Magnify tracks the mouse and magnifies the area around the cursor hot spot into a window. The magnification factor is user settable (within limits). The PostScript for the image can be copied to the pasteboard using the standard copy procedure when the magnification window is the key window.
The image can be frozen at any time using 'command-f' (key equivalent for 'Freeze' on the main menu which can also be use but not as useful). The image can be unfrozen (i.e. resume tracking) using 'Unfreeze' on the main menu or 'command-u'. When the magnification window is frozen or the application is hidden, mouse tracking is turned off in order to impact other applications as little as possible.
Interesting effects (digital feedback) can be produced by moving the cursor over the magnification window itself at various magnification settings. This application has been updated to work with color screens.
DEFAULTS
Magnify's default scale is 4.0, you can change this using 'dwrite' on Magnify's 'Scale' property, eg:
dwrite Magnify Scale 2.0
A magnification of 1.0 will echo the screen and scales less than 1.0 (eg. 0.5, 0.25, etc.) are also useful and will demagnify the screen. The 'Info>Preferences...' panel can be used to change the current scale dynamically but does not change what's stored in the user's defaults database.
You can show a fake cursor in the magnification window by setting the 'Cursor' default to 'Yes' via a dwrite or the 'Preferences' panel.
You can add a grid to the magnification window by setting the 'Grid' default to a numerical width value (eg. 2.0) via a dwrite of the 'Preferences' panel.
By default, the magnification window only gets updated when the mouse moves, the scale is changed or the window resized, thus when the program starts up or the magnification window is unfrozen, the image doesn't reflect the current situation until the mouse is moved. You can add a timed update by setting the default 'Update' via a dwrite or from the 'Preferences' panel. A value of greater than 0.0 will turn on a timed entry with the frequency specified.
BUGS
The Magnify application can cause the cursor to jitter in active input fields. This is annoying if you always work with Magnify running.
The position of the fake cursor isn't accurate as it could be due to NeXT's leaving out the 'hotSpot' method of NXCursor. It also doesn't update to reflect the current cursor in effect for the active application.
Two Magnify applications running at the same time don't both get mouse moved events and won't both update. If one is frozen, the other will operate.
