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Powerbase Desktop Quick Key Reference (PgDn for Manual)
Window Manipulation Extracting and printing
------------------- -----------------------
Alt-F3 Close window Alt-F Listing(s) to file
F5 Zoom window Alt-P Print tip
Ctrl-F5 Move/Resize window
F6 Next window Finding Tips
Alt-C Cascade windows ------------
Alt-T Tile windows Alt-D Database tips
Alt-1..9 Jump to window Alt-O DOS tips
Alt-S Spreadsheet tips
Scrolling Alt-W Wordprocessor tips
--------- Alt-M Miscellaneous tips
PgDn Next page
PgUp Previous page Miscellaneous
Arrows Move up, down, etc. -------------
Ctrl-PgDn Bottom of file F1 or Alt-H Help
Ctrl-PgUp Top of File F10 Menus
Home/End Start/End of line Alt-X Exit
How to Use the PowerBase Desktop
The PowerBase Desktop is a fully mouseable, text-based
user interface with pulldown menus, hot keys, and sizeable,
scrollable windows. If you're not already familiar with this
type of interface, the following instructions will help you
get acquainted.
Choosing a Tip
After the opening dialogue, the PowerBase Desktop appears
with the first menu of tips -- the Database menu -- pulled
down. If you're using the mouse, you can select a tip from
this menu or pick another menu by clicking a category name
on the menu bar. If you're using the keyboard, use the arrow
keys to move among the menus. Hit Enter while a tip's name
is highlighted to see that tip. There are two "immediate"
items on the menu bar -- Help! and Exit! -- that don't have
pulldown menus beneath them. The exclamation points indicate
that if you select one of these items, it performs a
function immediately.
Reading a Tip
If you're using the mouse, you can use the scroll bars on
the right side and bottom of the window to move through the
text. If you're using the keyboard, you can use the arrow,
PgUp, and PgDn keys to do the same. Ctrl-PgDn takes you to
the end of the file, while Ctrl-PgUp takes you to the
beginning. You may wish to practice using these keys while
you're still in the help window.
Printing a Tip
You can send a copy of the tip in the current window to your
printer by pressing Alt-P. The printing routine sends a
formfeed character after the last page of text for your
convenience (especially useful if you have a laser printer).
However, if you have one of the rare printers that do not
understand formfeeds, you may still need to eject the last
page by hand.
This help file, incidentally, is also a "tip," so the Alt-P
command works on it as well. If you'd like a printed copy of
these instructions, including the Quick Key Reference, try
pressing Alt-P now.
Extracting a Listing
Some of the tips in this collection are accompanied by
listings that you may want to use as the basis for your own
work. To copy the listings (which are marked off by lines
saying "BEGIN LISTING" and "END LISTING") to a file, press
Alt-F. You'll be given an opportunity to select a path for
the file. If you are about to overwrite an existing file,
you'll be given an opportunity to change your mind before
the write is performed. Note that this command saves ONLY
THE LISTING to a file, not the whole tip.
Moving Between Windows
The PowerBase Desktop allows you to open several tip files
at once -- or open the same tip more than once to view two
different sections simultaneously. Each tip you open appears
in its own window -- up to a maximum of 9 windows.
If you're using the mouse, moving from one window to another
is easy. Simply click the mouse on any portion of any
window, and it will come to the front and become the current
window. To bring each open window to the front in turn with
the mouse, click on "F6 Next" on the status line at the
bottom of the screen.
If you're using the keyboard, you can gain immediate access
to any specific window. Simply press Alt plus a number key
(on the top row of the keyboard, not on the numeric pad) to
take you to the window (if any) with that number in the
upper right-hand corner. If you want to leaf through the
open windows, the F6 (Next) key will take you to each in
turn, round-robin fashion.
Resizing and Moving Windows
To move a window with the mouse, "drag" it by its top border
to a new position. To resize a window using the mouse, drag
the lower right-hand corner until the window is the size you
want. If you don't have a mouse, press Ctrl-F5 to enter
Move/Resize mode. In this mode, you can use the arrow keys
to move the window. Shifted arrow keys (that is, arrow keys
pressed while you're holding down a shift key) resize the
window. When you're done moving and resizing the window,
press Esc to return to normal operation.
The F5 (Zoom) key grows a window to the full size of the
screen; hitting F5 restores it to its original size. You can
achieve the same effect by clicking the mouse on the "zoom
button" -- the arrow-shaped control in the upper right-hand
corner of each tip window. You can also zoom and unzoom a
window by double-clicking its top border with the mouse.
If you have more than one window open, and would like to see
them all neatly arranged on your desktop, you can press
Alt-T to tile the windows or Alt-C to cascade them. These
commands are disabled if you don't have at least two windows
open.
Closing Windows
To close a window, click on the "close button" -- the
box-like control in the upper left-hand corner of the
window. If you don't have a mouse, Alt-F3 performs the same
function.
Leaving the program
To leave the PowerBase Desktop, press Alt-X. You can also
click the mouse on the Exit! item on the menu bar, or on the
Alt-X item on the status line, to leave the program.
To Skip the Opening Graphic
If you don't want to wait for the opening graphic
sequence to complete each time you start the program, you
can proceed directly to the desktop by adding the parameter
"+n" to the command line. You may also choose to use this
parameter if you have an unusual or incompatible graphics
adapter that does not display the opening graphic properly.
About the Tips In This Collection
All the tips in PowerBase *.* Volume IV appeared in the *.*
column of PC World between January and December of 1991.
They were updated, corrected, re-edited for disk, and
converted to executable and application-specific file
formats by Brett Glass.
How This Program Was Written
The PowerBase Desktop was written in Turbo Pascal using
Borland International's Turbo Vision, an object-oriented
"framework" for text-based applications. The opening
graphics were done with the BGI (Borland Graphics Interface)
bitmap and font routines, also included with Turbo Pascal.
The 3-dimensional PC World logo was provided by Robert Kanes
of PC World's art department; it was scaled for CGA, EGA,
and Hercules graphics adapters by two programs developed
especially for that purpose.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to (in alphabetical order) David Ball, Cathy
Baskin, Francesca Davies, Ellen Di Matteo, John Goddard,
Robert Kanes, Karl Koessel, Anna Mercaldi, Lincoln Spector,
and the rest of PC World's editorial and circulation staffs
for their contributions to this project.
<BG>
Title: PowerBase *.* Volume IV Help
Category: HLP
Issue date: N/A
Editor: Brett Glass
Supplementary files: NONE