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@TITLE PAGE = OPTIKS
@TITLE PAGE L2 = Graphics Editor
@TITLE PAGE L2 = by Graham Systems
@NOTES = This is a preliminary (un checked) copy of the new
OPTIKS documentation. I am writing as much as I can with the
intention of coming back and spell checking it and sense checking
it. For now, even with several chapters missing, it is better
than the old documentation.
@NOTES = Thank you for choosing OPTIKS. OPTIKS is a system for
changing PC graphics files. OPTIKS can read an write many
different graphic file types. OPTIKS is useful for converting
files from one type to another, sizing files and changing files
in many ways. OPTIKS is easy to use and easy to learn. It is a
very complicated program in some ways, but it has very easy paths
to let you do exactly what you need to do in minimum of fuss. Now
that you have OPTIKS, what do you do next? You will have to
install OPTIKS (this takes about 2 minutes). You should practice
for another few minutes, loading and saving a file, and then you
should browse through the manual. The manual is nice to have, but
it spends most of the time on the shelf. You will only have to
use the manual if you are having a problem or trying to do
something a little complicated.
The manual has installation instructions, a few overview
chapters, many examples of common things that you might want to
try, and a series of detailed discussions of all of the OPTIKS
options.
Start by installing OPTIKS and then try a few of the examples.
You will be an expert in a few minutes and with good luck, never
have to use the manual again.
@CHAPTER = TABLE OF CONTENTS
@TOC ITEM =    1.   Installing OPTIKS   1
@TOC ITEM =    2.   Starting Up Optiks
@TOC ITEM =    3.   What is OPTIKS?
@TOC ITEM =    4.   How to Use the Menu Tree
@TOC ITEM =    5.   Selecting Files
@TOC ITEM =    6.   Viewing a Picture
@TOC ITEM =    7.   Help System
@TOC ITEM =    8.   Mouse and Keystrokes
@TOC ITEM =    9.   Keyboard Macros
@TOC ITEM =    10.  Altering an Image
@TOC ITEM =    11.  How to Save an Image
@TOC ITEM =    12.  Configuration options
@TOC ITEM =         a. Screen Type
@TOC ITEM =         b. Virtual Screen Width
@TOC ITEM =         c. EMS Memory
@TOC ITEM =         d. Miscellaneous Options
@TOC ITEM =         e. Printer Options
@TOC ITEM =         f. Saving the CONFIG.OK file
@TOC ITEM = Appendix:
@TOC ITEM =    A.   Problems Appendix
@TOC ITEM =    B.   Menu Tree Appendix
@TOC ITEM =    C.   Examples
@TOC ITEM =         a. Converting a MAC file to a PCX file
@TOC ITEM =         b. Sizing a picture
@TOC ITEM =         c. Printing a picture
@TOC ITEM =         d. Merging a picture
@TOC ITEM =         e. Scanning graphics
@TOC ITEM =         f. Creating a soft font and OKHL
@TOC ITEM =         g. Creating a print file for include.com
@TOC ITEM =         h. Creating a graphics file from text
@TOC ITEM =         i. Using a soft font.
@TOC ITEM =         j. Drawing lines.
@TOC ITEM =         k. Saving as a Autocad, CGM or GEM Draw
@TOC ITEM =    D.   Using Color
@TOC ITEM =    E.   Using HP Soft Fonts
@TOC ITEM =    F.   Supported File Formats
@CHAPTER = 1. Installing OPTIKS
OPTIKS needs no special setup for most situations. The program
will try to figure out what video screen you have and if you have
a mouse and EMS memory. If you start up OPTIKS and get a blank
screen, please refer to APPENDIX A.
Installing OPTIKS only requires that you copy the OPTIKS programs
to a disk where you can get at them.
@SUB HEAD = Floppy disk installation
Copy OKPRIV.EXE (or OKFREE.EXE if you are testing out the free
version) to a floppy. Copy any OPTIKS screen fonts that you will
be using to the floppy. For example:
Put the OPTIKS disk in drive A:
Put a blank formatted disk in drive B:
At the dos prompt enter:
COPY A:*.* B:
This will copy all of the OPTIKS files (even some that you
probably don't need) to the B: drive. Label the disk in B: OPTIKS
and put the original disk with you other important disks in the
back of the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (or some other cool
safe place).
Now to start OPTIKS from the floppy, from the A prompt enter:
OKPRIV
and press return. (enter OKFREE if you are testing the free
version). Don't write protect the diskette. OPTIKS may want to
create afile called config.ok, and you may want to use the
diskette for storage of some graphics files.
If you are not installing on a hard disk, skip over to the
discussion of STARTING OPTIKS.
@SUB HEAD = Installing OPTIKS on a Hard Disk.
On a hard disk, all packages (including DOS) should have their
own sub directory to live in. The root directory should have the
following files: COMMAND.COM, CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. The
root directory should have only these three files and the list of
subdirectories. If you have anything else on you root directory
you are slowing down the operation of you hard disk. All BAT
files (other than AUTOEXEC.BAT should be in their own directory.
All device drivers should be located off the root. All programs
should be located in separate directories for each subsystem. If
you disk is a mess with many files on the root, clean it up! Buy
a good book on disk management (such as Peter Norton's book) and
read it.
OPTIKS should have its own subdirectory. To create an OPTIKS
subdirectory, you will have to be at a DOS prompt. The following
assumes that you are installing OPTIKS on your C: disk and you
want a subdirectory call OK. (Keeping subdirectory names short
saves you time and save DOS time when it has to change
directories or search directories.)
First make sure you have a C prompt. If you have an A or a B
enter "C:" and change to the C: disk. Next change up to the ROOT
directory. This is the disks main directory, where all other
directories start from. Enter:
CD \
Press return. The slash used here is the "back slash". It tilts
backwards. You should be at the root. Some people have a prompt
command in their AUTOEXEC.BAT (the command is PROMPT $P$G) that
will show them which directory they are in. If you are not sure
which directory you are in just type "CD" and press return, this
will show you the current directory.
Next create the OK directory by entering:
MD OK
and press return. The "MD" command stands for Make Directory. It
will make a directory called OK. If you enter DIR after you
finish making the directory, you will be able to see the OK
subdirectory listed. If you get an "Unable to Create Directory"
error it means that there already is an OK directory. The next
step is to copy the files from the OPTIKS disk to the directory.
Place the OPTIKS main diskette in drive A: and enter the
following:
COPY A:*.* OK
There is no space between the : and the *.*. There are spaces
between the COPY command and the A and before the OK. You don't
have to use upper case letters with DOS. Press the return. This
will copy all of the programs and information from the A: disk
into the OK subdirectory. When the copy is done, you can take the
diskette in A: out and put it in a cool safe place.
OPTIKS may come with some diskettes of sample graphics. You can
copy this into the OK subdirectory, but some people like to keep
pictures in a separate PIC subdirectory. You can probably figure
out from the information above and your DOS manual how to get the
pictures off of the floppies into a subdirectory.
@SUB HEAD = Renaming the OPTIKS program.
The name OKPRIV is not that easy to type. After you install
OPTIKS it might be a good idea to rename the OKPRIV.EXE program
to OK.EXE. This makes it easy to remember how to start the
program. If you rename the program, make a note to yourself that
you enter OK and press return to start up OPTIKS.
@CHAPTER = 2. Starting Up Optiks
Change to the OPTIKS directory by entering: CD\OK and pressing
return.
The main OPTIKS program is called OKPRIV.EXE (I always rename
this file to OK.EXE to make it short.) If you are using floppies,
you can start up OPTIKS by typing OKPRIV and pressing return.
OPTIKS will start up right away and show you the OPTIKS logo and
a menu.
If you spelled the OPTIKS program name correctly and pressed
return and got the message "Bad command or file name" then
something is wrong. The easiest thing to do if you get this error
is to enter DIR and see what you get. This will help you figure
what is going on.
For the OKPRIV command to work, OKPRIV.EXE must be on the current
disk and current directory OR there must be a PATH set so that
DOS can find the OKPRIV.EXE file. If you want to start OKPRIV
then you either have to be on the C: disk in the OK directory or
you have to set the path so that OKPRIV can be found.
@SUB HEAD = The OPTIKS configuration file
In OPTIKS it is possible to save your configuration. You
configuration includes things like your choice of printer and how
much EMS memory you want to use. This is done by "KEEPING" your
configuration. When you save a configuration the configuration us
kept in a file called CONFIG.OK. Optiks looks for CONFIG.OK when
it starts up. If it can't find the file, it uses defaults.
CONFIG.OK must be in the current directory when you start up or
OPTIKS won't find it. CONFIG.OK is small so you may want to keep
copies around wherever you start up OPTIKS.
@CHAPTER = 3. What is OPTIKS?
OPTIKS is a large area in which pictures can be brought. You
bring in the picture by using the FILE READ or FILE MERGE options
from the menu. The FILE READ option cleans out the work space
where the FILE MERGE option will set the picture into a frame
that you specify. Once the picture is in the work space you can
copy it or alter it in various ways. You can save the picture by
using the FILE SAVE option. You must tell OPTIKS how much of the
picture to save. You don't want to save the entire work space.
You would quickly fill up the disk with pictures surrounded by a
lot of empty black space.
The OPTIKS work space is a lot wider than your screen. You can
move around in it. In this way you can have pictures which are
bigger than one screen. The width of the work space is called the
VIRTUAL WIDTH. The length of the work-space is called the VIRTUAL
LENGTH. Think of the screen in front of you as a window to look
into the OPTIKS work space.
(Graphic of Work Space goes here)
You may be able to see from this diagram that the work-space
holds the image data and that the Video Screen is a window to
look at the image data in the work space. Pressing the HOME key
brings you to the upper left hand corner and pressing the END key
brings you to the lower right and corner.
The area defined by Virtual Width and Virtual Length (it might be
called Virtual Area) is limited by how much memory you have.
Memory is allocated when you start up OPTIKS right up to the
maximum in you machine. If you have EMS memory OPTIKS will take a
good chunk of that. The default width of the screen is 1024
pixels wide. This is wider than most screens, but it is narrower
than some pictures. A common problem is that pictures seem to be
cut off on the right after loading. This is because the Virtual
width is too small to handle the width of the picture. Change the
Virtual width by the /ENVIR CONFIG VIRT menu options. Remember
that by making the work-space wider you reduce the Virtual
Length. This is because you have limited memory. If the image
starts cutting off on the bottom you will have to reduce the
Virtual Length or get more memory.
@CHAPTER = 4. How to Use the Menu Tree
The main way of making OPTIKS work is through the Menu Tree. A
Complete listing of all menu items can be found in Appendix B.
This listing changes with every release of OPTIKS. Check out the
WHATS.NEW file on the OPTIKS distribution diskette or ARC file to
get the latest additions and changes to OPTIKS.
The Menu comes up all by itself when you start OPTIKS. You can
press the / key to get it back after you have viewed a file. You
can also press the Esc key. The / and the Esc work a little
different. The / always brings you to the main menu. The Esc Keys
brings you back to the last menu you were working from before you
entered VIEW mode.
The Menu consists of line of options with a line of explanation
underneath the options. One option is shown in reverse video. The
explanation line is for the menu item that has the reverse video.
If you use the cursor control keys you can move the reverse video
to another menu item. The left and right arrows move the reverse
video back and forth. The explanation line changes for each menu
item.
To select a menu item, move the reverse video to that item and
press the Enter Key. This will either bring you to a new menu or
to one of the OPTIKS functions.
You will notice that each menu item begins with a different
letter. If you press the first letter of any menu item it is the
same as moving to that item and pressing enter. For example to
read an Apple Mac picture you would could:
1) press the / key (if you weren't already at the main menu.
2) move to the FILE menu item (you should be there if you pressed
/)
3) press the enter key.
4) move to the READ menu item (again that's where you should be
already)
5) press the enter key.
6) move the cursor to MacPaint.
7) press enter.
9) You will see a file selection list at this point, move to the
file you want and press enter.
 ----OR----
press /FRM enter and select the file.
@CHAPTER = 5. Selecting a file.
Software authors have written hundreds of graphics packages and
most packages have unique file types. Originally the idea was to
restrict a user to using only one graphics package, but
experience shows that the more adaptable and flexible a package,
the more it will be used. OPTIKS increases the usefulness of
these packages by allowing transfers of data between them.
In order to read or write a file, you must know 1) the kind of
file, and 2) the file name. Whenever you choose READ, WRITE,
MERGE or INFO from the FILE menu you are presented with a list of
file types. OPTIKS can read and write a large number of formats.
Sometimes OPTIKS can read a file, but can't write the same
format. In some cases, OPTIKS can write a format, but can't read
it.
The file formats are listed in alphabetical order. File types
which the DEMO version of OPTIKS can write are marked with an
asterisk (*). You can use the cursor control keys to move around
the list of file types. As you move, the file types are
highlighted and a description of the file type is shown to you.
You can press the first letter of the file type and you will jump
immediately to the first match. Press the letter again and you
will jump to the next match. When you have highlighted the file
type that you want, press the enter key and you will go to the
next step.
OPTIKS goes to the disk and finds all of the files that have the
corresponding extension and shows you all of the files available.
If you see the message "No Matching Files" then the file
selection criteria did not find any files. This message appears
for a moment while OPTIKS searches you disk, but it should go
away if any files are found.
@SUB HEAD = Selecting an existing file.
When you read a file or ask for information about a file, you
must be talking about a file that already exists. If you are
writing a file to disk you may be overwriting an existing file or
naming a new file.
To select an existing file, you can move the reverse video bar up
and down and select the file you want. If there are more files
that can appear on the screen at once you can use the PgUp and
PgDn to move through the pages of files until you find the one
you are looking for.
If the file you are looking for is not found, or its on another
disk or subdirectory you can change the way OPTIKS looks for the
files. You can press the / key or F10 to move the cursor up to
the selection line. Correct the selection line to correctly match
the disk, path and filename of the file you want.
For instance, when you want to read a MAC file OPTIKS expects the
file name to end in the extension .MAC and lists *.MAC files. The
*.MAC means list all files ending in .MAC. You may have the file
on your disk as GRAPH.PIC. Even though it is a MAC file, you have
it named as .PIC. (This is quite common. There is no standard
naming convention for Apple Mac files.) You would have to press
the / key from the file selection screen and change the *.MAC to
*.PIC or even GRAPH.PIC and the press enter. You will be shown
all of the matches.
You can change the current working disk and subdirectory by
retyping the information on the selection criteria line. OPTIKS
remembers when you change the disk or directory and will use the
new value every time you make a new selection.
@SUB HEAD = Writing to a new file.
When you save to a new file or print to disk, you are given the
same selection screen that appears when you want to read a file.
You don't usually want to select an existing file. If you did you
would point to it and press enter, but this won't work when
creating a new file.
To write to a completely new file, press F9 key to get to the
file selection criteria line and enter the name of the file that
you want to create. If OPTIKS can't find the file it will create
it. You can change the disk and directory at the same time and
OPTIKS will create the file on another disk or directory.
@CHAPTER = 6. Viewing a Picture
After loading a picture OPTIKS goes into VIEW MODE. VIEW MODE is
when the MENU is not on the screen. The keys act differently in
VIEW MODE. For instance, the right arrow does not highlight a
menu item, it moves the picture to the left. Whats really
happening is the video screen window moves to the right. You can
move you view of the image by using the keys to move the window
to a different part of the image. The cursor control keys move
you around the picture. End brings you to the lower right hand
corner, Home brings you to the upper left hand corner. PgUp and
PgDn move the window faster the just the up and down arrows.
@CHAPTER = 7. Help System
The F1 key is always HELP. But since memory is so important I
have purposely left the help screens small.
@CHAPTER = 8. OPTIKS Mouse and Keystrokes
OPTIKS was designed to be used quickly and efficiently from the
keyboard. This allows single keystrokes to have a great deal of
functionality. There are many keystrokes available to you,
depending on where you are and what you are doing.
@SUB HEAD = Mouse "keys"
A Microsoft compatible mouse will give you the ability to move
around in OPTIKS without using the keypad. The mouse acts like
the cursor control keys, Moving the mouse left acts like pressing
the left arrow, moving the mouse to the right acts like pressing
the right arrow. Moving the mouse up and down are like the up and
down arrows, moving the mouse fast is like holding down a cursor
control key or pressing page up or page down.
The left button on the mouse is the Enter Key. The right button
is the Esc Key. If you have a three button mouse the middle
button is the / key.
@SUB HEAD = Always Available.
No matter what is on the screen, there are a few keys that are
always available. These keys can be pressed at any time without
interfering with the current screen.
F1 - Help. This is the on-line help facility. To have full help
the HELP.OK file must be in the OPTIKS start-up directory. Read
chapter 6 on how to call up help and use it.
ALT-G - this is the key to place a 16 by 16 pixel grid on the the
screen. This is useful for positioning objects. Press Alt-G once
and the grid goes on. Press it again and it goes off. The grid
disappears whenever the screen is cleared.
Alt F1-F10 - Keyboard Macros. Macros are simply a list of
keystrokes which can be started by pressing the ALT and one of
the function keys. See chapter 8 for help on keyboard macros.
Ctrl-Break - Pressing the Ctrl Key and break (scroll-lock) at the
same time causes the main menu to appear. This upsets DOS and in
DOS 3.3 and 4.0 it is possible to get a "stack overflow" message
from DOS which will blow you out of the water. If you get this
message you MUST reboot in order to clear DOS and start any
programs. I consider this a DOS bug in 3.3 and 4.0. In any event,
avoid pressing Ctrl- Break unless you are in real trouble. Try
the F9, F10, / and Esc keys first. These keys generally give you
better results than Ctrl-Break.
@SUB HEAD = MENU Keystrokes.
When the menu is on the screen, you are in MENU MODE. Menu mode
is where you make selections for performing various tasks. When
you are in menu mode you can
1) select a new menu item,
2) select a task,
3) leave the menu,
4) ask for help.
Moving around the menu was described in chapter 4. If you have
not read chapter 4 and you don't understand how to move around in
a menu you should turn to chapter 4 and learn how to move around
the menu tree.
The left and right arrows, the Enter key and the Esc key were
described in chapter 4 for moving around in the menu. There are
additional live keys which can be used for other functions.
The following keys are "alive" while in menu mode.
F10 - Leave the menu. F10 will knock you out of the menu and into
VIEW MODE. VIEW MODE is where you can scroll around inside the
virtual work-space and look at the picture.
ESC - Moves up one level in the menu tree. If you keep moving up
a level, you will eventually move completely back to VIEW MODE.
9. The OPTIKS Command Line and Keyboard Macros
The command OK (or OKPRIV if you have a private version) will
start up OPTIKS. This is the normal way to enter into optiks.
Once in OPTIKS you would use the keyboard or the mouse to
manipulate graphics.
There are times when it may be convient for OPTIKS to do some
action from a BAT file or from the command line. You can do this
by entering:
OKPRIV keystrokes
The keystrokes are the slash key: "/" and any valid sequence of
OPTIKS menu items. Menu items, if you recall, can be entered by
typing the first letter of each item. There are a few special
keys also. They are:
 ~ (tilde) = Return key
 ^ (hat) = Escape Key
 @ = Home
 ! = End
 ? = Wait forever for a keystroke
 If the escape is pressed, the key sequence ends.
 $ = wait 2 seconds
 If the escape is pressed, the key sequence ends.
 * = restart the command line.
 This is for slide shows.
 + = up arrow
 - = down arrow
 ( = left arrow
 ) = right arrow
 ;x= start macro number x, x = 0 to 9
An Example:
OK frm~/!c:\ok\reflect~~$$$/qy
Does the following: f=FILE r=READ m=MAC ~=Enter /=jump up to
filespec area !=END (clears any found names from the line)
reflect=name of mac file "C:\OK\REFLECT.MAC" ~=return - do it
twice $$$$$=wait 10 seconds /=menu q=QUIT y=YES I have set up a
slid show displays 3 Zsoft PC Paint files over and over again and
scrolls around a little in each. I put it in a BAT file to make
it easier to create and run
OKPRIV /frz~$)))---$((($@^p-~$)))---$((($@^p--~$)))---$((($@*
Using the * key in a command line allows you to have a
continously running show. However I would suggest that you have a
$ or a ? in there somewhere or you will have to reboot to exit
the show.
@SUB HEAD = USING MACROS:
If you find yourself doing the same thing over and over again you
can put the keystrokes into a Macro. Use /CM to enter macros 1 to
10. Once the macro is entered you can use ALT-1 to ALT-0 to start
the macro up. The special keys used on the command line (see
OPTIKS COMMAND LINE) are the same symbols used for macros. The
command line is a special case of macros.
A macro is a series of keystrokes that will be entered from the
macro just as though you entered them from the keyboard.
If you save you config.ok file by entering /ECK you will also
save any macros you have entered. You can have a macro start up
automatically by entering something like:
OKPRIV ;1
The semicolon means jump to a macro, in this case macro 1. Macro
1 can end in ;2 which would make it jump to macro 2.
Here is an example to load print a potion of a file:
 /ppr@~------------)))))))))))~g;2
this is / to start off, P for print, P for printer, @ for home, ~
got return, - for down, ) for right, andtother ~ for return and g
to go. The ;2 means jump to another macro, in this case 2. If the
2 macro printed out another portion of the screen, you could be
chaining together macros to print a large picture. In total,
macros can add up to 700 pre-recorded keystrokes.
Pressing the Esc key will always kill a running macro.
@CHAPTER = 10. Altering an Image
Once an image has been loaded into memory you may alter the image
in various ways. The IMAGE menu selection allows for moving parts
of images, sizing parts of images and rotating images.
You may enter the IMAGE menu from the Main menu or by pressing
the "I" key when viewing an image. The image menu is a list of
all of the IMAGE operations that may be performed on the picture.
You may move through the various options, and as you do a
description will appear giving a simple explanation of what the
function can do.
The IMAGE menu looks like this:
 (place IMAGE menu here)
The following functions tend to change the size or location of a
range. OPTIKS is non-destructive in that it does not erase a
portion of the picture unless something is actually put on top.
For example, if you decide to halve a section of the screen, you
will see the new smaller picture on top of the original picture.
Just because you shrank a portion of the screen it does not mean
that OPTIKS erased to old image. The old image will remain with
the new image on top of it.
ROTATE rotates an image 90 degrees clockwise. The ROTATE option
always rotates a square. Your screen may have an odd aspect
ration (CGA is 3.2 to 1) so that you may not see a square on the
screen. The area to be rotated is determined by the horizontal
length of the range. ROTATE ignores any vertical range that you
may have indicated.
COPY takes a section of an image and copies to another section of
the work-space. The steps for copying a range are:
 1) Select COPY form the IMAGE menu.
 2) Move the finger to the upper left hand portion of the area to
be copied. Press Enter.
 3) Move the finger to the lower right hand corner of the range
and press enter.
 4) When you move the finger now, the whole box will move. Move
the range to where the range is to be copied and press return.
 5) You may use this function to STAMP a picture over and over
again. Press Esc when you are done copying.
The HALVE option makes a picture half size. This is like SCALE,
but it is faster and a fixed 1/2 size.
SHORTEN squashes down a picture by taking out every other line.
NARROW takes out every other dot in the horizontal direction
making the picture 1/2 of its original size.
DOUBLE makes a picture twice its size.
WIDER doubles every dot making the picture twice as wide.
TALLER doubles every line, making the picture twice as tall.
The TILT functions will make a portion of the image lean to the
left or right. The functions will tilt various amounts. These
function will take text and make it ITALIC.
RTILT1 tilts to right, 1 dot for every 1 vertical dot.
RTILT2 tilts to right, 2 dot for every 1 vertical dots.
RTILT3 tilts to right, 1 dot for every 2 vertical dots.
LTILT1 tilts to left, 1 dot for every 1 vertical dot.
LTILT2 tilts to left, 2 dot for every 2 vertical dots.
LTILT3 tilts to left, 1 dot for every 2 vertical dots.
OVERLAY is exactly like COPY, but the COPY is transparent. This
copies a range on top of an image without destroying the picture
underneath.
INLAY is similar to overlay except the image is XORED onto the
image underneath it. This gives interesting ghosting effects. The
OPTIKS logo on the start up screen was created by inlaying an
image of radiating lines onto the work OPTIKS.
ZOOM allows you to edit fat bits. Use the SPACE bar to make a fat
bit black, use the enter key to make it white.
SCALE allows you to change the size of an image. First select the
range of the image to be scaled,
The following items change the IMAGE but do not change the size
or location of the range.
The WHITE OUT option will "white-out" sections of a picture.
The MIRROR selection will make a range in the picture a Mirror
image.
The NEGATE selection will make all black dots white and all white
dots black.
BLANK will make a portion of the picture black.
FLIP will turn a range upside down.
EDGE looks at the image and finds dots where a picture changes
from black to white. If a dot is white and surrounded by white,
it is ignored. The same is true of a black dot surrounded by
black dots, but dots on an edge are turned white. This makes for
very interesting special effects. It is best done several times
so that the edges get edges.
XORL, is a way of simplifying the picture. Each line is turned
black and only new dots which did not exist in the line above it
are shown. This is useful to eliminate regions of white to make a
cartoon effect. It does strange things to dithered data and may
be useful as a special effect.
CONTRST is a Contrast increaser. It examines a range and lightens
the light areas and darkens the dark areas.
GRAY examines every pixel on the screen and makes it a dot
depending on the relative level of dark or light in the
surrounding pixels. This evens out some dithered areas and makes
then more uniform.
SMOOTH is similar to GRAY, but it keeps a rolling average so that
the total lightness or darkness of the picture does not change.
Both gray and smooth tend to blur the image a little.
WASH checks for white dots on a black background and black dots
on a white background. If it finds lone dots, it will get rid of
them. This is useful for cleaning up pictures with noise or dirty
places with random dots.
UNSTEP looks for "jaggies" which are areas with a sharp right
angles. UNSTEP will fill in these areas and smooth out a range.
Be aware that it will also take a place where you want a sharp
angle and smooth it off. UNSTEP works best after you use DOUBLE
(see above.)
SHADE Makes every other dot black to give interesting faded
looks.
DARKEN makes every other dot white.
ERODE chips away at the white space on the disk and cleans up
loan dots.
DEPOS deposits dots on other dots to build up white and erode
black space.
CLIP erase all of a screen except the range.
@CHAPTER = 11. How to Save an Image
After you have read in an image and done whatever needed to be
done to the image, it may be necessary to save the image. OPTIKS
comes in a DEMO version called OKFREE and a private version
called OKPRIV. If you are using the DEMO version which is
distributed over through shareware you will not be able to save
you picture in any format except BASIC and the PCR format. BASIC
formats are called BLOAD/BSAVE files or PUT/GET files. Both types
of file can be used in programs written in basic. In addition, a
lot of older programs use the BLOAD BSAVE option to store and
retrieve images. PUT/GET files are used by Fontasy. The PCR
format is a way of saving pictures in a very compressed format.
Only OPTIKS uses PCR files.
Saving an image is done by select FILE/SAVE from the menu. You
are given a list of possible file formats for saving. Select one
by moving the highlighted bar to that item and pressing enter.
You then must indicate the range of the area to save. This allows
you to save a whole picture or just a part of the picture. Move
the finger to the upper left hand side of the image and press
enter and then move to the lower right hand side and press enter.
Once the range is selected then the file selection menu will
appear. If you want to save this as a new file then press the F9
key and type the name of the file. If you want to replace an
existing file, point to the file and press enter. The hour glass
will appear and the file will be saved.
12. Configuration options
Although OPTIKS comes preconfigured for most applications, you
may have a need to change one or more of the various options. You
may also want to keep you configuration. OPTIKS will create a
file called CONFIG.OK on the current directory whenever you ask
to KEEP a configuration The next time you start up OPTIKS, the
program will look on the current directory for the CONFIG.OK file
and use the information that it finds there.
All of OPTIKS configuration options are found in the ENVIRN menu
option from the main menu. The ENVIRN menu items are:
CONFIG BREAK SCREEN MACROS ERASE
CONFIG leads to the Configuration menu (see below).
 a. Screen Type
OPTIKS is a graphics editor at heart, but unlike various systems
which present a virtual device interface, OPTIKS uses what you've
got as simply as it can. This means that your hardware dictates
what you get. OPTIKS in no way claims to be WYSIWYG. OPTIKS is
quite the reverse. OPTIKS will not display circles on your screen
as round (unless by accident). You will see every dot in the
graphic. Sometimes a package like GEM paint will show a different
image than OPTIKS for the same file. This is because GEM Paint
attempts to be WYSIWYG using its VDI (virtual device interface).
OPTIKS shows the actual contents of a file and allows you to
change it without an intermediate program trying to figure what
it is you really mean. When you use OPTIKS to print, the same
kind of thing happens. OPTIKS will print every dot that you tell
it to, at the resolution that you specify. This will sometimes
make for a distorted image, but OPTIKS puts the onus on you to
control your environment.
OPTIKS tries to figure the best screen mode when it starts up.
The search for a proper screen goes like this:
Check for CONFIG.OK
Check for VGA
Check for EGA
Check for AT&T 6300
Check for hercules
go to CGA mode
It's possible to wind up in the wrong mode if you are on a
non-standard video that does not show up as VGA or CGA and looks
like Hercules. This happens also when you are in a VGA card
hooked up to a monochrome monitor (such as the Nec Multisync GS).
The cure is to start up with the command line string of ESICM for
example:
 OKPRIV ?
This will place you in CGA mono mode. From this screen you can go
back and select IBM EGA 640/350 or whatever mode works best for
you.
The SCREEN option which is accessed from the ENVIRN menu controls
the display screen type. OPTIKS makes a best guess shot at
determining a screen when you start up. This is not always
correct. You can select a screen type which OPTIKS will force
itself to use when it starts up. You can also use the screen
option to see what an image looks like on other systems.
WARNING: Selecting a screen type incompatible with your hardware
could cause OPTIKS to freeze or cause monitor damage. Actual
hardware damage is possible but extremely unlikely. Running
OPTIKS on a an IBM Monochrome Adapter with no graphics ability
can cause OPTIKS to damage the monitor. If you know a computer
has no graphics ability then there is no point in even attempting
to run OPTIKS.
If you select a screen option which causes the screen to blank
out, but the Escape key still causes a blip sound every other
time it is pressed, you can still exit OPTIKS without a problem.
Press Ctrl-Break. Press Q and then Y. This will always work to
exit you from OPTIKS. This is not the recommended way to exit
OPTIKS, but it should always work. Ctrl-Break will upset some DOS
versions so use it only to break out of OPTIKS.
The SCREEN menu looks like this:
IBM AT&T HERC 1280 PARADSE TSENG STB NEC COMPAQ OTHER
The OTHER menu is:
ATI-VIP GENOA MICRO-D TOSHIBA
The IBM selection allows you to select either CGA, EGA or VGA.
CGA has two resolution options. CGA medium resolution is 320x200
4 color. OPTIKS looks ugly in this mode. CGA Mono is 640x200 2
color mode. This mode is the default OPTIKS mode as very nearly
all video cards support it as a default (except hercules).
IBM/EGA allows for EGA mono and EGA color. These are the two IBM
standard EGA graphics modes for 640x350 16 color. Do not use the
monochrome unless you have your EGA hooked up to a monochrome
monitor (or you have a VGA card). For extended EGA modes, use the
selection for your particular card.
IBM VGA supports the two standard VGA graphics modes for 640 by
400 These modes are useful in that they offer a better aspect
ratio than other screen modes. Circles tend to be round in these
modes.
AT&T is for the AT&T 6300 mode monochrome graphics. This graphics
mode is the reason why many people purchased AT&T 6300 systems
which work well with OPTIKS. However, OPTIKS scans for the 6300
BIOS signature and will send you into 6300 automatically. If you
disable the 6300 screen in order to put another graphics card in,
OPTIKS will still think that you are a 6300 and this can cause
OPTIKS to go into the wrong mode. You must use the OKPRIV ESICM
command line to get to IBM CGA MONO mode to bypass the automatic
screen detect and then select the correct screen mode. Use KEEP
so that in the future OPTIKS will not try to use the AT&T mode.
HERC is Hercules Graphics Mode. There is no standard way to
detect a Hercules card. The standard schemes do not always detect
clone Hercules cards. OPTIKS looks to see if the Hercules
Graphics memory is available and if it finds something then will
assume that you may have a Hercules card. If you start up in
monochrome text mode and you don't have an EGA or VGA or AT&T,
the assumption must be that you have a Hercules card. This
assumption is sometimes wrong. You can use the OKPRIV ESCIM to
start OPTIKS if you have a screen which can use the CGA modes
(which is almost everyone) to bypass the Hercules testing.
1280 is the Wyse or Amdek 1280 system. This system will start up
correctly in CGA mono mode. Use this option to enter the 640*400
mode of this system. 1280 * 400 mode is currently under
construction.
PARADSE is for the Paradise systems 640*480 mode which is
supported by latter versions of the Paradise card. I do not have
information on newer modes, but they will be added when Paradise
sends developer information.
TSENG is a 640*480 mode for Tseng Labs cards and OEM's who use
the Tseng Lab chip sets.
STB is for STB monochrome graphics modes.
NEC is for NEC extended EGA cards.
COMPAQ is for the Compaq portable computers which use AT&T type
graphics modes. This selection will no scan for the AT&T bios
signature.
ATI-VIP is for the ATI VIP and VGA WONDER cards which utilize
Extended VGA 16 color modes.
MICRO-D is for the Genius Monitor. It is currently under
construction.

TOSHIBA is for the Toshiba 3100 special graphics modes.
 b. virtual screen width
OPTIKS starts up by default with a virtual screen width of 1024
pixels. This is fine for most small graphics files. Some larger
graphics will be cut off on the right edge because the width of
the OPTIKS work- space is only 1024. To increase the virtual
screen width enter:
 /ECV
This is Environment Config Virtual. You will be given the
following menu:
 1024 2048 4096 8192 EMS DISPLAY
You would select a virtual screen width from 1024 to 8192 by
moving to the correct item and pressing enter. EMS allow for
control over the allocation of EMS memory and DISPLAY will show
you your memory allocation.
One of the consequences of changing the virtual screen width is
that the work-space is erased. Another consequence is that your
virtual work-space will be shortened. OPTIKS only has a limited
amount of memory to work with and if you use more to make the
work-space wider then some will be taken away from the length.
You must use the smallest width possible to hold your graphics
and then you will have the most length possible.
 c. EMS memory
The EMS option from the Environment Config Virtual menu controls
how EMS is allocated. Normally OPTIKS checks for free EMS memory
and grabs any that is not being used for itself. OPTIKS will
release this memory when you quit from the program.
There may be times when you do not want OPTIKS to use the EMS
memory or you wish to limit the amount of EMS memory that OPTIKS
uses. One reason may be that you wish to use JLASER for printing
or scanning. If OPTIKS uses all of the EMS memory then there will
be non left to allocate for JLASER. JLASER needs about 1.2 Megs
of EMS memory to scan an 8-1/2 by 11 page.
The VIRT menu looks like this:
ALL 128 256 12 MEG B-1.5M C-2M D-3M E-4M UALLOC
ALL is all available EMS memory.
128 to 4M are the various chunks you can force OPTIKS to take. If
OPTIKS can't take the amount specified, it won't take any.
UNALLOC is the option which unallocates any existing EMS memory.
You must allocate any memory OPTIKS has previously allocated in
order to allocate EMS memory differently.
d. Miscellaneous Options
The CONFIG menu bar looks like this:
VIRT TALK SCREEN PRINTER KEEP DISPLAY BLIP
VIRT and SCREEN have been discussed. PRINTER and KEEP are
discussed below. This section includes TALK and BLIP which are
the kinds of things that programmers do when they are not being
watched.
TALK is an experiment in using the PC speaker for voice. This
only works on 4.77 Mhz PC's. If you have a faster PC the voice is
not really recognizable. The TALK function is set to echo through
the speaker a letter for each letter pressed. Try it, say that's
interesting, and then turn it off.
BLIP is a sound affect that sounds a little like a Star Wars
sound. It is to inform you when significant events occur. If you
work in a quiet office where the sound of OPTIKS annoys those
around you, it can be turned off.
DISPLAY shows you many of the miscellaneous configuration
options. The display menu looks like this: (configuration display
goes here)
e. Printer options
OPTIKS can print out graphics on a variety of printers. OPTIKS is
not intended for use in printing except as a means of producing a
draft quality image. Other programs print much better than
OPTIKS. OPTIKS should be used with desk top publishing programs
or other graphics programs to make those programs work better.
You might want to use OPTIKS printing to produce an idea of what
an image will look like when included in other applications.
OPTIKS is generally faster than other programs because it just
prints what it has without trying to translate the image to fit
on your output. OPTIKS can be considered a "Quick and Dirty"
approach to printing.
When you choose PRINT from the OPTIKS main menu, you will have to
decide between:
PRINTER FILE CAPCard
Choose the printer option if you want to go directly out to a
printer port. FILE is if you want the output of OPTIKS to go to a
file. You can use this if you want to use OPTIKS output with the
INCLUDE program which is on the OPTIKS Shareware diskette or you
want to print the file later. You can copy the printer file to
the printer by using the DOS COPY command. If you save you
printer output in a file called PR-OUT.PRT then you would enter:
 COPY/B PR-OUT.PRT LPT1:
The /B option tells DOS not to stop at the End-of-File marker. In
graphics, the End-of-File marker might appear naturally as part
of an image pattern and should not be interpreted as the actual
end of file.
CAPCard is a LaserMaster CAPCard which is a card that goes into
your PC and directly drives most laser printers. The card is many
times faster than a normal laser printer and is a cost effective
way of upgrading inexpensive laser printers to HPCL and even
Postscript in an environment where speed is important. The
CAPCard option will not work if the DJET driver is used. You must
disable DJET and load in the ?????? driver make OPTIKS work
correctly with a CAPCard. At publication time I am being mailed a
CAPCard for evaluation and I hope to have the bugs in this
section worked out.
f. Saving options
OPTIKS can KEEP options by selecting the KEEP function from the
ENVIRONMENT/CONFIG menu. The options are kept in a small file
called CONFIG.OK. This file contains all of the options that you
have set including all macros. When OPTIKS starts up it looks on
the current directory for the CONFIG.OK file and will use one
when it finds one.
g. Debug Break Points
The BREAK option which can be accessed though the by pressing
Ctrl-B when in view mode and allows for debug check points. This
is only useful if you are in competition with OPTIKS and need to
know how OPTIKS does something. You can set one of the break
points by selecting a break point and an INT 3 will be issued
just before entering that function. If you are in DEBUG.COM or
other debugger, you can run OPTIKS until the interrupt is
encountered and single step through a routine. BREAK is the most
dangerous thing you can fool with in OPTIKS. OPTIKS has
reassigned some of the interrupts when it loads so make sure that
you do not quit out of the debugger. If you do not exit OPTIKS
through the /QY option, you computer will hang up requiring a red
switch restart.
Appendix C. Examples
a. example - converting a MAC file to a PCX file
The following is a step by step procedure to convert an Apple
MacPaint file into a ZSoft PC Paintbrush PCX file. This is a
useful example because it does the kind of things that most
people will want to do with OPTIKS.
Before starting up OPTIKS make sure that the OPTIKS program is
available and that you have the disk with MAC files on it. You
may want to copy the MAC files onto your hard disk into an OPTIKS
subdirectory along with the OPTIKS program.
Start up the OPTIKS program. Enter OKPRIV and press return. If
you have renamed the OKPRIV.EXE program to OK.EXE you can start
up OPTIKS by entering OK.
The main menu will greet you. If the screen is blank then refer
to the Problems section in appendix A.
Since you are converting a MAC file to a PCX file, choose the
FILE option. Do this by moving the highlighted bar to the FILE
entry on the menu and press Enter. You may press the F key
instead.
You must first READ the MAC file into the work-space so move the
highlighted area to READ and press Enter. You may also press the
R key.
The file format selection screen comes up. You can jump right to
the MAC entry by pressing an M. You may also use the cursor
control keys to move over and down to the mac entry. Press Enter
when MAC is highlighted.

OPTIKS looks on the disk and finds all files ending in .MAC and
displays them. If the MAC file has another extension (PIC is
common) you may not see the file. Also if the file is on another
disk you will have to change to that disk.
If you see the NO MATCHING FILES message then you can use the
backspace key to move over and enter a new file specification so
that you can find the matching files. For instance you may wish
to enter C:\OPTIKS\*.PIC instead of C:\OPTIKS\*.MAC. You can
change the disk and subdirectory here also.
If there are some matching files, but they have the wrong
extension or you are on the wrong disk or in the wrong
subdirectory you can press the F10 key to get up to the file
specification line. Type in the correct disk, directory and files
specification and press enter.
Once you get the correct file on the screen, move the highlighted
bar to the file that you want to read and press enter. The
hourglass appears on the screen and a second or so later the file
that you selected will appear on the screen. If you see scrambled
garbage, the odds are that the file is not an Apple Macpaint
file.
k. example - Saving as a AutoCAD, CGM, HPGL or GEM Draw
DRAW file formats are basically incompatible with bit mapped
images. OPTIKS tries to allow a limited transfer of information
to the draw formats by drawing horizontal lines or dots that
correspond to the pixels in the image. OPTIKS will translate
WHITE dots on the screen to BLACK dots and lines in the draw
format. OPTIKS ignores the black areas of the screen.
DRAW formats are saved in the same way that normal files are
saved (see SAVING files if you have not already done so). Make
the saved range as small as possible. Draw formats tend to be
very large, especially HPGL and AutoCAD DXF files. If you are
using AutoCAD use DXB or SLD files to save space and speed
processing. When you read the file into another program, the
files may have to be sized again. Ventura will automatically size
SLD and GEM Draw, but AutoCAD will have some minor problems with
the DXF and DXB. You will have to use the ZOOM command in AutoCAD
to get the picture right. DXF and DXB files use whatever color is
defined for lines so make sure that you don't have a black screen
and black lines or you won't see anything.
HPGL files are more for exporting to other programs than for
actually driving a plotter. You can use an editor to change the
plotter range which is in the file. If you need to drive the
plotter you can use the dos COPY command to send the HPGL file to
the plotter.
D. Using Color
With release 2.08 I have added the ability show 16 color graphics
in EGA and VGA modes. The file types supported are ZSOFT PCC and
PCX, Compuserve GIF and DR's GEM Paint IMG files. I have not
tested GEM IMG files yet. The default for all systems is single
plane 2 colors. To change the default you must go to the
ENVIRONMENT menu down to SCREEN and select IBM. The various sorts
of IBM screens will be displayed along with PLANES. The planes
can be either 1 or 4. To use color you must select 4 before you
read the file or the palette will not be set. If you try to read
a normal black and white file the planes will be reset to 1.
Planes will not work unless you are in a valid EGA or VGA mode.
Color and Black and White graphics can not be mixed.
Color images can be saved and manipulated a little, but many
functions will not work with color. No drawing and few of the
image manipulators work correctly. Typing will be very strange.
Some Color images will set the palette so that the menu is nearly
invisible. The finger move destructively on the screen and this
is a real bug which is being addressed
Old EGA cards with less than 256k on them will show odd patterns
on the screen. Owners of such cards should order an upgrade to
get full use of all of the new graphics coming out.
E. Using HP LaseJet fonts.
2.08 also saw the ability to read laserjet fonts. There is not
enough memory to run OPTIKS and keep a font resident so LJ fonts
are treated as files. /FR will read files and fonts, but ERASES
the workspace first. Use /FM (merge) to type on an existing
graphic. Fonts are XOR'd to the image so that they overlay the
data in a non-destructive manner. The image will show through the
letters. This may not be acceptable for some typing. Clear a
space for the letters using /IFD or /IFE.
Since the fonts are loaded as files, if a letter is not in the
file buffer, the file will be re-read from the beginning to find
the file. This is very slow in large fonts. Fonts up to about 16
point will fit entirely in the file buffer and they will go much
faster.
Since most fonts are variable spaced, the backspace key will
backspace the width of the last letter typed. To erase a letter
you re-type it. Accurate typing will save you hours of
repositioning.
F. Supported File Formats.
 OPTIKS can READ or MERGE the following file formats
 ASCII text files Amiga IFF Graphics files. Black and white. PFS
First Publisher .ART files FONTASY load block or BASIC PUT/GET
files CGA B800 16K interlaced bload/bsave screens EGA A000 32K
640*350 single plane bload/bsave screens AT&T B800 640*400
interlace 4 bload/bsave screens Hercules B000 720*348 interlace 4
bload/bsave screens VGA and similar modes 32k at A000 bload/bsave
screens Enahanced EGA 640*480 modes - A000 bload/bsave screens
Wide modes at A000, up to 48k bload/bsave screens DCX Panasonic
FAX partner FAX files DEGAS Atari ST files. Uncompressed Only.
EFS Image files internal to EFS Digital Research GEM Image file
(.IMG) created by GEM Paint Compuserve Graphics Interchange
Format. 2,4 or 16 color only. Dr. Halo II & III CUT files Printer
output files for HP LaserJet Type to screen with HP Soft font
Lotus PIC files (Without text, color or fill) IBM Image Support
Facility 2 v1.00 Apple MacPaint format with MacBinary Header
Apple MacPaint format without MacBinary Header Mouse Systems
Paint 1.00 format files Microsoft Paint file (.MSP) NewsMaster
Graphics Libraries. (SHP files) Newsroom Pro CA files (numbered
files only) PC Rockland ultra-squished data format PCR FONTS
Palantir Scanner PDA files Ricoh IS30 Scanner Pixel Image
Generation files Printer Magic .PMG Files Print Shop Graphics
Libraries. (DAT Libraries) Show file RAS format RLE Run Length
Encoded Files from Compuserve Graphics Startup SYS Files Aldus -
Microsoft TIFF files Datacopy Corp. WIPS Files Word Perfect 5.0
WPG files. (Bitmap Data Only) ZSOFT PC Paintbrush PCX or PCC
files
 OPTIKS can SAVE the following file formats
DXF AutoCAD Binary Drawing Interchage Files DXB AutoCAD Drawing
Interchage Files SLD AutoCAD SLD Slide files PFS First Publisher
.ART files FONTASY load block or BASIC PUT/GET files CGA B800 16K
interlaced bload/bsave screens EGA A000 32K 640*350 single plane
bload/bsave screens AT&T B800 640*400 interlace 4 bload/bsave
screens Hercules B000 720*348 interlace 4 bload/bsave screens VGA
and similar modes 32k at A000 bload/bsave screens Enahanced EGA
640*480 modes - A000 bload/bsave screens Wide modes at A000, up
to 48k bload/bsave screens Self Scrolling COM files EFS Image
files internal to EFS Digital Research GEM DRAW file (.GEM) Dr.
Halo II & III CUT files Hewlett Packard Soft Font Letter IBM
Image Support Facility 2 v1.00 Apple MacPaint format with
MacBinary Header Apple MacPaint format without MacBinary Header
Mouse Systems Paint 1.00 format files Microsoft Paint file (.MSP)
PC Rockland ultra-squished data format Ricoh IS30 Scanner Pixel
Image Generation files Post Script files, image type only Show
file RAS format Graphics Startup SYS Files Aldus - Microsoft TIFF
files Datacopy Corp. WIPS Files Word Perfect 5.0 WPG files.
(Bitmap Data Only) ZSOFT PC Paintbrush PCX or PCC files