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README.TXT
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1993-01-12
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PicDraw v. 1.0
Freeware (c) 1993 by Luís Miguel Sequeira
Introduction
============
PicDraw is an application to create and modify .PIC files on the Psion
Series 3. It is designed primarily to create application icons, but it isn't
limited to 24 x 24 icons; you can create larger or smaller icons.
It is not a generic drawing application, however; drawing lines and
geometrical figures, or filling areas with patterns is still beyond the scope
of the current version. However, you can copy, cut and paste areas of the
picture, and even merge other icons and add text in different fonts and
styles.
Other features include adding and deleting rows and columns, zooming
parts of the picture for finer detail, and drawing modes and other special
effects.
Installation
============
You should have received a file named "picdraw1.zip". Decompress it
(with PKUNZIP) to get the following files:
copying - The GNU General Public License, under which terms this
software is distributed
readme.rtf - This file, in Rich Text Format
readme.txt - The same file, in plain ASCII text
picdraw.opa - The PicDraw application
picdmod.opo - A module loaded by PicDraw to enable the "zoom"
feature
*.opl - The source files for PicDraw
picdraw.pic - The PicDraw application icon
To install, simply copy the files "picdraw.opa" and "picdmod.opo" to the
\APP directory on your Psion, and install the application pressing Psion-I
from the System menu.
If you want, you can also copy the "picdraw.pic" to the \APP directory;
the PicDraw status window will show then this icon.
All the other files aren't necessary; they are included only if you like to
change the source code for any reason.
Basics
======
Run PicDraw normally. If there are no .PIC files on your \OPD
directory, a new icon will be created, sizing 24 x 24 and centred on the
screen (you can change this later, if you wish). The icon will be shown at
its normal size. To the right appears a status window; it shows the
PicDraw icon (only if you've copied the "picdraw.pic" file to the \APP
directory - else you'll just get the application name), the name of the
current .PIC file, the cursor position, and the current drawing mode
(initially "Move").
A small blinking dot is the "cursor"; it shows the current position.
Cursor keys move it around as expected. If you press Control with the
cursor keys, the cursor moves in steps of four. It also wraps around at the
borders. If you press Psion with the cursor keys, it moves to one of the
borders.
To set pixels, press Space; to clear them, use Delete. Pressing Tab
inverts the pixel, that is, it becomes black if it was white, and vice-versa.
All these keys are available in all modes.
To save your work, select "Save" from the "File" menu; to quit, select
"Quit". Note that quitting does not save the current icon!
Pressing "Help" gives you a short description of many commands (but
unfortunately, not all of them).
Drawing modes
=============
PicDraw starts on the "Move" mode. This means that you can move
freely the cursor around, without affecting the current picture.
If you press Enter, or select "Draw" from the menu, the cursor sets
pixels each time you move (pressing Enter again, or selecting "Move" from
the menu, returns again to the "Move" mode). Similarly, pressing Esc or
selecting "Clear" from the menu, the cursor resets pixels while moving (i.
e., draws white lines). If you select "Invert" from the menu, pixels are
inverted as the cursor moves (white turns black and vice-versa).
The keys Space, Delete and Tab have always the same meaning,
independently from the current drawing mode.
Also note that the mode also affects the way how copy & paste works, or
how icons are merged with the current picture.
Region commands - copying selected areas
========================================
If you select "Copy" or "Cut", PicDraw enters the "Select" mode. The
current cursor position is the top left corner of the selected area; move it to
the bottom right of the area you wish to select and press Enter.
Unfortunately, there are no rubber-band rectangles which show the
current selected area (this may change in future versions).
Selecting "Paste" will copy the currently selected area to the cursor
position. You can paste many copies (until you select a new area) if you
wish; this can be useful to create patterns, etc.
Note that the drawing mode has an effect on the way regions are
copied. If the mode is "Move", black & white pixels are copied (i. e.,
overwriting everything beneath). With "Draw" mode, only the black pixels
are copied (that is, you can "merge" pictures). "Clear" mode clears what
was set with black pixels on the original; and "Invert" mode inverts black
and white pictures. This can be used for some special effects; normally,
you'll use "Move" or "Draw" modes only.
"Cut" also affects the original area. With "Move" mode only, the area is
simply cleared; other modes set or clear the original area according to the
mode (this isn't probably very useful; however, if you want to invert a
large block, select it with "Cut", get into "Invert" mode and paste it on the
bottom right corner - the selected area will be inverted!).
"Merge Icon" can be used to merge icons and pictures stored on other
files with the current picture. Unlike "Paste", the icon merged isn't
"remembered"; you'll have to reselect in again from the file dialog that
appears. If you want to merge a lot of copies, merge once, then select it
and use paste to get the desired number of copies.
Scrolling
=========
This menu gives the choice of scrolling the picture one pixel in the
selected direction. It takes effect from the current cursor position only.
Thus, "Insert Row" moves everything down, "Insert Column" scrolls right,
"Delete Row" scrolls up and "Delete Column" moves everything to the left.
New rows or columns are inserted as necessary (and they are initially
blank); you cannot retrieve "lost" rows or columns which have been
scrolled away. They are lost.
Inserting text
==============
If you choose "Add text..." from the menu, you are prompted with a
dialog box. The first line is for you to type your text; next is a font selector
(just the common three fonts available normally on your Psion: normal,
bold or small).
You can add one style, too, i. e., specefying italics or underline, etc.
Finally, there is the mode of inserting text on the picture: normally this
is "Replace", which puts the text surrounded with white pixels (so the text
will always be readable). If you choose "Set", only the black pixels will be
set; "Clear" displays text pixels as white (useful to write text on black
backgrounds); and "Invert" merges the text with the background,
inverting pixels in the process.
At the moment, you cannot combine styles; thus, you cannot get italics
and underlined text simultaneously.
Changing the settings
=====================
Normally, the picture will be 24 x 24 pixels large, and centred on the
screen. You can change this by selecting "Change settings..." from the
menu. New sizes will take effect immediately, with the picture appearing
at the (new) top left corner. You can also place the drawing area at the top
left corner of the screen instead of centring it; this is useful on the "zoom"
mode explained below.
Settings are not saved between sessions.
Zoom mode
=========
Selecting "Zoom" from the menu or pressing Psion-Z puts you on the
"zoom" mode. This displays a 24 x 24 blowup, starting from the current
cursor position. The cursor keys, Space, Delete, Tab, Enter, Esc and Psion-
I work as expected, doing exactly the same as on the "small" picture.
Drawing is done on both pictures at the same time; you may wish to
position the "small" picture at the top left corner to observe the effect.
Note that no other function is available on "zoom" mode; also, the
blownup picture will not scroll if you reach its edges; instead, the cursor
will just wrap around. You must