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PC-KEY-DRAW
A KEYBOARD TO SCREEN GRAPHICS PROGRAM
FOR THE IBM PC and COMPATIBLES
Version 3.33+
Special Big Blue Disk Version
Some manual sections have been removed
to fit on a single disk.
Edward H. Kidera IV
OEDWARE
P.O. Box 595
Columbia, MD 21045-0595
(301) 997-9333
(C)Copyright OED, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
Portions copyright International Business Machines
Portions copyright Microsoft, Inc.
COPYRIGHT
(C) Copyright 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 by OED.
All rights reserved. Copying of PC-KEY-DRAW is
allowed for the purpose of backup and to allow oth-
ers to try out and evaluate the program. Unregis-
tered USE past the trial stage is prohibited. This
manual may not be reproduced, transmitted, trans-
cribed, stored in a retrieval system or translated
into any language or computer language, in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic,
optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without
the prior written consent of OEDWARE, P.O. Box 595,
Columbia, MD 21045-0595 except that the partial
manual supplied on the disk may be dumped to a
printer for the purpose of creating a single copy
to aid in the evaluation of the program before
registering.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
This software and manual are sold "AS IS" and with-
out warranties as to performance of merchantability
or any other warranties whether expressed of
implied. Because of the various hardware and soft-
ware environments into which this program may be
put, no warranty of fitness for a particular pur-
pose is offered.
Good data processing procedure dictates that any
program be thoroughly tested with non-critical data
before relying on it. The user must assume the
entire risk of using the program. Any liability of
the seller will be limited exclusively to product
replacement.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to PC-KEY-DRAW! You are about to encounter
one of the most powerful graphics programs avail-
able for the IBM PC and compatibles.
PC-KEY-DRAW is a graphics package that can be used
by anyone and everyone. It includes many features
designed specifically for a mechanical engineer,
such as calculate and measure. It also includes
many features designed specifically for artists,
such as pattern fill and area smear. Its ability to
create symbol libraries is ideal for the electrical
engineer or the architect. Those into needlepoint
will find that the drawing capabilities combined
with the zoom printer feature allow interesting
patterns to be designed on the computer and easily
transferred to a form suitable for stitching.
Graphic game designers can use the drawing abili-
ties along with the ability to save an image as a
BASICA subroutine to create graphics ideal for ani-
mation. Teachers will find the geometry aspects of
the program useful in the math and science class
room. Business people can create eye catching
slides for presentations using such features as
slide and text fonts.
Drawing with a computer can and should be very dif-
ferent from drawing with more conventional tools.
PC-KEY-DRAW gives you all the features you need for
free hand drawing, but its power and the power of
the computer lies in the many features that are not
possible with conventional techniques. When you
learn to use such commands as slide, rotate,
revolve, mirror, spray paint, etc. then the real
power of computer graphics will be in your hands.
This manual is part of a special version for dis-
tribution by Big Blue Disk. Unlimited use of this
version is allowed without registration by anyone
purchasing a copy directly from Big Blue Disk.
This version may not be distributed by anyone
except Big Blue Disk. The right to use this disk
does not include support by OEDWARE. Register to
receive the full benefits of PC-KEY-DRAW.
OPERATION THEORY
PC-KEY-DRAW is a very comprehensive graphics sys-
tem. Its large number of commands may tend to inti-
midate the initial user if he/she does not fully
understand the basic program philosophy. The first
thing to remember is that in creating any one par-
ticular drawing only a handful of the program's
commands will be used. Don't feel that you have to
learn everything from the start. Begin with the
basics and build from there. As you become more
proficient at creating graphics you may realize the
need for an automated way of performing a particu-
lar task. Chances are PC-KEY-DRAW already has the
feature just waiting to be used. For instance,
creating presentation slides for a business meeting
may involve placing significant portions of text on
the screen so that it is centered. Manually moving
the text into place is slow so an automatic center-
ing feature is included.
The program is designed to be run from the keyboard
Version 3 also allows a mouse mode of operation
with click to select on pull down menus or instant
menu selection with the click of a mouse button.
Contrary to what you might think, the keyboard
method is an excellent way to run a graphics pro-
gram. The trained user can create all sorts of
drawings quickly. You do not have to waste time
clicking through a series of menus as with most
other graphics programs, unless you want to. Key-
board input also means you don't have to have extra
equipment cluttering up your desk.
Keyboard Operation: When running PC-KEY-DRAW from
the keyboard the left hand is used to select the
various function keys and make other selections.
The right hand is used to operate the cursor keys
and the <ENTER>/<RETURN> key and to help in
selecting commands. A variety of commands are
available from the cursor mode. These are commands
that control general program operation and features
that are common to all of the main drawing func-
tions. The function keys are used to select the
area of drawing to use next. Either select a func-
tion key directly or select the </> or <Space Bar>
then enter the desired function number or move thru
the menu with the cursor keys and select the dis-
played function with <ENTER>. The function keys
are used to combine commands that are similar to
each other.
F1 is for modification, in that its commands are
used to modify objects or the screen.
F2 is for creating boxes and other straight line
figures, such as polygons.
F3 is for generating a variety of curved lines.
F4 is for shading and spray paint.
F5 paints areas and modifies existing colors. It
also controls the palette and background.
F6 draws lines and adds text to the screen.
F7 allows portions of the screen to be copied,
saved, erased or moved.
F8 handles files and exits to DOS.
F9 sets the speed of the cursor.
F10 sets the color to be used by the majority of
functions.
Basics: Items enclosed with < and > are commands
that are entered via the keyboard using the appro-
priate letter/key. Certain commands require using
the Shft, Ctrl, or Alt keys with the specified key.
Where this is required is indicated as <Alt-m>, for
example, or <R>, <Ctrl-c>, <Shft-F9>. When sequen-
tial key strokes are required they are indicated by
separating the commands with a space, such as <F3
c>, or <F1 Alt-r>.
Items enclosed with [ and ] are commands that will
be taken as the default if <ENTER> is selected. The
first mouse button acts as the <ENTER> key, if you
are using a mouse. The second mouse button acts as
the <Space Bar>.
Prompts that start with "Enter" require user input
followed by a <ENTER>. Other prompts need only a
single key to initiate.
When a function is selected a list of possible com-
mands are provided on the prompt line. More infor-
mation is available by using the cursor keys. Func-
tions can be selected by entering the appropriate
letter and Shft, Ctrl, or Alt as needed. Or the
<ENTER> key can be hit to select the displayed com-
mand. Note that the commands are case sensitive. A
lowercase "m" is different from an uppercase "M" in
its effect, but they both have the same basic mean-
ing. Not every command has four levels to it. Those
commands that have more then one level are desig-
nated on the prompt line by the letter followed by
a ".".
If you enter a function and then change your mind
or realize the need to reposition the cursor first,
select <n> or <Esc> or <Space Bar> to return the
CURSOR MODE. When operating from the keyboard you
should position the cursor as desired first and
then select the desired function.
Help: Three levels of help are provided within the
program. This manual and the quick reference card
provide additional help as needed. Registered
users can also get help from OEDWARE by mail or by
calling anytime from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days
a week.
The first help level is readily reached when
selecting a function or selecting a directive
within a function. Moving the cursor will display
the possible options.
The second level of help is also immediately avail-
able, but must be called up when needed by select-
ing <h>, <H>, or <?>. It can also be set from
within the Status configuration screen by specify-
ing the Novice Mode. To turn the level two help
screen off, simply select <H> from the CURSOR MODE
or specify Expert Mode in the configuration screen.
The third level of help resides on the disk and
takes a second or two to be read in when called
with <h>, <H>, or <?> (assuming level two is cur-
rently displayed) It displays KD-DRAW.HLP as
appropriate for the CURSOR MODE or for the selected
function.
General Operation: There are two basic types of
function commands, (directives) those that act on
an object and those that act on the entire screen.
For commands that act on the entire screen the
action is started by selecting the appropriate com-
mand and following any prompts. When the action is
complete the program will ask if the result was
correct before saving it to the drawing you are
working on. Before selecting a command to create
or to modify an object the cursor should first be
moved to the desired start of the function, such as
the center of the circle, or one of the corners of
a rectangle. Some commands that work on an object
require that you first define the object by enclos-
ing it in a box, then selecting <ENTER>. Some
object functions can be color specific, ie. only
the color set by <F10> will be acted on. If a func-
tion does not appear to work, it maybe that the
color was improperly set.
It is somewhat easier to learn PC-KEY-DRAW by work-
ing in the high resolution mode. This is because
the prompt line allows 80 columns as compared to 40
in the medium/color mode. The 80 columns allow
additional information to be displayed. Virtually
all functions available in color are available in
high resolution and vice versa. Extra prompts have
been added as part of version 3 to help guide the
user through each function. If you are using the 40
column mode the prompt will be replaced by the cur-
sor information as the cursor is moved. To see the
prompt type any non command key. Pull down menus
have also been added to aid learning the program as
they display extra information on the screen. A
sample of what the screen would look like in medium
resolution with the main menu is shown in Figure 2.
The menu is toggled with <H> or can be set as part
of the program configuration with <Ctrl-s>. A com-
plete help file is included and can be called up
when entering a function if further information is
needed by select <h>. The help file can also be
reached from the CURSOR MODE for information on
commands that can be used at anytime the cursor can
be moved on the screen.
Consider the keyboard as an input device compared
to a two or three button mouse. Most people have
ten fingers, why not use them. Version 3 does allow
a mouse to be used in much the same fashion as with
other point and click programs, but its slower and
less powerful. The mouse is best for free hand
drawing using <l>ine or <c>ursor of <F6>.
Summary of Operation: There are several important
things to remember when using PC-KEY-DRAW:
1. PC-KEY-DRAW is very case sensitive. Be
sure to use lower case as primary. There
are 4 possible cases for a given key.
These are: lower case, uppercase (Shft),
Ctrl case, and Alt case.
2. Some directives operate on objects and must
be defined by enclosing in a box, while
some directives operate on the entire
screen.
3. Position cursor first, then select desired
function.
4. Some directives are color sensitive. If an
operation doesn't appear to work it may be
that the color, as set by F10 is not
appropriate. All color sensitive commands
have an all color alternative.
5. Most actions work from a single key or
SHFT-key, Alt-key, or Ctrl-key combination
and do not require an <ENTER>.
6. "Enter" preceding a prompt indicates that
a prompt answer must end with an <ENTER>.
7. Brackets ([ ]) enclosing part of the prompt
line indicate the default value that will
be used if <ENTER> is selected.
The chapter you have just read is probably the most
important section of the manual. If you understand
the theory behind PC-KEY-DRAW you will find it easy
to use and very fast. If you don't understand the
basic operation of the program reread this section,
then try the program.
Some find the best way to learn PC-KEY-DRAW is to
play and experiment, rather than jumping right in
and attempting to create an architectural drawing
or other work of art. The first time you picked up
a pencil, pen, or paintbrush you probably did not
create a work of art. Others find it is best to
have a project in mind before starting. In that
way they learn the commands they need immediately
and don't bother with commands that aren't needed
for their particular project.
Give yourself time to learn. PC-KEY-DRAW is not
designed to mimic existing manual drawing tools, it
is more of a new way to draw. It is a tool, just
like the manual tools mentioned, and learning to
use it may take time, but once you have learned it
the program is very fast, easy to use, fun, and
very powerful.
COMMAND SUMMARY
This chapter is roughly equivalent to KD-DRAW.HLP,
the help file that is accessed from within the
program or that can be printed from the disk and so
as been left out of this special version.
DEFINITIONS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Active Layer The active layer is the one in which
you are actually drawing and is always SCreen 1.
The active layer can also be seen and may be over-
laid with the visual layer.
ASCII <F6 T a, A> ASCII text files can be imported
into a drawing. Position cursor to the line you
want the file to start displaying at. <a> will stop
at the end of the screen while <A> will continue to
the end of the file. Hit <Esc> to stop.
Animate <F7 a> Once an object has been copied or
erased with <F7> it can be moved about on the
screen. Animate allows you to see the object as it
moves to aid in proper positioning. Several other
functions automatically switch to the animation
mode to allow proper object/text placement. Anima-
tion can also be used with the Key Macro command to
jazz up slide shows. If the animated area is large
the object will tend to flash as it is moved. The
visual horizon can be set to allow animated objects
to disappear below the horizon.
Area <F1 c> The area of an object and the center of
that area can be calculated based on the color set
by <F10>. Calculate works by looking for a color,
so to get the area of a circle for example, the
circle must be painted in, otherwise you are get-
ting something closer to the perimeter than the
area. Also see Mass.
Arc <F3 a, A> Arcs are drawn using <F3>. First move
cursor to center. Then mark the radius and end
point followed by the second end point. Arcs are
always drawn counterclockwise. Pie shaped arcs can
be drawn using <F3 A> and proceeding as with a reg-
ular arc. To draw an elliptical arc use <$> to
modify the screen aspect ratio just before select-
ing the first end point. Be sure to reset the
proper aspect ratio after drawing the arc.
Arrows <F2 a, Alt-a> Arrows at 45 degree increments
and almost any size can be added to the screen. The
arrow will point <u>p, <d>own, <l>eft, <r>ight, <e>
up-right, <f> down right, <g> down-left, and <h>
up-left. Set the direction the arrow is to point
and use <u>p and <d>own to change the size before
saving the arrow. (The amount of size change with
each <u> or <d> is a function of the <F9> speed
setting.) Arrow color is determined by <F10>. <F2
a> produces an outline of an arrow, while <F2
Alt-a> produces a filled in arrow. An arrow symbol
could as be created with <F6> and rotated to any
angle.
B-Spline <F3 b> Complex curves can be difficult to
draw with just the cursor keys, but with <F3 b> you
can let the program connect the dots that you enter
and create smooth curves. This is a great feature
for those, like myself, that are not artistically
inclined. It makes complex curves easy from the
keyboard.
Background <F5 b>, <F5 c>, <F5, C>, <B> The screen
background color can be set in medium resolution
mode by using the space bar to page through the
colors and the <ENTER> to fix the desired color.
The background can also be set in high resolution
using <F5 C> and <F5 c>. <B>ackground sets the
color that is used for the background during many
operations. See Spray paint and Fade for more
information.
BAS File extension for BASICA program. <F7 C>opy
can save a screen image as a BASICA subroutine that
can be merged into your own program. This is use-
ful for including logos or for creating graphic
game programs. See BASICA manual for information
on merging programs. The subroutine when called
will load an array with the data to create the
image. Use the PUT command to place the image on
the screen.
BASIC is ideal for working with graphics on a CGA
since it contains just about all of the commands
you need to manipulate the screen and graphics.
Other languages require the use of libraries to get
the graphics functions provided in BASIC.
Box <F2 r>, <F2 R>, <F2 Alt-r>, <F2 s>, <F2 S> A
box is a rectangle or square. Start by positioning
one of the corners. Selecting a <r> will display
the rectangle as you move the cursor. Position box
as desired and mark. <R> displays the box and it is
copied into <F7> automatically. <Alt-r> produces a
filled in rectangle at the color set by <F10>. <s>
produces a rectangular series of dots at the color
set by <F10> in light, medium or dark shading. <S>
functions the same as <D>.
Center animated area <C> Centers the animated
object on the screen.
Center of area <F1 c>, <F1 Alt-c> The center of an
area or the center of mass of an object can be cal-
culated.
Center of circle <C> The last center of a circle
can be located by <C> in the CURSOR MODE.
Circle <F3 c> Circles are drawn by first marking
the center and then the radius of the circle. Use
<$> to match the screen aspect ratio of your moni-
tor and/or printer. <$> only effects circles drawn
after a change and not already drawn circles. To
change a circle once it is drawn use <F1> Flip to
compress the screen in the appropriate direction.
Circle Center Lines <F3 Ctrl-c>, <F3 Ctrl-e> Center
lines for circles and ellipse are automatically
drawn using <F3> <Ctrl-c> or <Ctrl-e>. Start by
placing cursor at center of circle or ellipse and
making selection and then moving cursor to desired
size and selecting <ENTER>.
Color <F5 c>, <F5 C>, <F10> Three color palettes
are available with three colors each plus a back-
ground color in medium resolution from the standard
color board. <F5 c> will toggle between the three.
15 unichrome colors are also available in medium
resolution by selecting <C>. 15 colors in high
resolution are also available with <c>. <F10> will
select the active color from a given palette for
use. The current color is displayed on the prompt
line as a number to the right of the appropriately
colored box. Some actions are color specific. If
the action does not seem to work it may be that the
color is set wrong. <F5> allows color mixes for a
total of 29 colors per palette on an RGB monitor.
With a composite monitor 16 of the color mixes
become distinct colors. For best results set the
color palette to palette 0 or 2 (RED GREEN YELLOW).
Configure <Ctrl-s> PC-KEY-DRAW must be configured
to your particular system and desires. This is
done by selecting <Ctrl-s> from the CURSOR MODE and
modifying the configuration screen as desired. In
particular the disks that you have available must
be set. The printer can also be configured for
zoom printing. The key macro command is ideal for
configuring the program to your personal require-
ments. Key macros can be called from DOS when
calling the program so that each time you enter PC-
KEY-DRAW it can be set just as you like.
Copy <F7 c>, <F7 C>, <F7 Ctrl-c> Enclose area is
copied into <F7> buffer to be used with smear,
move, etc. <C> copies area and allows user to save
that portion of the screen on disk. Enter name of
file including drive. No extension on the name
will result in the program adding a PIC. A FIG
extension allows partial screens or even entire
screens to be saved in an ASCII file that can be
transmitted over telephone lines without modifica-
tion. Use <F7 o> to get old or previously copied
areas onto the screen from the disk. A PIC exten-
sion added to the name will save the enclosed por-
tion of the drawing in a format compatible with
many other graphics programs allowing interchange
(the extension must be specified). The PIC exten-
sion is the most compact on disk. A BAS extension
will save the copied area as a BASICA subroutine
for use in user generated graphics programs. A FNT
extension saves the copied area a part of a font
file under the character specified. <Ctrl-c> copies
the same size area as last copied without enclosing
it in a box first.
Cursor <F6 c> Lines can be drawn with the cursor.
The line color can be changed at will during draw-
ing. Use <F6 e>nd to end and save to the screen.
The entire cursor key pad can be used, thus 45
degree lines are possible.
CURSOR MODE Anytime the cursor can be moved around
on the screen using the cursor keys or a mouse.
Cursor Type <Alt-c> Three cursor types are avail-
able and can be readily selected with <Alt-c> from
the CURSOR MODE or during configuration. Cursor 0
is a small dot that is the same as early versions.
Cursor 1 is a small arrow that points to the active
area. Cursor 2 is a full screen cross hair. Which
cursor you use depends on a lot of factors. You
will find that you switch cursors for different
operations.
DAT Data file extension containing scale informa-
tion for full screen saves.
Date <Alt-d> the DOS date can be displayed at the
specified location on the screen. (see also Time)
Delete File See Kill.
Delete Lines <F7 Alt-l> Horizontal lines can be
deleted from the cursor position. The number of
lines that will be deleted is dependent on the cur-
sor speed setting as shown on the prompt line.
Direct Coordinate Entry <x> the x and y coordinates
can be entered directly if desired.
Directory <F8 d #>, <F6 o #>, <F6 E #>, <F6 T a #>,
<F7 o #>, <F7 C #>, <F8 o #>, <F8 Ctrl-o>, <F8
Alt-o>, <F8 s #>, <F1 Ctrl-z o #>, <Alt-k r #>,
<Alt-k c #> Where "#" is the drive letter to see
the directory of. The complete disk directory for
any drive is found with <F8 d> followed by a single
drive letter. Partial directories can be obtained
with the other listed functions by entering the
drive followed by a <ENTER> when asked for file
name. Only those files that pertain to a given
directive will be shown. To be able to use the par-
tial directory capability be sure to let the pro-
gram add the required extension.
Disable Workspace Set the update frequency to 0 to
disable the updating of the workspace.
Display <F8 Alt-o> screens can be loaded in 1 of 5
display forms for use in slide shows.
1. Fade in 4. Pull Left
2. Pull down 5. Pull Right
3. Pull Up
Dot <F6 d> Single pixel dots are placed by marking
the correct spot with a <ENTER>. <F10> determines
the color of the dot. The dot can also be made as
large as desired using the width command from the
CURSOR MODE.
Down <F6 T d> To place text vertically and running
down the screen use <F6 T d>.
Ellipse <F3 e> As with circles and arcs the ellipse
is drawn by first marking its center. The horizon-
tal radius and vertical radius must also be marked.
The radius is marked by moving the cursor keys over
and up.
End <F6 e>, <F6 E> With the exception of text, all
functions in <F6> must be ended. If a line drawing
is ended with <E> the drawing is saved as a vector
for later use. See Line.
Erase <F7 e>, <F7 E>, <F7 Alt-e>, <F7 Ctrl-e> To
erase an area enclose it in a box as with copy.
With <e> the area will be erased and saved to the
<F7> buffer for use with move, animate, etc. With
<Alt-e> the area is erased but not saved. <Ctrl-e>
will erase a circular portion of the screen. <E>
erases an area and switches to animate mode to
allow quick and easy movement of a portion of a
screen.
Exit <F1-F8 n>; <F8 e> A function can be exited
with <n>, <Esc>, </>, or <Space Bar>. The program
is exited to DOS with F8 <e>.
Extension File extensions for the various files
used by PC-KEY-DRAW have been predefined, however
they can be easily changed to what ever you prefer,
by editing the file KD-DRAW.TXT with any text edi-
tor. This manual assumes they have been kept as
originally defined. See the Section on Libraries
for more information.
Fade <F4 f>, <F4 Alt-f> Objects can be faded to the
background by color using <f> or all colors can be
faded using <Alt-f>.
Fatbits <F1 Ctrl-z> editing of screens at the pixel
level is possible using <F1 Ctrl-z>. Enclosed area
to be edited in fixed sized box. If you want to
edited a larger area select <Ctrl-z> a second time
to display 8 boxes in high resolution or 4 boxes in
medium resolution. Select <ENTER> to reach the
editing stage. Set the color of each individual
pixel by specifying the appropriate number
(0,1,2,3). Use <t>race to draw by selecting <t>
and then the color to be used. Selecting <t> a sec-
ond time turns off the trace. Use <Ctrl-PgUp> and
<Ctrl-PgDn> to move through multiple screens. Use
<Esc> to exit.
FIG Figures-see Copy. File is saved in an ASCII
format.
Fill <F5 f>, <F5 Alt-f> Areas that can be painted
can be filled instead. The program comes with 64
patterns on KD-PTRN.PIC. These patterns can be
changed or modified as desired and resaved (see
section for F7 for handling PIC files). <Alt-f>
allows any PIC file to be called in to act as a
pattern file. The file called becomes the default
(until program is exited) and will be used the next
time <F5 f> is called.
Fillet <F3 f> Automatic fillets to 90 degree cor-
ners are created by drawing a box around corner to
set the radius.
Flip <F1 f>, <F1 F> Flip has a variety of uses.
Think of it as rotating the screen through an
angle. This can be used to compress the image and
is useful in matching completed screen to printer.
<f> is used to flip a portion of the screen, while
<F> is used to flip the entire screen.
FNT Font file. This ending must be specified to
save part of a screen as a font. A single file con-
tains all of the font information for the specified
characters.
Fonts Two standard fonts are built into the pro-
gram. Which one is used depends on which mode the
program is operating in (high or medium resolu-
tion). The standard text fonts are retrieved with
<F6 t>, <F6 T>, <F6 Ctrl-t>. Alternate text fonts
can be created, saved and recalled. The fonts can
be created using any and all of the program func-
tions. To save a font use <F7 C>opy to copy each
individual letter. A given font should be saved to
the same file with an FNT extension. Fonts are
recalled as needed with <F6 Alt-t> by typing in the
text and specifying the font to use. Figure 3 shows
what can be done in minutes using the four supplied
fonts combined with other program functions. The
"CREATE-A-FONT" title was done in several steps,
including <F7 S> and <F1 Ctrl-s>lide. Italics are
easily created using <F1 s>lide and a step of 15.
<F1 z>oom allows you to set the number of steps in
a zoom to produce the "ZOOM STEP" text. Library
Disk #3 contains 14 additional text fonts along
with several very useful macros for creating BOLD,
3-D text, outlined text and overlaid text quickly
and easily from any of the text fonts.
Freehand drawing <F6 c> While there are a variety
of methods that can be used in the program to do
freehand drawing, the most common is to set the
cursor to continuous with <F6 c> and to draw with
the cursor keys or a mouse. The color of the line
can be set with F10 and the drawing can be tempo-
rarily suspended with a <Space Bar> or second mouse
key, then restarted with an <ENTER> or the first
mouse button.
FUN Computer graphics are not only very useful, but
can be a whole lot of fun.
Grid <g>, <G>, <Alt-g> A grid made of dots can be
placed or removed with <g> from the cursor mode. A
grid made of lines is placed with <Alt-g>. User
must specify the spacing between grid points. Color
of grid can be changed with <G>. The grids reside
on a separate layer and do not become part of the
drawing, unless <k>eep or <u>pdate is invoked while
the grid is on the screen.
Help <h>, <H> Help information is available in the
CURSOR MODE or when entering any function. Select-
ing <h> or <H> the first time will turn on the pull
down menus. Selecting help a second time will dis-
play a disk file as appropriate for the section you
are in. <H> is used to turn off the pull down
menus.
Hot Keys <Shft-F1 to F8>, <Ctrl-F1 to F10>, <Alt-F1
to F9> 27 hot keys can be defined to customize PC-
KEY-DRAW to your own personal needs and desires.
KD-DRAW.HOT contains the names of key macros (pre-
viously created) that are activated with one of the
h o t k e y s .
Insert line <F7 l> Horizontal lines can be inserted
at the cursor position. The number of lines
inserted is determined by the setting of the speed,
as displayed on the prompt line.
Isometric Drawing <i> Toggles the isometric drawing
mode. When activated the cursor moves at a 30 or 60
degree angle instead of a 45 degree angle. Circles
are also adjusted accordingly.
Jump <Ctrl-J>, <Alt-#> Where # is a number from 0
to 9 inclusive. Allows a screen position to be set
ad remembered. First position the cursor as
desired, select <Ctrl-j>ump or <Ctrl-ENTER> and
then <Alt-#> where # is a number from 0 to 9. The
screen positioned is now remembered on disk for
future use. At any time select <Alt-#> to jump to
the remembered position instantly. For compatibil-
ity with past versions keep <Alt-1> as 0,0. (Top
left corner) KD-DRAW.JMP is created the first time
a jump position is set.
Keep <k> While putting a box around an object or
drawing a circle the drawing is modified by the
box. When the <ENTER> is hit to complete the box
the screen is first restored and then the action
takes place. Sometimes the effect is desirable.
While in the CURSOR MODE selecting <k> keeps the
drawing as it is seen at that moment. Using <k>
will also keep the grid, help screen, or layer and
should be used with care.
Key Macro <Alt-k> This is a very powerful feature
of Version 3 and potentially the most useful. I
have yet to fully examine all of the uses, but they
include at a minimum, macros, slide shows with ani-
mation, and drawing saves. Several commands such
as <*>, <Alt-v>isual horizon, <Alt-1>, and
<Alt-p>ause have been added specifically for use
with key macros. The demo/tutorial supplied with
the program is a sample of using a key macro as a
slide show. Basically what a key macro does is to
remember every key stroke that you make and save
them to an ASCII sequential file for later
retrieval. The file that is saved consists of the
key stroke code followed by the number of times the
key is struck. The files produced are very small
and offer the maximum use of disk space. A Key
Macro is started by selecting <Alt-k> while in the
cursor mode and assigning a name to a file to be
created. Everything after this is recorded until
<Alt-k> is selected a second time. Selecting
<Alt-k> a third time allows the just saved key
macro to be run. (See the section on the Key Macro
command)
Kill <F8 k) Unwanted files can be removed from a
disk by using kill and specifying the complete name
including the drive designation.
Layers <l>, <L>, <Ctrl-l>, <Alt-l> Up to 64 layers
or overlays can be used to aid in creating draw-
ings. Layers can be thought of as drawing on clear
sheets. Only the active layer is modified, but
other layers can be visual if desired. It takes
about 1 meg. of memory to handle 64 layers so it is
only practical with a hard disk or better yet a RAM
disk. (See RAM Disk) When layers are active scrol-
ling of 1/2 pages is disabled. Use <Alt-l> to com-
pletely turn off layers.
Lines <F6 l> Lines are drawn by marking successive
end points with <ENTER>. As the line is drawn its
length and angle are displayed on the prompt line.
Lines are used to generate vector objects that can
be saved and retrieved at a later time at any angle
or scale. <F6 e>nd will save the line to the
screen only. <F6 E>nd will save the line to the
screen and to a user specified file as a vector.
The object is saved with scaling so that when it is
recalled it can be matched to the scale of the
drawing in progress. Vectors are useful for flow
chart symbols, or for other commonly used line
objects where scale and angle are important. Use
the <SPACE BAR> to temporarily suspend line drawing
and the <Back Space> to back up. Width and color
can also be set as desired. Lines can also be drawn
with <F6 c>ursor (see Cursor).
Mass <F1 C> The mass of an object and the center of
mass can be calculated based on user supplied den-
sity parameters for each color. See Area.
MCR macro file extension.
Measure <m>, <M>, <Alt-m> the distance between two
points can be measured by marking one end with a
<m> and moving the cursor to the second point. The
distance is displayed on the prompt line. Measure
is always active and gives the radius of circles,
the dimensions of boxes, and the length of lines.
<M> moves the cursor to the last measured point.
(See Scale). Figure 4 is a simple mechanical engi-
neering drawing showing the use of measure. <Alt-m>
allows you to set the scale on the fly. First mark
a point with <m> then move a known distance and
with <Alt-m> tell PC-KEY-DRAW what that distance
should be.
Merge <F7 m> Two screens can be merged together as
one. Start by loading <F10 o>ld the first screen
into either Page 1 or Page 5. Switch to Page F7
and load the screen to be merged. Switch back to
the first screen and put the cursor in the top left
hand corner. Select <F7> then <m>, <M> or <Ctrl-m>
for the desired result.
Mirror <F1 m>, <F1 M> Objects can be mirrored
using <m>. The entire screen can be mirrored
either horizontally or vertically with <M>.
Mode <Shft-Tab>, <Alt-r> Two screen modes are
available. Mode 2 is the high resolution mode
(640X200) and mode 1 is the medium and color mode.
(320X200) You can readily switch between the two to
achieve desired results. Virtually all of functions
available in the color mode are available in the
high resolution mode. Each mode has its advantages
for different applications and systems. Sometimes
when an object is copied with <F7> in one mode and
moved into another mode the object will be dis-
torted. Use <@> to adjust. <Alt-r> forces the
screen mode to high resolution.
Modify <F5 m>, <F5 M>, <F5 Ctrl-m>, <F5 Alt-m>
Painted areas can be changed or modified to produce
additional colors. Set <F10> to the color you wish
to modify. Select <F5 m> and define object in box.
<M> operates on the entire screen. Set the new
color to any of the 29 colors. <Alt-m> allows the
29 colors to be changed to one of the other 29 col-
ors. <Ctrl-m> operates as <Alt-m>, but on the
entire screen. (A file called KD-PAINT.PIC is on
the program disk and can be viewed with <F7 o>.)
Money How did you get this? If you have purchased
PC-KEY-DRAW from Ed Kidera of OEDWARE then thank
you very much!!, but if you are using a copy and
have not registered, please take some time and do
so. Isn't this worth the registration price? See
the section on libraries for a way for you to save
some cash or even make some.
Mouse Mode Pull down function and command menus can
be used either with or without a mouse. When used
with a mouse the mouse can be used to click on a
function to select it much as with many other
graphics programs, but this is a slow and silly way
to run any graphics program. PC-KEY-DRAW provides
a much easier way of using a mouse, by allowing the
menu to be brought in with the click of button two.
Once in a function select mode, the cursor movement
will move you through the menu and not around the
screen. Use button 1 to make a selection and return
to cursor mode. See the Hardware section for more
information on the mouse. Also see Chapter 3.
Move <F7 m>, <F7 M>, <F7 Ctrl-m>, <F7 Alt-m> Pre-
viously copied or erased areas can be moved to a
new location. Use animate to aid in positioning.
The four different syntaxes of move will produce
different results. The correct one to use depends
on the desired result. Experiment with the differ-
ent moves to learn and understand the results. The
following table applies to smear and replicate as
well:
Command Logical Effect
m XOR Mixed
M OR With
Ctrl-m AND Over
Alt-m PSET Replace
Use move after <F7 a>nimate, <F7 s>mear, and <F7
r>eplicate. <Ctrl-m> is very useful in painting odd
shaped objects with complex patterns. See Examples
in earlier section for tips on using it.
Music See Play
Old <F1 Ctrl-z o>, <F6 o>, <F6 O>, <F7 o>, <F7 O>,
<F8 o>, <F8 O>, <F8 Ctrl-o>, <F8 Alt-o> Previously
saved vectors, objects and screens can be retrieved
with old. Primarily for slide show use text mode
screens can be called into view with <F1 Ctrl-z o>.
In F6 vectors drawn with line and saved with <E>nd
can be called up later for use. Any angle may be
specified as may any scale. A <ENTER> will take
the rotation as drawn and will fit the scale of the
vector to the scale of the current drawing. <O>
takes the last vector and allows the rotation and
scale to be changed. After setting the scale the
vector object can be moved across the screen and
left in position with <F7 M>. Objects that where
saved with <F7 C> can be recalled with <o>. They
will appear at the same size as drawn and so may be
out of scale. <F8 o> is used to retrieve entire
screens saved in <F8> or saved in some other pro-
gram. If a DAT file accompanies the drawing the
scale will be changed accordingly. To sequentially
bring in the screens from disk use <F8 O> and
<PgDn> to page through the screens. Select the
screen you want with <ENTER>. This make finding a
screen very easy. See Template for information on
<F8 Ctrl-o>. <F8 Alt-o> can be used in slide show
macros to display the screens in one of five meth-
ods. (See Display)
Outline <F2 o> objects can be outlined in the color
set by F10. Outline searches for the change
between the background color and the other colors
and draws a line at the edge.
Page <Ctrl-Home> 64 pages are available for Screen
1. Select <Ctrl-Home> followed by the pan direc-
tion. <Down Arrow> scrolls the screen by 1/2 down.
<Up Arrow> scrolls the screen by 1/2 up. <Right
Arrow> scrolls the screen by 1/2 to the right.
<Left Arrow> scrolls the screen by 1/2 to the
left. <PgUp> scrolls a full screen up. <PgDn>
scrolls a full screen down. <Home> returns to PAGE
00. <End> goes to the last screen that has been
created. Pages are stored in quarter screen files.
To use all of the files (not very likely) you must
be operating from a subdirectory for the workspace.
The files are created on the disk only when a par-
ticular page is accessed. <Ctrl-HOME> twice
returns to PAGE 00 without first saving the page
you are on.
Paint <F5 p>, <F5 P>, <F5 Alt-p> Objects can be
painted with one of the four colors from the pal-
ette in the color mode or one of two colors in high
resolution using <p>. The border color and the fill
color must be specified. An incorrect border color
or gaps in the border will cause the paint to leak
out. If this happens be sure to respond no to the
"Correct (y/n)?" prompt. <P> is identical in oper-
ation to <p> only it allows you to repeat the oper-
ation any number of times with the same fill and
border color simply by moving to the appropriate
location and selecting <ENTER>. 29 colors/ shades
can be used to paint with using <Alt-p>. See also
Shading and Modify.
Paintbrush See Smear and Replicate for one type of
paintbrush. Many of the other functions of PC-KEY-
DRAW can also be used as a paintbrush by properly
setting the <B>ackground so that when the object is
moved around the screen an image is left behind in
the color set by <B>ackground.
Parallel <F6 p> Parallel lines can be drawn at any
angle by first marking one of the lines and then
only marking one end point on all subsequent lines.
Use <F6 e> to end the drawing of parallel lines and
save the lines to the screen. All features of nor-
mal line drawing apply to parallel line drawing.
PATH The compiler used for PC-KEY-DRAW does not
recognize paths. If you have DOS 3.? you can used
SUBST to represent paths, see the DOS manual. Any
drive letter A-Z can be used.
Patterns <F5 f>, <F5 Alt-f> 64 patterns are held in
one pattern screen. One pattern screen is supplied
with the PC-KEY-DRAW program disk, but you can
create as many as you would like. Figure 5 shows
the patterns that I have created. Some are rather
useful, while others are rather strange. Note the
size and complexity that is possible with PC-KEY-
DRAW as compared to other graphics programs.
Library Disk #2 contains nine additional pattern
screens for a total of 640 patterns. See section
on Fill for how to use patterns.
Pause <Alt-p>, <F8 O Alt-p> Key macros normally
play back at full speed. Occasionally it is desir-
able to momentarily stop the execution of the macro
with a pause statement. Set the number of seconds
desired to pause before continuing.
PIC Extension used to specify format of partial
screen save in F7. This is the preferred extension
for partial screens since it uses the least amount
of disk space and is therefore the default exten-
sion. Screens saved with a PIC extension can be
called into a BASICA program by adding the follow-
ing lines to your program:
10 DIM ARRAY%(500):'dimension array large
enough to handle image
1000 BLOAD "FILENAME.PIC",VARPTR(ARRAY%(0))
1010 PUT(0,0),ARRAY%:'puts image onto graphics
screen
To save an image in BASICA that can be called up in
PC-KEY-DRAW add the following lines to your pro-
gram:
10 DIM ARRAY%(500)
1000 'load image into array with the GET
function
1010 N%=(4+((ARRAY%(0)+7)\8)*ARRAY%(1))\2
1020 BSAVE "FILENAME.PIC",VARPTR(ARRAY%(0)),N%
See BAS for an alternate way to include an image in
a BASICA program that doesn't require an external
file of the image to be on the disk with the pro-
gram.
Play <Ctrl-p> music can be played for fun or as
part of a macro. The music syntax follows that of
BASICA exactly. See the BASICA manual for more
information.
Playback <Alt-k> Previously recorded keyboard
sequences can be played back from disk. See Key
Macro. If you are creating a slide show to play-
back then it is a good idea to disable the printing
of the prompt line by setting <*> to 1 or 2 during
recording.
Polygon <F2 p> Regular polygons of any number of
sides can be dynamically drawn. The polygon can be
rotated as it is being drawn by using the <[> and
<]> keys.
Print <F8 p> If a graphics screen dump program is
loaded the screen can be dumped to a dot matrix
printer using <PrtSc>. The print routine allows the
25th line to be positioned before printing with a
title as desired. If you have an Okidata 92 be sure
to set the configuration printer to 1. The configu-
ration screen also allows you to alter the printout
size for an Okidata printer.
Printer Support The zoom printer feature of PC-KEY-
DRAW allows you to configure it to virtually any
printer that can take continuous paper. Single
sheet printing is currently limited to most Okidata
92, 93s or Epson/IBM graphics compatibles. If you
would like to donate a printer to OEDWARE we would
be happy to write a driver to go with the program
for that particular printer.
Quality <Q> The quality of the cursor movement can
be toggled with <Q>. A "Q" will appear on the
prompt line indicating that the quality is turned
on. With the quality turned off the cursor moves
quicker by skipping an occasional step. With the
quality turned on the cursor moves slightly slower,
but does not skip steps. When the key board macro
is set the quality is automatically turned on. If
it is turned backed off during recording the play-
back of the macro will not faithfully reproduce the
original.
RAM disk PC-KEY-DRAW is written to make significant
use of a RAM disk. A 40K RAM disk is the smallest
that can be used, while the maximum is over 1Meg!
Some may be wondering how such a large RAM disk is
possible with a standard PC. I strongly recommend
the use of an extended memory card such as the
JRAM-2 by Tall Tree Associates which allows up to
2megs per expansion slot. A RAM disk is not only
useful for this program, but you will find many
other uses. Minimum PC RAM should be about 2Megs
for maximum use of your machine.
Recording <Alt-k> Every key stroke hit can be
recorded and saved to an ASCII sequential file for
later playback. See Key Macro for more informa-
tion.
Registration Registered users get support, low cost
updates, printed manual, extra library disks, sup-
port programs and a good feeling. See Shareware.
Rename <F8 K> disk files can be renamed. Enter the
file to be renamed and the new name of the file.
Include the drive of the file. It is not possible
to rename to a different disk.
Replicate <F7 r>, <F7 R>, <F7 Ctrl-r>, <F7 Alt-r>
Once an object is copied it can be moved and repli-
cated. Each touch of the cursor will step the size
of the object until moved with <F7 M>. This can be
used for a variety of applications. The syntax of
replicate is the same as smear and move.
Resolution Set <Alt-r> The screen resolution can be
set to 640X200. Use <Shft-Tab> to toggle between
640X200 and 320X200. See Mode.
Retrieve file See Old.
Revolve <F1 R> Three dimensional appearing objects
can be created as objects of revolution by first
drawing the cross section then revolving it. User
sets number of steps and view angle. This can be a
very powerful command. Figure 6 is a Christmas
card. The Christmas tree was created by drawing
one side of the tree outline and then by revolving
the outline about the center.
Reverse video See Video.
Rose curves <F3 r> Sine and cosine rose curves of
any number of leaves are drawn to size of circle
set with cursors.
Rotate <F1 r>, <F1 Alt-r>, <F1 Ctrl-r>, <F6 o>, <F6
O> <F1> can be used to rotate any object on the
screen. The object may be rotated once or a mul-
tiple of times (steps). *C*-In the color mode <r>
will rotate only the current active color as
selected by <F10>, while <Alt-r> will rotate all
colors within the defined region. Use <F1 a> to
rotate an object again, without redefining it. <F1
Ctrl-r> will rotate the entire left portion of the
screen 90 degrees, but beware there is a size limit
to rotate and not all of the picture may be
rotated. In F6 vector objects can be created and
saved. Using <F6 o> or <F6 O> they can be called
back and rotated to any angle.
Save <F6 E>, <F7 Ctrl-e> <F7 C>, <F8 s> There are
five different ways to save objects and screens.
<F6 E>nds & saves objects drawn with line as vec-
tors (VCT) to the disk for later use. <F6 Ctrl-e>
saves a previously created line. <F7 C> saves
objects or entire screens to the disk in one of
three ways. See Copy for use. <F8 s> is the common
way to save a complete screen for later use. The
screens are given a SCN extension and are retrieved
with <F8 o>. A second file is saved with a screen
that gives its scaling, if other then the default,
and has a DAT extension. Each screen, page, layer
must be saved independently.
Scale <Alt-m> The scale of the drawing is normally
set when the program is entered or following a
fresh screen. When setting the scale on entering
PC-KEY-DRAW or after a fresh screen you should set
the effect size of the screen, not the actual size
of the screen, ie. you might set the screen to 40
ft. to draw a house, 20 in. to draw a small part,
or 50 miles to draw a map. The scale can also be
set by matching a measured distance to a desired
distance. Select <m> at one point, move cursor to
desired position, select <Alt-m> and enter in the
desired value of the distance.
Scale Factor <F1 z>, <F1 Z>, <F1 Alt-z>, <F6 o>,
<F6 O> When zooming you must enter the scale fac-
tor. A scale factor greater than 1 shrinks the
object or screen, while a scale factor less then 1
expands the screen. Select </>, <Space Bar>, or
second mouse button to enter the zoom factor
instead of the scale factor.
SCN Screen-see Save and Old. This is the default
extension and indicates a full graphics screen
save. This is compatible with screens saved in
BASICA using a BSAVE command. To call a screen
into BASICA that was saved with <F8 s> add the fol-
lowing lines to your BASICA program:
1000 'set screen to graphics mode
1010 DEF SEG=&HB800:'sets segment to color
graphics screen memory
1020 BLOAD "FILENAME.SCN",0
1030 DEF SEG:'returns segment to BASICS stack
To save a screen in BASICA that can be later called
into PC-KEY-DRAW add the following lines to your
BASICA program:
1000 'with drawing on screen
1010 DEF SEG=&HB800
1020 BSAVE "FILENAME.SCN",0,16384
1030 DEF SEG
See BAS for an alternate way of including a screen
image in a BASICA program.
Screen <Ctrl-Home>, <Ctrl-End>, <Ctrl-PgUp>, <Ctrl-
PgDn> Multiple screens are available. They can be
used to draw objects larger than the screen or to
use as temporary workspaces. There are two primary
screens and two secondary screens. The primary
screens are "connected" and can be scrolled using
<Ctrl-PgUp> and <Ctrl-PgDn> in quarter screen
increments. <Ctrl-Home> and <Ctrl-End> toggle
between the two screens. The last object copied
can be viewed on page F7 by selecting <Ctrl-PgDn>
from page #5. <F1 Z>oom will not change the drawing
scale if used in Screen F7. The 25th line or title
line is available to be viewed or modified by
selecting <Ctrl-PgDn> one more time. Screen 1 can
actually be one of 64 different pages. The extra
pages are stored on the workspace disk. Pages are
stored in quarter screen blocks allowing horizontal
and vertical scrolling. 1 megabyte of Disk is
needed to use a full 64 pages and this is where a
RAM disk can really pay off. You should set up a
subdirectory for the workspace.
Screen Aspect Ratio <$> The screen aspect ratio can
be varied for a variety of results. The main use
of the setting the aspect ratio is to get a circle
that looks round on your monitor or you may want to
adjust the aspect ratio so that the screen dump is
round. <r>otation and <Z>oom of <F1> are cleanest
if an aspect ratio of 1.0 in color or 2.0 in high
resolution is used.
Shade <F2 s>, <F2 S>, <F4 l>, <F4 m>, <F4 d>, <F4
s>, <F4 Alt-s> Various methods of shading the draw-
ing are available. <F2> <s> or <S> produces a rec-
tangular pattern (see Box). <F4> will fill an
irregular area with dots of the color set by <F10>.
It may take several times to fill a very irregular
area. <F4 s> spray paints (see Spray paint).
Shareware is the form of distribution being used
with PC-KEY-DRAW. Shareware is commercial software
with a difference. Shareware can be legally copied
and shared with others, provided it is distributed
in its entirety and not modified. Users that find
the program to be of use to them are requested to
register. Registration provides many benefits to
the user. If you register PC-KEY-DRAW you will
receive:
. Printed Users Manual in IBM size binder with
information on getting the most out of PC-KEY-
DRAW, (it looks nice on your self too).
. Second library disk (see Appendix H) with 640+
fill patterns, several library pictures and
many very useful macros.
. Third library disk with 14 extra fonts and text
oriented macros.
. Fourth library disk with more fonts and flow
chart symbols.
. HP LaserJet printer support.
. Registered version of the program with name in
the program code.
. Telephone or mail support when you need help,
for one year after registration. Phone support
is available from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days
a week.
. Notification of updates and the ability to
update for only $10 for the latest disk.
Registration helps you in other ways:
. You are supporting the shareware concept.
1. You can try the software before you buy it.
2. You pay a reasonable price for you software.
3. You avoid the frustration of copy protec-
tion.
4. You encourage others to develop shareware.
. You are also supporting new OEDWARE develop-
ments. PC-KEY-DRAW is constantly being
improved, your support is needed and appreci-
ated.
Like public television, shareware is supported by
those who find it valuable.
Shift <F5 s> The foreground colors are each shifted
up by one. The background is not affected.
Shift Cursor Using the <Shift> key while drawing
rectangles allow you to move the fixed corner. If
the <Shift> key is used while drawing circles or
ellipses the center of the circle is moved. Try
doing this with other graphics programs.
Show <s>, <S> The cursor and prompt line can be
removed from the screen. This can be used when
taking pictures of the screen with a 35mm camera.
Selecting <s> shows only the active screen, while
<S> shows both the active screen and a visual layer
if layering is turned on. If show is used as part
of a macro the macro will pause indefinitely until
a key is hit. During macro execution a "_" will
appear in the bottom right corner of the screen
indicating that the macro is waiting for a key to
be hit.
Sine curve <F3 t> Trigonometric sine curves of
desired period and amplitude are shaped by moving
the cursor.
Slide <F1 s>, <F1 S>, <F1 Ctrl-s> <s>-slides an
area of the screen either horizontally or verti-
cally. This is very useful for creating a variety
of effects, including italics (use a step of 15 for
italics). <S> slides the entire screen. <Ctrl-s>
slides the entire screen to the power set, either
2,3, or 4.
Slide Show The key macro command can be used to
create a very powerful slide show quickly and
easily. See Key Macro for details.
Smear <F7 s>, <F7 S>, <F7 Ctrl-s>, <F7 Alt-s> Pre-
viously copied or erased objects can be smeared
across the screen in one of four syntaxes. Among
other uses this allows the creation of a paintbrush
of sorts. The cursor speed determines the step of
the smear. Like replicate the smear will continue
until the object is moved with <F7 M>.
Speed <F9>, <+>, <-> Cursor speed, smear size, and
animation speed are controlled by <F9>. The speed
is can be toggled between one for fine movement and
any value as set by using the <+> and <-> keys.
Cursor speed is displayed on the prompt line. The
speed can be forced to 1 using <Shft-F9>, no matter
what it is currently. This is useful in creating
certain key macros.
Spirals <F3 s> Automatic spiral generation is pos-
sible using <F3 s> by marking the center and the
size of the first coil and then the number.
Spoke <F6 s> Spoked lines from a common center can
be generated quickly, since the center is only
marked once. Spoked lines can be combined with
lines, dots and parallel lines. Use <F6 e> to end
drawing spoked lines.
Spray paint <F4 s>, <F4 Alt-s> Previously drawn and
painted areas can be spray painted to produce 3D
type shading. With the screen aspect ratio set to
its normal values the spray painting will produce a
circular pattern. If <$> is selected and set to 0
(zero) the spraying directive can be used to shade
a vertical column. Figure 7 was created in a short
period of time by making extensive use of spray-
paint. Setting the background color to something
other than 0 can be very useful and effective when
used with spray paint.
Status <Ctrl-s> See Configure.
Strip <F5 S> All of the foreground colors, except
the one set by <F10> are set to the background.
This can be useful for printing or photographing
the screen. Be sure to save the screen before you
strip it, if you want it back whole later.
Suspend <Space Bar> During line drawing and cursor
drawing under F6 it is often desirable to tempo-
rarily suspend drawing to reposition the cursor.
Use the <Space Bar> or second mouse button to stop
drawing and display the cursor. When ready to con-
tinue hit the <ENTER>.
Template <F6 o>, <F7 o>, <F8 Ctrl-o> See Old,
Lines, Copy, and End for discussion on the use of
vectors and figures for template purposes. <F8
Ctrl-o> allows another method of templating. Pre-
viously saved screens of symbols can be called onto
the screen with template in much the same fashion
as calling old screens. In the template mode the
updating of the workspace is disabled. Objects on
the template can be manipulated at will and then
copied and moved with <F7>. Selecting <F8> <w> or
<W> returns updating of workspace. If no name is
specified for the template file the present screen
or a fresh one may be used to create part of a
drawing to be added to the working drawing.
Text <F6 t>, <F6 T>, <F6 Ctrl-t>, <F6 Alt-t> <t>
allows text to be entered directly on the drawing.
<T> justifies the text to the left, right, or cen-
ter. <T> also allows ASCII text to be imported and
text to be displayed up or down. <Ctrl-t> copies
the text and animates it to aid placement as
desired. Two sizes of text are available directly
for <t>, <T>, and <Ctrl-t>. The size is determined
by the screen mode. <Alt-t> allows the user to
write with bitmapped text fonts. Fonts can be
created by the user using all features of the pro-
gram and saved with <F7 C>, by specifying a "FNT"
ending to the file name. A very wide variety of
text sizes and forms can be created quickly and
easily with <F1 z> and <F7> <c>, <S>, and <M>.
Text Scrolling <F6 T L>, <F6 T R>, <F6 T C> When
entering text it is possible to have the entire
screen scroll. This is useful for slide show
macros, but not of much use for general drawing.
Time <Alt-t> the DOS time can be displayed on the
screen at a specified location. Some operations
may capture the time into the drawing. This is
intended primarily for use in macros that are set
to run continuously in a store or at a show where
it might be nice to keep the views informed of the
time. (see also Date)
Translation Macro files consist of a key stroke
code followed by | (vertical bar) followed by the
number of repetitions. While MaCRo files can be
edited with most word processors it is a little
tricky because key stroke codes are difficult to
read and interpret. KD-TRANS.EXE is provided to
translate a MaCRo file into a TeXT file where the
key stroke codes are replaced with the actual name
of the key, such as "RIGHT" for right cursor key.
The resulting TeXT file is easily edited. Use KD-
TRANS.EXE to take the TeXT file and translate it
back into a MaCRo file. TeXT files are much larger
than MaCRo files. KEYTBL.DAT is used by KD-TRANS.
Up <F6 T u> Runs text up vertically from the cur-
rent cursor position.
Update <u>, <U> Updates the appropriate workspace
with the current screen (see Workspace). Beware
that <u> updates to screen 1 and <U> updates to
screen two, no matter what screen you are currently
in. This means that the previous contents of the
screen will be lost.
Update Frequency is set in the Status screen and
determines how often the workspace will be automat-
ically written to. If the update frequency is set
to zero the use of workspaces is disabled. Disab-
ling the workspace is ideal for slide show macros.
VCT Vectors-see Lines.
Video <F1 v>, <F1 V>, <F1 Ctrl-v> A reversed video
image is produced. Useful in printing certain
screens. The following table indicates how the col-
ors are switched.
<v> <V> <Ctrl-v>
0 becomes 3 0 becomes 1 0 becomes 2
1 becomes 2 1 becomes 0 1 becomes 3
2 becomes 1 2 becomes 3 2 becomes 0
3 becomes 0 3 becomes 2 3 becomes 1
Visual Horizon <Alt-v> Sets the lowest point on the
screen that the cursor can be moved. This is most
useful during animation. The animated object can
be made to disappear behind a screen object or rise
up from behind the horizon.
Visual Layer When using layers only one is active
but many can be visual, ie can be seen while draw-
ing on the active layer. The visual layer consists
of all of the visual layers combined into one and
resides in SCreen 2. When layers are on Screen 2
is laid over SCreen 1.
Width <w> The width for lines, dots, boxes, and
circles can be set to any number of pixels from 1
to 32. The width can be set greater than 32, but
it won't be properly used by lines, but will be
used by circles and rectangles.
Workspace <F8 w>, <F8 W> Two separate workspaces
are available to save screens while working (see
Update). <w> corresponds to screen #1 and <W>
corresponds to screen #2. The workspace has sev-
eral uses. Originally it was added to retain the
drawing in the event of program crash and while
that is no longer a concern it can be useful in the
event of a power failure. The workspace can also
be used as temporary storage. This would let you
back up in the event of a change of mind or let you
preform multiple operations on a single screen.
The workspace is stored on the drive specified in
the configuration/status screen. The program will
periodically save to the workspace depending on the
update frequency. The update can be forced at any
time from the Cursor Mode with <u>pdate to take the
screen you are looking at and save it as Screen 1
and <U>pdate to take the visual screen and save it
to Screen 2. WRKSPC1.SCN corresponds to Screen 1,
while WRKSPC2.SCN corresponds to Screen 2.
XOR <F1 Alt-v> The entire screen can be XORed with
a number from 1 to 255. An XOR of 255 produces a
reverse video image (see Video). The program will
assign a random number to use or the user may
select any value between 1 and 255.
Zoom <F1 z>, <F1 Z>, <F6 o>, <F6 O> Sizes of
objects can be changed in three different ways. <F1
z> is used to either enlarge or shrink a defined
object. <F1 Z> will reduce the entire screen by
any amount or expand the top left corner of the
screen. Screen scaling is changed accordingly, if
the screen is set to 1 or 2, but it will leave the
present scale when used in Screen F7. <F6 O>, <o>
will allow a vector to be sized to fit the drawing
or as desired (see Old and Line). All three use the
same convention of scaling. A number greater than
one will shrink the object or screen. For example
a factor of two will cut the object in half. A
number less than one will enlarge objects. Figure 6
shows the use of <Z>oom. The main drawing was first
completed, then zoomed down a factor of 4, and
placed back on the screen to produce the painting
on the fireplace.
Zoom Factor <F1 z>, <F1 Z>, <F1 Alt-z>, <F6 o>, <F6
O> normally you are asked to enter the scale factor
when zooming. By selecting the </> or <Space Bar>
or second mouse button you can specify the zoom
factor instead of the scale factor. A zoom factor
greater than 1 enlarges the object or screen, while
a zoom factor less then 1 shrinks the screen or
object. For example a zoom factor of 2 would
double the size of the object.
Zoom Print <F8 P>, <F8 Ctrl-p>, <Ctrl-p> prints
partial screens to a printer. <P> prints the entire
screen to the printer. Printing is done by charac-
ters and not graphics so virtually any printer can
be used, provided a printer table is first created
for that printer. The print size is set before
printing to a number between 1 and 41. Beware that
the printed result can be very large. Start with
low numbers and work your way up. This is very
useful for printing banners and the like.
APPENDIX A: USER-SUPPORTED SOFTWARE
Shareware should be very popular with most PC
users. It means that the software is not copy pro-
tected making backup easy and use with a hard disk
or RAM disk a snap. It also allows you to try
before you buy to see if the program actually does
what it says it does. Shareware will only continue
if you the user does support it. Another advantage
to Shareware is price. PC-KEY-DRAW is well worth
the registration price. Many of its features can
not be found for under $500 in commercial software
and some cannot be touched for under $1500. The
final advantage to Shareware is my commitment to
expanding and improving the program.
Why pay for software you are already using?
Registration provides many benefits to the user. If
you register PC-KEY-DRAW you will receive:
. Printed Users Manual in IBM size binder with
information on getting the most out of PC-KEY-
DRAW, (it looks nice on your shelf too).
. Second library disk (see Appendix H) with 640+
fill patterns, several library pictures and
many very useful macros.
. Third library disk with 14 extra fonts and text
oriented macros.
. Fourth library disk with more fonts and flow
chart symbols.
. HP LaserJet printer support.
. Registered version of the program with name in
the program code.
. Telephone or mail support when you need help,
for one year after registration. Phone support
is available from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm seven days
a week.
. Notification of updates and the ability to
update for only $10 for the latest disk.
Registration helps you in other ways:
. You are supporting the shareware concept.
1. You can try the software before you buy it.
2. You pay a reasonable price for you software.
3. You avoid the frustration of copy protec-
tion.
4. You encourage others to develop shareware.
. You are also supporting new OEDWARE develop-
ments. PC-KEY-DRAW is constantly being
improved, your support is needed and appreci-
ated.
Like public television, shareware is supported by
those who find it valuable.
INVOICE
DATE OF ORDER ORDER NUMBER
DATE OF INVOICE
DATE OF SHIPMENT
TO:
___________________________________________________
: QTY : DESCRIPTION : UNIT : EXTEN :
:______:_______________________:_________:________:
: : : : :
: : PC-KEY-DRAW : $100.00 : :
: : Version 3.33+ BBD : : :
: : : : :
: 1 : 0% Discount : : :
: 2-6 : 20% Discount : : :
: 7-19 : 40% Discount : : :
: 20+ : Call for Discount : : :
: : : : :
: : Extra Manual : 15.00 : :
:______:_______________________:_________:________:
SUB TOTAL
MARYLAND RESIDENTS ADD 5% TAX
Shipping (non-North America) $10
---------
TOTAL DUE
Send Check or Money Order in US dollars to:
Edward H. Kidera IV
OEDWARE
P.O. Box 595
Columbia, MD 21045-0595
