CloseView GS is an Apple IIGS New Desk Accessory (NDA) designed to make it easier for visually impaired users to read or view screen images. It’s so simple to use, however, that anyone who wants to take a closer look at the screen may find CloseView valuable.
With CloseView GS installed, you can magnify by a factor of 2 to 12 times anything that normally appears on the Apple IIGS QuickDraw screen. You can also invert the display of the entire screen to make images appear white on black instead of black on white, and vice versa.
When you use CloseView GS, you work with application programs, desk accessories, and the Finder the same way you would without CloseView GS.
You can access the program either through controls in the NDA window or via key sequences on the keyboard.
CloseView is largely intended for visually impaired users, but it is also useful to anyone needing a fat bits view of the QuickDraw screen. When the magnification is activated, the program automatically follows your keystrokes and mouse movements without interfering with the current application program.
Requirements
Version 5.0.2 (or greater) of Apple IIGS System Software is required. Also, since the CloseView GS program relies on the QuickDraw and Event Manager tool sets, it can only be used with applications that are desktop based (that is, applications that use both QuickDraw and the Event Manager). Although CloseView has a desk accessory interface, you can use it with applications that don't support desk accessories (that is, applications that don't use the Desk Manager tool set). The desk accessory side of CloseView GS is just one of two interfaces to the user parameters of CloseView. You can also change these parameters using the key equivalents, allowing you to use CloseView when NDAs are not available.
When installed, CloseView takes up about 64K (32K for code/data and 32K for screen memory). Because of this, at least 1 Meg of RAM is required.
Installation
To install CloseView GS into your system, simply copy the file named CloseView.Init into the System.Setup folder in the System folder of your startup disk and reboot your system.
Features of CloseView
• It survives across application launches and system reboots (that is, it remembers its last state).
• It can be enabled/controlled via key sequences.
• It fully supports the IIGS colors.
• It works for both 640 and 320 resolution modes.
• It automatically tracks the user's input (mouse or keys).
NDA User Interface
You can access CloseView GS by selecting it from the Apple menu; in response, the CloseView NDA window will appear. There are several parameters that you can modify to control CloseView operation. These include On/Off radio buttons, a magnification popup menu, Black-on-White and White-on-Black radio buttons, a check box for enabling keyboard shortcuts, and a help button.
• The On/OFF radio buttons enable/disable CloseView. When enabled, the current settings of the other parameters below will determine what the CloseView screen looks like. CloseView remains enabled as long as the QuickDraw screen is in use.
• The Magnification On/Off radio buttons enable/disable screen magnification. If CloseView is currently on, the change takes place immediately. When CloseView is on but magnification is disabled, a thick rectangular outline, called the frame, marks off a small portion of your screen surrounding the cursor.
• The Magnification popup menu lets you select a new magnification power. Values of 2x (double the usual size; 2x is the default) thru 12x are available. If CloseView is currently enabled the change takes place immediately.
• The Black on White and White on Black radio buttons let you change the display to either Black on White (default) or to White on Black (inverted). If CloseView is currently enabled the change takes place immediately.
• The Use Key Equivalents check box, when selected, allows keyboard equivalents (shortcuts) to be used to modify CloseView parameters. The default value for this check box is active (checked).
• The Help button, when selected, opens a window of help text. If the CloseView NDA is the active (front) window, then the key equivalents '?' and '/' will also bring up the help window.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Several keyboard shortcuts are available in CloseView to make it easier to use. They consist of the option and command modifier keys used together with one other key. These shortcuts are always available (unless the "Key Equivalents" box is off), even if the NDA's window is not open. When a key equivalent is used, the respective control (if currently visible) is updated to reflect the new setting.
Key Sequence Action
Command-Option-O Turn CloseView on/off
Command-Option-X Turn magnification on/off
Command-Option-UpArrow Increase the magnification power
Command-Option-DownArrow Decrease the magnification power
Command-Option-I Invert the current display (toggles between
black-on-white and white-on-black)
Scrolling
When you first activate CloseView, the magnified display (or, if magnification is off, the frame) is centered around the current cursor position. If the cursor was near the edge of the QuickDraw screen, then the magnified display (or the frame) hugs this edge.
The cursor can move freely without inducing a scroll as long as it remains within the current magnified display. As you type or move the cursor outside of the current magnified display, the display (or the frame) moves over about 20% at a time in the direction of the move.
To scroll a hidden portion of the original screen into view, move the pointer toward the hidden portion. Unless you are at the edge of the original screen, a new portion of the screen will come into view.
When you’re typing, the view changes as the insertion point moves. When text wraps to a new line, the view moves along with it; all you have to do is type.
CloseView Frame
When magnification is turned off, but CloseView is still enabled, a rectangular frame appears on the screen. The frame works like the rim of a magnifying glass, marking off the portion of the screen that will be magnified. When magnification is turned on, the screen will be filled with what is inside the current frame.
To ensure that the marked portion includes the area where you are working, the frame follows the movement of the pointer or insertion point. As the cursor approaches an edge of the frame, the frame moves over about 20% (just like the magnified screen moves when the cursor crosses an edge of the screen).
Automatic Tracking
CloseView will automatically track your input. When you move the mouse, the magnification will show you the current location of the mouse. Whenever you type (that is, use the keyboard), the magnification will show you the current location of the insert cursor (flashing I-beam). CloseView will adjust its display location when you switch back and forth between these two methods of input.
Error Handling
Each time the QuickDraw tool set is started up, CloseView attempts to allocate 32K bytes of memory for a virtual screen. If this allocation attempt fails, then CloseView will disable itself by dimming its NDA menu and by ignoring the key equivalents. Also, if CloseView was supposed to be enabled (for example, the application was launched with CloseView on), then an alert will be posted stating that CloseView could not get its needed screen memory.
