The MacProducts Magic Tape 60 tape drive will, in come cases, stop an SE from booting. Caveat emptor.
If you are tempted by Font Bank's 250 PostScript fonts for $295, be sure you look at the character sets. There are only 25 characters plus the alphabet in upper and lower case and numerals 0-9. For example, you won't get a bullet (option/8) and many other symbols.
If you like to stay on the keyboard in Word 4.0, try these goodies: Command/Tab followed by 0 (that's a zero, not an oh) pulls down the Apple menu. Now type K (for example) and Key Caps is selected. Hit Return to execute the selection. This is just one example. The secret is to follow the Command/Tab keystroke with a number from 0 on up to designate the menu you want to pull down, starting at the left margin.
That's a 1 for file, 2 for Edit, etc. Then type in the starting letter of the menu item you want to select. The Return key executes the menu item.
The up and down arrow keys will also move you through menus once they are pulled down with the Command/Tab. The 8 and 2 on the numeric keypad also move you up and down. (Thanks, Penn Printout, U. of Penna.)
To flow PageMaker text inside of a graphic, select the middle Text Wrap icon. Now drag the upper left handle over next to the upper right handle. Remember which is which. Next, drag the upper right handle over to where the upper left handle used to be. Repeat with the bottom handles. Now you can retain text inside the object. Experiment!
One trick is that text must not be narrower than the graphics boundary. (Thanks, MacNews, Canton, Ohio, via Resources, San Diego MUG.)
Here’s how you can keep blank lines from appearing in Word 4.0 labels. In this example, let’s pretend some entries have an address2 line and some do not:
«Data My Address List»«name» (Return)
«company» (Return)
«address1»«IF address2» (Return)
«address2»«ENDIF» (Return)
«city» «state» «zipcode»«IF address2»
«ELSE» (Return)
«ENDIF»¶
Please note where returns occur. This “script” works because the return between address1 and address2 is within the IF/ENDIF statement. The entry always takes five lines in the label (in this example) because the IF/ENDIF statement following the zipcode provides a return within it under the ELSE option it contains.
Yep, you can do animation in pre-2.0 versions of MacPaint (the ones with the immovable screen). You can even do it on a 128k Mac. Open MacPaint. Open Control Panel. Select the slowest mouse speed. Close Control Panel.
Draw some stick figures, being sure that you are at the very top section of the MacPaint screen. Now draw a rectangle which exactly surrounds your current screen, using the rectangle tool. Type a small 1 in the lower right corner of this screen.
Double click the marquee tool. Copy. Click on the hand tool. Hold down the Shift key and move your rectangle #1 straight down until the top line of your rectangle JUST BARELY disappears off the bottom of the screen. You are now looking at the blank top half of your MacPaint document.
Paste. Change the number 1 to 2 and make a few changes in the stick figures to provide the animation. Save. Close the MacPaint document. Open it again. You will be looking at picture 1. Double click the marquee tool. Copy. Click on the hand tool. Hold down the Shift key and move until picture #2 fills the screen. Paste. Click the lasso tool to clear the marquee tool.
Hold down the tilde (~) key. Presto! You get animation. Once you get the idea, this is simple. (Thanks to Australian MacWorld for this one.)
You can diddle with this idea in MacPaint 2.0 and get it to work, but you have to watch out for automatic scrolling when drawing the rectangle. And screens bigger than an SE30 screen will cause you problems, too.
If disk icons remain on the desktop, dimmed out, after you eject a disk, the Mac still wants to use something it is not through with. When that file is closed, you can drag the dimmed icon to the trash and it will stay put.
For a fast erase of an initialized floppy, drag an empty floppy over onto it. Saves a minute or so.
If you have an 030 Mac, or a Mac II, go get Virtual. Virtual gives you up to 14 megs of memory. It works better the more “real” RAM you have, but four is plenty. Virtual uses some of your hard disk space as RAM.
If you have been chicken about getting into MultiFinder, this is for you. Definitely. I was one of those chickens. Now I run PageMaker (giving it 3,500k to run in), Word 4.0, MS File and Illustrator without problems. I also open large DAs and seldom hear a peep from MultiFinder.
Of course you’ll have to make sure that Microsoft programs are loaded into the first 8 megs (which means you load other things first, since MultiFinder loads from the top down. (Thanks, Microsoft, for another non-standard “feature.”)
If you have problems, Connectix has excellent, smartie tech support types who will lead you through problems in a friendly way. Hey, I even called when all the tech support people were gone, and Rick led me through a little problem.
If you have a Mac II and need the PMMU chip, get the combination package from Connectix. If you go buy your own OMMU chip, you end up paying more.
How do I know that? I did it that way. Oh, well.
Works databases only sort one field. To sort multiple fields, use a series of sorts. Sort the least significant field first. Example: To sort states alphabetically, zipcodes within states, and names within zipcodes, sort on names, then zipcodes, and finally states.
Try a few problem sorts and it will all become clear. When I run such a test, I construct a new database with 10-15 names in it, spanning several states and zipcodes. Sorting this tiny database in several different ways quickly gets you up to speed on sorting Works databases.
Sometimes when you drag a horizontal line across a PageMaker page, the Tool Palette is in the way. Once the line is started, pull the mouse down the page and you can see where the line will end. You can match the crosshair to an appropriate guideline or ruler marking.
If you have trouble lining up a tab in the ruler bar with the intended position, get Nisus. It shows you a vertical line down the page as you drag the tab, so you know just where the tab will be.
I am horrified to find major Mac books telling you it is OK to format 1.4 meg HD disks as 800k disks. It is NOT. The media is different. Do not do this! No! Nyet! Nada! Never!
Where are the reversed numbers 2, 3 and 4 in Zapf Dingbats? The 2 is Option/~, then Shift/A. The 3 is Option/n, then Shift/A. The 4 is Option/n, then Shift/O. (Thanks, Macintosh Bible.)
Here are some handy double click functions in Word:
• Tiny tab in the ruler, gets Tab dialog box.
• Page number, gets Go Tp Page dialog.
• Margin marker (in ruler), gets Paragraph dialog.
• Split in scrollbar, splits or unsplits.
• Title bar or size box, toggles screen size.
Do you like those funny little SuperPaint plug in modules? Try this. Set the grid to 1/4" and Shift/drag a line of a chosen plug-in module. Does this give you any ideas? Like borders?
To autoflow (or not) in PageMaker, hold down the Command key as you check flow text. This toggles the menu-selected choice.
Want more screen space for PageMaker? Turn off scrollbars and page icons. Can you still change pages? Yes. Command/Tab and Command/Shift/Tab do it. Option/drag takes care of scrolling. On small screen Macs, this is WONDERFUL.
Any time you have trouble remembering a non-intuitive keystroke provided by a programmer,. it is perfectly OK to construct your own intuitive macro with QuicKeys, MacroMaker, or Tempo II.
You have two adjacent paragraphs in PageMaker. They have different tab and indent settings. Highlight both. Get Tabs/Indents from the menu. What you see are the tabs and indents for the FIRST of the two selected paragraphs. Click OK and guess what happens? The second paragraph assumes the tabs and indents of the first paragraph. This is fine if this is what you want. If not, Cancel out of the dialog.
Newport Maccer Whit Patrick found that On Location can find forgotten passwords, or unknown passwords in HyperCard stacks. Copy the stack to a floppy. Let On Location index the floppy. Now let On Location show you all the scripts, including the one with the password.
Copying to a floppy first is a precaution. This hint should give you other ideas. Poke around and send me your best discoveries.
Here is a neat way to show/hide the menubar with a simple HyperCard script. First, create a short button (minimum height) which is as wide as the top of the screen. Place it across the top of the screen. Script it this way:
on mouseEnter
show menubar
end mouseEnter
on mouseLeave
hide menubar
end mouseLeave
To stop a sound in HyperCard, follow up by typing “play stop” in the message box and click Return. This flushes ALL sounds from memory.
And if your HyperCard sounds pop, click and buzz, are you trying to play them from a floppy? HyperCard sounds work well only from a SCSI hard drive. Sorry!
This month’s Oldie But Goodie hint. If you have not printed out the HyperCard Help stack, you are missing a great, free book on HyperCard scripting.
To repeat some highly stylized text, copy a few words. Paste it where you want the repeated style. Highlight these words and start typing. Your text will match the pasted material. Of course!
SuperGlue saves images in PICT format. This means you can grab a Glue image in any program, import it into a desktop publishing program, and resize it while retaining resolution.
Table makers attention! Switch to the outlining mode in Word 4.0 and your rows get handles. Now you can rearrange them with a click and drag. Handy! (Thanks, MacinTouch in MacWeek.)
Speaking of tables, Tycho Table Maker can be had from Full Write Professional (for registered owners) at $12.00. I bought it (naturally), and am pleased to report that it is not limited to use with FWP, as is in the case with the Word Finder that comes with MS Word.
Now, if you don’t have FullWrite Professional, it is in mail order houses for less than $60. Add $12, and you have $500 worth of software for less than $75. Can’t beat that with a club.
DiskFirstAid (the little ambulance) will “fix” folders that the Mac won’t let you trash. Run Disk First Aid from a floppy with a System, since it won’t fix its own disk. Type Command/S after selecting the disk to fix and you get an exotic progress bar to tell you how you’re doin’. (Thanks, David Ramsey in MacWeek.)
Wanna read a PS/2 1.4 meg disk in your FDHD drive? It won’t work? Check and see if the cheap bastards used a regular floppy instead of a 1.4 meg floppy to save a few pennies. (Thanks again, Dave.)
Since I screwed up, I can now save you some money. When buying Connectix’s Virtual software for the Mac II (a 68020 Mac), get the package deal which includes the PMMU chip, required for Mac IIs. The package deal will save you money. I bought the PMMU chip from Tercom, then found that the package deal would have saved me $59. Connectix was appropriately sorry for me, but I just goofed.
By the way, you people with Mac II machines have a jewel on your hands. Virtual makes this sucker scream! And there are lots of upgrade possibilities, including the famous fx board swap for under $3,000. Mac II bodies are now going for about $2500 as I write. One cheap upgrade is MacSprint board from Orchid. At $209±, you get visible speed improvement. To prove this, turn it off after running it for awhile.
My II now tests faster than a IIci when I run Speedometer on it.
I avoided MultiFinder, even when running 5 megabytes. But with Virtual and 14 megs, I will never leave MultiFinder again unless I have to.
Justified or flush left? The battle rages, with some real experts on each side. Here is my simple equation: Amateurs are better off using justified. Experts can use anything they please.
Yes, this comes under Hints, not the Rumors column. Jan V. White has a new book. I haven’t seen it, but I recommend it sight unseen based on his past track record. The new one? “Graphic Design for the Electronic Age.” This one should be a keeper.
Do you like those heavy duty corrugated cardboard file drawers? If so, Weber Desk File System, (201) 431-1128, has a deal for you. Their archive disk file holds 300 disks in four drawers. The unit is shipped flat. You assemble in five minutes. Total cost, $28.95. There is a neat velcro strap to hold the thing for travel, too.
Hokay, you need to put out a slightly larger newsletter on your LaserWriter Plus. So why not step up to 8 1/2 by 14 legal size paper? Ah, that’s the ticket.
The hell it is! The LaserWriter Plus, (and any other laser printer has similar limitations) is limited in the area it can print on a page. In the case of the LW+ that is about 86.4 square inches on letter size 8 1/2 x 11 paper..
Do you get more on legal size paper? Nope! The LW+ prints LESS square inches on legal paper. It comes out to 85.76 inches. Check it out in your Print dialog box (bottom of the screen).
Also, unless you have a legal tray, you have to hand feed the legal paper, and that will give you a PITA (pain in the posterior). If you have tried it, you know what I mean.
I talk clients out of using legal size whenever I can. So far, quite successfully. Just talked two more out of it just last week.
If you are thinking of accelerating a MacPlus, remember that the SCSI interface is very, very slow, so boards which pump up an SE 500% faster only give you about 30% on a Plus.
Of course that ain’t hay, either.
One such board, the Dove Marathon 030, can be had for $485 mailorder. There are other reasons to buy such a board, however. An 030 Mac will work better when System 7.0 arrives, and you can run virtual memory once you have an 030 processor.
Finally, the board comes with SUM Utilities and SAM 2.0 (a $250 value).
One “feature” of Reports 1.2.2 is that whenever Reports PopUp Menu is installed in a stack instead of the Reports Card, sorted stacks don’t print right. Usually, the first card chosen by the Reports routine is printed last. Activision claims this is a “feature.” (Thanks, CMUG member Steve Carter of San Jose.)
HP Deskwriter is getting raves for use as a home or small business 300 dpi printer. Having said that, the downside(s) is/are un-networkable, 50 pp per day design, minute per page, heads need frequent replacement, and $20 for a 400 page cartridge. Of course you can recharge cartridges for $8.50, or refill your own with a hypodermic needle and some good quality ink.
The width of a space when you hit the spacebar depends on the font, size and style in use. That’s why you NEVER use the spacebar to line up text on a page. Use the indent icon in the ruler for paragraph indents, not the tab key or spacebar. Trust me on this one.
Use tabs for columns. Use the centered option for centering material. Pay attention, almost every new Mac owner makes these kinds of mistakes.
It is only a crime if you don’t learn. That’s why I keep reminding you!
Oldie But Goodie Time again: The Mac “sets type.” It does not “type.” Since you are typesetting you are producing text with letters whose widths differ, like i and m. So use ONE space after sentence ending punctuation (., ! and ?). Until you relearn, when a document is complete, go to the Change menu. Type two spaces,. tab, type one space and Change All. Your typist habit will be corrected automatically throughout the document.
One more oldie: To prepare copy for service bureau LaserWriter output, select the LaserWriter in the Chooser, so the Ma knows the rules you want to play by. This is true even if you are outputting to an Imagewriter. In that case, you can select ImageWriter immediately before proofing, then reselect LaserWriter when you have checked the proof.
To see a parent window close when you open its offspring, hold down the Option key while opening the sub-folder. Only in 6.0.4 and up, folks.
If DAs fail to open under MultiFinder, go to the System Folder, find DA Handler, double click. Now increase the memory application. Double it to start with.
Many people are asking how to get high resolution output out of TypeStyler docs after they have been exported to another program. The answer is to make the TypeStyler logo or text FOUR times the intended size. Export as PICT, then shrink it to a quarter of its size. This approximates 300 dpi.
TypeStyler and Freedom of Press are not going to fix the bitmappy output on non-Postscript printers soon, or so they say.
BIG HINT! Trust no disk to be virus-free. Not shrink-wrapped commercial disks, not CMUG’s, not from your mother, none at all.
