User's Choice Windows CD/User's Choice Windows CD (CMS Software)(1993).iso/win_i_l/incx101b.zip/INC-PROG.LZH/HELP.LZH/MT.HLP

Text File | 1991-02-28 | 18KB | 433 lines

mt
 Tutorial: Introduction
 Lessons: ^A ^B ^C ^D ^E ^F ^G ^H ^I ^J ^K ^L ^M

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              E║             CTutorial: IntroductionE             ║
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   The InContext ChelpB system is designed in modules which correspond, for
   the most part, to the main functions and subfunctions of the program.
   This makes it possible to provide Ccontext-sensitiveB help, but it also
   means that the help system doesn't have a natural, front-to-back reading
   sequence, like a book.  The purpose of this tutorial is to help you read
   through the help text in an order appropriate for the new user.  The
   tutorial will also suggest exercises you should try at various points
   in your learning process, in order to make the ideas concrete.

   It is suggested that you do all the lessons in their alphabetic order,
   starting with lesson A, then lesson B, etc.  You'll find each lesson
   fairly short, and you can stop any time and come back to the tutorial
   later.

   To make use of the tutorial, you will move around using "Cnavigation
 ZmnB  CbuttonsB".  These are just pieces of text that look CJ like this CB.
   Whenever you encounter one, you have the opportunity to easily go and read
   the information it refers to.  To do so, just place the cursor on the text
   (using either the mouse or the arrow keys), and press either the CENTERB key
   or the Cleft mouse buttonB.  You'll find yourself looking at the selected
   information.  After you've read it, press the CESCAPEB (Esc) key or the
   Cright mouse buttonB to return here.

   To access the lessons in the tutorial, you can simply select them from the
   Table of Contents below, using the technique just described.  There are
   other ways to move around as well, and you'll learn about those as you go.

 CTable of Contents

 ZmtaB       CJ Lesson A -- Learning the Basics CB.

 ZmtbB       CJ Lesson B -- Moving Around In Space CB.

 ZmtcB       CJ Lesson C -- Additional Ways to Move Around CB.

 ZmtdB       CJ Lesson D -- Objects CB.

 ZmteB       CJ Lesson E -- Classes and Views CB.

 ZmtfB       CJ Lesson F -- Defining Your Own Views CB.

 ZmtgB       CJ Lesson G -- Actions CB.

 ZmthB       CJ Lesson H -- Creating Objects and Directories CB.

 ZmtiB       CJ Lesson I -- Tasks, Time, Plans, and Work-in-Progress CB.

 ZmtjB       CJ Lesson J -- Configuration Options CB.

 ZmtkB       CJ Lesson K -- Defining Your Own Actions CB.

 ZmtlB       CJ Lesson L -- Creating New Object Classes CB.

 ZmtmB       CJ Lesson M -- Reviewing Usage Examples CB.
mta
 Tutorial Lesson A: Learning the Basics


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              E║        CLesson A -- Learning the BasicsE         ║
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   In this lesson, you will learn some of the basics of InContext.  The
   intent here is to provide general familiarity, rather than detailed
   understanding.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmpB       1. A discussion of the CJ philosophy of InContext CB.

 ZmdB       2. A brief presentation on the CJ display layout and content CB.

 ZmkB       3. A discussion of the CJ use of the keyboard CB.

 ZmmB       4. If you have a mouse, you should read CJ use of the mouse CB.

   When you have read these sections of the help information, you should have
   a basic idea of the purpose of InContext, and of how it uses the display,
   keyboard, and mouse.  With the next lesson, you will begin exploring the
   individual functions of InContext, one at a time.
mtb
 Tutorial Lesson B: Moving Around In Space


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              E║      CLesson B -- Moving Around in SpaceE        ║
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   In this lesson, you will begin learning how to move around from directory
   to directory.  That may not sound like much, but there are several ways
   to do it, and it's an important function.  If it's easy to move around,
   then there's little penalty for using the directory structure of MS-DOS
   to help you organize your work environment.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcsB       1. A description of the CJ Space command CB.

 ZmcsdB       2. A discussion of the CJ Display modes of the Space display CB.

   After you've read this material, exit the help system and go try out
   the Space Commands.  Explore the directories on your disk, noticing what
   is visible to you as you move from place to place, and try all the modes
   of the Space display.  Then return for Lesson C, which will show you how
   to make some of your directories even more accessible.
mtc
 Tutorial Lesson C: Additional Ways to Move Around


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              E║  CLesson C -- Additional Ways to Move AroundE    ║
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   If you're like most users, there are a few directories in which you do
   the vast majority of your work.  InContext provides features that make
   it particularly easy to get around among a few special directories.
   This lesson covers those features, and also shows you how to move directly
   up and down the directory hierarchy.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcseB       1. CJ Editing the Space Display CB, to give names to directories.

 ZmcgB       2. Use of the CJ Go Command CB to move among named directories.

 ZmcssB       3. CJ Use of Subdirs To Move Around CB.

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Select the Space
   command and find a few directories that are particularly important to
   you.  Go into edit mode and give those directories names and descriptions.
   Then exit the Space display and try out the Go command.  You'll find that
   it's now quite easy to go to the directories in which you do a lot of your
   work.

   If you have a mouse, you should also try moving directly up and down the
   directory hierarchy using the Subdirs portion of the main display.  This
   works even if you don't have a mouse, but it's less likely to be useful
   to you in that event.

   When you've tried out these things, go on to Lesson D.
mtd
 Tutorial Lesson D: Objects


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              E║             CLesson D -- ObjectsE                ║
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   Once you're in the right directory, you need to see the files, or CobjectsB,
   that are in the directory.  This lesson teaches you how to do that, and
   how to select the object you want to work on.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcowB       1. CJ What Are Objects CB, and why call them that?

 ZmcoB       2. Use of the CJ Object Command CB.

 ZmcoaB       3. CJ Object Attributes CB, to help you interpret information about
           objects.

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Select the Object
   command and try out the various modes and orders available.  Notice the
   information displayed about the various objects.

   When you've tried out these things, go on to Lesson E.
mte
 Tutorial Lesson E: Classes and Views


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              E║        CLesson E -- Classes and ViewsE           ║
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   Sometimes it is convenient to deal with a smaller set of objects, rather
   than with all the objects in a directory.  InContext allows you to select
   a single CClassB or a single CViewB in order to focus on a smaller group of
   objects.  This lesson explains those capabilities.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmccB       1. CJ Object Classes CB

 ZmccwB       2. CJ Why use filename extensions to designate classes? CB.

 ZmcvB       3. CJ Views CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system and explore the use
   of the Classes and Views capabilities.  If you haven't changed the View
   definitions since installing InContext, you might try going to the
   directory in which you have installed the MS-DOS operating system files
   and select the "execable" (executable) and "system" views.

   When you've tried out these things, go on to Lesson F, which will show you
   how to define your own views.
mtf
 Tutorial Lesson F: Defining Your Own Views


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              E║     CLesson F -- Defining Your Own ViewsE        ║
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   Now that you know about Views, you'll want to define some views of your
   own.  This lesson will show you how.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcveB       1. CJ Editing the Views Display CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system and try defining
   a few views appropriate to the way you use the computer.

   When you've tried out these things, go on to Lesson G.
mtg
 Tutorial Lesson G: Actions


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              E║              CLesson G -- ActionsE               ║
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   As previous lessons have suggested, you always have a list of actions that
   can be performed on the selected object (or class, or view, etc.).  This
   lesson discusses that topic further.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcaB       1. CJ Actions CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Find a text file
   of your own, if possible, and try viewing it with the "view" action.  Go
   to the directory in which you have installed the MS-DOS programs (perhaps
   "c:\dos") and select "chkdsk.com".  "Run" it, pressing "No" when asked
   about parameters.  Find an object you don't want, and "delete" it.  If you
   have a directory containing only files you don't want (perhaps a backup
   directory used by your editor), go there and select a single class.  Then
   try the "del-all" action.

   When you've tried out these or similar things, go on to Lesson I, which
   explains how to create new objects and directories.
mth
 Tutorial Lesson H: Creating Objects and Directories


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              E║  CLesson H -- Creating Objects and DirectoriesE  ║
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   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcmcB       1. CJ Creating Objects and Directories CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Try creating (and
   deleting, if appropriate) a few objects and directories.  Since you're a
   Beta tester and there is not a large population of pre-existing class
   definitions yet, you may have restrict your object creations to the "txt"
   class until you've learned how to define your own classes.

   When you've tried out object and directory creation, go on to Lesson I.
mti
 Tutorial Lesson I: Tasks, Time, and Plans


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              E║    CLesson I -- Tasks, Time, Plans, and WiPE     ║
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   This lesson will teach you about a very different, but quite important
   aspect of InContext.  The time and plans features allow you to plan your
   work, see it reflected on calendars, daily schedules, and a "things to
   do today" list.  They also make it possible for you to connect the tasks
   you've planned to particular directories, objects, and actions.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics:

 ZmcttB       1. CJ What Are Tasks? CB

 ZmctB       2. CJ The Time Command CB

 ZmcpB       3. CJ The Plans Command CB

 ZmcwB       3. CJ The Work-in-Progress Command CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Try creating a few
   tasks of different types, and experiment with the various ways in which
   you can view and manipulate those tasks.  Create a task note, and try
   accessing it both from the main display and from the Time or Plans
   display.  Associate a couple of tasks with different spatial contexts,
   and select them for work.  Experiment with the WiP display.

   When you've finished, go on to Lesson J.
mtj
 Tutorial Lesson J: Configuration Options


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              E║       CLesson J -- Configuration OptionsE        ║
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   This lesson discusses the various options you can use to alter the
   behavior of InContext.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the topics below.  You
   may find it easier to read about them one topic at a time, and then to
   set up your InContext options as you prefer before reading about the next
   topic.

 ZmcmoB       1. CJ The Options Command CB

 ZmcmocB       2. CJ Changing the Display Colors CB

 ZmcmodB       3. CJ Disk Drive and Logging Options CB

 ZmcmoeB       4. CJ Options for MS-DOS Command Execution CB

 ZmcmofB       5. CJ Changing Display Formats and User Information CB

 ZmcmomB       6. CJ Miscellaneous Options CB

 ZmcmovB       7. CJ Changing the Video and Display Options CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Set up the options
   the way you prefer them.  As a test, quit InContext and re-enter.  (Some
   of the options only take effect at the start of the next session.)  You
   may have to relog your hard drive(s) once, if you've just switched to
   saving the logs on disk.

   When you've finished, go on to Lesson K.
mtk
 Tutorial Lesson K: Defining Your Own Actions


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              E║     CLesson K -- Defining Your Own ActionsE      ║
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   It's time for the advanced lessons, now.  This lesson will show you how
   to define actions yourself.  It covers not only how to physically edit
   the action definitions, but also the nature of the language in which
   action definitions are written.  Anyone who can write MS-DOS batch files
   can handle this material, but real computer novices may find it a bit
   challenging.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes the following topics.

 ZmcaeB       1. CJ Editing The Action Definitions CB

 ZmcaelB       2. CJ The InContext Procedure Language CB

 ZmcaemB       3. CJ Macro Action Definitions CB

 ZmcdB       4. CJ The Do Command CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Try defining a
   few actions of your own for object classes you use.  Change the definition
   of the "editText" macro so that it uses your preferred text editor, if
   you have one.  Most of your learning about action definitions will come
   as you define real actions for real classes.  The idea here is to gain
   enough familiarity that you'll feel comfortable doing so when the need
   arises.

   Try building a Do command, perhaps to display your phone list on the
   screen using a viewer or editor.

   When you've finished, go on to Lesson L.
mtl
 Tutorial Lesson L: Creating New Object Classes


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              E║    CLesson L -- Creating New Object ClassesE     ║
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   You now know just about everything you need to create your own object
   classes.  This lesson will teach you the rest, and give you a chance to
   try it.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes:

 ZmcmccB       1. CJ Creating New Object Classes CB

   After you've read this material, exit the help system.  Try making a new
   class or two.  A good choice might be to create a class named using your
   initials, and containing the content appropriate for a letter from you,
   including your name and address at the top, the date, and closing, and
   identified places for the recipient, salutation, and text.  You should
   create the template using your word processor, and create an action list
   in which the "edit" operation invokes that word processor, perhaps via
   the "editText" macro.

   When you've finished, go on to Lesson M.
mtm
 Tutorial Lesson M: Reviewing Usage Examples


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              E║      CLesson M -- Reviewing Usage ExamplesE      ║
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   This lesson will point you to a number of InContext usage examples.
   These examples show you how to get the most out of InContext, and are
   likely to give you ideas for setting up your own work environment.

   The material to be read in this lesson includes:

 ZmuB       1. CJ InContext Usage Examples CB

   This is the last lesson in the Tutorial system.  You should, at this
   point, have a very good working knowledge of InContext.