F O N T R I X - SOFT DOCS - PART 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------- by Data Transforms --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello again, and yes, this is what you've all been waiting for......some documentation for Fontrix! In the next few pages I will run down the different parts of Fontrix and explain some of the more harder ideas to grasp by most people. Again, if you have any additional comments, suggestions, and now, even some documentation you'd liketo see done, please leave me E-mail. Thank you! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Boot-up ======= After you boot up Fontrix you will have to configure your disk to the way your computer is set up, meaning you will have to tell the computer the type or printer, printer interface, keyboard, game controls, and anything else that may be needed. All of this is fairly easy to understand, so I won't really go into any detain with it, other than to say **Do it!**. Fontrix will not work correctly unless you configure they system to your computer. If you have to take thecover off your Apple and check inside, DO IT! If you have a sort of generic printer interface card, that doesn't really have anything special to it, just pick the standard Apple interface card and hope for the best. You may though, wish to call your dealer of this program and ask him/her. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Making a Grafile ================= What is a Grafile? A Grafile is a binary file which holds all of the extended screens that you will be writing on. The Grafile must be made before you start writing on the screen. Once made, the Grafile records information each time you go off the screen you are drawing on and then gives you more room, until you are out of it. First, choose the "G" command from the main menu and go to the Graphic Writer secton. Once there, you should load your font that you wish to use on the Grafile. If you don't know what font you want to use, just hit the "D" command and catalog the disk. Once you've found the font you want to load, just load it by hitting the "F" command and type in the file name, without the "set" part, it loads that automatically. Next, you need to open the Grafile. Depending on the size you wish to open it as, you will need, room on another disk for it. It's a good idea to have 1 disk completely for Grafiles. Anyways, choose the "O" command and enter the horizontal and vertical sectors (a table for different sectors are at the end of this section). The disk will whir for a while and then, the Grafile will be made. Next, choose the "W" command and make sure the Grafile disk is in the drive. You will now be prompted in front of a bunch of commands, these are the help commands, and can be displayed at anytime by hitting . Now you can type whatever you want, and when you are ready to close the Grafile, just type and then you will be back at the menu. Now, type "C" for close and the Grafile will be closed. You can now go to the dump section and print out your Grafile. In that section all you have to do is input the name of the Grafile and then justmake sure your printer is on. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Horizontal & Vertical sectors ============================= horizontal sectors for a regualar 80 co llumn piece of paper is 16. horizontal sectors for a label in perfo rated holder is 6. minimum horizontal sectors is 5. maximum horizontal sectors is 20. minimum vertical sectors is 6. maximum vertical sectors is 20. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Graphic Writer command control keys ======================================== Crtl - A = ask for help (displays screen) Crtl - B = set background color (Crtl-b + #) Crtl - C = caps lock and unlock Crtl - D = default window (reselects window to full screen) Crtl - E = erase window Ctrl - F = set foreground color (ctrl-f + #) Ctrl - G = graphic input selects current graphic input device Ctrl - H = backspace Ctrl - I = inverse Ctrl - J = linefeed Ctrl - K = reverse linefeed Ctrl - L = set linefeed spacing (ctrl-l + #) Ctrl - M = carriage return Ctrl - N = normal (cancels inverse) Ctrl - O = overlay (cancels R & T) Ctrl - P = point mode (draw with a single dot) Ctrl - Q = quit (back to graphic writer menu) Ctrl - R = replace (cancels O & T) Ctrl - S = set spacing between characters (ctrl-s + #) Ctrl - T = transparant. Invert background (cancels R & O) Ctrl - U = forward space Ctrl - V = Viewport. View file parameters Ctrl - W = set window (use I,J,K,M to set) Ctrl - X = backslash character Ctrl - Y = yank screen from Grafile (restore) Ctrl - Z = zero cursor (move to top left of screen) ESC = Use I,J,K,M to move cursor. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Fontrix Font Editor =================== SET PARAMETERS: set name - 1 to 15 characters (alphanum eric and period only) total characters - 1 to 94 first character - "!"-first "-"-last horizontal cell size - 1 to 32 vertical cell size - 1 to 32 proportional - yes/no EDIT SET COMMAND KEYS: I,J,K,M, and arrows = move cursor to choose which character to edit V = view the entire set (again to cancel) C = copy one character cell into another O = overlay one character cell over another RETURN = select a character for editing Q = quit and return to Font Editor Menu EDIT SINGLE CHARACTER COMMAND KEYS: I,J,K,M,and arrows = move cursor within character cell Space-bar = change a pixel (on/off) Ctrl - E = erase contents of character cell Ctrl - P = position within cell. (I,J,K,M,Arrows) Ctrl - X = return to edit set without saving changes to character RETURN = return to edit set and save changes to character --------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes about graphics ==================== One very important aspect of Fontrix is the ability to print graphics along with your Grafile. In other words, you want to be able to not only write words and print them out; you want to be able to include pictures along with the words. Well, Fontrix can do this. There is this thing called a Graphic; which is just a fancy word for a hi-res picture (you know, the kind you save at $2000 and $2000). If you have a specific picture that you want to load, just use the command that loads the Graphic, and make sure that you are already positioned in your Grafile (which should already be open and ready) so that when the picture is loaded, it will load into the spot in your Grafile that you want it to. This way you could load about 16 screens accross and about the same down worth of graphic pictures and print them all out at the same time! This special feature can be very useful once you find the use. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, folks, that's about all there is to Fontrix. Some of the advertisements you've seen for it are wonderfull, and you may have wondered "how do they make those great pictures?". Well, you can make them too, but Fontrix doesn't take all the hard work out of making a hi-res picture. You still need the right equiptment for it and the expertise! So keep at it! --------------------------------------------------------