Whiteboard Help Contents
CoolTalk Whiteboard Help Contents

With the Whiteboard you can open and share image files, as well as interactively edit the Whiteboard’s canvas and mark up any images you import. The Whiteboard supports a number of graphics formats, and is capable of capturing images from the Windows 95 desktop.

Working with files

Using the Toolbox

The View Menu

Capturing Images

Whiteboard Options

Supported Graphics Formats


Open Image File

Selecting Open from the File menu launches the Open File dialog, which enables you to paste the contents of an image file into the Whiteboard.

 Loading an Image


Save Whiteboard Contents

Selecting Save from the File menu saves the current contents of the Whiteboard to disk. If the file has been saved previously, the changes will be applied to that file.

 Saving an Image


Save As

Selecting Save As launches a Windows 95 file requester, and allows you to specify the location where the Whiteboard’s contents will be saved.

 Saving an Image


Printer Setup
Print Setup

Selecting Print Setup from the File menu launches the printer setup window, enabling you to configure your printer.

 Printing an Image


Print Whiteboard Contents

Selecting Print from the File menu launches the Print dialog, which allows you to print the current contents of the Whiteboard.

 Printing an Image


Close Whiteboard

Selecting Close from the File menu exits the Whiteboard.


Clear Markups

Selecting Clear Markups from the Edit menu removes any drawings made by users that are on the Whiteboard.

 The Image and Markup Layers


Clear Whiteboard

Selecting Clear Whiteboard from the Edit menu erases all data from the Whiteboard.

 The Image and Markup Layers


Synchronize Pages
Synchronize Page

Sometimes networking errors can cause irregularities in the contents of conference members’ Whiteboards. If this occurs, the member with the correct contents should select Synchronize Page to correct the problems.


Copy

When Copy is selected from the Edit menu, your pointer will turn into a selection tool, enabling you to copy a specific section of the canvas.


Paste Bitmap

Use Paste Bitmap to copy a bitmap from the Windows 95 clipboard to the canvas. When you select this menu item, a box will appear displaying the size of the image that will be copied to the canvas. To preview the contents of the clipboard, press Shift as you move the box.


Paste Text

Paste Text copies text from the Windows 95 clipboard to the canvas. When you select this menu item, a box will appear outlining the area that the text will occupy. Position the box where you want the text to appear and click on the left mouse button to place it. To preview the text, hold down Shift as you move the box.


Paste Picture

Pastes a Windows metafile from the clipboard.


Paste Owner Display

Paste an owner draw picture from the clipboard.


Zoom In 1:8

 Zooming In and Out


Zoom In 1:4

 Zooming In and Out


Zoom In 1:2

 Zooming In and Out


Original Size

 Zooming In and Out


Zoom Out 2:1
Zoom Out 3:1

 Zooming In and Out


Zoom Out 4:1
Zoom Out 5:1

 Zooming In and Out


Zoom Out 8:1
Zoom Out 9:1

 Zooming In and Out


Refresh

The Refresh option from the View menu enables you to update your display if it has been corrupted. The image on your screen will be redrawn to display the Whiteboard’s actual contents.


Capture Window

The Capture Window option from the Capture menu enables you to copy the contents of windows and paste them onto the Whiteboard’s canvas. After you have selected Capture Window, a cross-hair pointer will appear. To capture a window’s contents, click on it. If you wish to capure the entire window, including the frame and title bar, click on the title bar. The outline of the area you have captured will appear over the Whiteboard. To preview the contents of the captured area, hold down Shift as you move the outline. To place the image, click the left mouse button.

If you have the Hide on Capture option selected, then the Whiteboard’s window will disappear as you capture from the desktop.


Capture Desktop

The Capture Desktop option from the Capture menu enables you to copy the entire contents of the desktop and paste them onto the Whiteboard’s canvas. The outline of the area you have captured will appear over the Whiteboard. To preview the contents of the captured area, hold down Shift as you move the outline. To place the image, click the left mouse button.

If you have the Hide on Capture option selected, then the Whiteboard’s window will disappear as you capture from the desktop.


Capture Region

The Capture Region option from the Capture menu enables you to copy a section of the desktop and paste it onto the Whiteboard’s canvas. After you have selected Capture Region, a cross-hair pointer will appear. Click on the desktop where you want to anchor one corner of a selection box. Stretch the box so that it outlines the area of the desktop you wish to capture. The outline of the image you have captured will appear over the Whiteboard. To preview the contents of the captured area, hold down Shift as you move the outline. To place the image, click the left mouse button.

If you have the Hide on Capture option selected, then the Whiteboard’s window will disappear as you capture from the desktop.


Fill Solid

The Fill Solid option causes the Whiteboard’s Fill Patterns to appear with an opaque background.

 Whiteboard Options


Fill Clear

The Fill Clear option causes the Whiteboard’s Fill Patterns to appear with a transparent background.

 Whiteboard Options


Erase Markups

The Erase Markups option affects the behavior of the Eraser. When Erase Markups is selected, only items on the canvas that reside in the Markup layer are removed when you use the Eraser.

 Whiteboard Options


Erase Image

The Erase Image option affects the behavior of the Eraser. When Erase Image is selected, items in the Image layer and the Markup layer are removed when you use the Eraser.

 Whiteboard Options


Floating Toolbox

When Floating Toolbox is selected, the Toolbox is detached from the Whiteboard’s window so that it can be positioned conveniently on the desktop. When this item is not selected, the Toolbox appears on the left side of the Whiteboard’s window.

 Whiteboard Options


Hide on Capture

When Hide on Capture is selected, the Whiteboard’s window will disappear when you are using commands from the Capture menu. If Hide on Capture is not selected, the Whiteboard window will remain on the screen while you capture images.

 Whiteboard Options


Fast Capture

When Fast Capture is enabled, images will be captured using optimized color selections. If Fast Capture is off, images will be captured using a careful color matching process, but will operate more slowly.

 Whiteboard Options


Compress

When Compress is on, Whiteboard images will be compressed before they are sent. Depending on your processor and network speed, the Whiteboard may operate more quickly if Compress is turned off.

 Whiteboard Options


Pop Up on Receive

When this option is active, the Whiteboard will be made active or launched if image data is received from the other conference member.

 Whiteboard Options


Canvas Size

Selecting Canvas Size from the Options menu launches the Canvas Size dialog, which allows you to resize the Whiteboard to your liking.

 Whiteboard Options


Working with Files

Loading an Image

Saving the Whiteboard’s Contents

Printing an Image


 Loading an Image

In order to load an image file from disk and paste it into the Whiteboard, you should first select Open from the File menu. A Windows 95 File Requester will appear.

Set the File Type to the graphics format of the file that you wish to open. Locate the file that you wish to open using the browser. Double click on the filename to open the file, or highlight the file name and click on the Open button.


 Saving an Image

You can save the contents of the Whiteboard’s canvas using the Save or Save As commands from the File menu. The first time you save the contents, you should use the Save As command. When you select Save As, a Windows 95 File Requester will appear.

Choose the directory where you want to save the image. Select the Graphics File Format that you wish to save the file in. Enter the filename for the new file and click on the Save button.

If you want the file to be saved as Read Only, select the Open as read-only box.


 Printing an Image

Before you print for the first time, you should make sure that you printer is set up properly, using the Print Setup facility. To do so, select Print Setup from the File menu.

When the printer is set up properly, you can print the Whiteboard’s contents. To do so, select Print from the File menu.

Once the Print menu is open, several options are available. To launch the Print Setup window from within the Print window, click on the Setup button. To go back to the Whiteboard without printing, click on the Cancel button. Once the Print options are configured properly, click on OK to print the image.


Using the Toolbox

Markup Tools:

Pencil

Eraser

Box

Circle

Pointer

Text

Line

Tool Properties:

Line Width

Fill Pattern

Color Palette


 Pencil

The Pencil enables you to draw freehand lines on the canvas. To draw with the pencil, hold down the left mouse button and drag the pointer across the canvas, as you move the mouse, a line will appear.

The Pencil uses the current Fill Pattern and Color when drawing.


 Eraser

Using the Eraser, you can remove sections of markups and images from the canvas. To use the Eraser, hold down the left mouse button as you move the cursor across the canvas. As you move across drawings they will be erased.

To toggle between erasing Markups and Images, click on the button in the lower right hand corner of the Whiteboard. The Eraser will be set to remove whichever layer’s name is displayed.


The Markup and Image Layers

The Whiteboard’s canvas has two distinct layers, the markup layer and the image layer.

The markup layer consists of drawings made using tools from the Toolbox, including Circles, Squares and drawings with the pencil. Items pasted into the Whiteboard from the clipboard are also part of the markup layer.

On the other hand, the Image layer contains images captured from the desktop using the items on the Capture menu, and Images loaded from disk.

The Eraser tool and Clear functions from the Edit menu recognize items on each layer, so that you can erase either just markups or both markups and images. To select between the two when you are using the Eraser, click on the Image/Markups button on the lower right hand corner of the Whiteboard. There are separate items in the Edit menu for Clear Markups and Clear Whiteboard. You can also toggle between the two from the Options menu.


 Box

The Box tool can be used to draw rectangles and squares on the canvas. To draw a rectangle, press the left mouse button to anchor one corner and drag the outline of the rectangle until it is the proper size and shape, then release the button.

To draw a square, hold down shift as you resize the box and it will be constrained to a square.

You can also use the Filled Box tool to draw solid squares and rectangles in the same manner.

The Box and Filled box use the chosen color, line width and fill pattern.


 Circle

The Circle tool is used to draw circles and ellipses on the canvas. To draw an ellipse, press the left mouse button on the canvas to anchor one corner of the ellipse’s area, then drag the mouse until the bounding box appears in the proper size and shape. Release the mouse button.

To draw a circle, hold down shift as you resize the ellipse and the bounding area will be constrained to a circle.

The Filled Circle tool can be used to draw solid ellipses.

The Circle and Filled Circle use the chosen color, line width and fill pattern.


 Pointer

The Pointer is used to point out details or specific areas on an image for the other conference member. Unlike the other tools, the pointer’s cursor (shaped like a large arrow) appears on the other person’s screen when you press the left mouse button.  To point things out on the Whiteboard, hold down the left mouse button and move it around the canvas. It appears in the color you have selected.


 Text

Using the Text tool you can type on the canvas. To do so, click on the canvas where you want to place the cursor, then type. The text you have typed will be sent to the other conference member when you hit return.

The Text that you type will appear in the color and fill pattern that you have selected. The Text tool is also governed by the font attributes located in the Toolbar, including font, font size, bold and italic.


 Line

The Line and Constrained Line tools are used to draw straight lines on the canvas. The Constrained Line tool draws only vertical and horizontal lines.

To draw a line using either of these tools, press the left mouse button on the canvas where you want to anchor one end of the line, then drag the cursor to the point where you want to end the line. Release the mouse button.

Lines appear in the currently selected color and fill pattern.


 Line Width

Line Width governs how thick the lines that various markup tools create are.

Line Width affects the Pencil, Box, Circle, and Line tools.


 Fill Pattern

Fill Pattern governs the appearance of objects drawn using various markup tools. There are four Fill Patterns that can be selected, and each of them can either be Solid or Clear.

When Fill Patterns are Solid, they appear over a black background, when they are clear the area under the Fill Pattern remains visible through gaps in the pattern. To toggle between Solid and Clear, use the Options menu, or the button in the lower right hand corner of the Whiteboard.

Fill Pattern affects the Pencil, Box, Circle, Text, and Line tools.


 Color

Color affects the appearance of every Whiteboard markup tool except the Eraser. The Whiteboard’s palette contains 20 colors. After you select a color, all of the drawings you make will appear in that color until you select a new one.


The View Menu

From the View menu you can Zoom in on or out from the canvas. To do so, select the degree of magnification that you wish to view from the View menu. If the view you have selected is closer than the current view, you will need to specify a spot to zoom in on. The cursor will appear as a magnifying glass when it is positioned over the canvas. Click on the spot that you wish to zoom in on.

The Refresh command will redraw your display, restoring the proper contents if it somehow becomes corrupted.


Capturing Images

The Whiteboard is able to capture images from the desktop. To capture images to paste into the Whiteboard, you will need to use the Capture menu.

There are three different options for capturing images:

Capture Window: In order to capture the contents of a window, select Window from the Capture menu. To capture a window’s contents, click on that window. If you want to capture an entire window including its frame, you should click on the title bar.

Capture Region: To capture a specific area of the desktop, select Region from the Capture menu. Press the left mouse button to anchor one corner of the area that you want to capture, then drag the cursor until the area you wish to import is surrounded by the bounding box. When you release the mouse button, the area will be captured.

Capture Desktop: To capture the entire desktop, select Desktop from the Capture menu.

Once you have captured an image, it will be imported to the canvas. A bounding box that shows the outline of the area you captured will appear, and you can position the box where you wish to place the image. Click the left mouse button to place the image. To preview the image before placing it, hold down the Shift key as you position the box.

The Hide on Capture and Fast Capture settings from the Option menu affect the Capture tools.


Whiteboard Options

Fill Solid/Fill Clear: This option governs the appearance of fill patterns. When Fill Solid is selected, fill patterns appear over black backgrounds. Fill Clear shows the underlying image through gaps in the fill patterns.

Erase Markups/Erase Image: This option governs the behavior of the Eraser tool. For more information, refer to the Markup and Image layers.

Floating Toolbox: When this option is on, the Toolbox is detached from the Whiteboard, and can be positioned independently, otherwise the Toolbox is attached to the left side of the Whiteboard.

Hide on Capture: If this option is selected, when you use the Capture menu the Whiteboard will be minimized.

Fast Capture: When Fast Capture is enabled, images will be captured using optimized color selections. If Fast Capture is off, images will be captured using a careful color matching process, but will operate more slowly.

Compress: When Compress is on, Whiteboard images will be compressed before they are sent. Depending on your processor and network speed, the Whiteboard may operate more quickly if Compress is turned off.

Pop Up on Receive: When this option is active, the Whiteboard will be made active or launched if image data is received from the other conference member.

Canvas Size: Selecting this option launches the Canvas Size window, which allows you to set the height and width of the canvas.


Supported Graphics Formats

The following graphics file formats are supported by the Whiteboard:

Windows Bitmap

Compuserve GIF

ZSoft Paintbrush PCX

TIFF Revision 5.0

JPEG

Sun Raster

Truevision TARGA


Canvas Size

From this dialog box, you can specify the size, in pixels, of the canvas. Enter the Width and Height in the spaces provided.