The World of Computer Software/World_Of_Computer_Software-02-387-Vol-3of3.iso/p/pep13a.zip/CHAPT4.TXT

Text File | 1992-12-17 | 24KB | 464 lines

<Chapter 4:  Modifying Elements>
     Use the MODIFY command to change the properties of any element in the
open object. First press the command letter, and then select an element to
modify as follows. Position the cross-hair cursor near the element you
want to modify and press RETURN. PEP finds the picture element nearest to
the cursor and displays a box around that element. (The selected element
is also displayed in the preview window if you have one.) You can accept
this choice or reject it. Press RETURN to accept, or SPACE to reject. If
you accept the choice, a new menu appears. The commands in this menu
depend on the kind of element you have chosen. You can use this menu to
change the properties of the selected element. If, however, you press
SPACE to reject the boxed element, the next closest element is selected,
and a box is displayed around it. Once again, you can press either RETURN
to accept the boxed element or SPACE to select another. By repeatedly
pressing SPACE, you can step through every element in the picture, if
necessary, to select the one you wish to modify. This method of selection
is exactly the same as the one used by the DELETE command <[3]>.

     While you are modifying an element a record is kept of the
modifications performed so that these changes can be reversed by the UN-DO
command. This record is similar to the un-delete queue and is called the
un-do queue. See the description of the UN-DO command below <[4.24]>.

     While the selected element is being modified, it is temporarily moved
to the front of the open object display. Unless the ORDER command is used
(see <[4.19]> below), the element is returned to its original position in
the drawing sequence when it is no longer being modified.

     After you select an element, a menu of modify commands appears. The
four types of element (line, label, object, and group) each bring up a
different menu, consisting of a subset of the commands listed below. In
addition to the MODIFY command, there are two other ways to access these
modify menus. The INSERT/MODIFY command <[2.11]> allows you to modify the
most recently inserted element, and the COLLECT/GROUP <[5.8]> and
COLLECT/OBJECT <[5.7]> commands bring up a modify menu whenever they
create a group or object.

<Section 4.1:  Move>
     The MODIFY/MOVE command is available for all elements.

     Use this command to change the location of the selected element.
Press the command letter to display a box cursor around the selected
element. Position the box at the desired new location, and press RETURN to
move the element. The box cursor is locked inside the window that contains
it. If you wish to move an element from one window to another, you can
replace the box cursor with a crosshair by pressing SPACE. The cross hair
can be moved into any window. Pressing SPACE again converts back to a box
cursor.

     You can also move the selected element by typing in new X and Y
coordinates. For objects and groups, these coordinates locate the upper
left corner of the element. For text strings, these coordinates locate the
starting point of the label. The starting point of a label is the corner
of the label box nearest to the top of the first character in the label.
See <[FIG23]>.

     For lines, two pairs of XY coordinates can be entered. When you press
the command letter, XY input is enabled for the first pair of coordinates.
This pair identifies the position of the start point of the line. If you
press the command letter a second time, XY input is enabled for the second
pair of coordinates. This pair identifies the position of the end point of
the line.

<Section 4.2:  Duplicate>
     The MODIFY/DUPLICATE command is available for all elements.

     The DUPLICATE command makes a duplicate copy of the selected element.
Press the command letter and a box cursor appears. Position this cursor at
the target location, and press RETURN. A new copy of the selected element
is created and inserted at the selected location. The menu window still
displays a modify menu appropriate to this type of element, but you are
now modifying the copy, not the original element. If you press SPACE,
another copy is inserted at the same distance from the former copy as that
copy was from the original. By using this feature, you can easily create
multiple evenly spaced copies of any kind of element. To insert another
copy at a different location, just re-position the cursor and press RETURN
a second time.

     The DUPLICATE command empties the un-do queue. After you have made
the duplicate element, previous changes to the original element can no
longer be un-done.

<Section 4.3:  Align>
     The MODIFY/ALIGN command is available for groups.

     You can align multiple elements by collecting them into a group and
applying the ALIGN command. Elements can be aligned at their left edge,
right edge, horizontal midpoint (called the CENTER in the ALIGN menu), top
edge, bottom edge, or vertical midpoint (called the MIDDLE in the ALIGN
menu). Press the command letter to display a menu of these six choices and
select one to align the individual elements of the selected group. For
example, if you choose LEFT alignment, the elements of the group are moved
so that the left edge of each element lies on the left edge of the entire
group. If you choose MIDDLE alignment, the elements are moved so that the
vertical midpoint of each lies on the vertical midpoint of the group.
<[FIG27]> shows the effect of each of these two operations.

<Section 4.4:  Edit>
     The MODIFY/EDIT command is available for Labels.

     Use this command to add, delete, or replace the text in a selected
label. While the label is open for editing, the text is displayed left
justified. When the label is closed, the correct justification is
restored.

     While you are editing a text label, a number of single keystroke
commands become available, and the command menu is replaced by a list of
these. See the description of the INSERT/TEXT command <[2.7]> for an
explanation of these new keystrokes.

<Section 4.5:  Stretch>
     The MODIFY/STRETCH command is available for Lines, Objects and
Groups.

     Use this command to change the size of the selected element. Press
the command letter to display a stretchable box cursor around the selected
element. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to re-position the moveable
corner of the cursor. Press SPACE or Grey-star to select a different
moveable corner. Press RETURN to stretch the selected element to the size
of the box cursor.

     For groups and objects, you can also type in explicit X and Y stretch
factors. The size of the selected object is changed. Its new size is
determined by the new stretch factors multiplied by the initial size of
the group or the native size of the object.

<Section 4.6:  Rotation>
     The MODIFY/ROTATION command is available for Labels, Groups and
Objects.

     Use this command to rotate the selected element. Press the command
letter to display a menu of the eight available choices: four rotations
(0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees clockwise) and four mirror images (\, -, /,
and |). <[FIG10]> shows the effect of each of these operations.

<Section 4.7:  Type>
     The MODIFY/TYPE command is available for Objects.

     Use this command to replace the selected object with an object of a
different type. The new object is inserted in the same position, and with
the same stretch and rotation as the one it replaces. Type the command
letter to display a name menu of all of the objects in the loaded picture
file. Choose an object name from this menu, and the selected object is
replaced by an object of the chosen type.

<Section 4.8:  Fill>
     The MODIFY/FILL command is available for Groups. It is used to create
filled regions. To make a filled region, first draw the boundary of the
region, turning the boundary into a group by using the INSERT/GROUP
<[2.9]> or COLLECT/GROUP <[5.8]> command. Then use MODIFY/FILL to turn the
group into a filled region. In order for filling to operate properly, the
boundary of the region must consist of one or more closed polylines. See
the discussion in Chapter <[2]>, especially concerning the INSERT/CLOSE
command <[2.6]>.

     The FILL command is a multiple choice command with two values: NO and
YES. If FILL is NO, the selected group is a plain group; it is not a
filled region; it is simply a collection of the elements that have been
grouped together to create it. If FILL is YES, the selected group is a
filled group; the elements collected in the group are interpreted as the
boundary of a region that is to be given a solid or pattern fill. See
<[FIG20]>.

     Note: if a group contains text labels, when it is converted into a
filled region, the labels do not affect the area being filled. They are
displayed, however, when the boundary is drawn and their color will be the
border color for the region (see MODIFY/BORDER <[4.10]> below).

<Section 4.9:  Pattern>
     This MODIFY/PATTERN command is available for Groups. It controls the
pattern used to fill a filled region. Press the command letter to bring up
a menu of available fill patterns. Choose one to change the fill pattern
of the selected group. The set of available patterns is determined by the
currently installed pattern file. This can be changed by using the
SETUP/INSTALL/PATTERNS command. (See <[12.5.2]>).

     You can also change the pattern of several filled groups at one time
by collecting them into a group and applying the PATTERN command to that
group.

     Note: unless the selected group is itself a filled region or is a
collection containing filled regions, the PATTERN command will have no
visible effect on the group. The pattern data is not used except during
the filling operation.

<Section 4.10:  Border>
     The MODIFY/BORDER command is available for Groups. It controls the
color in which the border of a filled region is drawn. (The COLOR command
<[4.17]> controls the color of the fill). Press the command letter to
display a menu with 17 choices, the 16 colors and NONE. If you choose a
color, the border of the filled region will be drawn in that color. If you
choose NONE, the filled region will be drawn without a border.

     You can also change the border color of several filled groups at one
time by collecting them into a group and applying the BORDER command to
that group.

     Note: unless the selected group is itself a filled region or is a
collection containing filled regions, the BORDER command will have no
visible effect on the group.

<Section 4.11:  Text>
     The MODIFY/TEXT command is available for Groups.

     The modify commands that apply to text labels can also be applied to
groups. These commands are: FONT, JUSTIFY, TYPESIZE, BOX, and WIDTH. For
text labels, they appear in the MODIFY menu, but for groups, they appear
in a submenu. Use the TEXT command to display this menu. Each of these
commands is described separately below. When they are applied to a group,
they affect all of the text labels within that group. (If the group
contains no text, these commands will have no effect).

     For example, you can change the font of multiple text labels at one
time by collecting them into a group and applying the MODIFY/TEXT/FONT
command.

<Section 4.12:  Font>
     The MODIFY/FONT command is available for Labels and Groups. For
groups, it appears in the MODIFY/TEXT submenu.

     The FONT command changes the font of the selected label. For groups,
it changes all of the text labels in the group to a single font. The
command cycles through the font files installed in the SETUP/INSTALL menu
<[12.5]>.

<Section 4.13:  Justify>
     The MODIFY/JUSTIFY command is available for Labels and Groups. For
groups, it appears in the MODIFY/TEXT submenu.

     The JUSTIFY command cycles through the four options for justifying
text labels: LEFT, RIGHT, CENTERED, and EVEN. If the selected element is a
text label, the command changes the justification of that label. If a
group is selected, the command changes the justification of all labels in
the group. The effect of the four kinds of justification is shown in
<[FIG18]>.

<Section 4.14:  Typesize>
     The MODIFY/TYPESIZE command is available for Labels and Groups. For
groups, it appears in the MODIFY/TEXT submenu.

     With the TYPESIZE command, you can change the size of the characters
in the selected text label. The width and height can be controlled
independently. The point size of the label is given by the Y value, which
determines the height of the characters. The X value determines the
character widths. We recommend that the typesize X be equal to the
typesize Y, if the font is BEAMOF or MEDFORD MODERN. For the other fonts,
we recommend that the typesize X be approximately three fourths of the
typesize Y.

     You can, however, set the X and Y typesize values in any ratio that
you like. When you increase the X value, you make the label more expanded.
When you decrease the X value, you make it more condensed. <[FIG22]>.

<Section 4.15:  Box>
     The MODIFY/BOX command is available for Labels and Groups. For
groups, it appears in the MODIFY/TEXT submenu.

     Every text label has a starting point (which can be modified by the
MOVE command above) and an ending point. The text characters are
positioned between these two according to the label's justification. The
ending point is determined implicitly by the starting point plus a box
width value associated with the label.

     The BOX command is a multiple choice command which determines how a
box width is assigned to a text label. There are two modes: AUTO and
FIXED. If the mode is AUTO, the box width of the label is determined by
the contents of the label; it changes whenever the text is edited. If the
mode is FIXED, you can set the box width to whatever value you want by
using the MODIFY/WIDTH command described below.

<Section 4.16:  Width>
     The MODIFY/WIDTH command is available for Labels and Groups. For
groups, it appears in the MODIFY/TEXT submenu.

     Use this command to set the box width of a text label. However, note
that setting the width value does not affect the label unless its box mode
is FIXED. If the mode is AUTO, the width value is ignored. The box mode is
controlled by the MODIFY/BOX command described above.

     To set the box width, first type the command letter. Then type in the
label width, or use the cursor to determine the width as follows: position
the cross-hair cursor and press RETURN. A small cursor marks the point
that you have selected. The cross-hair cursor is also changed into a
vertical line cursor. Position the new cursor and press RETURN again. The
label width is set to the horizontal distance between the two points which
you have chosen. Alternatively, when the vertical cursor appears, you can
press SPACE to convert the vertical line to a horizontal line. Then when
you press RETURN the second time, the label width is set to the vertical
distance between the two chosen points.

     Note: there is no separate command to control the box height of a
text label. The box height is always equal to the typesize Y value.

<Section 4.17:  Color>
     The MODIFY/COLOR command is available for all elements.

     Use this command to change the color of the selected element. Picture
elements can be in any one of 16 different colors. These colors are
numbered 0 through 9 and A through F. Type the command letter, and then
type the letter or number of the color you want.

     The display of most monochrome monitors for the PC and compatibles is
white, green, or amber foreground on a black background. On EGA and VGA
monitors, PEP may use either black or white as the background color. (The
choice is an installation option). Most printers, however, print black on
a white background. Therefore, the names BLACK and WHITE are not used in
the color menus, and the substitutes FOREGROUND and BACKGROUND are used
instead. On a dark background display, FOREGROUND color displays as white
(or green or amber) and prints as black on paper. BACKGROUND color
displays as black on screen, and prints as white on paper.

     The table below lists the standard names for each of the 16 colors.
However, the actual color produced depends on the properties of your
output device. If you have a monochrome display, all colors appear the
same except color F (BACKGROUND).

  0  FOREGROUND  8  ORANGE
  1  RED         9  LIME
  2  BLUE        A  GRAY
  3  YELLOW      B  PINK
  4  GREEN       C  PURPLE
  5  BROWN       D  GOLD
  6  MAGENTA     E  OLIVE
  7  CYAN        F  BACKGROUND

<Section 4.18:  Line-style>
     The MODIFY/LINE-STYLE command is available for Lines, Groups and
Objects.

     The style of a line can be changed in PEP in three ways. First, you
can change the shape of the pen used to draw the line. Second, you can
change the size of the pen. The size can be controlled independently in
both the X direction and the Y direction. Finally, the line can be dashed.
Dashing can be controlled by specifying for one dash its number of pixels
on and number of pixels off. By combining these three techniques, an
almost infinite variety of line styles can be produced.

     For groups and objects, setting the line style causes all lines in
the group or object to be redrawn in the given style. This includes lines
contained within sub-groups and sub-objects. Text, however, is not
affected.

     Use the LINE-STYLE command to display a new menu, from which you can
change the pen shape, pen size, and dashing parameters.

<Section 4.18.1:  Nibtype>
     Use the MODIFY/LINE-STYLE/NIBTYPE command to change the shape of the
nib, or pen point, used by PEP to draw the selected element. Type the
command letter to display a menu of the eight available types: point,
horizontal line, vertical line, up-sloping line, down-sloping line, box,
ellipse, and rhombus. Choose one of these and the selected element is
redrawn using the new pen shape.

<Section 4.18.2:  Pensize>
     Use the MODIFY/LINE-STYLE/PENSIZE command to change the size of the
pen point used to draw the selected element. It is an XY input command. X
controls the pen width and Y controls the pen depth. Note, however, that
three types of nib are unaffected by one or both of these settings. A
horizontal pen is not affected by the Y setting, a vertical pen is not
affected by the X setting, and a point pen is always one pixel by one
pixel.

<Section 4.18.3:  Dashes>
     The MODIFY/LINE-STYLE/DASHES command has two capabilities. You can
use it as a multiple choice command to turn dashing ON and OFF. When
dashing is ON, it is also an XY input command. X controls the length of
the dashes, and Y controls the space between the dashes. If the pen size
is larger than 0, the dashes can be made to overlap by using a small Y, or
they can be kept apart by setting Y sufficiently large.

<Section 4.19:  Order>
     The MODIFY/ORDER command is available for all elements.

     While an element is being modified, it is temporarily moved in front
of all other elements in the open object. Normally, when you QUIT from the
MODIFY menu, it is replaced in its original position in the drawing
sequence. This can be changed by using the ORDER command. It is a multiple
choice command with three values: SAME, 1ST, and LAST. If the order is
SAME, the selected element will be replaced in its original position in
the drawing sequence; this is the default value for ORDER. If the order is
1ST, the selected element will be moved to the back of the drawing
sequence; it will be the first one drawn; other elements, if they overlap
this one, will obscure it. If the order is LAST, the selected element will
remain at the front of the drawing sequence; it will continue to be the
last one drawn; other elements, if they overlap this one, will be obscured
by it.

     Note that the effects of the ORDER command do not take place until
you QUIT from the MODIFY menu.

<Section 4.20:  Globals>
     The MODIFY/GLOBALS command is available for all elements.

     Use this command to set the appropriate parameters in the G-DEFAULTS
<[10]> or T-DEFAULTS <[11]> menu to agree with the properties of the
selected element. For example, if you want to insert a number of lines
having the same line-style and color as a given line, select that line
using the MODIFY command, and then use GLOBALS to update the graphic
default settings. Every line inserted thereafter will have the properties
of the line that you selected.

<Section 4.21:  Angles>
     The MODIFY/ANGLES command is available for Arcs.

     Use the ANGLES command to change the curvature of an arc. Press the
command letter and position the cursor within the box that appears. Press
RETURN to select a point inside that box. The arc is redrawn with new
slopes. The new slopes are determined by the chosen point. Namely, at each
end point, the arc will be tangent to the straight line drawn from that
end point to the point selected by the cursor. This is shown in <[FIG02]>.
Repeat if necessary until the arc is drawn as you want it.

     In addition, you can use ANGLES as an XY input command and enter the
start and end angles explicitly. In this case, use X input to specify the
angle at the start of the line, and Y input to specify the angle at the
end. Type in the angles in degrees from the horizontal. The minimum value
is 0 (horizontal) and the maximum value is 90 (vertical).

     If you imagine a straight line from the start point of the arc to its
end point, the entire arc must lie on one side or the other of this line.
If you change one angle so as to violate this constraint, the opposite
angle will be flipped automatically so that the arc will still be legal.
If you want to draw a curve that begins on one side of this line and ends
on the other, you can accomplish this by inserting two separate arcs.

<Section 4.22:  Flip>
     The MODIFY/FLIP command is available for Right-angles and Arcs.

     Use this command to toggle between the two drawing directions
(clockwise and counter-clockwise) of the selected right-angle or arc.
<[FIG09]>.

<Section 4.23:  Explode>
     The MODIFY/EXPLODE command is available for Groups and Objects.

     For groups, EXPLODE is an un-group command. It causes the group to be
replaced by its separate elements. If a filled region is exploded, it is
replaced by the individual elements of its boundary. Because the exploded
group no longer exists as a single element, this command automatically
exits from the MODIFY menu.

     For objects, EXPLODE causes the object to be replaced by a group of
elements identical in appearance to the object being replaced. Then the
MODIFY-OBJECT menu is replaced by a MODIFY-GROUP menu. For example, to
make a filled region out of an object, first EXPLODE the object, then, in
the MODIFY-GROUP menu, use the FILL command <[4.8]> to make the group into
a filled region.

     To explode an object into its separate elements, press the command
letter twice, once to convert from object into group, and again to explode
the group into its individual components.

<Section 4.24:  Un-do>
     The MODIFY/UN-DO command is available for all elements.

     This command reverses (or "un-does") the most recent modification of
the selected element. As for the UN-DELETE command described in Chapter
<[3]>, if you press the command letter a second time, the next most recent
modification will be undone. If you continue to execute the command, more
changes will be reversed. The number of changes remembered is limited only
by the amount of available memory. However, if you QUIT from the MODIFY
menu, or DUPLICATE the active element, the UN-DO memory is emptied. You
cannot subsequently un-do earlier modifications.