Shareware Overload Trio 2/Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO/dir37/ede.zip/EDE.HLP

Text File | 1993-11-13 | 42KB | 1,397 lines

------------ EDE HELP ------------
Ede Help Topics
---------------
    Select  a topic by using the  <DOWN>
key and <ENTER>.  You can browse through
Help  using the <UP> & <DOWN>  keys. Hit
<ESC> or <F1> to leave.

    * The Ede Concept
    * Using Ede
    * How do I...
    * If you have problems...
    * DOS Application Menus
    * Using the Text Editor
    * Using Help
    * About Esprit de E

The Ede Concept
---------------
      Ede  organises  information.   The
information   is   arranged   in   small
documents  which are either in  the main
menu  or sub-menus that you set up.  You
can  have sub-menus inside sub-menus and
so on.
    Ede also functions as a menu program
for  DOS applications, but  more on this
later.

    For  example,  in the main menu (the
one  you see when  you first start  Ede)
you could set up sub-menus called 'To-Do
list',   'Correspondence',   'Invoices',
'Phone List',  'Notes for my book', 'Tax
File  number',  'Instructions for fixing
the sewing machine'.  Then, under 'Phone
list',  you could set  up sub-menus  for
'Business   contacts',   'Friends'   and
'Spouse's phone list'.

    You  can set up a  sub-menu for  any
project  you might be  involved in,  and
put  into  it  the  largest  or  tiniest
snippets of information.

    You  can set up a manual  for a bank
teller, with instructions for every kind
of  transaction neatly  filed away under
headings and sub-headings.

    If  you are a student,  you can file
your  notes away under course  headings,
chapter headings and section headings.

    If you run a business,  you can have
files  on all your clients or suppliers,
including  the  basic  details and  then
whatever other information you need.

    There is a special kind of document,
called  an  Address Document,  which has
special  places  for the Name,  Address,
Phone  Number and Details of a person or
organisation,   and in addition  it  has
unlimited room to put further text.  You
can  put  any information  pertaining to
that person or organisation here.

    There is no real limit on the amount
of information put into Ede.


Using Ede
---------
    Ede was designed so that many people
could just pick it up and use it without
reading  thick manuals or wading through
pages of on-screen help.
    At  the top you will get a grey line
which tells you what keys you can press,
or at least the most important keys,  in
each situation. Read it!
    If you want further information, hit
<F1> at ANY time, for help. You can then
either  browse the help or hit <ESC>  to
go  back  to  what  you were  doing.  In
addition,   if  you  select  `P)ermanent
help',  the help screen will  stay there
and  'follow  you around'  until you hit
<F1> again to turn it off.
    It's  good to understand  beforehand
exactly   what   Ede   will   do.   This
information  is in the 'Concept  of Ede'
section  above.  Print `EDE.HLP'  if you
want a written copy of the manual.

    If you want to try Ede now,  why not
hit <ESC>. (Hit <F1> to turn Help off).

    Hit <DOWN>  + <ENTER> to select  one
of  the  below  topics,  or  browse  the
document using <DOWN>  & <PAGE-DOWN>. If
you  want to go back over  what you just
read, hit <UP>.

    * Using Help
    * Using the Editor
    * Using Tools
    * The Basics

    If you are in DOS, you can start Ede
by  typing  'EDE'<ENTER>.   You begin in
the main menu.  If it is the first  time
you've  used  Ede,  this will  be  blank
(except for the usual ESC,  INS and F1/2
lines).
     To   create  a  new  document,   or
sub-menu, or address document, hit <INS>
(the Insert key). You will then be asked
what  kind of item  you want to  create,
out of these three alternatives. Respond
by  hitting the  appropriate letter,  or
using the LEFT- RIGHT keys + <ENTER>.
    You  will then be given a blank line
to type in the name in. Hit <ENTER> when
you have finished.
    Now, if you selected 'sub-menu', you
are automatically put into the new menu,
which  will  be  empty.  If you selected
'document',   you will be  in the editor
with  a blank document. If  you selected
'address  document', you will  be in the
editor  but with the special  places for
Name, Address, Phone Number, Details and
further text.
    To get out of a sub-menu, hit <ESC>.
To  get  out  of a document,   hit <ESC>
also.
     To  get  back  into  a  sub-menu or
document,  use the Up/Down keys  to move
the highlighted bar onto the name of the
item you want, and hit <ENTER>.
    To  get back to DOS, hit <ESC>  from
the main menu.
    If  you hit F1,  you will get  Help,
and if you hit F2,  you will go into the
'Tools' part of the program.
    If  you move the bar onto the <ESC>,
<INS>   or <F1/2>  lines  and  then  hit
<ENTER>, you will get the same effect as
hitting those keys. You can also use the
mouse -  if you click on these lines you
get the desired function.
    The main Ede function keys are:

<F1> = Help
<F2> = Tools
<F3> = Search or search for next
<F4> = Search or new search
<F5> = Explode/implode an item
<F6> = Edit a DOS Program item

    If you want further help, select:

    * The Editor
    * Tools
    * Address documents
    * DOS Programs
    * Exploding items
    * (Return to beginning)


Using Help
----------
    You can hit the <F1> key at ANY time
in the program to get help.  You will be
given the following menu:

S)Help with this situation
B)The Basic Concept
H)ow do I...
C)ontents of Help
P)ermanent Help

      'Permanent   Help'   is  specially
interesting for new users.  It brings up
the  Help screen so that it stays on the
screen  as  you are doing  other things,
and  it constantly gives you information
about  your current situation.  (To turn
it off, go back into <F1>).

      Choose  one  of  these  options by
using <UP>  and <DOWN> and <ENTER>,  and
you  will go into Permanent Help mode or
ordinary help mode.



    To read more,  use the <DOWN> key or
<PAGE-DOWN>.   To review  what you  have
just  read,   hit  <UP>   or  <PAGE-UP>.
Sometimes   there  are  special   lines,
marked with an arrow, which allow you to
jump  straight to  a topic.  Move  up or
down  using  the  arrow keys  until that
line is in the middle and is highlighted
and then hit <ENTER>. The mouse can also
be used with Help.
    Now,  using <DOWN> + <ENTER>, or the
mouse,   select  one  of  the  following
topics:

    * Contents
    * Using Ede
    * The Ede Concept

    Hit <ESC> to leave Help.


The Text Editor
---------------
    Select a topic with <DOWN> + <ENTER>
or hit <F1>  to return,  or  just browse
through in order using the <DOWN> key:

    * Summary of keys
    * Full description of keys
    * Using the mouse
    * Editor Tools
    * Address documents

    You  enter the editor every time you
hit <INS>  to create a  new document  or
hit  <ENTER>   to  go  into  an already-
existing document.
    You  can type normally,  you can use
the   UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT  keys  to  move
around,  and you can  use the <DEL>  and
<BACKSPACE> keys to delete characters.
To leave the editor, hit <ESC>.
    In addition,  there are a number  of
keys   and   keystrokes  to  do  various
things.  There is also a Tools menu that
allows you to do even more things.


SUMMARY OF KEYS
---------------
<F1>:               Help
<F2>:               Editor Tools
<F3>:               Search / Search next
<F4>:               Search / New Search
<ctrl-LEFT/RIGHT>:  Word left or right
<ctrl-UP/DOWN>:     scroll up or down
<ctrl-PAGEUP>:      Go to the start
<ctrl-DOWN>:        Go to the end
<HOME>:             Go to start of line
<END>:              Go to end of line
<F2>:               Tools
<shift-Any Movement Keys>:
    Select the text you move over
<ctrl-INS>: Copy the selected text into
    the clipboard
<shift-DEL>: Cut the selected text and
    put it into the Clipboard.
<shift-INS>: Paste the contents of the
    clipboard into the document at the
    current position of the cursor.


FULL LIST OF KEYS
-----------------

<UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT>:
    These keys move the cursor. The
    'cursor' is the flashing line that
    tells you where you are.

<ESC>:  Exit the editor, (with changes
    updated). In the Tools menu, there
    is also a function to cancel changes
    and to revert to the last version.

<ENTER>:    Start a new paragraph. (This
    is the same as Carriage Return).

<INSERT>:   Swap between Insert and
    Overwrite modes.

<DEL>:  Delete the character that comes
    directly after the cursor. (A
    character is a letter or other
    symbol).

<BACKSPACE>:    Delete the character to
    behind the cursor.

<PAGE-UP>:  Move up a whole screenful.

<PAGE-DOWN>:Move down a screenful.

<HOME>:   Move to the start of the line.

<END>:  Move to the end of the line.

<ctrl-RIGHT/ctrl-LEFT>:
    Move to the left or right by a whole
    word.

<ctrl-UP/ctrl-DOWN>:
    Move the screen up or down so that
    lines above or below now come into
    view.

<ctrl-PAGEUP/ctrl-PAGEDOWN>:
    Go to the start of the document or
    to the end of the document.

<TAB>:  Move to the next tab-stop. Tab
    stops occur every 4 characters.

<shift-Any movement key>:
    If you hold down the Shift key as
    you hit other movement keys, you
    will 'Select' the text that you move
    over. What this means is that it
    will turn light blue, and you can
    'cut' it or 'paste' it (see below).
        Any movement without shift will
    cancel that selected text.
        If you type characters while
    there is selected text on the
    screen, and the selected text is on
    one line only, you will automatic-
    ally overwrite the selected word(s)
    with the new text.

<ctrl-INS>:
    This means 'Copy the selected text'.
    The highlighted text is copied into
    a special place called the
    Clipboard. You can then copy it from
    here to another part of your
    document.

<shift-INS>:
    'Paste the contents of the
    Clipboard'. Whatever text is in the
    clipboard will be copied to the
    current position of the cursor.

<shift-DEL>:
    'Cut the selected text'. The
    highlighted text is removed from the
    document and put into the Clipboard.
    It stays here until you put
    something else there. To move a body
    of text, select the text, cut it,
    move to the new place, and paste it.

<F1>:   Get editor help.

<F2>:   Go into the Tools menu.

<F3>:   Search for a word. If you
    haven't yet entered a search word,
    you will be asked to do so. If it
    finds the word, it will highlight
    it. If you press <F3> again, you
    will go to the next occurrence of
    that word. If you go past the end
    of the document, it will start again
    at the beginning.
        A piece of text will match your
    search text if it is roughly the
    same, but it is not necessary to
    have capitals or punctuation exactly
    right.

<F4>:   Enter a new search word and
    search for it.


USING THE MOUSE
    You  can use a MicroSoft  compatible
mouse with Ede. By clicking on somewhere
in the editor screen, you can move the
cursor there. By dragging text, that is,
moving the mouse over text while holding
the  button down,  you will 'select'  it
(see  shift-Movement keys).  If you have
a  second button on your mouse,  you can
use it to both Cut and Paste text.  As a
result, you can move text around using
just the mouse.


EDITOR TOOLS
    If  you hit <F2>,  you will get  the
Tools  menu.   There  are the  following
choices you can make:


Main Tools: (Print, Move, etc):
    This  takes you into the  Main Tools
menu to allow you to print,  move, copy,
export, etc. the current item.
    Select this line for further info.

Search (New):
    Start a (new) search (<F4>). To get
    repeated occurrences of the word you
    want, hit <F3>. Case differences and
    punctuation differences don't
    matter.

Replace:
    Replace one thing by another. You
    will be asked to enter in the old
    text and below it, the text you want
    it replaced by.
        Then it will go through looking
    for that word(s). Case differences
    and punctuation differences don't
    matter.
        Each time it finds an occurrence
    of the search word(s), you will be
    asked if you want to replace that
    particular instance. Select 'Yes' or
    'No', or 'Replace All' if you want
    everything replaced without asking
    you.

Cut:    See above (<shift-DEL>).
Copy:   See above (<ctrl-INS>).
Paste:  See above (<shift-INS>).

Revert: Cancel all changes you've made
    to the document, and leave the
    editor without saving it.

Change Width:
    Change the size (width) of the
    editor's screen. The text will
    automatically be adjusted for the
    new width. The next time you go into
    this particular document, you will
    get the same width.


Address Documents
-----------------
    If  you create an address  document,
or go in to edit a pre-existing one, you
will  go  into the editor,  but you will
start  with several  special lines.  You
are  given special  places to write  the
Name,  Address and Phone numbers.  There
is  another line,  'Details', which  you
can  use  for  whatever  you like  (Fax,
E-mail, account balance).
     Underneath  this line,  you have an
unlimited   amount  of  space  to  write
whatever  text  you want  to write about
this person or organisation.
    Note  that a single address document
is for a single person or organisation.


Tools
-----
    If you press <F2> from the main mode
of Ede,  you get the Tools menu.  Lumped
together  in this menu you have  all the
functions you might want to perform.
    You  select the function you want by
(as  usual)   using the  Up/Down  keys +
<ENTER>,    or  just   by  hitting   the
appropriate letter, or clicking with the
mouse.
    In the following section,  note that
an  'Item'   refers  to  a  sub-menu  or
document or address-document.
     With  Move,   Copy,  Link,  Rename,
Print,   Export and Delete,  it automat-
ically  assumes that you want to perform
the   operation  on  the  item  you  are
currently on.  (If it wasn't, then don't
worry,  because you  can go out and  hit
<F2>  again with the bar  on the correct
item).
    With Move, Copy, Link and Import, it
requires you to create a place for a new
item.  After leaving  Tools,  go  to the
exact menu and line where you want it to
go, and hit <INS>. You can edit the name
if  you wish,  because  it doesn't start
doing   the  operation   until  you  hit
<ENTER>.
    Select  a tool you want to  find out
about:

    * Help
    * Search
    * Move
    * Copy
    * Link
    * Rename
    * Sort
    * Delete
    * Export
    * Import
    * Print
    * Backup
    * Options


Search
------
    You  can search for a word or string
of  words either inside the text editor,
or in the main mode (which searches both
item names and actual documents too).
    Type  in the word(s)  you want,  and
hit <ENTER>.
    It  doesn't care  about capitals  or
lower case. It ignores commas and spaces
and other punctuation -  any sequence of
spaces,  commas and other punctuation is
reduced to a single space.
    E.g. 'Florence/N' matches
         'FLORENCE,  Nightingale'

    If it finds a match, but you want to
keep looking, hit <F3>.  <F3> will cycle
around  all  matches  in a document  (if
you  want to find the next  match in the
next  document,   you have  to quit  the
document first with <ESC>).
    If you use this function often, you
make like to use the <F3>  and <F4> keys
as  an  alternative  to going  into  the
Tools  menu.  <F3>  looks for  the  next
match, and <F4> starts a new search.

    If you do it from the main mode,  it
will  start searching  the current  menu
for the search term.  (The 'search term'
just  means the words  you want). If  it
doesn't  find  it,  it goes  into   each
document  or sub-menu item in turn,  and
it searches them likewise for the search
term. After searching all these, it will
even  search the menus outside  the menu
it started in.
   After finding a match, Ede will high-
light  it.  To find further occurrences,
hit <F3>.  To start a new search, either
go back into Tools or hit <F4>.


Move
----
    If you want to move an item from one
place to another or from one sub-menu to
another,   select the item  as described
above.  (Have the highlight  bar on that
item before you hit <F2> M).
    Then  select a new  place for it  by
moving  into the exact sub-menu and line
where  you  want  it to go,  and hitting
<INS>.  If the name is to stay the same,
hit <ENTER>, otherwise edit the name and
hit <ENTER>.
    (Note  that  to move  it into a sub-
menu,  you must be actually  inside that
sub-menu when you hit <INS>.)
    That  item will then be removed from
the old place and into the new place.

Copy
----
    This  works as with Move (see above)
except  that the old item remains in its
old place,  so you get two copies of the
item.  If you are copying a sub-menu, it
will  make  copies  of all the documents
and sub-menus within that menu.

Link
----
    This is an advanced feature that new
users  are  discouraged  from using.  It
allows  you to copy the name  of an item
from  one  submenu  into a  new one.  It
looks  like a copy,  but note that it is
only the name that is copied. The actual
information  inside it, whether  it is a
document  or sub-menu,  is unique.  That
means  that if you go into  one sub-menu
and  into  that item,  and make changes,
then  those changes will be reflected if
you  go  into  the item  from the  other
menu.
     This   is usually   preferable   to
copying,  because you  don't waste  disk
space and because you don't have to copy
changes  across  from  one  copy to  the
other  (something  which  causes endless
confusion).
    An example of this is the following:
    Mr  and  Mrs  Brown have  their  own
sub-menus  inside  Ede,  where all their
data is seperated.  However,  they share
the  same friends,  so they both want to
be  able to read and edit  the 'Friends'
sub-menu  of  the 'Phone Book'  sub-menu
from within their own sub-menus.
    Mr  Brown creates  the Friends  sub-
menu  in  the  usual way,  and then  Mrs
Brown  creates a link  to it in her  own
Phone Book sub-menu.
    Any  changes that one of  them makes
is  updated  in  both  Mr &  Mrs Brown's
phone  books,  since  their is  only one
Friends  sub-menu.  In fact,  unless Mrs
Brown  tries to delete  this item,  this
sub-menu will act just like any other of
her sub-menus.
     There  are  a  couple  of words  of
caution,  however.  If  Mr Brown deleted
the  entire Friends sub-menu,  Mrs Brown
will   still  have  the name   'Friends'
appearing  in her Phone Book,  until she
tries to go into it. Also, each time you
copy,  export,  delete  or print  a sub-
menu,   it doesn't  affect  any  of  the
linked objects.


Rename
------
     If  you  want  to rename  an  item,
simply select this function and edit the
name.


Delete
------
    You can delete single items from the
ordinary  menu  mode by  using the <DEL>
key. (If you hit <DEL> with the bar over
the  item  you  want to delete,  and you
respond 'Yes' when asked 'Are you sure?'
it will delete it).
    However,  you can't delete sub-menus
in this way unless they are empty.
    To delete a sub-menu, and automatic-
ally delete everything filed inside, you
can use this function in 'Tools'.
    Select  the item you want to delete,
and  respond 'Yes'  when asked 'Are  you
sure?'.   But this function should  only
be   used  with  extreme  caution,   for
obvious reasons.


Sort
----
    This function sorts the menu you are
currently in, into alphabetical order.


Import
------
    If  you want to  import a text  file
from DOS into EDE, use this function. It
is  a useful function if you are setting
up  your  Ede  data  and have  a lot  of
information  in DOS format that you want
to use inside Ede.
    Ede  looks at the  extension on  the
filename that you give, to work out what
format  the  file is in.  It accepts the
following:

.    (No Extension). You can import
     entire DOS directories with this
     extension. They become sub-menus.

.TXT This is the normal extension for
     ordinary text files and for
     moving text from word processors.

.ASC Text files with lines breaks.

.ADR This means that the file is in text
     format, and you want it imported as
     an address document.

.EDE Import an Ede datafile. (Note that
     it uses the 'Ede_util' program to
     do the hard work).

.*   Anything else is treated as a text
     file and made into a document.



Export
------
    If  you want to convert  an Ede item
to DOS format,  or you want to use it in
another program (e.g. a Word Processor),
use this function.  Documents become DOS
text files,  address documents have  the
headings  stripped  off  and become  DOS
text  files likewise, and  Ede sub-menus
become DOS directories.
    Ede  looks at the  extension on  the
filename  you give it, to work  out what
format   you  want  it  output  as.  The
following are accepted:

.    (No Extension). To export a
     sub-menu as a DOS directory, use
     this one. Everything inside it is
     also exported, under automatically-
     determined names.

.TXT Use this to export it as a text
     file.
    IMPORTANT :- you can export
     documents, address documents and
     even sub-menus as .TXT files. If
     you export a sub-menu as .TXT, it
     makes one long text file containing
     everything inside the sub-menu.
    IMPORTANT TOO :- .TXT files can be
     used to move text to word processor
     programs.

.ASC Text files with line breaks.

.ADR Address documents are exported as
     text files, (with the headings
     stripped off). They are usually
     given this extension.

.EDE You can export a sub-menu as an
     .EDE format datafile.

.*   Anything else is treated as .TXT.



Print
-----
    You  can print any of your Ede items
using  this function. If you  attempt to
print  a  sub-menu,   all  the  contents
inside  are  printed  in order.   If you
attempt  to print a large Ede  sub-menu,
it  will tie up  the printer  for a long
time, so be careful with what you select
for printing.
     If   you  need  to  interrupt   the
printout,  for example because  you made
that  kind  of mistake,  hit <ESC>,  and
then reset the printer.


Exploding Items
---------------
    It  can often be very useful to open
up  a  sub-menu  so  that  its  contents
become  visible from within  the current
sub-menu,  i.e.  so that  they are  both
simultaneously visible. To do this, move
the  bar onto that item in the sub-menu,
and  hit <F5>.  Whether it is a sub-menu
or  document,   it will  be 'opened'  or
'exploded'   in that way  to reveal  its
contents.
    The  new items will  be indented  to
illustrate  the  fact that  they are one
level  deeper  than  the  things  in the
current  menu. You can  explode them  or
select them or hit <ENTER>  on them just
with  any other item, however  you can't
insert  new items into the  middle of an
exploded menu in this way.
    To 'Close'  or 'Implode' an exploded
item,  move the bar onto it and hit <F5>
again.


Backups
-------
    Everyone  must  take regular backups
of  their data,  to protect against  (a)
Disk   failure,  (b)  Viruses,  and  (c)
accidental deletion of data.
    You  select this function  each time
you want to take a backup of your infor-
mation.  It will ask you what  drive you
want to backup on, and you select either
A,  B, C or D. It then makes a backup of
your data.
     What  exactly  happens  is that  it
takes  a copy of the file 'EDE.EDE'  and
calls  it  'BACKUP.EDE'  using  the  DOS
'copy' command.
    This  means that it is not  possible
to  back-up  selected  portions  of your
data.   It  also   means  that  if  your
data-file is bigger than will fit on the
disk  you  select,  it will  report   an
error.
    Ede's backup function is intended to
be  quick and simple.  For genuine  data
security, it is recommended that you use
the DOS 'Backup'  command. (See your DOS
manuals).


Options
-------
    Through 'Options' you can set up Ede
to  use  whatever  colours   (or display
attributes) you want.
    You  select which type of  thing you
want  to change the colour of,  and then
you  use the cursor keys  (UP/DOWN/LEFT/
RIGHT)  to select the exact  display you
want. Then hit <ENTER>.
    There is also a line that allows you
to change the height of the menu window,
and  a line for changing the type of the
screen-saver.
     Select  this  line for  info on the
screen-saver:



Programs:
---------
        You  can  use EDE  as a DOS menu
program,   in other words  to give you a
menu  of your favourite DOS applications
so  that  you  can  select  them  with a
single button or a click of the mouse.

         To  create  a menu entry  for a
particular application,  you must create
a  `P)rogram'   item.   Hit <INS>,   and
select `P'.  You are then in the editor.
Type  in the DOS commands or the program
name  that you want  it to execute,  for
example:
    CD \QWORD5
    QUIKWORD

       Hit <ESC> when you have finished.
From  now on,  whenever  you select this
item (e.g.  click on it with the  mouse,
move the bar onto it & hit ENTER, or hit
its initial), you will run that program.
       Note that these Program items can
be  in  sub-menus  or mixed  freely with
other objects.

<F6>:    To  edit  the commands  in  the
item, move the bar onto it and hit <F6>.
Or,  if you prefer, delete  it and start
again.

NB :-  In order  for this  to work,  you
must  run  EDE  from the  EDE.BAT  batch
file.   You  will probably  want to call
this file from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file by
writing:    EDE.BAT  on the  last  line,
(maybe  preceded  by  an appropriate  CD
command).
         Note  also  that if  you  run a
batch-file  from  EDE,  you will  not go
back into EDE when it is finished.  This
is  because when a DOS  batch-file calls
another  one,   it  goes  to it  without
remembering   the  original   one.   You
should  copy  the contents  of any batch
file into the Program, e.g. using Import
from  Tools and then Cut &  Paste to put
it into the program item.

    EDE.BAT  contains just the following
lines:

    EDE1 /menu%0 %1 %2
    if errorlevel == 5 BATCH.BAT

---------------------------------------
The Screen Saver:
-----------------
    EDE  has  a screen-saver.  A screen-
saver  is a function  that blanks  out a
screen  or  displays  a changing pattern
whenever  it is not used for  some time.
The   purpose   is  to  prevent   screen
displays being permanently etched on the
screen   from  a  bright  display  being
displayed too long.

    EDE's  screen-saver comes on after 4
minutes,   (or 30 minutes  if you are in
the  editor).   It  displays  a  pattern
similar  to  so-called  'Life'-patterns.
Amoeba-like clusters of colours struggle
for  supremacy over the other colours on
the screen.  The pattern terminates (and
cycles)  when there are only two colours
remaining - a `duopoly'.

     The   screen-saver  can  either  be
turned   off,   or given   one  of three
alternative  settings. (To change  these
settings,  hit <F2>  from  menu mode and
select 'O)ptions').
    In  the default setting,  the darker
colours will always win.  In the `black'
one, the black colour always wins, which
is  best for saving  the screen.  In the
`All colours'  one, any colour can win.
However,    screen  burn-out  in  modern
colour screens is rare,  and perhaps the
most  important  function  of  a screen-
saver   these  days  is  to  display  an
attractive  pattern on the  screen -  so
user  are  encouraged  to set  the  `All
colours' option.


---------------------------------------
Problems:
---------
    The  following is a list of possible
problems and solutions.

* I just lost something:
    Ede  never  deletes  anything unless
you  ask it to, or  unless you reset  or
turn  off the computer  while editing  a
document. It is most likely misplaced.
    Hit <ESC>, and if you can't find it,
start  looking  with  the <UP>/<DOWN>  +
<ENTER> keys.
      Note  that   when  you   create  a
sub-menu,   you go  straight  into  that
empty sub-menu. The name of the sub-menu
appears  in the previous  menu,  so  hit
<ESC> to go there.


* I can't run my Programs:
    Select this line to go the section
    on programs...:


* All my data has disappeared:
    If  you  were  working  in Ede,  but
after   going  back  all your  work  has
disappeared,   it is presumably  because
Ede   cannot  find  the   data-file  you
created.    It  will  be   on  the  disk
somewhere. Make sure you are in the same
directory   as  the  original  'EDE.EDE'
file,   or speak  to someone  who  knows
MS-DOS.
     If   you  typed   the  name  of  an
alternative  datafile when entering  Ede
from DOS, e.g.:

    C:\>ede demo

    ...then  you must give the same name
again when re-entering Ede.

* I get an 'Out of Memory' error:
    If you create documents that are too
big,   they  can  cause  Out  Of  Memory
errors. Ede documents are intended to be
smallish.   Otherwise,  the problem   is
probably due to other programs using too
much memory.

*   The screen  is blank  or  has  funny
colours or is unreadable:
    You  may need to set up  the colours
to their default values.
    If  you have a colour  screen,  type
(from DOS):
    EDE /c  <ENTER>

    If  you don't have a colour  screen,
type (from DOS):
    EDE /m  <ENTER>

    You  can  change the  colours or the
way things are displayed by going into
Options  (under Tools). See  the section
above for further details.


* I got a 'Corrupted Data Error':
      Somehow    your   data   has  been
corrupted.   This could  be because   of
glitches in the disk drive,  because the
program was interrupted in the middle of
updating  information,  or because of  a
bug in the program.
    The program 'EDE_UTIL' will help you
fix corrupted data. Go to DOS and type:

    EDE_UTIL /fix

(Append  the  name  of your datafile  if
using an alternative one).
     You   may  like  to take  down  the
details   (the  exact  error  message  &
symptoms) and contact Tim Cooper at:
    * Esprit de E (select for details)


* I can't get things to print:
    First  check  that your  printer (a)
has the on-line light on, (b) has paper,
(c) is connected to the computer.
    If there are still problems,  see an
expert  to  check  the configuration  of
your   system.   (Ede  uses  the  Stdprn
stream).
    It  would help diagnose  the problem
if  you found out  whether or not  other
programs can use the printer.
    See the Print function.

* I get a 'Disk Error':
    The most likely causes are that the
disk  is too full,  the floppy disk  has
been removed or there is an error on the
floppy   disk.   If you   can't  fix the
problem, speak to someone who can.
    Also  if  you try  to import  a file
that  doesn't exist, or you  try to do a
backup  onto  a disk  drive that doesn't
exist, you will get appropriate errors.


* My backups don't work:
    The  problem  is  probably  that you
don't  have enough space on the disk you
are  trying to backup onto.  Try a blank
disk, or use the DOS 'BACKUP' command.
    * See 'Backups'.


* I get an 'Item Deleted' error message:
     You   have  created  a link  to  an
object,   and then  deleted the  object.
Unfortunately,  there is nothing you can
do  about  this  except be  more careful
with links & deletions in future.
    See 'Links'.

* I can't find some things I put in:
    Ideally,  you should try to organise
your  information so that you can always
find  what  you're  looking for  without
using  'Search'.   If you  do lose  some
information,   try  using  'Search'   by
pressing  <F3>   or  <F4>  to find  what
you're looking for.
     If  it  says,  'I couldn't  find  a
single occurrence of it',  or it doesn't
find  the  one  you want,  then   either
someone  has deleted it from  Ede or you
have mis-typed it. Try re-typing it. Try
entering a shorter search term.
    Note  that case differences (whether
it's  capitals  or little  letters)  are
ignored.  Also,  punctuation  is ignored
(but word barriers are not).
    See 'Search'.


How do I...
===========
    * Print some things
    * Use a document(s) in a
      Word Processor
    * Rearrange things
    * Set up a menu of DOS Applications
    * Search for words
    * Use Ede to write a book
    * Set up an expert system
    * Move things in & out of DOS
    * Read about 'Tools'


How to print things:
--------------------
    If you are in an editor, or the Help
screen, get out by hitting <ESC>.  Then:

1 Move onto the item that you want to
  print, (so that the highlight bar is
  on top of its name).
2 Hit <F2>, which will give you the
  Tools menu.
3 Select 'Print', by hitting 'P'.
4 Set up the printer and hit <ENTER>



How to use a document in a
Word-Processor:
---------------
    If you want to use a document with a
word-processor,   or  any other  program
apart from Ede, you must export the file
to DOS format.  (You can export a single
document or the entire contents of a
sub-menu to a DOS format text file).
    To  convert  an  item  for use  in a
word-processor:

1 If necessary, get out of the editor
  or Help menu by hitting <ESC>.  (You
  must start from the normal menu mode).
2 Move onto the item you want to export.
  If you want to export an entire sub-
  menu, this is still OK - just move
  the highlight bar onto the menu's
  name. (If you are inside the menu, get
  out of it by hitting <ESC>. Then you
  will see the sub-menu's name
  displayed).
3 Hit <F2> to get the Tools menu.
4 Select 'Export' by hitting 'E'.
5 Type in the name of the file as you
  want it to appear in DOS.  A default
  name is always suggested, but you can
  change it to whatever you like.
        However:- you must change the
  extension (the 3 letters after the
  dot) to be '.WOR' or '.WRA'. This
  means that line-breaks will not be
  included, so that the word-processor
  can put its own line breaks in.
6 Exit EDE and go into the word
  processor. Select the file, e.g.
  \"yourname.wor\".  If it asks you what
  format it is in, specify DOS text
  format.  You should now have the
  document.
    Select this line for info on EXPORT


How to move things in & out of DOS:
-----------------------------------
     Under   'Tools'  you will   see the
options to import & export items. Import
means  take a DOS file and put it inside
Ede.  Export means take an  Ede item and
put it into DOS.
    For more information on:
EXPORT.....select this line
IMPORT.....select this line
Word Processors...see above.


How to re-arrange items:
------------------------
    You  can re-arrange your items using
the  Move operations (under Tools -  hit
<F2>). You can move items to a different
position  in  the  same menu  or  into a
completely  different menu. If  you move
an entire sub-menu, all the items inside
it of course move with it.
    If you want to get rid of a sub-menu
so that everything inside it goes to the
same  sub-menu  as it was,  move to that
sub-menu  and hit <DEL>. If you  want to
move  a  whole lot  of objects  from the
current sub-menu into a deeper sub-menu,
either   use  the  Move  operation   (in
'Tools')  to move them one by one, or go
back  one  level  and  move  the  entire
sub-menu.
    The following operations,  which you
find under 'Tools', can all be useful:

    * Using 'Tools'
    * Move
    * Copy
    * Rename
    * Link
    * Delete

How to use Ede to write a book:
-------------------------------
    You might like to arrange the text
in chapters, and within chapters arrange
things in sections. It should be easy to
move things around. Name the chapters by
content,  not number, since the  numbers
will often change a lot.
    You  can print the  text out all  at
once,   or chapter  by chapter,  or just
individual  sections. You can write  the
draft  in  Ede  and then  send  it  to a
proper word-processing program.
    The  smaller  pieces  you write  the
book  in,   the  easier  it will  be  to
arrange the sections.  You don't have to
write  it in order;  you can have  ideas
that  just  float around  until you know
where they should go.
    You can put both loose ideas and the
actual draft text into Ede.


How to construct an expert system:
----------------------------------
    It  is easy to see how  Ede might be
used to implement a decision tree.  Note
that using links,  you don't necessarily
have  to  have  a tree,  you   can  make
decisions go anywhere.
    For  those  unfamiliar  with  expert
systems,  an expert system is  something
that  allows  you  to make decisions  or
diagnoses   by  following  a  series  of
questions     and     narrowing     down
possibilities.  By having questions lead
to  further  sub-menus,  you can  easily
construct this kind of system.


/* Reference Section: */

Starting out
------------
    You  have  started  out with a blank
datafile.  The grey line at the top will
always  tell you what  keys to press  in
each situation.
    You can hit <F1> at ANY stage to get
help.  For example, why not  hit it now.
Otherwise,hit <INS> to create something.

(If you already had data in Ede, look up
the 'Problems' section).



Choosing what kind of item
--------------------------
    There  are three types of  items you
can choose from:

Sub-menus: You can store inside a sub-
        menu lots of other items, which
        in turn can be sub-menus or any
        other kind of item.

(Hit <LEFT>  & <RIGHT> + <ENTER>  or the
appropriate letter to select one.)



Choosing what kind of item
--------------------------
    There  are three types of  items you
can choose from:

Documents: You write text into a
        document. The text can be as
        long or as short as you wish.



Choosing what kind of item
--------------------------
    There  are three types of  items you
can choose from:

Address: This is like a document but
        with special lines at the start
        to put name, address, phone etc.


Choosing what kind of item
--------------------------
    There  are three types of  items you
can choose from:

Programs:   Write a sequence of DOS
        commands which starts up one of
        your usual applications, e.g.
        a word-processor, without going
        to DOS.


Type in the name of the item.
-----------------------------
    The  name can be up to 60 characters
long. Hit <ENTER> when you have finished
typing it in.



Menu Mode
---------
     Use   <UP>  &  <DOWN>   to move the
highlighted bar.  Hit <ENTER>  to select
an item.
    If  you select a sub-menu,  you will
go  into that sub-menu.  If you select a
document,  or an address  document,  you
will  go  into  that  document  and  can
either read it or edit it.

    You can also select one of the three
special   lines,    <ESC>,   <INS>   and
<F1>/<F2>.



Inside a new Sub-menu:
----------------------
    You have now been put inside the
menu that you just created. Hit <ESC> to
go back to the last menu, or start
putting things into your new sub-menu.



With this operation, you have to specify
where  you want the item to go.  Move to
the appropriate place and hit <INS>.



You  can  now  change  the name,   using
<BACKSPACE>  or the other editing  keys.
Hit <ENTER> when you have finished.



If you try to delete a sub-menu that is
not empty,  it will delete it and  bring
forward everything that was inside it.



Use  the cursor keys to  select a colour
that you like, and then hit <ENTER>. The
mouse can also be used. Hit <ESC> if you
don't want to change it.



ABOUT Esprit de E
-----------------
    Esprit  de  E software  design is an
Australian   Company.   Other   products
include:
    * EGL-RISE: A Games Language and
      games collection
    * BOXPRINT: A C source tool for
      pretty-printing, reformatting
      (beautifying), tree-diagramming,
      cross-referencing, etc.
    * TTL: A program for generating
      High School Timetables.


    Esprit de E software design
    31 Epping Ave
    EASTWOOD - 2122
    Australia
    ph. (Sydney) 804-7473