Welcome to KATE, the multi-purpose PC organiser and assistant. 3
KATE is a Desktop Manager and Information Centre. It comes with a number of built in functions, and the ability to start other programs as required. The built in functions include a Diary, a hypertext Book Compiler, Editor, Text and Hex File Viewers, a Calculator, Calendar, Clock, some Games, and more. Y
All these functions run in windows and dialog
boxes which work together on the desktop. y
All functions can be activated from the Menu
Bar or by direct selection with the mouse or special keys on the keyboard.
The Desktop
The desktop is the main work area on the screen. It may contain one or more windows of different types.
There are many different kinds of windows in KATE. Some allow you to view or edit files. Others, like the Calendar or Key Codes give information of various kinds. Still others do simple functions like the Calculator or File Manager.
You may customise the some aspects of the appearance or function of the desktop by using the operations on the Desktop pulldown menu.
Windows
Each window on the desktop has a frame, a title, and one or more icons and controls for handling the window and its contents.
There is a Close icon [
] in the top left corner of every window. Click on this with the left mouse button to close the window. =
Grab the title bar with the mouse to move the whole window.
There may be a Zoom icon in the top right corner of the window. If the window is full size (Maximised), the Zoom icon will look like [
]. Click on it with the left mouse button to Restore the window to its "normal" size. If the window is in its Restored state, then the icon will look like [
]. Click on it to Maximise it again. Edit and View windows start out the full size of the desktop, therefore their Restored and Maximised size is initially the same. $
There may also be a Resize icon
in the bottom right of the window. Grab this with the mouse to change the size of the window.
Note that all the above functions may also be performed with or without a mouse by using the operations on the Window pulldown menu.
Normal windows are usually "non-modal", which means they do not take control of the desktop while they are active. You may open and close them and switch between them as you like.
Dialog Boxes
Dialog boxes are special types of windows on the desktop. Like any other window, they have a frame, a title, and a Close icon. However, they are not normally resizeable. T
Dialog boxes are usually shown to inform you of something that is happening, warn of possible consequences of an action, or ask for input from the user. To do this, they contain text to describe what is the purpose of the dialog box, one or more controls to accept information, and/or one or more buttons which tell KATE what to do next.
Use the <Tab> or <Shift-Tab> keys to jump forwards or backwards between the controls and buttons on the dialog box. Press <Esc> or press the [Cancel] button or click on the Close icon to quit out of the dialog box.
Because of their nature, dialog boxes are usually "modal", which means they take control of the whole desktop while they are displayed. You cannot do any other action until you have responded to the dialog box.
Controls
Controls are used to display information in windows or dialog
boxes in a particular way, and/or accept input from the user. There are a number of different types of controls.
INPUT LINES:
Label
Input Lines are spaces where you can enter text or numeric data. They will often have a label to the left or immediately above to indicate what is expected to be entered. They may also have a History of previous entries into this list box which may be viewed and selected by pressing <Down> or clicking on the History button to the right of the Input Line. Often the type of input is restricted so that invalid data will not be accepted, such as alphabetic characters where a number is required.
CHECK BOXES:
[X] This option is selected
[ ] This option is not
Check boxes are items which can be in just one of two states, such as ON/OFF or YES/NO. They may be on their own, or in groups of related entries. Any number of check boxes in a group can be on or off. The state of each check box is toggled by jumping to it and pressing <Space> or by clicking on it.
RADIO BUTTONS:
) This option has been chosen
( ) These others have not
Radio buttons, like check boxes, can be in one of two states, and are toggled in the same way. Unlike check boxes, only one radio button in a group may be on. In other words, they are used to indicate mutually exclusive options.
LIST BOXES:
Label
First item in the list
Second item in the list
Third item in the list
Last item in the list
List boxes are short or long lists of object such as Files, Diary entries, or other data items, displayed in one or more columns. You may scroll through the list by pressing the <Up> and <Down> keys, or by clicking on the Scroll Bar which will usually be found to the right of the list box.
An item in the list box is selected by moving the cursor to it and pressing <Enter> or <Space>, or by double-clicking on it. If the list box allows its entries to be changed, then a new item may be added by pressing <Ins> or selecting File
New from the Menu
Bar or pressing the [New] button. An item may be deleted by moving the cursor to it and pressing <Del> or selecting File
Delete from the Menu Bar or pressing the [Delete] button.
Buttons
Buttons are found on many dialog
boxes and some other windows. Many functions of KATE are activated by "pressing" buttons. Many of these functions are also available from the Menu
Bar or Status
Line.
A button can be "pressed" either by clicking on it with the mouse, or by pressing the <Tab> key to highlight the button and then the <Space> or <Enter> keys to press it.
Menu Bar
All the functions in KATE can be accessed from the Menu Bar at the top of the screen. Selecting any item on the Menu Bar opens a pulldown menu containing other operations which may be selected. Many operations can also be done by shortcut function keys.
The Menu Bar can be activated by pressing </> or <F10>, or by holding the <Alt> key and pressing the highlighted letter for each menu item. For example, the "File" menu is pulled down by <Alt-F>. L
The Menu Bar also has a Clock which shows the current day, date, and time.
Status Line
The Status Line is at the bottom of the screen, below the desktop. It displays some of the main Function keys with labels. It also shows the status of most of the toggle keys, such as the left and right <Shift>, <Ctrl>, <Alt>, <Num Lock>, <Caps Lock> and <Scroll Lock>.
Clock
At the top right of the Menu
Bar is a simple clock that displays the current day of the week, date, and time in 24 hour format. This clock reflects the time set in your computer, so if it's wrong, go back to DOS and enter either "DATE" or "TIME" or both to correct it.
The Keyboard
The keyboard is the main way that information is entered into KATE. All functions of KATE can be accessed by the keyboard or the Mouse, either directly or through the Menu
Bar. To speed things up even more, many common operations may be done quickly through the use of Shortcut Keys, which are either the Function Keys or two other keys pressed together.
There are several styles of keyboard available. The most common one is the Enhanced keyboard with 101 keys, which looks something like the picture below. However, KATE will operate just fine with any keyboard.
THE ENHANCED KEYBOARD
- - - -
The Mouse
All functions in KATE can be accessed by the Mouse or the Keyboard, either directly or through the Menu
Bar. The Mouse however cannot be used for entering text.
There are several styles of mouse available. They will have either two or three buttons, and may look something like one of the pictures below. KATE requires only a two button mouse, but a three button mouse will work just fine - just ignore the middle button.
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