FlipBook Documentation

Flip Documentation

April 06,1998 Version 0.99

What Flip is:

Flip is a small animation-like generator for the PalmPilot. Flip will only run on PalmPilot Personal or Professional, or 5000 or 1000 upgraded to 2.0 Palm OS. Flip has been tested on Palm III (OS 3.), and runs very happily there also. Flip is NOT free, it is Barterware. This means if you like it, you can send me $5, or something >worth< $5, and I will provide you with updates as time they come available. Without registering you are limited to being only able to create 2 flipsets. See the Barterware section at the end of this page for registration information.

What it does

To see an animation on your pilot, you can create a series of slides, and then "flip" them in forward, or reverse, with control over various display settings.

Please Note:

FlipBook stores images as collections of lines, or vector graphics, so that heavily shaded images should be avoided, as they are comprised of lots of little lines… Currently each slide has a maximum of 1023 lines in it.

Using the program:

When you start the program for the first time you will be asked to name your first Flipset. If there are already Flipsets on the Pilot, you will be taken to the Name New Flipset screen.

This is where you enter enter a name for the flip set. Enter the name you wish to refer to this flipbook by, and tap Start. In this example, the slide name is "Boom".

Main Screen

This is the screen where all design of flipsets is accomplished.

FlipName

At the top left of the screen is the current flipset name.

Navigation Arrows

To the right of this are two left and two right facing arrows. In order, these are the "go to beginning", "go back one slide", "go forward one slide" and "go to end". These provide quick and simple navigation between slides and roughly correspond to the fast reverse, reverse, forward and fast forward buttons on a cassette deck.

SlideCount

The current slide number and the total slide count is displayed between the arrows.

Main Draw Area

Between this top information and the buttons across the bottom of the screen is the Main Draw Area. This area is 158 pixels * 110 pixels at 1 bit black and white per pixel (ie: on or off). This is where you draw all your images.

The buttons at the bottom of the screen are "Flip", "Copy", "Cut","Paste", "Trace" and "Save".

Flip

The button at the bottom left of the screen is the main flip button. This will flip the saved slides if the current Saved slide count is >1. This button will cause the set to flip, based on your preferences (See preferences screen).

Copy

This button will copy the current saved slide into the buffer.

Cut

This button will Cut the current saved slide into the buffer. If another slide exists after the cut slide, that slide will become the current slide.

Paste

This button will paste the current buffers slide contents (if any) onto the current slide. This will not save the image automatically, or modify the image if it is saved, until you tap the "save" button.

Trace

This button will overlay the previous slides image on the current slide. This will not save the image automatically, and not save when the save button is tapped.

Save

This button needs to be tapped in order to save the current slide image. If the current slide is saved, a small black dot will appear to the left of the navigation arrows at the top of the screen.

Pen

Below this is the pen size selector. This will allow you to use different size strokes. Note that the pen size does not affect the save size of the slide.

Erase/Draw

The erase/draw button will select draw or erase mode. Draw mode will display black on white, Erase mode wil display white on black.

The Menu

Create Slide Set

This will allow you to create a new slide set

Load Slide Set

This will take you to the list of saved slide sets

Undo Last Points

This will remove the last few lines from the drawing

Preferences

This will take you to the preferences screen.

About

This will take you to the preferences screen.

-Register Flip-

This will take you to the registration screen. You can enter your registration number here, which will enable you to have as many slides per set, and as many sets as there is available RAM.

Preferences Screen

This screen controls playback of the flip mechanism.

Slide speed
This is the delay between each slide as played back. Erase controls
This will erase all the status controls, allowing a more "unhindered" playback. Erase between slides
This determines whether the slide will or will not be erased after it is drawn.

Do Not Blank At End or Beg

This will allievate the distracting "flash" at begining or the end of a running flipset.

Pong FLip

This is much like the loop function, but allows you to forward and reverse through a slide set. This is good for animation such as bouncing balls, etc.

BARTERWARE

Barterware is my humble effort to ellict a little bit of cash (preferable), or some interesting stuff from the pilot community. This program can be registered for either $5 or equivalent Interesting and Useful barter. Items of interest to me are movie tickets or similar, art, chocolate, alcohol or similar. Contact me at moa@europa.com for info on this, or send the five bucks to:

Nick Anderson

3726 N Gantenbein

Portland, OR 97227

Thanks for supporting this and future programs!

DISCLAIMER

BY INSTALLING AND USING THIS SOFTWARE YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS. UNAUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION OR DISTRIBUTION OF THIS PROGRAM OR ANY PORTION OF IT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. IN NO EVENT SHALL NICHOLAS ANDERSON, HEREINAFTER CALLED "AUTHOR" BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILTY OF SUCH DAMAGE. THE AUTHOR SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION, IF ANY PROVIDED HEREUNDER IS PROVIDED "AS IS". THE AUTHOR HAS NO OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.