Pegasus Graphics Universe 1/Pegasus_Graphics_Universe.iso/p11/system/help/guide.doc

Text File | 1992-10-15 | 102.6 KB | 2,387 lines

                    REFERENCE GUIDE FOR:


              VERSION 7.32  (Oct. 15th, 1992)

                             OF





                            P11



               A GRAPHICS PROGRAM WRITTEN BY:

                     RUSSELL D. HOFFMAN
                      P.O. Box 188006
                     CARLSBAD, CA 92009
                       [phone]
                       [phone]
                 America Online:RUSSELL DH
                   CompuServe:70743,1226




     THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITIES AS TO THE
    APPLICABILITY OF THIS PROGRAM TO YOUR NEEDS OR THE
 ACCURACY OF ITS FUNCTIONS.  PLEASE NOTIFY THE AUTHOR OF
 ANY INACCURACIES FOUND AND OF ANY DESIRED NEW FEATURES.






         CONCEIVED, DESIGNED, WRITTEN AND PRODUCED
   BY RUSSELL D. HOFFMAN IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
            PROGRAM COPYRIGHT (c) 1984 to 1992,
   DOCUMENTATION COPYRIGHT (c) 1985 to 1992 by RUSSELL D.
                          HOFFMAN.



               ALL WORLDWIDE RIGHTS RESERVED.

     This  release  of  this  product  is  SHAREWARE.    The
shareware concept entitles you to use the product freely for
a limited  time (in  this case, the exact amount of use that
is appropriate is decided by you.)   After deciding you like
it, you  should register  your copy, because that is how the
developer makes  a living  and has  the resources  to create
newer and  better versions.   It  is beneficial  to  you  to
register  for   many  reasons.    First,  you  will  receive
notification of what the current version contains and places
to get  it.   Second, by supporting the project you increase
the quality  of those  future releases.  Third, sometimes we
offer discounts  and special prices on other products so you
save in  the end.   Fourth, you will then be able to use the
product entirely guilt-free!
     Schools may  register  ONE  entire  classroom  for  the
single-user registration fee.

     Registration fee:        ONLY  $25.00!
     >>>>>Think of  it as  joining the  P11 Fan  Club if  it
makes you feel better!<<<<<
     Please send just a few of your hard-earned dollars to:
     THE ANIMATED SOFTWARE COMPANY
     P.O. Box 188006
     Carlsbad, CA 92009
     SUPPORT THE  SHAREWARE CONCEPT--KEEP  QUALITY  SOFTWARE
INEXPENSIVE!




     TABLE OF CONTENTS:

     1)   Introduction
     2)   Overview
     3)   Application Development
     4)   Starting the Program
     5)   Stopping the Program
     6)   Setting Your System Configuration
     7)   Picture and Font Files
     8)   Text and Macro Files
     9)   Print Files
     10)  Auxiliary Files
     11)  Hue Files
     12)  Data Files
     13)  Variables
     14)  A Parachute
     15)  Animating Images
     16)  Branching Within Text Files
     17)  DOS Functions
     18)  A Special Note about Drive Specifications
     19)  BACK UP YOUR FILES REGULARLY!
     20)  Misc. Stuff You Should know
     21)  Initial Variable Values
     22)  Drawing Images (Including Fonts)
     23)  Fonts
     24)  Bitplane Mode Fonts
     25)  Drawing Editor Key Usage
     26)  Vector Drawing
     27)  Vector Frame Editor Key Usage
     28)  Editing Text Files
     29)  Text Editor Key Usage
     30)  Quick Reference Guide--Command Syntax

     >>>>>Be  sure   to  also   use  our   other  electronic
documents, including  the  ERRORS  list  and  the  TECHNICAL
REFERENCE, as well as our educational lessons.<<<<<








                        INTRODUCTION

     This  program   is  a   multi-faceted  environment  for
creating and  running computer  graphics applications  on an
IBM-PC  hardware  configuration  with  DOS  2.0  or  higher.
Supported input  devices in  addition to  the keyboard are a
Microsoft  or  compatible  mouse,  Summagraphics  1201-A  or
compatible digitizer,  or a  joystick.   The minimum  memory
requirement is roughly 256K for the runtime and 512K for the
editor.   EMM (LIM  version 3.2 or higher) can be used.  For
VGA resolutions  using EMM  is   highly  recommended.    The
program requires  a color  graphics board and color monitor.
It uses most CGA, EGA, and VGA PC-compatible screen modes.
     A runtime  version is  included which you should use to
distribute  your   creations.     Several  utility  programs
(SHOWER.EXE, SCRNSAVE.EXE,  HPRASTER.EXE  and  SHOW_PCX.EXE)
are  also   included.     The  utility   programs  are  self
documented--simply type  the utility program's name and then
at least one space and a question mark, and press return.





                          OVERVIEW

     There are  eight (8)  types of  files that this program
handles.    They  are  distinguished  by  their  extensions:
picture files (extension PIC), font files (FON), text  files
(TXT), macro  files (MAC),  print files  (PRN),  "auxiliary"
files (AUX), data files (DAT), and hue files (HUE).
     There are  several utility  programs  included  in  the
package.  Their use is explained separately.
     Picture and  font files  are collections  of  drawings.
Text and Macro files are command sequences.  Print files are
output-only files.   Auxiliary  files  can  be  read  in  or
written  out   and  contain   alphanumeric  information   in
"numbered storage  locations" ("boxes")  which we  refer  to
throughout this  manual as "auxboxes". Data files are comma-
delimited ASCII  files for  input (records within data files
are separated  by line-feed and carriage-return characters.)
Hue  files  contain  information  used  to  control  display
colors.
     The graphics  editor needs  certain files,  for example
the graphics  interface icons,  that should  be in  the path
\P11 on the current drive.  If you install properly with our
batch files these directories will be set up automatically.









                  APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

     When creating  graphics programs, you will be using the
drawing capabilities  of the  program, or  the text  editing
capabilities, or  going between  the two,  or running a text
file (testing your creation).  Text files may be started and
stopped at  will  and  "single-stepped"  if  desired  during
creation and  debugging.   Picture files can be animated for
viewing while  working  on  them.    Many  commands  can  be
executed in  "instant" mode  (by pressing  Function Key  10)
when working  on either  graphics or  text.   Function  keys
display helpful  information about the current files, and F1
(HELP) will  give you information on what keys are currently
valid and what they do.












                    STARTING THE PROGRAM

     The program  MUST start by reading a file.  The default
file name  is "MAINMENU.TXT"  which it  will read  from  the
current drive and current path (directory). It will read any
other text file, if you specify the file name (with optional
drive and directories) on the command line.
     If the  program cannot  find  the  file  specified  (or
MAINMENU.TXT when  no file  was specified) it will display a
message asking you to specify a different drive, path and/or
file name.   If  it finds  the text file it will read it and
begin executing it.

     The editor version can begin by reading TXT, PIC or FON
files.   The runtime  version must  start by  reading a  TXT
file.








                    STOPPING THE PROGRAM


     Any error  will stop  processing and  display an  error
code unless  an \ON  ERROR trap has been executed.  The user
should press  <F1>, but  pressing <ESCAPE>  three times will
exit the error routine too.  When running a text file errors
will put  you in  the editor,  usually  at  the  spot  where
processing could not continue.

     The user  can exit the tutorial at any time by pressing
ESCAPE and  then responding  correctly to  the  prompt  that
follows.  The screen mode will reset to whatever it was when
the program was loaded, and the cursor type will be reset to
the standard  defaults.  If password protection has been set
up, password  checking will  occur before the option to exit
is given.

     When the  program ends  the DOS return code is set to 0
if ending was normal and intentional, 1 if an error occurred
and 2  if a  critical (probably  disk) error  occurred.   An
error code  of 3  is theoretically possible if both critical
error and  a program  error occurred.   We've  never seen it
happen, though.

     Execution can  be stopped  at any  time by pressing the
ESCAPE key.  When ESCAPE is pressed you are given the option
of ending  the execution of the text file.  This will either
put you in the editor, or return you to DOS if you are using
the runtime  version.    The  escape  key  message  is  non-
destructive, it  will restore  the screen  if processing  is
resumed.









             SETTING YOUR SYSTEM CONFIGURATION



     NOTE:   Unless you  are getting errors telling you that
you have  insufficient memory to run the program, you should
ignore this  section until  you are  ready to fine-tune your
own creations for distribution.

     You  can  set  various  "startup"  parameters  for  the
program to  use in  the environment  string P11FLAGS=.  (For
the SHOWER  utility, use  the string name P11SHOW= instead.)
This is done at the DOS prompt or from a batch file with the
SET command (see your DOS documentation.)

     Alternately,  you  can  set  these  parameters  on  the
command line  as the  FIRST THING  on the command line after
the program  name and at least one space, in brackets ([,]).
Do not name the string in this case, simply list the desired
variables within the brackets.  Follow the brackets with the
filename you  wish to  start with.   The total length of the
information following  the program  name cannot exceed about
125 characters.   If environment parameters AND command line
parameters are  both used,  the environment  parameters  are
evaluated first,  then the  command line  parameters,  which
will overlay the equivalent environment parameters.

     The primary purpose of all these parameters is to allow
your programs  to run  in  the  minimal  base  (RAM)  memory
possible.

     The other  side of  the  coin  is  that  these  startup
parameters effect  what can  be done with the program as you
use it.   For  example if  you make the maximum picture size
very small, you will use less RAM, but on the other hand you
will not  be able  to read  large picture  images.  When you
write an  application for  general distribution,  you should
try to  figure out  the minimal  memory  configuration  your
program needs, then set these variables accordingly in a DOS
batch file and have the user run that batch file to run your
application.   That way,  you ensure that the largest number
of machines will be able to handle your application.


     Here are  the possible  startup  parameters  and  their
     meanings:

     B:#       0 or 1.  Background screen memory area is NOT
     reserved if  set to  0.   Default is 1.  The background
     screen is  used with  masking, and  screen save, and by
     the editor.   When  the program  goes into a new screen
     mode (and  at startup)  the background  screen area  is
     reserved.   This area  can hold  a complete copy of the
     screen.   The size  of the  area depends  on the screen
     mode.  \SAVE SCREEN will save the screen to disk in the
     directory \P11\TEMP  if this  parameter is set to zero,
     otherwise the  screen will  be saved  in the background
     screen area RAM.
          Saving in RAM, though very fast, can take a lot of
     base RAM,  so saving  the screens to disk can be useful
     even though  it is a lot slower.  To do masking (a type
     of animation  technique), you   need  to save  at least
     part of  the screen  in RAM--whatever  parts will  have
     masked images  moving within  them.  To use masking you
     must specify  the lines  which should  be saved in RAM.
     Do this with the \SCREEN command.  If LINES= is are not
     specified and  B: is  zero, the  entire screen  will be
     saved to disk.  If the LINES= option of screen is used,
     then only that portion of the screen will be saved with
     \SAVE SCREEN,  but it  will be saved in RAM and will be
     used by masking operations.
          This option in NOT recommended in most situations:
     It is  slow and  if you  do masking,  it can complicate
     tutorial writing  somewhat.  Only if you will NEVER use
     the background  frame for  any purpose  is this  option
     likely to  be useful,  or if  you have  no other way to
     reduce RAM usage to an acceptable level.

     C:#.      16 to 64.  Maximum picture size in K.  (A "K"
     is 1024 bytes.)  Default is 64K.

     EMM:#.      Zero means do not use EMM, any other number
     is the  number of pages to use.  Default is -1, use all
     available.

     FONT:#     The size of the font area in K (1024 bytes).
     The default  is 20K,  the minimum is 8K, the maximum is
     63K, but  must be equal to or less than whatever C:# is
     set to.

     FRAME:#      The maximum number of frames.  The default
     is 1000, but it can be set between 10 and 8000.

     SCREEN:#,#,#      This  is  the  same  as  the  \SCREEN
     command, except  you cannot use the MODE=# option. This
     option will  cause the  program to immediately begin in
     the mode you want rather than the default, CGA mode.











                   PICTURE AND FONT FILES

     There are  two types  of drawings available, raster and
vector.   Raster drawings  are images  created on the screen
and saved  as a  block of  memory containing  the horizontal
line-by-line color  values.   This roughly  corresponds to a
sheet of  paper with  an electronic  eraser, airbrush, zoom,
etc.   Raster drawings  are always  rectangular. They do not
change size  no matter  what you  change in  them, just as a
sheet of  paper does not change size no matter what you draw
on it.   In  this program raster drawings can be larger than
the screen; the screen acts as an edit and display window.
     Vector drawings  can be  thought of  as the  dots in  a
connect-the-dot drawing.  Vector images are composed of dots
which you draw.  Vector images change size with each dot you
add or  remove, but  not when  you change  an existing dot's
position or  color.   The order of the dots is important and
affects many functions.  A vector drawing can be larger than
the screen.   Perhaps most importantly, a vector drawing can
be used  as a  path for  other raster  or vector drawings to
follow.   It can  also be  used as a time base for variable-
speed animation.
     Both raster  and vector  frames can  have  base  offset
values and  base  timing  values.    Base  offsets  are  the
standard location  for that  frame on the screen.  The frame
will be  edited and  displayed there  unless you  specify  a
different location.  This is especially helpful if animating
just a small portion of a picture, perhaps a blinking eye or
a mouth  movement.   When displaying  the picture  the  base
offset will  be added  to whatever  position you  specify to
display the image.
     The base timing value is a timing unit that can be used
as a  delay amount  to wait between placing the frame on the
screen and displaying the next frame.  Using the base timing
value is just one option for timing control.
     Picture files store raster or vector pictures, or both.
Individual raster  frames can  be any  size from one (1) dot
across and  one (1)  down to  over 4000 dots across and 4000
down.   (Maximum frame size is about 64K.)  Fonts are raster
drawings and can also be any size, but you have a maximum of
about 63K for an entire font.
     The smaller  you make your drawings the faster they can
move and  the less  room they  take up.    Size  for  raster
drawings is  a product of the X- and Y- lengths plus a small
constant.  For vector drawings it is dependent on the number
of dots  in the drawing plus a constant.  The maximum number
of dots in a vector frame is about 4,000.
     Bitplane fonts  are a little more complicated: refer to
the special instructions later in this document for creating
bitplane fonts.





                    TEXT AND MACRO FILES
     Text files  and  macro  files  contain  commands  which
control picture display, user input, text to be shown, etc..
Text and  macro files  contain combinations  of text  to  be
shown on  the screen  and commands  to  be  executed.    The
difference between a text line and a command is that command
lines have  a backslash  (\) in  column one  (1).   Multiple
commands can  be placed on one line by simply coding another
backslash.
     The \  (backslash) commands  are a programming language
with  many  special  graphics  commands  which  allow  easy,
flexible control  of the screen.  Other commands provide for
input from  the viewer, speed control, storage and retrieval
of data  and so on.  The program includes an editor that you
can use to create text files.
     Any text editor or word processor can be used to create
text files  PROVIDING you  create  an  ASCII  file  with  no
imbedded non-printable  ASCII characters (the tab character,
for example,  should not  be used.)  Those characters  whose
ASCII code  is less  than 32  or greater  than 127  are  not
permitted except the carriage return/line feed at the end of
each line  (13,10).   Lines can  be  up  to  256  characters
including the cr/lf.
     A sample text file might look like this:

          \READ SOMEFONT.FON
          \LOCATE 0,0
          \WIDTH 40
          \HEIGHT 99
          \SCROLL 12
          These are lines of text that will be
          scrolled up the screen in a window
          located in the upper left corner (0,0)
          of the screen and 99 dots high (about
          half the screen in CGA mode), at
           "speed" 12.  The lower the number, the
          FASTER the scroll, with 0 as fast as
          possible.
          \END


     Each text  file can  be up to about 10K in size and can
call other  text and macro files so there is really no limit
to how  "big" an  application program  can  be.    The  main
difference between  text and  macro files  is that  when you
read in a new text file it overlays the one that was in RAM.
Macros get  stacked "on top of" one another until you either
\CLEAR them  (with the  MACROS option)  or exhaust  the  10K
macro area (which is an error).
     Macros are  created as  text files,  saved to disk, and
then the extension is renamed from .TXT to .MAC.


                        PRINT FILES

     Print files  are output-only  files that can be created
with the  \PRINT statement.   They  are written to disk with
the name  you specify.   They might be used, for example, to
create a  record of what the user did when running a program
you have written.  Print data can go directly to the printer
(LPT1, LPT2,  LPT3) if  it has  been opened  first (see  the
\OPEN command.)







                      AUXILIARY FILES

     Auxiliary files  are data storage files which will hold
up to about 4K of information in NUMBERED locations which we
call "auxboxes".  Auxbox numbers must be from 1 to 32767 but
since each  auxbox needs  a 4-byte  "header" and contains at
least one  byte of  actual data, not all numbers can be used
at the  same time.   The  auxiliary file  is created or read
into RAM making access very fast.  Locations are referred to
either by a number preceded by a pound sign (#23, #4543, #1)
or by a symbolic name which you assign.
     Auxiliary  locations  can  contain  either  numbers  or
alphanumerics (strings).   Numeric  types can have math done
on them  or be part of mathematical equations.  Alphanumeric
types can  be strung  together (using  \BUILD) or  cut  into
pieces.   The maximum  length of  a non-numeric auxbox is 80
bytes.   Both types can be copied, printed, converted to the
other type,  displayed on  the screen  and used as places to
store user  input.   The entire auxiliary file can be stored
on disk.
     Numeric values  are displayed  using the  standard  DOS
font and  the \CURSOR  command for  position.  Alphanumerics
use the  current font  you have  read into  memory  and  are
positioned with  the \LOCATE  command.   To display  numeric
auxboxes with  the current  font rather  than the  DOS font,
simply use  the \CONVERT command to change them from numeric
to alphanumeric values first.
     Location #32767,  the last, is reserved for the current
time and date.  This location can only be read--it cannot be
written to  or deleted.   It can be referred to as TIME&DATE
(with no  spaces) or  by its  number, #32767, and contains a
twenty-byte formatted  alphanumeric value obtained from DOS.
The format  is MM/DD/YY  HH:MM:SS.hh (hh  is hundredths of a
second.)  In the year 2000 YY will be 00, in 2001 it will be
01, etc.





                         HUE FILES

     Hue files  contain the  definitions for the displayable
colors for  each mode.  The color components are Red, Green,
and Blue.   Each of these values can be from 0 to 63, giving
262,144 color  choices. (except  in  EGA  which  limits  the
values to  0 through  15.)   How many of these colors can be
displayed at  one time  is determined  by the current screen
mode and is either 2, 4, 16 or 256.
     Your machine  must be  equipped with  advanced (MCGA or
VGA) video  hardware to  be able  to change the hues, but if
you have  the right hardware you will also be able to change
the hues for CGA and monochrome modes.



                         DATA FILES

     Data  files   are  input-only  files  containing  comma
delimited fields  in records  that are delimited by carriage
return/line feed characters (13,10).
     Data files  must be  opened before they can be read and
should be  closed afterwards.   Each \DATA command reads one
record and  transfers the  data to  auxboxes.  See the \DATA
command for more information.







                         VARIABLES

     In addition  to  the  auxiliary  locations,  there  are
twenty-six (26)  internal variables labeled "A" through "Z",
which are  solely for  numerics.   They are  somewhat faster
than auxboxes and remain in RAM when a new AUX file is read.
     Some variables  have special  uses and they MUST NOT be
used in  any  way  that  would  conflict  with  these  uses.
Specifically, variable  "A" is  used  to  store  answers  to
questions you  ask the  program about  current settings (see
below).   Variable "B"  holds the  decimal  value  that  DOS
returns from the last user keypress.  After \MARQUE, \MOUSE,
\RUN and \SHOW, variable "C" contains the number of complete
cycles that occurred.  Variables "D" and "E" hold digitizer,
mouse, or  joystick position  values if these are activated.
Variable "F"  holds the last input device button(s) pressed.
\EXECUTE will  also change  variables "A"  and "C".   Except
when you  need these  features  do  not  use  variables  "A"
through "F".
     At the  start of  the program  most  variables  contain
information about such things as the number of drives in the
machine, the  current drive  being  used,  the  DOS  version
number, etc. (see Initial Variable Values, below.)




                        A PARACHUTE

     The program  will not  let you execute any command that
reads in  a hue, text or picture file if it will overlay any
changes.   This protects  you from  accidentally having your
changes destroyed.   You can manually read in new files with
an option to overwrite current changes, or you can save your
changes and then run your text files normally.
     The inability  to accidentally  overlay  changes  is  a
crucial part  of the  program's "philosophy".   For example,
the current  frame you  are drawing  can be restored to it's
previous image by pressing ESCAPE and then responding to the
screen prompts.   The current line in the editor can also be
restored by  pressing ESCAPE.   While editing hues, pictures
and text ESCAPE lets you undo changes that you just made.




                      ANIMATING IMAGES

     This  program's   command  language  lets  you  animate
pictures and  place  them  on  the  screen.    Commands  are
"instant" or may be stored in text or macro files.
     The simplest  way to  animate frames  is with the \SHOW
command. \SHOW  describes the location on the screen and the
frames to  be displayed.    Frames  are  selected  from  the
current file.  For example:

          \SHOW LOCATE=35,45 FRAMES=1,4

     would cycle through frames 1, 2, 3 and 4 at location 35
(X-axis), 45  (Y-axis).  The upper left corner of the screen
is location  0,0.   Several other parameters may be included
in this  command.    See  the  command  description  in  the
technical reference for more information about \SHOW.
     Pictures can  also  be  displayed  using  the  \SPRITE,
\SPRINT  and   \RUN  commands.     \SPRITE  sets  up  motion
parameters;.   \SPRINT indicates  which frames should follow
those parameters.   Then  \RUN executes  the  motion-control
sequence.   Over 120  separate elements can be controlled at
once   from a  choice of  over eight  thousand (the  maximum
number of frames in RAM or EMM at one time).
     Paths  for  artwork  can  be  mathematically  described
(increments and  decrements to the current position) or they
can be  the sequential  dots of a vector drawing--any vector
drawing can  be used  as a  path for either raster or vector
drawings.   \SPRITE, \SPRINT,  and \RUN  can also be used to
open or move windows, make images appear at different times,
and much  more.   It is  a powerful animation tool and worth
exploring!







                BRANCHING WITHIN TEXT FILES

     Branching  within   text  files   may  be  conditional,
unconditional or  based on  user input.   A  \X  (paragraph)
command indicates  a place  in a text file which can be used
as a  destination.  Branching commands include \JUMP, \CALL,
\CALLM, \ON  KEY and  \ON ERROR.   A \RETURN ends a "called"
section of  the program  and branches  back to  the  command
after the one where the call occurred.
     The following text file would display the decimal value
for any key pressed in the upper left corner of the screen:

          \X STARTING_LINE
          \CURSOR 0,0
          \DISPLAY B
          \JUMP STARTING_LINE

     STARTING_LINE is  the name of the place that \JUMP will
go to.  You could use any name.  Branching can occur forward
or back  to anywhere  in  the  text  or  macro  file.    The
following commands  accomplish almost  the  same  thing  but
don't reset the cursor location:

          \X A \DIS B \JU A.

     Here the paragraph name is "A" and abbreviated forms of
the commands  have been  used (but see the important note on
using (and  not  using)  abbreviations  in  the  section  on
command syntax).






                       DOS FUNCTIONS

     The following  DOS functions  are available by pressing
F10 twice:   Copy,  Directory, Rename,  Change default drive
and/or path,  Erase file, a check of available space on disk
drives, and  Execute a  second copy  of DOS  (temporary  DOS
exit).   By exiting  to DOS  you can do just about anything,
including formatting disks, or anything else if you have the
memory available.   (You  should  not  format  disks  unless
absolutely necessary.)







         A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT DRIVE SPECIFICATIONS

     Because the  26 variables  use single  letters,  drives
must  always   be  specified   with  numbers,  variables  or
auxboxes.   Thus the  command \READ  C:GALLOP.TXT would  not
read from  drive "C"  unless variable  "C" held the value 3.
One way to code this in P11 is \READ 3:GALLOP.TXT.
     Drive (and  path) do  not need  to  be  specified;  the
previous specification will remain valid.
     The exception  to numeric  drive specifications  is for
the file included on the command line during initial program
load. You  can use letters at this point.  This is so that a
"user"  does   not   have   to   work   with   the   numeric
specifications.   For consistency numeric literals (1, 2, 3,
etc.) can also be used on the command line.







                   BACK UP YOUR FILES!!!

     Be sure  to BACK  UP YOUR FILES REGULARLY.  We suggest,
for this  and all  applications where you create new data, a
"staggered rotation"  policy:   Rotate 5 or 6 diskettes more
or less  hourly.   Whenever you  do something  important  or
difficult to reproduce pluck that diskette from the rotation
and set it aside.  Next, rotate 5 or so diskettes on a daily
basis.   Again, pluck and replace with fresh ones as needed.
Do this  on a weekly basis also.  And lastly, do it monthly,
but keep  those forever.   Save  to different  disks.  Don't
just overlay  the saved  version again  and again and again.
Disks are  cheap.   Data (time  and effort) is expensive and
sometimes irreplaceable.
     With a  reliable hard  disk, save  to diskette at least
daily,  and   still  pluck   whenever  you'd  hate  to  redo
something.     You  may  want  to  save  files  to  slightly
different names,  such as  incrementing the  last two digits
(HORSE01.PIC,  HORSE02.PIC,   etc.)  so   you  have  several
versions available  in case you want to go back a few steps.
Print text files regularly.
     An important  aspect of  the program  is that,  by  and
large, you  can press  any key  and nothing  very disastrous
will happen.   To  overwrite changes requires a confirmation
to be sure no major damage will occur.  However, nothing can
save you  from power  spikes, glitches, spilled coffee, etc.
so save your files regularly!
     This program  creates ".BAK"  files.   You should still
save to  slightly different  names  or  different  disks  to
maintain old  and current  data files.   You  can  tell  the
program NOT to rename the current file to .BAK and to simply
overwrite instead.  Note that  all  file  types--font,  hue,
picture, and text--are renamed simply to .BAK, replacing any
.BAK file  of the same name.  So to maintain backup versions
of different types of files be sure to use different names.




                MISC. STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

     When saving  picture or font files the program will ask
which frames ("from" and "to") are to be saved.  The program
will then  calculate whether  or  not  file  compression  is
feasible  and   if  so,  will  ask  if  you  want  the  file
compressed.   Compressed files  take less space on disk, and
reading and decompressing a file is often faster than simply
reading a  non-compressed file.  This is especially true for
256-color mode.
     Raster pictures  are  stored  as  "words"  (two  bytes)
horizontally.   This means  that if you specify a width that
is not on a word boundary the program will actually create a
frame the  size of the next word boundary, which in CGA mode
is every eight (8) dots (there are four (4) dots per byte in
CGA mode).   This  has one  important effect:  if you use an
even number  of words (widths of 8,16,24,32, etc.) the \SHOW
command treats  this as  a special  "simple"  case  and  can
display the  frame much  more rapidly than if it has to show
odd dots.  The fastest display possible with this program is
with this method.  The FAST option of \SPRITE also uses this
speedy feature.
     If you  choose to have a mask for your raster frame, it
is automatically  generated while  editing.    The mask is a
very  useful  feature,  because  it  allows  you  to  "bring
forward" a  background image  with the  foreground image you
are displaying.
     The \SHOW  command and  the FAST option of \SPRITE will
automatically use the background screen area as the original
background image.  To use masking, first use \SAVE SCREEN to
save the  screen image into the background screen area, then
display the  foreground frames  you want with \SHOW or \RUN.
If they  have masks,  the masked  area will  come  from  the
background screen.   If  the foreground image is moving, the
frames should be large enough to include the movement.  This
will clear  the old  image when  the new foreground frame is
shown.
     The mask that the program generates will be the inverse
of the  blank (zero)  dots.   Zero color  dots  will  become
"high-value" dots and all other dots will become zero in the
mask.   The mask  can be touched up manually using "E" (edit
mask) in  the picture  editor.   However, if  you  edit  the
picture again a new mask will automatically be created.  You
would then have to manually touch up the mask again.  If you
do manually edit a mask, the only useful color to draw in is
zero (0).   It  has the  effect of  overlaying a  zero-color
portion of an image onto a background.

     It is  important to  remember that  all numbers MUST be
whole numbers  between -32768 and +32767 inclusive.  Numbers
are stored  as signed  "word" (2-byte)  values, which cannot
handle a  greater capacity.   It  is your  responsibility to
ensure that  you code your text files with the understanding
that 32767+1 will wrap around and produce -32768, and so on.
     If using the IBM operating system OS/2, you need to SET
HARDWARE TIMER ON.






                  INITIAL VARIABLE VALUES





     Some of  the 26 variables contain initial values at the
start of  the program.   Others  contain  mouse-related  and
keyboard-related values  and change whenever necessary.  You
should not  try to  store values  in the  variables that the
program changes!   Currently  variables  A  through  F  have
special uses.   "B"   is the last keypress, "D" and "E" hold
the current  mouse position,  and "F"  is the  current mouse
buttons pressed.   Variable  "A" is  used by  the program to
store it's  responses to  questions you ask of it.  Variable
"C" contains  the number  of cycles  completed during cycle-
based activities  such as  \RUN, \SHOW,  \MOUSE, \MARQUE and
\WAIT.  \EXECUTE will change variables "A" and "C".

     Many parameters  can be  looked at  rather than  set by
using a  question mark  (?) instead  of a  value.    When  a
question mark  is used where a value is expected the current
value of the parameter is put in variable "A".  For example,
the command  \FRAME ?  would put  the total number of frames
currently in memory in variable "A".
     The variables  are assigned the following values at the
start of the program:


A..Size of  available RAM  memory.  Actually this is the
    size of  the largest  available chunk, normally after
    initial program  load  this  will  be  all  available
    memory.
B..Zero (0).  Immediately accepts keypresses, though.
C..Zero (0).
D..Set by input device.  X-axis location.
E..Set by input device.  Y-axis location.
F..Set by buttons on input device.
G..Major version number of this program.
H..Minor version number of this program.
I..Major version number of the DOS being used.
J..Minor version number of the DOS being used.
K..Current drive (1=A, 2=B, etc.)
L..Maximum number  of drives.   This  number is  derived
    from several  values that DOS supplies and may not be
    correct above  the #  of diskettes  and 1 hard drive.
    You cannot  access a  drive with a value greater than
    this number (1=A, 2=B, etc.).  If it is incorrect try
    reloading the  program using  the highest value drive
    as the default drive.
M..Machine ID.   This number is also provided by DOS and
    for some  "clones" and  "compatibles" it  may not  be
    correct.  For some common machines it's meaning is as
    follows:

                    255 - PC
                    254 - PC/XT
                    253 - PCjr.
                    252 - PC/AT (also COMPAQ portable).
                    249 - PC Convertible.
                    154 - COMPAQ-Plus (XT type).
                     45 - COMPAQ (PC type).

N..EMM status.   0 if no EMM (in which case variable "O"
    should be  zero (0)  too.) If EMM is available a bit-
    mapped  field   indicating  the   status  information
    returned from the EMM driver software is placed here.
    If this  is NOT  0, the EMM is unusable.  If it is 0,
    EMM is  usable only  if  "O",  #  of  EMM  pages,  is
    nonzero.
O..EMM pages available for pictures.  EMM pages are each
    16384 bytes.
P..Maximum  number  of  frames  allowed.    (set  by  an
    environmental variable, or defaults to 1000.
Q..Maximum  picture   size  (set   by  an  environmental
    variable.)
R..Maximum size of a font file in K, after decompression
    (set by an environmental variable.)
S..Screen mode on entry to the program.
T..Video type (not used by program, yet.)
                    0 -  Probably CGA  (or monochrome) or
    unknown.
                    1 - Monochrome EGA.
                    2 - Color EGA.
                    4 - Color EGA.
                    5 - Monochrome EGA.
                    7 - Monochrome VGA.
                    8 - Color VGA.






              DRAWING IMAGES (INCLUDING FONTS)

     The drawing  editor lets  you edit individual frames in
an animation sequence.  It uses icons which can be "clicked"
on and  off with  the mouse button, or all icon options have
keyboard equivalents.
     To move the cursor in any of eight directions press the
keys that  surround the  "5" key  on the numeric keypad.  Be
sure "Num Lock" is OFF on your keyboard.  Home, Pg Up, Pg Dn
and End move diagonally.  Arrow keys are used for horizontal
and vertical motion.  You can change the distance moved with
each directional keypress by entering a new number using the
numeric keys  above the QWERTY part of the keyboard.  On XT-
style keyboards, toggle between fast movement and single-dot
movement with  the "5"  key on most numeric keypads (or with
another key  you specify with \KEYS).  This allows very fast
keyboard-controlled movement around the screen.
     If you  have a  digitizer, joystick  or mouse,  it will
draw in  the current  color when  button #1 is pressed.  Use
<CTRL>+RETURN to  reverse to  button #1  off means  draw, on
means don't draw.
     When drawing  diagonals be  aware of the SCALING FACTOR
of the  screen.   In CGA  mode this  is approximately 10:12,
assuming a typical screen ASPECT RATIO of 4:3.  When drawing
a diagonal  line the  diagonal movement  is not  a 45-degree
angle; it  simply moves  over-and-up (or whatever direction)
instead.
     The cursor's  numeric X-Y  location can be displayed by
pressing the  space bar.  To toggle off the position display
press the space bar again.  The size of the cursor crosshair
is also varied with the space bar.



                           FONTS

     Fonts are created as picture files and then written out
as pictures, fonts, or proportional fonts.  To be written as
a font  you must create the frames as all raster and all the
same height.    Non-proportional  fonts  must  be  on  word-
boundary widths  (multiples of  8 dots wide in CGA mode) and
all frames must be the same width.
     When you  read a  font it  is automatically  put in the
font area--NOT  the picture  area.   If  the  file  is  read
manually (with  F6, not  with a text file \READ command) you
are  then  prompted  as  to  whether  or  not  you  want  it
transferred into the picture area.  You can have a different
font in the font area but you can't edit that one.
     You could  also rename the font as a .PIC file and read
it in that way.  When transferring a font from the font area
to the  picture area  the program will automatically enlarge
the font's frame headers to the size that pictures use.







                    BITPLANE MODE FONTS

      Bitplane  fonts are  created as  monochrome  bitmapped
fonts and  then the mode byte must be changed using a binary
editor such  as Norton  Utilities.    Do  NOT  try  to  edit
bitplane fonts:    you  must  edit  the  original  bitmapped
monochrome font  or change the mode back to monochrome, edit
it then, and then change it back.





                  DRAWING EDITOR KEY USAGE





A     Airbrush or  cycled colors  instead of a solid cursor.
      For cycling, each dot drawn will increment through the
      chosen cycle  colors.   For airbrush,  area (size) and
      intensity of  spray are  adjusted with the cursor size
      keys, +  and -.  When called from the keyboard you can
      set up  to 10  different colors  to be  airbrushed  or
      cycled.

B     Buttons.  Sets the meaning of the buttons available on
      the input  device.   Also useful  if your input device
      does not  return  correct  button  values.    For  the
      keyboard, buttons  are imitated by using quote marks--
      the left quote mark (`) simulates the left button, the
      right quote (') the right button, and the double quote
      ("), both buttons.
C     Color.   Sets the  current color.  Enter a valid color
      number for the screen mode you are in, or press return
      to capture  the color  from the cursor position on the
      screen.

D     Dot color of the cursor crosshair. Enter a valid color
      number for the cursor.  For 256-color mode the highest
      color values  are not available.  Press return for the
      program to try to pick a high-contrast color.

E     Edit the  mask.   The mask  for a  raster frame can be
      manually edited, but this should ONLY be done when all
      other changes  to the  frame have  been completed.  If
      additional changes  are made  to the  frame, the  mask
      will automatically be recreated.

F     Flip a  drawing on  the horizontal or vertical axis or
      both.  Flip on the Y-axis will flip excess dots to the
      next word  boundary if  you have not set the X-axis to
      an word  boundary.   However this  area is not stored.
      Only the  screen image  is affected.   If a box is set
      only the area in the box is flipped.

G     Grid.   When two  points are set, a lowercase "g" is a
      grid of dots, an uppercase "G" is a grid of horizontal
      and vertical lines.

H     Hue.   Lets you  change the hue for the current color.
      This option  will not  function if  your hardware will
      not support hues.

J     Joystick reset  to zero.  If your  joystick starts  to
      wander to one side or another, press this key when you
      have centered  the joystick  and appropriate  software
      values will be recalculated.

L     Line.   Makes the current shape a line when F2 has set
      a second  point.   Use input  button or  keyboard left
      quote mark (`) to draw the line.

M     MAsk, mErge (vector) or Mirror. Three separate options
      are available  from the  M key. After pressing M press
      either A (mAsk), E (mErge), or I (mIrror).

      MAsk. This  is not the same as the mask for the frame.
      This  simply  masks  the  screen  colors  for  drawing
      purposes.   Specify a  color not to mask, and you will
      only be able to draw over that color. All other colors
      on the  screen cannot  be changed until you toggle off
      this option by pressing M, then A, then RETURN.

      MErge.   (Available for  vector only.   See vector key
      usage.)
      MIrror. Create  mirror  images  as  you  draw.  Mirror
      horizontally, vertically,  both, or  in four  sectors.
      The  current   locked  point,  or  the  screen  center
      (vector)   or displayed  image center  (raster) can be
      used as the mirror-line.

O     Oval.   When F2  has set a second point this makes the
      current shape  an oval.   A  lowercase "o" is an empty
      oval, an uppercase "O" is a filled circle.

P     Pattern.   Any raster  frame may be used as a pattern.
      The frame  will be  "tiled" from  the  current  locked
      location when  the option  is called.   (Locations are
      "locked" by pressing both input device buttons.)

Q     Rotate.  Vector frames may be rotated between 0 and 90
      degrees, in 1-degree increments.  Raster frames may be
      rotated 90  or 180  degrees only.   Rotation may occur
      around the  current locked  point or the screen center
      (vector) or  displayed image  center  (raster).    The
      cursor may  also be  rotated if  it is a star (rosette
      pattern, from 0 to 359 degrees.

R     Rectangle.   When F2 has set a second point this makes
      the current  shape a rectangle.  A lowercase "r" is an
      empty  rectangle,   an  uppercase   "R"  is  a  filled
      rectangle.

S     Scale an image, Star shaped cursor.

      Scale Lets  your expand  or compress  a drawing.   You
      will be  prompted for  a multiplicand, which cannot be
      zero and  must be  less than  255.   Next you  will be
      asked for  a divisor.   This  also cannot  be zero and
      must be  less than 255.  The next question asks if you
      want the X-axis or the Y-axis values changed, or both.
      If you  are scaling  a vector frame the first and last
      dots will  not be  changed, and  you can  also set  an
      offset to  be added  to all positions.  This must be a
      value between  -4094 and  +4095 inclusive and is added
      AFTER the  multiplication and division operations have
      taken place. The command will be canceled if you press
      ESCAPE or  if any  value is invalid (which may produce
      an error  message).   The frame  size is  not  changed
      during this operation.

      Star lets you set up a very complex star-shaped cursor
      that can  have from  2  to  360  points.    There  are
      numerous options  to the  star shape (also referred to
      in  this  document  as  a  rosette.)    You  can  have
      concentric shapes,  a spiral,  and many  star and  box
      shapes, and  all are rotatable and scalable.  The best
      way to  understand the  star shape  is to play with it
      for a while.
T     Tilt allows  you to  slant, bend  or compress drawings
      along an  axis.   If entered  in "box"  mode  (see  F2
      below, and  "R" above)  it will  affect only the boxed
      area including  the dots  along the  box border lines.
      This option  lets you  shrink or  slant drawings along
      lines or curves.  Following prompts, you must choose a
      side, set the line or curve (or use the previous one),
      and state  whether you  want to  slant or compress the
      drawing along  the defined  line or  curve.  For large
      frames on  slow machines this command can take as much
      as several  minutes.   The tilt  line is stored in the
      "temporary line  area" and  can be  reused if  nothing
      else that  uses that  area  is  done  (PAINT  ALL  and
      \APPEND use that area for their own purposes).

U     Rosette. If  two points  are  active  this  makes  the
      current shape  a star pattern, or rosette.  The number
      of points  and many  other things can be adjusted with
      the Star option of the "S" key.  A lowercase "u" is an
      empty pattern and a capital "U" is a filled pattern.

X     Xor  mode.     Xor   (pronounced   "ecks-or")   is   a
      mathematical function,  the mathematics  of which  are
      neither complicated nor important.  Xor will cause all
      dots that  are written to be "xor'ed" onto the screen.
      The color that appears will be a function of the color
      you are  drawing and  the color that is already there.
      A background  color, having  a mathematical  value  of
      zero (0),  will xor to NO CHANGE.  This is the way the
      math works,  so color  zero (0)  is like clear when in
      xor mode.  A special feature of xor is that if you xor
      an image  twice in  the same position the second image
      erases the  first.   The net  result is that it leaves
      the old  image (whatever  was on  the  screen  before)
      unchanged.   One important  option of \SPRITE lets you
      do this automatically.  Press "X" and don't answer the
      prompt with "Y" to toggle off this function.

Z     Zoom.   Edit an  enlargement  of  a  local  dot  area.
      Multiple zoom ratios are available; set the first time
      you access  zoom, and  reset when needed with <ALT>-Z.
      Z  pressed   during  zoom   resets  the  current  zoom
      location.  Press the RETURN key to end zoom.

<CTRL>+d   Digitizer.   You will be prompted for the port to
           use (COM1  is the  default but  you can  use COM2
           also), and  for the  width and  height and offset
           values for  the digitizer.   Press return for the
           default values.  (in CGA mode, 328, 318 units.)

<CTRL>+f   Forward.  Advance one frame.  When advancing past
           the top  frame it  will cycle around to the first
           frame.   If image changes exist it will require a
           confirm.
<CTRL>+j   Joystick.     The  joystick   provides   relative
           positions.   When initiated  it will  ask you  to
           move  the   joystick  to   the   upper-left   and
           lower-right corners,  and to  press a  key.  When
           initializing the  joystick this  way, Resolution,
           and Sample  values are  asked for  (just pressing
           return uses  low, default  values).  You can also
           set the joystick to move away from a centerpoint,
           within the  values given  for resolution.  If you
           do this,  change the current centerpoint with the
           asterisk (*)  key.   You will probably find using
           the joystick  to move  around a  centerpoint  the
           most effective  way to draw with a joystick.  The
           joystick can  also be  used  WITH  the  mouse  to
           rotate and  scale the  cursor if  the cursor is a
           rosette.   This  can  do  some  really  beautiful
           patterns very quickly!

<CTRL>+m   Mouse.   Can only  be initialized if there are no
           changes to  the current  picture, hue,  and  text
           files in  RAM,  unless  it  had  been  previously
           initialized and  then turned  off.   If the mouse
           software has  been loaded  prior to  loading this
           program   the   mouse   will   automatically   be
           initialized.

<CTRL>+r   Rewind.   Goes back  one frame  (or around to the
           top if  on the  first frame).   If  image changes
           exist it will require a confirm.

<CTRL>+t   Text mode.   Lets  you enter text characters from
           the current  font.    These  characters  will  be
           AND'ed, OR'ed, or XOR'ed if in those modes. Press
           ESCAPE to turn off text mode.

<CTRL>+<BACKSPACE>  Will shift  the image  back to  the home
           position (0,0).

<CTRL>+<END>   Will shift  the position of the graphics face
           around among  four different  options and "none".
           The graphics  face is  used for  picking  options
           with a  mouse or  other input  device.    In  "no
           graphics face"  mode, use  the keyboard  to  pick
           drawing options.

<CTRL>+<HOME>  When you  press the  control key and the Home
           key (on  the numeric  keypad)  the  area  of  the
           screen not used by the raster picture is cleared.

<CTRL>+<RETURN>     Toggles the  drawing mode  for the input
           device buttons  or for  the keyboard.    Normally
           button #1  is depressed  to draw, but that can be
           reversed so that it draws when not pressed.  When
           not using  any input device, this toggles drawing
           on and off.

<CTRL>+<Pg Up> Will shift  the image  up so  that the bottom
           portion may be edited.

<CTRL>+<Pg Dn> Will shift  the image  down so  that the  top
           portion may be edited.

<CTRL>+<Right Arrow>  Will shift the image right so that the
           left portion may be edited.

<CTRL>+<Left Arrow> Will shift  the image  left so  that the
           right portion may be edited.

<TAB>, <SHIFT+TAB>  Tab  will   move  the  cursor  into  the
           picture frame,  shift-tab will  transfer it  from
           the zoomed  area to  the picture  frame or  vice-
           versa.

<SPACE BAR>    Toggles the size of the cursor crosshairs and
           the numeric display of the cursor position.

<ESC>      Reset image  to original state or previous state,
           and reset draw mode options.  If you just entered
           an "instant"  command, paint-all,  flip, or other
           "powerful" option or if you have drawn "autosave"
           number of  dots (see  F8), you  can undo the last
           change with  ESCAPE.   You can  also undo all the
           way back  to the  way the  frame was  when it was
           originally put  on the  screen.  You can undo the
           undo if you undo it right away (with ESCAPE).  If
           painting with  the 'ALL'  option pressing  ESCAPE
           will stop  the process,  though  not  necessarily
           right away.

<ALT>+#    # is  a numeric  key above  the QWERTY portion of
           the keyboard.   Jumps to the frame specified with
           <ALT>+j.

<ALT>+j    Sets up  to 10  frames to  instantly jump to with
           <ALT>+# key combinations.

<ALT>+k    Keystroke recorder and playback mechanism, active
           only in the drawing editor.

<ALT>+o    Turn onion skin editing off, or change the number
           of layers.

( and )    The parenthesis  turns the parabolic cursor shape
           on and  off.   The parabolic shape can be rotated
           with the joystick or with "Q" (rotate) option.
+ and -    The plus (+) and minus (-) keys change the cursor
           size (like changing the size of the pen tip).  In
           airbrush mode,  they change  the intensity of the
           spray.

',`, and " Tick marks  (quotes)  emulate  the  input  device
           buttons, button  #1, #2,  and both, respectively.
           Button #1  (normally the left button) toggles the
           cursor--touches the  pen  to  the  paper,  so  to
           speak.   Button #2  lets you  move an object that
           has two  points away from the second point.  Both
           buttons #1  and #2  together normally are used to
           lock the second point.

|          Vertical dash  lets you set the number of dots to
           skip when drawing straight lines.

*          Resets  the   joystick  center   to  the  current
           location  if  using  the  centered  mode  of  the
           joystick.

     Function keys have the following meanings in draw mode:

<F1>  Help key.   It displays brief descriptions for all the
      valid keys.

<F2>  Sets a  second point  for drawing  lines, circles, and
      rectangles.   The "r/R", "o/O", "u/U", "(/)" and "l/L"
      keys are  active only  after the  second point is set.
      These  stand   for  Rectangle,  Oval,  rosette  (u/U),
      parabola  ((/)),   and  Line,   respectively.      See
      descriptions of  these keys.   When  set on,  pressing
      <F2> a  second time  turns off  the second  point.  At
      this time  if the  current shape  is "R"  you will  be
      given an  option to  save the  rectangle for redisplay
      later with <F5>.  This area is very temporary, though.
      It is destroyed when new picture files are read in and
      when text files are run.

<F3>  Lets you  jump to  a new  frame, copy  a frame  to the
      current frame,  delete the current frame, insert a new
      frame, or  change the  base location  and timing  of a
      frame.  When copying a frame the original frame at the
      "to" location  is completely  overlaid.   Copy, Delete
      and Insert require confirmation.

<F4>  Lets you  enter an  "instant"  \DRAW  command  without
      having to type the "\DRAW" portion of the command.

<F5>  Will get  a box  that you  saved with F2.  You will be
      prompted for several things including which corner the
      cursor is  on and  whether or not to xor the rectangle
      onto the  screen.   Also, if changes had been made you
      will be  required to overwrite the frame in RAM before
      this command  will execute.   It  ends by asking if it
      should restore the image back from RAM.  This function
      gives you  a temporary  storage area for a rectangular
      area of the screen.

<F6>  (Also discussed  in the Getting Started section.)  The
      option to  Animate ("A")  can be taken here.  You will
      be prompted  for the starting and ending frame numbers
      and those  frames will  be shown.  Animating here will
      clear current  \SHOW options.   This  "movie"  can  be
      ended by pressing ESCAPE.

      Another option  with <F6>  is Save ("S"). You can save
      picture, font,  hue,  or  text  files.    When  saving
      pictures and  fonts you  are asked  which frames (from
      and to)  you want  to save and whether or not you want
      the file compressed.

      <F6> also lets you Read ("R") a new Font, Text, Hue or
      Picture file.  If changes exist that would be overlaid
      you will  be warned  of this  and given  a  chance  to
      cancel the read operation.

      You can  eXit ("X")  back to  DOS with  <F6>.   If  no
      changes exist  to any files exit will be immediate and
      without prompts.

      <F6> twice will quick-transfer from the picture editor
      to the text editor or vice-versa.

<F7>  Sets paint  mode.   Paint mode  can be directional and
      does not  need to  fill an area.  Paint will go in any
      specified direction  until it  hits a specified border
      color.   Prompts guide  your selections.  The possible
      directions are  up,  down,  left,  right,  horizontal,
      vertical, "both"  (horizontal  and  vertical),  "small
      square" ("all"  but only within a small box around the
      current cursor  position), and  "all".  If XOR mode is
      on, painting  is done  with  XOR.    If  mask  is  on,
      painting is  done with mask.  Invalid selections or no
      selections turn  off paint  mode.  To successfully use
      "ALL" you  should be  sure that  the area  you wish to
      paint is  completely surrounded  by either  the border
      color or  the color  you plan  to paint  with.   After
      setting paint mode to "all" the very next dot you draw
      is  the  "seed"  and  painting  proceeds  out  in  all
      directions from  that  point.    The  option  is  then
      toggled off.   If the screen mask option is activated,
      it will be used during the paint operation.  PAINT ALL
      uses the "temporary line area" to accomplish it's task
      so don't  use this  option when saving a line for tilt
      purposes.
<F8>  Adjust cursor  crosshair size,  use frame as cursor or
      set the  "autosave"  value  (autosave  is  for  raster
      images only).   You can temporarily use any frame as a
      cursor.   You can  also adjust  the size of the cursor
      crosshair to  a new value.  The bigger the cursor, the
      slower it  moves.   Autosave saves the screen for UNDO
      purposes after  a specified  number of  dots  or  line
      segments have  been drawn.  (Line segments count as 3,
      dots  count   as  one.)    Other  operations  such  as
      "instant" commands  and paint-all also save the screen
      and reset  this counter.  The saved screen is restored
      with ESCAPE.

<F9>  Displays a  message describing  the size,  base, frame
      type, etc. for the current frame.

<F10> Lets you  enter instant commands and is described more
      fully in the Technical Reference.










                       VECTOR DRAWING




     The creation  of vector  (or "connect-the-dots") frames
differs from  that of  raster images  in several ways.  When
creating a  vector frame  you specify  the number of dots in
the image.   To  increase this  size later  you will have to
copy the image to a larger frame.  To truncate a lot of dots
(due perhaps  to an  overestimate of the number needed for a
specific image)  you may want to copy the frame to a smaller
vector image.   To  delete a dot use the <DEL> key.  It will
beep as each dot is removed.  If you have deleted dots, they
may be  added again  until the  image is the same size as it
was prior to editing.
     In  a   vector  drawing,  the  order  of  the  dots  is
important.  The first and last dots of vector images are not
actually part  of the  image.  They  are  only  shown  while
editing and  do not  appear while  running sprites  or  when
using \SHOW.   Their purpose is to define the upper-left and
lower-right corners  of the  drawing, respectively.  It is a
good idea to put these points as close to the corners of the
rectangle that  would hold a vector image as possible.  This
will allow  images which  are off  the screen or outside the
viewed window  during sprite  operations not be searched dot
by dot for dots that should be displayed.  This may increase
display speed  significantly.   0,0 is a common location for
the first  dot, and  the screen lower right (or 0,0) for the
last.   However,  interesting  and  useful  effects  can  be
achieved by  positioning these  endpoints elsewhere.   These
two dots  have NO function when \SHOW is used--they are only
important when  the image  is shown with the \SPRITE method.
The dot  color of  the first and last dots is irrelevant but
must be used to enter the dot anyway.
     When you  choose a color, dots of that color are drawn.
This replaces  the old  dot unless  you are  in "insert dot"
mode (toggled  with the  "Ins" key).  Insert mode pushes all
dots above  the current  dot in  the image  up  one  in  the
sequence and the top dot falls out.
     On the  right side  of the  bottom line  are characters
indicating the  current status  of various  modes, including
information display  mode, insert  mode  and  image  display
mode.
     Dot location  coordinate values must be less than 4096.
If they  become larger  they will  be "clipped".    Clipping
involves "masking out" the high-order binary bits, which has
the effect  of subtracting  4096 repeatedly  until the value
becomes less than 4096.
     For vector images, a crosshair appears for the existing
current dot as well as for the cursor.  This is the dot that
would be  replaced if you write a new dot, or that a new dot
would be written in front of if you are in insert dot mode.






               VECTOR FRAME EDITOR KEY USAGE




E     Eliminate dots.   You can eliminate duplicate adjacent
      dots, all  duplicate dots,  all dots  of  a  specified
      color, or  all off-screen  dots.   The first  and last
      dots are  not effected  by  this  option.    Duplicate
      adjacent dots  are dots of the same color and location
      which are  sequentially next  to  each  other  in  the
      image.

I     Invert frame.    Switches  the  second  dot  with  the
      penultimate dot, the third with the third from the end
      and so on.  Will not invert the first and last dots of
      the image.  This reverses the order of the dots.

K     Keep dot  position.   Toggles "Color  Only" mode.   In
      this mode only the color of the vector dot is changed,
      not the position.  If in Xor mode ("X"), the new color
      will be  the  mathematical  Xor  product  of  whatever
      colors are  involved in the operation (see "X").  When
      on,  the   current  cursor   position  is  irrelevant.
      However you  will  have  to  move  the  cursor  anyway
      because the editor waits for the position to change to
      enter a new dot.

M     Merge, Mask,  Mirror. Merge  another vector image with
      the  current  frame  above  the  current  dot.    This
      overlays the  dot after  the current  dot and  as many
      subsequent dots  as needed  to copy the frame. It will
      stop when either frame reaches the second-to-last dot.
      It will NOT merge the other frame's first or last dots
      nor overlay this  frame's first or last dots.  Current
      cursor location  determines placement  of  the  merged
      image.

V     Toggles the  display itself and is a three-way toggle.
      It also  puts a  code in the lower right corner of the
      screen: it will show "P" if it is toggled to only show
      the image  up to the current dot (a partial image), it
      will show "A" (for "all") if it is toggled to show all
      of the  vector image.  An "N" means do not display the
      drawing at  all. <CTRL>+<HOME>  will clear  the screen
      and restore  the image according to the setting of the
      display mode.

, or < & . or >     The comma  (,) or less than sign (<) and
      period (.) or greater than sign (>) advance and rewind
      through individual vector dots.  Editing begins at the
      current dot.

#     The current  vector dot  is normally  displayed on the
      bottom line  whenever it  is changed,  but this can be
      toggled off with the "#" key.

<INS> Insert Dot mode.  When a dot is drawn and this mode is
      on, a  new dot  is inserted  at the  current location.
      All dots  above the  current dot  are upped one dot in
      the sequence and the top one falls out.  "Ins" toggles
      off options "X" and F7.

<DEL> Delete  the  current  dot  with  a  "Y"  confirmation.
      Pressing "Y"  repeatedly deletes  additional dots (the
      frame must  be at  least one dot).  Pressing the "Del"
      key toggles off options F7, "X", and "Ins".

<F4>  Finds the next dot at the current location (F) or lets
      you jump  to a  different dot within an image (J).  If
      finding a  dot at the current cursor location the last
      dot in the image will become the current dot if no dot
      is found.






                     EDITING TEXT FILES




     Text files  are created  with the  text editor,  or any
word processor.   Within  text files  all commands  MUST  BE
CAPITALIZED and  have a backslash ("\") in column one.  This
indicates the  line is a command line.  Occasionally you may
not  want   all  parts   of  a   command  line  capitalized.
Specifically,  items   inside   of   quote   marks,   called
alphanumeric literals, need not be capitalized.
        Lines are  scrolled up within the text window.  When
you start,  the window  is about  a third of the screen high
(the bottom  third.)   An option  of F2  lets you  move this
window.   The top  line in  the window  is used  for certain
editing messages.
     Only ASCII  character values  from 32  to 127 are valid
within a  line.   Invalid keys  will beep  (unless you  have
turned off sound).
     To test-run  your text  file, press  the Home key three
times to  go to  the beginning  of the  file, then press F6,
then "R"  to Run  the file.  You may want to save it to disk
first.  When you exit a running text file you will be on the
last line executed.








                   TEXT EDITOR KEY USAGE




<F1>  Help using the text editor.

<F2>  Editor options.   Press  a second  key to  invoke  the
      option.  Options are listed below.

<F3>  First space after the last character in the line.

<F4>  Gets the  last deleted  line from  the delete  buffer.
      The next  time you press F4 you'll get the line before
      that, etc.  for about 400 bytes.  Each time you repeat
      F4, the  next deleted  line is  placed in  the current
      line at  the current location.  Pressing any other key
      accepts the deleted line into the current line.

<F5>  Beginning of the line.

<F6>  Lets you save a file or name a new file.  Also you can
      run the  text file  from the  current line or from the
      beginning of  the file.  You can exit to DOS either by
      naming a file with the first four characters "EXIT" or
      by taking  the "X"  option  of  <F6>.    Use  <F6>  to
      transfer  to  the  picture  editor.    F6  twice  will
      immediately transfer to the picture editor.

<F7>  End of the line.

<F8>  Gets the  last line entered from the buffer.  It works
      just like <F4> but from the "accepted line" buffer.

<F9>  Will either put you at the last cursor position of the
      previous edited line or, if an error occurred, it will
      put you at the error spot (or try to).  This will ONLY
      happen  if   you  enter  the  line  immediately  after
      returning to the editor due to an error.

<F10> Lets you  enter an  "instant" command.   Pressed twice
      gives you  DOS options  as described  in the Technical
      Reference.

<HOME> Once goes  to the  beginning of the line.  Twice in a
      row goes  to the  top of  the text area on the screen.
      Three times in a row goes to the start of the file.

<END> Once goes to the end of the line.  Twice in a row goes
      to the  bottom of  the text area on the screen.  Three
      times in a row goes to the end of the file.

<Left arrow>,  <Right arrow>  move the cursor one space left
      or  right.

<Up arrow>,  <Down arrow>  move the  cursor up  or down  one
      line.

<END> Puts you  at the  first space after the last character
      in the line.

<LEFT SHIFT>+<Tab>, <RIGHT SHIFT>+<Tab> Moves the  cursor  8
      places to the right, or 8 places to the left.

<INS> Insert mode.   Characters  beyond the  current  cursor
      location are shifted right one character.  The program
      beeps if the end character would be shifted out of the
      line.  Cursor position is incremented.
<DEL> Deletes the  character that the cursor is on and moves
      all characters  that are  to the  right of the deleted
      character left one position.

<PG UP>  Scrolls the  text area  up one page.  The number of
      lines this is depends on the size of the text window.

<PG DN>  Scrolls the text area down one page.

<BACKSPACE> (Signified  by a  left-pointing  arrow  on  most
      keyboards.)  Will delete the character to the left and
      move the  cursor left  one position.  It will not move
      any other characters.

<CTRL>+<LEFT ARROW>  (on the four) will move the cursor left
      one word.

<CTRL>+<RIGHT ARROW> (on the six) will move the cursor right
      one word.

<CTRL>+r searches  in the  current direction  for  the  next
      occurrence of  a string.  If found  it  replaces  that
      string and  places the  cursor at  the  start  of  the
      string.

<CTRL>+s searches  in the  current direction  for  the  next
      occurrence of  a string.  If found  it will put you at
      the start of the string.

<CTRL>+<RETURN> will   divide the line into two lines at the
      cursor position.

<CTRL>+<HOME> once  clears the  text area,  twice clears the
      whole screen.   Pressing <CTRL>-Home a third time will
      restore the non-text area of the screen.


     <ALT>+Function key combinations and <CTRL>+Function key
combinations can be used to save and retrieve strings:

<CTRL>+Function Key  gets a string of that length (<F1> = 1,
      <F2> =  2, <F10>  = 10, etc.) beginning at the current
      cursor position and saves it in a special buffer.  The
      cursor is  moved forward to the end of the string.  To
      retrieve saved strings press <ALT>+function key.

<ALT>+Function  Key   will   get   a   string   saved   with
      <CTRL>+function  key   and  put   it  at  the  current
      position. If  you are in Insert Character mode it will
      insert the string.  These strings are initially spaces
      until you  reset them  with  the  <CTRL>+function  key
      combination.

     When entering numeric data, including when you have the
user enter a number, the program will not allow you to enter
non-numerics  except   a  minus  (-)  sign  in  the  leading
position.   However with  the arrow  and function keys it is
possible to  create an  invalid value  (for example,  23  45
could be  entered.)  This program will ignore the part after
the space  in such  a number.  You cannot  enter  a  decimal
point, since all numbers in this program are whole numbers.




<F2>  Has the  following options  (this list  appears on the
      top line of the text window when F2 is pressed):

                <F1>,<F2>,B,C,D,J,M,P,R,S,T

       Your response is capitalized and has the following
                         meanings:

<F1>  Help.   Lists the meanings of all the keys that can be
      used with <F2>.

<F2>  Information.   Pressing F2  twice in  succession  will
      display information  which may  be useful in debugging
      text files.   Variables "A" through "Z" are displayed.
      The sizes  of the  text  file,  the  macro  area,  the
      auxiliary file,  and the  symbolic names  storage area
      are  displayed.     The   last  two  error  codes  are
      displayed.   All auxboxes  and  their  names  will  be
      displayed.   Press any  key (except ESCAPE) to advance
      to the  next screen  of information.  The last  auxbox
      holds the  time and date.  This box will be constantly
      changing  to   reflect  the  current  time  and  date.
      Although hundredths of a second are kept, they are not
      entirely accurate because DOS does not update the time
      that frequently.  (DOS updates the time about 18 times
      per second.)  Press ESCAPE to return to the editor.

B     Block edge  mark.   This option is used in conjunction
      with C,  D and  M to  accomplish block copies, deletes
      and moves.  First the starting and ending lines of the
      block are delineated, then the block is either copied,
      deleted, or  moved.  To mark the block put yourself at
      the line  you want  to start the block on.  Press <F2>
      and then B.  A message indicating a block endpoint has
      been marked  will appear.   Next move the cursor up or
      down to  the other  end of  the block and press F2 and
      then B  again.   The  lines  between  the  two  marks,
      including the  lines the  marks are  on, are now ready
      for moving  or copying. To copy or move a single line,
      place both marks on that line.  Move the cursor to the
      line you wish to move or copy the block to, then press
      <F2> and  then M  or C,  or just  press <F2>  and D to
      delete a  line.    You  cannot  make  editing  changes
      between the  time when  you start  setting a block and
      when you move/copy/delete it.

C     Copy a block.  Used with the B option explained above.

D     Delete line  mode.   Deletes the current line and puts
      it in  the delete-line  buffer.   Deleted lines can be
      retrieved with  F4.   You can  delete additional lines
      with "y".   A  message  indicating  this  will  appear
      within the line after the first line is deleted.  This
      message overlays  the line  and appears to the left of
      the line number.  The message is non-destructive.

J     Jump to a line number.

M     Move block.  Used with the B option explained above.

P     Print.   Lets you  print out the text file or a marked
      block of  text.   You will  be prompted for one or two
      options.   The defaults  will print  line numbers, the
      name and  size of  the file,  and the  time and  date.
      While printing  you cannot do anything else.  Pressing
      any key  will give  you the  opportunity to cancel the
      print request.

R     Replace.   You will be prompted for a string to search
      for and  a replacement  string.   You will be given an
      opportunity to  replace all  occurrences in  the  text
      file or  just the  first one found.  <CTRL>+r will let
      you replace  the next  occurrence.  The search ignores
      case. If you choose global replacement it will be from
      the current  cursor location  forward (or back) to the
      end (beginning)  of the  file.   An asterisk  (*) is a
      wild-card character  in  the  search  portion  of  the
      search/replace.

S     Search.   You will  be prompted  for a  search string.
      Ignores case.   To  search for  the next matching item
      press <CTRL>+s.   To  start the search over again from
      the beginning  of the file press the Home key and then
      <CTRL>+s.  A failure to find a match will leave you on
      the last line of the file.  A find will put the cursor
      in the  line at  the beginning  of  the  string.    An
      asterisk (*) is a wild-card character.

T     Text window size.  This allows you to set the size and
      location of  the text  editor window.    \SCREEN  will
      reset this to the default area.




                       COMMAND SYNTAX


     See  the   section  on  commands  and  syntax  and  the
beginning of  the alphabetical listing of all commands for a
complete description  of syntax requirements and the meaning
of the symbols that appear below.  This guide should be used
in conjunction  with the  main technical reference which has
more complete descriptions of each command.
     Briefly, anywhere  a pound sign appears, you can code a
variable, a  number, or  a  numeric  auxbox  if  the  syntax
requires a  number, or  it could  also  be  an  alphanumeric
auxbox, a  mathematical  expression  such  as  (X+Y),  or  a
literal inside  single or double quotes if the syntax allows
it.    Things  in braces  are optional, though sometimes you
must choose  from  a  set.    Brackets  when  listed  should
immediately follow  the auxbox name or number they accompany
with no  intervening spaces.   They  denote  strings  within
alphanumeric  auxboxes.    All  command  words  and  keyword
parameters are  separated by  at least one space; values are
generally separated by commas and no spaces.



ACTIVATE  \ACTIVATE {SCREEN #}
             Activates the  background screen  for  creating
             complex images.   The background screen is also
             used for MASK operations during \SHOW and \RUN.
             Any  error,  even  if  trapped,  will  activate
             screen 0.

ADD       \ADD # TO #
             Adds the first value to the second value.  Will
             "wrap around"  if the  result is  greater  than
             32767 or less than -32768.

APPEND    \APPEND NNNNNNNN.PIC #,#
             Appends frames  from the  named picture file to
             the current  picture file  in RAM  or EMM.  The
             #'s are  the "from"  and "to"  frames to append
             from within  the picture.   Use  1,-1 to append
             all the frames.  The total number appended will
             be in variable "A".

AUTHORITY \AUTHORITY {HIGH}
             Allows the \OUT command to work.

BEEP      \BEEP {#,#}
             Beeps the speaker for duration # at tone #.

BLANK     \BLANK #,#,#,#
             Blanks the  screen from X-low, Y-low to X-high,
             Y-high.  X-low <= X-high and Y-low <= Y-high.
BREAK     \BREAK {ON} or OFF
             Puts program in single-step mode for debugging.

BUILD     \BUILD #=#{,#,# etc.}
             Builds   alphanumeric   auxboxes   from   other
             auxboxes  and   literals.    Maximum  80  bytes
             altogether.

BUTTON    \BUTTON 1=# 2=# 3=# ... 7=# or 0
             Assigns  key  values  to  input  device  button
             presses or  if zero,  asks the  user  to  press
             buttons for assignment.

CALL      \CALL NNNNNN
             Sends processing  to the named paragraph (up to
             30 characters long).  A \RETURN will then cause
             processing to  go to  the  command  immediately
             after the \CALL.

CALLM     \CALLM NNNNNN
             Sends processing  to the named paragraph in the
             macro area.   Similar to \CALL but specifically
             calls paragraphs in the macro area.

CIRCLE    \CIRCLE ANGLE=#,# COLOR=# LOCATION=#,# RADIUS=#,#
             Draws a  circle.  Angle draws a partial circle.
             The angle  is "true"  only for radii that match
             the dot  scaling factor,  which in  CGA is 1 to
             1.20 assuming a standard monitor's aspect ratio
             (usually 4:3).

CLEAR     \CLEAR {KEYBOARD, MACROS, MOUSE, NAMES, ON ERROR,
          ON KEYS, PICTURES, SCREEN, SHOW, SPRITES or SPRITE
          #}
             Resets to  the default  values for that option.
             Use only one option at a time.

CLOCK     \CLOCK SPEED=# CURSOR=#,#
          FORMAT={HH:MM:SS,MM:SS,HH:MM,SS}
             Sets  the  clock  speed  for  the  asynchronous
             internal clock, or sets the cursor location and
             format for an on-screen current time display.

CLOSE     \CLOSE NNNNNNNN.EXT or LPT#:
             Closes a  print file  (extension  PRN)  or  the
             system printer  (LPT1, 2  or 3), or a data file
             (DAT), or a disk-based animation file (PIC).

CONNECT   \CONNECT {YES or ON} or {NO or OFF}
             Turns the  connected-dot mode of vector drawing
             on and  off.   If no  parameters are entered it
             turns option  on.  Effects draw mode and \SHOW.
             Use \SPRITE  CONNECT=ON to  have connected line
             segments in \RUN.
CONVERT   \CONVERT #
             Changes an  auxbox from numeric to alphanumeric
             or from alphanumeric to numeric.

CRAWL     \CRAWL #{,{AOX},#}
             Sets text  display mode  to CRAWL from right to
             left.

CURSOR    \CURSOR #,#{,#,#}
             Sets the  cursor for user input and for numeric
             display.   First value  is the  column (X-axis)
             and second  value is the row (Y-axis).  If four
             values are  specified this  forms a  window for
             user input.  The upper left corner is 0,0.

DATA      \DATA #{,#,#...}
             Reads data  (input fields)  from an  \OPENed
             .DAT file  into named  auxboxes.   Reads one
             record delimited  by a  carriage-return/line
             feed (13,10).

DELETE    \DELETE {FRAME # or MACRO NNNNNNNN}
             Deletes the  frame number or macro name (NOT
             the macro itself).

DISPLAY   \DISPLAY #{,#,#,# etc.}
             Displays  auxboxes,   variables,  literals   in
             single or  double quotes,  or  numbers  on  the
             screen.  Numeric   data  is  displayed  at  the
             \CURSOR   location,    alphanumeric   data   is
             displayed at the \LOCATE location.

DIGITIZER \DIGITIZER {INITIALIZE #,#{,#{,#,#}}}, {OFF}, {?}
             Turns digitizer  on or  off or  places  current
             state in  variable "A".   If turning it on, the
             first two  numbers are  the active  widths, the
             third number if included is the COM port to use
             (1 or  2), and the fourth and fifth numbers, if
             included,  are   the  offsets  to  add  to  all
             digitizer values.

DIVIDE    \DIVIDE # BY # {REMAINDER #}
             Divides the  first number  by the second number
             and puts  the result in the first location.  If
             the REMAINDER  option is  used the remainder is
             put in the third location.

DOT       \DOT #,#,#{,{AOX}}
             Display a  dot at the location specified in the
             first two  values.   The color  is specified in
             the third  value.   Sets AND,  OR, and XOR mode
             for subsequent  \DRAW and  \LINE commands.    A
             question mark  (?) in  the third  position will
             put the  color  of  the  dot  at  the  location
             specified in variable "A".

DRAW      \DRAW {UDLREFGH}#, C#, J#,#, M{+,-}#,{+,-}#, P
          #,{UDLRHVA}, S{X,Y or A}
             Draws  line   segments  as   specified  in  the
             parameters.

ELIMINATE \ELIMINATE #{,# TO #,#,#,# TO # etc.}
             Removes unneeded auxboxes. (NOT their names.)

ELSE      \ELSE
             Starts the "false" processing section of an \IF
             statement.

END       \END
             Causes processing  to return  to the editor, or
             to DOS in the run-time version.

ENDIF     \ENDIF
             Ends all  \IF statements that are coded in-line
             before it.  Stops nesting.  When the \THEN side
             of an  \IF statement  is  finished,  processing
             goes to  the first  command or  text line after
             this one.

ERROR     \ERROR ?
             Puts the  most recent  error code that occurred
             in variable "A".

EXCHANGE  \EXCHANGE {SCREEN}
             If you  stored a screen image with \SAVE SCREEN
             this exchanges  the  current  screen  with  the
             stored screen.

EXECUTE   \EXECUTE DOS>{NNNNNNN} or \EXECUTE >NNNNNNN
             Executes a  second copy  of DOS  or executes  a
             program.   This is  a very powerful command and
             should be fully reviewed before being used.

FRAME     \FRAME #,#,#,#{,M and/or O} or \FRAME # or \FRAME
          ?
             Adds a frame to the end of the picture file. If
             four values  are specified  a raster  frame  is
             saved from  the screen location (rounded to the
             nearest byte  on the horizontal axis) specified
             in the  first two  numbers,  and  is  the  size
             specified in  the second  two numbers.   M will
             create a  masked frame,  while O will create an
             onion skin  frame.    If  only  one  number  is
             present a  vector frame  of that  many dots  is
             created.   If a  question-mark (?)  is the only
             parameter the  total number of frames in RAM or
             EMM will be placed in variable "A".
HEIGHT    \HEIGHT #
             Specifies the  height  of  a  text  window  for
             \SCROLL and \OVERLAY to use.

HUE       \HUE {COLOR=#,#} {INCREMENT=#,#,#} {SET=#,#,#}
          {HOLD=YES or NO} {CYCLE=YES} GRAY={Y or N}
             Sets colors to new hue values.  The hold option
             means do  not actually  set the  hardware, just
             set up the internal hue table.

IF        \IF # {<>=} # {{AND or OR} # {<>=} #}
             Begins an  "if" statement.   The  values, which
             can be alphanumeric, are evaluated according to
             the operator  (<, >  or =)  and processing then
             goes to  either the \ELSE clause if false or to
             the \THEN clause if true.

IN        \IN # {BYTE, WORD}
             The #  is the appropriate port that you wish to
             read.   Reads either  a byte or a word and puts
             it variable "A".  Generally # is 0 to 255.

JOY       \JOY or \JOYSTICK  {INITIALIZE {CENTER=#,#}
          {RESOLUTION=#,#} {SAMPLES=#}} {OFF} {ZERO}
          {ACCURACY=#,#}
             Adjusts the  current cursor  location X  and  Y
             values and  puts them  in variables "D" and "E"
             respectively, or displays messages for the user
             to initialize  the  joystick  for  future  use.
             Turns digitizer off.

JRCOLOR   \JRCOLOR #,#,#,#,#
             Sets  the  background,  three  foreground,  and
             border colors, respectively, for many TANDY and
             all PCjr machines in CGA mode.

JUMP      \JUMP NNNNNN
             Names a  paragraph (\X  command)  for  text  to
             continue processing at.

KEY       \KEY CYCLE=# DECREASE=# END=# FORWARD=# INCREASE=#
          MINUS=# NEXT=# PLUS=# REVERSE=# SINGLES=#
             Defines user control keys, mainly for \SHOW and
             \RUN.

LENGTH    \LENGTH #
             Puts  length   in  bytes  of  an  auxbox  in
             variable "A".   Numeric  auxboxes are always
             two (2)  bytes long.  If the auxbox does not
             exist, the length will be zero.

LINE      \LINE #,#,#,#,#{,B or ,BF}  or \LINE ,#,#,#
             First two  numbers are  the X,  Y values of one
             end of  a line,  second two are the X, Y values
             of the  other end.   The  fifth  value  is  the
             color.   In the  second option  only the second
             endpoint and  the color  are specified, and the
             current location is used as the start point. ,B
             draws a box while ,BF draws a filled-in box.

LOAD      \LOAD NNNNNNNN.PIC
             Works like  a combination  of \OPEN  and \READ.
             You can  \READ and \LOAD at the same time.  You
             cannot  \OPEN  and  \LOAD  at  the  same  time.
             Places a picture file in RAM (NOT EMM) but does
             not decompress  it before  showing the  frames.
             Only decompresses the frame being shown.

LOCATE    \LOCATE #,#
             Sets a  cursor where  text lines  will display.
             Also sets location for alphanumerics shown with
             \DISPLAY.

MARQUE    \MARQUE #,#,#,#{,#{,#}}
             Sets up  a "Broadway"  ("Hollywood"  for  those
             West of  the Mississippi)  style animation. The
             first four  numbers give  the X and Y locations
             for the  rectangle.   The fifth  value  is  the
             number of colors to use (plus one).  If a sixth
             number is  included the fifth and sixth numbers
             are the  "from" and  "to" numbers.   Speed  and
             running time is set with \ROUNDS.

MEMORY    \MEMORY {?} {EMM}
             Puts  amount   of  memory  left  for  pictures,
             executing subprograms,  etc. in  variable  "A".
             Value is  in K (1024 bytes).  The question mark
             (?) is  optional.   If EMM,  puts the number of
             NEVER-USED 16K pages in variable "A".

MOUSE     \MOUSE {INITIALIZE, OFF or ?} or ACCURACY=#,#
          END=#,#,#,# FRAME=#,# KEEP={Y or anything else}
          LOCATION=#,# AND={YES or NO} OR={YES or NO}
          ROUNDS=# SPEED=# WINDOW=#,#,#,# XOR={N or anything
          for yes} RESOLUTION=#,#
             Allows  the  user  to  use  the  current  input
             device.   They may  use the cursor keys and the
             numeric keys  above  the  QWERTY  part  of  the
             keyboard instead.

MOVE      \MOVE #{[#,#]} TO #
             Moves the first value to the location following
             the word  TO.  The destination may be an auxbox
             or a variable.

MULTIPLY  \MULTIPLY # BY #
             Multiplies the  first value by the second value
             and  puts   the  result  in  the  first  value.
             Numbers greater than 32767 will "wrap around".

NAME      \NAME #=NNNNNNNNN
             Symbolically names  an auxbox.  Name is 3 to 30
             characters long and can subsequently be used to
             reference an auxbox instead of using it's #.

ON ERROR  \ON ERROR JUMP or CALL  NNNNNNNN.
             Sets a place for the program to go if ANY error
             occurs (except  certain severe  errors.) To  be
             used with caution.

ON KEY    \ON KEY then many options.  See \ON KEY.
             Sets a  paragraph  for  various  keystrokes  to
             cause a  jump or call to in the text file.  See
             the command for important considerations.

OPEN      \OPEN NNNNNNNN.EXT or LPT#:
             EXT must  be PRN,  PIC, or  DAT.   PRN opens  a
             print file  or the  system printer (LPT1, LPT2,
             LPT3, or  LPT?) for  subsequent \PRINT commands
             to use.   PRN can be followed by ADD to open an
             existing file.   DAT  opens  a  data  file  for
             input, and  PIC opens a disk-based picture file
             for disk-based animation.

OUT       \OUT #,# {BYTE, WORD}
             Places the value in the second variable out the
             port specified in the first variable.  Can only
             be used if \AUTHORITY is HIGH.

OVERLAY   \OVERLAY #{, {AOX}}
             Sets text  display mode  to overlay at speed #.
             If the  ,A, ,O,  or ,X  option is  used text is
             ANDed, ORed, or XORed onto the screen.

PAINT     \PAINT #,{UDLRVHBA}
             Puts  program  in  paint  mode  for  subsequent
             \LINE, \DRAW  and other commands.  Paints up to
             color #  in direction  Up, Down,  Left,  Right,
             Vertical,   Horizontal,    or   vertical    and
             horizontal (Both).   No  value or options turns
             paint  mode   off.    "A"  will  PAINT  in  all
             directions when the next dot is drawn.

PASSWORD  \PASSWORD EXIT=# {or "NNNNNN" or 'NNNNNN'} TIME=#
             Sets up password protection for exits to DOS.

PEN       \PEN AIRBRUSH=NO or #{,#,#...} COLOR=# CYCLE={NO
          or #{,#,#...}} WIDTH=# XOR={AND, OR, XOR, YES
          (XOR), ON (XOR), NO, OFF}
             Sets up pen options for subsequent \DOT, \DRAW,
             \LINE and  \CIRCLE  commands.    XOR  will  not
             affect \DOT.

PRINT     \PRINT #,{#,# etc., with or without a trailing
          comma.}
             Sends data  to a  previously opened  print file
             (which is  on disk)  or to LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3.
             Format for the values are similar to \DISPLAY.

QUESTION  \QUESTION #,#{,#{,L}}
             Gets a  text line  from the  user.   If  the
             second value  is zero  this gets  a  numeric
             value  at   the  current  \CURSOR  location,
             otherwise this  gets an  alphanumeric string
             of the  length given.   The result is placed
             in the  first value, which can be a variable
             if the  second value  is 0,  or it can be an
             auxbox.   The third  value if present is the
             starting cursor  position within the string.
             The third  value must be included to specify
             the fourth  parameter, L or LOWER. This will
             allow the user to type lowercase letters.

READ      \READ {drive:}{/path/}NNNNNNNN.EXT
             Used to  read new text, hue, macro, picture,
             font, and auxiliary files into RAM.  In most
             cases this  does not  reread files  that are
             already in  RAM.   Use 1,  2 etc.  for drive
             specifications.

RESTORE   \RESTORE {SCREEN}
             Restores a  full screen  previously saved  with
             \SAVE.

RETURN    \RETURN
             Will return processing to the command after the
             last \CALL or \ON...CALL.

ROTATE    \ROTATE ANGLE=# FRAME=# LOCATION=#,#
             Lets you  rotate a vector frame around a point,
             from 0 to 90 degrees in a clockwise direction.

ROUNDS    \ROUNDS # {SPEED # or [#, {REPEAT}]} {FIXED}
          {REVERSIBLE} {WAVING} (RANGE=#,#} {RETRACE}
             Sets the  number of  cycles and  the timing for
             \SHOW, \RUN and \MARQUE.

RUN       \RUN {FROM #} {TEXT} {MOUSE} {HUES} {NUMBERS {#}
          or FACTS {#}}
             Displays  animation   set  up  by  \SPRITE  and
             \SPRINT.   FROM starts   animation on the cycle
             specified.  TEXT displays subsequent text lines
             concurrently.     MOUSE  uses  previous  \MOUSE
             options to use a mouse concurrently.  The other
             options are  debugging tools  and not available
             in the runtime version.

SAVE      \SAVE {SCREEN}
             Saves the  screen in  a storage  area.  Restore
             later using \RESTORE, or swap using \EXCHANGE.

SCREEN    \SCREEN #,#{,#} or {MODE=#} {LINE=#,#}
             Sets the screen mode (third parameter), and for
             CGA, the background and palette for the screen,
             or use  the keyword  format  for  other  screen
             modes and to use the LINE= option.

SCROLL    \SCROLL #{, {AOX},#}
             Set text mode to scroll at the speed set by the
             first value.  Text can be ANDed, ORed, or XORed
             with the color given in the third parameter.

SET       \SET {COLOR=# DOT={# or ?} FRAME=# LOCATION=#,#}
          {MODE={GET or SET}}
             Changes or  gets information  about  individual
             dots in  a vector  frame.   SET is  the default
             MODE.   If DOTS=?  is used  the total number of
             dots in the FRAME is placed in variable "A".

SHOW      \SHOW #,#,#,#{,A ,O ,X or ,S} or:
               \SHOW AND={YES, NO} FRAME=#,# LOCATE=#,#
          MOTION=#,# OR={YES, NO} PATH=#{,#} SAVE={YES, NO}
          WINDOW=#,#,#,# XOR={YES, NO}
             In the  first format  the first two numbers are
             the location on the screen.  The second two are
             the "from"  and "to"  frames to  show.   If the
             fourth value  is  missing  a  single  frame  is
             shown.   To AND,  OR, XOR  or SAVE  a frame the
             third and  fourth numbers  must be equal.  Only
             raster frames can be saved this way.

             In the  second format the options are listed as
             keyword parameters.   See  \SHOW  for  complete
             documentation.

SOUND     \SOUND ON or OFF
             Toggles the \BEEP command's ability to be heard
             as well as any beeping the program does.

SPRINT    \SPRINT #{,# TO #,#,# etc.}
             Sets frames  to be shown with \RUN according to
             parameters previously set with \SPRITE.

SPRITE    \SPRITE AND={YES or NO} ANIMATE={# or NO}
          CONNECT={YES or NO} INCREMENT=#,# END=#,#,#,#
          FAST={Y or anything} MOTION=#,# OPEN=#,#,#,#
          TYPE={R or anything} OR={YES or NO} PATH={#,# or
          NO} ROUNDS=#,# STRING=#,# WINDOW=#,#,#,#
          WPATH={#,# or NO} XOR={N, AUTO or Y} ZING=#,#,#
          {or NO}
             See \SPRITE.   Sets up parameters for animating
             frames with  subsequent \SPRINT  commands.  See
             \SPRITE in the technical reference for complete
             information  on  this  powerful  and  important
             animation command.

SUBTRACT  \SUBTRACT # FROM #
             Subtracts the  first  number  from  the  second
             number  and  puts  the  result  in  the  second
             location.  Numbers will "wrap" if out of range.

TEXT      \TEXT PLANE=NNNN
             Indicates which  planes to  write  text  to  in
             bitplane modes.   Is  a binary  number (1's and
             0's.)   To write  to all  four planes  16 color
             bitplane modes, NNNN=1111.

THEN      \THEN
             Identifies the commands to be processed when an
             \IF statement  evaluates to  TRUE.   You  never
             need to actually code this statement because it
             is implied as the next statement after \IF.

WAIT      \WAIT {LIMIT # or NOW # or RETURN # {"NNNNNN"}
             Waits now,  waits for  the return  key, or sets
             future time limits for \QUESTION responses.

WIDTH     \WIDTH # {DOTS} {RIGHT, LEFT, BOTH or CENTERED}
          {PROPORTIONAL}
             Sets the  width in  characters or DOTS for text
             display.  If specified in characters the actual
             width in  dots will  depend on  the size of the
             current font.  Also sets text justification and
             indicates if  the font  is proportional,  which
             changes the  way some  aspects of justification
             work.

WRITE     \WRITE {drive:}{/path/}NNNNNNNN.EXT
             The only  valid file  that can  be written  out
             with  this  command  in  release  7.24  is  the
             auxiliary file.   Print  files do  not use this
             command, and text, font, and picture files must
             be written out manually.

X         \X NNNNN
             Names a  paragraph  for  \JUMP's,  \CALL's  and
             \CALLM's to  branch to.   \ON KEY and \ON ERROR
             use it  too.   Name may  be up to 30 characters
             long.
ZING      \ZING  AXIS={X, Y or B} CORNERS=#,#,#,# FRAME=#
          LOCATION=#,# MODE={A, O, X, B or F}
             Gets dots  from a  raster frame. Axis specifies
             an axis  to flip  the image on, if any. Corners
             are the  X-low, Y-low,  X-high, Y-high  corners
             within the frame.  Location specifies the upper
             left  corner   to  place   the  image.     Mode
             determines use of XOR, background or foreground
             mode.  Only one of the modes (or none) is valid
             at a time.

*         \*
             A comment  line and  is ignored.   Must  be the
             last or only command on a line.  Should be used
             in place of an empty line (CR/LF only).

"         \"
             Used to  allow the  first character  of a  text
             line to  be printed  on  the  screen  to  be  a
             backslash (\)  or to  allow the displaying of a
             blank  line  on  the  screen.    Anything  that
             follows the  \" will  be printed  as if it were
             text.   No commands  can follow  this one  on a
             line (up  to a  carriage return  and line  feed
             (13,10)).

+         \+
             Used  to  inhibit  \ON  KEY  keypress  checking
             between command lines.  Useful for setting up a
             series of  \ON KEY specifications.  Must be the
             last command on a line.