OS/2 Professional/OS2PRO194.ISO/os2/wps/graphic/pmdraw/pmdraw.hlp

OS/2 Help File | 1992-05-25 | 60.1 KB | 1,771 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction to PmDraw ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw uses Presentation Manager's Help facility to present context-sensitive
assistance for the user.  This assistance is cross-referenced so you can easily
get information on related topics.  The primary introductory areas of interest
are listed below, and can be accessed by using the cursor to highlight the
desired keyword and pressing Enter, or by double-clicking directly on the
keyword with the mouse.

 o PmDraw overview

 o Application window layout

 o User interface and Mouse Implementation.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. Overview ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) object-oriented, graphics
tool that has been developed under OS/2 Presentation Manager.  It has been
designed so that a wide variety of objects (text, lines, ellipses,... or groups
of them) can be created on screen and manipulated in an intuitive fashion.  16
colors are available on-screen, but hardcopy is limited by your final-output
capabilities.

Information within PmDraw files is organized into pages, which are viewed one
at a time.  These pages can be output for hardcopy or even cross-referenced so
that a change on one page shows up automatically on other pages. A file can
therefore be thought of as a folder or a collection of related pages, as for a
particular presentation. These pages are generally independent, having their
own sizes, orientations and object attributes.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. Application Window Layout ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw is layed out with a number of application areas or windows, some
standard and some less so.  The titlebar has the file name, followed by the
current page (in parentheses) and which page it is in the file (eg. 2 of 4).
If the file has had any changes since it was last changed, the file name on the
titlebar will be followed by an asterix (*).

Below the titlebar is the menu bar where major groups of actions are accessed.
The pulldown menu items are:

 File           Data load/save, export, hardcopy, exit.

 Edit           Marking and manipulation editing actions.

 Modify         Object-specific editing actions.

 Pages          Page-related actions.  Change, rename or delete, etc.

 Options        Alignment grid, draft mode, personalization, save config, etc.

 Help           General information and details regarding operation of PmDraw.

 Within the app's main client window, there are 5 less-standard areas. The
 primary area is the Drawing window which displays the current visible area of
 the current page. In addition to any graphics that are shown, ticmarks and
 grid pts may be visible.  It is in this area that objects may be created and
 edited as will be explained below. Scroll bars are provided for moving the
 visible area around on the presentation page without change of magnification
 or window size, and are even available in the middle of object creation or
 editing operations. With this feature you can, for example, fix the first box
 corner and scroll to a different area on the page before setting the second
 corner.

 Above the Drawing window is a Prompt window which shows a one-line,
 context-sensitive indication of what action(s) are available to the user from
 within the Drawing window.  For example, if creating a Box, this line might
 read "Position first box corner" indicating that the program expects the user
 to select the position within the Drawing window for the first corner of a new
 box.  The user can either do this or use Menu options to perform an entirely
 different action or simply change object type (eg. ellipse).

 To one side (left or right, configurable), there are several windows or areas.
 The topmost is an Info window which displays the current Drawing window
 magnification (0.5 means 1/2 life size) and the current cursor coordinates.
 Coordinates are in inches or centimeters (user configurable), and will follow
 the cursor as you move it in either the Drawing window, or in the Mini-view
 window (described below).

 Next is the the object/selection window.  This window contains radio buttons
 with which the user specifies what object to create (Box, ellipse, etc.) or an
 object Mark or selection state.  For the former, any button actions in the
 Drawing area will be used to specify points for a new object (such as box
 corners), whereas when Mark is highlighted the user can use the mouse to
 select what objects to perform editing actions upon.  The Insert key  will
 toggle between Mark and the curren new object type.  Beside the Mark button,
 there is an Unmark ("U") button which will only be enabled if objects are
 Marked on the current page. Pressing it will unmark any marked objects on the
 current page.  This window is scrollable and will be reduced in size if the
 main frame is too short to display all side-panel windows.

 Control buttons are below this, containing:

 R            Redraw the Drawing area
 +            Zoom in (magnify) Drawing area
 -            Zoom out (reduce) Drawing area

 The last panel area is the Mini-view window. This window shows a miniature
 view of the current page and can be used to zoom in directly on a specific
 area.

 In addition, there are two attribute dialogs whose visibility is controlled
 with switches on the Options pulldown: Text and Drawing dialogs.  They display
 the current settings for the various object attributes and are used to change
 those for new and existing objects.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2.1. PmDraw Graphics Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw graphics can saved to disk and retrieved for later use through options
available on the File menu. These options are:

 Old          Retrieve a previously-saved file

 Save         Store the workspace to disk with the current name

 Save As      Prompts for a filename before saving

 In addition,

 New          Clears the current workspace


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2.2. PmDraw File Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw utilizes a standard file dialog box for specifying disk file names for
load and save operations. It includes and entry field where a filespec or
filename may be entered directly, and two listboxes, for files (in the current
directory) and drive/directory selection.  Only those files in the displayed
directory that match the filespec in the entry field will be displayed in the
Files listbox - change the filespec to display a different subset of files.

The current drive/directory may be changed by clicking on the appropriate
listbox entry.  A file may be selected by clicking and selecting OK, or by
double-clicking.  After clicking on a filename, it is placed in the entry
field, and may be edited in the usual fashion.

Once a file has been saved or loaded successfully, the path and extension are
returned to PmDraw and may be saved as defaults for that file type using Save
Configuration, under Options.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2.3. Presentation Pages ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Information within PmDraw is organized into pages, which are viewed one at a
time.  These pages can be output for hardcopy or included in other pages as a
cross-reference (X-ref) and handled as a single graphic object (moved, scaled,
etc.).  A file can therefore be thought of as a folder or a collection of
related pages, as for a particular presentation. There is no limit on the
number of pages in a file or workspace.

When starting a new file, the workspace is initialized with one page (named
Main), which is blank.  From the Pages menu option, one can then:

 o Create a new page (add one to the list)
 o Rename the current page
 o Erase the current page (delete all items, reverse by Un-delete)
 o Copy the current page (must enter a name for the new page)

 Once more pages have been added, you can also:

 o View another page
 o Overlay another page (temporary, removed by a REFRESH)
 o Reorder it relative to other pages in the file.
 o Delete the current page
 o In addition, the X-ref button is enabled in the object type window.

 Note that Delete for pages is irreversible!


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.3. User interface and mouse implementation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw's user interface has been organized and enabled with CUA (Consistent
User Access) in mind.  File, Edit and Help menu items are standard, and
windows, menus and buttons behave as one familiar with OS/2 PM would expect.
Context sensitive help for the main window and all dialogs is available using
PF1.

Within the Drawing area, the mouse can be used to create and manipulate graphic
objects. In many cases, such actions require specifying 3 or more points (such
as for an Arc or Polyline), so for consistency each point is specified by a
single button click.  Alternatively, to assist in aligning and connecting
objects a keyboard assist keystroke can be used in place of a mouse click. In
general, pressing the Enter key is equivalent to clicking MB1, and means to
enter a point at the current cursor position and go to the next step in
whatever the user is doing.  Conversely, Esc is equivalent to MB2 and means to
back up and redo the last point in the current action. "Drag" operations, where
the first point is specified by a button press and the second by its release,
are generally avoided because:

 o It is inconsistent
 o It is inherently limited to pel resolution
 o It requires that the user physically holds the button down and keeps the
   focus with the application until the action is complete.

 All operations in PmDraw have the drag-less behavior as the primary modus
 operandi, including Move and Copy where a starting and ending point must be
 specified.

 CUA specifies a mouse model for object selection and direct manipulation. When
 Mark is highlighted, objects may be selected for editing by clicking on them
 with mouse button 1 (MB1).  As per the "multiple-select" model, each click
 will toggle an item's marked state on and off (as indicated by highlight marks
 on the object).

 In addition, CUA specs several drag operations for selection and manipulation:

 Drag MB1       Area select - toggles the marked state of all objects
                completely within the bounding rectangle.
 Drag MB2       Direct manipulation Move of all marked objects.
 Ctl+Drag MB2   Direct manipulation Copy of all marked objects (Ctl key pressed
                at START of drag).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Object Creation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When one of the object types on the side panel is selected, such as Box or
Ellipse, any button clicks (button 1) in the main Drawing area are interpreted
as entered points for creating an object of that type. Primary objects include:

 o BOXES and SQUARES
 o POLYLINES
 o LINES
 o ELLIPSES and CIRCLES
 o ARCS
 o FILLETS
 o Splines
 o Freehand SKETCH
 o TEXT OBJECTS
 o X-REFS

 A graph is a collection of such objects used to display data from a variety of
 sources. A group is a set of objects that have been locked together, and is
 formed and disolved using the Modify pulldown. Bitmaps are also graphic
 objects, and can be read from disk or pulled in from the clipboard.

 The process of creating an object typically requires several steps, and once
 initiated (typically by specifying a point in the Drawing window), must be
 completed before doing other actions within PmDraw. When created, graphic
 objects assume the current attribute values as displayed in the Text and
 Drawing Attribute dialogs.  These attributes (color, linestyle, etc.) and
 object shapes and positions can be easily modified using object editing


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. Object Attributes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Object attributes contol the details of the appearance of different objects.
These attributes, such as color and linetype, are stored for each object, so
each one can be different if desired.  PmDraw maintains a "current set" which
are applied to newly-created objects and which can be viewed and changed using
the associated popup.  These popups are accessed through the Attributes item on
the main menu bar; within them, the current attribute value is indicated by
highlighting and can be changed by clicking on a new value. Once an object has
been created, its attributes can be changed by editing.

For graphic objects, attributes include color, line-type, arrowhead (type, ends
and size), marker (type and size) and fill pattern.

For text strings, attributes include color, font, height and alignment.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Boxes and Squares ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

BOXes are (possibly) filled rectangles that are created by specifying 2 corner
points.  It is stored as a set of points, so by editing you can skew a BOX into
an arbitrary parallelagram.

SQUAREs can be created by holding down the SHIFT key while positioning the
second corner point.

Associated attributes are color, linetype and fill pattern.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Polylines ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

POLYLINEs are objects with multiple, connected, straight line segments, and
when edited, all segments are affected. During creation, segments are added by
pressing MB1 (or ENTER) or any of the cursor positioning keys Entering the same
point twice or double clicking will end creation of a given polyline.  During
creation, pressing MB2 will "back up", and let you redo the last point entered.

The attributes include color and linestyle for individual segments of a
POLYLINE.  In addition the polyline may be filled, with the final point
automatically connected to the first and the enclosed area filled with the
current fill pattern.  If it is not filled, arrowheads may be added to one or
both ends depending on the arrowhead attribute's value. The arrowhead attribute
includes values for style, placement and size, and is accessed directly from
the Attributes menu. Finally, markers may be drawn at each of a polyline's
points. There are a number of marker types, some of which may be filled, as
well as a marker size.

Holding down the SHIFT key while positioning end points constrains individual
segments to be either horizontal or vertical.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.4. Lines ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A LINE is a single, straight line segment. Two endpoints must be specified
during creation, and keyboard asstist keys may be used to position points
precisely, connecting to other endpoints, curves, etc. Pressing MB2 (or ESC)
aborts creation of a line that has been started. As for all objects, LINE's are
created using the current specified attributes. Note that even if a set of
LINE's are connected, they can be edited independently (unlike a POLYLINE's
segments).

The attributes include color, linestyle and arrowhead.

Holding down the SHIFT key while positioning end points constrains LINEs to be
either horizontal or vertical.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.5. Ellipses and Circles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

ELLIPSE's are created by setting 2 points: the centroid and then the bounding
box corner. ELLIPSES are created with axes parallel to page boundaries, but may
be rotated during editing to arbitrary angles.

Associated attributes are color, linestyle and fill pattern.

Using the SHIFT key while setting the second point (bounding box) constrains
the ELLIPSE to a CIRCLE.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.6. Arcs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

An ARC is created as a piece of a circle, and upon scaling and rotation can
become a piece of an arbitrarily oriented ellipse.  For creation, you must
specify 3 points: the center of the circle of which the ARC is a piece, start
point (and thereby, the radius) and the end-point (to specify the total swept
angle).

Associated attributes are color, linestyle and fill pattern, and if filled
yields a pie slice shape.

Using the SHIFT key while setting the second point constrains the starting arc
angle to multiples of 15 degrees from the horizontal (radius is not affected).
With the last point, it constrains the total angle to multiples of 15 degrees.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.7. Fillets ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A FILLET is a mathematical curve specified by 3 points, 2 being end-points and
the 3rd being a "control" point.  It is best understood visually; create one
and see what it looks like.

Attributes for FILLETs are color, linestyle, fill pattern and arrowhead.  If
filled, the arrowhead attribute is ignored (as for polylines), and the area is
bounded by the fillet curve and a line connecting its endpoints.

There are no SHIFT key assists for FILLETs.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.8. Spline ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A spline is a smooth curve which passes through a set of control points. As a
spline is created, you will see its shape change as the cursor is moved.
Points are added and removed in the usual fashion, with the end signalled by
repeating a point twice in a row with the cursor or keyboard. If a spline is
"closed" on itself, it will automagically smooth the join.

Attributes for SPLINEs are color, linestyle, fill pattern and arrowhead.  If
filled, the arrowhead attribute is ignored (as for polylines), and the area is
bounded by the spline curve and a line connecting its endpoints.

There are no SHIFT key assists for SPLINEs.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.9. Freehand sketch ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This allows the user to enter a POLYLINE with a dense set of points by
sketching freehand with the mouse.  After entering the starting point, the
curve will follow the cursor until MB1 is pressed again.  You can connect to
the start of the sketched curve using the "e" keyboard assist. Once created, a
sketched curve is like any other polyline.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.10. Groups ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A GROUP is simply a set of objects on a page which have been "locked together"
for convenience.  Once you have created a set of objects which will maintain
fixed relative positions, select them all and form a GROUP.  The group can then
be selected and manipulated as if it were a single object.  Whenever selected,
a Group will be outlined by its bounding box.  If you wish to add or delete
items from a group, it can be broken apart using the appropriate entry from the
Edit pulldown.  The attributes of objects within a group ARE affected by
attribute editing.

There are NO attributes associated with groups themselves, objects within a
group have their own attributes.

There are no SHIFT key assists for groups.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.11. Bitmaps ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A bitmap is a two dimensional array of pels forming an image.  The icons
representing applications on the PM desktop are special examples of a bitmap.
PmDraw allows the user to import bitmaps for inclusion in a graphics page along
with the usual vector-based objects such as boxes and ellipses.  When importing
bitmaps, the user must first specify the file name or alternatively tell PmDraw
to pull a bitmap from the clipboard (after having been placed there by an
application).  You must then position and size the bitmap in the normal manner,
first positioning a corner and then setting the size with the rubber box.  Note
that PmDraw also supports the export of graphics as bitmaps (images), either to
disk or to the PM clipboard.

Two apps which are highly recommended for use with bitmaps are SCRAP for
capturing images from your PM desktop, and UBU which has powerful half-toning
and browsing capability supporting a variety of formats including BMP and GIF
files.  Both apps are available on OS2TOOLS.

LIMITATIONS: Bitmaps cannot be exported to PostScript (directly) or to CGM.
The only hardcopy route is using Print and going through PM's Print Manager. In
addition, bitmaps CANNOT be rotated.  Besides limiting the on-page
manipulation, this means that when printing, the PmDraw page containing a
bitmap must be oriented the same way (landscape vs. portrait) as the printer
page to get correct results.

There are NO attributes associated with bitmaps.

Use the SHIFT key when sizing a bitmap to maintain its original aspect ratio.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.11.1. Clipboard Copy ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This action lets the user place PmDraw graphics on the PM clipboard. Three data
types are supported, PM metafile, text and bitmap (1.1 format). by default all
are selected when the dialog is presented.  The user can de-select any formats
not desired.  This is particularly useful when putting data on the clipboard
for subsequent use by an application which uses its own (incorrect) logic to
decide which format to take from the clipboard.  You can force it to take the
correct format by only placing that one on the clipboard.  In addition,
selecting only the desired format will let the operation complete sooner.

PM metafile will be a pic of the entire current page.

Text will include only MARKED strings, and will be disabled if no text is
marked.

Bitmaps will depict the current window area on the current page. An alternative
route for bitmaps is to use Export (under File), where you can explicitly set
the bitmap resolution and color format, and then place it on the Clipboard from
the File dialog.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.11.2. Clipboard Paste ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw lets you pull either text or bitmap data in from the clipboard. If only
one type is available it is pulled in immediately.  If both types are
available, this dialog lets the user select the desired format.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.12. Clip art ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Clipart pics can be imported to easily enhance your graphics using the entry
under Import on the File pulldown.  Selecting this option will present the file
dialog for selecting the source file for the artwork.  Once the clipart file is
selected, a list of clipart pictures is displayed - select by marking the
desired pic and pressing OK or by double-clicking on the pic's name. A bounding
box will be displayed on the page for positioning and sizing the clipart in the
usual fashion.  First button click will fix the first corner, second will set
the size and shape.  As usual, the SHIFT key can be used to insure that the
aspect ratio remains correct.  In addition, once the first corner has been
positioned you can press "m" and enter an explicit magnification factor (such
as 1.0).

Clipart is simply a collection of PmDraw objects, and so can be easily edited.
At present, clipart is stored in standard PMD format with one picture per page,
so the user may produce his own and access it through clipart easily. In the
future, this will be enhanced by including a bitmap of the clipart so the user
can select objects visually as well as by name.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.13. Text Objects ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Text strings are also handled within PmDraw as graphic objects.  They may be
manipulated by all of the usual Editing operations, and have the attributes
color, font, alignment and size. Positioning is performed using the cursor,
with keyboard assist keys for precise positioning and alignment.  Once a
location on the screen has been specified, the text-entry dialog is displayed
for entering the string.  The text can then be typed in manually or pulled in
from the Clipboard and will then be displayed on screen. These text objects
will be individual lines, with the current size, font, alignment and default
line spacing.

Two separate font technologies are supported in PmDraw, each with their own
strengths and weaknesses.  These are the

 o Hershey fonts
 o Outline fonts


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14. Text Entry/Edit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog box allows the user to enter new text for string objects, pull in a
block of text from the Clipboard (to produce any number of text objects), or to
edit an existing text object on the current page.

When adding new text, the dialog will be displayed with no text in the entry
field. Text may be typed in directly, or pulled in from the Clipboard using
that button.  If clipboard text is pulled in, the text objects are
automatically created and displayed, and the dialog box is removed.  If text is
entered manually, one has the option of entering a single string (by pressing
OK button) or continuing to the next string with a linefeed positioning
adjustment.  Whichever method is used for entering text, the current text
attributes of Font, Alignment and Size will be applied to the new text objects.

A reference table for the Greek/math characters is available and can be
displayed or hidden using the Ref. Table button in the text entry dialog.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.1. Hershey Fonts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

For lack of a better choice, a set of public-domain HERSHEY stroke fonts have
been employed (which are also used in GDDM graphics). The advantage of the
HERSHEY fonts is that they are rendered as simple line-drawing commands and are
thus device independent.  This enables us to provide a variety of text
formatting capabilities, including:

 o Greek/math symbols
 o Superscripts/subscripts
 o Underlining
 o Special characters

 The disadvantages are that

 o They are designed to be "stroked" rather than filled and so are not as
   pretty at larger scales.
 o There is no foriegn language character support in the current fonts.
 o When exported, string information is "lost" so that if you are importing
   into another application, it will be able to display but not edit any text
   strings (except as line segments...).

 The HERSHEY font set used at present includes one mono-spaced font:

     Roman Simplex Mono

 and the following proportionally-spaced fonts:

     Roman Simplex
     Roman Complex
     Roman Duplex
     Roman Triplex

     Italic Simplex
     Italic Complex

     Script Simplex
     Script Complex

     Gothic English
     Gothic English
     Gothic English


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.2. Outline fonts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Outline fonts are now available for use within PmDraw. These fonts give
excellent resolution at all scales and provide built-in (mostly!) National
Language Support.  They do NOT at present support the formatting capability
that is covered with the Hershey fonts, and cannot yet be properly be rendered
using CGM export... Otherwise, they are interchangable with the Hershey fonts,
providing high quality rendering of the following font families (under OS/2 1.2
and greater):

   Courier
   Helvetica
   Times Roman

Each of these is available in normal, bold, italic and bold-italic forms. In
addition, under OS/2 1.3 and greater, any installed Adobe font will be
available to the user.  These fonts are specified using the VFONT item in the
Attributes menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.3. Text Alignment ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A text string also has an associated reference point on the presentation page.
The orientation attribute determines how the text string is aligned relative to
its reference point, allowing horizontal alignments of left, right or centered,
and vertical alignments of top, bottom or centered (9 possible combinations).

As an aid in entering aligned strings, after a string is entered and displayed,
the cursor is automatically shifted down for a "line feed". Pressing ENTER
again (or MB1) selects the new reference point and proceeds to entry of the
next text string.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.4. Greek/math symbols ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Greek letters and a variety of math symbols  may be embedded in strings and
will be displayed in simplex or complex, appropriate to the string's font.
These symbols are designated by normal characters delimited by ! marks, so that
the typed string fav!o!rite would display as favorite, with a Greek omega
instead of an o.  !O! produces an infinity symbol. A reference table showing
the correspondence between typed characters and Greek or math symbols is
available under the Attributes menu.

If one wants to embed an ! in a string, it must be preceeded by a \
(backslash). If an ! is not paired with another in the typed string, all
characters following it are translated to Greek/math symbols.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.5. Underlining ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Underlining is delimited by & characters - all characters between paired &'s
(or following an un-paired one) will have a connected horizontal line
underneath. The typed string "&Ray& \& &Alan&" will display as "Ray & Alan".

In order to display an &, precede it with a \.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.6. Superscripts/subscripts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

For fancier formatting and equations, sub- and superscripts may be embedded in
text strings.  The subscript operator is _ (underscore), and the superscript
operator is ^ (caret). In order to enable nesting of xscripts, they are not
delimitted - rather, any "single thing" following an operator is xscripted,
where a "single thing" is either a character or a group of characters delimited
by { } (curly braces).  As a result,

                           2
  10^2a    displays as   10 a , while

                           2a
  10^{2a}  displays as   10  .

Similarly,                  a
                           2
  10^{2^a} would give    10  .

Subscripts work in an analogous fashion, and the two may be mixed arbitrarily.
As with other special text characters, ^ and _ must be preceeded by \ to be
displayed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.14.7. Special characters ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In PmDraw text formatting, a number of characters have "special" meanings.  In
order to include them for display in a text string, they must be preceeded by a
\ ( \\ displays only \ ). At present, there are:

 \              Display special character

 !              Greek/math (delimits)

 ^              Superscript

 _              Subscript

 &              Underline (delimit)

 { }            Grouping delimiters (for xscripts)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.15. X-refs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This button enables the inclusion of all or part of one page, within another as
a graphic object.  This nesting is NOT limited in depth, and the resulting
objects can be moved, scaled, rotated or copied in their entirety.  As a
cross-reference, attributes of individual objects cannot be altered, although
changes in the original page will show up in all places it is used as an x-ref.

X-refs are created in three steps.  When the user presses the x-ref button, a
listbox is displayed with names of the other pages in the current file (Note: a
page cannot reference itself either directly or through nesting levels). Once
chosen, the x-ref source page is displayed and the user specifies the reference
box which defines the source area. Objects outside this box will be clipped
(not displayed). Finally, the original page is re-displayed and the user
specifies the target area into which the cross reference is to be placed (again
with a box).  While placing the first corner, a tracking box will indicate the
size and shape of the source area (at 1:1 scale).  Once positioned, the cursor
snaps to the opposite corner allowing easy 1:1 sizing.  Alternatively, the user
can specify an arbitrary size and scaling or, using the SHFT key, scale the
x-ref isotropically.  When the second target corner is placed, the x-ref is
displayed.

Using the Modify pulldown, a cross-reference can be fractured and broken up
into individual objects which can then be edited separately. Alternatively, the
source page "window" and the destination area may be directly changed using
control point editing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Editing objects ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In order to change existing objects on a PmDraw page, you must first select, or
mark the objects to edit.  Once the desired objects have been selected, general
manipulation actions can be initiated using actions from the Edit pulldown:

 o MOVE
 o COPY
 o Array copy
 o SCALE
 o ROTATE
 o DELETE
 o UNDO

 In addition, object attributes may be edited directly, and additional actions
 become avaiable via the Modify pulldown:

 o Text editing
 o Form group
 o Break up group
 o Fracture x-refs
 o Z-order: Bring to front
 o Z-order: Put in back

 Finally, objects can be re-shaped using control-point editing.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Marking objects ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When editing, only those objects which have been "marked" can be affected,
whether by physical manipulation such as MOVEs or SCALEs, or by Attribute
changes.  This marking is indicated by highlighted points on the objects
themselves which will be marked with a small box that can be either filled or
empty. Marking can be performed in several ways, with the simplest being to use
the cursor directly, clicking on each object. When using the cursor to mark
specific objects, distances are calculated to the nearest point on each object
(unless "keyboard assist" is used), and the nearest object is toggled between
marked and unmarked.

Normal marking is indicated by a filled box highlighting one or two points on
an object.  This occurs when Mark is selected and the object is clicked on with
MB1.  A "single-mark" can be made by double-clicking on an object, which will
mark the nearest object and unmark all others. In addition, all control points
of that object will be marked with hollow boxes indicating that these control
points may be moved to re-shape the object.  At present, when a new object is
created this single-mark action occurs automatically.

Additionally, marking actions are provided in the Edit pulldown for changing
the marked state of a group of objects. Mark area toggles the marked state of
all objects within a box that the user specifies with the cursor.  Mark all and
Unmark all are self-explanatory.

The keyboard assist keys can be used to mark objects of a specific type, either
when objects overlap and are difficult to mark with the cursor, or for greater
speed. The "t" key, for selecting the nearest TEXT object is particularly
useful.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Re-shape objects ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

When an object on the current page is "single-selected" (open boxes at control
points), it may be re-shaped by moving these points individually.  If CUA manip
is enabled, the user may simply click within the cp box with MB2 and drag the
point to a new position.  Alternatively, the action may be started by selecting
Move from the Edit pulldown and clicking within the cp box for the starting
point.  When either of these is done, the cursor is snapped EXACTLY onto the
control point (not pel limited) so the user can position it as desired.  If
dragging, it is placed by releasing MB2 or by pressing a keyboard assist key.
If via Move, it is by a normal second point positioning.  Use Esc to abort the
action.

In general, the re-shaping action will respect the perspective view of the
object being edited.  If the object had been rotated and scaled so as to appear
skewed in three dimensions, the re-shaping will maintain that perspective.  For
objects with aspect ratios, the SHIFT key can be used to maintain that aspect.
When re-shaping text, the size indicator in the Text Attributes dialog will
dynamically indicate the height of the text on the page.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Move ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

MOVE operations entail specifying a start point and an end point.  All selected
objects are moved by the specified amount, and the start and end points may be
anywhere on the presentation page.  Note that it is possible to move objects
outside of the visible page and "lose" them.

Using the SHIFT key constrains the move to either horizontal or vertical.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Scale ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

SCALE allows the user to change the size and aspect ratio (X/Y) of selected
objects.  Three points are required: a reference point which will remain fixed
on the page, second corner for the starting box, and second corner for final
(destination) box.  All marked objects will be scaled by the ratio of the box
sizes, and may be mirrored or flipped.  Note that in general, objects will be
moved as well as sized, so that if you SCALE several objects at once, their
relative positioning will remain fixed.

If you wish to maintain the original aspect ratio, hold down the SHIFT key
while sizing the final box size, its shape will remain the same as the starting
box's.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Rotate ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Rotate permits just that.  Again, three points are required: a center of
rotation, a start angle and an end angle.  Actual values of the starting and
ending angles are unimportant, only the difference is used.  A start angle at 3
o'clock and an end angle of 12 o'clock would give a 90 degree counter clockwise
rotation... but so would 9 o'clock and 6 o'clock.

Using the SHIFT key constrains first angle to 15 degree increments, as well as
the difference between first and second angles.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Copy ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

COPY lets the user create and positions duplicates of existing objects on the
current page.  All marked objects are copied and a MOVE operation is initiated
so that the copy can be positioned.  The copy will first be generated on top of
the original, and then the copy is positioned. Unlike subcells, copies are
completely independent of the originals, and may have different attributes,
scaling, etc.

Using the SHIFT key during copy positioning constrains displacement to
horizontal or vertical, and helps the user to align copies precisely.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Delete ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

DELETE removes the marked objects from the presentation page.  A stack of
deleted objects is maintained for each page while in PmDraw, so that if one
wishes to restore something they can use UNDO.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.8. Undo ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

UNDO sequentially backs up through the most recent editing actions you have
performed on the current page.  Such actions include creating new objects,
moving, scaling, changing colors, and even changing marking selections.  The
default number of steps retained for each page is 5 - this can be changed at
the user's option using Personalize (under Options).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.9. Flip ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

FLIP allows you to flip all marked objects left-to-right or top-to-bottom.
Selecting one or the other will display a "divider" line either horizontal or
vertical across which the objects will be flipped.  Use the mouse or keyboard
assists as usual to specify the location of the mirroring axis, MB2 will abort
the action.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.10. Fit to page ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option causes all MARKED objects to be rescaled so that they fit entirely
within the page.  The scaling is uniform (not stretched), and if there is
excess space in one or the other direction the objects are centered.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.11. Snap to grid ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This option causes all MARKED objects to be moved and reshaped so that their
control points fall on grid points.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.12. Editing Attributes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Attributes of all existing objects can be changed with ease.  While Mark is
selected, select the objects to be altered (by marking). Once marked, any
relevant attribute can be changed using the Text and Drawing attribute dialogs.
Click on the attribute of interest and a list of possible choices will be
presented.  Select the new attribute and it will be applied to the Marked
object(s). Only "appropriate" objects will be changed correspondingly - if you
have a polyline marked and you change the text font, the polyline will not be
affected...

Using these techniques, one can create a full page with default attributes, and
then go back and "touch it up", setting fonts, linestyles, colors and so forth.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.13. Text editing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Text strings may be edited as well.  Select the string(s) to be edited and use
the "text Edit" option in the Edit menu.  Each marked string will, in turn, be
placed in the text entry dialog to be edited as desired.

Pressing CANCEL from the text editing dialog will leave the string unchanged.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.14. Fracture x-refs ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

An x-ref is actually a pointer to graphic objects on another page in the
current PmDraw workspace.  As such, the attributes of individual pieces may not
be changed, but the x-ref may be manipulated as a single object (attributes
can, of course, be changed on their source page - these changes will then be
seen everywhere the objects are referenced in x-refs).

In order to edit pieces of an x-ref, it must be fractured so that the
individual pieces are actually copied into the current page. This action is
performed by Marking the X-ref(s) to be fractured, and selecting Fracture under
the Modify pulldown.  Since the action is irreversible, the user will be
prompted for confirmation for each marked subcell before the action is
performed.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.15. Z-order: Front ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If objects overlap on the presentation page, the ones that appear to be on top
are the ones that are drawn last.  This action takes marked objects and moves
them in front of unmarked objects on the page.

Note that with IBM's plotter drivers, all objects will be drawn completely - so
filled overlapping objects will almost certainly not be rendered "correctly".


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.16. Z-order: Back ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

If objects overlap on the presentation page, the ones that appear to be
underneath are the ones that are drawn first.  This action takes marked objects
and moves them behind unmarked objects on the page.

Note that with IBM's plotter drivers, all objects will be drawn completely - so
filled overlapping objects will almost certainly not be rendered "correctly".


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Graphics export ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Data from PmDraw graphics may be exported in a variety of formats for eventual
hardcopy or import into other applications.  The export functions store the
data to files which, by default, have extensions corresponding to the format
being written.

For non-image formats (CGM, MET, etc.), multiple pages can be exported
simultaneously.  Select the pages to be exported from the left listbox, and the
export format from the right listbox.  Pressing the export button will initiate
an export using the file spec at the bottom of this dialog (which may be edited
directly); alternatively, when exporting only one file export as will cause the
standard file dialog to be displayed for file/path entry.

If installed, the Image Toolkit enables the import and export of a variety of
image formats, such as standard OS/2 bitmaps (bmp files), CompuServe GIF files,
etc. When the export dialog is opened, the toolkit is queried and all known
image formats are added to the type listbox for possible selection. At present,
bitmap exports are restricted to current view of the current page ONLY.

Checkboxes are included for control over export details - one allows black and
white color inversion, while the other controls whether the page background
fill is included in the export file.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Graphics import ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Import allows one to pull graphics in from files on disk into the current
PmDraw workspace.  These graphics may be imported onto the current page as
additional objects, or onto new pages (page name is derived from the import
filename).  At present, graphics may be imported from CGM and various image
formats, as well as from other PMD files.

If importing onto the current page, the data is scanned for size and a bounding
box is displayed for positioning and sizing on page.  Importing graphics from a
page of a PMD file this way is called clipart, and can be performed quickly
using its accelerator (Ctl+c).  After specifying the clipart file, a list of
objects (pmd pages) are displayed for selection.  Pages including x-refs may
NOT be used as clipart - such pages will be marked with a "*" in the list.

If installed, the Image Toolkit enables "smart" loading, in that it will
determine the filetype, and if known import it into PmDraw.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. Image toolkit ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This is a dll-based toolkit that allows one to load and save a variety of image
formats, such as standard OS/2 bitmaps, CompuServe GIF files, etc.  The toolkit
is installed and managed using ITKINSTA.EXE.  Image "handlers" can be
registered in your system which are then available for applications like PmDraw
for loading and saving images.

When exporting to an image format, the toolkit is queried (if installed) and
all available image formats are added to the appropriate listbox for possible
selection.

When importing, "intellegent" handling is used whereby the user selects any
image file and the toolkit is used to determine the file type and load it (if
known).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. Printing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Workstation based hardcopy is supported in PmDraw by a, spooling through the PM
Print Manager and b, direct copying to PostScript printers (Direct PostScript).
The Print Manager enables spooled output so that, to a large extent, it occurs
in the background and allows the user to continue doing other things (like
producing more graphics!).

From the File menu item, Print access the primary print-dialog from which one
can select pages to be printed, specify the target printer, set printing
options, and start the print job.  In addition, a single page at a time may be
layed out (formatted) within the print page, or exported to PostScript or HP/GL
plotter compatible files.

The other printing option within PmDraw is to let PmDraw generate its own
PostScript representation of your graphics and copy it directly to an LPT to
which a PostScript printer is attached - Direct PostScript.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. Print dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog lets the user select pages to be printed, specify printer and
options, and start a print job.

The Pages listbox is where the user specifies the pages to be printed.
Multiple pages can be highlighted to be printed as a single job. Note that
multiple pages can only be Printed, only one page at a time can be Formatted or
Exported through the Print Manager.

Options allows the user to specify certain printing details. Query job
properties causes the printing driver being used to display its configuration
dialog at the start of the print job. Fit to margins will force your page to be
scaled to fall completely within the margins of the printer's defined page
form. Autorotate tells PmDraw to rotate your output automatically if the aspect
ratio is different between your page(s) and the printer page.

Next is the Printer area. The printer description is displayed here, as well as
buttons for invoking the Change printer and printer Information dialogs.

Print actually starts the print job.  A copy of your workspace is produced and
a background thread is started to process all of the pages you have specified.
Since the spooling is done from a separate copy, the user is free to return to
the main application and make editing changes or load an entirely new file
while the print job is running.  If you attempt to end PmDraw while this
printing thread is running, a warning dialog will be displayed.  Print will be
disabled if either the selected printer is not connected to a physical port, or
if no pages are selected.

Format starts up PmDraw's Fantastic Print Formatter (FPF) with the selected
page and printer.

Export is enabled if the selected printer is a PostScript or plotter type of
printer.  When selected, PmDraw will prompt the user for a filename and will
route the selected page through the Print Manager's printer driver and produce
a compatible file on disk.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Printer Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog displays information relevant to the currently selected printer.
It shows which physical port the printer is "attached" to, and whether the
associated driver is capable of writing its output directly to a file
(Export-able).  It also lists the current form name, its dimensions and
margins.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. Format print ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "fantastic print formatter" enables powerful control over the layout of
PmDraw graphics on your output device. To do this, the current page is written
to a metafile (in memory) and the formatter window is displayed. The formatter
shows both this metafile (as source, on left) and the printer output page (as
target, on right).  The source page will reflect the size and orientation of
the PmDraw page; the target page will reflect the current "form" for the
current printer.

Using the formatting options and mouse, the user can lay out his picture as
desired.  Then from the File menu, he can start the print job, export the
formatted output to a file (if enabled), or change printer.

Note that once the formatter has been started up with a pic, you can return to
PmDraw without closing and do further work (changes will NOT become part of the
formatter's pic). You cannot, however, send something new to the formatter
without first terminating it. Close the formatter down using the Quit menu
option.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3.1. Formatting ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Formatting consists of a) selecting the area of the presentation page to print,
and b) specifying where on the output page you want it to be put. On the output
page, if the current "form" has margins defined they will be greyed-out so that
the user can see exactly what area is printable. Options are available for
maintaing aspect ratio (the default), rotation and "Mirror clip" (a
mystery...), but the primary modus operandi is to set a box on the source area
to delineate what will be printed (may be the whole page), and also a target
box on the printer page.  These boxes are specified in the same manner as boxes
in PmDraw (MB1 click for first and second corners).

A bounding box is optionally printed depending on the Include-box setting
(indicated by a check).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3.2. Selecting printer/driver ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

*** Changing printer ***

This option allows you to specify any printer/driver combination defined in
Print Manager as the hardcopy destination.  When Change-printer is selected, a
dialog is displayed with 2 listboxes.  The left box displays all of the
printers currently defined, while the right listbox displays the drivers
available for the selected (highlighted) printer.  Each device driver has a
"current form" which specifies the page size, margins, etc.  Pressing the Info
button displays a dialog with this information, as well as whether the printer
is connected to a physical device and if it is export-capable.

Selecting Ok changes to the highlighted printer/driver combination, while
Cancel leaves the settings unchanged.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3.3. Routing to a file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Using the Print Formatter and either the PSCRIPT or PLOTTERS drivers, PmDraw
output can be exported to PostScript or HP/GL format ascii files.  Such output
is produced by the drivers and is subject to any bugs or quirks they may have,
but for some cases may be advantageous - an example is that the PSCRIPT driver
has a more sophisticated color-to-greyscale mapping than that built into
PmDraw.

Perform export routing by formatting your printer output as desired, and
selecting Export from the File menu.  If Export is disabled, the current driver
is not capable of producing such ascii files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. Direct PostScript printing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw supports direct PostScript printing to any PostScript-capable printer
that has been associated with an LPT port.  This association can be made via a
local attachment to the workstation, or via a NET USE of a printer connected
over a LAN.  Before printing can occur, PmDraw must be informed of the
printer's information regarding the connection and its page orientation.  This
is done via the Direct PostScript -> Setup dialog.  After specifying the port
and orientation, selecting Save will store the info in the PmDraw INI file (so
that it need not be done next time you run the program).  Alternatively,
selecting OK will setup the printer information, but it will only be valid as
long as PmDraw remains active.

Important! The orientation specified during Setup is the setting for the
printer itself.  Your output page will be rotated automatically (if necessary)
to match that of the printer.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. Miscellaneous features ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In addition to its major aspects, there a number of miscellaneous features
which greatly enhance the working environment in PmDraw. Among these are:

 o File handling

 o Mini-view window

 o Alignment grid

 o Tics

 o Page size/orientation

 o Popup positioning

 o Saved configuration (customization)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. Mini-view window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Mini-view window displays a view of the entire current page and allows
direct specification of the visible area in the Drawing window.  This Drawing
area will be depicted as a red box in the Mini-view window, and can be changed
by defining a new box with the cursor (exactly as boxes are created in PmDraw
drawing).  Note that the aspect ratio is locked to that which is visible in the
Drawing window. An additional feature is that if the graphics in the Mini-view
window are "messed up" from improper refresh, it can be refreshed by clicking
MB2 with the cursor in its margin area.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. Alignment grid ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

A rectangular grid is available in PmDraw to assist in accurately drawing and
aligning objects.  The grid spacing is customizable via the Options menu, as is
its visibility. When "snap" is turned on (via its menu option Snap On), using
the cursor and an MB1 click or ENTER to set a point will cause the cursor (and
the entered point) to be snapped to the nearest grid point automatically.

Whether or not "snap" is turned on, you can always move the cursor to the
nearest grid point using the keyboard assist key "g".


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.3. Tic marks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

*** Tic marks ***

Tic marks can be displayed to assist the user in scaling and positioning her
graphics.  Since the mouse coordinates are visible in the Info window tics are
not strictly necessary, but they are useful for visualizing the final-output
scale.  Default is for the grid to be visible, and have tics every 1/2 inch -
both of these are customizable.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.4. Page size/orientation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Page sizes at present are 8 1/2 by 11 inches (portrait or landscape), or 6 by 6
inches.  All dimensions are specified in inches (or thousandths). The page size
for a given presentation page is specified in the Options menu, and upon
reloading the visible window will be set appropriately.

If scaling to other hardcopy page sizes is desired, the best solution at
present is to use the print formatter.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5. Attribute popups ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Popups for object attributes may be placed anywhere on the Desktop, and their
visibility is controlled through the relevant items under the Options drop-down
on the main action bar. Position and visibility are stored in the configuration
(using Save window positions) as described under customization.

There are two windows for attributes, for Drawing and Text.  These windows
display the current values of each attribute; clicking on these attribute
displays will pop up a dialog box or a menu from which a new setting can be
selected.

If any objects are marked, changing the value of an attribute in the dialogs
will change that for the marked object(s). If one marks an object, the
attribute dialogs will change their values to indicate those for the newly
marked object.  They will return to default settings when going back to create
a new object (say, by clicking on Box).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.1. Text attributes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The curren font is displayed at the top.  Clicking in its window will pop up
the font-change dialog.

An array of radio buttons allows you to set the alignment of text strings
relative to their reference points.  This allows the user to specify lower-left
alignment, centered text, etc.

The text size is displayed in a normal button with dimensions in English,
metric or Point units.  Clicking on this button will pop up the textsize-change
dialog.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.2. Font selection ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog is displayed by clicking on the current font window in the text
attributes dialog.  It displays a list of the Hershey and Outline fonts
available on your system.  Clicking once on an entry will cause that font to be
displayed in the preview window, double-clicking or pressing OK will cause the
selected font to be made the current font.  If any text strings are marked,
they will have the selected font applied.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.3. Text sizing ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog is displayed by clicking on the text size button in the text
attributes dialog.  It contains an entryfield in which the size can be typed in
the current units, as well as radio buttons for changing the text size units
between Points and either English or metric (depending upon which has been
selected in the Options pull-down).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.4. Sizing dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog allows the user to specify a size in the current units (English or
metric) for Grid spacing, Ruler division spacing, and for Markers and Arrow
heads.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.5. Array copy ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This dialog allows the user to copy all marked items in a rectangular array.
The number of rows and columns and their spacings must be entered.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.6. Fast Hershey ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This switch toggles the setting for scaled stroking of the Hershey fonts
on-screen.  If it is un-checked, the fonts will be scaled as they will be for
export and printing - but the performance will be SLOW. For speed check this
and the text on-screen will be drawn with the correct font, but MUCH FASTER.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.7. Window zoom (magnification) ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can control the viewing area in the Drawing area in a number of ways:

 o Ctl+z will zoom to full page view

 o Scroll bars and miscellaneous accelerators will move the current drawing
   window around on the page without changing its size.

 o The +/- buttons on the side panel can be used to zoom in and out by roughly
   60% increments.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.8. Draft view ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Draft view is for increasing the drawing speed on-screen and pre-viewing pages.
It causes text to be rendered in the fastest font (Hershey Simplex), lines to
be drawn with default width (one pel), and fill patterns to be ignored.  At
preset, the Draft setting will also affect output through metafile export and
Quick and Format print.

Text sizing is NOT precise in Draft view!  It is only intended as an
approximation to what will be seen in normal view.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.9. Metric units ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This Options pull-down selection allows the user to specify whether English or
metric units are preferred.  The selection will affect the coordinates display
in the Info window, and all sizing units.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.10. CUA mouse model ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This Options pull-down selection allows the user to specify whether the CUA
model for object selection and manipulation is in effect.  It currently applies
only to editing operations:

Clicking MB1 causes only the nearest object to be selected. Adding the SHIFT
key causes the nearest object's state to be toggled and all other objects left
un-changed.  This lets you add or subtract specific objects to the marked set.

Dragging MB1 allows an area mark to be performed, marking all objects within
the desired area.  Using the SHIFT key causes the marked state of all
surrounded objects to be toggled, leaves other objects in their current state.

Dragging with MB2 causes a MOVE operation to commence.  Using the CTRL key
changes the operation to a COPY.  (Using the SHIFT key constrains the movement
to horizontal or vertical).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.11. Overwrite confirmation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This Options pull-down selection allows the user to specify whether
confirmation is required before overwriting an existing file on a file save.
If it is on (checked), a popup will query the user whether the save is to be
continued or aborted.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.5.12. Drawing attributes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

For all attributes, clicking on their display area will pop up a dialog or menu
offering a selection for changing the value.

Line attributes include Color, style and width.  The color affects all outline
drawings and borders, as well as text colors.  If the line and fill colors are
the same and the line color is changed, the fill color will be changed to
match.  If they are different, the fill color will be left alone.  It should be
noted that limitations in PM prevent wide, patterened lines from being
displayed - if such a combination is selected, the line will display on screen
at the proper width with an arbitrary fill pattern (indicating that it is not a
SOLID line).  These lines CAN be exported to Postscript and CGM with the
desired appearance, although at present the line style repeat length is not
scaled with line width...

Fill patterns include color and style.  Current limitation is that direct or
exported Postscript maps fill patterns other than SOLID to grey shades.

Marker attributes include style and size.  Markers are "fancy" now...

Arrow attributes include "ends", style and size.  The left arrow will cause the
arrow head to be drawn at the BEGINNING of a line or curve, the right arrow at
the end.  Arrow head styles are fancier now as well.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6. Saving configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 The default configuration for PmDraw is extremely customizable. Under the
Options menu item you will find Personalize which opens up a primary dialog for
setting various parameters. Some values are set directly in this dialog, while
some groups of settings (like default options for print/export, for example)
are set from sub-dialogs to the main Personalize dialog.

Once parameters have been set, you have the option of saving them so that they
are in effect automatically when you start a PmDraw session, or you can "try
them out" in which case they are only in effect as long as you have that
session running.  If you decide to make those settings "permanent", you can
re-enter Personalize and Save them.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.1. Personalize dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

From this dialog, you can directly set default values controlling a number of
options within PmDraw as well as access several sub-dialogs for various
configuration areas:

 o Print/export options

 o File I/O controls and paths

 o New-object defaults

 In addition to the above dialogs, settings for a number of options can be made
 directly from the Personalize dialog.  Unit can be set to either English or
 Metric, and all dialogs asking for lengths will use these units.  The side
 panels which hold object buttons and mini-view window can be placed either to
 the left or right of the drawing area at the users preference.  Rulers
 visiblity and tic spacing can be set, as well as the number of Undo steps for
 each page. Finally the location of the config file which holds this info can
 be specified - the default path is c:\os2.

 In addition to these, a Save will also make your current settings in the
 Options pulldown permanent, for the alignment grid and various viewing
 controls.

 Once settings have been made, you can either Save them as your standard
 defaults, or try them out in which case they will only be in effect for the
 current session.  If you wish to make them permanent later, you can re-enter
 Personalize and Save them.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.2. Print/Export options ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this dialog to set the default values for various controls that affect
Printing and Export jobs.  Query job props will make PM display a dialog for a
print job appropriate to the driver you are sending a print job to.  Invert
black/white will do exactly that.  If you prefer to work with a black
background and white text, you will need to invert them when doing normal
printing (this is the default).  You also have the option of having the
background color written into a print or export job.  If you wish, you can work
on a page background of blue but still have it clear when printed.

Finally there are settings for default layout.  Fit to margins will scale your
page to fit exactly within the margins of the current form for a print job.
Auto-rotate will cause the output to be automatically rotated if the aspect
ratio dictates it.  A landscape page will be automatically rotated if the
target is Portrait, for example. Blowup lets you specify a magnification factor
for printing larger views of your page (posters!).  Default mag is 2X which
will cause a standard A or A4 page to be blown up and printed on 4 sheets.

Selecting Ok sets these values for the current session - you must select Save
from the Personalize dialog to make them permanent.  Note that these settings
are simply defaults - you still have the option of changing them for individual
print and export jobs.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.3. Files/paths configuration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The two checkboxes in this dialog control file saving behavior.  Confirm file
overwrite will prompt the user for confirmation when a file save (or export)
would overwrite an existing file.  Verify saved data will force a re-read of a
saved PMD file to verify that it was written correctly.  Turning this on will
result in slower speed during saves, but will result in greater data integrity.

In addition, you can set the default path for all of the filetypes that PmDraw
recognizes.  Select a file type and the path will be displayed in the edit
window.

If you change it and press Set, your changes will be retained.  Note that you
must use SAVE from the main Personalize dialog to retain these values as your
permanent defaults.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.4. New object defaults ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Here you can set default attributes and behavior when creating new objects.

Page size, orientation and background colors will be the values first applied
when you create a new page within PmDraw.  Individual page settings can then be
changed using the Pages pulldown on the main menu. The "X" button allows you to
set your default user page size.

Line spacing is a multiplying factor.  1.5 will result in a 50% greater spacing
between lines when entering multiple lines from the text dialog or pasting text
from the clipboard.

New object marking sets the default behavior for marking objects on the page
when a new one is created.  The three options should be self-explanatory.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.5. Configuration file ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this dialog to specify the file and path that you want to keep your PmDraw
configuration information in.

The default is C:\OS2\PMDRAW.INI.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.6. Set page size ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this dialog to set the height and width of a page.  If called from Re-size
in the Pages pulldown, it will affect the size of the current page (you might
find it necessary to then Mark-all and Fit-to-page). If called from the
Personalize dialogs, this dialog sets the default height and width of a new
(User page size) page.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.6.7. Screenshow ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Screenshow lets you put PmDraw in a mode where it will flip through pages in a
loaded PMD file continuously.  Using the setup dialog, you can specify the last
page in the file to be cycled through, and the time that each page is displayed
before going to the next page.  Using the Last Page setting allows you to have
clipart and xref pages at the end of the file which are skipped during the
screenshow cycle.

Start a screenshow by loading a multi-page PMD file and selecting Screenshow
under Files on the main menu.  This menu option will only be enabled if a
multi-page file is loaded. Once you've confirmed the timestep and last page to
be shown, the screenshow begins and will run until interrupted.

While running you can use the mouse or keyboard to control the show. Pressing
Btn 1 or Enter will pause the show or pressing Btn 2 or Esc will end the show.
Once paused, pressing Btn 1 will resume the screenshow, while pressing Btn 2
will back up to the previous panel.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.7. Graph initialization ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Graphs are used to present data or information in an organized fashion.  There
are a number of standard formats, including xy plots, bar and pie charts. Data
within PmDraw is named, so that a set of x values and y values have a name
which is used when plotting them against each other.

At present, PmDraw only support xy plots. A standard xy plot has numeric axes
with data represented by polylines with any combination of line and marker
styles.  PmDraw allows multiple curves and even multiple axes.  For example,
you can have different y scales displayed on the left and right side of a graph
with displayed curves associated with each (e.g. "x1" vs. "y1" and "x1" vs.
"y2").

Data can derive from a variety of sources - at present you can either read in
data from a file on disk (ascii format, as from a standard text editor), or
supply an equation from which it is calculated.  You can even include in the
same graph data from a file, and a curve from an equation which theoretically
matches the data. Eventually, you will be able to perform fitting of your data
so that PmDraw determines the best match of the data with a specified function
through least squares fitting.  Spreadsheet manual entry of data is not yet
supported.

When creating a new graph, you must specify the graph type and specify the
source of the data.  If Auto-size is checked a default centered graph location
will be used, otherwise you must specify where on the page you want the graph
to be located. The box you give will be the DATA bounding area - any scales and
labels will fall outside this.  This method allows you to overlay two graphs by
making their data areas coincident.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.8. Graph edit dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The primary graph add/edit dialog consists mainly of a list of graph items and
buttons for a variety of possible actions.  The graph type, such as "XY plot",
is shown in the upper right of the dialog.  Below that is the list of graph
items.  Next is a text display which shows a suggested action or details
regarding a selected item.

Graph items are listed in order in the main listbox.  In displaying the graph,
these items are handled sequentially so that the current axes at any point in
the list are the last x and y axes encountered in traversing the list.  Items
usually correspond to displayed objects in the graph, such as Title, and by
selecting the relevant graph item in the list the attributes of the associated
objects can be edited using the standard text and drawing attribute dialogs.

Multiple graph items can be selected by holding MB1 down while dragging through
the list, or by using the Ctrl shift key while clicking on items. Once
selected, items may be

 Edited         Modified using a dialog
 Inserted       New graph item created and placed in the list
 Deleted        Removed from the list
 Copied         Duplicated with the new object immediately edited
 Fractured      Removed from the graph item list, but with the visible objects
                left on the page as normal PmDraw objects
 Reordered      Using drag/drop with MB2


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.9. Graph data load ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Data can be imported into a graph from an ascii data file on disk. When editing
or creating a dataload item, a file name must first be given.  The file is then
read and the dataload dialog is displayed.

The dataload dialog contains a listbox with an entry for each column of data
found in the file.  These entries have a column number and space for the data
column name.  To specify a name, select the listbox item, type in the name in
the entryfield below the listbox, and click on the item again to verify the
name.  When first creating a graph with data from such a file, the first two
columns will be given the names "x1" and "y1" by default - these may be edited
as desired.

Selecting New File allows one to change the name of the file from which data is
to be loaded.

Selecting Reload will cause the currently selected file to be re-checked in
case you've edited it.

Data is only loaded for those columns that you have named.  If you've edited
the file and added a column of data, pressing "?" will cause the file to be
re-scanned and an entry for the new column added to the listbox for naming and
subsequent loading.  NOT YET ENABLED...


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.10. Graph data calculation ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Calculated data is represented by a set of x values given by a range and a
number of evenly spaced values within it, and y values which are calculated
from the associated x values.  Both the x and y datasets must be given names,
and the entered equation should be a function of x.

For example, an x min of 0, max of 1 and divisions of 10 would result in the x
values of 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, ... 0.9, 1.0.  Then, an equation of 2*x+3 would result
in y values of 3.0, 3.2, 3.4, ... 4.8, 5.0.

Once you have calculated the x and y data, it can be used to produce a curve.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.11. XY plot curves ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This causes a selected, (named) x and y dataset to be plotted against each
other using the current axes in effect.  The list of selectable names for x and
y will include all available names at the point at which the curve occurs in
the list of graph items.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.12. Graph axes ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

X and Y axes are specified using individual axis graph items.  They are used to
define the scaling for the graph, and to produce labels and tic marks for the
axes.  In the primary dialog, one specifies the axis type (linear, log,
function), and the axis range. One may specify the range explicitly, or
determine it automatically from one of the named datasets.  For example, if
dataload has been used to bring in named x1 and y1, the x axis can be "locked
to" x1 so that data can always be displayed with a "nice" axis data range. If
the x1 data is subsequently changed, the graph axis will be modified
accordingly and all graphed objects updated accordingly.  If a named dataset is
selected but "Lock to" is NOT checked, Rescale will find a reasonable min and
max but not lock you to it.

Details allows you to modify exactly how the graph axis is presented.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.13. Axis details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Using this dialog, one can specify details regarding the presentation of a
graph axis.  It allows you to display a grid, or to control the display of
ticmarks.  Ticmark details include positioning and length specs - if x ranges
from -1 to 1, one can use interior to place an axis INSIDE the graph at 0 by
checking Interior and giving a Loc(ation) of 0 in the y axis details.

Division spacing and number of minor ticmarks are specified explicitly.

Finally, axis numbering can be controlled.  If tics are to the left and right,
for example, you have the choice as to which side to place the numbers.  A
multiplier can be specified - if the axis ranges from 0 to 1000 and a
multiplier of 0.001 is given, the axis numbering will range from 0 to 1.0.
Spacing controls how far from the edge of the graph the numbers are positioned.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.14. Graph labels ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.15. Graph item INSERT ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Keyboard assists/accelerators ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Within PmDraw, the keyboard can be used in place of the mouse to perform a
number of actions and to assist in the precise entry of points for creating and
editing objects.  Menu accelerators are given beside the associated menu item;
other accelerators include:

 o Cursor positioning keys

 o Miscellaneous accelerators


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. Menu accelerators ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Ctl+a          Toggle grid AUTOSNAP function
 Ctl+c          Clipart import
 Ctl+d          Direct PostScript print
 Ctl+g          Toggle grid visibility
 Ctl+i          Help Index
 Ctl+k          Help Keys
 Ctl+n          New PMD file
 Ctl+o          Open existing file
 Ctl+p          Format Print
 Ctl+q          Quick Print
 Ctl+s          Save PMD file (with same name)
 Ctl+v          View another PMD page


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. Edit accelerators ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

In general, editing actions will just affect marked items:

 Alt+a          mark ALL
 Alt+b          Put object in BACK
 Alt+c          COPY
 Alt+e          ERASE current page (reverse with Ctl+Del)
 Alt+f          Bring object to Front
 Alt+g          Form Group
 Alt+m          MOVE
 Alt+r          ROTATE
 Alt+s          SCALE
 Alt+t          Text string edit
 Alt+u          Un-mark all
 Delete         usual edit action for marked items
 Ctrl+Delete    un-delete editing action


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Cursor positioning keys ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Positioning keyboard assists:

 e              move to the nearest object "end point"
 t              move to the nearest text reference point
 c              move to the nearest object "center" (box, arc, ellipse,
                subcell)
 g              snap to the nearest grid point
 l              move to the nearest point on the nearest line segment
 r              move to the closest point on the nearest curve (arc, ellipse,
                fillet)
 s              move to the closest subcell corner

 Additional keyboard assists are:

 arrow keys     moves the cursor a pixel at a time (useful for fine
                positioning)
 Ctl+arrows     fast keyboard-controlled cursor movement
 SHFT            in conjunction with Add/Edit actions offers an assisting
                constraint.  For example, with Rotate, SHIFT constrains angles
                to multiples of 15 degrees.  Creating an ellipse, SHIFT
                constrains the shape to a CIRCLE. Details are given in
                descriptions for individual Add/Edit actions.  Under Add, works
                with all but fillet, under Edit works with Move, Scale, Rotate
                and Copy (Move part).

 When you specify points and objects by using the cursor and clicking MB1 (or
 pressing Enter), the accuracy is limited by the conversion of the cursor's
 position on the screen (in pels) to page coordinates.  To circumvent this
 limitation, a number of cursor assist keys have been implemented which assist
 the user in precisely positioning the cursor, connecting EXACTLY to existing
 objects, and SELECTING objects (when Marking).


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.4. Miscellaneous accelerators ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Insert         toggle between Mark and current object buttons
 Alt+F6         CUA switch between PmDraw windows
 Ctl+z          ZOOM out to full page view
 Ctl+r          REFRESH main drawing window
 +              INCREASE MAGnification of current view
 -              DECREASE MAGnification of current view
 Alt +          cut the grid spacing in half
 Alt -          double the grid spacing
 PgUp/PgDn      change page in workspace (also Ctl+)
 Home/End       move window around on page (also Ctl+)


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. PMDraw Extended Help ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw is a CORE presentation graphics utility aimed at page-format, WYSIWYG
foil layout under OS/2 Presentation Manager.  The primary design emphasis is on
ease-of-use, and it is oriented toward scientific presentation graphics.

Help is available for the following areas:

 o Introduction

 o Creating objects

 o Editing objects

 o Data Import/Export

 o Hardcopy

 o Miscellaneous features

 o Keyboard assists/shortcuts


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. PMDraw Authors ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

PmDraw!
VERSION 1.0
26 March, 1992

Developed by Alan Warren, with help from Ray Wang, Allan Bednowitz, Genarro
Cuomo, Jason Crawford and Larry Salomon.

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Yorktown Heights, NY  10598