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Shareware Overload Trio 2
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Shareware Overload Trio Volume 2 (Chestnut CD-ROM).ISO
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SAMPLES.LZH
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SAMPLE.TXT
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.topic Kate
KATE ▄
▀▀▀▀▀
Welcome to KATE, the multi-purpose PC organiser and assistant.
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.
All these functions run in {windows} and {dialog boxes:Dialogs} which work
together on the {desktop}.
All functions can be activated from the {Menu Bar:MenuBar} or by direct
selection with the {mouse} or special keys on the {keyboard}.
.topic Desktop
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.
.topic Windows
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.
.topic Dialogs
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.
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.
.topic Controls
Controls ▄
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Controls are used to display information in {windows} or
{dialog boxes:Dialogs} 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:MenuBar} 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.
.topic Buttons
Buttons ▄
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
Buttons are found on many {dialog boxes:Dialogs} and some other
{windows}. Many functions of KATE are activated by "pressing"
buttons. Many of these functions are also available from the
{Menu Bar:MenuBar} or {Status Line:StatusLine}.
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.
.topic MenuBar
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>.
The Menu Bar also has a {Clock} which shows the current day, date, and time.
.topic StatusLine
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>.
.topic Clock
Clock ▄
▀▀▀▀▀▀
At the top right of the {Menu Bar:MenuBar} 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.
.topic Keyboard
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:MenuBar}. 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
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ - - - - │
│ │
│ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ │
│ ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ │
│ ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄██ ▄ ▄ ▄ █ │
│ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ │
│ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ █ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘
.topic Mouse
The Mouse ▄
▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
All functions in {KATE} can be accessed by the Mouse or the {Keyboard},
either directly or through the {Menu Bar:MenuBar}. 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.
computer <──┐ computer <──┐
│ │
┌───┬─┴─┬───┐ ┌─────┴─────┐
│ 1 │ 2 │ 3 │ │ ┌──┐ ┌──┐ │
│ │ │ │ │ │1 │ │2 │ │
├───┴───┴───┤ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ └──┘ └──┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ │
└───────────┘ └───────────┘