this paragraph and select:
-
- Escape...Appearance...Paragraph...Fill
-
- The only restriction to resetting screen margins in this way
- is that you may not choose "Justify paragraphs" on the Printing
- Options menu, without placing the text you have reset to new
- screen margins within a "verbatim" environment (see Lesson 9).
- Also, custom tab settings are preserved only when printing from
- the editor using "Escape...Documents...Print" and without
- selecting "Using @-sign commands" from the Printing Options menu.
-
-
- BYPASSING THE MENUS
-
- After you become familiar with Perfect Writer, you may no
- longer need to see the menus each time you issue a command. You
- can bypass them in two ways. First, you can substitute the
- Control key, labeled `Ctrl', for the Escape key when issuing
- commands. Simply hold the Ctrl key and press the first character
- of the option desired. For example, to move the cursor forward a
- word you can select either:
-
- Escape...Forward...Word
- or
- Ctrl---F...Word
- Try this now.
-
- In the first instance, the top menu appears when you press
- the `Escape' key. From this menu, you select `Forward', which
- causes another submenu to appear, from which you select `Word'.
-
- In the second instance, the command takes you directly to
- the `Forward' submenu from which you select `Word'.
-
- The Ctrl key method is especially handy for repeating a
- previous command. Simply hold the Ctrl key and continue to press
- `r'; the previous command will continue to repeat.
-
-
- SETTING THE MENU DELAY
-
- You can also bypass the menus completely. Perfect Writer
- provides a `menu delay' feature that allows you to determine the
- time it takes for a menu to appear. To see how it works, select:
-
- Escape...Operation...Setup...Menu delay
-
- Perfect Writer will respond, "Delay (0-9 seconds):" Enter `3',
- and press the Return key. This will result in about a three
- second delay before the Top menu `pops-up' after you press the
- Escape key. (Try this now.)
-
- If you complete a command sequence before the first menu
- appears, you will never see the menus at all.
-
-
- SAVING A NEW SETUP
-
- To save any setup changes you have made in margins, tabs,
- or menu delay, select the "Save setup" option on the Setup menu.
- Perfect Writer will record the settings you have specified, and
- thereafter will begin every editing session using the new margins,
- tabs, and menu delay.
-
-
- This concludes our short lesson on changing the Operation of
- Perfect Writer. If you wish to proceed to Lesson 9 which
- discusses "Layout," select:
-
- Escape...Documents...Read
-
- When Perfect Writer asks "Document to read," type "lesson9,"
- followed by the Return key. Perfect Writer will read Lesson 9
- into memory and switch you to it.
-
- If you do not wish to continue, select:
-
- Escape...Exit PW
-
- IMPORTANT: Perfect Writer may respond with the message:
- "Document(s) not saved! Do you still wish to exit?" Answer `y'
- for Yes.
-
- Perfect Writer will return you to the PSI Menu, from where
- you may return to the operating system.
-
- End of Lesson 8