Copyright: ©1999 Learning Company Properties, Inc.
Citation: ©1999 Learning Company Properties, Inc.


Contents

Quick Help Topics

Quick Help for the_Main_Screen

Quick Help for the_Main_Screen Viewers (Article Viewer, Article Outline, and Related Items)

Quick Help for the Pop-Up Viewers (Find, Picture, Movie, and Text Viewers)

Quick Help for Find

Quick Help for Atlas

Quick Help for Timeline

Quick Help for Research Tools

Quick Help for Online

Quick Help for Special

Quick Help for Swapping CDs

Comprehensive Help Topics

The Encyclopedia Screen

The_Main_Screen

The Viewers

The_Main_Screen Viewers

The Article Viewer

The Article Outline

Related Items

The Pop-Up Viewers

The Find Viewer

The Picture Viewer

The Movie Viewer

The Text Viewer

The Information Icons

The Control Bar

The Control Bar

Find

Atlas

Timeline

Research Tools

Online

Special

Help

For details on how to use Help, press F1.


Quick Help for the Main Screen

The main screen of Compton's Interactive displays three kinds of information viewers and the Control Bar. The main screen viewers are the Article Viewer on the right, and the Article Outline and Related Items on the left. The Control Bar runs across the top of the screen and gives you access to all the program features and information.

The main screen viewers contain encyclopedia articles and information related to them. As you work with the program, pop-up viewers may appear on top of the main screen that provide different types of information. Most of these viewers can be moved and resized, and all of them can be closed.

For more information, see:

The_Main_Screen Viewers

The Pop-Up Viewers

The Control Bar


Quick Help for the Main Screen Viewers

The main screen of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia displays three permanent viewers.

The Article Viewer displays encyclopedia articles that contain information icons and cross-references that lead to related information.

The Article Outline displays the headings and subheadings within the currently displayed article so that you can jump to them directly by double-clicking. If an article is short, it may not have an outline.

Related Items displays titles of articles and other media related to the currently displayed article, including tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, Web links, updates, and Planetarium links. If an article is short, it may not have Related Items.

To see the Article Viewer menu:

Click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu. You can also open the menu by just moving your cursor over the down arrow. The menu stays open until you move your cursor off the menu.

To see related multimedia, information, or articles:

Click on an information icon that appears in the article. Or use the drop-down menu in Related Items to select the type of item you want (such as tables, pictures, maps, movies, and so on), then double-click on an item in the list to open it. You can also click on a cross-reference (underlined words) in an article to open a related article in the Article Viewer.

To jump to a section of the currently displayed article:

Double-click on the section title listed in the Article Outline.

To see the definition of a word in an article:

Double-click on a word in the article to open the Dictionary/Thesaurus pop-up viewer.

To highlight text in an article:

Select the text you want to highlight and choose Highlight Selected Text from the viewer menu. Marking text in color helps you remember the information and find it again. Choose Remove Highlight from Text to remove the color highlighting. Choose Highlight Options to change the color of the highlighting, to scroll the article to the next highlighted text, or to clear the entire article of highlighting.

To change the size of text in an article:

Choose Choose Font Size from the viewer menu to select the relative text size you want.

To create a bookmark in an article:

Choose Bookmark from the viewer menu to bookmark a place in the article. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, choose Bookmark List from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar. (See the Bookmark List for information on using bookmarks.)

To find a specific word in an article:

From the viewer menu, choose:

Find a Word or Phrase to enter a word or phrase and search for it in the article.

Find Again to find the next occurrence of a given word or phrase in the article.

Find Search Item to find the next occurrence of the keyword you used in Word Search. Keywords from a search are displayed in red in the article. (See Word Search for information on conducting word searches to find articles.)

To copy text in an article:

Select the text you'd like to copy. From the viewer menu choose:

Copy Text to copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard for pasting in other applications (or in the program's Notebook).

Copy Text to Find to copy the selected text to the Word Search text box in the Find Viewer. Click on the Search button or press ENTER to search the contents of the encyclopedia for the copied word or words.

Copy Text to Word Processor to open the default word processor (or the one you identified in Preferences) and paste the selected text.

To print text in an article:

Choose Print Article from the viewer menu to print the complete article.

For more information on the viewers, see:

The Article Viewer

The Article Outline

Related ItemsViewer


Quick Help for the Pop-Up Viewers

"Floating" pop-up viewers appear on top of the main screen when you access some program features, such as the Report Starter and Notebook, or when you access information such as tables, multimedia, Dictionary entries, and more. Most pop-up viewers are small, and can be moved and resized. Others fill the entire screen, such as the Atlas, Timeline, 20th-Century Review, IPIX Virtual Tours, Exploratorium, Topic Chooser, Presentation Maker, Multimedia Explorations, and the Planetarium. All viewers can be closed by clicking on one of the buttons on the Control Bar at the top of the screen in order to go to another feature of the encyclopedia. Some viewers also have a Close button.

To see a viewer menu:

Click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu. You can also open the menu by just moving your cursor over the down arrow. The menu stays open until you move your cursor off the menu.

To move a pop-up viewer:

Click and drag on its title bar.

To resize a pop-up viewer:

Click and drag on one of its sides or its lower right corner when the cursor changes to a double-arrow.

To use the buttons on a pop-up viewer:

Move your cursor over the button to see a description of it. For more details on a viewer, see Contents to find its name or the name of the Control Bar button that contains it.

The pop-up viewers you are likely to use most often are:

The Find Viewer, which allows you to search the encyclopedia's contents by title, word, topic, and type of information (such as articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, and so on).

The Picture Viewer, which displays photographs or illustrated drawings with a caption.

The Movie Viewer, which plays movies and sounds. Use the viewer's control buttons to stop playback and to move quickly from one part of the clip to another.

The Text Viewer, which displays short articles.

For quick help on these four pop-up viewers, see:

Quick Help for the Find Viewer

Quick Help for the Picture Viewer

Quick Help for the Movie Viewer

Quick Help for the Text Viewer


Quick Help for the Find Viewer

When you click on the Find button on the Control Bar, the pop-up Find Viewer appears. The viewer displays the contents of the encyclopedia by title or topic, either in an alphabetical list by media type, or in a list of items by media type resulting from search requests. Use the Find Viewer to find articles, multimedia, and other information and to display them in other viewers.

To see the viewer menu:

Click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu. You can also open the menu by just moving your cursor over the down arrow. The menu stays open until you move your cursor off the menu.

To display information in the other viewers:

Double-click on an item to open it. (You can also click on its title to select it and choose Get Item from the viewer menu.)

To find information by title, use List of Contents A-Z:

If you are in Word Search, click on the Go to List of Contents A-Z button to display an alphabetical list of titles of the encyclopedia's contents grouped by information type. Click on the content buttons to see the list for each type of information, or click on All Contents to see everything in one list. Enter a title in the text box to scroll the list of titles to find a specific item, or use the scroll bar to browse through the titles. (See List of Contents A-Z.)

To find information by keywords, use Word Search:

If you are in List of Contents A-Z, click on the Go to Word Search button when you have a question but are not sure where to find the answer. Type a word or phrase in the text box to describe a topic or question and click on the Search button. The program searches the entire contents of the encyclopedia for the keywords in your request and lists the items found by information type. Click on the content buttons on the left to see the list for each type of information. The titles toward the top of the list are most likely to contain the information you want. (See Word Search.)

To print search results:

Choose Print Search Results from the viewer menu when the search results are displayed in the viewer.

To return to previous search requests:

Use the drop-down menu beside the text box to see a list of your last search requests. Click on a search request to enter it in the text box, then click on the Search button to begin the search process.

For more information, see:

Quick Help for Find

Find Viewer

Find Viewer Menu Options

Find


Quick Help for the Picture Viewer

When you click on a picture title in a list, on a picture in an article or on the Timeline, or when you're using the program's Multimedia Explorations and Picture Tours features, the pop-up Picture Viewer appears. The viewer displays pictures along with their captions.

To see the viewer menu:

Click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu. You can also open the menu by just moving your cursor over the down arrow. The menu stays open until you move your cursor off the menu.

To copy and print pictures:

Use the Copy Image and Print Image options in the viewer menu. Items are copied to the Windows clipboard and can be pasted in other applications. Caption text (not pictures) can be copied and pasted in the program's Notebook.

To create a bookmark for a picture:

Choose Bookmark from the viewer menu to create a bookmark so you can return to the picture easily. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, choose Bookmark List from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar. (See the Bookmark List for information on using bookmarks.)

To change the size of a picture:

Choose Show Actual Size and Fit in Viewer from the viewer menu to alternate between the picture's actual size and the size that best fits within the viewer. If the picture is larger than the viewer, the cursor changes to a hand as you move it across the picture. Click and drag the cursor to move other parts of the picture into view.

To link to related information:

Click on a title listed at the bottom of the viewer menu. Icons beside the titles indicate their media type. (See Information Icons for a complete list.)

For more information, see:

Picture Viewer

Picture Viewer Menu Options


Quick Help for the Movie Viewer

When you click on a movie or sound title in a list, on a movie or sound icon in an article or on the Timeline, or when you're using the program's Multimedia Explorations feature, the pop-up Movie Viewer appears. The viewer displays movies or sounds, and includes controls much like the ones on your VCR or tape player.

To see the viewer menu:

Click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu. You can also open the menu by just moving your cursor over the down arrow. The menu stays open until you move your cursor off the menu.

To control movies and sounds:

Use the VCR-style buttons to rewind to the beginning, rewind a short distance, fast forward a short distance, play, and stop. (These functions describe the buttons from left to right.)

To create a bookmark for a movie or sound:

Choose Bookmark from the viewer menu to create a bookmark so you can return to the movie or sound easily. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, choose Bookmark List from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar. (See the Bookmark List for information on using bookmarks.)

To change the playback size of a movie:

Choose Choose Playback Size from the viewer menu to change the playback size. At the maximum size, the clip begins playing automatically. Click anywhere to stop the playback.

To link to related information:

Click on a title listed at the bottom of the viewer menu. Icons beside the titles indicate their media type. (See Information Icons for a complete list.)

For more information, see:

Movie Viewer

Movie Viewer Menu Options


Quick Help for the Text Viewer

When you click on a short article or table title in an article list, or on a table icon in an article, on the Timeline, or on the Atlas, the pop-up Text Viewer appears. The viewer displays facts and tables.

To see the viewer menu:

Click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu. You can also open the menu by just moving your cursor over the down arrow. The menu stays open until you move your cursor off the menu.

To copy and print text:

Select the text you want to copy and use the Copy Text and Copy Text to Word Processor options in the viewer menu. Copy Text copies text to the Windows clipboard so it can be pasted in other applications. Copy Text to Word Processor opens the default word processor or the one you have identified in Preferences and pastes the text into a new file.

To print text:

Use the Print Article option in the viewer menu.

To highlight text:

Select the text you want to highlight and choose Highlight Selected Text from the viewer menu. Marking text in color helps you remember the information and find it again. Choose Remove Highlight from Text to remove the color highlighting. Choose Highlight Options to change the color of the highlighting, to scroll the text to the next highlighted text, or to clear the entire fact or table of highlighting.

To create a bookmark:

Choose Bookmark from the viewer menu to create a bookmark so you can return to the item easily. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, choose Bookmark List from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar. (See the Bookmark List for information on using bookmarks.)

To find a specific word in an article:

Choose Find a Word or Phrase from the viewer menu to enter a word or phrase and search for it in the fact or table. Choose Find Again to find the next occurrence of that word or phrase. If you opened the fact or table from Word Search in the Find Viewer, keywords from a search are displayed in red in the text.

For more information, see:

Text Viewer

Text Viewer Menu Options


Quick Help for Find

Click on the Find button on the Control Bar to display the Find Viewer and browse the entire contents of the encyclopedia and find information. You can search by title, word, or topic to find the information you are looking for.

To display information:

Double-click on an item to open it or click on its title to select it and choose Get Item from the viewer menu.

To find information by title, use List of Contents A-Z:

If you are in Word Search, click on the Go to List of Contents A-Z button display an alphabetical list of titles of the encyclopedia's contents grouped by information type. Click on the content buttons to see the list for each type of information, or click on All Contents to see everything in one list. Enter a title in the text box to scroll the list of titles to find a specific item, or use the scroll bar to browse through the titles. (See List of Contents A-Z.)

To find information by keywords, use Word Search:

If you are in List of Contents A-Z, click on the Go to Word Search button to search for keywords or phrases in the encyclopedia's contents. Type a word or phrase in the text box to describe a topic or question and click on the Search button. The program searches the entire contents of the encyclopedia for the keywords in your request and lists the items found by information type. Click on the content buttons on the left to see the list for each type of information. The titles toward the top of the list are most likely to contain the information you want. (See Word Search.)

To narrow your search for keywords:

In Word Search, use search operators or wild card characters with your keywords. Type a word you want to search for in the first text box. If you want to search for additional words or exclude related words, choose an appropriate search operator (AND, OR, NOT, or ADJ) using the drop-down menu. Then type the additional word in the following text box to build a search query. If you are unsure of the spelling of a word or cannot exactly define your search request, use wild card characters  ( " ", ?, *, $, and ~ ) to further refine your search. Click on the Search button to start the search. The results of the search are displayed in lists by information type. Click on the viewer's Tips button for more information.

To print search results:

Choose Print Search Results from the viewer menu when the search results are displayed in the viewer.

To return to previous search requests:

Use the drop-down menu beside the text box to see a list of your last search requests. Click on a search request to enter it in the text box, then click on the Search button to begin the search process.

For more information, see:

Find Viewer

Find Viewer Menu Options

Find


Quick Help for Atlas
Quick Help for the Atlas

Click on the Atlas button on the Control Bar to explore maps of the world and link to related articles. The atlas includes a world map and maps of continents, regions, countries and dependencies, and states and provinces, as well as historical and thematic maps.

To zoom in and out on a map:

Click on a place name when the pointer becomes a magnifying glass to zoom in on an area of a map. Click on the button at the bottom of the viewer named for a map to zoom out from a map. (You cannot zoom out from the world map.)

To resize a map:

Click on the Resize button at the bottom of the viewer to toggle between the map's actual size and a size that best fits within the viewer. If the map is larger than the viewer, the cursor changes to a hand as you move it across the map. Click and drag the cursor to move other parts of the map into view.

To find a map:

Click on the Find a Map button at the bottom of the viewer. Then use the drop-down menu to choose a category of maps, such as country maps or historical maps, to display a list of map names in the list box. If you don't know where a place--for example, a city or river--is, type its name in the text box to scroll the list of place names, or use the scroll bar to browse through the place names. Double-click on a place name in the list to display the map that includes the place.

To move to a neighboring map:

Click on the place name of a neighboring continent, country, or region when the pointer becomes a globe with an arrow.

To view related historical or thematic maps:

Click on the Related Maps button, if available, and choose the map you want to see from the list that appears.

To display an article related to a map:

Click on a place name on the map when the pointer becomes an open book with an arrow. An article about that location appears in the Article Viewer or Text Viewer.

To display an article related to a location on a map:

Click on the Related Articles button, if available, and choose the article you want to see from the list that appears.

For more information, see:

Atlas


Quick Help for Timeline
Quick Help for the Timeline

Click on the Timeline button on the Control Bar to display a timeline that includes important events, people, and eras or trends throughout world history.

To move forward or backward in time:

Drag the small box in the horizontal scroll bar along the top of the window to move forward or backward in time by large amounts. Click on the scroll bar to the right or left of the scroll box to move forward or backward in time by one full screen. Click on the arrows at either end of the scroll bar to move forward or backward in time by small amounts.

To see all the events for the displayed time period:

Use the vertical scroll bar to move up and down to see all the timeline elements for the currently displayed time period.

To see more information about an event:

Move the cursor over a timeline element to see the date an event happened and a brief description of it. Click on a timeline element to link directly to related information in the encyclopedia.

To group events by U.S. history or world history:

Click on the Select Topic button and choose U.S. History, World History, or both. Each topic appears on the timeline in a different color and in its own window. Use the topic window's vertical scroll bar to see all of the topic's timeline elements for events in the currently displayed time period. Use a window's maximize and minimize buttons to change the number of topics displayed and the size of the window. Use its Close box to close the window.

To change the timescale:

Click on the Timescale drop-down menu to display a list of timescales in which to view the timeline. Click on the timescale you want, such as Years, Decades, Centuries, Thousands, or Auto. When you choose Auto, the timescale automatically changes to the most appropriate scale for the current position in time, and it continues to adjust as you scroll backward and forward through time.

To find a specific event:

Click on the Search button and type a word or phrase in the text box to describe the event, person, or era you are looking for. Then click on the Search button. The program searches the timeline for the keywords in your request and creates a list of related items. The items toward the top of the list are most likely to contain the information you want. Use the scroll bar to browse through the list. Double-click on an item to go to the appropriate month or year on the timeline.

To go directly to a specific year:

Click on the Go To Year button to view a specific year on the timeline. Enter a year in the text box and click on A.D. or B.C. to indicate how far in the past you want the timeline to display. Then click on the Go To Year button to view the selected year or time period on the timeline.

For more information, see:

Timeline


Quick Help for Research Tools

Use the Research Tools button on the Control Bar to help you process the information you have gathered from the program and use it to write reports. Choose the options described below from the Research Tools menu.

To use the Topic Chooser:

Choose Topic Chooser to see the contents of the encyclopedia as a set of topics and subtopics. Double-click on a folder icon to open the topic and see a list of subtopics and articles. Double-click on a subtopic (indicated by a folder icon) to see more subtopics or articles. Double-click on an article (indicated by an article icon) to open the article. (See Topic Chooser.)

To use the Report Starter:

Choose Report Starter to record and organize your ideas on notecards and sort them to create a report outline. To create a notecard, click on the New Card button, name the card, and click OK to save it. Then provide bibliographical data for your notecard information in the two dialog boxes that appear. In the Edit Card viewer, type or paste the text you want to use in your report and click OK. The notecard appears in the list by title. To organize your cards in an outline, click on the Sort into Groups button. Drag a notecard to one of the groups on the right, then name the group in the dialog box that appears. Click on a group and use the viewer buttons to order the groups in the sequence you want to describe them in the report. To sort the cards within a group, double-click on the group in the list, then use the viewer buttons to sequence the cards. Click Done Sorting until you return to the viewer that now displays an organized topic outline for your report. (See Report Starter.)

To use the Bookmark List:

Choose Bookmark List to see a list of the bookmarks you've created for content in the encyclopedia, such as articles, tables, pictures, movies, and other media. (For information on creating bookmarks, see the Article Viewer and Picture, Movie, or Text Viewers.) To return to a bookmarked item, double-click on an item in the list. Use the viewer menu options to save the current bookmark list, start a new list, or open an existing list, delete a bookmark, or change a bookmark title. (See Bookmark List.)

To use the Dictionary/Thesaurus:

Choose Dictionary/Thesaurus to look up definitions and synonyms of words. Use the buttons at the top of the viewer to switch between the Dictionary and Thesaurus. Type a word in the viewer's text box and press Enter to see the word's entry. To move among the entries, click on Previous to display the previous entry and Next to display the next entry. You can also double-click on a word in an article or caption to open the Dictionary to its definition. (See Dictionary/Thesaurus.)

To use the Notebook:

Choose Notebook to open the program's built-in journal. The Notebook opens on top of the main screen so that you can easily type notes, copy and paste text, or record your research while you use the encyclopedia. Use the toolbar buttons or viewer menu options to format text and save your Notebook files. (See Notebook.)

To use a Word Processor:

Choose Word Processor to open a word processor file where you can paste text and pictures and type notes as you use the encyclopedia. This option opens the word processor specified in Preferences. (See Word Processor.)

To use Presentation Maker:

Choose Presentation Maker to create multimedia shows by combining and arranging information you find in the encyclopedia into scripts. Use articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, and star maps. You can also create titles and other screens of text with borders and colored backgrounds, and you can even record your voice to narrate the show.

For an overview of Presentation Maker, see the on-disc tutorial and preview some of the sample shows. Click on the Tutorial or Sample Shows buttons at the bottom of the screen. (See Presentation Maker.)

For more information, see:

Research Tools


Quick Help for Online

Use the Online button on the Control Bar to find information on the Internet. Choose the options described below from the Online menu.

To use the Monthly Updater:

Choose Monthly Updater to download updates and automatically merge them with the contents of the encyclopedia. Click on the monthly update(s) shown in gold that you wish to download, and click on Get Monthly Updates. To view any of the new items, double-click on their names in the list box on the Monthly Updater screen. (See Monthly Updater.)

To use Exploratorium:

Choose Exploratorium to try out more than 20 online interactivities at the Web site of the Exploratorium, a famous hands-on science museum in San Francisco, Calif. Just click on the Go to Interactivities button and Compton's will take you there. You will need your own Internet service provider and Internet browser to use this feature. (See Exploratorium.)

To use the Web Link Directory:

Choose Web Link Directory to review brief descriptions of Web sites. The Web Link Directory Search window can be closed and reopened, using the menu. Web sites are grouped thematically in topic categories. Click on a broad category that interests you, and then continue choosing more specific topics. When you click on a topic with an online icon, a pop-up viewer displays a listing of one or more related Web sites that includes a title, description, and target age group. Click on the Web site title to go to that Web site. (See Web Link Directory.)

To go to Ask the Librarian (Deluxe version only):

Choose Ask the Librarian to go online and send research questions to the Compton's reference team and receive help with your research. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. Submit your question using the form provided and within two business days you will receive a personalized e-mail response from the Compton's reference team. The response will contain a list of specific resources that should help you in researching your topic. (See Ask the Librarian.)

To go to Find Neighborhood Resources:

Choose Neighborhood Resources to go online and find resources in your own neighborhood. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. Choose a resource from the drop-down menu, such as "aquariums." Then type the name of your city or town and state in the text boxes, or just enter your zip code. If you like, you can enter your street address as well. Click on the Search button to get a list of appropriate resources. (See Find Neighborhood Resources.)

To go to the Electric Library:

Choose Electric Library to go online and gain access to thousands of newspapers, periodicals, books, newswires, photos, and more. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. Click on the pencil at the bottom of the screen, and then type a question or keyword(s) in the text box. Click on the Go! button to get a list of references related to that topic. (See Electric Library.)

To go to our Web site:

Choose Visit Us Online to go online and for information on other exciting products. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. (See Visit Us Online.)

For more information, see:

Online


Quick Help for Special

Use the Special button on the Control Bar to access special program features. Choose the options described below from the Special menu.

To use the 20th-Century Review:

Choose 20th-Century Review to delve deeply into the last hundred years.  Click on any date range along the top of the screen to explore events and trends in World Politics during that period.  Move your cursor over icons on the map to see titles, then click to learn more.

Click on date ranges along the bottom of the screen to explore photo montages of important events and people in the arts and science during that period. Click on any image to learn more. (See 20th-Century Review.)

To use IPIX Virtual Tours:

Choose IPIX Virtual Tours to see famous places around the world in 360-degree views.  Click on one of the globes to see a list of tours from that part of the world. Click on a title to launch an IPIX Virtual Tour image.

* To  navigate all around the 360-degree view using the pointing hand, just click anywhere on the image.  You can move up and down as well as sideways.

* To zoom in, locate your mouse pointer in the center of the image and a zoom-in cursor with a plus sign will appear. Hold your mouse button down to zoom in.

* To zoom out, move your mouse pointer slightly below center until a zoom-out cursor with a minus sign appears. Hold your mouse button down to zoom out.

* To see related articles or to find out more about IPIX Virtual Tour images, click on the down arrow button in the upper left hand corner of the image, and click Go to Related Item. (See IPIX Virtual Tours.)

To use Multimedia Explorations:

Choose Multimedia Explorations to explore multimedia collages on biomes, ancient and classical civilizations ,and world cultures, as well as timelines on space exploration and United States history. Double-click on an Exploration to go there. When the Exploration appears, move your cursor over a graphic to highlight it and see a description of that subject. Click on the one that interests you to see a narrated movie, view a picture or map, or display an article. Click on a viewer's Close box to close the viewer and choose another part of the Exploration. Click on the Exploration's Close button to return to the main screen, or click on the Menu button to choose another Exploration. (See Multimedia Explorations.)

To use the Planetarium:

Choose Planetarium to view stars, constellations, planets, galaxies, and nebulae on a map of the night sky. You can also view the movement of celestial objects across the sky.

* To locate an object, use the drop-down menu to choose the kind of object you want to find. Then enter its name in the text box, or use the scroll bar to browse through the list. Double-click on a name to center and display that object on the map.

* To get more information on an object, click on the name of a constellation or on other objects or labels.

* To zoom in or out on the map, click on the Zoom In or Zoom Out button or choose the zoom options from the viewer menu.

* To display (or remove) objects on the map, choose Display from the viewer menu and choose any combination of display options from this menu. Choose Stars to change the size and intensity of stars on the map.

* To view the movement of objects across the sky, choose Set Up Time Lapse from the viewer menu. Set the time interval to indicate how often you want a "snapshot" taken of the night sky-every year, month, day, hour, minute, or second, or for any time interval you want. Then determine how long you want each snapshot displayed. Choose Start Time Lapse to see the movement of objects. Click on the Stop Animating button to stop the display of snapshots.

(See Planetarium.)

To use Recent Events:

Choose Recent Events to see highlights of historic events that have taken place within the last two years. Choose the year you want from the submenu, then click on a month in the Article Viewer to link to a description of events that occurred in that month. A list of related articles, pictures, movies, and other media items appear in the Related Items. (See Recent Events.)

To use On This Date:

Choose On This Date to learn about notable birthdays or events that happened on a specific date in history. Use the up and down arrows to change the month and the day, or click the cursor in the date box and type in any date you choose. Click on the Show Events button to see important events that happened on the displayed date. Click on the More Birthdays button to see a list of famous people born on that date. (See On This Date.)

To use Exploring Questions:

Choose Exploring Questions to read fascinating questions that are answered in encyclopedia articles. Click on Next to see another question. Click on Previous to see the preceding question. Click on Discover the Answer in underlined text to find the answer to a question. (See Exploring Questions.)

To use Picture Tours:

Choose Picture Tours to browse through all of the pictures in the encyclopedia or through pictures related to a specific category. To change the category, choose Select Tour from the viewer menu, and then click on a category. Use the control buttons in the viewer to control the presentation. (See Picture Tours.)

For more information, see:

Special


Quick Help for Swapping CDs

The Deluxe edition of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia has two CD-ROMs. Each CD contains the text for all articles. Disc 1 contains pictures and multimedia for science, math, and technology articles. Disc 2 contains pictures and multimedia for all other articles.

If you're working on one CD and the information you're looking for is on the other CD, you will be asked to switch CDs. Simply switch CDs and then click on OK.

When you're researching a single topic, you will rarely be asked to switch CDs. If you are browsing the encyclopedia, you may be asked to switch CDs more often.

You'll see Disc 1 when you open the jewel case. Lift the right side of the center of the case to find Disc 2.


The Main Screen

The main screen contains the four main components of the Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia environment: the Article Viewer on the right, the Article Outline and Related Items on the left, and the Control Bar that runs across the top of the screen. From the main screen, you can read articles, link to related articles, jump to sections of the displayed article, and go to related information. For instance, you might want to click on a picture in the Article Viewer to see a close-up or to copy and print the image. You can click on a topic in the Article Outline to automatically scroll to that section of the article. You can also use Related Items to link to articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, movies, Timeline events, Web sites, updates, and Planetarium links. The Control Bar gives you access to every feature in the program.

For details on the main screen components, see:

The_Main_Screen Viewers

The Article Viewer

The Article Outline

Related Items

The Control Bar


Viewers
The Viewers

"Floating" pop-up viewers can be opened on top of the main screen, giving you access to the different kinds of information and features in the encyclopedia. Other viewers (such as the Atlas, Timeline, and Topic Chooser) are large viewers that also appear on top of the main screen. For more details on one of these viewers, see Contents to find its name.

Viewer Menus and Buttons

Most of the viewers in the program have a menu of options. To see the menu options available for the item displayed in the viewer, click on the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer or click on the title. The menu stays open until you choose an option or click off the menu.

In addition, some viewers have buttons that let you work with the viewer in different ways. For example, some viewers have buttons for controlling movies and sounds or for finding words in the Dictionary/Thesaurus. To see a description of a button, move your cursor over it.


The Main Screen Viewers

The Article Viewer, the Article Outline, and Related Items cannot be moved or closed. The Article Outline and Related Items always display information related to the article currently displayed in the Article Viewer. A short article may not have an Article Outline or Related Items.

For details on the viewers, see:

The Article Viewer

The Article Outline

Related Items


Article Viewer

The Article Viewer is where you'll read articles, use icons to access multimedia, and follow cross-references to related articles and other information.

Icons are small graphics within articles that you click on to open related information in the other viewers. Click on a table icon, for example, to see that table. Other icons lead to other types of multimedia, such as Atlas maps and Timeline items. The kinds of icons you'll find in articles are listed in Information Icons.

You'll also find small images or "thumbnails" in the Article Viewer. Click on a thumbnail to see a picture or movie related to the article.

In many articles, you'll see underlined words representing cross-references to other articles or related text information. Click on the underlined text to display a related article in the Article Viewer or other kinds of text in a pop-up viewer. To return to the original article, click on the Back button on the Control Bar.

If the cursor is over an icon or cross-reference text, it changes into a hand. If it is over text, it changes into an I-beam.

If you come across a word you don't know, double-click on it to see its definition. You can even double-click on a word within a definition to learn what it means. Double-clicking on any word--except colored cross-reference text and hot links to the World Wide Web--in an article or a caption automatically opens the Dictionary/Thesaurus Viewer.

For an explanation of the Article Viewer's menu options, see:

Article Viewer Menu Options


Article Viewer Menu Options

To see the menu options available for the item displayed in the viewer, move your cursor over the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer's title bar, or click on the title. The following menu options are available.

Copy Text

Choose Copy Text to copy text you've selected to the Windows clipboard.

Copy Text to Find

To perform a search on a word or phrase in an article, select the word or phrase and choose Copy Text to Find. The text appears in the Word Search text box in the Find Viewer. Click on the Search button or press Enter to start the search.

Copy Text to Word Processor

To copy text to the word processor, select the text and choose Copy Text to Word Processor. The default word processor or the one you have identified in Preferences opens and the text is pasted into it.

Print Article

Choose Print Article to print the text of the displayed article.

Highlight Selected Text

Remove Highlight from Text

Highlight Options

Choose Highlight Selected Text to highlight text that you have already selected so you can find it again. Choose Remove Highlight from Text to remove the color from the selected text. Choose Highlight Options to change the color, scroll to the next highlighted text, or clear the entire article of highlighting. Choose the option you want from the submenu.

In the Article Viewer, click the right mouse button to quickly access the Highlight Selected Text, Remove Highlight from Text, Copy Text, Copy Text to Word Processor, and Print Article options.

Bookmark

Choose Bookmark to create a bookmark at the current section of an article so you can return to it easily. To create a bookmark at a specific point in an article, scroll through the article until the place you want to mark is at the top of the window, and then choose Bookmark. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Bookmark List. See Bookmark List for more information.

Find a Word or Phrase

Find Again

Find Search Item

Choose Find a Word or Phrase or Find Again to find a specific word or phrase in the current article. If you opened the article from Word Search in the Find Viewer, Find Search Item finds the next instance of a keyword from your search request. Keywords from a search are displayed in red in the article.

Choose Font Size

To change the size of the text in articles, choose Choose Font Size.


Article Outline

The Article Outline contains a list of the sections in the article currently displayed in the Article Viewer, including headings and subheadings. Double-click on a heading to go to that section of the article.


Related Items

Related Items lists information related to the article currently displayed in the Article Viewer. Use the drop-down menu to display a list of related articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, Web links, updates, and Planetarium links. (Not all types of information are available for every article.) Double-click on an item to open it.


Pop-up Viewers
The Pop-Up Viewers

The encyclopedia contains a variety of pop-up viewers that appear on top of the main screen. Some display different types of media, such as short articles, tables, and multimedia. You need to close these media pop-up viewers in order to return to the main screen or to use the Find Viewer.

Pop-up viewers also display some of the program features, such as the Dictionary/Thesaurus, the Notebook for notekeeping, and On This Date for viewing historical events by date. All pop-up viewers contain a Close box or Close button, and most can be moved (by dragging on the title bar) and resized (by dragging on one of the sides). Many of the viewers include other options as well. For example, the Notebook Viewer includes a toolbar, and the Dictionary/Thesaurus Viewer includes buttons for switching between the two resources. The viewers for On This Date and Exploring Questions contain the option to display the viewer each time you start the program.

For details on the most frequently used pop-up viewers, see:

The Find Viewer

The Picture Viewer

The Movie Viewer

The Text Viewer


Find Viewer
The Find Viewer

Click on the Find button on the Control Bar to display the Find Viewer. This is where you search for information in the encyclopedia by titles, words, topics, and types of information.

When you click on the Go to Word Search button, you can search for specific words contained in the encyclopedia and then view the articles, tables, picture captions, and other media that contain those words. When you click on the Go to List of Contents A-Z button, you can view an alphabetical list of items of each media type. See the Find for more information.

For an explanation of the Find Viewer's menu options, see:

Find Viewer Menu Options


Find Viewer Menu Options

To see the menu options available for the item displayed in the viewer, move your cursor over the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title.

Get Item

Choose Get Item to display the item highlighted in the list.

Print Search Results

Choose Print to print a list of Word Search results.

Go To List of Contents A-Z/Go To Word Search

When Word Search is displayed, choose Go To List of Contents A-Z to browse the contents of the encyclopedia in alphabetical lists. When List of Contents A-Z is displayed, choose Go To Word Search to search the encyclopedia by topic, word, or phrase.


Picture Viewer
The Picture Viewer

The Picture Viewer appears when you click on a picture title in Related Items, the Find Viewer, or another picture list. It also appears when a picture is clicked on in an article, the Timeline, Multimedia Explorations, or Picture Tours. The viewer displays the picture along with a caption that describes it.

For an explanation of the Picture Viewer's menu options, see:

Picture Viewer Menu Options


Picture Viewer Menu Options

To see the menu options available for the item displayed in the viewer, move your cursor over the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. Depending on the item displayed in the viewer, the following menu options may be available.

Copy Image

Choose Copy Image to copy the picture in the viewer to the clipboard. You can then paste the picture into a word processor or another application.

Print Image

Choose Print Image to print the picture in the viewer.

Bookmark

Choose Bookmark to create a bookmark for the displayed picture so you can return to it easily. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Bookmark List. See Bookmark List for more information.

Show Actual Size/Fit in Viewer or Resize

When a picture is displayed, Show Actual Size and Fit in Viewer alternate between the picture's actual size and the size that best fits within the viewer. If the picture is larger than the viewer window, the cursor changes into a hand as you move it across the image. Click and drag the cursor to move other parts of the image into view.

List of Related information Links

This list of titles lets you go directly to information related to the picture displayed in the viewer.


Movie Viewer
The Movie Viewer

The Movie Viewer appears when you click on a movie or sound title anywhere in the encyclopedia. It also appears when you click on a movie, sound icon, or thumbnail in an article or in the Timeline. The Movie Viewer also appears in the Multimedia Explorations. The viewer displays movies and sounds, and includes controls much like the ones on your VCR or CD/tape player. When you open the viewer, the clip begins playing automatically. Use the control buttons to stop the playback and to move quickly from one part of the clip to another. Or click and drag the indicator on the Position Bar to move to another place in the clip.

The following are the control buttons in the Movie Viewer:

The Position Bar and Indicator shows the current position in the sequence. Click on and drag the indicator to move to another place in the clip.

Click on Rewind to the Beginning to go to the beginning of the clip.

Click on the Rewind button to return to a previous frame in the clip.

Click on the Fast Forward button to quickly move forward through a clip.

Click on the Play button to begin playback.

Click on the Stop button to stop playing the clip.

For an explanation of the Movie Viewer's menu options, see:

Movie Viewer Menu Options


Movie Viewer Menu Options

To see the menu options available for the item displayed in the viewer, move your cursor over the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer or click on the title. Depending on the item displayed in the viewer, the following menu options may be available.

Bookmark

Choose Bookmark to create a bookmark for the current item so you can return to it easily. To see the list of bookmarks you've created and to return to a bookmarked item, click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Bookmark List. See Bookmark List for more information.

Choose Playback Size

When a movie is displayed, the Choose Playback Size option lets you change the playback size. At the maximum size, the clip begins playing automatically. Click anywhere to stop the playback.

List of Related information Links

This list of titles lets you go directly to information related to the movie or sound displayed in the viewer.

360-degree Views

The 360-degree views in the movies list have special controls. Click and drag at the edges of the viewer to move the image right, left, up, or down. Click on the "plus" magnifying glass to zoom in and the "minus" to zoom out. Return to the original view by selecting Reset Viewpoint from the menu. Select Navigation Speed from the menu to change the speed or to restore it to the default setting.


Text Viewer
The Text Viewer

The Text Viewer appears when you click on a short article or table title in Related Items, the Find Viewer, or another article list. It also appears when a short article or table icon is clicked on in an article, in the Timeline or Atlas, or in pop-up viewer. Unlike the Article Viewer, the pop-up Text Viewer displays only short text items.

For an explanation of the Text Viewer's menu options, see:

Text Viewer Menu Options


Text Viewer Menu Options

To see the menu options available for the item displayed in the viewer, move your cursor over the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer or click on the title. For a description of article menu options, see Article Viewer Menu Options. Table menu options include Copy, Print, Bookmark, and Related Links.


Information Icons
The Information Icons

As you explore Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, you'll encounter many kinds of data: articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, and more. Every piece of information in the encyclopedia can be found in the lists that appear in Related Items or in the List of Contents A-Z in the Find Viewer. Each type of information is identified by its own icon, which appears beside its title in the lists or within articles. Here is a list of the icons that identify the different types of data.

Article icons open two types of articles. These are main articles, which appear in the Article Viewer, and short articles, which appear in a pop-up viewer.

Atlas opens the Atlas to a location.

Dictionary opens the Dictionary/Thesaurus to a specific dictionary entry. This icon is found only in Presentation Maker and the Bookmark List.

Movie shows a video, a slide show, an animation, or a 360-degree view. Movie links in the Article Viewer are shown as thumbnails with a filmstrip in the bottom right corner.

Planetarium Link opens the Planetarium and displays the object indicated in the night sky.

Picture leads to an illustration or a photograph. Use the scroll bars to read through the caption. Picture links in the Article Viewer are shown as thumbnails.

See also... When you see underlined text in an article, click on it to go to another encyclopedia article.

Sound lets you hear a sound, quotation, or musical selection related to the article and see its description.

Table lets you view a table, a chart, or a list of Timeline events.

Thesaurus opens the Dictionary/Thesaurus to a specific thesaurus entry. This icon is found only in Presentation Maker and the Bookmark List.

Timeline displays a Timeline event.

Updates opens a new text item added to the encyclopedia using the Monthly Updater feature.

Web Link connects you to the Web site indicated. Clicking on this icon in Related Items takes you to the site. Clicking on it in the Find Viewer or the Web Link Directory opens a brief Web site description where you click on the underlined title to go the site.


Control Bar
The Control Bar

Use the buttons on the Control Bar at the top of your screen to access all of the program features. For more details on a button, see Contents to find its name. When you move your cursor over a button in the Control Bar, you'll see a description of the button. Click on a button to access the feature or to open a list of options.

Use Find as your main method of finding information in the encyclopedia. You can search the encyclopedia's contents for specific titles, words, or topics to find articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, and Web links, as well as updates to the encyclopedia you've downloaded from the Internet.

Use Back to display a list of the last 20 items you were looking at in the encyclopedia. You can also retrieve any of these items by clicking on it.

Use Atlas to explore maps and learn about the world. Click on a location on a map to zoom in for a close-up view. Click on a place name to see an article about that place.

Use Timeline to discover facts about important events, people, eras, and trends throughout world history. Historical information is organized by topic and shown on the Timeline as pictures, icons, text, and era banners. Click on a Timeline element to link to related information in the encyclopedia.

Use Research Tools to help you process what you've researched in Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia and to create a report or presentation. From here, you can access the Topic Chooser for help in finding a report topic, the Report Starter for organizing your ideas on notecards and creating a report outline, and the Bookmark List for retrieving information you bookmarked. You can also open the Dictionary/Thesaurus for looking up spellings and meanings, the program's Notebook for word processing, and your favorite word processor. You can even create your own multimedia presentations with text and graphics.

Use Online to connect to the Internet and download updates to the encyclopedia, try more than 20 science interactivities at the Exploratorium Web site, browse an offline directory of Web sites and then link to a site by clicking on its title, and ask questions of the Compton's reference team (Deluxe version only). You can also view a list of relevant local resources, check out a library of hundreds of newspapers and magazines, and access the Compton's Web site for educational activities, technical support, and information on other Compton's products.

Use Special to explore the special features of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. You can study pivotal events, trends, and people of the 20th century (Deluxe version only); look all around you at famous sites throughout the world (Deluxe version only); explore exciting multimedia collages and timelines on ancient civilizations, biomes, space travel, world cultures (Deluxe version only), and United States history (Deluxe version only); or visit a planetarium to learn about the night sky. You can also view informative articles about recent historic events, learn about notable birthdays or events that occurred on a specific date in history, and research answers to fascinating questions. You can even take a picture tour related to a particular topic or browse through all of the pictures in the encyclopedia.

Use Help to view a guided tour of the encyclopedia, access help topics, and set preferences. You can also see a list of people who created the encyclopedia, the encyclopedia's copyright and trademark information, and its version number and system requirements.

Use Exit to close the program and return to the Windows desktop.


Find

The Find button on the Control Bar displays the Find Viewer that allows you to search for information or browse through the entire contents of the encyclopedia. You can search the contents by specific topics, words, or phrases (Word Search), or alphabetically by title (List of Contents A-Z).

If you want to browse through a list of topics and subtopics, see Topic Chooser. If you want to retrieve articles and multimedia that you've marked with a bookmark, see Bookmark List. If you want to retrieve items you've just recently viewed, click on the Back button on the Control Bar.

For details on word searches, see:

Word Search

For details on title searches, see:

List of Contents A-Z


Word Search

Click the Go to Word Search button in the Find Viewer when you want to search for information on a specific topic. Type a word or phrase in the text box to describe the topic and click on the Search button. The program searches the entire encyclopedia for the keywords in your request and lists the items found by information type. Types of information include articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, Web links, and updates. Click on a type of information to see the list of items for that type. The numbers beside each type of information indicate the number of items found. The titles toward the top of each list are most likely to contain the information you want, since they contain the most occurrences of the keywords.

Movies includes videos, slide shows, animations, and 360-degree views.

If the title is too long to fit in the viewer, move the cursor over it to extend the text beyond the viewer. Double-click on an item to open it, or click on its title to select it and choose Get Item from the viewer menu.

Icons in the left margin of a title list indicate the media type. For a complete list of icons, see Information Icons.

When you open an article, it opens to the section where your search topic first appears in the text. The words from your search request appear in red throughout the article. To find the next word in red, choose Find Search Item from the Article Viewer menu.

When you want to return to a previous search, use the drop-down menu beside the text box to see a list of your last search requests. Click on a search request to enter it in the text box, and then click on the Search button to begin the search process.

* If the search results list does not contain the articles or multimedia you want, try a new search using synonyms to describe your topic.

For details on more Word Search options, see:

Using Search Operators

Using Wild Card Characters

For details on title searches, see:

List of Contents A-Z


Using Search Operators

If you want to narrow your search of a topic, use search operators. Search operators let you define your topic more concisely, resulting in fewer, more specific articles and media items that most closely match your search criteria.

In the first text box, type a word you want to search for. If you want to search for additional words or exclude related words, choose an appropriate search operator using the drop-down menu.

Then type the additional words in the following text box to build a search query. You can also type the operators yourself using only the first text box, and you can include multiple operators.

AND means you only want to search for an encyclopedia item that contains both the first word and the second word. For example, if you want to find articles on flightless birds, your search query would read: birds AND flightless.

OR means you want to search for an item that contains either the first word or the second word. For example, if you want to find articles on either hurricanes or typhoons, your search query would read: hurricanes OR typhoons.

NOT means you want to exclude a related topic from your search. For example, if you want to find articles on pollution but have already researched acid rain, your search query would read: pollution NOT acid rain.

ADJ means you only want to search for an item that contains the first and second words adjacent to each other. For example, if you want to find articles on the Black Forest, your search query would read: Black ADJ Forest.

For details on more Word Search options, see:

Using Wild Card Characters


Using Wild Card Characters

You can also use the following "wild card" characters in your search text to further define your search. These characters are useful when you want the encyclopedia to look for words that can be spelled in different ways or words that you cannot otherwise define precisely.

Quotation marks (" ") around a word means the program searches for that exact word. When you type a word without quotation marks, the program searches for all forms of that word. For example, if you type fly, the program will look for the words fly, flies, and flying. However, if you type "fly", it will only look for the word fly.

A question mark (?) in a word stands for a single undefined character. For example, if you type "m?n" the encyclopedia will find "man" and "men."

An asterisk (*) in a word indicates multiple undefined characters. For example, if you type "m*n" the encyclopedia will find "man," "melon," and "Manhattan."

A dollar sign ($) in a word indicates one or no undefined character. For example, if you type "colo$r" the encyclopedia will find "color" and "colour."

A tilde (~) in a word indicates that the word's spelling, from the tilde to the end of the word, is similar but not necessarily exactly as typed. This wild card performs a "fuzzy" search. When you insert this character in your search text, the encyclopedia finds words with spellings similar to your search word. For instance, if you type "cyclo~ne" the encyclopedia will find "cyclone" and "cyclops." The "fuzziness" takes effect from the point in the word where the ~ is inserted, and continues through the end of the word. For instance, "man~" will find "mannequin" and "manacle," but not "monocle."

When you're ready to start the search, click on the Search button. The results of the search are displayed in lists by information type. Click on a type of information to see items for that type. For more information on using search operators, click on the Tips button in the Find Viewer.

For details on more Word Search options, see:

Using Search Operators


List of Contents A-Z

Click on the Go to List of Contents A-Z button in the Find Viewer to display an alphabetical list of titles in the encyclopedia grouped by information type: articles (including Timeline articles), tables, pictures, Atlas maps, movies, sounds, Web links, and updates. Click on a type of information to see the list of items for that type, or click on All Contents to see everything in the encyclopedia in one list. The numbers beside each button indicate the number of items contained in the encyclopedia. Use the scroll bar to browse through the titles, or type a word in the text box to see the list move to show the titles that begin with that word. If no title begins with the word you typed, the next word in alphabetical order will be highlighted.

To open an article, see a picture or movie, hear a sound, or display other types of information, double-click on the title, or click on the title to select it and choose Get Item from the viewer menu.

Icons in the left margin of a title list indicate the media type. For a complete list of icons, see Information Icons.

* If you are not sure how a subject is listed, type the first few letters into the text box. The list moves to show the items that begin with those letters.

* The topic you want to research might not be the main subject of an article in the encyclopedia, or it might be different from the title of the information you want to find. If there is no information with the title you want, click on the Go to Word Search button to search the encyclopedia contents for the specific word or phrase that describes your topic.

For details on word searches, see:

Word Search


Atlas

Clicking on the Atlas button on the Control Bar displays an interactive atlas that lets you find places in the world by location and name. Use the atlas to find locations on a world map; maps of continents, regions, countries and dependencies, states, and provinces; and historical and thematic maps.

When you first click on the Atlas button, a world map appears. If you click on an atlas icon in an article, in Related Items, in the Find Viewer, or in other lists, the atlas opens to the specified location.

To resize the map, click on the Resize button to toggle between the map's actual size and an enlarged size. To move to a neighboring continent, country, or region, click on its place name when the pointer becomes a globe with an arrow. To zoom in on an area of a map, click on a place name when the pointer becomes a magnifying glass. To zoom out from a map (other than the world map), click on the button named for a map, if available at the bottom of the screen. For example, if the map of Europe is displayed, click on the World button to zoom out to the world map. If the map of Spain is displayed, click on the Europe button to zoom out to the continent of Europe.

To display an article related to a location on a map, click on a place name when the pointer becomes an open book with an arrow. An article about that location appears in the Article Viewer. To see historical or thematic maps related to the currently displayed map, click on the Related Maps button, if available, and choose a map from the list that appears. To see articles related to the currently displayed map, click on the Related Articles button, if available, and choose an article from the list that appears.

When you want to open a map, click on the Find a Map button. Use the drop-down menu to choose a category, such as country maps or all maps, to display a list of maps in the list box. Then type a map title in the text box to scroll through the list. If you don't know where a place--for example, a city or a river--is, select Place Names from the drop-down menu. Type in the name, and it will appear in the list with the title of the map (for example, Arecibo: Puerto Rico). Remember that some small places may not be marked in the atlas.

* Each city in the atlas is identified by its place name, but its true geographic location is indicated by a small dot. Capitals of countries are indicated by stars within circles. In the United States, capitals of states are indicated by large dots within circles.

* Not all place names are shown at every zoom level, depending on how they can best be shown. For example, names of continents and oceans are shown on the world map. Names of countries and cities are shown on maps of countries.


Timeline

The Timeline button on the Control Bar lets you explore information about important events, people, and eras or trends throughout world history, from 10,000 B.C. to the present. Use the timeline to discover when a particular event occurred, the order in which a series of events happened, and which events were happening at the same time.

The timeline has a horizontal scroll bar along the top of the window that shows the complete span of time, a portion of which can be viewed on the timeline below. The small box in the scroll bar represents the position in time that is currently shown in the timeline. Drag the box to move forward or backward in time by large amounts. Click on the scroll bar to the right or left of the box to move forward or backward in time by one full screen. Click on the arrows at either end of the scroll bar to move forward or backward in time by small amounts.

The pictures, icons, text, and era bars on the timeline mark specific events you can explore. Use the vertical scroll bar to move up and down to see all the timeline elements for the currently displayed time period for United States and/or World History. Move the cursor over a timeline element to see the date an event happened and a brief description of it. Click on a timeline element to link directly to related information in the encyclopedia. For example, clicking on a picture will display the picture and a related article in pop-up viewers. Clicking on other elements will present music or sound, movies, tables, maps, or articles. Some era bars may also link to lists of events from that era that in turn link to articles, sound, and other types of media. Click on any underlined text in an article to open a related article.

For details on changing what's displayed on the timeline, see:

Display Tools

For details on searching for a specific event, person, or era on the timeline, see:

Search Tools


Display Tools

You can change what's displayed on the timeline by using the scroll bars, by choosing different topics, or by changing the timescale.

Click on the Select Topic button to choose U.S. History, World History, or both topics. Each topic appears in a different color and in its own window. Use the window's vertical scroll bar to see all events in the time period. Both topics can be displayed at once. You can also view one topic at a time by clicking on the maximize button to the left of that window's Close box. To view both topics again, click on the minimize button. If you are done with one of the topics, click on its Close box. (When only one topic window is visible, only the minimize button is available, and the window cannot be closed since one topic must always be visible.)

Click on the Timescale drop-down menu to display a list of possible timescales in which to view the timeline. Click on the timescale you want, such as Years, Decades, Centuries, Thousands, or Auto. When you choose Auto, the timescale automatically changes to the most appropriate scale for the current position in time, and it continues to adjust as you scroll backward and forward through time. If you choose a timescale other than Auto, the visible portion of the timeline may not contain any events. For example, if the current position in time is 10,000 years B.C. and the current timescale is set to Years, no timeline elements may be visible.

For details on searching for a specific event, person, or era on the timeline, see:

Search Tools


Search Tools

Click on the Search button when you are looking for a specific event, person, or era in history. Type a word or phrase to describe it in the text box and click on the Search button. The program searches the timeline for the keywords in your request and creates a list of related items. The items toward the top of the list are most likely to contain the information you want. Use the scroll bar to browse through the list, and double-click on an item to display a related article and go to the appropriate time period on the timeline.

Click on the Go To Year button to view a specific year on the timeline. Type a year in the text box, click on A.D. or B.C., and then click on the Go To Year button.

For details on changing what's displayed on the timeline, see:

Display Tools


Research Tools

The options available from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar give you the tools you need to process the information you have gathered from the program and use it to create  reports and presentations. You can browse through a list of topics and subtopics (Topic Chooser), create and organize notecards for a report (Report Starter), access a list of bookmarks you created (Bookmark List), consult the Dictionary/Thesaurus (Dictionary/Thesaurus), use the program's built-in journal (Notebook), open any of your own word processors (Word Processor), and create multimedia shows with text and graphics (Presentation Maker).

For details on the Research Tools options, see:

Topic Chooser

Report Starter

Bookmark List

Dictionary/Thesaurus

Notebook

Word Processor

Presentation Maker


Topic Chooser

Click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Topic Chooser to see the contents of the encyclopedia as a set of topics and branching subtopics. Browse through the topic lists to find areas of interest. Start with a broad subject and narrow your view to a specific aspect by exploring related subtopics.

Each topic on the first list has a folder beside it, indicating that each topic has related subtopics and articles. Double-click on the folder to open the topic and see a list of subtopics and articles. Subtopics are indicated by folders, which can also be opened to show more subtopics or articles. To open an article, double-click on it.

When a subtopic contains only a list of articles, there are no further subtopics in a subject area.


Report Starter

Click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Report Starter to launch the Report Starter program for organizing your notes on notecards, creating a bibliography of your sources, and producing a report outline. Since this program remains open on your desktop in other applications as well, you can easily copy and paste information from other programs and refer to your notecards as you write the report in your favorite word processor. Text you type on notecards can be printed and exported to other applications to make report writing easy. Use Report Starter as you would index cards to record notes and sources and to organize topics into a report outline.

When you begin the Report Starter program, click on Start New Report to create notecards for a new report, Open A Report to continue working on notecards for a saved report, or Get Research Tips to learn how to choose a topic, plan your research, find and evaluate information, take and organize notes, cite sources, and write rough and final drafts of your report. When you start a new report, you are asked to type in a title for your report and click on OK.

For details on using the Report Starter, see:

Creating Notecards

Sorting Notecards

Printing and Exporting Notecards


Creating Notecards

Notecards contain information you want to use in your report. They can contain text you type yourself or text you copy and paste. Each card should contain information on one topic from one source and be named by its topic.

When you start a new report or open a saved one, the View Outline viewer appears. This viewer lists your notecards by name and displays your sorted notecards in a report outline. To create a new notecard to add to the list, click on New Card. Name the card and click OK to save it. Then provide bibliographical data for your notecard information in the two dialog boxes that appear.

In the first Bibliography Source dialog box, identify the type of source for the information you will add to the notecard. In the second dialog box, type in the source data for the notecard information.

The information requested in the second Bibliography Source dialog box varies according to the type of source you identified. For example, if your source is a newspaper article, you are asked to type in the name of the author, the title, the newspaper, the date, and the page. If your source is a personal interview, you are asked to type in the name of the person interviewed, his or her title, and the date of the interview.

Notecards are created in the Edit Card viewer by typing text or pasting text quoted from the encyclopedia, Web sites, or other sources. When you paste text copied from the encyclopedia, a reference automatically appears below the text, indicating the source of the information. Use the options in the encyclopedia's viewer menus for copying and pasting text. When you're finished, click on OK to see your notecard listed in the View Outline viewer. From there, you can double-click on a card to edit it.

For details on sorting notecards into a report outline, see:

Sorting Notecards

For details on printing and exporting notecards, see:

Printing and Exporting Notecards


Sorting Notecards

Once you've created notecards for a number of different topics, you will want to organize them into groups to keep related topics together. Sorting your notecards in this way helps you organize your information into an outline for your report. Click on Sort into Groups in the View Outline viewer to organize your cards.

Use the Sort into Groups viewer to organize your notecards under subject headings. Drag a notecard to one of the groups on the right, and then name the group in the dialog box that appears. For example, if your report is about birds, you may want to sort your notecards in groups for songbirds, birds of prey, and flightless birds.

Click on a group and use the Move Group Up and Move Group Down viewer buttons to arrange the groups in the order you want to present them in the report. Use Delete Group to delete a group's name and return its cards to the unsorted list on the left. To rename a group, sort the cards within a group, or remove a card from a group, double-click on the group name in the list.

In the Edit Group viewer, you can edit the name of the group in the text box. Click on a card and use the Move Card Up and Move Card Down buttons to put the cards in the order you want. Click on Remove Card from Group to remove the card from that group and return it to the unsorted list. Click on Done Sorting to return to the Sort into Groups Viewer. Click on Done Sorting to return to the View Outline viewer. The viewer now displays an organized topic outline for your report.

For details on creating notecards and bibliographies, see:

Creating Notecards

For details on printing and exporting notecards, see:

Printing and Exporting Notecards


Printing and Exporting Notecards

When you click on Print or Export from the View Outline viewer, the outline of topics, notecard text, and bibliographic information are printed or exported to a file for use with another program. Exported files are Rich Text Format files with the .rtf extension, which can be read by most word processors and other applications.

For details on creating notecards and bibliographies, see:

Creating Notecards

For details on sorting notecards into a report outline, see:

Sorting Notecards


Bookmark List

Click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Bookmark List to see a list of the bookmarks you've created. (Bookmarks can be created to mark an article, a Dictionary/Thesaurus entry, a Timeline item, a picture, a movie, a sound, a table, an Atlas map, an update, or a Web link. (For information on creating bookmarks, see the Article Viewer,  the Picture Viewer, the Movie Viewer, and the Text Viewer.) To return to a bookmarked item, double-click on it in the bookmark list. From the viewer menu, you can save the current bookmark list, start a new list, or open an existing list. To delete a bookmark, click on it and choose Remove Item from List from the viewer menu, or press Delete. To change a bookmark title, first click on it in the list. Then click on its name in the text box, type the new name in the text box, and press Enter.


Dictionary/Thesaurus

Click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Dictionary/Thesaurus to look up words using Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, and the New Revised Edition of Webster's New World Thesaurus. You can also double-click on a word in an article or a caption to access these features. Use the buttons at the top of the viewer to switch between the Dictionary and Thesaurus.

When you open the Dictionary/Thesaurus from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar, type a word in the viewer's text box and press Enter to see the word's definition. When you open the Dictionary/Thesaurus by double-clicking on a word in text, the word appears in the viewer's text box and its definition is displayed. To see a Thesaurus entry, click on the Thesaurus button at the top of the viewer.

The viewer features a scrolling list of words and an alphabetical Position Bar with a selector. Drag the selector to move quickly to another letter section in the Dictionary or Thesaurus.

To move among the entries in the Dictionary or Thesaurus, click on Previous to display the previous entry, and click on Next to display the next entry.


Notebook

Click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Notebook to open the program's built-in journal. The Notebook enables you to copy and paste text or record brief notes while you use the encyclopedia. Use the toolbar buttons or viewer menu options to format text and save your Notebook files.

For an explanation of the Notebook's menu options , see:

Notebook Menu Options

For an explanation of the Notebook's toolbar buttons see:

Notebook Toolbar Buttons


Notebook Menu Options

To see the menu options available for the Notebook, move your cursor over the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the viewer, or click on the title. The following menu options are available.

New

Choose New to start a new Notebook file.

Open

Choose Open to open an existing Notebook file.

Save

Choose Save to save the current Notebook file in .rtf or .txt format, which can be opened by most word processors.

Save As

Choose Save As to save the current Notebook file to a new location or under a different file name.

Find

Choose Find to search for one or more words in the Notebook file.

Replace

Choose Replace to find and replace one or more words in the Notebook file.

Next

Choose Next to find the next instance of the selected word in the Notebook file.

Fonts

Choose Fonts to change the font and size of the selected text, as well as its style, effects, and color.

Print

Choose Print to print the current Notebook file.

For an explanation of the Notebook's toolbar buttons see:

Notebook Toolbar Buttons


Notebook Toolbar Buttons

The buttons on the Notebook toolbar represent most of the options available from the Notebook menu. The order the buttons appear from left to right is given below.

New

Click on New to start a new Notebook file. This button shows a blank document page.

Open

Click on Open to open an existing Notebook file. This button shows an arrow from the hard drive to a document page.

Save

Click on Save to save the current Notebook file. This button shows an arrow from the document page to the hard drive.

Print

Click on Print to print the current Notebook file. This button shows a document page in a printer.

Undo

Click on Undo to undo the last change you made in the Notebook file. This button shows a "U-turn" arrow.

Cut

Click on Cut to remove selected text from the Notebook file. This button shows a pair of scissors.

Copy

Click on Copy to copy text you've selected in the Notebook file. This button shows an arrow between two document pages.

Paste

Click on Paste to insert text you've copied into the Notebook file. This button shows an arrow from the clipboard to a document page.

Bold

Click on Bold to change the selected text to bold type. If the selected text is already bold, this option returns the text to normal. This button shows a bold "B."

Italic

Click on Italic to italicize the selected text. If the selected text is already italicized, this option returns the text to normal. This button shows an italicized "I."

Underline

Click on Underline to underline the selected text. If the selected text is already underlined, this option removes the underlining. This button shows an underlined "U."

Strikeout

Click on Strikeout to insert a strikeout line through the selected text. If the selected text already has a strikeout line through it, this option removes the line. This button shows a strikeout line through "S."

For an explanation of the Notebook's menu options , see:

Notebook Menu Options


Word Processor

Click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Word Processor to open a word processor file, where you can paste text and pictures and type in your own thoughts and notes as you use the encyclopedia. The word processor opens WordPad. To choose a different application, click on the Help button on the Control Bar, choose Preferences, and change the Text setting. (See Preferences.)


Presentation Maker

Presentation Maker allows you to create multimedia shows and presentations by combining and arranging information you find in Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia (articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies (including animations and slide shows), sounds, atlases, and star maps). You can also create title screens and other screens of text, which you can decorate with borders and colored backgrounds. For a finishing touch, you can even record your voice to narrate the show.

To access Presentation Maker, click on the Research Tools button on the Control Bar and choose Presentation Maker.

Creating a show is easy. Gather or create the components of your show and place them into a script. Your show can contain any combination of these four kinds of elements:

* Items from the encyclopedia, such as articles, tables, pictures, maps, movies, and sounds. You can "collect" items from the encyclopedia by creating bookmarks, or you can select them directly from the Presentation Maker screen.

* Title screens, which are screens of text that you create.

* Extra sounds, which you can record or add from other sources.

* Extra pictures, such as art you've created in a paint program, photos you've scanned, or pictures you've gathered from other sources.

For an overview of Presentation Maker, see the on-disc tutorial and preview some of the sample shows included with the program. Choose Tutorial or Sample Shows from the Show Script viewer menu.

For details on using Presentation Maker, see:

The Show Script Viewer

The Building Blocks Viewer and The Preview Viewer

TitleMaker

Sounds and Narration

Pictures from Other Sources

Timing

Saving Your Script

Viewing a Show

Copying Shows to a Floppy Disk

Deleting Show Scripts and Custom Sounds

Tips for Creating Shows

Presentation Maker Shortcuts


Show Script Viewer
The Show Script Viewer

The Show Script viewer is a list of the items in your presentation, in the order that they will appear onscreen. You determine how long each item in the show remains on the screen. You can also determine whether the whole show plays automatically, or whether your audience controls when to go to the next screen. You'll probably change your mind a few times as you create a show, and you can add, move, or remove items from your script at any point in the process.

To start a new script, choose Start New Script from the Presentation Maker menu. New items are added above the highlight in the Show Script Viewer list. If you want to place an item between two items that are already in the script, make sure the second item is highlighted. Then follow the instructions in The Building Blocks Viewer and The Preview Viewer.

To remove an item from the script, highlight the item in the Show Script Viewer list, and then click on the Remove button. To change the order of items, highlight an item in the Show Script Viewer list, and then click the up and down arrow buttons below the Show Script Viewer list.


Building Blocks Viewer and The Preview Viewer
The Building Blocks Viewer and The Preview Viewer

You can use any encyclopedia items, such as articles, tables, pictures, Atlas maps, Timeline items, movies, sounds, updates, and star maps and other Planetarium screens, in your show. There are two ways to collect encyclopedia contents for your presentation.

You can access the encyclopedia contents from within Presentation Maker by clicking on the Select Media button in the Building Blocks Viewer. Click on the type of media you want to see listed in that viewer. Then double-click on an item in the list to display it in the Preview viewer. To add an item to your script, highlight it and click on the Add to Script button.

You can also access the encyclopedia contents by using your bookmark list. As you research a topic in the encyclopedia, create a bookmark for each text article, picture, map, movie, sound, and other media item you want to include in your script. Then access your bookmark list in Presentation Maker by clicking on the Select Media button in the Building Blocks Viewer and choosing the bookmark list you want to use. The bookmarks in that list appear in the Building Blocks Viewer. Double-click on an item in the list to display it in the Preview Viewer. To add an item to your script, highlight it and click on the Add to Script button. Using bookmarks in the encyclopedia is a quick, efficient way to gather materials for your presentation.

Click the right mouse button on an item listed in the Building Blocks Viewer for quick access to the Preview and Add to Script options.


TitleMaker

A title screen is a screen of text that you create yourself. It can be the name of your presentation, important facts, or any other text that you want to display during your show.

To create a new title screen, click on the TitleMaker button at the bottom of the Show Script Viewer. Type the text of the screen into the text box.

You can enhance the appearance of the title screen using the following options in the TitleMaker window. The Preview box reflects your choices and shows how the text will look.

Set Fonts: Choose a font, style, and size for your text, and then click on OK.

Text Alignment: You can align text both horizontally and vertically on the screen. Click on Left, Center, or Right to align text horizontally; click on Top, Center, or Bottom to align text vertically.

Border: Use the drop-down Border Styles menu to see a list of border styles. Click on one of the borders to choose it.

Colors: Choose a color for the background, border, or text by clicking the appropriate option and then clicking on a color from the color palette. Be sure to select contrasting colors for text and background so your audience can read your titles.

Click on OK when you are satisfied with the appearance of your title screen. It appears in the Show Script Viewer list as the next item.

A title screen can be changed at any time. Select the title screen in the Show Script Viewer list and click on the Edit button.


Sounds and Narration

In addition to sounds and music from the encyclopedia, your presentation can include sounds from other sources (any file in .wav format) and recordings you create. To add sounds from the encyclopedia to your script, follow the instructions for using the Building Blocks Viewer.

You can play encyclopedia sounds and your own recordings over any items in your script that do not already contain sound--for example, pictures, tables, and title screens. No sound or narration can be added to movies, slide shows, or animation sequences.

To play your sound while displaying a picture or title screen, see the instructions under Timing.

To create your own recordings in Presentation Maker, you'll need a microphone connected to the sound card in your computer. The mixer software that controls the sound levels will also have to be adjusted correctly for recording.

Recording and Saving Your Own Sounds and Narration

Click on the Sound Recorder button in the Show Script Viewer to make your own recording.

When the sound recorder appears, click on the Record button and start recording. When you finish recording, click on the Stop button. If your recording equipment is working properly, you should see a red "sound wave" move as you speak into the microphone.

To hear what you have recorded, click on Play. If you are not satisfied with your recording, click on Record and record another "take." Remember to click on Stop when you finish recording.

When you are satisfied with your recording, click on the Save As button and give your narration a title, and then click on OK. Click on OK to return to the Presentation Maker script. Your new sound appears in the Show Script Viewer list.

Your narration appears in the script with the name you typed when you saved the file. To change the name in the script, highlight the narration and click the right mouse button. Choose Name from the pop-up menu, type a new name, and click on OK. The new name appears in the Show Script Viewer list. Changing the name in the script does not change the file name on your system.

To change a narration file in your Show Script Viewer list, highlight the file and click on the Edit button. Click on the Record button to record over the previous recording.

Adding Sounds from Other Sources

If you have sounds or recordings on your hard drive or a floppy disk and you want to add them to your show, click on the Sound Recorder button. To access sound files, click on the Browse button in the Sound Recorder window and select the drive and directory where your files are stored. (You'll recognize sound files by their .wav extension.) Select the file that you want to add and click on OK. You can preview the sound in the Sound Recorder window by clicking on Play. Click on OK to add the sound to your script.

Removing a Recorded Sound from the Script

Click on the name of the sound you want to remove from the Show Script Viewer list, and then click on Remove. The sound will be removed from your script but not from your hard drive. For directions on removing sounds from your hard drive, see Deleting Show Scripts and Custom Sounds.


Pictures from Other Sources

In your Presentation Maker show, you can add pictures from sources other than the encyclopedia, such as pictures you scanned or artwork you created in a paint or draw program. You can add any file in .jpg or .bmp format.

Adding a Picture

Click on the Picture button in the Show Script Viewer. Choose the directory where your graphic file is stored, and click on the file name to preview it. Click on OK to add it to your Show Script Viewer list. Use the right mouse button to give the picture a name.


Timing

Click on the Timing button to specify how long each item in your presentation will appear on the screen. If you do not specify a time after adding an item to the script, the program automatically keeps the item on the screen for six seconds, except for sounds, which are set at Don't Wait (see below). Choose a playing time from the following choices:

Seconds: Type the number of seconds you want the item to stay onscreen.

Wait: Click on this option to give viewers as much time as they want to look at each item.

If, for example, you've included an encyclopedia article in your show, you'll want to give the viewer as much time as necessary to finish reading. The viewer must click the mouse button to go to the next item.

Don't Wait: Click on this option to display the next item immediately. This is necessary if, for example, you want music to play at the same time a title or picture is on the screen.

Wait for Sound to Finish: Click on this option to keep a picture or title on the screen until the preceding sound finishes.

Timing Examples

Let's say you want some piano music to begin and continue playing while a picture of a flower is being displayed. You would configure the playing time like this:

Musical Instrument: Piano Don't wait

Picture: Rose Wait for Sound to Finish

In another instance, let's say you want narration over a large colored photo. It may take longer for your system to find the picture than to find your narration. Consequently, the narration may begin before the picture appears onscreen. With the following time configuration, the picture is displayed and then the narration begins. The picture must be placed in the script again under the narration so it remains on the screen until the narration finishes.

Picture: 1 Second

Narration: Don't Wait

Picture: Wait for Sound to Finish


Saving Your Script

To save your script, choose Save Current Script from the Presentation Maker menu. If this is the first time you are saving your script, type a name in the dialog box, and then click on OK.

Remember to save your script often! To make sure your file is being saved to your hard drive, select the drive in the Save dialog box.


Viewing a Show

Previewing a Show in Progress

You can preview the show you are creating at any time. If you want to see the show from the beginning, select the first item in your Show Script Viewer list. Then click on the Play Show button in the Show Script Viewer.

If you want to preview only part of the show (from the middle, for example), select the item in the Show Script list where you want the preview to begin, and then click on the Play Show button.

Click on the Close button to return to the Presentation Maker screen.

Viewing Existing Shows

Choose Open Saved Script from the Presentation Maker menu to see a list of presentations you have saved. Click on the name of the show you want to view, and then click on OK. The script of the show you chose appears in the Show Script Viewer.

Select the first item in your Show Script Viewer list and click on the Play Show button in the Show Script Viewer to see the show.

Viewing Sample Shows

Presentation Maker comes with sample shows to give you some ideas for creating shows of your own. Click on the Sample Shows button at the bottom of the Presentation Maker screen to see these shows. Choose the name of the show you would like to see, and then click on OK. The script appears in the Show Script Viewer. Click the Play Show button to see the sample show.

You can make changes to a sample show, such as adding or rearranging items, and then save your new version on your hard drive or a floppy disk.

Playing Sample Shows on Slower Computers

Sample shows are optimized for different computers. If you're using a slower computer, choose shows with an asterisk (*) next to the name. Shows without asterisks are optimized to play on faster computers.

If you play a show that is not optimized for your computer, you may find that the pictures and sound are not synchronized, or the presentation may play too fast or too slowly.

Your computer's performance can be affected by many factors, such as the amount of memory (RAM) available, the number of fonts loaded, the number of applications open, or the speed of the different hardware components of your system. Consult the documentation that came with your computer system to learn how to optimize your system.


Copying Shows to a Floppy Disk

Presentation Maker shows can be copied to a floppy disk so that you can move them to another computer. Consult your Windows documentation for details on how to copy files.


Deleting Show Scripts and Custom Sounds

If you want to delete shows, you must delete the files from the directory in which you saved them. Find and delete files with the .shw extension.

If you want to delete sounds that you recorded within Presentation Maker, delete files with the .wav extension.

Consult your Windows documentation for specific instructions on deleting files.


Tips for Creating Shows

The way your computer system's components are set up to work together (its configuration) can greatly affect the speed at which Presentation Maker shows play. Everyone's system configuration is a little different, so as you create a show, experiment with different combinations of items and playing times in your script list. Try to find the best arrangement for your own computer system--some combinations of sounds and pictures will work while others won't.

Creating Shows on Slower Computers

With slower computer systems, Presentation Maker shows need to be created a little differently. Slower computers can't process data as rapidly as faster systems, which usually means that pictures take longer to load and display on the screen. Synchronizing sounds and pictures to play at the same time might also be difficult.

With slower computers, you may also find that if you display a series of pictures at the same time as you play music or a narration, the sound may not play smoothly. Here are some ways to avoid this problem:

* If you are using sounds from the encyclopedia or sounds you have recorded yourself, display only one picture for each sound. Don't display many pictures while playing a sound, or the sound will stop and start as each picture changes. It's always best to set the playing time for the picture in the script list at "1 second," and then add the sound, giving it a "Don't wait" playing time. Now add the same picture again, giving it a "Wait for sound to finish" playing time. Your sound and picture should now play more smoothly.

* If you want music to play at the same time a series of pictures is displayed, choose a MIDI file instead of a recorded sound. MIDI files, which are much smaller than recorded sound files, won't cause the sound to stutter.


Presentation Maker Shortcuts

The Presentation Maker screen offers two sets of shortcuts to help you create shows more efficiently.

* In the Building Blocks Viewer, move the mouse to an item and click the right mouse button. A pop-up menu appears, offering shortcuts to previewing and adding the item to the script.

* In the Show Script Viewer, click the right mouse button to see a pop-up menu. This menu offers shortcuts to previewing, editing, changing the timing, renaming, moving up, moving down, and deleting the selected item. Click on an option to select it.


Online

The options available from the Online button on the Control Bar give you access to Internet resources. Offline, you can browse a list of Web site descriptions and then link to a site by clicking on its title (Web Link Directory). You can connect to the Internet and download updates to the encyclopedia (Monthly Updater), try your hand at more than 20 science interactivities on the Exploratorium Web site (Exploratorium), ask the Compton's reference team research questions (Ask the Librarian (Deluxe version only)), view a list of relevant local resources (Find Neighborhood Resources), check out a library of hundreds of newspapers and magazines (Electric Library), and visit the Compton's Web site for educational activities, technical support, and information on other Compton's products (Visit Us Online).

When you first choose an Online option, you will be asked to identify your online access provider. Choose the one you want to use from the list displayed. If you click on Other, you can identify another application by using the Browse button to find it, and/or using the Path and Title text boxes to identify it. Or you can use the default Internet browser identified in the user's setup in Windows 95, 98 or NT. Click on OK to go online.

For details on the Online options, see:

Monthly Updater

Exploratorium

Web Link Directory

Ask the Librarian

Find Neighborhood Resources

Electric Library

Visit Us Online


Monthly Updater

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Monthly Updater to download updates to the contents of the encyclopedia. Click on the updaters shown in gold that you wish to download and click on Get Monthly Updates. Once the updaters are downloaded, they are automatically merged with the encyclopedia database. To view any of the new items, double-click on their names in the list box on the Monthly Updater screen. You can also click on the Updates information type in the Find Viewer, Updates in the drop-down menu in Related Items, or the Updates icon in articles, in the Timeline, and elsewhere in the encyclopedia.

If you have trouble downloading updates, you may need to download them manually. Select Manual Download from the Monthly Updater menu and follow the onscreen directions.


Exploratorium

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Exploratorium to try your hand at more than 20 intriguing science interactivities on the Exploratorium Web site.  The Compton's Exploratorium screen shows samples of some of the activities.  Do the optical illusions trick you?  Can you tell which embryo is human? Click on the Go to Interactivities button to visit the famous hands-on science museum yourself.  You will need your own Internet service provider and Internet browser to use this feature.


Web Link Directory

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Web Link Directory to review brief descriptions of Web sites before going online. When you open the directory, a Web Link Directory Search viewer appears. You can move or close the viewer. To reopen it, select Search from the viewer menu. For more information on search options, refer to Word Search.

In addition to searching for a topic, you can click on the topic categories. Web sites are grouped thematically. Click on a broad category that interests you, and then continue choosing more specific topics. When you click on a topic with a Web link icon, a pop-up viewer displays a listing of one or more related Web sites that includes a title, an Internet address, a target age group, and a description. Use the listings to look up information available on the Internet, and then click on the Web site title to go to that Web site.

You can view descriptions of Web sites by clicking on the Web Links information type in the Find Viewer, Web Links in the drop-down menu in Related Items, or the Web Links icon in articles, on the Timeline, and elsewhere in the encyclopedia.


Ask the Librarian
Ask the Librarian (Deluxe version Only)

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Ask the Librarian to go online, send research questions to the Compton's reference team, and receive help with your research. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. Submit your question using the form provided, and within two business days you should receive a personalized e-mail response from the Compton's reference team. The response will contain a list of specific resources that can help you in researching your topic.


Find Neighborhood Resources

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Neighborhood Resources to go online and quickly find information resources in your own neighborhood or any town you want. Resources include museums, libraries, art galleries, civic organizations, zoos, and much more.

Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. Choose a resource from the drop-down menu, such as "aquariums." Then type the name of your city or town and state in the text boxes, or just type in your zip code. If you like, you can type in your street address as well. Click on the Search button to get a list of local resources. If you typed in your street address, you have the option of getting a map and door-to-door directions to each place on the list.


Electric Library

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Electric Library to go online and gain access to hundreds of newspapers, periodicals, books, and newswires, as well as thousands of photos. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online. Then click on the pencil at the bottom of the screen to visit the Electric Library. Type a question or keyword(s) in the text box and click on the Go! button to get a list of references related to that topic. To access the references, you are asked to sign up for a free 30-day trial period, valid through December 2000. If you take advantage of the free trial period, you will automatically be billed at a monthly rate after 30 days unless you cancel your subscription. For more information on using the Electric Library, use the vertical table of contents or the horizontal tool bar.


www.comptons.com
VIsit Us Online

Click on the Online button on the Control Bar and choose Visit Us Online to go online and visit our Web site. There you'll find information on our other exciting products. Click on OK on the warning screen to go online.


Special

The options available from the Special button on the Control Bar give you access to special program features. You can explore crucial events, trends and people of the 20th-Century (20th-Century Review - Deluxe only), become immersed in 360-degree views of famous places all over the world (IPIX Virtual Tours), investigate multimedia collages and timelines (Multimedia Explorations) or visit a planetarium (Planetarium). You can also read an article and see pictures about recent historic events (Recent Events), learn about notable birthdays or events that occurred on a specific date in history (On This Date), and research answers to fascinating questions (Exploring Questions). You can even take a picture tour related to a particular topic or browse through all the pictures in the encyclopedia (Picture Tours).

For details on the Special options, see:

20th-Century Review

IPIX Virtual Tours

Multimedia Explorations

Planetarium

Recent Events

On This Date

Exploring Questions

Picture Tours


20th-Century Review
20th-Century Review (Deluxe version only)

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose 20th-Century Review to delve into the last hundred years in World Politics and Arts and Sciences. Notice the date tabs at the top and bottom of the 20th-Century Review screen.

World Politics

The tabs on the top lead to five maps reflecting events, trends, and conflicts in World Politics.  The icon key on the left side of each map explains the meaning of the icons.  Roll your cursor over an icon to see a text description of the item.  Click to discover more information about that item. Large icons lead to videos and articles about major wars and special maps of regional border changes.  Resize a border map if necessary by clicking and dragging the edge of the border map viewer.

Arts and Science

The tabs on the bottom of the 20th-Century Review screen lead to five photo montages of important people, movements, and events in the Arts and Science. Roll your cursor over any image to see a text description of the item. Click to discover more information about any specific item.


IPIX Virtual Tours
IPIX Virtual Tours (Deluxe version only)

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose IPIX Virtual Tours to take a virtual journey to fascinating sites around the globe. The IPIX Virtual Tour images provide a 360-degree view of each site.

Choose any globe from the IPIX Virtual Tours main screen, and a list of Virtual Tours from that part of the world will appear. Click on any title to launch the Virtual Tour. The image will be moving. Click anywhere on the image to take control of the navigation yourself. The motion will stop. Click anywhere with the pointing hand cursor to move in that direction.  You can even look overhead.

To zoom in, move your mouse pointer to the center of the image. Hold your mouse button down when the cursor changes to a zoom-in plus sign.  To zoom out, move your mouse pointer a bit below the center, until the cursor changes to the zoom-out minus sign. Hold your mouse button down to zoom out. IPIX Virtual Tour images can also be resized by dragging on the image border.

Explore the image with your cursor.  When the cursor changes to a notepad, a text caption will pop up to explain a particular feature in the image.

To bookmark an image, reset the viewpoint to the original location, change the navigation speed, learn more about IPIX Virtual Tour images, or explore related articles, click on the down arrow button in the upper left hand corner of the IPIX Virtual Tour image.


Multimedia Explorations

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose Multimedia Explorations to explore exciting multimedia collages and timelines. Three environments are available in the standard version of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia; six are available in the Deluxe version.

When the screen for selecting a multimedia exploration appears, choose one by double-clicking on it or click once to highlight it and then click on OK. When the exploration appears, move your cursor over a graphic to highlight it and see a description of that subject. Then click on a graphic that interests you. Media items include pictures, maps, articles, movies, and sounds. Click on the Menu button to choose another exploration, or click on the Close button to go back to the main screen.

To learn more about a subject depicted in a pop-up viewer, click on a related article listed in the viewer's menu. The main screen appears with the article displayed. More related items are listed in Related Items.

For details on the Multimedia Explorations environments, see:

Multimedia Explorations Environments


Multimedia Explorations Environments

Biomes of the World

Explore environments from the harsh desert landscapes of Asia and North Africa to the teeming forests of the temperate zones. See zebras on the East African savannas, elk and wolves in the boreal forest, and parrots and anteaters in tropical rain forests. Journey to the bottom of the oceans and marvel at the bizarre and beautiful life there. The diversity of the world's flora and fauna is fascinating.

Space Exploration

Race to space with the Soviets and the Americans from the first orbiting satellite to space stations and the space shuttle program. The pioneers of the last frontier include many firsts--the first person in space, the first in orbit, the first to walk in space, and the first to land on the moon. You'll see Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon, hear Mission Control, board a space station, and view a fabulous photograph of Mars. What a blast!

Ancient & Classical Civilizations

Go back in time and relive the ancient world of the Chinese dynasties, Greek and Roman empires, and other civilizations. Admire the skill of the Egyptian pyramid builders, the masterful mosaics of the Byzantine Empire, the bold sculpture of the Aztecs, the elaborate temples of the ancient Japanese, and the advanced civilization of India's Golden Age. Each civilization left a mark that survives to this day.

World Cultures (Deluxe version only)

Journey through five continents and meet the people who live there through their art, music, and dance. Listen to the exciting rhythms of African drums, sway to the exotic movements of Asian dances that enact lyric poems or epic dramas, and admire the artistry of Latin American designs and the masterpieces of European painters. Learn about the world's people through this rich cultural experience.

U.S. History 1775-1877 (Deluxe version only)

Travel back in time to the American Revolution, the Oregon Trail, the California Gold Rush, and the building of the transcontinental railroad. Discover what caused the Trail of Tears, the Mexican War, and the American Civil War. From the American Revolution to the aftermath of the Civil War, it's a dramatic journey.

U.S. History 1877-Present (Deluxe version only)

Discover the events that shaped American life 100 years ago and 10 years ago. Learn why United States Marines hoisted the American flag on Cuban soil. Hear President Franklin Roosevelt proclaim Dec. 7, 1941 "a date which will live in infamy." See how the Cold War began and when Americans began their love affair with automobiles, household appliances, and television. It's all here, and more.


Planetarium

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose Planetarium to see an unobstructed view of the night sky in your area or any area in the world, and identify constellations, planets, stars, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, and comets. You can also view the movement of astronomical objects across the night sky for any time interval you set.

When you first choose Planetarium, you are asked to type in the name of your city so that the program can display the night sky in your area. If the name you typed does not appear highlighted in the list box, type in the name of the nearest large city or pick a city from the list. Click on the city in the list to see its time zone and latitude and longitude coordinates. Then click on OK. Later, if you want to see the night sky from another location, such as a city in another hemisphere, choose Set Location from the viewer menu.

The Planetarium shows the night sky in your area at the current time (if you are using the program at night) or at dusk (if you are using the program during daylight hours). The date and time appear at the top of the map. To change the date and time, choose Set Time from the viewer menu. You can type any date and time you want and modify the time zone in this dialog box. To reset the clock to the current time, click on the Now button.

To locate an object on the map, use the drop-down menu in the Planetarium Viewer and choose the kind of object you want to find--constellation, planet, star, Messier object (star cluster, nebula, or galaxy), or comet. Then type the object's name in the text box to scroll through the list of names, or use the scroll bar to browse through the names. Double-click on a name in the list to center and display that object on the map. Or choose Locate from the viewer menu, where the sun and moon are also listed, to display an object on the map.

To learn more about a constellation, click on any constellation name to view an article about it in the encyclopedia. To learn more about other objects on the map, click on the object or its label. A dialog box appears with information about that object; for planets and some other objects, you can connect from here to a related article in the encyclopedia.

For details on the Planetarium's display options, see:

Display Options

For details on viewing the movement of celestial objects across the sky, see:

Time Lapse


Display Options

To see the map in greater detail, click on the Zoom In button or choose Zoom In from the viewer menu. Click on the Zoom Out button or choose Zoom Out from the viewer menu for a broader look at the map. You can also click and drag the pointer on the map to enclose an area inside an outline rectangle, and then release the mouse button to center and zoom in on the area you selected. The compass-like direction window shows the portion of the night sky currently displayed. Click on this control to change the part of the sky being viewed.

To display or remove objects on the map, choose Display from the viewer menu. You can choose any combination of display options from this menu. When you choose Constellations, you can choose to show Labels, the names of the constellations; Outlines, the stars connected by green lines to show their outlines (Show Outlines button); or Boundaries, the area the constellation includes, shown by red lines.

You can also choose to show the names of stars, planets, comets, and Messier objects; ascension/declination lines, which define the position of an object in the sky, with or without a grid; and objects below the horizon. Displaying objects below the horizon allows you to see objects that the Planetarium normally hides from view because they are below your horizon. This allows you to see those stars that have just set or that are just about to rise, as well as those items in space that are never visible from your location. For a full-screen view of the map, choose Object Locator Controls to hide the controls on the left side of the screen. Choose the option again to redisplay the controls.

For details on viewing the movement of celestial objects across the sky, see:

Time Lapse

For details on printing a star chart, see:

Print Star Chart


Star Display

The Star Display dialog box allows you to change the appearance of stars on the screen and in printouts. You can change the size and intensity of stars, based on their magnitude and intensity, by using the Modify Star Sizes and Modify Star Intensities buttons. ("Intensity" refers to the grayscale colors used to display stars at each magnitude.)

If the Star Display settings have been changed and you want to restore the original settings, click on the Default Settings button.

For details on printing a star chart, see:

Print Star Chart


Print Star Chart

When you choose Print Star Chart from the Planetarium's viewer menu, a dialog box displays a preview of the printed page. (Star charts are tailored to fit one printed page.) To change the appearance of the printout, click on the Modify Stars button. The Modify Stars dialogue box is similar to the Star Display dialogue box, except that the stars are printed black on a white background instead of white on black as shown onscreen. Use the up and down arrows to change the size and appearance of stars, based on their magnitude and intensity. ("Intensity" refers to the grayscale colors used to display stars at each magnitude.)

When the preview reflects the printout you want, click on Print to start printing. To close the Print Star Chart dialog box without printing, click on Cancel.


Magnitude

The magnitude of a star refers to its brightness as seen from Earth. A star of magnitude 1 (also known as a star of the first magnitude) is very bright, while a star of magnitude 5 (of the fifth magnitude) is relatively dim to the naked eye. Objects dimmer than magnitude 6 or so are invisible to the naked eye. Note that the greater the magnitude value, the dimmer the object appears. For comparison, the sun has magnitude -27, the full moon is -12, the brightest star visible from Earth (Sirius) is -1.6, and the photogenic galaxy M51 (near the Big Dipper) has magnitude 8.

Mathematically, a change in magnitude by one unit corresponds to a change in brightness by a factor of 2.51. Therefore, an object of magnitude 0 is brighter than an object of magnitude 5 by a factor of 2.51 to the fifth power = 100.


Ascension/Declination Lines

Right ascension lines, like lines of longitude on the globe, describe the angular distance (in hours) of an object east and west of its position at the time of the vernal (spring) equinox. (One hour is equal to 15 degrees.) Declination lines, like lines of latitude on the globe, describe the angular distance (in degrees) of an object north and south of the celestial equator. Objects north of the equator have positive numbers (up to 90 degrees); objects south of the equator have negative numbers (down to -90 degrees).

To change the display settings for ascension and declination lines, choose Display from the viewer menu and select Ascension/Declination Lines.


Objects Below the Horizon

The planetarium usually restricts your view to points above the horizon of the selected location. However, by choosing Objects Below the Horizon you can view any point in space below the current horizon. This feature is useful for seeing what stars have just set and which ones are about to rise. It is also handy for seeing objects that otherwise would never rise at the selected location.

Objects Below the Horizon is automatically chosen whenever you search for an object that does not rise at the selected location.


Time Lapse

You can see the movement of celestial objects across the night sky by taking "snapshots" of the sky at different intervals of time. These snapshots, or "stills," are then presented in steps, one after the other, as in a slide show.

First choose Set Up Time Lapse from the viewer menu to indicate how often you want the snapshots taken. You can take a snapshot every year, month, day, hour, minute, or second, or at any time interval you want. You can also determine how long you want each new still displayed. For example, to see an almost continual movement of objects in real time, type "1" in the Second text box and "0" in the other text boxes in the Time Step group, and "1" in the Seconds Per Step text box. To see how the night sky will look at the same time of day each month, type "1" in the Month text box in the Time Step group. Then choose Start Time Lapse to see the movement of objects. The date and time at the top of the map change for each snapshot displayed. Click on the Stop Animating button to stop the display of snapshots.

For details on the Planetarium's display options, see:

Display Options


Recent Events

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose Recent Events to see highlights of historic events that have taken place within the last two years. Choose the year you want from the submenu. Then, in the Article Viewer, click on a month to link to a list of events that occurred in that month. A list of anniversaries for each month tops the list, followed by highlights of that month's events for the chosen year.


On This Date

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose On This Date to learn about notable birthdays or events that occurred on a specific date in history. Use the up and down arrows beside the date to change the month and the day, or click the cursor in the date box and type in any date you choose.

Click on the Show Events button to see important events that happened on the displayed date. Click on the More Birthdays button to see a list of famous people born on that date.

To see On This Date each time you start the program, click on Show at Start-up.


Exploring Questions

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose Exploring Questions to see fascinating questions, which are answered in encyclopedia articles. Click on Next to see another question. Click on Previous to see the preceding question.

To find the answer to a question, click on Discover the Answer. The article that contains the answer is displayed in the Article Viewer.

To see Exploring Questions each time you start the program, click on Show at Start-up.


Picture Tours

Click on the Special button on the Control Bar and choose Picture Tours to browse through all of the pictures in the encyclopedia or to view pictures related to a specific category, such as Animals, Communication, or Planet Earth. The pictures advance automatically. Use the control buttons in the viewer to control the presentation.

To change the category of pictures displayed, choose Select Tour from the viewer menu, and then click on another category.


Help

The options available from the Help button on the Control Bar provide information on running the program. You can view a guided tour of the program (Guided Tour), access help topics (Help Topics), and set program preferences (Preferences). You can also see a list of people who created the encyclopedia, the encyclopedia's copyright and trademark information, and its version number and system requirements (About CIE).

For details on the Help options, see:

Guided Tour

Help Topics

Preferences

About CIE


Guided Tour

Click on the Help button on the Control Bar and choose Guided Tour to see a list of tours describing the main features of Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Select a tour from the list to watch and hear a description of program features. Click on Return to selection screen to exit the tour and return to the tour selection screen. Click on Exit Guided Tour or press Esc to exit the tour and return to the encyclopedia.

Each time you start the encyclopedia, you are asked if you want to see the Guided Tour unless you deselect Show at Start-up in the dialog box.


Help Topics

Click on the Help button on the Control Bar and choose Help Topics anytime you want quick, simple instructions on how to use the program features. See your Windows documentation for details on the Windows help feature.


Preferences

Click on the Help button on the Control Bar and choose Preferences to change the program settings that affect start-up, sound and media, your online connection, and text on the screen. Click on one of the tabs near the top of the Preferences window to display the kind of settings you want to change. Click on options to select and deselect them. Click on the Default Settings button to reset the options to their default settings.

The Start-up options let you set the program to skip the opening screen and music while the program is loading, start the Guided Tour or display Exploring Questions or On This Date during start-up, and confirm your request and save your place when you exit the program.

The Sound & Media options let you control the sound effects when you click on a button. You can also set your MIDI device driver and specify a time delay between pictures during the Picture Tours.

The Online options let you change your Internet browser application and remove the Online button from the Control Bar. (See Online.)

The Text options let you change the default word processor that opens when you choose Word Processor from the Research Tools button on the Control Bar. (See Word Processor.) They also let you change the relative size of text in the viewers and show or hide "rollover tips"--the text that appears when you move your cursor over buttons and options on the screen.

An "x" or a check mark in a check box means that an option is activated. No "x" or check mark indicates an inactive option.


About CIE

Click on the Help button on the Control Bar and choose About CIE to learn about the people who created Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia and provided its content and software tools. Copyright and trademark information also appears here. To see the program's version number and a list of the program's system requirements compared with your own system, hold down the Ctrl key when you choose About CIE from the Help button menu.