Soft 19/Soft19.iso/dream_ho/setup.exe/DREAM.TXT

Text File | 1996-04-10 | 99KB | 2,935 lines

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction                           1
Dream House Professional Features                 1
Using DHP Manual                                  2
  Terms                                           3
Manual Overview                                   3
  Chapter 1: Introduction                         4
  Chapter 2: Before You Begin                     4
  Chapter 3: Using Dream House Professional       4
  Chapter 4: Tutorial with Sample Sketches        4
  Chapter 5: Trouble Shooting                     4
Using DHP Software                                4
  Screen Layout                                   5
  Function Keys                                   5
  Peripheral Devices - Mouse and Joystick         6
  Naming and Saving Sketches                      6

Chapter 2: Before You Begin                       7
Hardware Requirements                             7
Making Back-up Copies                             8
Hard Drive Installation Procedure                 8
Entering DHP System                               9
  GO.BAT                                          9
  Main Screen                                    10
  Exiting DHP System                             10

Chapter 3: Using Dream House Professional        12
Pointer/Cursor Movement                          12
  Arrow Key Pad                                  12
  Mouse                                          12
  Joystick                                       13
DHP Commands                                     13
  Function Keys                                  14
  A - compute Area                               16
  C - Close up an area                           16
  D - change Drawing scale                       16
  E - Eject page after print                     17
  F - list of Files on disk                      17
  G - overlay scaling Grid                       17
  H - Help                                       17
  I - start Interior wall                        17
  J - Join to near corner                        18
  L - Load sketch from disk                      18
  M - Measurement calculate                      18
  N - add room Names                             19
  R - Redraw screen                              20
  S - Save sketch to disk                        20
  T - Test for closure                           20
  V - change Video color                         20
Additional keys                                  20
Printing Sketches                                23
  Printing a Batch of Sketches                   24
  Printing the Batch                             25
Chapter 4: Tutorial with Sample Sketches         26
DHP Tutorial                                     26
  Loading an Existing Sketch                     27
  Moving the Pointer                             28
  Drawing with a Mouse                           29
  Drawing with a Joystick                        30
  Drawing Tips                                   30
Lesson One: Entering a Simple Sketch             33
  Calculate Square Footage                       37
  Printing a Sketch                              39
Lesson Two: Adding Other Areas                   40
  Butted Walls                                   42
  Closing Areas Butted Against Another Area      42
  Labelling the Sketch                           43
  Drawing Interior Walls                         44
  Changing Scale While Sketching                 45
  Moving the Sketch                              45
Lesson Three: Sketching Odd Angles               46
Lesson Four: A Complex Sketch                    48
DHP Command Summary                              49
Other Suggestions, Tips, Hints                   51
Chapter 5: Trouble Shooting                      54
Error Messages                                   54
Recovering from Errors                           55
Avoiding Errors                                  55
Backing Up Data                                  55
Copying Between Disks                            56
When to Seek Help from Computer Easy             56
Mouse Installation - Appendix A                  57
  Other Mouse Brands                             57
INDEX                                            58

Chapter 1: Introduction

Dream House Professional Features

The quickest and easiest computerized building and
sight drawing program for homeowners and
professionals alike is Dream House Professional (DHP)
by Computer Easy International, Inc.

DHP was designed by the company which also introduced
Dream House which draws simple floorplans.

Dream House Professional produces an accurate and
complete property sketch and saves valuable time in
performing math.  Numerous time-saving features allow
you to increase your output and consequently increase
your profits.

DHP offers you features demanded by leading
professionals who know what to expect from software.
You'll enjoy:

.  Simple Drawing Controls
Draw on your electronic sketch pad with a pointer
controlled by arrow keys, mouse or joystick.  With a
mouse or joystick, most sketches are prepared "with
one hand tied behind your back" or one-handed.

.  Draw up to four different positive areas and one
negative area (for atrium or storage)
Assign each portion of the sketch to an area type
such as living area, garage, patio.  Atrium, storage
or other negative areas can be drawn to automatically
subtract space from the livable space.  You may name
the labels; you control assignment.  The last area
type is for negative living space.

.  Automatic Calculation
Let DHP measure and sum the square footage of each
area type. Then display and print a clear list of the
calculations. You may alter them as necessary if you
wish.

.  Sketch Dimensions for Simple or Detailed Drawings
Draw a sketch with exterior dimensions as large as
1032 by 902 feet or as small as 43 by 37 feet.
Increments between 1 foot per grid and 24 feet per
grid may be selected by you for each sketch.

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.  Room Labels in Varied Sizes
You may select from two font sizes that fit the space
of the room you draw.  Less abbreviation is necessary
to explain the sketch.

.  Fixture Icons Clarify Sketch
Indicate doors, toilets, tubs, stoves and circles for
sinks etc. with pre-drawn icons.  Simply select the
icon shape then affix it to the sketch wherever you
want.

.  Dashed Lines and Interior Walls
Use dashed or solid lines to indicate interior walls,
driveways, patios or sidewalks.  These lines add
detail to your sketch without affecting square
footage.

.  Size or Move the Drawing
You may easily select a sizing scale for your sketch
then later change it.  If you begin in the wrong spot
and need to move the sketch to use more space, use
the pointer to pick it up and move it around the
sketch pad.

.  Continuous or Fixed Angles
Choose either odd angles of any degree or limit
yourself to horizontal, vertical and 45 degree angles
only.

.  Overlay Scaling Grid
Make drawing easier with a dotted grid which overlays
your sketch and make more accurate measurements.

.  Fix Mistakes Quickly with Oops Key
Remove only your error; no need to start from scratch
even when a mistake was made early in the drawing.
Use the Del key to erase latest steps until you find
your mistake; fix it then use the Ins key to restore
all subsequent steps.

Using DHP Manual

Dream House Professional from Computer Easy is so
easy to learn you may not even need the manual.
However, you may like to increase your knowledge of
the system and find helpful hints and shortcuts by
reviewing the manual.

Page 2

Since you are relying on the manual to teach you how
to use DHP, you should first familiarize yourself
with the style of the manual.  This section presents
a list of terms and explains how to interpret
directions given in the remainder of the manual.  A
brief summary of each chapter in the manual is also
given at the end of this section.

Terms

You may already be familiar with the following terms.
However, it is a good idea to at least skim through
the list to be sure you understand the meaning of
terms as they are used in the DHP manual.

Anchor - setting the point at which a wall begins or
ends; affixing a label to a portion of the sketch.
This is usually accomplished by pressing ENTER or a
mouse or joystick button.

Command - the one or two key sequence that causes a
DHP feature to be used.

Cursor - a bar on your computer screen used to
highlight the position where you can make an entry.
See pointer.

Enter - when you type in certain characters and then
press the ENTER or Return key, you are entering data
into the computer.  When this manual says to enter a
piece of information, it means to type the characters
followed by pressing ENTER.

Joystick - a peripheral device that controls cursor
movement with a lever that moves in any direction;
often used with games.

Mouse - a peripheral device that controls cursor
movement by moving a handheld box either on a mouse
pad or any flat surface; often used with drawing
programs.

Pointer - an arrowhead shaped figure on the screen
that replaces the cursor while drawing sketches.

Manual Overview

This manual is organized so that while you are
learning to use DHP, you can study it from beginning
to end.  Later, you can quickly find the information
you need to operate DHP smoothly.  Both the Table of
Contents and the Index can help you locate particular
information, and this overview gives you an idea of
the contents of each chapter.

Page 3

Chapter 1: Introduction

The chapter you are currently reading gives you an
overview of the DHP program.  Important information
about how to use the manual and how to use the
software is outlined as well.

Chapter 2: Before You Begin

Everything you need to know about installing DHP and
entering the program is given in this chapter.

Chapter 3: Using Dream House Professional

Step-by-step instructions for using DHP software are
given in this chapter.  Many of the screens are given
as examples and each DHP option is explained in
detail.  Also, printing procedures are given.

Chapter 4: Tutorial with Sample Sketches

After reviewing the preceding chapters, it may be
easiest for some users to learn about DHP with a
tutorial.  A sample sketch is included with your
program disk and this chapter guides you through each
feature with hands on teaching.

Chapter 5:  Trouble Shooting

Common questions asked by DHP users are explored in
this chapter along with possible answers and ways to
avoid problems.

Using DHP Software

While Chapter 3 explains the actual operation of DHP
features, you should also know the general guidelines
for using the program.  This section explains certain
concepts and frequently used commands.

Page 4

Screen Layout

All drawing occurs in the Sketch Pad area.
Measurement calculations will show in the upper right
corner when the M key and F9 key are pressed.  A list
of commands is given as Help Text when appropriate
and the status line prompts you while using commands.
The control corner shows different information about
each feature such as the scale you are drawing in or
length of a wall being drawn.

Function Keys

There are ten keys, labeled F1 to F10, either on the
left side of your keyboard or across the top row.
These function keys are used to invoke commands in
DHP.

The first five, F1 to F5, are used to indicate a type
of building area you will be drawing before you begin
drawing the portion of the sketch representing the
space (e.g., F1 is living area, F2 is garage space,
etc.). The labels on these keys can be changed by
holding the ALT key and pressing the F1, F2, F3, F4
or F5 key, but F5 always represents negative space on
the sketch such as an atrium or storage area.

The Alt F6 key is used only to change the label on
the command for interior walls.

Page 5

The F7, F8, and F9 keys are used in the measurement
mode only.

Peripheral Devices - Mouse and Joystick

Drawing sketches with DHP is much easier when you use
either a mouse or a joystick.  Your efficiency and
speed will greatly improve if you use a mouse.

Refer to the manual that comes with your mouse or
joystick for information about installing and using
this equipment.

Naming and Saving Sketches

Each sketch is saved to a filename you assign.  A
filename may be up to 30 characters long including
the filename (eight characters and a three character
extension), disk drive assignment and subdirectory.
The simplest filenames may look like these:

     SKETCH1
     JONES.DHP
     FILENAME.EXT

If you also want to include a drive designation, the
filename would look like this:

A:SKETCH1           When SKETCH1 is on Drive A
B:JONES.DHP         When Jones, DHP is on Drive B
X:FILENAME.TXT      When a file is on any drive, such as X

If you have a hard disk and use subdirectories to
separate files, you may have filenames like these:

C:\DHP\SKETCH1      When SKETCH1 is in the DHP
                    subdirectory on Drive C

The way you assign file names to your sketches makes
a big difference in your ability to easily recall the
name and bring up the sketch. If you take care in
assigning filenames in an organized manner, finding
files again in the future is easier.

You may want to determine a system of naming sketches
now.  This may be a numeric system (e.g., SK000001 to
SK999999), an alphabetic system perhaps by client's
last name and first initial (e.g., ADAMSJ, SMITHR,
etc.) or any other clear system.

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Chapter 2: Before You Begin

By now, you may be anxious to begin working with DHP.
Before you do, read through this chapter to install
DHP.

Hardware Requirements

To use the Dream House Professional program, your
computer must satisfy these basic hardware
requirements:

.  IBM Personal Computer (PC, XT, AT or PS 2) or
   compatible

.  At least 246k Random Access Memory (RAM)

.  At least one 360k 5¼" or one 3½" floppy drive

.  Hercules Monochrome or Color Graphics card or
   compatible (EGA, VGA, MCGA . . . etc.)

.  MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 2.0 or higher

.  IBM or Epson dot matrix, HP, Canon Laser or
   compatible printers

In addition, you may also want to use a peripheral
device to make drawing sketches easier.  DHP works
faster with a mouse or a joystick.  Each of these
devices may also require the addition of a user
interface card in your computer.  Check with your
hardware dealer about these items.

Hardware manufacturers often claim to be compatible
or comparable to particular brands of hardware.  The
degree of compatibility varies and must be considered
carefully.  DHP makes use of specific features
available with IBM PS/2 and Personal Computers.  DHP
also uses IBM or Epson printers or Hewlett Packard
Laserjet which many printer manufacturers emulate.

ComputerEasy can only support hardware configurations
conforming to the above requirements.  While
variations to these requirements may not affect the
performance of DHP software, it is wise to avoid the
troubles associated with less than "true
compatibility."  Contact ComputerEasy if you have any
questions regarding your hardware configuration.

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Making Backup Copies

Before you do anything else, make a back-up copy of
Dream House Professional.

To Floppy Disk:

One Floppy System

1.  Have a blank disk ready to use as your back-up
    disk.
2.  With a DOS disk in Drive A, type: DISKCOPY (press
    ENTER)
3.  Remove the DOS disk from drive and insert Dream
    House Professional.
4.  Switch between the Dream House Professional disk
    and the blank disk when the computer prompts you.

Two Floppy System

1.  Have a blank disk ready to use as your back-up
    disk.
2.  With a DOS disk in drive A, type: DISKCOPY A: B:
    (press ENTER)
3.  Remove the DOS disk from drive A and insert Dream
    House Professional.
    Insert the blank disk in drive B.  Press ENTER
    to begin.

Hard Drive Installation Procedure

Before you can use DHP, your hardware and software
must be installed properly.  This means you must have
assembled the hardware components and cabled them
correctly.  Also you must initialize peripheral
equipment - mouse driver (see Appendix A for more
information).

On your DHP disk is an installation program called
INSTALL.EXE. This program is used to complete the
hard drive installation procedure. This process
transfers the DHP system to your hard disk so that
you may operate the program without using the floppy
drive.

Place your DHP program disk in your floppy drive.
From the operating system prompt, C>, type:

A:INSTALL (If your 5.25" disk is drive B, type:
           B:INSTALL)

Simply follow the instructions given on the screen.

Page 8

Or, if you are familiar with DOS commands, you can
install it yourself following the steps below:

1. Make a subdirectory on your hard disk called \DHP.
(MD\DHP)
2. Change to your DHP Directory.  (CD\DHP)
3. Copy all of the files from your Dream House
   Professional disk to your hard disk . (COPY A:*.* C:)
   This assumes that your floppy disk drive is drive
   A: and your hard disk is drive C:.
4. Type PRINTER to select the printer type and configuration.

Entering DHP System

After DHP is installed, entering the program involves
turning on your computer, changing to the DHP
directory and typing:  DHP.

When your computer is on and DOS is loaded, the
operating system prompt displays (e.g., A> or C>).
Simply enter DHP.

First load driver programs for your mouse.  For
example, at the operating system prompt, you might
type:

     MOUSE
     CD\DHP
     DHP

GO.BAT

A special batch file named GO.BAT is provided on your
DHP disk to help you step through the loading of the
appropriate printer driver for your system.
From the DOS prompt, type:

     GO and press ENTER

Or, if you want to automatically load a sketch on the
screen after the program selects the printer driver,
type:

GO SKETCH (where SKETCH is the filename) and press ENTER.

Page 9


Main Screen

This is the main Dream House Professional screen.
The pointer rests in the upper left corner in the
sketch pad area - where drawing occurs. The list on
the right side is a summary of the commands available
in DHP called the main help selector.  At the bottom
of the list is a box used to show messages and prompt
you while using certain commands called the control
corner.  The last line on the screen is the status
line which also helps you recall what you must do
while using each command.

Each option is explained in Chapter 3.  Refer to the
appropriate section for details on DHP features.

Exiting DHP System

Each option of DHP provides a method for returning to
the main screen (usually pressing ENTER or completing
the feature in use).  When you finish working with
the DHP program and want to exit to DOS, simply
return to the main Dream House Professional screen
and press the Alt and Q keys simultaneously.

Page 10


The system asks if you have saved the sketch you were
working with.  If you plan to reuse your sketch in
the future, please save your sketch before exiting
the program!  DHP reminds you to do this but if you
ignore this reminder you could lose the sketch you
were working with.  [Note: you may save your sketch
as often as you like and continue working right where
you left off.  You must answer Y to get to the
operating system.

Always remove floppy disks, replacing them in their
protective envelopes, and turn off your computer when
you are finished for the day.

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Chapter 3: Using Dream House Professional

Pointer/Cursor Movement

Dream House Professional (DHP) is essentially an
electronic drawing board and the cursor is your pen.
In DHP, the cursor is represented by an arrow shaped
pointer that helps you position parts of your sketch.

You control the pointer with the arrow keys on your
keyboard, with a mouse or with a joystick.  If you
have more than one of these, you can use them in any
way that is convenient for you.

Arrow Key Pad

Using the up, down, left and right arrow keys allows
you to move the pointer to any position on the sketch
pad.  To use fine motion (smaller increments of space
moved), use the arrow keys with the Shift key.  In
addition the following keys may be used:

PgUp -    moves at an angle towards the upper right.
PgDn -    moves at an angle towards the lower right.
End  -    moves at an angle towards the lower left.
Home -    moves at an angle towards the upper left.

While you are drawing walls, the control corner shows
the exact location of the pointer and the distance
moved or length of the wall.

Mouse

If you have a mouse, drawing with DHP is easier and
faster requiring just one hand to do the majority of
the work.  The mouse must be installed properly, of
course, and the mouse driver loaded (a command from
the operating system, often included in your
automatically loaded file AUTOEXEC.BAT).

When the mouse is ready to use and you are not in the
DHP program, you may move the mouse to control the
movement of the pointer.  The pointer is freely
positioned in this way although it takes some
practice to control horizontal and vertical motion
accurately.

Page 12

Sometimes when you reach the edge of the table or
mouse pad you may need to pick up the mouse and put
it back down again to reposition it.

The buttons on the mouse are also used to make
drawing easier.  The left mouse button can be used
the same as the ENTER key on the keyboard.  This way
you may anchor lines with the mouse rather than
pausing to place your hands on your keyboard.

The right mouse button is used for fine motion as the
Shift key is used with the arrow keys.  To move in
small increments, hold down the right mouse button
while moving the mouse in any direction.  When
drawing walls, the control corner allows you the
exact location of the pointer and the distance moved.

Joystick

If you have a joystick, you will benefit from faster
and easier control of the Dream House pointer, even
though two hands are generally required to move the
stick and press the button.

The bottom joystick button can be used the same as
the ENTER key on the keyboard.  This way you may
anchor lines with the joystick rather than pausing to
place your hands on your keyboard.

The top joystick button is used for fine motion
(moving in small increments).  To use fine motion,
hold down the top joystick button while moving the
stick in any direction.  While drawing walls, the
control corner shows you the exact location of the
pointer and the distance moved.

DHP Commands

This section is for reference and lists each command
in alphabetical order as shown on the DHP Menu.  See
the Tutorial Samples in Chapter 4 for step-by-step
instructions that detail the order in which commands
are used.

Page 13


When you first enter Dream House Professional the
title screen appears.  After pressing a key, the help
text appears, and the pointer rests in the upper left
corner in the sketch pad area - where drawing occurs.


The list on the right side is a summary of the
commands available in DHP called the main help
selector.  At the bottom of the list is a box used to
show messages and prompt while using certain commands
called the control corner.  The last line on the
screen is the status line which also helps you recall
what you must do while using each command.

The remainder of this section explains each command
you may encounter while using DHP.

Function Keys: these keys are labelled F1 to F10 on
your keyboard and are either in two columns on the
left of your keyboard or across the top row. Notice
that F1 to F5 are listed on the status line of the
main Dream House screen. The remaining function keys
are used with the measurement calculate command
(explained later).

Each function key, F1 to F5, is assigned to a
building area (e.g., F1 in living area).  To begin
drawing any portion of a building you must first
indicate the type of building area it will be.  Then
DHP can sum the areas drawn for each type.  Negative
area is tabulated for F5, whether it is labelled an
atrium or not.

Page 14


You may change the label on each of these function
keys by pressing Alt and the corresponding key (e.g.,
Alt F1 to change F1 Livable to Living or Alt F2 to
change Garage to Carport, etc.).

When you are ready to draw, press the function key
corresponding to the type of area (e.g., press F1 to
draw livable area) and this line appears on the
status line:

     Positioning for start of Livable area wall.
<space aborts>

If you didn't mean to select this, press the space
bar to stop.  Notice that the control corner shows
pointer location.  Move the pointer with the arrow
keypad, a mouse or joystick.  Anchor the position by
pressing ENTER, the left mouse button or the bottom
joystick button.  This appears:

Drawing Livable Area Wall

Move the pointer in the direction of the wall you
want to draw.  Watch the control corner to see the
exact length the pointer has travelled.  In the
default grid setting, the pointer moves two feet at a
time.  To move fractions by tenths of a foot, press
the Shift key and any arrow simultaneously or use the
right mouse button (top button for joystick users).
When you have the pointer position at the end of the
wall, press ENTER or the left mouse button (bottom
joystick button) - the wall and this message appears:

Positioning Dimension for this wall
         - (Space) Erase Unwanted Dimension

Notice that DHP displays the length of the wall as a
dimension which you can move with arrow keys, mouse
or joystick.  Move the dimension to the position you
want, either inside or outside the wall, centered or
to one side.  Then press ENTER or the left mouse
button.  If you don't want the dimension shown, just
press the space bar to erase it before anchoring.
This message appears again:

Drawing Livable area wall

Page 15


Continue drawing walls and anchoring dimensions until
you return to the original starting point for this
type of living area.  Next, you must finish this area
by using C - Close up an area (explained later in
this section).

A - compute Area square feet: this command shows the
current total square footage of each type of living
area (function keys F1 to F5) assigned.  Press A and
the figures appear in the control corner.  To
continue, just select the next command.

C - Close up an area: When designing a new home or
measuring an existing structure, you often make tiny
mistakes along the way so that when you are all done
drawing a section of your floorplan, the ending point
does not exactly meet the starting point.  Since this
is not possible in a real building, DHP provides an
automatic closure function to reconcile these tiny
mistakes.

Use the Close command when you believe you have
completed drawing an area of your floorplan.  Press C
and the message corner will say, "Livable Area
Closed," if you have made no mistakes.  If there is
an error, a pointer will appear along vertical or
horizontal walls that you may need to change.  Tell
DHP which wall(s) you would like to change to make
the structure close up perfectly by moving the
pointer (with the arrow keys) to the wall you would
like to change.

To select a wall to change, press ENTER key when the
pointer is on the wall you want to change.  When the
selection has been made, the sketch will be redrawn
automatically adjusting the dimensions and closing
the area.

D - Change Drawing scale: DHP defaults to a scale of
two foot increments.  Press D and you may change the
scale when this appears in the control corner:

          Scale in feet per Grid
          Old = 2 New = 2
          Max - Size = 86.0
          Max - Size = 75.2

Page 16


This shows you the current grid settings and the
maximum allowable dimensions.  This appears on the
status line:

use « arrow keys to expand or shrink scale

Press the left arrow key to shrink the scale to a
minimum of 1 foot per grid.  Press the right arrow
key to expand the scale to a maximum of 24 feet per
grid.  When you are satisfied with the scale, press
ENTER to accept it.

E - Eject page: Press E to eject the page after the
next sketch is printed (for printer configurations
having more than one sketch per page).

F - list of Files on disk: you may need to verify the
existence or name of a particular file.  To do this,
press F and this appears on the status line:

Files listing for which drive (A...Z)?

Press the letter corresponding to the drive you want
to check (e.g., press A for Drive A).  A list of
files appears on the screen and bytes free (amount of
space remaining on the disk).  When you have finished
with this option, press any key (e.g., the ENTER key)
to return to your sketch.

G - overlay scaling Grid: this option places a dotted
grid over the entire sketch drawing area.  This may
help you draw more accurately.  Press G to overlay
the grid which corresponds to the scale currently in
use.  To cancel the grid, use R - Redraw screen
(explained later).

H - Help...more keys... another list of commands and
help messages may be displayed by pressing H.  Each
of these commands is explained later in this section.
To see each page of help, press the space bar.  To
return to your sketch, press ENTER.

I - start Interior wall: interior walls partition an
area without affecting square footage or add clarity
to the sketch (e.g., property perimeters).  With this
command, you may draw lines anywhere on your sketch.
Press I and this appears on the status line:

Positioning for start of Interior area wall. <space> aborts

Page 17


Like area walls initiated with function keys, move
the pointer to the start position desired.  You can
use J - Join to nearest corner here (explained next),
or move the pointer freely with the arrow keys or
mouse, using the meter in the control corner for
exactness.  Remember you may use fine motion to move
by tenths of a foot by pressing the Shift key and
arrow keys simultaneously or holding down the right
mouse button.  When you have the pointer where you
want to begin, press ENTER or the left mouse button.
This appears:

Drawing Interior Wall. <space> stops

Move the pointer in the direction required.  If you
positioned the first point wrong, press the space bar
to start over.  Otherwise, anchor the wall at the
correct point.  Continue with the next interior wall,
anchoring as you go.  After the last anchor is set,
press the space bar to stop.  You may need to use the
R - Redraw command to refresh the screen.

J - Join to near corner: this command moves the
pointer automatically to the nearest corner point.
This is a handy way to position the pointer before
drawing interior walls or appending areas.  Simply
get the pointer closer to the corner you want to join
and press J.

L - Load sketch from disk: to continue working with a
sketch you have saved to disk, press L and this
appears on the status line:

Load from which sketch file?

Enter up to 30 characters for the filename (e.g.,
SKETCH) with a drive designation (e.g., A:SKETCH) and
subdirectory (e.g., C:\DHP\SKETCH) if required.  If
you are accessing a floppy disk, be sure to insert
the correct disk before pressing ENTER.  You can use
the F - list Files on disk command to check for
filenames on a drive before loading with this
command.  Once DHP finds the file, it automatically
displays in the sketch pad, overwriting any sketch
that was previously displayed (be sure to save the
previous sketch if you want to use it later).

M - Measurement calculate: this command gives you a
list of closed off areas in square feet as well as a
subtotal of each living area type.  Press F9 to
measure the current sketch and a list of measurements
appears where the main help selector was.  Summaries
of each type of living area appears in the control
corner and this appears on the status line:

AltH=Help AltR=Resume-Sketch AltP=Rdy-Prt F7+Clr Meas F8=X's F9=Auto Meas

Page 18


While working with the measure command, you may use
these:

Help: press Alt and H to get help for the measure
command.

Resume Sketch: press Alt and R to continue drawing
your sketch.

Ready Print: press Alt and P if you are satisfied
with the measurements and are ready to print a copy
of the sketch.  All clutter is removed leaving only
the sketch.  To go back to measuring, press ENTER.
To print press the Shift key and PrtSc (print
screen).  On the 101 key keyboard, press only the
Print Screen key.

Clear Measurements: press F7 to remove the list of
measurements and start over.

Add X's: press F8 to clear measurements, leaving 15
lines of X's and = (equal signs). Then you may enter
your own measurement figures.  Use the Tab key to
skip over an X for quick entry of measurements.

Automatic Measurements: press F9 to let DHP calculate
measurements from your sketch.  In most cases, it is
a good idea to recalculate this way immediately
before printing to be sure the calculations match
your sketch.

While using F7, F8 or F9, you may move around within
the measurement pad with the ENTER key or the arrow
keys. Change the figures as required then use resume
sketching (Alt + R) or prepare to print (Alt + P).

N - add room Names: you may add any text you like to
the sketch by using this command.  Press N and this
appears on the status line:

Type room name or title 25 chars or less.

Enter up to 25 characters for the name.  When you
press ENTER, the name appears on your sketch and you
may move it freely to the position desired.  This
message appears:

Positioning Room Name or Title. <space> aborts

Anchor the name once you have placed it correctly.
To cancel the name if it doesn't fit or isn't right,
press the space bar.  If the name didn't fit, you may
press F5 to switch to a smaller font before typing
the name.  To switch back to the large font, press F5
again.  The control corner indicates the currently
selected font sizes.

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R - Redraw screen (fixup): sometimes sketches become
complicated and are partially erased when deleting
and inserting portions.  To freshen the screen and
see just what the sketch looks like, press R to
redraw the screen.

S - Save sketch to disk: once you have finished
working with a sketch you would like to keep, press S
and this appears:

Save the file to what file name?

Type a name, up to 30 characters, with a disk drive
with subdirectory if necessary (see samples for L -
Load sketch explained earlier in this section).  DHP
accesses the default drive or the drive specified
before the filename and copies the sketch to a file.
This appears in the control corner:

Sketch Saved

T - Test for area closure: to test an area for
closure Press T and DHP shows you how close an area
is to closure.  This appears in the control corner
(example):

          Test for Closure
          Need 4.5 ___ More
          Need 21.7 ____ More
          To close area

This tells you by how much your sketch is off.  You
can automatically adjust the sketch (using the close
command) to provide perfect closure.

V - Video color: Pressing the V key steps through the
different screen colors available.

Additional Keys

Alt F1-F5 - Rename areas: to change the label given
to each type of sketched area, simply press Alt and
the function key you want to change (e.g., to change
Atrium, press Alt and F5).  This appears:

Renaming Atrium area to

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Type up to 10 characters to label the function key
you selected.  When you press ENTER, the label is
changed for the current sketch only.  To leave the
name unchanged press ENTER.

Alt F6 - Rename Interior: to change the label used
with interior walls, press Alt and F6 then type
another label as explained above for renaming areas.
This is seen when using command I - Interior wall.

Alt A - Angles On/Off: when angles are on, you may
draw lines with any degree of angle.  When angles are
off, you are limited to horizontal, vertical and 45
degree angles only.  The message in the control
corner lets you know which type of angles you may
draw.  To turn angles on or off, press Alt and A
simultaneously.

Alt C - Clear sketch: if you are not satisfied with
the sketch you are drawing and want to start over,
press Alt and C.  This message appears:

Do you want to lose this sketch and start over (Y/N)?

If you selected this option by mistake, enter N to
retain your sketch.  Otherwise, press Y and the
sketch is cleared.

Alt D - Dashed line: to draw a dashed line for a
patio or sidewalk for example, press Alt and D.
Then, like an interior wall, anchor the line (press
left mouse button or ENTER key), draw a line (by
moving the mouse or using arrow keys) and anchor it
again.  Continue until you have completed the dashed
lines needed for the area you are drawing.  This does
not add square footage to any area type.  If you want
a dashed line for a measured area, first draw it
using F1 to F5.  Then, trace over the line with a
dashed line using Alt and D.

Alt I - add Icon: a whole screen of icons
representing household items (e.g., doors, bathtubs,
circles, etc.) is available for your sketches.  Press
Alt and I and the screen appears.  To select an icon,
enter the corresponding number and the sketch
reappears with the selected icon attached to the
pointer.  Position the icon (using fine motion if
necessary) and anchor it in place by pressing ENTER.

Alt K - Kill a file: to erase a sketch file from your
disk, press Alt and K.  This appears:

Kill which file (example A:TEST.DAT)?

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Enter the name assigned to the file as with the Save
command, up to 30 characters.  To cancel this command
without erasing a file, just press ENTER without
typing a sketch name.

Alt M - Move sketch: if you need to reposition the
sketch on the sketch pad to allow more room on the
border, press Alt and M.  Then, use the pointer to
move the sketch to the new position and press ENTER.
Movement is in relation to where the pointer was when
you called this command.

Alt P - Ready to Print: when the sketch is complete
or you want to print a hard copy, press Alt and P.
Status line prompt messages are cleared from the
screen leaving only the sketch.  This command is most
often used while in the measurement pad (command M).
To cancel without printing, press ENTER.  If you are
satisfied with the sketch, press Shift and PrtSc. It
is good practice to calculate measurements (commend M
and F9) immediately prior to printing to be sure the
totals reflect those of the drawn sketch.

Alt Q - Quit (exit): when you are finished working
with DHP, press Alt and Q.  This appears:

Before we quit, did you Save your sketch (Y/N)?

If you forgot to save the sketch, enter N and use the
Save command.

Alt S - printer Status: to check the amount of free
memory remaining, mouse or joystick status, printer
selection and configuration, press Alt and S.  This
appears (example):

     Free Memory = XXXXX
     IBM/Epson dot-matrix
     large sketch letter size
     1 sketch per page

Del - Delete last entry: to erase what you have just
drawn, press the Del key.  You may continue pressing
Del to erase each part of the sketch (in the reverse
order they were entered).  The Del key, when used
with Ins, is a very useful correction system.

Ins - Restore deleted entries: after using Del to
erase a part of the sketch,

Page 22


you may use INS to bring those parts back. This way
you may use Del to go back to a part that is wrong,
correct it and replace all subsequent steps used to
draw the sketch. You lose nothing but the incorrect
portion of the sketch drawn thus far.

When you go back to correct parts of a sketch, you
can change the length of walls or the position of
dimensions or icons.  You can not add a new wall or
icon in the middle of a sketch.  If you try to insert
new walls or icons, you will not be able to use the
insert key to restore the remainder of the sketch
correctly.

Shift + PrtSc - Print Dream House: to print what is
displayed on the screen, press Shift and PrtSc.
Generally, you will print in measurement mode and use
Alt and P first to clear clutter from the screen and
print the sketch only.

Printing Sketches

The main purpose for Dream House Professional is to
print professional, accurate sketches. You may print
as many copies as required or print sketches at as
many various stages as necessary.

Your printer must be properly installed and cabled to
your computer and the correct printer driver selected
(See Chapter 2, Installation Procedure).

The DHP disk has included on it a printer driver
selection program called PRINTER.EXE.  It selects the
printer driver for your system and selects the
configuration of the printer, including paper size,
sketch size and number of sketches per page.

You may print copies of the sketch at different
stages to check your work or to take on site.  Or,
once you have completed the sketch and saved it, you
are ready to print the final copy.

To print a sketch it must be displayed on your
screen.  Then, press Alt and P together.  The screen
then shows the sketch exactly as it will appear in
print.  If you are satisfied with the sketch on the
screen, simply press Shift and PrtSc (print screen)
to send the sketch to your printer.

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Before printing the final copy, you should be in the
habit of recalculating measurements. Use the M -
Measure command and F9 to automatically measure each
type of sketched area (sum by F1 to F5).  This give
DHP a chance to incorporate any last minute changes
you may have made.  As long as the measurements agree
with your sketch, you may print.  Print by pressing
Alt and P which clears clutter from the screen, then
Shift and Prt Sc (on 101 keyboards press the Print
Screen key only).

Press Shift and PrtSc.  DHP prints the graphic
screen.  Even the text portion is really graphics,
which is why the dimensions and comments are larger.
After the sketch prints, press any key to return to
the sketch pad.

Printing a Batch of Sketches

You may eventually want to print a long list of
sketches.  There is a way to do this without loading
and printing each one individually.  You simply
create a special list of sketch file names and use a
program that prints the batch of sketches.

First create a list using a word processor, noting
the name of the file. Or, you may use the DOS copy
command as follows:

From the operating system prompt (A in the sample
below), type:

A>COPY CON: SKETCHES     (use any filename you like,
up to 8 characters)

Press ENTER and the cursor moves to the next line.
Type the name of each sketch on a line, pressing
ENTER between sketch names.  If you have selected a
printer configuration which allows more than one
sketch per page, and you would like to print less
than a full page of sketches, put a / (forward slash)
before the last file name to be printed on the page.
This will cause the paper to eject immediately after
the last sketch is printed even if the page is not
full.  For example:

          SKETCH
          /SK1
          /SK2
          C:\MYDIR\MYFILE.DHP

(you may access another disk or directory to find the
file, but the file must be on that disk - the floppy
must be inserted in the drive if accessing a floppy
disk.)

Page 24

When you have finished typing the list, end the COPY
CON command by pressing Ctrl and Z or F6 then ENTER.
You must type carefully using COPY CON.  If you make
a mistake, press Ctrl + Scroll Lock or Break to begin
again at the DOS prompt.

Printing the Batch

After you have created the batch file list of
sketches, use the DHPBATCH program to print, type:

DHPBATCH

The program is initialized and this appears:

Do you want a grid (Y/N)?  ESC to exit

Enter Y if you would like each sketch to print on a
grid.  Otherwise, enter N to print sketches without a
grid.  This appears next:

Do you want Area Totals printed in the lower corner
(Y/N)?

Enter Y to include area totals for each sketch.
Otherwise, enter N to print the sketch only.  This
appears:

Enter the name of the sketch list file:

Type the name you used when creating the list of
sketches (SKETCHES in our example) and press ENTER.
Each sketch is printed and sent to your printer.  If
DHP can't find a sketch by the filename given or on
the disk indicated, it prints:

SKETCH NOT FOUND

on a blank sheet of paper, continuing to the next
sketch.  When DHPBATCH is finished, the program
returns to the operating system.

Page 25

Chapter 4: Tutorial with Sample Sketches

Some users find learning about a new program easiest
with a tutorial.  Actual sample sketches included
with the program disk are used in this chapter and
guide you through each feature with hands on
teaching.  Print samples of sketches are also
included here.

You may want to skim through the preceding chapters
before beginning the tutorial to get an idea of DHP
features and operations.  References to appropriate
manual sections are made throughout the tutorial for
your convenience.

DHP Tutorial

First you will look at an already completed sample
sketch included with the DHP program disk.  Then the
tutorial will guide you step-by-step through drawing
simple sketches.  Finally, a summary of DHP commands
and a list of tips are given to complete your
introduction to Dream House Professional.

Remember that anytime you see instructions to enter
information you must use the ENTER  key to complete
the command.  The enter key is often called carriage
return, CR, return or enter but it always means the
same key which may be labelled on your keyboard by
any of the names or with a crooked arrow.  In this
manual, when you see ENTER, it means to press the
enter key.

Because you will be working with a sample sketch
stored on the DHP Program Disk, begin by placing that
disk in your floppy Drive A.

Begin the tutorial by typing: GO and press ENTER.
Follow the directions which will appear on the screen
and select the type of printer you have, and the
configuration you like best.

Press any key to clear the copyright notice and the
DHP drawing area or "sketch pad" and Main Help
Selector should now be displayed.  The last line on
the bottom of the screen is called the status line
which displays messages to help you complete
commands.  The lower right area is called the control
corner which also displays information you may use as
reference.

Page 26

Notice the list on the right displays help text.
Read through it and try to remember as many commands
as possible, though many are explained in more detail
later.

Remember that commands using Shift or Alt means you
must hold that key while pressing the key following
it.  Press H or Alt H for more Help text.  Read
through all of the Help text now, pressing the space
bar to see each subsequent help screen.

Once you read through all the Help text press ENTER
to resume sketching.

Loading an Existing Sketch

Press L to Load sketch from disk and type:

A:SKETCH

for the filename.  You may use upper or lower case
but you must remember to press ENTER.

DHP looks for the sketch file SKETCH, loads it into
memory and displays it on the screen.  This is a
complex sketch, but soon you can draw them easily.

When you finish with a sketch, you can save it to a
disk with the S - Save sketch to disk command.

[Note: Dream House Professional is designed to run
independently from other software products.  Disk
prefixes and file naming conventions will default to
DOS configurations.]

Now, you could save SKETCH back to disk or clear it
from memory.  Clearing the sketch from the screen
doesn't erase it from disk, but if you make changes
and don't save them first, clearing will erase the
changes leaving the original sketch.

To clear the sketch press Alt C (remember that means
to press C after holding down the Alt key).  Then
press Y to confirm that you want to start over.

When starting new sketches, or completely starting
over on sketches in progress, Alt C clears the sketch
from memory.  You can use this if you ever need to
start over.

Page 27


Moving the Pointer

First, begin with a blank sketch pad.  You can make
sure there is nothing remaining on the screen from
any previous entries by clearing it (Alt C, then Y).

Now get the "feel" of moving the pointer (Arrow) on
the screen.  The manual uses the keyboard for samples
but you can use a mouse or joystick as well.

The 10-digit keypad has 9 tic-tac-toe arranged keys
which are called the arrow positioning or just plain
arrow keys.  Your keyboard may also have a separate
arrow key pad.  Try pressing the arrow keys in any
combination to see how the pointer moves on the
screen.  You can also hold them down for continuous
movement.

Look at the scaling feature.  Press D - change
Drawing scale.  DHP displays the feet per Grid which
defaults to 2.  This is about average for most homes
to "fit" on the Sketch Pad.  Notice the maximum
horizontal (_____ 6.0) and vertical (_____75.2) foot
lines you can fit on this sketch at this scaling
factor.  To adjust the scaling, use the left and
right arrow keys to move the scale up and down.

Try moving the scale up to:

NEW=24

Notice you can represent a fairly large area on the
sketch pad.  Now move the scale back down to NEW=2
and press ENTER to accept the new scaling factor.

You can put a grid on the screen.  Press G and a
dotted grid appears.  The grid is unnecessary for
drawing the sketches.  It is only provided as a
reference tool for you.  Sketches are always drawn
properly to scale.  The grid does help demonstrate
pointer movement though.

Press some more of the arrow keys.  See how the
pointer moves exactly one grid (scale=2 feet) block?
Now hold down one of the Shift keys while
simultaneously pressing one of the arrow keys.  Hold
them both down.  See how the arrow moves in small
increments?  This is how you can move the pointer in
1/10th fractions of a foot.  This is called fine
motion.

Page 28

The Num Lock key can also be used as a toggle switch
to turn fine motion on and off. Press Num Lock once,
then try the arrow keys (on the numeric keypad) by
themselves.  Press it again, and try the arrow keys
again.  Using Num Lock means you don't have to press
both the Shift key and arrow keys for fine motion.
This is especially useful for computer users with a
handicap.

Drawing with a Mouse

Using a mouse with DHP makes drawing easier and still
allows you to use all features. The left mouse button
is used just like the ENTER key.  When the manual
says to press ENTER, you can either press ENTER or
the left button.

Try moving the sketch pad pointer by moving the mouse
around. Try horizontal and vertical movement. To use
fine motion, hold down the right button.

Page 29


Drawing with a Joystick

Using a joystick with DHP makes drawing easier and
still allows you to use all features. The bottom
joystick button is used just like the ENTER key.
When the manual says to press ENTER, you can either
press ENTER or the bottom button.

Try moving the sketch pad pointer by moving the
joystick lever around.  Try horizontal and vertical
movement.  To use fine motion, hold down the bottom
button while moving the joystick lever.

Drawing Tips

Before you try the first tutorial lesson review these
basic tips for drawing sketches.

Page 30


DHP allows you to draw and calculate up to four
different positive areas and one negative area - for
atriums and the like - which is automatically
subtracted from the first are (F1).  The default
names of these area types on the first five function
keys are as follows:

F1 Livable
F2 Garage
F3 Patio
F4 Storage
F5 Atrium (negative space) subtracts from F1 on Area
calculations

You may rename these areas by pressing the Alt key
and the corresponding function key at the same time.
Once they are renamed, they are only renamed on the
current sketch.  (When you save sketches to disk,
these new names are automatically saved and recalled
when the sketch is loaded again.)

Before you begin your tutorial which takes you
through some sketches, review these points:

     1)   Areas cannot be calculated until the figure
is completely closed on all sides (use C - Close up
an area).

     2)   All five area types can be drawn on the
same screen.  However, when using J - Join to near
corner, which brings a different area to another,
(e.g., butting a garage against the house), the
COMMON WALL(S) MUST BE TRACED (DRAWN AGAIN), or the
computer will not think the area is closed.

     3)   No area (except for the Atrium) should be
drawn inside another.  For instance, don't draw a
garage, then draw a storage area inside the garage,
otherwise the area calculation for the garage will be
erroneous (Storage area would not automatically be
subtracted from Garage area).

     4)   Areas should not cross over themselves,
e.g., an area shaped like a figure 8 should be drawn
as two separate closed areas joined at the corner.

     5)   Areas should be drawn in an outward order.
In the above example, if you had a storage area
inside the garage area which butted against the
house, you would draw the sketch in this order:

Page 31

     A) Draw the house (F1-Livable, then Close it).

     B) Draw the Storage area (F4-Butting against
house, don't forget to retrace storage walls butting
against house walls, then close it).

     C) Draw the Garage area (F2-Butting against
Storage area, don't forget to retrace Garage walls
butting against Storage walls, then close it).

     6) Because of the scaling factor, the dots on
the screen (called pixels), can be difficult for
retracing or joining the final stop with the end
point.  The J - Join to near corner command was
developed just for this purpose.  It will find you
the closest corner and place the pointer EXACTLY on
that point.

The arrow keys will then let you "walk" in a straight
line from that point.  For instance, if the garage
wall started in exactly 20 feet from the corner of
the house, you could join onto the corner, then press
F2 and use the arrow keys to "walk" down 20 feet from
that corner point.  Once you get there, you could
press ENTER to begin drawing that area "out" from the
house.  The corner created from the start point of
the garage can then be referenced by the Join command
later.

      7) Before an area can be calculated by DHP, it
must be completely enclosed using C - Close up an
area.  Many times you may get down to the last wall
and find it doesn't exactly joint the beginning
point.  There are three things you can do:

          A) Redraw the area

          B) Redraw the last line

          C) Let DHP automatically close the area for
you.

If you want DHP to automatically close the area,
simply press ENTER to anchor the wall, and press C.
DHP will check to see which wall(s) would have to be
lengthened or shortened in order to close the area.
If only a vertical or horizontal wall needs
adjusting, DHP will allow you to select only those
walls for adjustment.  If both a vertical and a
horizontal wall need adjustment, DHP will allow you
to select one of each to adjust.

Page 32


(You can select these walls by using the arrow keys.
Once you've selected the walls for adjustment, press
ENTER.  This combination allows you to selectively
close up the area when measurement taking was
difficult because of obstructions (e.g., trees,
bushes, etc.).

Lesson One - Entering a Simple Sketch

Try entering this simple sketch (step-by-step
instructions follow).

Clear the sketch pad (Alt C, then Y).  Move the
pointer down diagonally by pressing PgDn four times
(or use your mouse or joystick to move about a half
inch diagonally).

The whole Sketch Pad can be used for drawing.  It's
good practice to move the pointer towards the center
to leave some margins around the sketch.

Now begin drawing your first area.  Start with F1-
Livable area by pressing F1.

Notice two pointers are now shown on the screen.
This "split" pointer is helpful by providing a
reference point (See Join Command in Lesson Two).
The control corner tells you the location of the
pointer, about 8.0 down and over.

Page 33


Anchor the first point by pressing ENTER, the left
mouse button or the bottom joystick button.

You have told DHP that you have verified you are
drawing Livable area and you want to begin your
sketch where you placed the pointer.

Press the right arrow key 32 times or you can hold
the right arrow key down until the measurement
approaches 64 feet.  Or use the mouse or joystick to
move the pointer to the right 64 feet (watch the
control corner for exact measurements).

Notice the control corner displays the footage each
time you move the pointer.  This "gas-meter" effect
helps you quickly target in on your line length.
Since you are on 2 foot centers (scale),

Length=64.0

should now be displayed along with the horizontal and
vertical displacement references (above it) from your
previous start point.  (If not, you didn't reset the
scaling factor to NEW=2 with D - change Drawing
scale).

Press ENTER to anchor the point and DHP will then
know you're done drawing that line.

After pressing ENTER, DHP will "anchor" that line and
display the dimension (the length) for it.  DHP
automatically displays dimensions near the center-
bottom of horizontal lines, and the center-right on
vertical lines.  You may move the dimension anywhere
you like using the arrow keys.  You may eliminate the
dimension if it is unnecessary for your drawing.

Put this dimension on top of the line you just drew.
Press the Home key twice (moves dimension up and left
2 blocks).

Notice how you can position the dimension after each
line.  Holding down the Shift and arrow keys will
move the dimensions in fine motion (1/10th blocks).
Try precisely positioning the dimension this way.
Get it as close to the center of line as you can.

DHP always displays the dimensions of area walls.
You may position them wherever you desire.  When you
are done positioning them, you must anchor dimensions
in place by pressing ENTER.  Do this now.

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[Note: If you didn't want to display a dimension on
the sketch, simply press the space bar instead of
ENTER and the dimension is cleared from the screen.]

DHP now displays the pointer at the end of the line
so you can continue your sketch where you left off.

Draw the 40' Wall.

Press the down arrow key 20 times, moving the pointer
to draw a vertical line downward (Length=40.0).
Watch the control corner.  Anchor the line (press
ENTER).  Then anchor the dimension where it displays
(press ENTER).

Draw the 30' Wall.

Press the left arrow key 15 times, moving the pointer
to draw a horizontal line to the left (Length=30.0).

Anchor the line, then anchor the dimension.

Draw the 19' Wall.

Press the up arrow key 10 times until "Length=19.0"
is shown in the Control Corner.  Notice IT DOESN'T
stop on 19.  That's because of the 2-foot drawing
scale.

To back to "Length=18.0" then use fine motion to
reach 19 feet.  Press the Shift key and the up arrow
key until you reach "Length=19.0".  If you have a
mouse or joystick, try fine motion by using the right
mouse, or top joystick button.

Be sure the length is 19 feet (check the control
corner) then anchor the line in place (press ENTER).

You may want to move the dimension "outside" the area
before anchoring it.  It doesn't hurt to leave
dimensions inside of figures.  However, if you are
going to add interior walls or room names later,
these dimensions may be visually in the way.  It's
good practice to plan ahead on placing dimensions
because going back to move them when the sketch is
nearly complete will take more time.

When you are done positioning the dimension, anchor
it.

Draw the 36' Wall.

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Press left arrow key 18 times, moving the pointer to
draw a horizontal line 36 feet long.  Anchor the wall
and the dimension.

Draw the 20' Wall.

Move the cursor up, drawing until you reach
Length=20.0 (press the up arrow key 10 times).
Anchor the line and the dimension.

Close the Area.

Notice the ending point doesn't connect to the
starting pint.  Often when you are measuring or
designing a house, you may have made minor mistakes,
or you may have been unable to accurately measure a
wall because of an obstruction.  You can go back and
redraw, or you can tell DHP to close the area for you
automatically.

Press C to Close up an area.  DHP knows you want to
close up the area you've just drawn.  It now knows
there has to be some adjustments made to some of the
lines to close up that Area. DHP cannot calculate the
area of a figure unless all sides of the figure add
up properly to completely enclose the area.

DHP places its pointer on the closest line.  It's
asking you to select the lines you would like to
adjust so it can close up the area.

Press the left or right arrow key.  Notice the
pointer goes to the next closest line.  Keep pressing
these arrow keys; one moves the pointer in a
clockwise direction, the other moves it in a
counterclockwise direction.

Position pointer on the 20' vertical wall.  Press
ENTER to tell DHP you want to adjust that wall's
length.

DHP now knows that a horizontal wall also needs to be
adjusted in order for this particular area to be
closed.

Press the left or right arrow key.  DHP automatically
rotates around all of the horizontal lines.  It's
allowing you to position on the horizontal line you
want to adjust so the area can be closed.

Suppose you knew that because of a hedge, the 36'
wall is incorrect.  Place the pointer on the wall.
Press ENTER to tell DHP you have picked that wall for
adjustment.

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DHP automatically shortens (or lengthens) the wall to
the exact dimensions needed to close the area and
then draws it for you.

The control corner should be displaying the Livable
AREA CLOSED.  Notice the 21.0 dimension could used
cosmetics.  The dimension should be moved left or
right of the line.  The Del (delete) key can be used
to delete previous entries.  The Ins (insert) key can
be used to replace entries.  To demonstrate:

Press the Del key 8 times.  Each of the last eight
steps are removed from the drawing in the order they
were entered.  To put each step back, press the Ins
key 9 times.

The Del key is a way to go back and correct the
placement of a dimension or length of a line, and the
Ins key is a way to restore all your entries after
that correction without having to redraw the area.

Fix the 21.0 dimension by moving it.  First press Del
until you are able to move the dimension (press Del
until 21.0 disappears, then press Ins once and the
dimension is attached to the pointer).  Reposition
the dimension outside the line and anchor it (press
ENTER).  Now, press Ins until all entries have been
restored (DHP will beep when you've replaced
everything).  When Livable AREA CLOSED appears in the
control corner, you will have returned to where you
originally left off.

Calculate Square Footage

Once you close areas, you can have DHP automatically
calculate the square footage.  DHP calculates the
square footage on all areas you've entered on the
sketch.  Since you've only entered Livable area so
far, only the Total Livable will be displayed.

Press A for compute Area square feet.  In an instant,
DHP calculates the area BASED ON ACTUAL DIMENSIONS
using a mathematical formula. Verify the total by
manually calculating them on a separate sheet of
paper using the "square-off" method.  (Total
Livable=1,914).

Now that you have manually verified the total, let
DHP show you it can also do the manual "square-off"
method for you.

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Press M for Measurement calculation.  The Help Text
disappears, replaced by:

          MEASUREMENTS        TOTAL

You can recall the Help Text - press Alt and H.
Pressing these keys will display the Help Text
starting on the page pertaining to the measurements
pad.  You may want to review these pages before
pressing ENTER to return to the measurements pad.

[Note: The measurements on the Help Text has nothing
to do with the current sketch, it just shows a sample
of measurement entry.]

If you want DHP to automatically show the
measurements for the current sketch, press F9, a
choice on the Status Line.

DHP displays the measurements as if it had used the
"square-off" method.  Pressing the F9 key will
replace the measurement pad.  Any prior entries on it
would have been erased.

Try these other options from the status line.

Press F8 and notice that a column of X-s
automatically appear for fast coding entry when you
manually enter measurements.

Press F7 which clears the measurement pad so you can
enter dimensions from scratch.  Enter some now using
these figures.  Type:

19 x 30 then press ENTER

DHP automatically extends measurements for you.
Notice also the arrow keys control the positioning of
the cursor on the measurement pad.  Now position the
cursor at the start of the second line and type:

21 x 64 then press ENTER

Total these two lines by typing:

Total Livable: then press ENTER

Don't forget the colon (:), DHP recognizes (:) as a
total command.  If it sees it anywhere on a
measurement line, DHP totals all figures above it.

Page 38


The measurement total matches DHP's calculated total
in the control corner.  Now move down a couple of
lines (press ENTER).  Type this:

- 12.5 x 13.4 x 14.5 x 16 then press ENTER

DHP only calculates up to the 15th character position
of any measurement line (you can reference it by the
":" in the header at the top of the measurement pad).
Any dimensions entered after the position are
ignored.  However, you may enter text all the way to
the end of the line for comments.

Press ENTER to go to the next line and type:

Grand total: then press ENTER

Don't forget (:).  Move the cursor to the line
containing "Total Livable:" using the up arrow key.

Replace "Total Livable:" with "Total Livable" by
using the right arrow key to the : and type > Press
ENTER.

Notice what happens.  Any line containing a ">"
subtotals, and any line containing a ":" grand totals
all of the subtotals above it.

Press F9 to automatically measure the sketch.  DHP
clears the measurement pad and enters its own "square-
off" measurements based on the area in F1 (Livable)
and F5 (negative Livable with Atrium).

If the F1 (Livable) area contains more than 15
"square-off" measurement lines, the remaining square
footage is multiplied by 1 and shown on the 15th
line.  The measurement pad allows 18 lines of entry
by 25 characters (15 characters for dimensions.)

In addition, F5 (Atrium) area computes as negative
area, and is subtracted from the F1 (Livable) area
automatically.  When you select F9 to Auto Measure,
the negative "square-off" measurements of the atrium
areas will be displayed as well.

Printing a Sketch

Assuming you have selected your printer and
configuration properly (see Chapter Two, Hardware
Requirements and Entering DHP System and Chapter
Three, Printing Sketches) you are ready to print the
sketch you just drew.

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To prepare the sketch for printing, press Alt P which
clears the Status Line.  If you wish to clear the
area totals in the control corner press P again.  If
you have selected a printer configuration which
prints more than one sketch per page, you may press
the E (Eject Page) key before pressing the Print
Screen key.  This will eject the page after printing
the sketch.  If you printer is on, on-line and loaded
with paper, press Shift and PrtSc (print screen).

After the sketch prints, you may press any key to
return to your drawing.

Now save the sketch you have done so far to disk.
First you need to exit the measurement pad and return
to the sketch pad.

Press Alt R for Resume Sketch.

Press S to Save sketch to disk and type: SK1

The sketch is saved on the default disk (the floppy
or hard disk depending on which you were on when
entering the DHP program).  Notice the screen doesn't
clear - you merely saved the sketch in a file on the
disk.

Clear the sketch from the screen (Alt C, then Y).

Go on to Lesson Two.  You can take a break and come
back later if you want.  The next lesson teaches you
how to add other areas.  You will add to SK1 and
create a new sketch called SK2.

To return to the operating system, press Alt Q, then
Y and ENTER.

Lesson Two: Adding Other Areas

In this lesson, you will add a carport, interior
walls and room names to the sketch you drew in Lesson
One.

First, run DHP or clear your sketch pad (Alt C, then
Y).  Then, load the sketch used in Lesson One.

Press L, then enter SK1 for the filename.  [Note: if
SK1 is saved on a floppy disk and you are working on
the hard disk, you should enter A:SK1.]

Immediately the sketch is loaded in from disk and
displayed.  If you had typed the name in wrong, had
the wrong data disk, or entered a filename which
isn't a sketch, DHP would have told you "This is not
a sketch."

Page 40


Before adding the carport, move the dimension 34.0
above the line so it doesn't get in the way of your
carport drawing.

Press Del until the dimension 34.0 disappears then
press the INS key once so that it can be moved by the
arrow keys.  Move 34.0 above the line and anchor it.
Press Ins until all subsequent entries have been
restored (Livable AREA CLOSED should appear in
control corner and your computer beeps).

Now draw a carport area.  Place the pointer near the
corner of the building drawn.  The pointer should be
moving without any lines being drawn.  If not, you're
still in a drawing mode.  Press the Ins until the
Livable area is closed.

Move the pointer near the lower left corner of the
building.

Before drawing the carport, re-label F2=Garage to
F2=Carport.  Hold down the Alt key and press F2.
Then type:

Carport and press ENTER

DHP changes the area label on the status line.
Pressing Alt and any function key is how you re-label
areas.

Page 41


Be sure the pointer is near the lower left corner of
the building still.  Then, press J to Join smack onto
the nearest corner.

Press F2 begin drawing Carport Area.  Anchor the
first point (press ENTER).

Draw a vertical line down 28.0 feet (watch the
control corner).  Anchor the line and the dimension.

Draw the next horizontal line to the right 22.0 feet.
Anchor line and dimension.

Draw the next vertical line up towards the house
(28.0 feet), BUT DON'T ANCHOR IT YET.

Butted Walls

This carport happens to have even measurements and
would intersect exactly onto the house (Livable)
wall.  Suppose it didn't, or that you wanted to make
sure the line exactly butted up against the house
wall.  Before anchoring the third line (length=28.0),
do this:

     1)   Move the pointer near the lower left corner
(don't worry about the line going on an angle).

     2)   Press J to Join onto that corner, you are
sure you are exactly on the house wall.

     3)   Press the right arrow key (approximately 11
times, until line straightens).  DHP will "walk"
right down that house wall so you can be absolutely
sure you are butted against the house.

     4)   Press ENTER to anchor the line.  Since this
dimension is exactly the same dimension as the
opposite wall, remove it by pressing the space bar.

Closing Areas Butted Against Another Area

When you have connected the sides of an area against
another, you are still required to draw the walls
(lines) where the two areas connect, even if it
appears you are drawing over an existing line.

Continue with Lesson Two.  So far, you have drawn
three sides of the carport.  You still must draw the
fourth side which is connected to the house so that
DHP can measure the length of that line.

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Press C to close area.  DHP beeps, telling you it
"cannot auto close area."  In this case, it's easy to
tell what is missing - the last line which is common
to the house wall must be completed.

Sometimes you may get into a situation where you want
to know what's needed to close up an area.  DHP has a
test for closure feature to help you out.  Try it in
this situation.

Press T to test for closure.  In the control corner,
DHP displays the horizontal and vertical corrections
needed to finish enclosing this area.  Draw the last
line.

Press the left arrow key and move pointer to near the
lower left corner of the building.  Then press J to
join the nearest corner and anchor the line (press
ENTER).  Remove the dimension label by pressing the
space bar.

Now you are ready to close the carport.  Press C and
check the control corner for this message:

Carport AREA CLOSED

Now you may figure the area - press A.  DHP
recalculates all areas instantly and displays the
totals in the control corner.

Labelling the Sketch

Using the naming feature, you can label the Carport
area right on the sketch.  Press N and type:

Carport   then press ENTER

The label "Carport" displays on the sketch pad at the
last position you left the pointer.  In the future,
you may want to position the pointer on the screen
before entering a name even though you can freely
move the name label afterwards.

Position the name the same way you move and place
dimensions. (arrow keys, mouse or joystick).  Press
ENTER to anchor the name inside the carport area.

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Drawing Interior Walls

Entering interior walls is simply drawing lines
anywhere on the screen.  They don't affect square
footage but they do add clarity to your sketch.

Use command I to start the interior wall feature.
When you're done with a segment of the interior wall
(straight line), press ENTER to anchor it at each
point.  When you are completely done with an interior
wall, press the space bar to stop drawing.

Refer to the sample sketch at the beginning of this
lesson and try to duplicate it.

Move the pointer to a position where you would like
to start the interior wall.  Remember, you can use
the join command to position on a corner.

Press I to start interior wall mode.  Position the
pointer and anchor the point by pressing ENTER.

Draw the interior wall and when finished press ENTER
to anchor it.

If the same wall continues around a corner, DHP lets
you draw the next wall directly from the last
interior wall's end point.  If you choose to start at
a different point, press the space bar to stop
drawing.

Practice putting in a few interior walls - some
single lines and some walls with corners.  When
you're done, anchor the last point and press the
space bar to stop interior wall mode.

Now try putting some names inside the building.  Use
the alternate font feature to see how it works.
Select the naming command by pressing N.  Now, press
F5 and notice the control corner - it tells you which
size font you are using.  Press F5 again to return to
the other font.  When the small font is in use, type
the room name and press ENTER to pick up the name you
typed.  Then anchor it on your sketch.

Remember, if you make a mistake, use the Del key to
back up to that mistake, correct it, then use the Ins
key to restore all entries.

When you are done, Press R to redraw your sketch
which "freshens" the screen, replacing any lines that
may have been inadvertently overlaid while you were
working.  You can redraw your sketch at anytime, even
while in progress.

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Now you have seen most of DHP's options.  You may use
each option in the way you need to draw your sketch.
Print your second sketch, but first measure it.
(Press M for measure options, F9 to auto measure, Alt
P to prepare for printing and Shift PrtSc to print.)
When the sketch is printed, press any key then Alt R
to resume sketching.

Save your sketch to disk under the filename SK2.
(Press S, type: SK2 and press ENTER).

Changing Scale While Sketching

Suppose you finish most of a sketch and find that you
want it drawn in another scale.  DHP lets you do this
and you can try it with SK2.

Press D to reset the drawing scale.  Use the right
arrow key to move the scale (in control corner) so
that it displays this:

NEW=3

Press ENTER to accept the new scale.  Notice the
sketch is automatically drawn again at that scale.
When you shrink a sketch, it may need to be moved on
the sketch pad and dimensions and labels may need to
be repositioned.

Moving the Sketch

You can "pickup" the sketch and move it to another
area on the pad if necessary.  In this case, when the
size of the sketch changed, the dimension on the left
overlaid the line, and there is no room to move the
dimension over.

It is easiest to move sketches from edge to edge (if
moving up or down and side to side).  Move this
sketch diagonally from corner to corner.  Place the
pointer on the lower right corner of the drawing.

The press Alt M, move the pointer toward the lower
right corner of the screen about an inch and press
ENTER.  DHP tells you if you exceed the limits of the
pad so you can reposition the sketch.  The sketch
should be properly positioned.

Now you can reposition dimensions and labels.  Simply
use the Del key to go back and reposition them.
After you reposition each dimension, remember to
anchor it by pressing ENTER, the left mouse button or
the bottom joystick button.

Page 45


Use the Ins key to replace what you deleted.
Obviously, if it's a detailed sketch, the Del and Ins
combinations could take a while.  That is why it's
important to plan ahead on the drawing scale and
properly positioning the dimensions as you go along
so they won't be "in the way" as the sketch
progresses.  When you draw a floorplan, you should
keep in mind you need to know the maximum length and
width to help you select the proper scaling size
before drawing the sketch.

Continue with this lesson by exploring the scale
feature.  Press D and set the drawing scale to this:

NEW=1

Your computer beeps at you.  You can't do it because
DHP will not let you enter a scale that would result
in the sketch exceeding the boundaries of the sketch
pad.  Set the scale at:

NEW=2

The sketch should return to the original size you
used.  You need not save the sketch again because you
save it before beginning of the portion on scaling.
If you do save it to SKETCH2 and it is not exactly as
it was before, the first sketch will be lost,
replaced with the one shown on the screen.

At this point, you can clear the screen (Alt C, then
Y) and prepare for the next lesson.

To return to the operating system, press Alt Q, then
Y and ENTER.

Lesson Three: Sketching Odd Angles

Regular building walls are horizontal, vertical or at
odd angles.

For definition purposes, odd angles are any angles
other than those shown above.  DHP will default to 90
degree corners and diagonal lines of 45 degrees under
regular sketching mode (Angles "off").  Odd angles
may be drawn with continuous sketching mode (Angles
"on").

Page 46


Make sure your sketch pad is clear (press Alt C, then
Y).

DHP defaults to the normal sketching mode which lets
you drawn only 45 or 90 degree angles.  This way you
can be certain each corner is perfectly drawn.

Experiment with angle sketching.  Move the pointer
toward the center of the screen and press F1 to
select an area for drawing.

Press ENTER to anchor the starting point for drawing
the wall.  Press PgDn several times or move the
pointer toward the lower right corner.

That is a perfect 45 degree angle.  Remove the line
by returning to the starting point (press the Home
key).

Now draw a horizontal line with the right arrow key.
Pull that line to a 45 degree angle with the down
arrow key.

Notice at one point the pointer will be closer to a
45 degree angle than a straight line.  DHP will then
display it at 45 degrees diagonally).  But those are
the only two choices.

Suppose you have a sketch for which you want to draw
some odd angles.  DHP has a toggle switch to allow
you to change to odd angles mode - just press Alt A.
You can toggle odd angles "on" and "off" during the
process of drawing in area.

Although DHP does not display the degrees of the
angle, it does display the distance horizontally and
vertically from the last reference point which you
can use as a guide when entering odd angles.  DHP
automatically calculates square footage on odd
angles. When closing a figure with odd angles, DHP
will adjust the line lengths of horizontal or
vertical lines only, not lines drawn at odd angles.

Try drawing some odd angles.  Turn angles on by
pressing Alt A.  Verify this by looking at the
control corner.

You should still be in drawing mode with one point
anchored.  Move the pointer around on the screen.
Any angle can be represented on the sketch.

Now draw an area with odd angles - maybe a pentagonal
shaped building.  Use the join command (press J near
that point) to connect the last line with the start
point and anchor the point (press ENTER).

Page 47


Close the area (press C) and let DHP figure the area
for you (press A).  To see the method used to figure
area, use the measurement calculation feature (press
M, then F9).  Imagine figuring the area manually.

Return to the sketch by pressing  Alt R.  When you
are done, clear the sketch pad (Alt C, then Y) and
turn angles off (Alt A).

To return to the operating system, press Alt Q, then
Y and ENTER.

Lesson Four:  A complex Sketch

You may want to try drawing a detailed sketch.  At
first this may seem difficult, but with practice you
will be surprised how simple DHP makes your sketches.

If you already have an idea for a complex sketch, you
should attempt to draw that now, before trying to do
a "live" sketch.  Otherwise, we challenge you to try
to duplicate the sample file called SKETCH included
on your Dream House Professional program disk.  If
you get stuck, use the Insert and Delete keys to
discover the techniques used in creating this complex
drawing.  It looks like this:

To return to the operating system, press Alt Q, then
Y and ENTER.

Page 48


DHP Command Summary

Arrow keys = move pointer

Shift key + Arrow keys
Right mouse button
Top joystick button = fine motion pointer movement
(1/10ths)

ENTER key
left mouse button
bottom joystick button = accepts position (anchor)

F1-F5     Start drawing an area

A    compute Area square footage (after the area has
     been closed)

C    Close up an area

D    change Drawing scale

E    Eject page after next print screen

F    list of Files on disk

G    overlay scaling Grid

H    display Help Text in sketch mode

I    start Interior wall

J    Join to nearest corner

L    Load sketch from disk (DOS configuration)

M    Measurement calculation mode

N    add room Names or titles or descriptive comments
     on sketch

R    Redraw screen (fixup, use anytime to redraw
     screen up to last point)

S    Save sketch to disk (DOS configuration

T    Test or area closure (will verify if an area is
     closed and displays the horizontal and vertical position
     required to close that area in the Control Corner)

Page 49


V    change the Video color of the sketch

Alt + F1-F5    Rename the area

Alt F6    Rename interior

Alt A     Angles On/Off (45 degree angles are always
          permissible)

Alt C     Clear sketch (from screen only)

Alt D     Dashed line

Alt H     display Help Text in Measurement Pad or
          sketch mode

Alt I     add Icon

Alt K     Kill a file

Alt M     Move sketch

Alt P     Ready to print (clears Status Line)

P (following ALT P) Clears area totals in the control corner.
                    Gets ready to print.

Alt Q     Quit (exit DHP, reminds you to have saved
          sketch)

Alt S     show Status of free memory, mouse/joystick
          status, printer selection and configuration

Del  Deletes last entry

Ins  restores deleted entry

Shift + PrtSc  Print sketch using printer/configuration

The display screen is divided into four areas:

Sketch Pad     Drawing area for sketches.

Status Line    Bottom line displaying the conditional options.

Control Corner Displays relative control information
pertaining to the sketch.

Page 50


Measurement Pad/    When in sketching mode, displays Help Text.
Help Text Area      When in measurement pad mode, lets you enter
                    measurements and text.  Pressing  Alt H in
                    measurement pad mode will bring up Help Text
                    starting on page pertaining to the Measurement Pad.

Approximate Maximums:

Max Walls 70 (includes dimensions) (If exceeded, DHP
Prompts:
Max Names + Interior Walls 40 "area too complex").

Other Suggestions, Tips, Hints

The only way to master all the features of DHP is to
practice a variety of sketches and experiment.  Test
users have found the following while experimenting.

.  When drawing an area, anticipate dimension
positions so other areas won't draw over the top of
them.  (If they do you can use the Del key to go
back, reposition the dimension, then Ins to restore
back to the end.)

.  Often, when you are drawing over something else on
the screen, you may clear existing walls or leave
scattered marks.  The R - Redraw command can be used
anytime and will completely clear the screen then
redraw the entire sketch instantly.  This will clean
up scattered markings, and restore walls that have
been cleared from the screen.

.  The mistake most often made by beginners is
drawing walls which butt or are attached to a
different area wall.  For example, if you draw three
sides of a garage up against a house, it's not
finished!  THAT LAST (FOURTH) WALL MUST BE DRAWN!

.  Use the J - Join command to help you when drawing
walls butting against another area.  The join command
will attach the pointer to the nearest corner.  As
you are drawing along and are getting close to
another corner, you can attach directly onto it,
again using join.

.  The J - Join command can be used anytime and will
help you quickly position the pointer on corner
points.  It's useful in a variety of purposes.  Here
are just a few:

Page 51

Positioning the start of an area or wall exactly 14.3
feet from a corner.  (Use join to put pointer on
corner, press the area or interior wall you want to
start.  Move pointer "in" from that corner to 14.3
feet.  Press ENTER to anchor start point.)

Drawing the last line to close up an area.  Say you
have just finished drawing that last wall, you are
close to the start point and you want that last wall
to be the EXACT length required to "meet" the start
point.  Simply use the join command before anchoring
that last wall.

Areas butting against another.  Lots of times when
you're drawing an area butting against another - and
you're drawing over the walls of the other area - you
can use the join command to help you quickly draw
that common wall by joining to the common corners.

.  GETTING LOST?  If you lose track of where you are
or what's going on, simply use the Del key and go
back a few steps to a familiar reference point.
(Remember:  The Del key will delete your entries
(steps) in reverse order; the Ins key will restore
your entries (steps) in sequential order.)

.  You can print the sketch directly on graph or
plain paper.  Some users prefer to print on plain
paper, then use a copier to photocopy onto a form
(you may use reduction copiers to reduce the sketch).
If you are using a dot matrix printer, the small
sketch printer configuration can be selected (before
going into DHP) to print a smaller sketch.

.  Multiple (but separate) areas - like a guest house
- can be entered on one sketch, or on two different
sketches.

.  Areas like patios can be drawn and calculated on
an unused area of the sketch pad then removed.  This
will allow you to access the calculation abilities of
DHP, yet represent the area by using interior walls
or dashed lines.

.  Arrow and indicators can be created using interior
walls and keyboard characters.  For example:

North --------->>

Page 52


.  Use icons (Alt I) to represent doors, sinks,
stoves, tubs, toilets and other features of a
building.  You choose the icon and position it where
needed.  Then you can add interior wall lines to it
to add detail.  For example, add a box around two
sinks to make a double sink, add a line in front of a
sink to create a vanity in a bathroom.

.  To use DHP as a general art or CAD program it may
be useful to know that the entire measurement side of
the screen can be cleared using the following key
sequence:  Press M, Press F7, Press the up arrow
until the cursor is on the MEASUREMENTS: TOTAL line,
Press the ESC key, Press ALT P Press P.  Press Shift
Print Sc to print your artwork.

Page 53


Chapter 5: Trouble Shooting

When you have trouble with your computer, it is not
always easy to determine the problem.  You may
occasionally experience hardware difficulties,
program errors or data problems.  This section covers
the basics of trouble shooting including how to
define the problem and recover from it, but more
importantly how to avoid trouble.

Error Messages

DHP is written in the BASIC programming language.  A
complete list of BASIC errors can be found in a BASIC
manual, but the common errors are listed here.

#    description              solution

61   disk full                use Alt K to erase old sketch files or begin
                              saving files to another disk

68   device not available     check printer cable connections - reset printer
                              and computer

70   disk write protect       do no use write protect tabs
                              on DHP program or data disks

71   disk not ready           verify that disk is inserted correctly and the
                              door is closed properly

72   disk media error         reinsert floppy disk and close drive door
                              properly

DHP has its own list of error messages as well.
Normally, the message explains the problem which
suggests a solution.  For example, when using the
move command, this error message may appear:

Sketch can't be moved any farther in this direction

It means that you have moved the sketch as far as you
can in the current drawing scale.  To make additional
room use the D command to change the drawing scale.

Page 54


Recovering from Errors

When you get an error message, your ability to
recover from it is based on what you do next.  Always
stop immediately to make note of the error and
retrace the steps that led up to the error.  Write
down the option you are using, the last few entries
you made and any other facts such as changing data
disks or a power failure.

If you recognize the error and have an idea of what
to do, correct the problem.  Then, try to repeat the
option you were working with when the error occurred.
Most times, this is all you need to do to recover
from the error.

Avoiding Errors

Most users can work with their computer and rarely
experience an error.  The important part to avoiding
errors is to understand both the hardware and
software you use.  Be sure to study the user manuals
provided with your computer until you are comfortable
with its operation.

Avoiding little errors may be impossible, but they
seem even more insignificant if you can quickly
diagnose the problem and fix it. Avoiding
catastrophic errors requires common sense and
foresight - particularly making backup copies of your
data.

Backing Up Data

One of the most important parts of using a computer
includes taking the time to copy every important
piece of software onto a separate medium (floppy
disks or magnetic tape) and store it in a safe place.
There is no substitute for this simple procedure
which should be done regularly.

Any number of problems could destroy either program
or data files including hardware malfunction, power
failure, fire or other disaster. A current, complete
backup of your important files can save your system.

There are several ways to make backups of your files.
Generally, users copy files to a floppy disk using
either COPY or BACKUP (explained in your DOS manual).

Page 55


The method and schedule used to backup files are up
to you.  It is best to establish a regular schedule
for a particular backup session, such as daily for
current files.  A full backup might be done on a
monthly basis to save all work done for a four week
period.  Individual backups can be done before and
after an intense amount of work that you would not
want to lose.

Full backups should be divided into groups by drive
and by subdirectory.

Many users have found that keeping two sets of backup
files is best when used on a rotating basis.  That
is, use set one on odd numbered days and set two on
even numbered days.  This way, if you should ever
backup bad data onto your disks and then need to
restore the date, you would have another recent
backup to be instead.

Copying Between Disks

You may find that you need to move a sketch file from
one data disk to another.  You may do this by using
the DOS copy command on this format:

COPY a:filename b:filename

This copies a file from drive A to drive B.  Then you
can erase the first file with this command.

DEL a:filename

When to Seek Help from Computer Easy

There may be times when you cannot determine the
cause of a particular problem and you need help.
This is the time to call your dealer or Computer Easy
for support.  Before you place the call, make note of
this information:

.  Your company name and location

.  The program and version you are using

.  The exact error message or problem

.  The sequence of steps taken before the error

.  Your exact actions since the error occurred

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With this information, it is easiest to get the
support you need.  Also, it may be necessary for you
to be able to access your computer while you are
talking to support, so be sure your phone is close to
the computer.

Mouse Installation - Appendix A

If you use a mouse with DHP, you must have the proper
hardware and the correct driver program loaded.  Much
of the information you need about your mouse will be
in your mouse manual or your hardware dealer may
complete the installation for you.

For hard disk users follow these steps:

1.  Copy mouse driver program onto your DHP disk or
the root directory of your hard disk from the floppy
disk provided with your mouse.

2.  Alter your AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the root
directory of your hard disk to include the loading of
the mouse driver.  (example - add MOUSE to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file.)

You may prefer to only load your mouse when you load
the DHP program.  If this is the case you might add
MOUSE to a DHP.BAT batch file.  It would be a good
idea to include the printer driver and the mouse in
such a batch file.

          C:>COPY CON:DHPRO.BAT
          CD\
          MOUSE
          CD\DHP
          DHP
          (press CTRL-Z (F6) and ENTER)

Other Mouse Brands

If you have another type of mouse, you must find the
name of the mouse driver program (consult the mouse
manual).  Then, you must copy that file to your Dream
House disk, something like this:

A>COPY B:MOUSE.DRV C:\

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INDEX

Anchor   3
Angles   2, 21, 46, 47, 50
  Odd   46
Area
  Building   1, 5, 14, 15, 31
  Calculation   16, 31, 37
  Close   16, 20, 36, 42
  Living   1, 5, 14, 15, 18, 39
  Negative   1, 5, 15, 31, 39
  Positive   1, 31
Arrow Keys   1, 12, 28, 32
AUTOEXEC.BAT   12
Butted walls   42

Clear sketch   21, 28, 50
Close area   16, 20, 36, 42
Control corner   10, 50
Cursor   3, 12
Dashed lines   2, 21, 50
Dimension   15, 37
Drawing scale   16, 28, 49
Drive designation   6, 18

Eject page   17
ENTER   3, 29, 30, 49
Entering DHP   9
Error messages   54
Exit   10, 50
Filename   6
Fine motion   12, 13, 29, 30
Free memory   22, 50
Function keys   5, 14, 31

GO.BAT   9
Grid   2, 17, 28, 49
Hardware requirements   7
Help   14, 17, 49, 50

Icon   21, 50, 52
Installation   8, 23

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Interior walls   17, 44, 52
Join   18, 49, 51
Joystick   1, 3, 6, 7, 13, 15, 22, 30, 49

Kill a file   21
List of files   17, 18, 49
Load a sketch   9, 18, 27

Measurement Calculate   18, 49
Mouse   1, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, 22, 29, 49, 57
Move sketch   22, 45, 50
Pointer   3, 12, 28, 49
Print   22, 23, 49
Printer driver   9, 23, 57

Quit   22, 50
Redraw screen   18, 20, 49, 51
Rename areas   20, 31, 50
Room Names   19, 44

Save sketch   20, 27, 40, 49
Scale   16, 45, 49
Scaling grid   2, 17, 49
Screen layout   5
Sketch
  Clear   21, 27, 50
  Move   22, 45, 50
  Pad   26, 50
  Save   20, 27, 40, 49
Status line   5, 10, 13, 26, 40, 50
Subdirectory   6, 18
Terms   3
Test for closure   20
Video color   20, 50

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