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OS/2 Help File
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1996-04-18
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ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. License Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Soup KIDchen v1.01s
(c) Copyright 1996, Widdow Works, All Rights Reserved.
This version of Soup KIDchen has been distributed as Shareware. Shareware
allows you to try a software product to determine if it meets your needs
without having to purchase the software first. It DOES NOT allow you to use
the software indefinitely. Rather, you are required to purchase the software
by registering it if you choose to continue using it after a reasonable trial
period. Otherwise, you must remove the software from you system.
You are encouraged to freely distribute the unregistered, unaltered Shareware
version of Soup KIDchen.
Your use of this software implies consent to the Software License Agreement
below.
If you have any question regarding your rights or responsibilities concerning
the use of this product please contact:
Widdow Works
P.O. Box 1308
State College PA 16801-1308
E-Mail: widdow@third-wave.com
Software License Agreement
The Shareware trial period is 14 days. If Soup KIDchen is used after this
period, registration of the product is required. Otherwise Soup KIDchen must
be removed from the system.
The Soup KIDchen software, sounds, pictures, and other data are provided
without any warranties expressed or implied. In no event will Widdow Works or
any of its affiliates be liable for any incidental, special, exemplary,
punitive, or consequential damages resulting from or connected with the use of
this product.
Soup KIDchen is provided as a tool to allow parents to take an active role in
the education and entertainment of their children. The data provided with this
distribution is for demonstration purposes only, and does not claim to be
educational in any way. It is the responsibility of the user of this software
to determine the proper content for use by their children.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Soup KIDchen
version 1.01s
by
Widdow Works
(c) 1996
Recommended Ages: 2 - 6 years old
We would like to thank you for trying Soup KIDchen. Soup KIDchen has gone
through many changes since its initial conception. We feel that it has evolved
into a program which will allow parents and children to work together to
experience the fun and excitement of computers.
Soup KIDchen is a unique program that transcends traditional children's
software to help children use their imagination and have fun with their
parents. It also helps parents take an active role in their children's
education. Soup KIDchen's easy-to-use interface helps children learn the
alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes by association with images and sounds
which are completely configurable by the parent. The images and sounds may be
obtained from various sources, which include those created by parent and child
using some favorite multimedia tools, those discovered while surfing the 'net,
scanned family photos or family audio clips. Using Soup KIDchen, children
enjoy learning in an environment designed with their parents.
The database provided with the Shareware distribution of Soup KIDchen is not
complete. It is provided to demonstrate the functionality of the program.
Once you register you are welcome to continue to use the pictures and sounds
provided in the sample database.
Some Suggestions for Your Database Entries
The only limitation to the educational subjects presented in your Soup KIDchen
database is your imagination. Here are some suggestions for database entries:
Pictures drawn by you or your child
Scanned Photographs (see Performance Considerations for notes on using
scanned images)
Family Members
Animals
Food
Body Parts
Geography (countries, states, counties, cities)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Hardware/Software Requirements ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Soup KIDchen requires the following hardware and software resources:
OS/2 Warp 3.0
Multimedia support
Times New Roman and Helvetica postscript fonts (among the default options
in the OS/2 installation)
Any resolution video with 256 colors or more
8 MB RAM
7 MB hard disk space for initial installation
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Installation / Uninstalling ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
INSTALLATION for 3.5" floppy disk distribution:
Insert Disk 1 into drive A: or B:. From the command line, change to
that drive and type INSTALL. Alternatively, open the drive object for
that drive and double-click on INSTALL.CMD.
- or -
Copy the contents of Disk 1 and Disk 2 to a temporary directory on your
hard drive. From the command line, change to that drive and directory
and type INSTALL. Alternatively, open that folder and double-click on
INSTALL.CMD.
INSTALLATION for zipfile archive distribution:
Unzip the archive to a temporary directory on your hard drive. From the
command line, change to that drive and directory and type INSTALL.
Alternatively, open that folder and double-click on INSTALL.CMD.
CREATING 3.5" DISKETTES from the zipfile archive distribution:
Two diskettes are needed to distribute Soup KIDchen on 3.5" media. The
first disk should contain the files:
Readme.1st
Install.cmd
SupK101s.ex1
The second disk should contain the file
SupK101s.ex2
No special volume labels are required.
UN-INSTALLING Soup KIDchen:
To remove Soup KIDchen from your system, simply
1. Drag any Soup KIDchen folder(s) and/or program objects to the
shredder.
2. Delete the Soup KIDchen directory (and its sub-directories). One
way to do this is by finding the Soup KIDchen directory folder in
the Drives object and dragging it to the shredder.
Soup KIDchen does not modify any system files or place files anywhere
other than the installation directory, so this is all you need to do!
NOTICE:
Soup KIDchen is packaged to be self-extracting using Info-ZIP's
compression utility. Info-ZIP's software (Zip, UnZip and related
utilities) is free and can be obtained as source code or executables
from various bulletin board services and anonymous-ftp sites, including
CompuServe's IBMPRO forum and ftp.uu.net:/pub/archiving/zip/*.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Registering Soup KIDchen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Shareware version of Soup KIDchen is initially "unregistered". (See
License Information for more on Shareware.) The unregistered version of Soup
KIDchen is fully functional, with the exception that any changes that are made
to the Database are not saved between sessions. This allows you to run Soup
KIDchen and enter some items into the Database to see how it works, which
should be sufficient for you to determine if you wish to register Soup KIDchen.
It is necessary to register Soup KIDchen to fully enable it. Upon registering,
you will receive a key which must be entered on the Registration page of the
Configuration Notebook.
There are currently two ways to register Soup KIDchen:
1. Contact BMT Micro via snail mail, email, fax, BBS, or telephone.
2. Mail the registration form and a check or money order to:
Widdow Works
P.O. Box 1308
State College PA, 16801-1308
Cost: $22 US
In addition to providing you with a fully functional copy of the software,
your registration entitles you to any and all minor upgrades to Soup KIDchen
free of charge. A new minor version of the software may be released in
response to bug reports and suggestions we receive for minor enhancements.
If created, upgrades to version 2.x will be provided to registered users at a
discounted rate.
Finally, registered users will be able to purchase any complete Soup KIDchen
databases that Widdow Works produces for a discounted rate.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. BMT Micro Order form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Mail Orders To: BMT Micro
PO Box 15016
Wilmington, NC 28408
U.S.A.
Voice Orders: 8.00am - 7.00pm EST (-5 GMT)
(800) 414-4268 (Orders only)
(910) 791-7052 (Orders / Order Inquires)
Fax Orders: (800) 346-1672 24 hours, 7 days a week
(910) 350-2937 24 hours, 7 days a week
Online Orders via BBS: (910) 350-8061 10 lines, all 14.4K
(910) 799-0923 28.8k v.FC
via Compuserve: Thomas Bradford, 74031,307
via Internet: orders@bmtmicro.com
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diner's
Club, money order, cashiers checks, and personal checks. We also
accept DM and British currency via registered mail.
Personal checks are subject to clearance.
We accept purchase orders from educational institutions,
governmental agencies and other verifiable businesses. Terms are
"Due Upon Receipt" with a $250 minimum.
Name: __________________________________________________________
Company: __________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State/Province: ________________
Country: ____________________________ Postal Code: ________________
Phone: __________________________________________________________
Fax: __________________________________________________________
Email: __________________________________________________________
Product Price Quantity Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Soup KIDchen by Widdow Works $__22.00_ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
________________________________ $________ x ________ = $____.___
Subtotal: $____.___
North Carolina residents, please add 6% sales tax: +$____.___
Shipping (check one):
___ Email (subject to credit card verification) Free
___ Fax (subject to credit card verification) Free
___ Fax (non-USA) 2.00_
___ 1st Class ................................. Free
___ Airborne (Next day most places, USA Only).. +$___7.00_
___ Federal Express (USA Only)................. +$__13.00_
___ Federal Express (Canada/Mexico)............ +$__25.00_
___ Federal Express (Europe/Japan)............. +$__30.00_
___ Express (Outside USA) ..................... +$__20.00_
Total: $____.___
For credit card payment only:
Circle one: VISA / Master / Discover / AMEX / Diner's Club
Credit card number: _____________________________________________
Expiration date: ___/___
Authorization signature: __________________________________________
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Widdow Works Registration form ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Widdow Works Soup KIDchen registration form. Mail this form,
along with your check or money order for the appropriate amount
($22 US per registration key) to:
Widdow Works
P.O. Box 1308
State College PA, 16801-1308
Name: ________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State: _____ Zip: ______________
Country: __________ Phone: ____________________________
Send Registration Key via: _____ E-mail _____ US Mail
E-mail: ________________________________________________________
Comments: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
From where did you
obtain Soup KIDchen? _____________________________________________
Are you interested in a CDROM
package with a full database? _____ Yes _____ No
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Support ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If you are experiencing problems with Soup KIDchen please feel free to contact
us via E-mail or US-mail to report problems. We will get back to you as soon
as possible.
Widdow Works
P.O. Box 1308
State College PA, 16801-1308
Internet: widdow@third-wave.com
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Starting Soup KIDchen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
During the installation of Soup KIDchen, the install program asks if desktop
objects should be created for Soup KIDchen. These consist of the Soup KIDchen
folder and three program objects inside it: Information, Configuration, and the
Soup KIDchen program object.
If the program objects were not created during installation or they were
accidentally deleted, they can be recreated by running SKDesk.CMD in the Soup
KIDchen directory. Alternatively, a program object for Soup KIDchen can be
created by dragging a program template object from the templates folder to the
desktop, and entering SOUPKID.EXE (preceded by the Soup KIDchen directory) in
the "Path and file name" field and the Soup KIDchen directory in the "Working
directory" field.
Soup KIDchen recognizes the command line switches listed below. In all cases,
only enough characters to make the selected option unambiguous are needed. All
options must be separated by a space. For example, to specify windowed mode
with no music, one would only need to specify
SoupKID /w /nom
/Windowed
Normally, Soup KIDchen starts in full-screen mode- that is, it is a
window that takes up the whole screen. The /Windowed switch will cause
the Soup KIDchen windows to open as normal windows on the desktop. This
is useful when making extensive changes to the Database, since database
Entries can be tested in the program as they are entered.
/Configure
This switch will cause the Soup KIDchen Configuration Notebook to start.
/NoAudio
This switch will cause Soup KIDchen not to attempt to open the wave
audio device. Therefore, no sound effects will be played for the
duration of the program.
This switch overrides, but does not change, the "Enable audio" checkbox
in the Configuration Notebook.
/NoMusic
This switch will cause Soup KIDchen not to attempt to open the MIDI
audio device. Therefore, no background music will be played while Soup
KIDchen is running.
This switch overrides, but does not change, the "Enable background
music" checkbox in the Configuration Notebook.
/Module {Letters, Numbers, Shapes, Colors}
This switch will cause the specified Module to be started automatically
when Soup KIDchen is started.
Example usage to start the Shapes Module:
SoupKID /Module Shapes
/Database {database name}
By default, Soup KIDchen reads a database named "SoupKIDd.INI". It may
be useful in some situations to be able to have several different
databases from which to choose, perhaps based on subjects. This switch
causes Soup KIDchen to read the specified database instead of the
default.
Examples to use Animals.INI:
SoupKID /Database Animals
SoupKID /Database Animals.ini
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Using Soup KIDchen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
There are four Modules available in Soup KIDchen. Each of the Modules can be
accessed from the Main Screen by clicking on the objects which represents the
particular Module. Below is a list of the modules and the objects on the Main
Screen which will start the Module.
Module Objects
Letters the blocks with letters
Numbers the numbers
Colors the crayons
Shapes the wooden shape blocks
As the mouse pointer moves over each of the active areas, the pointer will
change its appearance to indicate that clicking mouse button 1 (the left mouse
button in the default mouse configuration) will start a Module.
When a Module is started, the screen (or a window if the /Windowed command
line switch was used) will display all of the Items for that Module jumbled on
the screen. This is called the Jumble Screen. The Items can be chosen by
clicking on them with the mouse. In the case of the Letters or Numbers
Modules, an Item can also be chosen by pressing the appropriate key on the
keyboard.
Pressing almost any other key or clicking with mouse button 2 (the right mouse
button in the default mouse configuration) will cause the Items to be
rejumbled.
When an Item is chosen, an Entry for that Item is displayed. An Entry
consists of description text, and image, and two wave files. The description
text is shown at the top of the screen (or window) and the image is shown in
the middle. If "Play text audio on Item change" is enabled, the wave file
defined as the "Description sound" will be played. Clicking the mouse on the
description text will also cause the "Description sound" to be played, and
clicking on the image will cause the wave file defined as the "Effects sound"
to be played. Clicking the mouse on the Letter, Number, Color or Shape to the
upper-left or upper-right of the image will randomly choose another Item to be
displayed. Clicking the mouse anywhere else will show the Jumble Screen. The
keyboard works the same as on the Jumble Screen.
A Module can be closed either by clicking on the button in the lower-lefthand
corner of the screen (or window) or by pressing Alt-F4.
The Main Screen can be closed with Alt-F4, or by clicking on the stop sign in
the upper-left corner of the screen (or window).
Also see Configuring Soup KIDchen.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Configuring Soup KIDchen ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
General program settings (such as volume control) and Database manipulation are
accessed through the Configuration Notebook.
To open the Configuration Notebook, either run the program with the /Configure
command line switch or double click mouse button 2 (the right mouse button in
the default mouse configuration) on the background of the Main Screen while
holding down the Shift, Control, and Alt keys. (We hope this prevents the
accidental display of the Configuration Notebook.) For building the Database,
it is suggested that you use the command line switches /Configure /Windowed
/NoMusic.
The information on the General and Database settings pages will be saved when
the notebook is closed. (Registration settings are saved immediately when
registering, and all changes to the Database are made with the Add/Change
buttons.)
Note: The standard operations for copying, cutting, and pasting are available
for all entry fields in the Configuration Notebook. Namely, ctrl-delete cuts
selected text to the clipboard, ctrl-insert copies selected text to the
clipboard, and shift-insert pastes from the clipboard into the entry field.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. General Settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The General settings page allows configuration of the following:
Enabling wave file audio
Playing sounds on Start and Exit
Playing text on Item changes
Wave file playback volume
Enabling background music
Background musc volume
Background music (MIDI) filename
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.1. Enable wave file audio checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Enable wave file audio" checkbox controls whether or not wave files will
be played anywhere in the program.
If you consistently get a message box that says "Unable to access audio device"
when starting Soup KIDchen, perhaps because you don't have an OS/2 supported
audio card installed, deselect this checkbox.
The default state is "selected."
Note: You may receive "Unable to access audio device" messages if your sound
card is not capable of playing wave files or if some other program already has
the audio device open.
Note: If you receive the message "OS/2 Multimedia support is not installed",
you will need to disable wave file audio and background music (MIDI).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.2. Play sounds on Start and Exit checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Soup KIDchen plays sounds by default when opening and closing. The "Play
sounds on Start and Exit" checkbox controls this behavior.
The default state is "selected".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.3. Play text audio on Item change checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Play text audio on Item change" checkbox controls whether or not the sound
for an Entry, defined by the "Description sound", is played automatically when
a new Item is displayed.
The default state is "selected".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.4. Wave file volume spinbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Wave file volume" spinbutton selects the playback volume for all wave
files in the application. This volume is a percentage of the system volume,
which is set by the MMPM/2 volume control. For example, when the "Wave file
volume" is set to 50%, wave files will be played half as loud as OS/2 system
sounds.
The default setting is 100%.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.5. Enable background music checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Enable background music" checkbox determines if background music will play
while the program is running.
If you consistently get a message box that says "Unable to access MIDI device"
when starting Soup KIDchen, deselect this checkbox.
The default state is "selected".
Note: You may receive "Unable to access MIDI device" messages if your sound
card is not capable of playing MIDI files at the same time as wave files (and
the wave file device has already been opened) or if some other program already
has the MIDI device open.
Note: If you receive the message "OS/2 Multimedia support is not installed",
you will need to disable wave file audio and background music (MIDI).
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.6. Background music volume spinbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Background music volume" spinbutton selects the playback volume for the
background music. This volume is a percentage of the system volume, which is
set by the MMPM/2 volume control. For example, when the "Background music
volume" is set to 50%, the music will be played half as loud as OS/2 system
sounds.
The default setting is 65%.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.7. Music (MIDI) file name entry field ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The MIDI file specified in the "Music (MIDI) file name" entry field will be
played when Soup KIDchen is started if background music is enabled.
There are three ways to enter the filename. They are the same as those for
entering the image file name. However, if using the drag and drop method, the
file must have the type "MIDI" OR have a file extension of .mid.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.8. Undo Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Pressing the "Undo" button resets the values on the General settings page back
to the values they had when the Configuration Notebook was opened.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1.9. Default Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Pressing the "Default" button sets the values on the General settings page to
their default values.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. Database settings ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Database settings page allows you control of the general behavior of the
database entry pages (any page obtained by selecting a tab from the bottom of
the notebook). The name of the current database is displayed as well as
options for the following:
The {PATH} substitution variable
Enabling Delete confirmation
Enabling file name confirmation
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.1. {Path} substitution entry field ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If a filename on a database entry page contains the string "{PATH}", the string
in the "{Path} substitution" entry field will be substituted in its place when
Soup KIDchen runs. This allows you to easily move the images and sounds that
make up your database if they are all in the same subdirectory.
The text above the entry field indicates the database with which you are
working, since the {path} value is database specific (you can define {Path} to
be different things for different databases). The database can be changed with
the /Database command line switch.
The default path is "." (the current working directory).
Example:
If {Path} is set to "D:\MyImages" and the image for an Entry under the Item
"Blue" in the Colors Module is defined to be "{path}\Colors\BlueDo.bmp",
when this Entry is chosen to be displayed, Soup KIDchen will search for the
image named "D:\MyImages\Colors\BlueDo.bmp".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.2. Enable database Delete confirmation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Selecting the "Enable database Delete confirmation" checkbox will cause you to
be prompted with an "Are you sure" question whenever you press the "Delete"
button on a database entry page.
The default state is "selected".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.3. Enable database file name confirmation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Selecting the "Enable database file name confirmation" checkbox will cause you
to be prompted whether to continue with the Add/Change operation if one of the
files you specified doesn't exist.
The default state is "selected".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.4. Undo Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Pressing the "Undo" button resets the values on the Database settings page back
to the values they had when the Configuration Notebook was opened.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2.5. Default Button ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Pressing the "Default" button sets the values on the Database settings page to
their default values.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Registration Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Upon registering Soup KIDchen, you will receive a "Registration Key" with which
to fully enable Soup KIDchen. Enter your name in the "Name" field, and the
Registration Key in the "Key" field EXACTLY as you received it Widdow Works.
When you have entered the information, press the "Register" button. A dialog
box will appear indicating whether or not the information is correct.
If the registration information is correct, Soup KIDchen will be fully enabled,
and the entry fields and buttons will become disabled indicating that the
registration process is complete. A message box will also confirm that the
registration information is correct.
If the registration information is not correct, a message box will indicate
this, and you may attempt to enter the correct information again.
Warning: If Soup KIDchen is unregistered, changes to the Database will NOT be
saved between sessions.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. The Database ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The main goal of Soup KIDchen is to allow parents and children to enjoy quality
learning time together. Rather than providing a complete database of pictures
and sounds, we hope that you will spend some time creating your own pictures
and sounds with your children.
The Soup KIDchen data base is configured by first choosing a Module (Letters,
Numbers, Colors, or Shapes) by selecting the appropriate tab along the
right-hand side of the Configuration Notebook and then choosing a specific Item
('A', '2', 'Blue', 'Square') in the Module by selecting one of the tabs along
the bottom of the notebook.
The Entry Listing at the top of the database entry page contains all of the
Entries defined for the current Item. For example, the Item 'A' may have the
Entries Airplane, Alligator and Aunt Alice. Each Entry consists of a picture,
an effects sound and a description sound. The effects sound, if entered, is
played when the mouse pointer is clicked on the picture, and the description
sound is played when the mouse pointer is clicked on the identifying word (and
also when the Entry is displayed if Play text audio on change is selected).
For example, the Entry Aunt Alice may have a picture of Aunt Alice in the image
name entry box, a wave file of Aunt Alice saying "Hi" in the effects sound
entry box, and somebody simply saying "Aunt Alice begins with 'A'" in the
description sound entry box.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.1. Item List drop-down list box ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The drop-down list box in the section labeled "Entry Listing" lists all of the
Entries for the current Letter, Number, Shape or Color. If there are no Entries
in the database for the current Item, the listbox will be empty.
To look at or modify one of the Entries' data, select one from the list.
To completely remove an Entry from the database, click on the "Delete"
pushbutton.
The numbers to the left of the word(s) indicate the number of Entries defined
for this Item and which one of these is the currently selected Entry. For
example,
[4/8] Africa
indicates that the "Africa" Entry currently displayed is number 4 in a list of
8 Entries in the database for this Item.
This list box is read-only. The string that appears here is the "Description
text" string defined in the Entry Data section, and should you want to change
it, the change must be made there.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.2. The "Delete" pushbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When the "Delete" pushbutton is pressed, the Entry currently displayed in the
listbox (and whose data is shown in the Entry Data grouping) is deleted from
the database.
If the Enable database Delete confirmation checkbox on the Database settings
page is selected, you will be prompted to confirm the deletion.
Warning: This action cannot be undone.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.3. The "Clear" pushbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
When the "Clear" pushbutton is pressed, the fields in the Entry Data section
are cleared, and the Enable entry checkbox is set to its default state of
"selected".
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.4. The "Enable entry" checkbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If the "Enable entry" checkbox is selected, the Entry will be included in those
that can be displayed for an Item. If it is not selected, the Entry will not
appear. This allows you to restrict the Entries that can be displayed without
the need to remove them from the database.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.5. The "Description text" entry field ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Description text" field is what will appear above the picture when an Item
is displayed. This description is also what appears in the Entry Listing
listbox.
To change this field, simply type into the entry field.
Note: This field is required.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.6. The "Image file name" entry field ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Image file name" entry field contains the file name of the image file to
display for this Entry. This must be a valid graphics file in one of the
following formats:
OS/2 bitmap
GIF
PCX
JPEG (color only- no grayscale)
RLE
TIFF
The size and format of the image can affect the performance of Soup KIDchen.
See Peformance Considerations for more information.
Note: This field is required.
There are three ways to enter the filename:
1. Type the name into the entry field.
2. Click with Mouse Button 2 (the right mouse button in the default
configuration) to bring up a popup menu. Choose "File Dialog..." from
the menu. Choose the filename in the dialog, and press "OK" when
finished. The name will appear in the entry field.
3. Drag the file you wish to use from a desktop folder and drop it over the
entry field. For the drag and drop operation to be successful, the file
you drag must have "Bitmap" as one of its types OR have one of the
following filename extensions: .bmp, .gif, .pcx, .jpg, .jpeg, .rle, .tif,
or .tiff.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.7. The "Effects sound file name" entry field ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Effects sound file name" entry field contains the file name of the sound
to be played whenever mouse button is pressed while the pointer is over the
image. The file must be valid sound file supported by your system. A good
rule of thumb is that if the Digital Audio application in the Multimedia folder
can play it, Soup KIDchen can play it too. (The inverse is also true: if the
Digital Audio application can't play it, Soup KIDchen won't be able to play it
either.)
There are three ways to enter the filename. They are the same as those for
entering the image file name. However, if using the drag and drop method, the
file must have the type "Digital Audio" OR have a file extension of .wav.
Note: This field is optional, though recommended.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.8. The "Description sound file name" entry field ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The "Description sound file name" entry field contains the file name of the
sound to be played whenever the mouse button is over the "Description text",
which is above the image. The sound is also played whenever a new Item is
chosen if the "Play text audio on image change" checkbox on the General
settings page is selected.
There are three ways to enter the filename. They are the same as those for
entering the effects sound file name.
Note: This field is optional, though recommended.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.9. Item Data "Add" pushbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Clicking on the "Add" pushbutton will put the information in the Entry Data
grouping into the database. The newly added Entry will be visible in the Entry
Listing listbox.
Before saving, however, a check will be made to insure that the two required
fields (Description text and Image file name) are completed. If they are not,
a message box will appear indicating this, and the Entry will not be saved to
the database.
If Enable database file name confirmation checkbox on the Database settings
page is selected, the existence (but not validity) of the files in the entry
fields is verified. If a file does not exist, a message box will ask you if
you wish to continue with the "Add" operation. Answer "Yes" to continue, and
"No" to cancel.
A disabled (greyed-out) "Add" pushbutton indicates that the database is full
for Item. The database is currently limited to 31 Entries for each Item.
Warning: If you make changes to the Entry Data, these changes will not be saved
if you do anything other than click on the "Add" or "Change" pushbuttons (like
choosing another Entry, choosing another Item, or closing the notebook).
Changes to the Entry Data are indicated by the word "Modified" in red to the
left of the "Clear" button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.10. Entry Data "Change" pushbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Clicking on the "Change" pushbutton will change the Entry Data in the database
for the currently selected Entry.
Before changing an Entry's data, however, a check will be made to insure that
the two required fields (Description text and Image file name) are completed.
If they are not, a message box will appear indicating this, and the Entry Data
will not be changed.
If Enable database file name confirmation checkbox on the Database settings
page is selected, the existence (but not validity) of the files in the entry
fields is verified. If a file does not exist, a message box will ask you if
you wish to continue with the "Change" operation. Answer "Yes" to continue,
and "No" to cancel.
Warning: If you make changes to the Entry Data, these changes will not be saved
if you do anything other than click on the "Add" or "Change" pushbuttons (like
choosing another Entry, choosing another Item, or closing the notebook).
Changes to the Entry Data are indicated by the word "Modified" in red to the
left of the "Clear" button.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4.11. Entry Data "Undo" pushbutton ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Clicking on the "Undo" pushbutton will undo any changes you've made to the
Entry Data since the last Entry selection or Add or Change; i.e. it re-reads
the Entry Data for the current Entry from the database.
Warning: The action done by the "Delete" pushbutton cannot be undone.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. Performance Considerations ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Though Soup KIDchen is not necessarily a program that is required to be "high
performance", following a few simple suggestions with regards to images will
prevent your child from waiting too long for an Item to display after choosing
it.
1. Images in the .bmp format will load the quickest, though they will
require the largest amount of disk space. Other formats will take longer
to load and display.
2. The size and number of colors in an image can also increase the amount of
time needed to display the image. An image approximately the size at
which it will be displayed and with a small number of colors (not 65k or
16 million) is optimal. Following is a list of popular screen
resolutions and the size at which the image will be displayed:
Resolution Image size
640x480 356x260
800x600 444x324
1024x768 568x414
1152x864 641x469
1280x1024 708x555
More precisely, the image is sized to fit to the appropriate size above
while maintaining the image's aspect ratio. For example, for a screen
resolution of 1024x768, an 864x800 image will be sized to 447x414.
3. No palette management or dithering of image colors to the system palette
is done. Therefore, images may not be displayed correctly, especially if
they have a large number of colors.
To accurately display images which contain non-system colors (scanned
photographs for instance), use image-viewing software which allows you to
dither the image to the default OS/2 system palette and resize it to
approximately the size at which it will be displayed. Then save this
picture under a new file name and use it for the Soup KIDchen database.
Although not perfect, this will allow the reasonable display of such
images.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Troubleshooting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Crash in MMPM.DLL at startup
If you have audio and background music enabled, and your sound card
doesn't support playing both wave files and MIDI files at the same time,
it is possible that Soup KIDchen may crash with an access violation
(SYS3175) in MMPM.DLL at startup, just after the main window appears.
The solution is to run Soup KIDchen with the /NoMusic /NoAudio
/Configure command line switches, and deselect the "Enable background
music" checkbox on the General settings page of the Configuration
Notebook.
Note: To see the where the access violation occured, choose "Display
register information" from the system error message box that pops
up. It should say something like:
SYS3175
A program generated an access violation at 1b00444d.
MMPM.DLL 0001:0000444d
...
{many numbers}
...
Soup KIDchen Locks up on startup
If you have background music enabled, and Soup KIDchen locks up on
startup (the screen goes white or gray, and then just sits there until
the "Close Application" box comes up), you must disable background
music, as there is a conflict between the MIDI device and the wave file
audio device. Do this by starting Soup KIDchen with the /NoMusic
command line switch. (Either make this switch permanent in the Soup
KIDchen program object or be sure to open the Configuration Notebook and
disable background music by deselecting the "Enable background music"
checkbox on the General settings page.)
This problem has been noted on the IBM Thinkpad 755.
Crash in MMPM.DLL when closing
If you have audio enabled, and Soup KIDchen crashes when closing, you
may try running Soup KIDchen with the /NoDelete command line switch.
This may solve the problem, but may also dramatically increase the
amount of time it takes for Soup KIDchen to close.
This problem has been noted on the IBM Thinkpad 755.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/Windowed
Normally, Soup KIDchen starts in full-screen mode- that is, it is a window that
takes up the whole screen. The /Windowed switch will cause the Soup KIDchen
windows to open as normal windows on the desktop. This is useful when filling
out the Database, as the database entries can be tested in the program as they
are entered.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/Configure
This switch will cause the Soup KIDchen Configuration Notebook to start.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/NoLogo
Normally, the Widdow Works logo appears while the program starts. his switch
will prohibit this from occuring.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/NoAudio
This switch will cause Soup KIDchen not to attempt to open the wave audio
device. Therefore, no sound effects will be played for the duration of the
program.
This switch overrides, but does not change, the "Enable audio" checkbox in the
Configuration Notebook.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/NoMusic
This switch will cause Soup KIDchen not to attempt to open the MIDI audio
device. Therefore, no background music will be played while Soup KIDchen is
running.
This switch overrides, but does not change, the "Enable background music"
checkbox in the Configuration Notebook.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/Module {Letters, Numbers, Shapes, Colors}
This switch will cause the specified module to be started automatically when
Soup KIDchen is started.
Example usage to start the shapes module:
SoupKID /Module Shapes
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
/Database {database name}
By default, Soup KIDchen reads a database named "SoupKIDd.INI". It may be
useful in some situations to be able to have several different databases from
which to choose, perhaps based on subjects. This switch causes Soup KIDchen to
read the specified database instead of the default.
Examples to use Animals.INI:
SoupKID /Database Animals
SoupKID /Database Animals.ini
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Main Screen
The Main Screen is the screen (or window) with the teddy bear on it, from which
one of the 4 Modules (Letters, Numbers, Colors, Shapes) is chosen.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Module
There are 4 Modules: Letters, Numbers, Colors and Shapes. Each of these
contains Items pertaining to that Module.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Jumble Screen
The Jumble Screen is what appears when a Module is first started. All of the
Items in a Module are shown in a jumbled manner on this screen. Selecting an
Item by clicking on it will display the Item Screen.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Item Screen
The Item Screen displays an Entry from the database for the chosen Item. If
there is more than one Entry defined for the Item, one of the Entries is chosen
at random to be displayed.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Item
An Item is one entity of a Module. For instance, an Item in the Letters Module
is a letter like 'Q'. In the Shapes Module the 'Square' is an Item.
All the Items for a Module are shown on the Jumble Screen.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Entry
A database Entry for an Item consists of description text, an image, and two
wave files.
Entries are placed in the database in the Configuration Notebook.