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| Big Edit Thing v1.0b3 Documentation |
| Revision of September 1, 1991 |
| Copyright (C) 1991 by Jim Murphy |
| All Rights Reserved. |
+=====================================+
NOTE: The version of the software, Big Edit Thing v1.0b3 (BET), described herein
is ShareWare. It may be distributed freely, but those who continue to use
BET after an initial one month evaluation period must register with the
author for $10.00 (American). If you wish to distribute this version via
any commercial means, please contact the author by one of the channels
listed at the end of this documentation.
It is not guaranteed that any future versions of this software will retain
ShareWare status. Please check future version's accompanying notes for
current distribution information.
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============
INTRODUCTION - Hello there!
============
Big Edit Thing (BET) is a powerful New Desk Accessory-based word processor,
designed to work under Apple IIgs System Software v.5.0.3 or newer. It supports
loading, editing, and saving files in a number of popular file formats
including; Text, Teach, ORCA/APW Source Code, and AppleWorks (v.1.0 - 3.0). It
currently only supports one ruler, but it allows multiple fonts, sizes, styles,
and colors throughout a document. Some of the other features include:
- In-window menu bar with full keyboard menu equivalent support
- Multiple ruler formats including inches, centimeters, and pixels
- Rulers automatically reformat to reflect current printer setup
- Hide/Show ruler option (NOTE: Disabled in this version, see below)
- Variable-interval auto save feature
- Powerful Find/Replace movable modal dialog
- Powerful custom Choose Font dialog
- Dynamic Font menu
- Document printing
- Optional 'live' character count
- Optional automatic word-wrap
- Optional intelligent cut and paste
- Optional intelligent quotes (curly quotes)
- Resource based interface
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=============
THE INTERFACE - How to get there from here.
=============
The BET interface design is basically very straight-foreword. The main
window layout borrows heavily from many other desktop-based word processors. The
extensions that you will notice are the two distinct regions above the ruler.
The area to the left being a fully-featured menu bar. It works exactly like you
would expect, with full keyboard menu equivalent support. The second area is the
status region. Currently the only information you may see here is a 'live'
display of the total number of characters in your document, if activated via
'Preferences...'.
----------
NAVIGATION
----------
BET supports a keyboard and mouse interface that provides many options for
text entry, selection, deletion, and navigation. The following list summarizes
the supported keystrokes and mouse clicks:
Left Arrow This moves the insertion point before the previous character.
With the Command key, this causes movement by words, rather than
by single characters.
With the Option key, this causes the insertion point to move to
the beginning of the current line of text.
The Shift key extends the selection from the current insertion
point to the left by one character. If modified with the Command
key, this extends by words. If modified with the Option key,
this extends by lines.
Right Arrow This moves the insertion point before the next character.
With the Command key, this causes movement by words, rather than
by single characters.
With the Option key, this causes the insertion point to move to
the end of the current line of text.
The Shift key extends the selection from the current insertion
point to the right by one character. If modified with the Command
key, this extends by words. If modified with the Option key,
this extends by lines.
Up Arrow This moves the insertion point up one line.
With the Command key, this moves the insertion point up one
page.
With the Option key, this causes the insertion point to move to
the beginning of the document.
The Shift key extends the selection from the current insertion
point up by one line. If modified with the Command key, this
extends by pages. If modified with the Option key, this is to the
beginning of the document.
Down Arrow This moves the insertion point down one line.
With the Command key, this moves the insertion point down one
page.
With the Option key, this causes the insertion point to move to
the end of the document.
The Shift key extends the selection from the current insertion
point down by one line. If modified with the Command key, this
extends by pages. If modified with the Option key, this is to the
end of the document.
Delete This removes the character to the left of the insertion point. If
there is currently a selection, this removes the entire selection.
Clear This clears the current selection. This does nothing if there is
no selection.
Delete This removes the character to the right of the insertion point. If
there is currently a selection, this removes the entire selection.
Control-Y This removes all characters from the insertion point to the end of
the current line.
Control-X This cuts the current selection and places it on the clipboard.
Control-C This copies the current selection to the clipboard.
Control-V This pastes the current contents of the clipboard to the current
insertion point. If there is a selection, this replaces the
selection with the text from the clipboard.
Single-Click This moves the insertion point to the line clicked. By draggging,
this selects by characters.
Double-Click This selects a word. By dragging, this selects by words.
Triple-Click This selects an entire line. By dragging, this selects by lines.
Command-[1,9] This supports the AppleWorks style of relative cursor navigation.
By performing a Command-number sequence, the insertion point is
moved a relative distance from the beginning of the document.
Command-1 results in the insertion point moving to the beginning
of the document. Command-9 moves the insertion point to the end
of the document. Command-2 through Command-8 result in a relative
movement into the document.
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=========
OPERATION - 'If yesterday was an odd weekday (to determine, see schedule
========= 12-3a.7, 'How Can I Be Sure That Today Isn't Odd?'), only the even,
non-shifted, non-vowel function keys will be operable.' :-)
When initially opened, BET will present you with an empty edit window. From
there you may create a new document by typing, or you may load an existing
document from disk. You may also paste in text that was previously copied or cut
to the clipboard.
-------
LOADING
-------
To load a file, select 'Open...' from the 'File' menu. BET will present you
with a file selection dialog box. You will notice a pop-up menu at the bottom of
the window. Through it, you may constrain the types of files that are shown in
the file list. For example, if you choose 'Teach' from the pop-up, only those
files that are saved as Teach formatted will be displayed. If the 'All Types'
item is chosen, as it is initially, BET will display every file that it is
capable of interpreting. You select a file that you wish to open by double-
clicking on the file name, or selecting the 'Open' button while the file is
highlighted.
------
SAVING
------
The procedure for saving a file is quite similar to opening a file. You can
select either 'Save' or 'Save As...' from the 'File' menu. If you have just
created a new document and you select 'Save', you will be given the opportunity
to name the new file. If you choose 'Save As...', you will always be given the
opportunity to name the file before saving.
If you have already saved your document, or you have loaded a pre-existing
document from disk and you select 'Save', BET will automatically save your
document as it is named, in its current file format.
The save dialog also has a pop-up menu from which you can choose the format
in which BET saves your file. If you have never saved your document, BET
automatically displays 'Text' as the default save type. You may change this type
to whatever you wish. If you have saved your document, or you have loaded a
pre-existing document, BET will display the original file type of the document
in the pop-up. You may also change this.
One note about saving files with styled text is in order. Currently, BET
can only save style information (font, size, attributes, color) when you save as
'Teach'. If you save a file that contains a variety of styles as Text or Source,
all style information will be lost. A future version will address this problem.
---------
AUTO SAVE
---------
BET has a powerful feature, selectable via 'Preferences...', that allows
you to specify minute intervals that BET will attempt to save your document. If
you have never saved the document when the auto save time occurs, BET will
present you with the same dialog you use for a 'Save As...'.
BET resets the save countdown timer in four instances; 1) Whenever you
manually save your document. 2) When you open a new document. 3) When you select
'Save' from the 'Preferences...' dialog. 4) When it completes a successful auto
save.
When BET's main window is deactivated, BET temporarily suspends auto-save.
It will be re-activated when the window again becomes selected.
---
NEW
---
'New' allows you to discontinue working on your current document. If the
file has been saved, the current text is cleared and you may begin entering your
text. If the document has not been saved, BET will ask you if you wish to save
it before clearing the text. You may choose 'Yes', 'No', or 'Cancel'. 'Yes'
allows you to save the document before BET clears the current text. 'No' clears
the current text, ignoring any changes that you may have made to the current
document. 'Cancel' returns you to your current document as though you had never
chosen the 'New' menu item.
--------
PRINTING
--------
'Page Setup...' and 'Print...' work exactly as you would expect them. You
will see the appropriate dialogs for the current printer.
----
QUIT
----
You may close BET by three means. The first is if you click in the close
box in the upper-left corner of the edit window. You can also close BET through
two menu items. The first is 'Close' and the other 'Quit', both in the 'File'
menu. In all cases, BET will inform you if you have not recently saved your
document.
------------
FIND/REPLACE
------------
The 'Find/Replace...' feature allows you to search for, or replace,
specific text strings throughout your document. The search starts from the
current cursor location or start of a selection range.
Conventional find/replace features have usually appeared in two forms. The
first is the standard modal dialog that is opened on top of your document. Its
placement is dictated by the programmer, so it can obscure portions of your
document. The second is the use of a modeless dialog. This is the kind of search
where the 'Find' window can be sent to the background, but it can be kept
onscreen at all times if you wish.
Since BET is a desk accessory, using the second search type, a modeless
dialog is not possible. Desk accessories can only leave one window permanently
open (under System Software v.6.0 this is no longer true). I did not opt for the
first method because I do not like being forced to do something that needs
multi-window interaction, from a modal position.
The dialog that you are presented with differs from normal modal dialogs in
a few ways. The first is that it is called a movable modal dialog. It always
remains the frontmost window, but you may position it anywhere around the
screen. It also allows you to position the main text editing window wherever you
like, except that the front to back window orientation cannot be changed.
The scrolling and selecting of your document's text is also permitted. With
this method you can change the search start location while you are searching.
All that you have to do is click or drag in the appropriate area of the edit
window. Note that the window will not move to the front as it would in a normal
environment. Also, the cursor usually can be seen, but it will not flash as when
editing is possible.
-----------
PREFERENCES
-----------
From the preferences dialog you may set up your environment to suit your
specific needs. BET saves your preferences to an external file which is
maintained in such a way that BET is fully AppleShare friendly. BET may be run
off of a server volume, with separately maintained preferences for each user.
The buttons at the bottom of the window provide you with three options
for exit. The 'Cancel' button allows you to ignore any changes you may have
made. 'Temporary' enables any changes you have made, but does not save them
permanently. When you close BET, the preferences will revert to those that
were previously set. 'Save' immediately writes your preferences changes to the
preferences file.
The various preference options are:
Word wrap only on carriage returns - This informs BET when you wish it to
wrap your text to the next line. If this item is selected, then BET will only
wrap text when you enter a carriage-return. If it is unselected, then BET will
wrap text to fit the current ruler. As you resize the window, the current text
will be re-wrapped to fit the current ruler width.
Use intelligent cut and paste - This helps eliminate the need for you to
insert space characters to fix a paste. With this option enabled, BET allows the
you to select a word, and cut and paste that selected text without adding or
removing any space characters.
Draw active character count - This enables the interactively updated count
of your document's length. When selected, the character count in the status
region is continuously updated to reflect the current number of characters in
your document.
Auto save every XX minutes - This specifies the intervals in which BET is
to attempt to save your current document. If you have never saved your document
when the auto save occurs, you will be given the chance to give your document
a name.
Use intelligent quotes - This enables the curled quotation marks that
indicate the opening and closing of a quotation. If this feature is enabled, BET
automatically uses the curled variation of quotation marks as you enter new
text. Changing this option has no effect on previously entered quotes.
Covert 8-bit ASCII text on saves - When this feature is turned off, BET
writes 8-bit ASCII text (such as files created by Merlin) just as it was read.
This means that you can use BET to edit such files without the manual conversion
most text editors require. If this feature is enabled, BET will clear the high
bits of all characters of such files at save time. This allows you to convert
such files to normal 7-bit ASCII text, again, without a manual conversion
process.
Default Font - This preference allows you to specify the font, size, style,
and color settings BET uses when creating a new document. This allows you to
override the normal 8 point Shaston system font. You make your selections from
the same Choose Font dialog that you use during the normal operation of BET.
Source Save - This pop-up allows you to specify the language stamp to apply
to Source files when using 'Save As...'. Note that this option's value is not
used when you save your document with 'Save'. In that instance, your document is
stamped with its current language designation.
Ruler Type - Allows you to specify the default measurement type that BET is
to use in displaying the ruler. Current options are English, Metric, and pixel.
Miscellaneous:
BET saves the current position and sizes of the main and Find/Replace
windows to the preference file when BET is closed. When BET is again opened, the
windows are sized and positioned to reflect the saved values.
BET also remembers the current visibility state of the ruler when BET is
closed. The next time BET is opened, the ruler will be visible or invisible,
depending on its previous state.
NOTE: Some serious problems have arisen in testing this feature.
Unfortunately, I do not currently have the time to fully come up with
an alternate method, so I've elected to disable this feature in this
version. It should be enabled in the next release, most probably when
System 6.0 is released later this year.
BET automatically saves the current printer setup (set via Page Setup)
when it is closed. This allows you to set up your most common print variables
once, rather that with each new document.
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============
WHAT IT DOES - Or doesn't. It just depends on the way you look at life.
============
- Clicking upon the line spacing and justification buttons will reformat
the entire document. Unfortunately, the Text Edit tool set, of which BET is
based upon, doesn't support multiple rulers just yet.
- Just as the above changes are global, so are the placement of tabs.
Tabs do not belong to a specific line, rather, they currently are for the
entire document. This is also a Text Edit toolset limitation.
- The file translation routines for AppleWorks documents currently only
extract the text. No formatting information that is embedded in the
document is retained. Since the principal reason for implementing this
translator was to enable me to quickly read AppleWorks documents, I've
left out the formatting until a later version. That version will address
both the importing and exporting of fully-formatted AppleWorks documents,
including AppleWorks GS.
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=======================
PLANNED FUTURE FEATURES - Will we see it by version 7.0?
=======================
My current future features list (is that mutually exclusive?) is rather
extensive, and growing. But for now, I will be concentrating on finishing those
features that are already partially implemented. As always, your suggestions are
greatly appreciated!
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================================================
BUGS, ANOMALIES, AND OTHER UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES - Or, 'What just happened?'
================================================
In its current incarnation, BET is a rather stable piece of code. That's
not to say that everything will work completely properly, but thus far BET has
not crashed for me. That's always a plus in my book.
As I've mentioned above, the Hide/Show ruler option is not enabled in this
version. It should be fully working in the next release, which will coincide
with the release of System 6.0. I have some great new features in the works that
specifically take advantage of new System 6.0 features.
BET has strange behaviour with the AppleWorks GS Word Processor module.
AWGS apparently does not play with the cursor properly. If BET is in the front,
and your cursor keeps changing from the insertion cursor to the arrow cursor,
somewhat like a strobe light, it's not my fault. Call Claris (do they still
develop Apple II software, or just sell it?). Using a text editor while you are
running AWGS's WP is also strange behaviour...
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================
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - I'm the one you should blame.
================
I'm currently a pre-junior (yep, that's what I said) computer science major
at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. I try to be the Apple II champion here,
but you don't know what oppression feels like until you've gone to a school
where everyone thinks the only computer Apple has ever manufactured rhymes with
'Ack!' Heck, we only have 10,000+ of the suckers here. Somebody has to tell this
place the truth. What is a 'Macintosh IIgs' anyway? I've heard that one far too
many times...
I've been programming the Apple II since 1981, and the IIgs since the day
it was released way back in '86. You probably haven't seen much work with my
name on it due to two irritating habits that I've gotten myself into over the
years. One, from '86 through '87, all I wrote were utilities to help me program.
Very bad rut. The second, once I stopped the first, was the inability to
completely finish projects due to the fact that I wanted everything perfect by
the first release. Well, this is a fine example of the death of my second bad
habit. :-)
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======
THANKS - The others you should blame.
======
First off, my tester at Carnegie Mellon, Gregory Ross Thompson. I don't
know what you want to read here Greg, but there's your name. :) Next, all of the
people back at APPLE PITTSburgh, my favorite users' group. Special thanks there
to Matt Irvin and John LaScola. They were the first humans to see BET last
December, and John has given me many fine and useful suggestions. Here at Drexel
we have Reggie "put your favorite quote here" Adkins. He desperately wanted to
see me finally get one of my many, many projects completely done. Does this
count?
I'd also like to thank those that have offered many useful and quite varied
suggestions. Keep them coming! And finally, to all of you who have graciously
sent in your ShareWare fees. I _really_ appreciate your support and you can rest
assured that you will continue to have mine.
Thanks to all.
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Well, there you have it. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions,
or anything else that I may be interested in, you can reach me at:
Internet: ujmurphy@mcs.drexel.edu
GEnie: J.MURPHY7
America Online: Jim Murphy
US Mail: Jim Murphy
Apartment A-412
3500 Powelton Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2464
(215) 387-3521
- II Infinitum -
- Created with Big Edit Thing v1.0b3