home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Simtel MSDOS 1992 September
/
Simtel20_Sept92.cdr
/
msdos
/
qmodem
/
hst20.arc
/
SHOW.DOC
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1989-02-14
|
7KB
|
187 lines
SHOW - The ShowMaker Show Viewer
--------------------------------
(c) Copyright Dan Moore 1988,1989
Introduction
------------
The SHOW program displays Show Files (.SHO) created with the
ShowMaker system. SHOW requires approximately 80K to operate,
and PC- or MS-DOS release 2.0 or greater. A color display is
recommended, but not mandatory. Show also takes advantage of a
Microsoft or compatible mouse if one is available.
Starting SHOW
-------------
The SHOW program is started with the following command:
SHOW [SHOWDIR] [/BW]<Enter>
[SHOWDIR] is an optional parameter which points to the directory
where the desired Show Files (.SHO) are stored. SHOWDIR must be
a valid DOS drive:\directory\ name containing a trailing
backslash. If the [SHOWDIR] parameter is omitted, SHOW will
look for .SHO files in the current directory. If the SHOW
program is in a PATH'ed directory (a directory defined in your
PATH command), start the SHOW program from the .SHO file
directory and omit the [SHOWDIR] parameter.
The [/BW] optional parameter forces monochrome display. This
parameter is not usually needed if you are using standard DOS
video modes since SHOW detects these automatically and adjust
the display colors accordingly. In case of extreme
incompatibility when using a monochrome monitor, you may try
this parameter.
Following are three examples:
1. Show Files are in C:\DATA\SHOWS and the SHOW program is in
the C:\SHOW directory
C:>CD SHOW
C:>SHOW C:\DATA\SHOWS\ <Enter>
2. The SHOW program is in the DOS PATH and Show Files are in the
C:\DATA\SHOW directory:
C:>CD DATA\SHOW
C:>SHOW <Enter>
3. SHOW.EXE and Show files are in the current directory and
monochrome output is desired:
C:>SHOW /BW <Enter>
If no Show Files were found in the current directory or in the
directory specified on the command line, SHOW will terminate
with an appropriate error message. The error message may also
be displayed if an incorrect command-line parameter was used.
If .SHO files were found, SHOW will display its logo/copyright
screen. After a few seconds, the Show File Menu Screen will
appear.
The Show File Menu
------------------
The Show File Menu Screen displays a variable-size, scrollable
window containing the titles of all shows found in the show
directory. To select a show, use the cursor key(s) or roll the
mouse until the desired show name is highlighted, then press
<Enter> or click the left mouse button. Pressing <Esc> or
clicking the right mouse button exits SHOW and returns to DOS.
The Credit Screen
-----------------
Once you have selected a Show, a credit screen will be shown
for a few short seconds, acknowledging the show's author. You
will then be prompted to press any key or click either mouse
button to start the Show.
Running SHOW
------------
When SHOW starts, it immediately displays the first screen in
the .SHO file. The bottom line contains help information which
may be cycled via the F1 key. The default Help Line displays
keyboard help; the second help line displays mouse help.
Pressing F1 a third time eliminates the help line altogether.
Since many screens contain 25 lines' worth of information,
turning the help line off will allow you to view the entire
screen. Once you become familiar with SHOW's simple commands,
you may wish to keep the help line off.
SHOW controls are simple and intuitive:
F1 - Cycle Help Line (kb/mouse/OFF)
PgDn/Click Left - Display Next Screen
PgUp/Click Right - Display Previous Screen
Home - Display First Screen
End - Display Last Screen
F2/Click Both - Screen Menu
Esc - Exit Show/Return to Show File Menu
When you exit the Show, the Show File Menu Screen will be
re-displayed.
F2 - Screen Menu
----------------
Pressing F2 (or clicking both mouse buttons) at any time during
the show displays the Show's Screen Menu. The top line of the
menu screen contains the Show's title. Below the title, a
scrollable window displays the show's screen descriptions and
allows selection of the next screen to be viewed.
While in the screen selection window, the following keys and key
combinations are active:
Dn/Mouse Down - Down one screen
Up/Mouse Up - Up one screen
PgDn - Down 18 screens
PgUp - Up 18 screens
Home - Top of Window
End - Bottom of Window
^Home - First Screen
^End - Last Screen
Enter/Click Left - Select screen and exit
Esc/Click Right - Exit without screen change
Pressing <Enter> or clicking the left mouse button selects the
highlighted screen and resumes the show at the new starting
location.
Pressing <Esc> or clicking the right mouse button returns to the
show where you left off.
First and Last Screens
----------------------
PgUp/Click Right when on the first screen or PgDn/Click Left on
the last screen will cause SHOW to display an informational
screen to let you know that you were at the beginning or end of
the show. Pressing <Esc> will display the exit prompt, while
pressing any key will return you to the program at the first or
last screen, respectively.
Video Adapter Support
---------------------
Shows are developed with color displays in mind, but they can be
viewed on any display. Since the ShowMaker program allows
vibrant, high-intensity background colors, a color display is
strongly recommended.
On systems equipped with monochrome displays, SHOW alters screen
colors to insure that all data is visible. This extra
translation process may cause a slight delay during screen
transition on slower systems. If you are using a composite
video monitor attached to a color/graphics adapter, use the DOS
MODE BW80 command prior to running show to insure that native
screen colors are changed for optimum results on your display.
A modem command is not required for true monochrome (MDA) and
color displays attached to IBM and compatible color adapters
(CGA, EGA and VGA).
A Word on ShowMaker
-------------------
Screen shows are designed and assembled with the ShowMaker
system, itself under development.
Use of ShowMaker will require a fully paid license, and each
copy of the program will be serialized. Various price schedules
will be available for personal, business, or educational use of
the programs.
If you are interested in ShowMaker, contact me in writing for
availability date and licensing terms at the following address:
Dan Moore
1514 South Drive
Columbus, IN 47203
Dan Moore
February, 1989