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WORLDX.DOC
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1987-08-12
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16KB
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332 lines
THE WORLD
Version 2.6
Instructions
A file named "WORLD.CNF" is read to configure WORLD V2.6 to your |
computer and preferences. The first line is to setup for an EGA or |
CGA. These are the only boards supported. |
The first line must be the capital letters CGA or EGA. |
The second line is either a capital Y or capital N. |
Y checks for the presence of certain files and when |
it finds one missing prompts you to create one. |
N skips the checks and lets you run most of the |
program without the missing files |
The third line is a subdirectory name.(EG. \hurricane) |
it is used to tell WORLD V2.6 where to find TRAKS |
data files. (Some people use the data in other ways) |
If the TRAKSXX files will be in the current |
subdirectory then this line must be double quotes|
("") |
The fourth line is the name of a supplemental file such |
as SUP.DAT which provides the Canadian provinces. |
If you don't want a supplemental file read |
line four must contain double quotes ("") |
Samples: |
CGA EGA |
Y N |
"" \HURRICANES |
"" MYDATA.DAT |
A file named "CUSTOM.LOC" is automatically read when the program
loads. If "CUSTOM.LOC" does not exist in the current directory
an error will occur. You can add any locations you want on your
world map. Use your favorite ASCII editor to add NAME,LAT,LONG
for any place in the world. A sample is included and the file
must be named "CUSTOM.LOC" to become a full part of WORLD V2.6
Sample: NORTH POLE,90,0
The main menu displays as follows:
1 - Select by LAT and LONG
2 - Select by large area name
3 - Select by area of EUROPE
4 - Find using CITY or COUNTRY name
5 - Capitals of the USA
6 - National Capitals
7 - Other CITIES of note
8 - Enter new info on Hurricanes
9 - The Global view
10 - Point at a location
11 - Approximate distance between Cities
99 - EXIT to DOS
?
1.
Lat & Long:
If you have the latitude and longitude you want to look
at, choose option 1. You will be asked for latitude first
then longitude. Do not enter minutes and seconds.
However, you are permitted to enter decimal parts of
a degree.
The program then asks for a scaling factor (a number from
one to five). A default scale of 3 is selected by pressing
the enter key. The largest area is 1 and the most detailed
is 5.
You will then be asked if you want hurricane tracks (tracks of
sample hurricanes are included as file "TRAKS" and "TRAKSXX).
XX is the year of the file. "TRAKS" is the current file.
TRAKS85 is the history or storms in 1985. No is the default.
Y brings up a menu of TRAKSXX files. Use arrows to highlight |
the file you want to use then hit enter. |
The bottom center will show a horizontal line which indicates 100
miles at the center latitude or the map shown.
The upper right corner of the screen will show the number of
miles in one degree at the latitude of the center of the map
being viewed.
For scales of 3,4 or 5 the names of all national capitals
within the area displayed and a small circle identifying each
capital will appear at the appropriate coordinates.
2.& 3.
Area :
Selected areas of the world, especially the USA, are
presented in a list. Choose by typing the capitalized
letters for your desired area (don't use the lowercase
letters ie. S.AM for S.AMerica). Scaling is handled by the
program and the upper right corner of the screen displays
the number of miles per degree at the center lat.
4.
City finder:
Type in the name of any city or a combination of letters and
WORLD V2.6 will search its Data Base (and CUSTOM.LOC ) for the
combination of letters you have entered. It will then tell you
what it found and ask:
"[W]orld, Area map, Select again or Look some more"
W is the default and centers a global view on the city
A centers an small area map on the city chosen
S sends you back to reenter a name
L continues the search for another match
When no more matches are found WORLD V2.6 will say
"I can't identify that !" and send you back to the main menu.
5.
State capitals:
State capitals are presented alphabetically and selected by
number. You are then asked for a scaling factor as in item
#1 and whether you want hurricane tracks.
Again the lower center presents the 100 mile scale, the upper
right the miles per degree at the lat of the capital you
have selected. (on the map any state or national capitals within |
the area you have chosen will be displayed.) |
The lower left of the screen shows the name of the capital
that the map is centered upon. The capital is marked with a
small circle. Its lat is shown at the right side center and
long at the bottom center.
6.
National capitals:
Over 150 randomly selected national capitals are displayed in
alphabetical order on several pages. Select by number. 999 for
additional pages. As in previous options scale and hurricane
requests are asked for. The 100 mile line, miles per degree,
center location and other visible capitals are displayed as above. |
7.
Other cities:
Selected (at my whim) cities are displayed and
allow selection by number. Scaling factors and hurricane
track questions are as in #1. 100 mile indicator, miles per
degree and national caps are as above. the name of the city
and its lat and long. are also displayed.
Locations you have included in custom.loc will also be displayed |
Each entry in custom.loc should be given it's own number and |
pages divided. (Not fully tested but should work as long as you |
have less than 900 entries in custom.loc.) |
8.
Hurricane data:
Allows you to keep track of future Atlantic or Pacific
hurricanes. It asks the storm's name first, then date in mmdd
form, then type of storm (Hurricane tropical Storm tropical
Depression), then lat and long. It will then ask if you have
data on other storms (default is no). Next the program asks if
you want the display of hurricane data. If you respond "y"
then a display will be generated centered upon your last
storm data with a 100 mile radius circle around it.
all appropriate data will be displayed as above.
This is an ASCII file and can be maintained by an editor.
If you are tracking more than one storm at a time the track
plot of the storm will be discontinuous. Use your editor or a
sort program to keep each storm together.
If you keep data on a particular item in sequence, WORLD will |
connect the data points and put the name at the beginning of |
the track for that storm. The size of the circle at each |
coordinate reperesent the intensity of the storm, and on global |
views the color is also indicitive of intensity(esp. in EGA mode)|
9.
Global view:
Asks for a lat and long of the point you want at the center
of the screen. If you default Lat and Long WORLD V2.6 does
its best to center the world on whatever you had selected
last in any of the available views. If in doubt just hit
ENTER whenever these two questions show up -- the worst that
will happen is that the center of the screen will be at
0 degrees north 0 degrees west.
WORLD V2.6 now asks for a Magnification factor. 1 will show
the entire hemisphere and will include lines of Lat and Long
at 10 degree intervals. Numbers larger than 5 will work but
there will be long periods when nothing seems to be happening.
Actually each point on the globe and the line between them
is being calculated. There is no guarantee that any line will
show up on your screen. Even 3 is starting to stretch things
so have fun. The cursor will appear --- eventually. ENTER is
a bail out at any time in the draw sequence.
If you have included a supplemental file name in the WORLD.CNF |
file. It will now be read in and plotted on the world map. |
DO YOU WANT HURRICANES? Default =N.
Y brings a list of track files on the default directory |
or the subdirectory selected bye WORLD.CNF . |
Select by highlight and enter. |
Want State boundaries? Default is n. If y is selected, WORLD V2.6
will include state borders with a slight slowdown in completing
the world.
Take the Default to save time when looking at the far east.
10.
Pointer:
A mercator type projection of the world is displayed
with a pointer located in the Atlantic Ocean. Use your
cursor or number keys to position the cursor at the location
you desire to examine. As the cursor moves its lat and long
will be indicated. When it is near where you want it, hit the
enter key and the cursor will become the center of an
expanded view. You can now reposition the cursor and expand
again by hitting enter. Including the full world map you
have five expansions. Expansion beyond the fifth level
returns to the menu. Hitting the "e" key at any level
returns you to the menu.
After a few expansions the Names and locations of visible cities
will be plotted.
All except the final expansion can be used as a rough distance |
calculator. Pick the a view in which you can see both places. Move |
the cursor to either location. You can only move in whole degree |
jumps. When you are within on degree of the location touch your |
F1 key. The lat and long of the point will appear on the second |
line of the display. Now move the cursor to the second location |
and press the F2 key. The lat and long of the second location appears |
on line three and the ballpark distance appears on line four. You |
can move to another point and press F2 again, leaving your first |
point where it is or select a new first point with F1 and select |
another second point with F2. When ever F2 is pressed the distance |
is recalculated. Remember F1=first point |
F2=second point & recalculate |
Only works on Pointer Maps where you can move the cursor |
11.
Distance calculator:
Enter cities as above and approximate great circle distance will
be displayed.
Your data in CUSTOM.LOC will also be checked. |
To find the distance between you and the last hurricane fix |
enter the first city as above and enter CANE as the second |
name. The TRAKSXX selection menu will show up and WORLD V25 |
will calculate the distance between the first name and the |
last entry in which ever TRAKSXX file you selected. |
99.
EXIT:
provides a graceful exit to dos from the main menu.
SUPPLEMENTAL FILES: |
The ultimate in flexibility is now available between CUSTOM.LOC |
and an optional supplemental file. With CUSTOM.LOC you could |
enter any name and location into the WORLD data base. Now you |
can use any file name to enter your own lines to represent |
anything you want. WORLD V2.6 keeps reading LAT and LONG until |
it find an EOF. |
All WORLD V2.6 looks for is a pair of numbers and it will |
interpret the first one as a LAT and the second as a LONG and |
try to plot it. A second pair of numbers will be interpreted as |
the next point on a line unless or until a 99,99 sequence is |
found. 99,99 denotes the end of a line segment and the next |
LAT,LONG pair will start an new line segment. |
WORLD V2.6 interprets negative LONG (EG -128.53) as West |
Long (ie. west of the prime meridian and east of the dateline. |
Negative LAT (EG -38.5) is interpreted as Sout Lat (ie south |
of the equator. |
There is nothing sacred about the file SUP.DAT. Use |
whatever name you want ,just put the name on line 4 of WORLD.CNF|
The provincial boundaries are not well done. They are there to |
show what can be done. |
If you create supplemental files PLEASE SEND ME A DISK |
with the supplemental files on it. My MS has gotten worse and |
typing is harder and harder. |
General
Most inputs have a default. If not specified on the screen the
program will use your last response to a specific request.
You can generally default from one display to another without
changing lat & long. You will note the absence of Country boundaries
in all except north & cent America and western Europe. Adding
them will slow down processing
Don't worry about upper or lower case for your input WORLD V2.6
changes the keyboard case to meet its needs. Occasionally you
will note a change between upper and lower case. Keep your fingers
off the CAPS LOCK key and WORLD V2.6 will be happy.
The status of CAPS and NUM will be saved on entry to WORLD V2.6 |
and restored on proper exit. |
Print Maps
The complexities of converting LAT & LONG to pen positions for |
all the plotters in the world are beyond me. I ,therefore, |
suggest that screen prints of my maps be considered satisfactory. |
If you have a printer capable of handling screen dumps and have |
entered the GRAPHICS file from DOS you should press shift-prtsc |
when you have created the correct map on the screen. |
Special Thanks |
David Evers for his release of the popup menues used in this |
program. |
Michel Baron, who has created a version of WORLD in French, and |
encouraged me to keep going.
Major changes between WORLD V2.0 and WORLD V2.6 are indicated by | in
the right hand margin of this document.
----------------end-of-author's-documentation---------------
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