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From inferno.mpx.com.au!metro!news.cs.su.oz.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!agate!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!uicvm.uic.edu!earlham.edu!earlham.edu!nntp Wed Jun 8 07:56:51 1994 Path: inferno.mpx.com.au!metro!news.cs.su.oz.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!agate!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!uicvm.uic.edu!earlham.edu!earlham.edu!nntp Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard Subject: HC FAQ version 1.0 part 1 Message-ID: <1994Jun6.134854.8664@earlham.edu> From: davel@earlham.edu Date: Mon, 6 Jun 94 13:48:34 -500 Organization: Earlham College Keywords: HyperCard,FAQ Nntp-Posting-Host: yang.earlham.edu Lines: 1425 Here is part 1 of the new version (1.0) of the HyperCard FAQ (part 2 is still under construction). Direct questions to Peter Fleck. ---------------------------------- cut here ---------------------------------- Welcome to HyperCard -------------------- The HyperCard FAQ Version 1.0 - Part 1 of 2 The Basics -------------------------------------------------------------- A Listing of Frequently Asked Questions and Information about the HyperCard Programming Environment ------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT This is Part 1 (The Basics) of the HyperCard FAQ. At this writing, Part 2 (Scripting) is still in the editing stages. Scripting information is available in the previous FAQ version, v.04. When requesting the FAQ via e-mail, please state if you want this document (Version 1.0), or Version .04, or both. ------------------------------------------------------------ The HyperCard FAQ is available for anonymous ftp from ftp.earlham.edu, directory mac. The previous version is in a file called hypercard-faq-041.txt, and this one is called hypercard-faq-10-pt1.txt. [If this is a brand new version, it may take a bit before it's available for ftping.] The purpose of The HyperCard FAQ is to provide information and answer basic questions about HyperCard; its scripting language, HyperTalk; and various resources and products relating to HyperCard. Many HyperCard users did not receive any "official" documentation with HyperCard; I hope this document will help in getting started with the program. The HyperCard FAQ is not meant to replace the Apple (or Claris) manuals, or the excellent third party books available. HyperCard itself is very easy to "learn" as far as using existing stacks. But if you want to move beyond that and author and script your own stacks, you need to either purchase the retail version of HyperCard which comes with scripting documentation, or one of the third-party books suggested elsewhere in this document. Editorial comments are in brackets ([]). Script commands and internet addresses in text appear between <>. Introduction ============ Add your $.02 ------------- Comments, suggestions, ideas, typo lists, are welcome and appreciated. I can be reached via the internet at: fleck@astro.spa.umn.edu You can also request the FAQ from this address. Snailmail: Peter Fleck 2108-24th Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55406-1014 Copyright Info -------------- This document is offered to the public domain on the understanding that no resale of this information is undertaken by any recipient of the information. Any reproduction of the information should be complete and entire and provide reference to the original source (i.e. the HYPERCARD FAQ) and the editor, and individual authors where directly mentioned in the text. The editor takes no responsibility for any errors, omissions or misunderstandings, however induced! Easy View and Setext -------------------- This document is formatted as setext. You can use the Easy View structured text reader to browse the FAQ. Easy View divides the FAQ into chapters and heads and has search capabilities. Easy View is available for anonymous ftp from <mac.archive.umich.edu> in directory /mac/util/text. [Info from the Easy View Read Me] Easy View is an application for intelligent browsing of collections of structured text files, large or small. It allows very fast access by recognizing the internal structure. All of the following text formats can be viewed using Easy View: - setext, including TidBITS and similar publications - Info-Mac, c.s.m.p, or similar digests - Mail collections: Internet, Navigator, Notebook, etc. - Text with "simple" format - Dictionaries - Plain text Written by M. Akif Eyler, Bilkent University, 06533 Ankara, Turkey. e-mail: eyler@trbilun.bitnet eyler@bcc.bilkent.edu.tr Setext More information can be obtained from the designer Ian Feldman <setext-list@random.se>, or by sending "setext" alone on the subject line, no quotes, to <fileserver@tidbits.com> Table of Contents ----------------- Welcome to HyperCard! ---------------------- Welcome to HyperCard Introduction ------------- Add your $.02 Copyright Info Easy View and Setext Table of Contents The Basics ----------- Where Can I purchase HyperCard? HyperCard Info Resources Where can I find HyperCard stacks? (ftp info) Books on HyperCard Book Reviews Hypercard Products and Related Applications Addresses for HC Products What is HyperCard? What is HyperTalk? What is Home? What is the HyperCard Player? What is a stand-alone? What is AppleScript? What is the user level? What does the Compact Stack do? How can I make my menubar appear (or disappear)? How do I record my own sounds? Version Misc. -------------- Version History What's new in version 2.0? What's new in version 2.1? What's new in version 2.2? Version 2.2 Review Will Version 1.2.5 work with System 7? Will HyperCard 2.2 work with System 6? How do I convert a 1.x version stack to 2.x? Problems & Bugs ---------------- Miscellaneous HyperCard Problems and Memory I only have two (or three) user level choices available. Why do my buttons disappear when I go to another card? The "Fonts not installed" Message Command-space doesn't toggle the menubar. The Protect Stack command disappeared. Help! I lost my password. HC 2.1 Bugs and the Mac AVs General -------- How do I make pictures of card images? Hidden printing features. Admin ------ Acknowledgments Who's Peter Fleck? The Basics ========== Where Can I purchase HyperCard? ------------------------------- HyperCard is available wherever quality software is sold meaning via mail order from the major Mac sources or at local software distributors. An educational discount is also offered for educators and students. You can also purchase HyperCard from APDA, Apple's source for developer tools. They had a $99 special on the product in early 1994. Registered users of previous HyperCard versions (and you're only registered if you paid for the product), are eligible for an upgrade. For details, users should contact the Apple Software Programs Customer Service at (800)-769-2775, ext. 7810. HyperCard Info Resources ------------------------ Most of the resources listed here are online and available through the Internet or commercial BBS services. Many local BBS's also have HyperCard discussion areas or link to one of the major ones. comp.sys.mac.hypercard: Usenet. One of the best sources for HyperCard information and frequented by some of the developers of HyperCard itself. HYPERCRD Mailing List: An e-mail discussion of HyperCard, currently moderated by George Allen, <alleng@msu.edu>. If you have a mailbox on the Internet, you should be able to subscribe to this. Send a message to <LISTSERV@MSU.BITNET> with a blank subject line and the text of the message containing: <SUB HYPERCRD FirstName LastName>. MACHYPE Echo: Fidonet. Low traffic and few regulars. Available on many local BBS's. Compuserve: MacHyper forum (also call HyperText forum). Strong community feeling and very active. Discussions on all levels - beginners welcome. Good file library. America Online - MacHyperCard forum (keyword MHC) Strong community feeling. Very active with discussions on all levels. CompileIt! Special Interest Group including both Message boards and file library. SuperCard Special Interest Group [most active Supercard discussions I've seen] Large file library with decent (i.e. fairly complete) descriptions. Scheduled online conference every Friday at 9 p.m. EST. The conference has featured Danny Goodman and Kevin Calhoun. AppleLink: Feels more corporate, less community. The HyperCard Discussion has mild activity with items that don't seem to show up elsewhere. Software Sampler area has demos. XCMD source code and other items can be found if persistent. NIFTY-Serve: Japanese Sister service to Compuserve. Has very active HyperCard community. [Hiroyasu Oyama, sysop of Macintosh HyperMedia Forum on NIFTY-Serve contacted sent me a note thanking me for mentioning the service.] BMUG: Has boards for HyperCard, internet comp.sys.mac.hypercard, AppleScript, etc. Does not yet have a "community" feel but traffic seems to be picking up. Inside HyperCard: This is monthly (hard copy, newsletter format) for scripting tips and techniques put out by the Cobb Group. $59.00 year domestic, 79.00 year outside U.S.A. It is aimed at the novice HyperTalk programmer. For subscription information write to: Customer Relations 9420 Bunsen Parkway Suite 300 Louisville KY 40220 1-800-223-8720 Macintosh User Groups: User groups often have special interest groups that focus on various software such as HyperCard. Check with an Apple Authorized dealer for the names of user groups in your area. Where can I find HyperCard stacks? (ftp info) --------------------------------------------- There are thousands of share/freeware stacks. Both CompuServe and America Online have libraries. Check user groups in your area; they often distribute disks of stacks. Check local Mac BBS's for stack libraries. Internet Sites with lots of stacks mac.archive.umich.edu (IP: 141.211.32.2, directory: /mac/hypercard) sumex-aim.stanford.edu (IP: 36.44.0.6, directory: /info-mac/card) snyoneva.cc.oneonta.edu (IP: 137.141.15.10, directory /pub/hypercard) Files are in binary DiskDoubler format, with file extension ".dd". Use binary or image mode when FTPing and downloading. Use AutoDoubler or DiskDoubler to decompress; if you don't own one or the other, download DDExpand from the archive. The following popular stacks and external collections are available via anonymous ftp from mac.archive.umich.edu: Colorizing HC XCMD mac/hypercard/xcmd/colorizinghcxcmd1.15.cpt.hqx Dartmouth Collection of Externals /mac/hypercard/xcmd/dartmouthxcmds4.03.cpt.hqx Deprotect Stack mac/hypercard/hypercardutil/deprotectstack.sit.hqx Developer Stack /mac/hypercard/hypercardutil/developerstack1.3r.cpt.hqx Hierpopup mac/hypercard/xfcn/hierpopup3.2.sit.hqx Rinaldi Collection of Externals mac/hypercard/xcmd/rinaldiexternals3.1.cpt.hqx Books on HyperCard ------------------ [The book list is still in a bit of disarray. I haven't had time to standardize the format or get copyright info on every listing. Some of these books are old and would not be of much help with version 2.x.] Ambron, Sueann, & Hooper, Kristina (Eds.) Learning with interactive multimedia: Developing and using multimedia tools in education. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1990. Anzovin, Steven. Compute!'s quick & easy guide to HyperCard. Apple Computer, Inc. HyperCard script language guide. Bundled with HyperCard. Apple Computer, Inc. HyperCard stack design guidelines. 0- 201- 51784-1 $18.95 Apple CD-ROM Handbook: A guide to planning, creating, and producing a CD-ROM. Addison-Wesley, 1992. $14.95. Beekman, George. HyperCard 2 in a hurry. Wadsworth. Bull, Glen, & Harris, Judi. HyperCard for educators: An introduction. International Society for Technology in Education. ISBN 0-924667-92-3 $12.95 paperback. Coulouris, George and Thimbleby, Harold. HyperProgramming: Building Interactive Programs with HyperCard. Addison-Wessley, 1993. I'm really enjoying this text. It contains very readable prose, examples, information about turtle graphics, and hypertext, and a disk. Mark G. Gillingham <Gillingh@Vancouver.wsu.edu> Culp, George, H. & Watkins, G. Morgan. The educator's guide to HyperCard and HyperTalk. Allyn & Bacon, 1993. ISBN 0-205- 13921-3 Fraase, Michael. Rapid reference guide to HyperCard for the Macintosh. Business One Irwin, 1992. ISBN 1-55623-902-5 $9.95 Gluck, Myke. HyperCard, hypertext, and hypermedia for libraries and media centers Imprint: Englewd, Co: Libraries Unlimited,1989. Gold, Rebecca. HyperCard 2 quickstart. Que Publ, 1993. Goodman, Danny. The complete HyperCard handbook 2nd ed. New York: Bantam Books. $29.95 [3rd Edition covering v. 2.2 now available] Goodman, Danny. Danny Goodman's HyperCard developer's guide. New York: Bantam Books, 1988. Harvey, Greg. Understanding HyperCard. Sybex, 1989. $24.95 Hofmeister, Joseph F. & Rudowski, Joyce B. Learning with HyperCard. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western Pub, 1992. Kaehler, Carol. HyperCard power: techniques and scripts. ISBN 0201-06701-3 $17.95. Lamb, Annette, & Myers, Dennis. HyperCard Creativity tool. Career Publ. Co., 1990. ISBN 0-89262-362-4 $39.95 Lamb, Annette, & Myers, Dennis. HyperCard authoring tool. Career Publ. Co., 1990. ISBN 0-89262-362-4 $39.95. Michel, Stephen L. Hypercard: The complete reference. Shafer, Dan. The complete book of HyperTalk2. New York: AddisonWesley, 1991. ISBN 0-201-57082-3 $26.95 Shell, Barry. Running HyperCard with HyperTalk Vaughan, Tay. Multimedia: Making it work. Berkeley, CA: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1993. ISBN 0-07-881869-9 $24.95 Vaughan, Tay. Using HyperCard: from home to HyperTalk. Que, 1988. $24.95 Venezky, Richard, & Osin, Luis. The intelligent design of computer-assisted instruction. New York: Longman (Addison- Wesley), 1991. ISBN 0-8013-0390-7 $24.95 Wilson, Stephen. MultiMedia design with HyperCard. Prentice Hall, 1991. ISBN 0-13-488891-x $24.95 Winkler, Dan, & Knaster, Scott. Cooking with HyperTalk 2.0. Bantam. ISBN 0553-34738-1 $39.95. Winkler, Dan, & Kamins, Scot. HyperTalk 2.0: The Book. New York: Bantam, 1990. ISBN 0-553-34737-3 $29.95. [2nd Edition covering 2.2 now available. Jean Devoto has been added to the authoring team.] Book Reviews ------------ Bill Brown-Stone <brownw@msu.bitnet> or <brownw@ibm.cl.msu.edu> My personal favorite is _The Complete HyperCard 2.2 Handbook, 4th Ed._ by Danny Goodman. It covers the basics of HyperCard, the HyperCard programming environment, and HyperTalk scripting in a range from the most basic to very sophisticated. This is the first book I stumbled across and I have never felt the need to buy anything else. If you have Goodman's previous edition for HyperCard 2.0, the 2.2 version does not add that much. If you want an additional 2.2 reference book and are thinking about buying the new Goodman, you might consider investing in a different book. If the new edition is your first HyperCard book, I still think it is an excellent choice. Den Draphaely <draphaely@clarku.bitnet> If you can't find the Goodman, and/or you think you really might spend some time scripting, I suggest Winkler & Kamins "HyperTalk 2.0: The Book". "Cooking with HyperTalk" by Winkler & Knaster is a book of canned scripts for doing all kinds of deft (not daft) things. For instance, the handler selectParts allows you to select all kinds of objects by clicking on them (thus forming a group "copy"), and then to paste (by means of pasteParts) or delete (by way of deleteParts), and so on. Or by way of rectSelectParts, everything within a given rectangle defined either by drag-click or by definition can be transferred into selectParts. There are numerous other wonderful tools - do something to each card / to each card in a background / to each bg / to selected bgs... number lines, indent fields, compare two texts (fields) for differences... - I'm reeling-off from memory since the book is at home, but you get the picture that I think its worth your hard-earned $$. George Allen <alleng@msu.edu> "HyperCard Authoring Tool" is by Dennis Myers and Annette Lamb, both of U. Toledo. Career Publ. Co., 1990. It's a not-quite- beginning level text with the following chapter titles: 1. Developing simple linear presentations with limited graphics. 2. Developing presentations with graphics. 3. Developing presentations involving interactive video. 4. Developing linear tutorials. 5. Developing criterion-referenced tests. 6. Developing complex tutorials: the instructional system. 7. Developing complex tutorials: lesson development. 8. Developing simple information exploration materials. 9. Developing stacks incorporating advanced technologies. 10. HyperUtilities. Aimed at teachers and trainers who are interested in creating their own computer-based instructional materials. (iii) 729 pages, quite thorough, and clearly written. They also wrote _HyperCard Creativity Tool_, Lamb & Myers, Career, 1990. Mark G. Gillingham <Gillingh@Vancouver.wsu.edu> Coulouris, George and Thimbleby, Harold. HyperProgramming: Building Interactive Programs with HyperCard. I'm really enjoying this text. It contains very readable prose, examples, information about turtle graphics, and hypertext, and a disk. Joe Dulak <jdulak@REX.MNSMC.EDU> I recommend a text called "Learning with HyperCard", by Joseph F. Hofmeister and Joyce B. Rudowski, from South-Western Pub., Cincinnati, OH. I had the opportunity to sit through two training sessions done by the authors. The book is for teaching high school students HyperCard. It starts from the ground floor. I'm not thrilled with the organization, but it should give you some ideas and may remind you of exactly how simple you may need to go for some people to catch on. Russell Cotton <rcotton@tenet.edu> I have a book that I bought at "WaldenBooks" called "HyperCard Power". It has helped me greatly. It goes step by step teaching you HyperCard. Don E. Descy <descy@vax1.mankato.msus.edu> Two other great HyperCard books are (in order of preference) "HyperCard 2 in a Hurry" by George Beekman (Wadsworth) and "HyperCard 2 Quickstart" by Rebecca Gold (Que). Students also like these. Hypercard Products and Related Applications ------------------------------------------- [I need *short* reviews for WindowScript and CompileIt (among others) which I know are popular HC utilities. Brian Molyneux has offered to do these but he works for Heizer. I would prefer reviews by users.] Following is from PR for HyperGasp with comments in brackets by Marcel Blanchaer. HyperGasp, Caliban Software "HyperGASP" is a multimedia development tool for the Macintosh, geared primarily toward educational applications and lab environments. It features an exceptionally friendly and informative interface which guides users through the construction of presentations, helping them place media elements -- graphics, scanned images, sounds, QuickTime movies, animations, videodisc sequences, and text-- where they want them, quickly and simply. [Well, not quite so simple especially if the user is a HyperCard virgin.] HyperGASP runs as a temporary scaffolding for HyperCard, adding two new design palettes and two menus offering thirty powerful utilities. It can be cleanly "stripped off" once development is complete. No programming is required. [Although this seems true a lack of HyperTalk scripting ability would, in my opinion, limit the variety of effects that could be used in a stack.] Requires HyperCard 2.0 or later and at least 4 megabytes of RAM. Price: $65 single copy; $200 12 machine license; $300 30 machine license; $500 site license; $1,000 district license. Demo disk available Addresses for HC Products ------------------------- APDA US (800) 282-2732; Canada (800) 637-0039; International (716) 871-6555. Heizer Software P.O Box 232019 Pleasant Hill, CA 94523 FEIN#: 94-2852739 Orders: 800-888-7667 Fax: 510-943-6882 HyperGASP Caliban Mindwear 6590 Camino Carreta, Carpinteria, CA 93013 (805) 684-7765, 805/684-3025 America Online: CalibanMW Internet: CalibanMW@aol.com Macromedia, Inc. 600 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94103 415-442-0200 Internet: <76074.1756@compuserve.com> <MACROMIND.aol.com> What is HyperCard? ------------------ The human mind... operates by association. With one item in its grasp it snaps instantly to the next that is suggested by the association of thoughts in accordance with some intricate web of trails carried by the cells of the brain. -- Vannevar Bush, "As we may Think" Atlantic Monthly, 1945 HyperCard is a Macintosh application that allows you to create and use HyperCard documents known as stacks. A stack has a minimum of one card (and one background) but could have several thousand cards (and, I suppose, several thousand backgrounds). Each card usually has some sort of unique information on it and can share elements with other cards via the background. Looking at HyperCard in terms of database terminology, a stack would be a database file, a card would be a single record, and each card can have fields to store individual pieces of information. The Address stack, included with every release of HyperCard, is a good example of this concept. But HyperCard is much more than just another database. Think of it as a way to present information in a custom designed format that allows users to easily retrieve the information they want. In this sense, and because it includes a programming language, it's a complete development package. There are trade offs. HyperCard stacks are slow as far as applications go, and the program doesn't support color easily (and if you use color, it slows down even more). HyperCard is purposefully designed to present itself to the user in small steps. You can start by just looking around and clicking some buttons (level 1 or browsing), progress to typing information in fields (level 2 or typing), move on to creating paint graphics (level 3 or painting), learn how to create your own buttons and fields (level 4 or authoring), and finally learn how to program your stacks (level 5 or scripting). (To attain levels 4 and 5, you must have HyperCard and not the HyperCard Player. They are two different applications.) What is HyperTalk? ------------------ HyperTalk is the scripting (or programming) language that controls HyperCard. In terms of programming languages, HyperTalk's syntax is very English-like and very forgiving, making it relatively easy to learn. Part 2 of the FAQ covers HyperTalk and scripting. What is Home? ------------- A special stack, called Home, must be present when you want to use HyperCard or the HyperCard Player. When you open HyperCard directly by double- clicking the application icon, you will either end up in the Home stack or you'll get a dialog asking where Home is located. (It's best to keep Home at the same directory level as HyperCard.) Whether you are using the bundled version of HyperCard or the Player, or purchased HyperCard from Claris, you have a Home stack. (If you don't have a Home stack, HyperCard will not open until you find one!) The Home Stack has special scripts that configure your HyperCard environment and allow you to adjust HyperCard's defaults (such as changing the user level). The Home Stack also has buttons that you click to get to other stacks. There is no one look to a Home stack. Apple and Claris released several variations and users can customize their Home stacks easily. Any stack (even a completely empty, one carder) can function as Home simply by naming it "Home." But you will lose much of HyperCard's functionality without a "real" Home Stack. The stack script of the Home stack contains useful utility handlers and is worth exploring. (see Home Stack Specials in Part 2 of the FAQ.) What is the HyperCard Player? ----------------------------- The HyperCard Player appeared in 1992. The Player cannot be scripted; it can only run HyperCard stacks -- sort of a Teach Text app for stacks. With the release of the Player, HyperCard became a retail product only. Version 2.2 of the Player was released shortly after the release of HyperCard 2.2. What is a stand-alone? ---------------------- HyperCard 2.2 has the ability to save a stack as an application. You access this feature with the Save a Copy command under the File menu. The resulting application can be run without HyperCard or the HyperCard Player. Saving your stack as an application adds about 800K to it. The reason is that the HyperCard application and related resources are being embedded in your stack. Before the release of HyperCard 2.2, Claris sold the Developer's Licensing Kit that added this ability to HyperCard 2.0 and 2.1. What is AppleScript? -------------------- AppleScript is a system-wide scripting environment for the Mac. Scriptable applications are able to send messages and commands to other scriptable applications. Even non-scriptable applications can at least receive some messages if they're Apple Event aware. AppleScript makes it easy to refer to data in applications. You can get a cell from a spreadsheet application, or a paragraph from a word processor. Once you get the data, you can process it in some way and send it along to another application. In relation to HyperCard, AppleScript can trigger HyperCard scripts. For example, in preparing this FAQ, I used AppleScript to send data from a text editor to HyperCard. HyperCard then created a new card, titled it with the first line of text in the data, and stripped out extra returns and spaces. While this was going on, I continued to work in the text editor. [I also had to invoke QuicKeys in this process.] AppleScript also allows you to control applications over a network. Apple says AppleScript and HyperTalk are fairly similar. My own experience is that the AppleScript language is much pickier about how you refer to objects. You also have to deal with how an application returns the info you're requesting and coerce it into the form you need. The HyperCard 2.2 package includes an excellent introduction to AppleScript and everything you need to get started AppleScripting. There is an AppleScript FAQ and a mail list (MACSCRPT). The FAQ is available for ftp from <gaea.kgs.ukans.edu> in the applescript directory. AppleScript-related files are also available here. To subscribe to the mailing list, send your request to <listserv@dartcms1.dartmouth.edu> with the following in the message area: sub macscrpt FirstName LastName. The MACSCRPT list also covers UserLand Frontier scripting. What is the user level? ----------------------- HyperCard has five user levels which are adjusted by going to the last card of the Home Stack. (Choose Last from the Go menu while in the Home Stack.) The higher the user level, the more you can do with HyperCard. Higher level numbers include all the features of previous levels. Menubar commands change depending on the user level you've chosen. The user level can also be set with scripting. In the message box type <set the userLevel to |1-5|> and press return. The levels and what you can do at each level are: Browsing or Level 1 Open, close, and browse stacks, search for text, click buttons, move between stacks, print, and save copies of stacks. Typing or Level 2 Type, edit, style text, add and delete cards, compact stacks, set Arrow Keys in Text option. Painting or Level 3 Create and edit graphics with the paint tools, set stack protection, edit icons, delete stacks, move between background and card layers, use the Power Keys. Authoring or Level 4 Create, modify, and delete buttons, links, fields, cards, backgrounds, and stacks. Scripting or Level 5 Write, edit, and debug scripts, set the Blind Typing option. What does the Compact Stack do? ------------------------------- [Some info from the HyperCard Help stacks] The Compact Stack command is under the File Menu. Each time you delete a card, background, field, or button, the space it occupied stays in the stack as unusable space called free space. As you work on a stack, it can accumulate a substantial amount of free space -- and the more free space a stack has, the slower it runs and the larger it is. There's also a better chance that your stack will become corrupted (meaning unusable) if you let the free space get out of hand. To check the amount of free space in a stack, choose Stack Info from the Objects menu. To reclaim the free space: 1. Make a backup copy of your stack using the Save a Copy command (just as a precaution). 2. Choose Compact Stack from the File menu. Note: If the stack has a custom palette, and the stack won't compact, close all the palettes and then compact the stack. You can add a handler to your Home stack script to perform auto compacting when the free space reaches a certain percentage. The HyperCard Scripting FAQ has examples in "Auto-Compacting Handlers". How can I make my menubar appear (or disappear)? ------------------------------------------------ Command-space toggles the visibility of the menubar. [Some extensions and control panels to the Macintosh system use the command-space combination. See the Problems & Bugs section of the FAQ.] Menubar visibility can also be set with scripting. In the message box type <show menubar> or <hide menubar> and press return. How do I record my own sounds? ------------------------------ [Read the documentation that came with your Mac on how to record sounds. This FAQ deals with recording in HyperCard.] Several versions of HyperCard 2.x came bundled with the Audio Stack. Check the Edit menu for the Audio Help command. If the command is not there, check the HyperCard disks that should have come with your Mac and see if the Audio Help Stack is there (or check on your hard disk for the stack). Placing the Audio Help Stack in the same folder as HyperCard (and at the same level) and opening HyperCard should get the command to appear. To record, choose Audio Help from the Edit menu and read the documentation. The built-in audio recording features of HyperCard (those described in Audio Help) assume that your Mac has a built-in microphone for use in recording sounds. If you have an older Mac that doesn't have a built-in microphone, you will need to acquire some third-party microphone device such as MacRecorder from MacroMedia. A third-party microphone may or may not work directly with the built-in audio features of HyperCard; if is does not, it should come with software (probably HyperCard stacks) that assist you in recording and editing sounds. If you don't have the Audio Help Stack, you'll have to purchase something like MacRecorder which comes with software called SoundEdit Pro. SoundEdit Pro will allow you to record the sounds and a resource mover will allow you to get them into your HyperCard stacks. [The HC Scripting FAQ covers moving resources.] Version Misc. ============= Version History --------------- The information in this FAQ assumes you are using a 2.x version of HyperCard (the application, not the Player). However, users of earlier versions (hopefully no earlier than 1.2.5) can still benefit from much of what is discussed. An excellent reference on which version supports which commands, properties, functions, messages, etc., is Winkler & Kamins (& Devoto's in the second edition) HyperTalk 2.0: The Book. See the Book List section of the FAQ for more info. What follows is a very brief history of HyperCard. HyperCard version 1.0 was released August, 1987. It had a _very_ limited distribution. Version 1.0.1 released later the same year, was the first large distribution and was bundled with Macs. User Groups were also able to distribute HyperCard. HyperCard moved through several 1.x versions, adding features and correcting bugs, until the release of 1.2.5 in 1988 (maybe '89). Many users and developers are still using this version. Version 1.2.5 requires system software 6.0.5 or later. At this time, no one should be using an earlier version than this. Version 2.0 came out in 1990. It was the last unmodified full version bundled with Macs. It lacked the Script Language Guide, but did include stack based documentation that introduced scripting. The Debugger was introduced with this version. This was a very buggy release with really nasty problems related to managing resource forks and had a very short life-span. This was the last version that user groups were able to distribute for free. The plot thickens here as Apple gives HyperCard to Claris. Claris responded with the first "clean" release of version 2: 2.0v2. It was bundled with Macs but with obscured functionality. (The <magic> command was introduced with this version.) Only a few sample stacks were included. Version 2.1 was the second release from Claris, and introduced AppleEvent support. This was the last bundled version. In 1992, the HyperCard Player appeared. The Player cannot be scripted; it can only run HyperCard stacks -- sort of a Teach Text app for stacks. With the release of the Player, HyperCard became a retail product only. Version 2.2 was released in December, 1993. A separate section of the FAQ covers 2.2's new features. What's new in version 2.0? -------------------------- This is a very brief list of new features introduced with version 2.0. Taken from the Claris HyperCard Script Language Guide. [Warning! The straight 2.0 is buggy. You should be using at least 2.0v2.] Variable card sizes Multiple stack windows open at the same time Multiple fonts, font styles, and font sizes within fields Group text for identifying hypertext links Navigation palette Support for user-defined palettes Support for PICT files and resources in a floating window Improved printing Script editor enhancements including option of leaving an editor window open and returning to the stack Built-in script debugging tools User-definable menus Extensions to the XCMD interface Enhanced support for MultiFinder Stacks as shared code libraries Enhanced HyperTalk: new commands, functions, and properties to handle new features and enhancement of the old ones. What's new in version 2.1? -------------------------- [To find out more about these features, check your documentation or the New Features stack that came with version 2.1.] - Two new Power keys for paint and field text: Command-Shift-[ for previous font and Command-Shift-] for next font. - New option for pasted text: Hold the shiftkey down during the paste to have the text take on the default attributes of the field. - New properties for windows: ID and number. - Error dialogs: lock out the Error dialogs to run in "quiet" mode (without any user interaction). - Determining system software version: the systemVersion function. - New "dialingTime" property: Determines how long HyperCard waits before closing the serial connection to a modem after sending the dial string. - Print dialog with RPrint Field...S: Hold the shift key down when you choose RPrint FieldIS to get the standard Macintosh print dialog. - Extensions to read/write commands. - Addition to the Picture XCMD: "floating layer" parameter. - HyperCard support for System 7.0: Alias files, Balloon and Application menus. - Apple event support in HyperTalk. - RSystem 7 FriendlyS running programs: <answer program> command. - item delimiter can be set with the itemDelimiter property What's new in version 2.2? -------------------------- Better color implementation: 2.2 comes with the Color Tools Stack which provides external commands and functions to attach color to buttons, fields, and card and background layers. You can also import color images and attach them to the card or background. Integrated Stand-Alone Application Builder: A choice in the Save a Copy dialog. [The Application Builder does not work on a Mac Plus and possibly other 68000-based Macs.] Open Scripting Architecture (OSA): Allows you to write AppleScript scripts (or scripts of any OSA compliant scripting language) from within HyperCard. Script Attachability: Scripts can be written in HyperTalk or in any attachable language (like AppleScript). Message Box: Select All now works in the message box. Set Text size, font, style of message box. Movable Modals: Many dialog boxes (including all the Info dialogs) are now movable modals. PowerBook choice for sizes when resizing card windows. Oval button style choice but transparent only. Default and standard button styles: these look like your standard "OK" and "Cancel" buttons. Pop-up menu button style. The Button Info and Field Info dialogs now have a preview area. Buttons and fields have a part number that places them among all the other buttons and fields in the card or background domain. This number can be set from a script. Buttons have enabled property allowing them to be grayed out. When disabled, they don't pass messages. New family property for buttons. Only one button in a family can have its hilite set to true. Useful when dealing with radio buttons. Buttons are now containers and can hold text like fields. The text is only visible from within the Button Info dialog, but is available for use in scripts. The Button Info dialog now has a Text Style button. List fields can be created that hilite the entire line when clicked by using the autoSelect property. By using the selectedText and selectedLine functions, you can script an action based on the user's choice. Enhanced HyperTalk [This list does not include all new features and enhancements of the language -- just some highlights.] Commands - disable/enable <button> - do <expression> as <scriptingLanguage> - find international (recognizes international characters) - put <text> into <button> - select line <number> to <number> of <field | button> - sort (allows sorting by an arbitrary sort key such as word 2 of a series of lines) - visual effect push Functions - destination (returns full pathname of destination stack when HC is in process of going to another stack) - diskspace (returns amount of free space on any mounted volume) - selectedButton (returns name of the button that is highlighted in a family) - sum (returns the sum of a list of comma-delimited numbers) Properties - autoSelect (defines a list field if lockText is true) [There's a typo in the Script Language Guide regarding this. The Guide states that fields have an autoHilite property. Not true, as far as I can tell. It means autoSelect.] - bottom (determines bottom of menubar) [Why?] - bottomRight (again, for the menubar) [again, why?] - dialingVolume (sets volume of touch tones generated through the Mac speaker) - environment (returns <development> if running the HC ap, or <player> if running HC Player) - scriptingLanguage (returns current scripting system for scripts of objects) - visible (now applies to menubar) Messages mouseDoubleClick Version 2.2 Review ------------------ [I pulled the following from the Net. I'm using it with the author's permission. Paul Foraker, a member of the HyperCard 2.2 team, wrote report.] Color Tools The integration of color into HyperCard 2.2 is accomplished by an XCMD called AddColor, and an interface provided by a Color Tools stack. You install the color capability by clicking a button in the Color Tools stack. The installer puts a button on your Home card, a small script in your Home stack script, and a Color menu in your menubar. There are two menu items: Open Color Tools and Redraw Screen. When you want color in a stack, you select Open Color Tools. This menu installs the XCMD and a couple of scripts in your stack, opens a 256 color palette, and puts you in a modal environment. The Color Tools palette has four tools: button, field, picture, and rectangle. (There are no color paint tools.) To color a button or field, you click the appropriate tool, select the object and select a color from the palette. The XCMD writes a record to a small database in the resource fork of your stack, identifying the card and object colored and draws the color on the card window. The picture button allows you to link a PICT file, or import a PICT resource, or place an existing PICT resource on the card or background layer, updating the database. When you "place" a PICT, it locates with its top left corner centered on the card. You drag it where you want it, and resize it (scaling the picture automatically) if you want. To get a colored rectangle, you double click the rectangle tool and get a small square on the card (or background) which you can resize and recolor. Layering is fully supported (within the domains of background and card). All the colored objects can have various width bevels (except, I think, the transparent field). Colored objects can be opaque or transparent (white is the key color). When you move a colored object (button or field), the database gets updated when you redraw the card, either with the XCMD directly, or through the Redraw Screen menu item. Everything the interface provides can also be done directly by scripting the XCMD. As part of Color Tools, about 20 new visual effects are available. Using the Color Tools interface is as easy as using the HyperCard Tool palette to make buttons and fields. Scripting the XCMD is remarkably straightforward. OSA-Compliant Scripting Languages We tend to think of HyperTalk and HyperCard as being inseparable. For this version, Kevin [Kevin Calhoun of the HyperCard Development Team] separated them, in that it is no longer necessary to use HyperTalk in the scripts of HyperCard objects. Any OSA-compliant language you have installed in your system can be selected in a new popup menu in the script editor window. HyperCard 2.2 ships with AppleScript 1.1, Apple's first OSA-compliant language. Other possibilities are UserTalk from Frontier (though its implementation is not quite complete), and CE Software has one which will be available soon. There's a new property (all objects): the scriptingLanguage. So, you can have, for example, a HyperTalk button on a card that calls an AppleScript function in the background, that in turn depends on the result of a HyperTalk function in the stack script. Further integration is possible through the use of the (expanded) do command. For example, do theCmd as "AppleScript" -- where theCmd is a valid AS statement Although AppleScript is based on HyperTalk, it has a slightly different orientation and hence some additional capabilities. With AppleScript, for example, any scriptable application becomes, in Kevin's words, an XCMD for HyperCard. Furthermore, HyperCard is now scriptable. That is, using AppleScript, you can control it from other applications. Built-In Stand-Alones The Save A Copy menu has been modified to include a popup menu with which you select Stack, Application, or Custom File Format (or any third party components you have installed). The Application choice yields a standalone application (the Player embedded in your stack). You can specify the signature (type and creator) of the application and then use the Custom File Type choice to save other stacks as documents linked to that application). New Button Types There are four new button types: Popup, Default (double bordered), Standard (round rect with no drop shadow), and Oval. Buttons are now containers, just like fields. The button info dialog contains a "Contents" button that brings up a window for you to enter text. In the case of a popup button, this text becomes the menu items. on mouseUp -- script in a standard button, for example answer me -- displays the contents of the button end mouseUp New Button Property Buttons can belong to families (1 thru 15 for either card or bkgnd). So, to make radio buttons without scripting, you identify (with the button info dialog or in a script) which family the buttons belong to, and they will automatically function as linked radio buttons. New Field Behavior List Fields are now available by simply locking a field, settings its dontWrap to true, and its (new property) autoSelect to true. There is also an optional (new property) multipleLines. So a script that gets you to a card by the name of the item clicked in the field would look like: on mouseUp go card (the selectedText of me) end mouseUp The multipleLines property allows continuous selection (but not, alas, discontiguous). Bundling At this point, it appears that every Macintosh will have the Player bundled with it. The Player is a fully functional HyperCard, without a scripting environment. The Player's About Box will tell you how to get the full featured version. In the Box In its 16-lb box, HyperCard 2.2 comes bundled with ADDMotion II, from MotionWorks. AppleScript 1.1 (runtime), Scriptable Text Editor, and Script Editor. There's a complete set of new manuals, written by Scot Kamins and Alan Spragens (two of the best in the business). There's a catalog of HyperCard add-ons (including an ad for a book I'm co-author of: Advanced HyperCard Solutions). Total of 11 800K diskettes. Do I like it? Yes. This is, to me, a much more significant upgrade than the ".2" would indicate. While we all lament the absence of integrated color and paint tools, the AddColor solution is elegant and powerful. The AppleScript-ability leaves HyperCard fairly dripping with functionality. The new button and field features make it quite easy to construct an application that doesn't look at all like HyperCard. I'm looking forward to upgrading and implementing new solutions for my clients. Will Version 1.2.5 work with System 7? -------------------------------------- There are some problems related to sound. If you turn the sound off, 1.2.5 tends to work fairly well. Will HyperCard 2.2 work with System 6? -------------------------------------- HyperCard 2.0 and later requires system software version 6.0.5 or later. If you want to take advantage of WorldScript, open scripting (including AppleScript), and stand-alone application building of HyperCard 2.2, you have to use System 7.1. How do I convert a 1.x version stack to 2.x? -------------------------------------------- First, save a copy of your stack as a precaution. Then open the stack in HC 2.x. You should see a padlock in the menubar. Choose Convert Stack from the File menu. If the command is not there or the Compact Stack command is there, you are not working with a 1.x stack. Problems & Bugs =============== Miscellaneous HyperCard Problems and Memory ------------------------------------------- MANY basic HyperCard problems can be traced not allotting enough memory for the HyperCard application. The default allotment is usually too small. Some of the problems you may encounter are the inability to use the Paint tools, card windows that can't be resized, and system freezes while using HyperCard. If you're using the Coloring Tools Stack (version 2.2), you may find colors or pictures disappearing. To change the allotment, select the HyperCard icon in the finder and choose Get Info from the File menu. (Make sure you've quit HyperCard before you do this.) Type a new (and higher) number in the Preferred Size box. How high the number is depends on how much memory you have installed. Setting it to 2500 usually solves most problems that are memory related. Increasing the memory allocation for HyperCard is especially important if you're developing. I only have two (or three) user level choices available. -------------------------------------------------------- You can set your user level from the Preferences card (last card) of the Home Stack. If there are only two levels available (Browsing and Typing), you have the "disabled" version of HyperCard. An opaque button is hiding the other three levels. To see all the levels, choose Message from the Go menu, type "magic" (no quotes) in the Message Box, and press return. Levels 3 to 5 will appear. If you have three level choices (Browsing Typing, and Painting), you probably have the HyperCard Player. You cannot author or script with the Player. Why do my buttons disappear when I go to another card? ------------------------------------------------------ Each card has 2 layers. The background layer can be shared by many cards. The card layer is card specific. Objects created on the card layer will not appear on other cards. If you want a button, field, or graphic to appear on every card, put it in the background. To move objects from the card layer to the background, select the object, choose the cut command, go to the background (Edit menu or command-b) and paste. The object will be pasted in the same position it was on the card layer. When the background layer is active, the menu bar is cross-hatched. The "Fonts not installed" Message --------------------------------- HyperCard uses an external function (XFCN) to check to ensure you have the fonts necessary to use the stacks that come with HyperCard. Unfortunately, the XFCN doesn't understand TrueType fonts and looks for the exact bitmap in your system. Fortunately, you can turn the font checking off. Open the stack script in the Home stack by choosing "Stack Info" from the Objects menu and clicking the Script button. Find the words <on startUp>. Find the line <checkForMissingFonts>. This is the command that triggers the font checking. Type two hyphens (--) at the beginning of this line. This tells HyperCard to ignore the command. Command-space doesn't toggle the menubar. ----------------------------------------- Some extensions and control panels to the Macintosh system use the command-space combination and override its use in HyperCard. Try restarting your Mac with the shiftkey down to disable extensions and see if the command works in HyperCard to hide/show the menubar. A common culprit is SCSI Probe which uses command-space as a short cut. You can change the command in SCSI Probe so HyperCard is able to use command-space for the menubar. The Protect Stack command disappeared. -------------------------------------- The Protect Stack command (File menu) will disappear if the user level (for the stack) is set below Painting (level 3). You can get it back if you hold down the command key while pulling down the file menu. Help! I lost my password. ------------------------- Try the DeProtect Stack by Ned Horvath and Allan Foster. (Not guaranteed, but it usually works.) It should be available in the mac archives at umich. [Check "Where can I find HyperCard stacks? (ftp info)" in this FAQ.] HC 2.1 Bugs and the Mac AVs --------------------------- There are reports of a bug when using the Audio Palette on a Centris 660AV. The bug causes the Mac to hang when it's finished recording a sound. HyperCard 2.2 is supposed to fix this. There's also a problem with 2.1 with editing/modifying scripts Don't use the Enter key to exit the script editor or you risk a system freeze. This is also fixed in 2.2. General ======= How do I make pictures of card images? -------------------------------------- Go to the card, press the option key down, and choose Copy Card from the Edit menu. This will place a full size PICT of the card on the clipboard for you to paste into another application. You can also get only an image of the background if you open the background (choose Background, Edit menu) before issuing the copy-with-option command. If you forget to use the option key you will get a miniature image of the card for pasting in another application. This is useful for making index cards and the like. HyperCard also has an Export Paint command that creates an image of the card or background in a MacPaint file. Choose any Paint tool and then choose Export Paint from the File menu. Hidden printing features. ------------------------- [Following applies to version 2.1. With 2.2, Apple "unhid" the features.] If you hold down the option key while choosing the Print Report menu item, several hidden features will appear in the Print Report Dialog including a "Precision Adjustments" option, a Save button, and the ability to put lines and boxes around print items. Admin ===== Acknowledgments --------------- Many are they who have contributed to this FAQ and I thank you all. A few are mentioned in the articles. Special thanks to the following: Bruce Carter and John Pinto for some of the early data collection that got the FAQ going. Dave Lorand who handles posting to comp.sys.mac.hypercard and archiving at ftp.earlham.edu. Dave also has the distinction of posting the first HC FAQ. He beat me by a few days. Brian Molyneux for version data and info on Heizer products. Editing and proofing: Bill Karle, Bruce Carter, Bill Brown Book List: Originally compiled by Asif Taiyabi HyperCard 2.2 Review: Paul Foraker The following list submitted answers or suggestions that were helpful in the FAQ preparation. Jay Cross Dave Blackburn Cory Doctorow Geoff Duncan Mark G. Gillingham Christopher J. Henrich Scott Raney Jeffrey D. Wurtz Who's Peter Fleck? ------------------ I make my living as a Mac consultant/HyperCard-SuperCard developer/software trainer in the Twin Cities area (Minneapolis/St. Paul) of Minnesota. I teach semi-regular HyperCard classes and coordinate the HyperCard Special Interest Group for Mini'app'les, the local Mac/Apple user group.