       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± FXdraw ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 52 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       Welcome to the  Tel-FX Drawing Designer  by  Hamilton TeleGraphics 
       Inc. FXdraw is a full featured 256 colour high resolution drawing, 
       painting  and  graphics assembly package  intended  for  use  with 
       RoboBOARD/FX.   Every  RoboBOARD/FX  can be  totally  original  in 
       design and concept from any other Sysops BBS.   You can use FXdraw 
       to  create  screens,  menus and art work  that will make your  BBS 
       system unique.   We have accomplished a natural  feeling  Graphics 
       Designer  by using a  mouse  driven  interface,  intuitive  icons, 
       flyout sidebar menus and dragging dialogue boxes.  This section of 
       the RoboBOARD/FX Technical Documentation  is designed to introduce 
       you to the features  of  FXdraw,  by first providing  you  with an 
       overview,  then  taking you on a  Tool  by  Tool  tour of  FXdraw.  
       FXdraw is easy to use so try it out and become an expert!
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± An Overview of FXdraw ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       FXdraw is used to  create custom screens  for your BBS.   A screen 
       may  consist of icons,  buttons,  bit font text,  mondo font text, 
       drawing primitives,  and photographic images.   You can use custom 
       screens to create your own unique  GUI (Graphical User Interface). 
       Your GUI is the interface your users use to  navigate between  the 
       menus,  features,  and forums on your system.   Screens are easily 
       created  to cover  BBS functions  like Welcome,  News,  Bulletins, 
       Menus, Forums, Art Galleries, Telemarketing,  and Customer Support 
       just to mention  a few possibilities.   The screens you create are 
       used  in  conjunction  with  ROBOCFG  to  set  access levels,  set 
       language attributes,  assign commands  to buttons  and assign menu 
       names to screens, giving you absolute control over your BBS.
       
       FXdraw  comes  complete,  packed with  many  unique and innovative 
       features.  FXdraw  is  a  high  resolution  256 colour  Super  VGA 
       drawing, painting and image assembly package.   FXdraw  introduces 
       mondo fonts; large fillable banner fonts,  that can be dragged and 
       morphed into any rectangular shape.   Mondo fonts also come with a 
       very complete multilingual character set.  FXdraw has an intuitive 
       3 point arc.  Just pick 3 points on the screen and an arc is drawn 
       from beginning to end and passing through the middle point.  There 
       are  morphable ellipses  that  can be dragged into  virtually  any 
       elliptical shape. FXdraw includes splines (like Beziers) that make 
       drawing curved shapes very easy. Also included in FXdraw is a very 
       sophisticated  pop  up  icon  editor,  that gives you the tools to 
       easily draw,  transform,  and visually merge icon files.    FXdraw 
       makes  online photographic imaging a reality by implementing JPEGs 
       (Joint Photographic Experts Group).  You can let your users view a 
       full  256 colour image in realtime  or  let  them  preview  images
       using our lighting fast GreyPEG images.   FXdraw  is  an Animation 
       Mode package,  meaning entities are displayed in exactly  the same 
       sequence they are drawn in.  Animation mode is often times used to 
       move icons around the screen and create many special effects (FX).  
       FXdraw  gives  you  the  powerful online design tools,  to  easily 
       design your own leading edge BBS. 
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  System Requirements ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 53 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       As with  most windowed software  FXdraw  has  fairly  high  system  
       expectations.  FXdraw is developed to run under DOS or MSDOS,  and 
       can be operated on any IBM or true IBM compatible clone  providing 
       it  is  a  386SX  or  greater.   FXdraw is NOT a Microsoft Windows 
       Application, it is a DOS application.  If you are intending to use 
       Microsoft  Windows  or  OS/2,  FXdraw can  only be run  as  a  DOS 
       Application.   FXdraw  requires  450k  of  free  RAM and will take
       advantage  of  EMS or XMS  through  its  memory  manager.   FXdraw 
       requires a  minimum of 2 MEGs of free hard drive space at startup.  
       FXdraw  expects  a  VGA or SVGA video adapter  and  supports  many 
       popular  graphics  cards directly.   This means that if your video 
       card has  256k of  video  memory  it  will  support 16 colour  VGA 
       graphics card and if it has 512k of video memory or more,  it will 
       support  256 colour  SVGA  graphics.   The  video  cards  directly
       supported by FXdraw are  ATI,  Paradise,  Trident, Tseng 3000/4000 
       and Video7. IF you do not have one of these VGA graphics cards but 
       instead, you have another brand name of VGA video card there is no 
       need  to  worry.   FXdraw supports both  16  and  256  colour VESA 
       drivers.   VESA  drivers  are TSR (terminate  and  stay  resident) 
       software  programs  that  are  included  with  virtually every VGA 
       graphics card manufactured.  Please see the documentation included 
       with your VGA card for VESA software installation. 
       
       FXdraw performs a system check upon initialization, and if it does 
       not find the required hardware,  it will simply return you  to the 
       DOS prompt  with  an  explanatory  message.   A  software CACHE is 
       recommended,  and there is a very substantial increase in  FXdraws 
       performance speed if a math coprocessor is present in your system.  
       Much of the power demonstrated by FXdraw  is attributed to its use 
       of floating point mathematics.
       
       In order to use FXdraw  it is required  that you have a  Microsoft 
       Mouse or a Microsoft compatible mouse.   Your mouse is  your  main 
       method of communicating with FXdraw.   The rules are simple:  Your 
       Left mouse button is used to pick points  or tools  and  to accept 
       input.   Your Right mouse button cancels  the operation you are in 
       or backs you up one step at a time in the active operation.  Using 
       a mouse to pick on tools and for input makes FXdraw  a  very quick 
       drawing package to use.
       
       The FXdraw  mouse cursor  is a context sensitive  small hand.  You 
       will  only see this small hand whe  you are outside of the  active 
       drawing window.   If you are within the active drawing window  you 
       will have access to drawing cross hairs.  The  small  hand  has  2 
       modes.  If your small hand is on top an action command or tool you 
       will  see  a  Pointing  Finger.   Clicking your  left button  will 
       activate the event or function under that area of your screen.  If 
       you are not on  top of an  action command  or tool  you will see a 
       Stop Hand.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ RoboBOARD/FX supports 16 colour VGA, 256 colour SVGA,  16
       ³Colour³ colour ANSI and monochrome ANSI. We realize that the last 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ thing  SysOps like you  want to do,  is create a 16 and a 
       256 colour version of every screen. The Tel-FX Terminal and FXdraw 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  An Overview of FXdraw Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 54 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       automatically convert 256 colour SVGA to 16 colour VGA graphics if 
       only a 16 colour VGA graphics adapter is detected. We decided that 
       16 colour VGA was too limiting for users who do not have SVGA,  so 
       we extended the VGA palette to create a virtual 64 color spectrum. 
       We also chose our  256 colour palette  very carefully.  We derived 
       it mathematically to ensure a wide range of colours.   The  FXdraw 
       palette not only lends  itself  very  well  to drawing,  but  also 
       produces  excellent  results  when  displaying  JPEG  photographic  
       images.   There is also a  complete grey scale in our  256  colour 
       palette, perfect for displaying black and white photographs.  With 
       FXdraw we have created virtual VGA device independence for you!
       
       If you have a 256 colour SVGA card  but choose to work on graphics 
       in 16 colour mode, type "FXDRAW 16COL <path to your language dir>" 
       at the DOS prompt to force 16 colour mode.  
       
       If you want to provide an interface for your users who do not have 
       at least  16 colour  IBM VGA graphics  you are required  to create 
       ANSI screens.   ANSI screens will be displayed in the place of VGA 
       screens  providing  that the user  calls  using  a  terminal  that 
       emulates ANSI.  ANSI terminal emulation is extremely common, so we 
       do not feel  this will present  any hardship to your users.  There 
       are a number of  excellent Shareware ANSI  drawing programs,  that 
       can be found  on BBS systems  everywhere.   Very  basic non-colour 
       screens can be created using DOS Edit.  
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Since RoboBOARD/FX  is a windowed BBS package
       ³The FXdraw window ³ designed  for  DOS,  it designed for DOS,  it   
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ it stands to reason  that all screens created 
       in FXdraw will be drawn within a window.  By  creating  a windowed 
       BBS  your  users  can  drag  windows  around their screen  totally 
       independent of your system. If a Tel-FX Terminal (FXterm) user has 
       a 21" monitor and wants to run it at a screen resolution of 1024 x 
       768  'no problem',  your user simply  has a larger  playing  field 
       then the  standard 640 x 480  screen resolution.   Users  can have 
       multiple Bulletins  up on their screen at the same time,  the main 
       menu, a template etc.   These are just  a couple of examples  that 
       demonstrate  the  flexibility  of a  windowed interface  but  most 
       importantly  it  brings a new level  of design power  to  you  the 
       SysOp.
       
       Since 640 x 480 is the RoboBOARD/FX minimum screen resolution, you 
       are required to create all drawings  at a screen resolution of 640 
       x 480.  We have made using windows  as simple and configurable  as 
       possible;  you can  resize them,  drag them  around,   change  the 
       background colour, and change the window ID line on the fly.    If 
       you resize a window after you start drawing in it,  FXdraw  simply 
       ignores any entities outside the window and takes care of any edge 
       clipping  for  you.   RoboBOARD/FX and FXdraw bring the power of a 
       windowed online graphical user interface to you and your users!
       



       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  An Overview of FXdraw Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 55 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ A polyline  is made up of  any number  of 
       ³Polylines and Polygons³ lines, arcs and  splines that are chained
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ or  linked  together  in  an  end  to end 
       manner.   Polygons are exactly the same as polylines  except  that 
       they are closed and must have at least 2 sides.  When a polygon is 
       closed  the last point picked  with your mouse  is in exactly  the 
       same place as the first point you picked.   Polygons and polylines 
       are used  by most  high end  graphics  packages  or  systems  like 
       Microsoft Windows,  CorelDRAW and  Harvard Graphics.  Polygons and 
       polylines allow us to perform  such powerful functions  to  lines, 
       arcs and splines as grouping,   rotating,  mirroring,  stretching, 
       scaling and morphing.   Polygons and polylines give us some of the 
       necessary  ingredients,  to  address  the complexities  of  screen 
       resolution independence,  colour independence,  and multi platform
       comparability.
       
       Polygons allows for perfect colour fills every time.  Drawing with 
       polygons is not unlike using the continuous line function found in 
       most drawing and painting packages.  We  have made  polygons  very 
       flexible allowing  for the combining of  lines,  arcs and  splines 
       in a polygon.  Polygons are automatically filled with colour.   At 
       the bottom of the screen there are 2 colour bars.   The one on the 
       left controls the polygon Outline colour and the colour bar on the
       right controls  the  polygon Interior colour.    We  have  created 
       powerful polygon editing tools, to break, join, and drag segments.   
       There are also tools to move polygons  to the top or the bottom of 
       the drawing database.
       
       A drawing window can be resized in the middle of a drawing session 
       and all filled  polygons and polylines will be clipped as required 
       to fit the new window size.   When you start dragging and twisting 
       mondo  fonts  around  your  drawing  window,  remember  that  each 
       character you see is a polygon or a polyline.  This will provide a 
       quick  visual  demonstration  of some polygon and polyline powers.  
       Polygons and polylines  provide many drawing  and  data management
       advantages, and lend themselves  very well to upward comparability 
       in the future which has always been a weakness of drawing packages 
       in the past. 
       
       














       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± The FXdraw Drawing Environment  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 56 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       
       
       If you have not installed FXdraw  this would be a good time to run 
       the install program included with FXdraw.   This chapter takes you 
       on a tour of the FXdraw Drawing Environment.   We will explain the 
       screen layout  and quickly identify  the  functions found  on  the 
       flyout menus.  Before we get started  there are a couple of things 
       to check.
       
       1) Is your  Microsoft compatible mouse loaded?   As  we  discussed 
       earlier  in order to use FXdraw  it is required  that  you have  a 
       Microsoft Mouse or a Microsoft compatible mouse.   Your Left mouse 
       button is used to pick points or tools and to accept input.   Your 
       Right mouse button cancels the operation  you are in  or backs you 
       up one step at a time in the active operation.    The FXdraw mouse 
       cursor is a context sensitive small hand.   You will only see this
       small hand  when you are outside of the active drawing window.  If 
       you are within  the  active  drawing window  you will see  drawing 
       cross hairs.  The small hand has 2 modes.  If your pointer hand is 
       on  top of  an action command  or  tool  you will see  a  Pointing 
       Finger.  Clicking your  left button  will activate  the  event  or 
       function under that area of your screen.   If you are not  overtop 
       of an action command or tool you will see a Stop Hand.
       
       2) If you are using a VESA graphics driver, is it loaded?  You may 
       want  these drivers to  load  automatically  when  you  BOOT  your 
       computer.  If so use  your text editor  to  include them  in  your 
       AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
       
       If you are using the  standalone version of FXdraw,  type 'FXDRAW' 
       at the DOS prompt.  FXdraw will display its' Identification Screen 
       briefly and then load the design environment.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Lets identify  the  key components
       ³The Tel-FX Draw Screen Layout³ of the FXdraw drawing environment.
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Across the top  of your screen  is 
       the  Status Bar  and  along  the left side  is your Toolbox.   The 
       Toolbox gives you access to all the operations in  FXdraw by using 
       quick flyout menus.   Along the bottom of the screen are  2 Colour 
       Palette scroll bars.  Just above the Colour Palette scroll bars is 
       the Special Tools Area, at this time showing Grid Spacing and Line 
       types.  On a black background,  in the centre area of  your screen 
       is your design window.
       
       Lets start  at the  upper left hand corner  of your monitor screen 
       and briefly identify the various tools and screen functions. Don't 
       be afraid  to try tools out,  you  can't  do anything damaging  to 
       FXdraw.  Remember!  Your left mouse button picks  and  your  right 
       mouse button cancels.  Proceeding counter clockwise at the Toolbox. 
       
       [ The Edit Tool ]  The edit mode tool  is represented  by a  black 
       node or square on a diagonal line.  The edit mode tool toggles the 
       screen from  drawing mode to edit mode.   In edit mode the drawing  
       will be displayed  as a wire frame  with  edit nodes highlighted.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± The FXdraw Drawing Environment  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 57 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       [ The Draw Flyout ]  The Draw Flyout  is  quite naturally depicted 
       by a pencil.  The tools on this flyout menu are:
       
            The Polymorphic Ellipse Tool,   is  symbolized  by  a  circle 
            within a square. 
       
            The Rectangle Tool,  is  symbolized  by  a  filled  rectangle  
            placed overtop of another rectangle.
       
            The PolyLINE Tool,  is  symbolized by  an  irregularly shaped 
            polygon.
       
            The Spline Tool,  is  symbolized  by an  S shaped line with a 
            handle bar on each end.
       
            The PolyARC function,  is symbolized by an irregularly shaped 
            polygon made up of arcs.
       
       [ The Text Flyout ]  The Text Flyout  is  represented by  a  large 
       letter 'T'.  The tools on this flyout menu are:  
       
            The Mondo Font Tool,   is  symbolized  by  a large letter 'A'  
            being stretched.  
       
            The BIT Text Tool,  is symbolized by the letters 'Ab"  within 
            a  dashed rectangle  having an insertion point  in  the upper 
            left hand corner.
       
       [ The BIT Map Image Flyout ]  The BIT Map Image Flyout is depicted 
       by a camera.  The tools on this flyout menu are:
       
            Insert Icon Tool, is symbolized by a picture of a tree.
       
            The Draw Icon Tool, is symbolized by a pencil.
       
            The Insert JPEG Tool,  is  symbolized  by  a  photograph of a 
            face.
       
       [ The Menu Flyout ] The Menu Flyout is depicted by a small window. 
       The tools on this flyout menu are:
       
            The Embossed Button Tool, is symbolized by a raised button.  
       
            The Flush Button Tool, is symbolized by a flat button.  
       
            The Ghost Button Tool, is symbolized by a ghost on a button.  
       
       [ The Files Flyout Tool ]  The Files Flyout Tool i s depicted by a 
       diskette.   The tools on this flyout menu are:  
       
            Preview Mode Tool, symbolized by a flasher. 
       
            The New Drawing Tool,  symbolized  by  a  pencil eraser  on a 
            window. 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± The FXdraw Drawing Environment  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 58 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
            The Save Tool, is  symbolized  by  an  arrow  pointing  at  a 
            diskette. 
       
            The Load Tool, is symbolized by an arrow pointing away from a 
            diskette.
       
            The Exit Tool,  is symbolized by an arrow pointing towards an 
            open door.
       
       
       
       [ Erase Last Tool ]  The Erase Last Tool, is depicted by an pencil 
       eraser on a piece of paper.  It deletes  the  last  entry  in  the 
       database.   The erase tool  can be repeatedly pressed  to remove a 
       few or all the entries in the drawing database.
       
       [ Grid Spacing Rollers ]  FXdraw  allows  you  to draw  on a grid.  
       Simply press on the up and down  Roller Buttons to change the grid 
       spacing.   The allowable settings are 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30.  
       The drawing cross hairs  will snap to  the nearest coordinates  on 
       the grid  providing the grid spacing is set to anything above one.  
       Grid spacing five  is a very useful when placing icons on buttons,  
       grid spacing ten is a great when working with mondo fonts and grid 
       spacing thirty  is excellent  if you  are  laying out  patterns of 
       icons.  
       
       [ Line Styles ]  Just to the right of the grid spacing rollers are 
       six line style buttons.  The active line style is drawn in red and 
       the other styles are drawn in black.  Simply click on a Line Style 
       button with your pointing finger to make it active.  If you do not 
       see the Line Style buttons just click on the Draw Flyout. The Line 
       Style buttons are sometimes replaced by other tools in the Special
       Tools Area of your screen depending on which tasks are active.
       
       [ Polygon Outline Colours ] The active Outline Colour is displayed 
       in a small box in the  lower left corner  of your screen  with the 
       word OUTLINE written directly above it.   This is the  colour that 
       polylines,  polygons,  mondo text,  BIT text  and  buttons will be
       drawn in until it is changed.   To the right of the Outline colour 
       is a bar of selectable colours with a scroller on each end.  Press 
       down on the scrollers with your pointer finger  and the colour bar 
       will shift  left  or  right.   To change  the active colour simply 
       click  on a new colour  with your  pointer  finger.   The selected 
       colour box  will  be highlighted  and the Outline colour  will  be 
       updated.  As explained in the section labelled  '16 COLOUR VGA and 
       256 COLOUR  SVGA'  FXdraw will autodetect on startup  whether  you 
       have a  16 colour VGA graphics card or a  256 colour SVGA graphics 
       card. You will be able to scroll through the range of colours that 
       FXdraw supports for your video card.
       
       [ Polygon Interior Colours ]   The   active  Interior  colour   is 
       displayed  in the  bottom centre of your screen  and  has the word 
       INTERIOR directly above it.   This is the colour  that a  polygon,
       rectangle, ellipse or mondo font will be filled with. To the right 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± The FXdraw Drawing Environment  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 59 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       of the Interior colour  is  a  bar of  selectable colours  with  a 
       scroller  on  each  end.   Press down  on the  scrollers with your 
       pointer finger  and the colour bar  will shift left or right.   To 
       change  the active colour  simply click on a new colour  with your
       pointer finger.   The selected colour box  will be highlighted and 
       the Interior colour will be updated.
       
       [ Tel-FX Identification ]  In the lower right hand corner  of your 
       screen is the Tel-FX button.   The Tel-FX logo is a telephone pole 
       straddled by the letters 'FX'.  Clicking on the Tel-FX button pops 
       up an information window  in the middle  of your screen.   Version 
       Number,  Copyright,  and Trademark information  are found  in this
       window.  As with all FXdraw windows  this window  can  be  dragged 
       around your screen.  Keeping your left mouse button pressed on the 
       windows Title Bar,  you can drag the  Tel-FX  information  window 
       around the screen.   To drop the window  take your finger off  the 
       left mouse button.
       
       [ The Cross Hair Coordinates ]  When your mouse pointer  is within 
       the active drawing window the pointing hand is replaced with cross 
       hairs.   FXdraw tracks the location of your cross hairs within the 
       drawing window.   Coordinates are displayed on the status bar,  in 
       the  upper right corner  of your screen.    As you move your cross 
       hairs  within  the  drawing window,  you will see  the  coordinate 
       values are changing.   X values are affected by   left to right or 
       horizontal cross hair movement and  Y  values are  affected by  up 
       and down or vertical movement.   Coordinates of 0,0 are referenced 
       to the upper left corner of the drawing window.   When the drawing 
       window is maximized, the largest coordinates possible are 590,350. 
       If your grid spacing  is set to a value that is greater  than one, 
       your cross hairs and coordinate values will jump by that value. 
       
       [ The Drawing Window ]  As  we  discussed  in  the  section  named 
       "WINDOWS",  all screens created in FXdraw  are  drawn  in windows, 
       complete with borders  and a title bar.   When  you  start  a  new 
       drawing  the drawing window is centred  on the screen and is about 
       75% of its' maximum size.
       
       The design window is quite configurable.  In the upper left corner 
       of the drawing window  is a minus sign.   Click on the  minus sign 
       with your pointing finger,  and two windows will pop up.  The  top 
       one is  titled  WINDOW COLOUR  and  allows  you to choose  one  of 
       sixteen background colours  for your window.   With  your pointing 
       finger choose a background colour, then press the DONE button. The 
       remaining window is named  WINDOW TITLE  and allows you  to assign 
       text to the title bar  of your window.   Type the text  you  would 
       like displayed into the text field and then press DONE. The active
       drawing window will be titled  and have the background colour  you 
       selected.
       
       The title bar  can be used  to move the drawing window  around the 
       screen.  Lets maximize the size of your drawing window.   Press on 
       the title bar  with the pointing finger.   Keeping your left mouse 
       button pressed move the drawing window to the upper left corner of 
       your  screen.   To drop the window  take your finger off  the left 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±± The FXdraw Drawing Environment  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 60 ±±³
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       mouse  button.  Move your stop hand  just below  the  lower  right 
       corner of  the drawing window.   With the  pointing finger  active 
       hold the left button of your mouse down  and drag the  lower right 
       corner of the window towards  the lower right  as far  as you can.  
       With this simple method  of sizing windows  you can create windows 
       of any  rectangular size for your RoboBOARD.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Drawing with FXdraw  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       This chapter  is intended  to  familiarize  you  with  the  FXdraw  
       Drawing Tools found on the flyout menus.   You will learn  how  to 
       draw ellipses, rectangles, polylines, splines, polyarcs, use mondo 
       fonts,  use BIT Mapped text,  draw menu buttons, insert icons, and 
       preview  your  drawing.  We  will  also  use  the  Erase Last tool  
       throughout this chapter to clean up the screen.
       
       Creating a drawing in  FXdraw is similar  to drawing  a  comic  or 
       painting  with  oil paints.   As with  an oil painting, background 
       shapes are drawn and filled  with colour first and detail is added 
       to  the  surface.  In  FXdraw  background shapes  are polygons and 
       polylines of different colours and shapes.  Polylines and BIT Maps 
       provide the fine surface detail.
       
       FXdraw  is  an  Animation  Mode  package,   meaning  entities  are 
       displayed  in  exactly  the  same  sequence  they  are  drawn  in.  
       Animation mode is often times used to move icons around the screen 
       and create many special effects (FX).
       
       As discussed earlier  in order to use  FXdraw it is required  that 
       you have a Microsoft Mouse or a Microsoft compatible mouse.   Your 
       mouse is your main method of communicating with FXdraw.  The rules 
       are simple: Your Left mouse button is used to pick points or tools 
       and to accept input.  Your Right mouse button cancels or backsteps 
       the  current tool  you are in.   Using  a  mouse,  to  pick tools, 
       activate commands and for input  makes FXdraw a very quick package 
       to use.
       
       The FXdraw mouse cursor  is a context sensitive  small hand.   You 
       will only see  this small hand  when you are outside of the active 
       drawing window.   If you are within the  active drawing window you 
       will have access  to  drawing  cross hairs.   The small hand has 2 
       modes. If your pointer hand is on top of an action command or tool 
       you will see a  Pointing Finger.   Clicking your  left button will 
       activate tool  under  that area of your screen.  If  you  are  not 
       overtop of an action command or tool you will see a Stop Hand.
       
       In FXdraw all  temporary or working points  are described as Nodes 
       and  are displayed  as small circles.  These points  are placed on 
       the screen as you draw, and in some functions like the ellipse and 
       mondo fonts,  Nodes are used  to stretch them  into  shape.   Many 
       references will be made to Nodes as we draw,  and their usefulness 
       will become completely clear.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Drawing with FXdraw  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 61 ±±³
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       Note If at some point you want to quit  FXdraw click on the  Files 
       Flyout  which is depicted  by a  diskette.  Then click on the Exit 
       Tool,  symbolized  by an arrow pointing towards  an open door.   A 
       dialogue box will pop up, with the prompt EXIT FXDRAW?  Yes or No.  
       Simply click on the Yes button and exit to DOS.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The  Polymorphic  Ellipse  Tool  is
       ³The Polymorphic Ellipse Tool³ found  on  The Draw Flyout,  and is
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ symbolized  by  a  circle  within a 
       square frame.   In FXdraw all elliptical shapes can be drawn using 
       this one simple,  yet powerful ellipse tool.  They  can  range  in
       shape from a perfect circle to a figure eight.  The easiest way to 
       describe the ellipse tool is by trying it.
       
       Before we draw an ellipse  on the screen set your  Grid Spacing to 
       five.  Now click on the Polymorphic Ellipse Tool.  Pull your mouse 
       into the centre of the active drawing window,  position your cross 
       hairs and click your left mouse button.  A dashed or XOR circle is 
       drawn in the centre of your active drawing window.   It is 40 x 40 
       drawing units  and is within a square frame,  which  has a node on 
       each corner.   
       
       Lets take a moment to describe  the mouse functions;  If you  were 
       to click  your right mouse button  the ellipse function  would  be 
       cancelled,  and  the  shadowed ellipse  would  be  erased from the 
       active drawing window.   If you clicked your left mouse button the 
       ellipse  would  be  drawn  on  the  screen.   The ellipse would be 
       outlined with the  Outline Colour  and it would be filled with the 
       Interior Colour.
       
       Lets  use  your mouse  to  unlock the power  of  the ellipse tool.  
       Carefully place your cross hairs in the centre of one of the nodes 
       that make up  the  square  ellipse  frame.   Click your left mouse 
       button and begin dragging.   You will notice  that the ellipse and 
       the  frame are tracking  your cross hairs.  Click your  left mouse 
       button to accept the new position.  You can drag every node around
       until you have created an elliptical shape you are happy with.  To 
       accept the shape  simply pick a point  within  the  active drawing 
       window that is not directly above  an active node  and  click your 
       left mouse button.  The ellipse is drawn outlined  in the  Outline 
       Colour and will be filled with the Interior Colour.
       
       The  ellipse tool  will remain active  until  you  choose  another 
       function or tool.   To draw another ellipse simply pick a point in 
       the active drawing window  and click your left mouse window.   You 
       may  want to draw  a few more ellipses  and  experiment  with  the 
       Outline  and  Interior  Colour  scrollers.   Outline  and Interior
       colours may be changed at any point  up to the time you accept the 
       shape of an ellipse by clicking your left mouse button.
       
       You can clean up your screen by using the Erase Last Tool.   It is 
       depicted  by an pencil eraser  on a piece of paper and is found at 
       the bottom  of the toolbox  bar.  It simply deletes the last entry 
       in the database.  The Erase Last tool can be repeatedly clicked to 
       remove a few or all the entries in the drawing database.
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Drawing with FXdraw  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 62 ±±³
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       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The  Rectangle Tool  is  found  on  The  Draw 
       ³The Rectangle Tool³ Flyout,   and  is  symbolized   by  a  filled 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ rectangle    placed   overtop    of   another 
       rectangle.   The rectangle tool  simply provides  a quicker way to 
       draw squares and rectangles  then drawing all four sides  with the 
       polygon function.   In the  rectangle function your mouse has only
       two functions; the left button picks and the right button cancels. 
       
       To draw a rectangle first pick the rectangle tool.  Click anywhere 
       in the active drawing window to draw the first corner. A node will 
       be placed to mark that spot.   Now pull your mouse away  from  the 
       first point you picked.   A  shadowed or  XOR rectangle  is  being 
       traced on the screen tracking your mouse movement and a node is at 
       the intersection of your cross hairs. To accept the rectangle pick 
       a point  within the active drawing window.   The rectangle will be 
       drawn using the Outline Colour and filled with the Interior Colour.
       
       The rectangle tool  will remain active  until  you choose  another 
       function or tool.  If you are  drawing perfect squares,  you  will 
       find they are much easier to draw if you set the grid spacing to a 
       value greater than one.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The Polyline Tool,  found on  the Draw Flyout,
       ³The Polyline Tool³ is  symbolized   by  an   irregularly   shaped 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ polygon.  The polyline tool  is used in FXdraw 
       to  draw polylines  and closed polygons.   A polyline  is  an open 
       ended  chain  o  entities (lines,  arcs  and  splines)  whereas  a 
       polygon is closed  and filled with colour.   The rectangle and the 
       ellipse are both examples of closed polygons. They are both closed 
       shapes.
       
       To draw polylines,  first  pick  the  polyline  tool,  then  click 
       anywhere in the active drawing window.   A node will be placed  to 
       mark the spot.   Now pull your mouse away from the first point you 
       picked. A shadowed XOR line is being traced on the screen tracking 
       your mouse movement and a node has been placed at the intersection 
       of  your cross hairs.  To draw a line  click your mouse within the 
       active  drawing  window.   A  line will be drawn on the screen.  A
       shadowed XOR line  will still be  tracking  your  mouse  movement, 
       except now it will be hinged off the second point you picked.  The 
       polyline tool will draw lines and track your mouse until you click 
       your right mouse button  to cancel the command  or until you close 
       the shape. Now that you have a few lines on your screen lets close 
       the polyline and create a polygon.   Click on the very first point 
       you  picked  on the screen.   A dialogue box will pop up, with the
       prompt CLOSE AND FILL POLYGON? YES or NO.  Simply click on the Yes 
       button and the polygon  will be drawn outlined  with  the  Outline 
       Colour and filled with the Interior Colour.
       
       Now that you are familiar with the polyline tool,  draw a few open 
       ended polylines.  You can continue drawing from where you left off 
       on a polyline.  Lets try it out; Click on the end of any polyline.  
       A dialogue box  will pop up,  with the prompt  CONNECT TO POLYGON?  
       YES or NO.  Click on the YES butto  and  an  XOR line  will  begin 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Drawing with FXdraw  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 63 ±±³
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       tracking  your  mouse  movement.  You  can  continue  drawing  and 
       eventually close the polyline if you wish.   Notice that a node is 
       left on the screen at the closing point of the polygon. This makes
       it is easy to continue drawing from the end point of a polyline or 
       the closing point of a polygon.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The Spline Tool,  is  found on the  Draw Flyout,
       ³The Spline Tool³ and is  symbolized  by  an  S  shaped line  with
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ handle  bars.  Splines,  are  similar  to Bezier 
       curves.   They  are  linear  approximations  of  curved  surfaces.  
       Splines can also be described  as lines  that  have  been  chained 
       together to look like curves.  The splines in FXdraw are very easy 
       to use and a high degree of drawing flexibility  is provided using 
       dragable control nodes  and handle bars with nodes.   The nodes on 
       the end of these handle bars can be grabbed  and dragged  to twist 
       and  turn  splines  into  curved  shapes.   Splines can be chained 
       together with arcs and lines to form polylines and polygons.
       
       To draw splines, pick the spline tool,  then click anywhere in the 
       active drawing window.   A node will be  placed to mark that spot.  
       Now pull your mouse away  from  the  first  point  you  picked.  A 
       shadowed XOR line  is being  traced  on the screen  tracking  your 
       mouse movement  and a node has been placed  at the intersection of 
       your  cross  hairs.  Click your  second point  within  the  active 
       drawing window.  A straight spline is drawn between the two points 
       you picked.   There are four nodes on this spline, one at each end 
       and two spaced evenly along the spline.   The two nodes  that  are 
       spaced evenly along the spline  mark the ends  of the handle bars.  
       Click in the centre of a handle bar node and move your mouse.  You 
       will see a spline has begun tracking your mouse,  and its shape is 
       changing  as you twist the handle ba r around the screen.  Click a
       new location on the screen with your left mouse button to stop the 
       dragging and accept the new shape. Now try picking the other three 
       nodes,  drag them around the screen and turn the handle bars until 
       you have a spline that looks good.  To accept the completed spline 
       click  your  left mouse button  anywhere  in  the  active  drawing 
       window.
       
       The spline is a  continuous function  and will draw splines  until 
       you click your right mouse button to cancel the command  or  until 
       you  close  the shape.  Try drawing a few more end to end splines.  
       Lets close the shape and create a polygon. Click on the very first 
       point you picked on the screen.  Position the spline by moving the 
       nodes  and turning  the handle bars  until you are happy  with the 
       shape.   Be sure not to move the end node of your spline  off  the
       closing point.  Click anywhere in the drawing window to accept the 
       closing spline.  A dialogue box will pop up, with the prompt CLOSE 
       AND FILL POLYGON?  YES or NO.   Simply click on the YES button and 
       the polygon  will be drawn  with  the current  Outline Colour  and 
       filled with the Interior Colour.  You may  have noticed  that  the 
       order of operation to close a spline polygon is slightly different 
       then a polygon made up of arcs or lines.   This was done so that a 
       spline can be shaped before the polygon is closed and filled. Also 
       notice that a node is left on the screen to mark the closing point 
       of the polygon. 
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Drawing with FXdraw  ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 64 ±±³
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       Now that you are familiar with the spline tool, draw a couple more 
       open ended splines.   You can continue drawing from where you left 
       off on any spline, arc or line.  Lets try it out; Click on the end 
       of any spline. A dialogue box will pop up, with the prompt CONNECT 
       TO POLYGON?  YES or NO.   Click on the YES button  and an XOR line 
       will begin tracking your mouse movement.  Continue  drawing  using 
       the spline and line tools  until you have  closed the polygon  and 
       filled it with colour.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The ARC Tool is symbolized by an irregularly shaped 
       ³The Arc Tool³ polygon made up of three point arcs.  The  arc tool
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ is used to create curved arcs and polygons.  As the 
       name  suggests,   three point arcs  require  that you  pick  three 
       points, a start point, a point on the arc and a closing point. The 
       arc will then be drawn  in the direction  you picked,  starting at 
       the first point,  drawing through the second point  and  ending at 
       the third point.
       
       To draw polyarcs,  pick the polyarc tool,  then click anywhere  in 
       the active drawing window. A node will be placed to mark the spot.  
       Now pull  your mouse  away  from the first point  you  picked.   A 
       shadowed  XOR line  is being traced  on the screen  tracking  your 
       mouse movement  and a node  has been placed at the intersection of 
       your cross hairs.  Note that this is a line and will not become an 
       arc until you pick the second point.   Click  on  a  second  point
       within the active drawing window.   A shadowed  XOR arc will begin 
       tracking your mouse movement around the screen.   Complete the arc 
       by picking a third point. The polyarc is a continuous function and 
       will draw arcs  until you click your right mouse button  to cancel 
       the command or until you close the shape. After the first complete 
       arc  is drawn  on the screen only  one more point  is required  to 
       complete an arc,  because arcs inherit some of their geometry from
       the previous arc.  Try  continuing  the  arcs  for  a  couple more 
       segments.  As you can see it is not always advantageous to inherit 
       the previous arcs geometry.  Actually the bulge  can  get  out  of 
       control in places.  In  order  to  disinherit  the  previous  arcs 
       geometry click  your  right  mouse  button.   Now you are required
       to pick the next two points to complete an arc.  Try this out on a 
       few more arc segments. Now that you have a few arcs on your screen 
       lets close the polygon.  Click on the first point you picked and a  
       dialogue box will pop up,  with the prompt CLOSE AND FILL POLYGON? 
       YES or NO.  Simply click on the YES button and the polygon will be 
       drawn outlined with the current  Outline Colour and will be filled 
       with  the  Interior Colour.  Notice that a  node is  left  on  the 
       screen at the closing point of the polygon.
       Now that you are familiar  with  the polyarc tool,  draw  a couple 
       open ended  arcs.   You can continue drawing  from an existing arc 
       where you left off using arcs, splines or lines.  To  try  it  out 
       click on the Line Tool found on the Draw Flyout.  Click on the end 
       of any arc.   A dialogue box will pop up,  with the prompt CONNECT 
       TO POLYGON?  YES or NO.   Click on the  Yes button and an XOR line 
       will begin tracking your mouse movement.  You can continue drawing 
       and eventually close the polyline if you wish.   As you have  just 
       seen lines,  arcs and splines  can be chained together  to draw an 
       open polyline or closed polygon. 
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Using Text ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 65 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       Fxdraw supports both Mondo Font and BIT Mapped text.   Mondo Fonts 
       are  large vector text characters  that are made up of  end to end 
       lines,  arcs, and  splines (polygons).   Mondo Font  text  can  be 
       obliqued  and stretched  into virtually any rectangular shape,  at 
       any angle.   There are a number of Mondo Font styles included with 
       FXdraw. They range from the Classic Roman font, and the super bold 
       Bossfont to the fast Sys font.   Mondo Fonts come complete  with a 
       multilingual character set.   For a complete listing of the FXdraw 
       Mondo Font  character  set  see the Appendix.   Mondo  Fonts  make 
       creating professional looking screens very quick  and an enjoyable 
       process.
       
       BIT Mapped text is very similar to the DOS system text. BIT Mapped 
       text is fixed in height and can only be placed horizontally on the 
       screen.   There are 3 styles of  BIT Fonts  included with  FXdraw.  
       They are Tiny_6x6, Sys_8x16 and Sys_7x16.  BIT text should be used 
       if you are  labelling buttons  or using a lot of text in a screen.  
       These  three  BIT Mapped font libraries  are included  as  part of 
       every  FXterm distribution archive,  so your callers should have a
       copy on their end.  This makes sending BIT text very quick.   This 
       chapter will show you how to use the  Text Tools found on the text 
       flyout menu in the FXdraw Toolbox.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The  Mondo Font Tool  is  found on  The Text
       ³The Mondo Font Tool³ Flyout,  and is  symbolized by a  stretching  
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ 'A' within a rectangle.   Drawing with mondo 
       fonts is extremely easy,  so lets try it out.
       
       When using the mondo font tool  your left mouse button  is used to 
       pick and drag nodes.   It is also used to  accept  the  final text 
       shape.   Your right button cancels the input.   Before  we  draw a 
       Mondo Font lets set your Grid Spacing to five.  After you click on 
       the Mondo Font Tool you will notice the Special Tools Area of your 
       screen has changed.   On the left side is the Font Name Roller and 
       in the centre is the Font Preview Window.  As you roll through the
       list of fonts  you will see that each font is being drawn  in  the 
       Font Preview Window.
       
       To the immediate right  of the  Font Name rollers  is a small file 
       folder. If you click on this file folder a Files dialogue box will 
       pop up  on  your  screen.   If you have many files  the  Load File 
       dialogue box provides  a quick way  to scroll through  your  list.  
       When you  select a font file it is displayed  in the area labelled 
       SELECTED  FILE.   All  the  available font files  are displayed in
       alphabetical order  in the  file  listing  window.  To open a font 
       file,  quickly click twice on the file name  or highlight the file 
       name with a single click  and then click on the OPEN button.   The 
       dialogue box will disappear  and the font file you chose  will  be 
       displayed in the Special Tools Area.  If you want to exit the Load 
       File Dialogue box without choosing a file just click on the CANCEL
       button.
       
       Pull your mouse  into the centre  of the drawing window.  Position 
       your cross hairs and click your left mouse button. A dashed or XOR 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Using Text ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 66 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       mondo font frame will be drawn where you clicked.  The frame is 40 
       x 40 drawing units,  and has a node on each corner.   Notice  that 
       there is also a carpenters square  in the lower left corner of the 
       frame.  The horizontal bar  is blue  and the  vertical bar is red. 
       This carpenters square lets you stay orientated as you morph mondo
       fonts.
       
       Lets position the  mondo font frame  using your mouse.   Carefully 
       place your cross hairs  in the centre of one of the nodes  on  the 
       mondo font frame. Click your left mouse button and begin dragging.  
       You will notice  that  the frame  has  begun tracking  your  cross 
       hairs.   Click your left mouse button to accept the new  position.  
       Drag the nodes around  until you have a shape that looks good.  To 
       accept the shape click your  left mouse button.   A Text Input box 
       will pop up on your screen.   Type the text or words  you want  to 
       write into the input box and click DONE.  The mondo font text will 
       be drawn within the frame you picked.   Each  character  is  drawn 
       outlined with the Outline Colour  and is filled with  the Interior 
       Colour.
       
       The mondo font tool  will remain active  until you choose  another 
       tool.  You can  draw more mondo font text  simply by  clicking  on 
       another point in the active drawing window.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The BIT Text Tool is symbolized by the letters 
       ³The BIT Text Tool³ 'Ab'.  BIT Mapped text  is fixed in height and 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ can only be placed horizontally on the screen.  
       There are three styles of BIT Text included with FXdraw.  Tiny_6x6 
       is a small font that only has uppercase characters.  Sys_8x16  and 
       Sys_7x16 are the same height.  Sys_7x16 is  a narrow font  and  is 
       ideal to use where width is an issue.  Adding BIT Text to a screen 
       is simple, so lets give it a try.
       
       When using the BIT Text tool your left mouse button positions text 
       on the screen and your right button cancels input.  Before we draw 
       BIT text,  first set your  Grid Spacing to ten.  When you click on 
       the BIT Text Tool,  you will notice the Special Tools Area of your 
       screen will change.   On the left side is the Font Name Roller and 
       in the centre is the Font Preview Window.   As you list  the names 
       of the available fonts  using the roller buttons  you will see the
       fonts are being drawn in the Font Preview Window.
       
       To the right  of the  Font Name rollers  is  a  small file folder.  
       Click on the file folder  and the Files Dialogue Box  will pop up.  
       When  you  select a font file  it will be displayed  in  the  area 
       labelled SELECTED FILE. All the available font files are displayed 
       in alphabetical order in the file listing window.   To open a font 
       file,  click twice on the file name quickly  or highlight the file 
       name with  a  single click  and  click on the  OPEN  button.   The 
       dialogue box  will disappear  and  the  active file  will  now  be 
       displayed opposite the area labelled Font Name.  If  you  want  to 
       exit the Load File Dialogue box without choosing  a font file just 
       click on the CANCEL button.
       
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Using Text ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 67 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       The BIT text tool  behaves differently  then the  mondo font tool.  
       The BIT text tool needs to know what  Text or Words  you  want  to 
       write  first  so  that  it can calculate  a  string  width  before 
       positioning it on the screen.   This way you can will see an exact 
       outline  of the text  before  you  position  it.   Pull your mouse 
       anywhere  in the drawing window  and click your left mouse button.  
       The Text Input box will pop up on your screen.   Type the text you 
       want written, into the Text Input box and click DONE.  A dashed or 
       XOR BIT text frame will now track your mouse movement. You can see 
       that the insertion point for BIT text is the  upper left corner of 
       the dashed rectangle.   Carefully place your cross hairs where you 
       want the text written and  click your left mouse button.   The BIT 
       text  will be drawn  on the screen  in the current Polygon Outline 
       Colour.
       
       The  BIT text  tool  will remain active  until  you choose another 
       function  or tool.  You may want  to draw  more BIT text  on  your 
       screen and try out the different styles.  You could also try using 
       different grid lock settings to place the text in neat columns and 
       rows.
       
       Note If you are stepping through our tutorial  DOCs you have tried 
       all  the  drawing  primitives  now   and  you  have  most  of  the 
       information  you  need  to  create  drawings.   If  you  are  only 
       interested in FXdraws'  drawing capabilities you may want  to skip 
       ahead to the chapters on Files and Editing.   The chapter on Files 
       will give you the information  you need to Save  and Load file and 
       the chapter on Editing  will teach you  how make changes  to  your 
       drawings.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  BIT Mapped Images ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       Much of power  and appeal  of  FXdraw  comes from  its ability  to 
       successfully merge vector and BIT Mapped Image technology.  Vector 
       graphics  such  as  lines,  arcs,  splines  and  mondo  fonts  are 
       extremely efficient data to send in realtime between computers via 
       modems.   A screen can be filled quickly with vector graphics even 
       at 2400 baud,  making  vector graphics  the preferred  way to send 
       graphics.  There are images, like icons, photographs and GIFs that 
       can not be  portrayed  efficiently  or realistically  with  vector 
       graphics.   These types of images must be displayed as  BIT Mapped 
       Images.   FXdraw  provides  a  high  degree  of  design  power  by 
       supporting  two  types  of  BIT  Mapped  Images,  Icons  and  JPEG 
       photographs. 
       
       Icons are used by FXdraw to create menu buttons,  detailed screens 
       and to tile the background of screens.   Icons are the second most 
       efficient graphical data type  provided by FXdraw.   All icons are 
       compressed in realtime  and  decompressed  on  the  users  end  in 
       realtime.  Compression  ranges  from  between  5% and 95%  of  the 
       original icon size,  and generally is around 25%  of the  original 
       size or about 75% compressed. An example of efficient icon use is:
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Bit Mapped Images Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 68 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       If you were to  tile the  background of a screen  with  a  pattern 
       created using four icons then only four icons would be sent to the 
       users  end.  The background  screen pattern  would be displayed as 
       fast as the  hardware on the users end.   FXterm stores  and  time 
       manages  icons  on  the  users  end.   Before an icon is sent some 
       communication  takes place  between  the  BBS  and FXterm.  FXterm
       checks to see if an icon exists on its end,  and notifies  the BBS 
       preventing icons from being sent more than once.  Icons are stored 
       in libraries  which can contain up to 64 icons.   The icons within 
       these icon files are named by their CRC value.  This means  that a 
       unique name  is given to every icon  based on its pixel values  so 
       you  do not have  to  worry about  naming  icons.   FXdraw  is  an 
       Animation Mode package,  meaning entities are displayed in exactly 
       the same sequence they are drawn in. Animation mode is often times 
       used to  move icons around  the  screen and  create  many  special 
       effects (FX).
       
       Companies providing online services,  SysOps with marketing ideas, 
       special interest groups and BBSs that offer GIFs will benefit from 
       FXdraws  unique  photographic  BIT Mapped graphics.   FXphoto is a 
       standalone image processor  included with  FXdraw which is used to 
       convert GIFs  to either colour  or  grey scale  JPEG  photographic 
       images which then can be included as part of a screen  created  in 
       FXdraw.   When compared with drawings and icons  JPEG Photographic 
       images are a less efficient way  to  send graphical data,  however
       JPEGs  are also the  most graphically explicit data  that  can  be 
       sent.   We suggest for  efficiency  sake  that  whenever  possible 
       images are kept to a small size.   Images are  precompressed using 
       our image compressor named FXphoto.  We provide direct support for 
       the GIF or graphic interchange format only.  If you intend  to  do 
       much   image  processing  you  will  want  to  purchase  an  image 
       converter/manager/manipulator.   This way you can convert from any 
       of the many other image formats,  and crop or scale your images to 
       an appropriate size  to  send  them  over  a  modem.  Some example 
       applications for JPEGs are:   A SysOP creates a preview screen  of 
       this weeks four hot new ray traced images he has for download.   A 
       car collector association  wants to put people  all over the world 
       on the trail of a rare car.   A realty  company is showing a floor 
       plan and a photo of a cottage retreat they have listed.  In  these 
       three  cases a more  complete information package  could  be  made 
       available for  download  and  viewing or a larger image  could  be 
       available for viewing in realtime.   This chapter will demonstrate 
       how to use the Tools found on the BIT Map Flyout. We will also use 
       the  Undo edit tool  throughout  this chapter  to  clean  up  your 
       drawing screen.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The  Insert Icon Tool  is found on the  BIT
       ³The Insert Icon Tool³ MAP  Flyout  under  the  camera,   and   is 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ symbolized by an icon showing a panorama of 
       a tree in a field.   All the Tools you find in the  FXdraw toolbox 
       are represented by icons which are placed on buttons. Used in this 
       manner icons provide a very intuitive and  efficient interface for 
       users.   Icons are chosen from  icon libraries  that either you or 
       someone else has created.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Bit Mapped Images Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 69 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       The standard FXdraw icons are 30 x 30 drawings units.  This  is  a 
       fixed size,  however more that one icon can be placed side by side 
       or overtop of each other to create different effects. Icons can be 
       drawn in the Icon Editor using up to 16 VGA colours.
       
       When using the  Insert Icon Tool  your left mouse button positions 
       icons on the screen and  your right button cancels input.   Before 
       inserting any icons, first set your Grid Spacing to thirty.   When 
       you click on the  Insert Icon Tool  you  will  notice the  Special 
       Tools Area of your screen will change.   On the  left side  is the 
       Icon File Roller and in the centre is the Icon Preview Window.  As 
       you list the names of the available icon files  using  the  roller 
       buttons, you will see the first icon  from each file will be drawn 
       in the Icon Preview Window.
       
       To the right of the Icon File Rollers is a small file folder.   If 
       you click on this file folder the  Files Dialogue Box  will pop up 
       on your screen. The Load File dialogue box provides a quick way to 
       choose an icon file.  When you select an icon file it is displayed 
       in the area labelled SELECTED FILE at the top of the dialogue box.  
       All the available icon files are  displayed in alphabetical  order 
       in the file listing window.   To open an icon file,  quickly click 
       twice on the file name.    You can also  highlight the  file  name 
       with a single click and then click on the OPEN button. If you want 
       to exit the  Load File Dialogue  box without choosing  a file just 
       click on the CANCEL button.
       
       Now that you  have chosen an icon file  you may want  to view  the 
       icons in that file or  choose a different icon to insert.   Simply 
       click on  the Icon Preview Window  in the  Special Tools Area.   A 
       large window that is  divided into 64 squares will  pop up on your 
       screen.   Click on any icon displayed,  the  Icon Selection Window 
       will drop and the icon you chose will be drawn in the Icon Preview 
       Window.   Pull your mouse anywhere in the drawing window and click
       your left mouse button.   The icon you chose  will be drawn on the 
       screen.
       
       The Insert Icon Tool  will remain active  until you choose another 
       function or tool.  Try inserting more icons on the screen and with 
       your grid lock set to thirty try placing icons in patterns.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The Icon Editor Tool  found on  The BIT Map 
       ³The Icon Editor Tool³ Flyout  is pictured by a Pencil.  The  Icon
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Editor in FXdraw is both simple to use  and 
       powerful.  Icons can be copied, moved, mirrored, rotated,  shifted 
       and file merged.   All the icon management tools  are  represented 
       visually by  icons and the interface  is mouse driven  making  the 
       Icon Editor a natural tool to use.
       
       When you choose  the Icon Editor Tool,  a Files Dialogue  box will 
       pop up on your screen.  All the available icon files are displayed 
       in alphabetical order  and you can scroll through them in the file 
       listing window.  When you select an icon file  it is displayed  in 
       the area labelled SELECTED FILE at the top of the dialogue box. To 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Bit Mapped Images Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 70 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       open an icon file,  quickly click twice on the file name.  You can 
       also highlight the file name with a single click and then click on 
       the OPEN button. To start a new icon file click on the NEW button.  
       The File Name input window will pop up.  Type in the name for your 
       new file, then click DONE.  If you want to exit the Files Dialogue 
       box without choosing a file just click on the CANCEL button.
       
       After you have chosen an  icon file the editor will pop up on your 
       screen.  The Icon Editor  is in a window  and the  icon  file  you 
       chose will be listed on the title bar.  Before we try using any of 
       the features of the icon editor, lets take a few minutes to become 
       familiar with the icon editor buttons and tools.  Starting  in the 
       upper right hand corner and proceeding clockwise.  
       
       [ LOAD Button ]   To  load an icon  into the drawing area  of  the 
       editor click  on the LOAD button.  The Icon Selection  window will 
       pop up on your screen.   The Icon Selection window has 64 squares, 
       however there may not be an icon in every one.   To select an icon 
       click on it  with your pointing finger.  The Icon Selection window 
       will drop and the  icon you clicked on  will drawn  in the drawing 
       area of the Icon Editor window.   The icon will  be  substantially 
       enlarged so that you can edit each individual pixel.
       
       [ SAVE Button ]  To save an icon  into a file click  on  the  SAVE 
       button and the  Icon Selection window  will pop up on your screen.  
       You can save an  icon  over top of any icon displayed in the  Icon 
       Selection window by clicking on that icons square. You can save an 
       icon  as  new by clicking  on a  blank square  with  your pointing 
       finger. In either case the square will be updated with the icon in 
       the drawing window of the icon editor.   Note that if you  save an 
       icon overtop of an existing icon the original icon is gone. 
       
       [ FILE Button ]  To change icon files pick the FILE button and the 
       Files Dialogue box will pop up.  All the available icon files will 
       be displayed in alphabetical order in the file listing window.  To 
       open an icon file, click twice quickly on the file name.  You  can 
       also highlight the file name with a single click and then click on 
       the  OPEN button.  To create a  new icon file  click  on  the  NEW 
       button.  The File Name window will pop up.   Type in the  name you 
       want the icon file to have and then click on DONE.  If you want to 
       exit the Files Dialogue box without choosing a file  just click on 
       the CANCEL button.   After choosing an existing icon file or a NEW 
       icon file,  you will notice that the file name on the icon editors 
       title bar has been updated to reflect your choice.  
       
       Changing icon files  does not affect the icon  in the drawing area 
       of  the  editor.  If you want to choose a different icon  from the 
       file you just opened  you have to  use the LOAD button.   Actually 
       this is the key to moving icons between icon files.   To  copy the 
       icon in the drawing area of the icon editor  pick the  SAVE button 
       and click on one of the blank frames. Don't worry about cluttering 
       up your icon files,  you can load a blank icon into the editor and
       copy it over top of any icons you don't want and they will be gone 
       forever.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Bit Mapped Images Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 71 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       [ EXIT Button ]  The EXIT button  simply closes  the  icon  editor 
       window and returns control to the FXdraw environment.
       
       [ Icon Preview Window ]  Just below the  EXIT button  is the  Icon 
       Preview Window.  The changes you make  to an icon  in  the drawing 
       area  of the icon editor  are displayed as you make them  in  this 
       window.  Icons  are  displayed  at  their actual size  in the Icon
       Preview window. 
       
       [ CLEAR Button ]  The  CLEAR button  completely  clears  the  icon 
       editor drawing window.
       
       [ DRAW Button ]  The  DRAW button  puts the  icon editor into draw 
       mode. Pick a colour from  the colour bar and start painting in the 
       drawing area with your pointer finger.
       
       [ EXCHANGE Button ]  The  EXCHANGE button  changes one colour  for 
       another.   To exchange colours  pick a colour from the colour bar, 
       then  click on the target colour  in  the  drawing  area.  All the 
       pixel or squares that were on the target colour  will be exchanged 
       for the colour you picked from the colour bar.
       
       [ COLOUR Bar ]  Along the bottom  of the  Icon Editor Window  is a 
       colour bar.  There are 16 standard  DOS colours in the colour bar.  
       On the right end of the colour bar is a grey checkered colour box.  
       This is the see through colour.  Any pixel that is drawn using the 
       see through colour  will be transparent  when an  icon is inserted 
       into an FXdraw drawing.    On the left side of the colour bar is a 
       small window where the active colour can be viewed.
       
       [ SHIFT Buttons ]  There are four  SHIFT buttons  that are  shaped 
       like  arrow  heads.  They are located  on each edge of the drawing 
       area, and indicate what direction the image will be shifted. Click 
       on any  of these shift buttons  and the image  in the icon drawing 
       area will be shifted  one pixel in that direction.  Images  can be
       shifted until they are pushed out of the drawing area.  Once a row 
       of pixels  has been pushed out of the drawing area  they cannot be 
       recovered.
       
       [ MIRROR Buttons ]  There are two  MIRROR buttons  that are shaped 
       like double headed arrows. They are located in the top left corner 
       and on the top left side of the drawing area.   They indicate what 
       direction the image will be flipflopped.  Click on either of these 
       MIRROR buttons  and the image  in  the icon drawing area  will  be 
       mirrored or flipped over. The flip is hinged off the red baselines 
       that indicate the centerlines of the drawing area.
       
       [ ROTATE Button ]  There  is a  ROTATE button  in  the  upper left 
       corner that is shaped like an arrow with a right angle bend in it.  
       The arrow indicates what direction the image will be rotated.  The 
       image  is   rotated  around  the  intersection   of  the  two  red  
       centerlines.


       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Bit Mapped Images Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 72 ±±³
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       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ One  of  the  powers  of FXdraw is
       ³Inserting Photographic Images³ that   you    can   insert    JPEG 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ photographic images into drawings.  
       JPEG is an acronym for Joint Photographic Experts Group.  JPEG  is 
       actually a standard for colour image compression. JPEG compression
       is known as lossy compression.   The user of  JPEG technology  can 
       adjust  the  compression  parameters  to  achieve an  increase  in 
       compression in return for loss of image quality.  The actual image 
       compression is performed by a standalone  program called  FXphoto.  
       FXphoto is included with  FXdraw and converts GIF images to colour 
       or black and white JPEGs.  If you want to crop or scale GIF images 
       or if you want to convert TIFFs, BMPs etc.to GIFs you will require 
       image processing software.   There are a number of  good shareware
       image processing software packages available.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Creating Menus in FXdraw ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       Menus for RoboBOARD/FX or Tel-FX DOORs are created in FXdraw.  Any 
       screen can be a menu by adding menu buttons and assigning keyboard
       characters to the buttons.  
       
       There are three types of buttons supported in FXdraw. The Embossed 
       Button  has  a raised surface appearance  and  flattens to  become 
       flush when it is pressed.  The  Flush Button  which  as  the  name 
       indicates is perfectly flat, indents when it is pressed.    FXdraw 
       also supports a  Ghost Button which shows up as a dashed rectangle 
       in FXdraw but is never seen by the end user.   The Ghost Button is 
       actually  not a button at all but rather  it is a HOT area  of the 
       screen.   The Ghost Button allows a SysOp  to set up a menu system 
       where actions  are chosen  by clicking on icons  or  text  without 
       buttons.  Typically menus are buttoned.   Icons are usually placed 
       on buttons to represent an action that the user should be familiar 
       with.   Text can be written on buttons  or placed anywhere  around 
       the buttons  to indicate the HOT Key  and  to add clarity  to  the 
       menu.
       
       We have designed a simple system  for creating menus  that links a 
       keyboard character to a button.  After buttons are drawn in FXdraw 
       and HOT Key characters are assigned to buttons, ROBOCFG.EXE is run 
       to attach RoboBOARD/FX Menu commands to the buttons.   In  ROBOCFG 
       you pick the drawing file and the HOT Key characters are  assigned 
       in the configuration template.  You  can  then  attach  menus  and 
       commands to buttons and apply access levels to the buttons.   When 
       the Tel-FX drawing file is interpreted by  FXterm it automatically  
       attaches the HOT Key character to the button.  If  a  user picks a 
       menu button on the terminal end,  the character value  is returned 
       to the  BBS triggering an event or a command.    This is  only  an  
       overview of menu creation.    Creating menus is discussed  in more 
       detail in the RoboBOARD/FX DOCs.
       
       The Button Tools are found on The Menu Flyout symbolized by a tiny 
       FXdraw Window with buttons on it.   Drawing a button  is  not  any 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Creating Menus in FXdraw Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 73 ±±³
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       different then using the rectangle tool.   After you draw a button 
       the  HOT Key  dialogue box  will pop up  and  request  a  keyboard 
       character to attach to the button. Try out the different styles of 
       buttons.   Buttons can be drawn any size  so you will find that it 
       is often advantageous to lock your Grid Spacing and watch the grid
       coordinates when drawing.   This is an especially good idea if you 
       plan to insert icons on top of buttons. 
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  The FXdraw File Functions ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       FXdraw uses a 2 tier file system, source files and compiled files.  
       There is no need for you to understand the inner workings of these 
       files to use FXdraw at an expert level,  and the remainder of this 
       section is included for information purposes only.  
       
       The source code  file types  have  TFX, M FS,  JPG,  ICO  and  BIT 
       extensions.  They are created for ease of use and understanding by 
       third party developers.   The TFX (Tel-FX drawing) file is written 
       in   simple   plain  english  instructions   which  are  read  and 
       interpreted into drawings by FXdraw.   The ICO (icon source files) 
       BIT (bit mapped text)   JPG (JFIF compliant files)  files  are  in
       binary form and will look garbled and have no apparent  meaning if 
       you type them to the screen. 
       
       FXdraw   automatically  creates  a  compiled  file  type  used  by 
       RoboBOARD/FX  to optimize the  Tel-FX Graphical Protocol.   A  BLB 
       (compiled database blob) and an  IDX (index file) file are created 
       by FXdraw at Save time.   The compiled database blob contains ONLY 
       the information required to reproduce the screen you created, such 
       as mondo font character definitions,  icons,  and the compiled TFX 
       file.  This provides an  excellent method for distributing screens
       and art work in a secure format.  
       
       The Files Flyout Tool is depicted by a diskette.  The tools on The 
       Files Flyout are used  to preview drawings,  open new files,  save 
       files, save file as, load, and to exit FXdraw.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The  Preview  Mode  Tool  is  symbolized  by a
       ³Preview Mode Tool³ little flasher  and is found under  the  Files 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Flyout. It is used to view a drawing or screen 
       exactly the way that an end user will see it.  
       
       Click on the little flasher and the screen will be redrawn without 
       nodes.   A dialogue box named Preview will pop up in the middle of 
       your screen.   You will probably want to drag it to the bottom out 
       of the way so that  you can preview the entire drawing.   CONTINUE 
       is the only option in the Preview dialogue window,  and  when  you 
       pick it you will be returned to the normal drawing environment.




       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  The FXdraw File Functions Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 74 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿  The  New Drawing Tool  is  symbolized by a 
       ³The New Drawing Tool³  pencil eraser on a window.   It allows you 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ  to create  a new drawing  and  abandon the 
       drawing on the screen without saving any changes. 
       
       Click the Eraser and the  Start New Drawing  dialogue box will pop 
       up on your screen.  Choosing the YES option will clear the drawing 
       area  and  display  the  default  drawing  window  with  the  grey 
       background.  You  will also  notice  that  the drawing name on the 
       Status Bar will changed to NONAME.TFX.   Choosing  the  NO  option 
       returns you to the drawing environment without making any changes.  
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The Save Tool is symbolized  by an arrow pointing
       ³ The Save Tool³ at a diskette meaning the current drawing will be 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ saved TO  the hard drive  from the FXdraw editor.  
       The  Save Tool  allows you  to save a drawing by its current name, 
       save a drawing to a different name,  or save an unnamed drawing to 
       a name.  The current drawings name  is  always  displayed  on  the 
       FXdraw Status Bar.
       
       Pick the Save Tool and the Files Dialogue box will pop up. All the 
       TFX   drawings  in  the   DOS  directory   will  be  displayed  in 
       alphabetical order in the file listing window.   The current  file 
       name will be displayed in the rectangle under the heading SELECTED 
       FILE.  To save your drawing to the name in the  SELECTED FILE box, 
       click on the SAVE button.  
       
       To save your drawing  to a different name   click on the  SAVE  AS 
       button.  The File Name dialogue box will pop up.  Type in the name 
       you want the current drawing  to have and then click on DONE.   If 
       you click DONE without specifying a file name  the drawing will be 
       saved to NONAME.TFX.   You will also notice that  the drawing name 
       on the Status Bar will change to NONAME.TFX.  To  exit  the  Files 
       Dialogue box without saving your current drawing just click on the 
       CANCEL button.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The Load Tool  is symbolized by  an arrow pointing
       ³The Load Tool³ away from a diskette  meaning the TFX file will be 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ loaded FROM the hard drive  to the drawing editor. 
       Pick the Load Tool  and the  Files Dialogue box  will pop up.  All 
       the available TFX files will be displayed in alphabetical order in 
       the file listing window. To open an icon file, click twice quickly 
       on  the  file  name.  You can also highlight  the file name with a 
       single click and then click on the OPEN button.  If  you  want  to 
       exit the Files Dialogue box  without choosing a file just click on 
       the CANCEL button.  
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The Exit Tool  is symbolized  by an arrow pointing
       ³The Exit Tool³ towards an open door.   If you  click on the  Exit
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Tool a  dialogue box  will  pop up  asking  if you 
       really want to leave, YES or NO.  This gives you an opportunity to 
       change your mind in case you forgot to SAVE your drawing first.
       
       
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Editing ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 75 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       During  the  drawing  process  it often  becomes  advantageous  or 
       necessary to make changes to your drawing.  In  keeping  with  the 
       simplicity of  FXdraw we have created  an  interactive  point  and 
       shoot  editing  environment.   You  can  change  every  aspect  of 
       absolutely every entity on your screen.   You  have  control  over 
       colour, position, text strings, BIT Maps and the TFX database.
       
       FXdraw has two modes,  they are Draw Mode and Edit Mode.  The Edit 
       Tool is symbolized by a  black node  or square on a diagonal line.  
       The Edit Tool  is located  at the top of the  FXdraw Toolbox.  The 
       Edit Tool  toggles the screen  from Drawing Mode to Edit Mode.  In 
       Edit mode your drawing is displayed as a wire frame.  Colour fills 
       are not displayed when in wire frame mode making it easy to change 
       entities that are behind filled polygons.  The change from drawing 
       to edit mode is very obvious but do not be alarmed,  FXdraw reacts 
       almost exactly the same in edit mode as draw mode.   Editing  will 
       be completely explained in this chapter.   First we will cover the 
       general rules and then detail entity editing.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄ¿ The  mouse works  exactly the same  in edit mode  as  draw 
       ³Mouse³ mode. The left button picks nodes, drags nodes and accepts
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÙ changes.  The right mouse button cancels  the edit changes 
       if they have not yet  been accepted with the left mouse button.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Each entity  in the drawing database  is represented  by a
       ³Nodes³ small yellow ID node.   The small square yellow ID node is 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÙ placed  at the insertion point,  midpoint  or  endpoint of 
       every entity.  Many entities used in FXdraw  are complex  entities
       or entities  that have more than one or two  edit points.   As you 
       will see displaying only one ID node per entity  really  cuts down 
       on screen clutter.   When you click on one of the  small yellow ID 
       nodes that represent an entity all the  Edit Nodes associated with 
       that entity will be illuminated and the entity will begin to flash 
       on your screen.   If the flashing entity  is part of a polygon the 
       remainder of the polygon will light  up or XOR  for identification 
       purposes.  Edit Nodes  are slightly larger then ID nodes  and  are 
       circular in shape.  Edit Nodes can be clicked on and interactively 
       repositioned with your mouse.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ It is often advantageous  to change the
       ³Window Background Colour³ drawing window,  background colour when
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ editing. Depending on the colour of the 
       entity you are editing, changing  the background colour can create 
       better contrast for detailing or for editing.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ It is  possible to change  the colour of
       ³ Changing Entity Colour³ polygons,    BIT  text,    mondo  fonts, 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ rectangles  and  ellipses.    To  change 
       colours simply click on a yellow ID node. When the selected entity 
       starts flashing its current colours will be set on the colour bar.  
       Select new colours and click anywhere in the edit window with your 
       left mouse button  to accept the changes.   
       

       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Editing Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 76 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ FXdraw  is   an
       ³ Changing  an  Entities Position in the Database³ animation  mode
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ drawing package
       and that means that entities or  groups of entities  are displayed 
       in exactly the same sequence they are drawn.  Fxdraw allows you to 
       move an entity to  the front or back of the drawing.   For example 
       this feature would  let you to draw  a foreground object  and then 
       add the background to the drawing.  When you click on an entity ID 
       node and it begins flashing you will notice that the Special Tools 
       Area of your screen has changed.  On the right side of the Special 
       Tools Area are four edit buttons.   The two top buttons change the 
       position of an entity in the drawing.  The  button that  moves  an 
       entity to the back of the drawing  is symbolized by a dashed light 
       blue rectangle that is partially behind a dark blue rectangle. The
       button  that  moves an  entity  to the front  of  the  drawing  is 
       symbolized by a dashed light blue rectangle  that is in front of a 
       dark blue rectangle.  When the Move to Front or the  Move to  Back 
       button is clicked,  edit mode is exited.  The  flashing entity  is 
       moved according  to  your  choice the  changes  are  displayed  in 
       drawing mode. In the case of a polygon the entire XOR polygon will 
       be moved.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Entities can be erased  from your drawing when
       ³Erasing an Entity³ you are in edit mode.   When you  click on  an 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ entity  and it begins flashing you will notice 
       that the  Special Tools Area  of your screen  has changed.  On the 
       right side  of  the  Special Tools Area  are four edit icons.  The 
       lower right icon, symbolized by a pencil eraser, is used to delete 
       or erase entities from the drawing. You may have noticed that when 
       you  click on a polygon while in edit mode  that  only the segment 
       you picked flashes and the rest of the polygon lights up.  If  you 
       click on  the  Pencil Eraser  a dialogue box  will  pop up  asking 
       "DELETE POLYGON SEGMENT?",  YES or NO.   If  you  choose  YES  the 
       flashing polygon segment will be erased  and the remainder  of the 
       polygon will not be erased.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Polygons are the prime entities  used to create
       ³Editing Polygons³ drawings in FXdraw. Being able to edit polygons 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ provides important design freedom when creating 
       screens in FXdraw.   Polygons are composed of  splines,  arcs  and 
       lines  that are  chained together  end to end.   Each segment of a 
       polygon has a Square yellow ID node placed at their midpoint. When 
       you click on a square yellow ID node the entire polygon will (XOR) 
       or light up and the segment you selected will begin flashing.  The 
       edit nodes you see will depend upon whether you chose a line,  arc 
       or spline.  Edit nodes are placed on each endpoint of a LINE. Edit
       nodes are placed on each endpoint of an ARC and the midpoint. Edit 
       nodes are placed on the four control points of a SPLINE and handle 
       bars are provided.  When editing polygons  you are given  the same 
       points that you used to create the polygon in draw mode.
       
       When you move the end point of one polygon segment you also effect 
       the  adjoining polygon segment.   This is  always the case  except 
       when you pick the closing point  of a polygon,  in which case  the 
       end point can simply be moved off the other closing end point. 
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Editing Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 77 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ In some cases  it is desirable  to split one
       ³ Splitting Polygons³ polygon into two polylines.   After you have
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ clicked  on an  ID node  and  an  entity  is 
       flashing you will notice that in the  Special Tools Area  of  your 
       screen there are four edit icons.  The lower left icon, symbolized 
       by 'arrows pointing  in opposite directions  placed parallel  to a 
       line',  is used to split polygons.  If  you  click  on  the  Split 
       Polygon button,  a  dialogue box will  pop up  asking you  if  you 
       "SPLIT POLYGON SEGMENT?",  YES  or  NO.   If  you  choose  YES the 
       polygon will be split and  the two end points will be  moved apart 
       slightly to make the change apparent.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ It is possible to  join two polygons  to create
       ³Joining Polygons³ one.   First click on an  ID node to select the
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ entity you want to join.  The entity will begin 
       flashing and edit nodes will be displayed.  Simply click on an end 
       point edit node  and drag it over  to the end point  of  the  open 
       polygon you want to join with.   A dialogue box will pop up asking 
       "CONNECT TO POLYGON?", YES or NO.   If  you  choose  YES  the  two 
       polygons will be joined.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ It is very simple  to change line  attributes
       ³Changing Line Type³ in  edit mode.  First  click on an ID node to
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ choose  the polygon  you want to change.  The 
       entity will begin flashing and remainder of the polygon will light 
       up (XOR).   Click on a line style button  and  then click anywhere 
       in the active drawing window with your left mouse button to accept 
       the changes.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ To edit an Ellipse  click on the ID node found
       ³ Editing Ellipses³ at its  insert point.   Four  edit  nodes  are 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ displayed,  one on each corner of the  ellipse 
       frame.   The ellipse tool reacts exactly the same in edit mode and 
       draw mode.   To change the shape of the  ellipse click on any edit 
       node and drag the ellipse into a new shape.  Click anywhere in the 
       active  drawing  window  with  your  left mouse button  to  accept
       the changes.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ To edit  a  Rectangle click  on the  ID  node 
       ³Editing Rectangles³ found  at its  insert point.   Two edit nodes
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ are displayed,  one at the  same location  as 
       the ID node  and the second at the diagonal  on the rectangle.  To 
       reposition  the  rectangle click on the edit nodes  and  drag  the 
       rectangle into a new shape.   The  rectangle tool behaves the same 
       in edit mode and draw mode.   Click anywhere in the active drawing
       window with your left mouse button to accept the changes.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ Editing  Mondo  Fonts   is  very  much  like
       ³Editing Mondo Fonts³ drawing them.  To edit a mondo font click on 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ the  ID node  found  at its insertion point.  
       The mondo font entity will begin flashing.   Four  edit nodes  are 
       displayed,  one on each corner of the mondo font frame.  You  will 
       also notice the Special Tools Area of your screen has changed.
       
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Editing Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 78 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       The mondo font tool  reacts exactly the same in edit mode and draw 
       mode.   To change the shape of the mondo font  click on any of the 
       edit nodes and drag it into a new shape.
       
       It is very simple to change the mondo font line attributes.  Click 
       on the line style button you want to assign to the mondo font.  To 
       change the colour of mondo fonts, use the colour scroll bars.  You 
       can select  new interior and outline colours  by clicking  on  the 
       colour bars.
       
       If you want  to change the font style  click on the  small  yellow 
       file folder in the  Special Tools Area of your screen and the Load 
       File  dialogue box will  pop up  in the middle of your screen.  To 
       change  font files highlight  the  file name with a click and then 
       click on the OPEN button.  The dialogue box will disappear and the 
       active file will now be displayed opposite  the area labelled Font 
       Name. 
       
       To change the text string  click on the 'ABCabc' in the font style 
       preview window.   A  Text Input dialogue box  will pop up  in  the 
       middle of your screen.   Type in the text changes you want to make 
       and click DONE.
       
       To accept any or all the changes outlined above  click anywhere in 
       the active drawing window with your left mouse button.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ To edit  BIT text click on the ID node found at 
       ³Editing BIT Text³ its insertion point.   The BIT  Text frame will
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ begin  flashing.      Only  one  Edit  node  is 
       displayed at the insertion point of the text string. When the text 
       string is flashing you will also notice the  Special Tools Area of 
       your screen has changed.  BIT Text can be repositioned by clicking 
       on the edit node and dragging it to a new location.
       
       To change the colour of mondo fonts,  use the colour scroll bar to 
       select a different Outline colour. 
       
       If you want  to change the font style  click on  the  small yellow 
       file folder in the Special Tools Area of your screen  and the Load 
       File dialogue box  will  pop up  in  the  middle  of  your screen.  
       Highlight the file name  with a click  and then  click on the OPEN 
       button.   The dialogue box will disappear and the active file will 
       now be displayed opposite the area labelled Font Name.
       
       To change the text string click on the  'ABCabc' in the font style 
       preview window.    The Text Input dialogue box  will pop up in the 
       middle of your screen.   Type in the text changes you want to make 
       and click DONE.
       
       To accept any or all the changes outlined  above click anywhere in 
       the active drawing window with your left mouse button.
       


       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  Editing Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 79 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ To edit an  Icon click on the ID node found at its
       ³Editing Icons³ insertion  point.    The  Icon  frame  will  begin 
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ flashing.   Only one Edit node is displayed at the 
       insertion point  of  an  Icon.   An icon  can be  repositioned  by 
       clicking on the edit node and dragging it to a new location.
       
       If you want to change the Icon File click on the small yellow file 
       folder in the Special Tools Area  and  the  Load File dialogue box 
       will  pop up  in the middle  of  your  screen.   The  dialogue box 
       provides a quick way to change icon files. Highlight the file name 
       with a click and then click on the OPEN button.   The dialogue box 
       will disappear and  the new icon file  will be displayed  opposite
       the area labelled Icon File.
       
       To exchange the icon for different one click on the  Icon Preview 
       Window.   A  window  will  pop up  on  your  screen  titled  Icon 
       Selection.   Click on any icon  displayed in the  Icon  Selection 
       Window.  The Icon Selection Window  will drop  and  the icon  you 
       chose will replace the icon being edited.
       
       To accept any or all the changes outlined above  click anywhere in 
       the active drawing window with your left mouse button.

       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ JPEG images can only be moved or deleted.  To edit
       ³Editing JPEGs³ a JPEG  frame click on the ID node located at  its   
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ insert point.   One edit node will be displayed in 
       the upper left corner of the JPEG frame.  You  can move  the  JPEG 
       frame to a  different location  on the screen  by clicking on  the 
       edit node and dragging the frame.   You can  delete the JPEG  from 
       the drawing by pressing the delete key  or clicking on  the delete 
       button when the frame is flashing.
       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ To edit a Button click on the ID node located at 
       ³Editing Buttons³ its insert point.  Two edit nodes are displayed,
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ one at the same location as the  ID node and the 
       second at the diagonal on the button.  To  reposition  the  button 
       click on the edit nodes and drag the button into a new shape.  The 
       button tool  behaves the same  in edit mode and draw mode.   Click 
       anywhere in the active drawing window  with your left mouse button 
       to accept the changes.














       
       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³±±±  FXterm ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 80 ±±³
       ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
       
       RoboBOARD/FX comes with  a very powerful  yet lightweight terminal 
       package called FXterm.  We put a  lot of effort  into  creating  a 
       first class terminal for your users;  a terminal  that you will be 
       proud to distribute.  This terminal is Free and we want to keep it 
       that way,  so to protect our trademarks  and right of ownership we 
       ask that you read the FX-Terminal Licence Agreement in the back of 
       these Documents.   
       
       FXterm is a multi resoulution SVGA terminal  that supports  Tel-FX 
       Graphics Mode, colour ANSI and mono ANSI.  The graphics modes that 
       are  supported  are  1024x768x256,  800x600x256,  640x480x256  and 
       640x480x16.   ANSI is also supported so users will be able to play 
       their favorite ANSI games  and use many  of the  old  ANSI  Doors.  
       FXterm requires  very little explanation,  since  it  is  an  icon 
       driven Point and Shoot environment,  that is so GUI  that there is 
       even an analogue clock that ticks away  on the icon bar  no matter 
       what is happening.
       
       FXterm has a lot to do with  the high speed power of  RoboBOARD/FX 
       since much of the graphic work is done on the terminal end. When a 
       screen  is  sent  by  RoboBOARD/FX  a couple of  seconds  of  data 
       transfer at 14400 bps  can put a thousand entities on the terminal 
       screen.  The Tel-FX protocol is not only extremely efficient,  the 
       terminal offloads much of the work.  Icons are sent in realtime to 
       the terminal and a little stopwatch flashes away  as the icons are
       transferred.  JPEG images come over in realtime  also then  pop up 
       on the screen.
       
       The power isn't all graphical,  FXterm has an  extremely efficient 
       DOS shell that requires only about 3K under DOS 6.00.  There  is a 
       built in autodialer.  Users can  download and upload messages  and 
       files using Resuming Auto Zmodem.   Users can  print messages from 
       your system on their printer at home.   FXterm supports 16450 UART 
       (2400 baud callers), 16550A UART,  Fossils and  DigiBOARD  at baud 
       rates locked to 115200.
       
       First time callers  won't have any trouble with this terminal, the 
       FXterm Interface  conforms  so totally  to  GUI expectations  that 
       there is  no learning curve.  Whether  you are running  a Customer 
       support BBS or a Hobby BBS RoboBOARD/FX  and  FXterm will get more 
       people visting your system.   
       












       
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       RoboBOARD/FX can support  up to eight languages  concurrently  but 
       most people will choose their language upon install and never give 
       it another thought.   When you install  RoboBOARD/FX  you will  be 
       asked to specify  the language or languages  you want  to  support 
       from  the  list  of  available  languages.  If  you  want  to  run 
       RoboBOARD/FX  with a  different Main Language  other  then English 
       simply choose your Language at install time.
       
       For people  who are located  in areas  that require more  than one 
       language or a different language,  RoboBOARD/FX has been  designed 
       to be as flexible as possible with  consideration  even taken when 
       designing  our  Mondo Font  character  sets.  Multilingual systems 
       share the same executables,  user base,  messages bases,  and file 
       areas in order to save harddrive space.   Shared files  are stored 
       in the general ROBOFX directories and subdirectories.   Bulletins, 
       Tel-FX files  and Menus  are  stored in  specific  language  based 
       directories.  Users choose  their language  when  they  logon  and 
       RoboBOARD/FX reads the data  it needs  from the path  defined  for 
       that users language in RoboCFG (configuration program).   Creating 
       a directory or a subdirectory takes only a few bytes  of harddrive 
       space so this system is not only very clear it is also efficient.
       
       The languages we support*  at this time are  French,  German   and 
       Spanish.  These are  specially compiled versions  of RoboBOARD/FX.  
       At this time the  Documentation  is  only  available  in  English, 
       however  we are sure  that with time  Language Specific DOC  files 
       will become available.  When these DOCs are available we will post 
       a bulletin on our BBS, listed in the section on Getting Help.
       
       A multilanguage system  should only be something you choose if you 
       have a need, since they require additional planning setting up and 
       maintenance.  RoboBOARD/FX is very configurable  as a bilingual or 
       multilingual  BBS.   RoboCFG  has  a  multilanguage  configuration 
       template which allows  for up to eight languages  to be configured 
       at  one  time.   Based on  the languages  defined  in  the RoboCFG 
       language  template,  users are able  to choose their  language  at 
       logon.  It is  a  very good idea  when  you  are  configuring  the 
       Languages template  to name a language  as written by  people  who 
       speak that language. ie: English, Fran‡ais, Espa¤ol, Deutsch. This 
       language name  defines the prompt  they will see  at logon.  Users 
       will be able to read system commands,  warnings and prompts in the 
       Language   they  chose  provided  it  is  supported  by  us.    On 
       multilingual systems  where the BBS caters  to users who speak two 
       or more languages,  usually the message bases  and  file areas are 
       shared  and  in some cases  the  prompts  in  the  menus  are also 
       multilingual. Being graphical, RoboBOARD/FX lends itself very well 
       to being multilingual,  using visual icons that convey messages in 
       all languages.
       
       Forums are the only way to separate messages and files by language 
       groups.  You are  required  to  draw  different  menus  for  every 
       language  you  support  so  using  Forums  to  separate  different 
       language messages will be very easy.  Drawing different menus  for 
       each language is not quite as ominous as it sounds.  Usually it is 
       
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       ³±±±  MultiLanguage BBSs Con't ±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±± Page 82 ±±³
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       simply  a  matter  of  copying a menu  to  the different  language 
       directory  and  changing the strings  using edit mode  in  FXdraw.  
       After changing the text strings  you will want to  reconfigure the 
       buttons on that menu by language  to reflect the Hot keys used by 
       RoboBOARD/FX to activate Menu Commands assigned to buttons.
       
       WELCOME1...WELCOME2 and NEWS1...NEWS2:  These screens are language 
       sensitive,   meaning  if  you  have   configured  RoboBOARD  as  a 
       multilanguage BBS,  these  screens  will  be  in  the  appropriate 
       language path.  RoboBOARD/FX will look in the path of the language 
       chosen at logon and will check the path set  in RoboCFG  for  that 
       language.
       
       You may have noticed in RoboCFG that languages have their own pull 
       down  menu  called  Languages.   The  first  command  is  Language 
       Definition which lets you set the  Main language  and its path and 
       the subsequent languages and their paths.   The second command  is 
       Change Active Language  which lets you set  the  active  language. 
       When you choose a  different active language  you will notice that 
       the Language Name changes in the background of the RoboCFG screen.
       
       Below is a sample menu tree  showing an English and French system.  
       The English and French directories  are grouping directories  that 
       point to subdirectories containing that Languages Necessary Files.  
       Graphics files  are created  using FXdraw  and  if activated  from 
       RoboCFG  will default to the Active Language  directory structure.  
       The  Menus subdirectory stores  the  Menu Control Files  for  that 
       language.  These files control access levels,  buttons,  and Forum 
       information for every menu used by a language.  Once  again  using
       RoboCFG  the configuration will be stored  in the  Active Language 
       directory  structure.   The  Resource  subdirectory  contains  the 
       compiled, language specific menus created by Hamilton TeleGraphics 
       Inc. and used by RoboBOARD/FX. The Template  subdirectory contains 
       the ASCII template files for that language. If you create specific 
       templates like Questionnaires or Order templates  you will want to 
       put the ASCII config files in this subdirectory.  As  you can  see 
       by examining the menu tree below  much of the a systems  resources 
       are shared.
       
       * These  other  languages   should  be   completed   by  the  time 
       RoboBOARD/FX  is released in English,  or shortly there after.  If 
       you require a specific language and the characters fall within the 
       ASCII character set we have listed in the  appendix please contact 
       us.
       
       
       
       
       





       
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       ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
       ³Tree showing configuration for two languages³
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       C:\ÄÄ¿                           - Root Directory
            ÃÄROBOFX                    - RoboBOARD/FX main working dir
            ³ ÀÄÄÂÄ ROBODATA            - SubDir for config files and data
            ³    ³                        files
            ³    ÃÄ CFGRES              - Config Resource Script files
            ³    ÃÄ FILES               - Files RootDir(configurable)
            ³    ³    ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄ NEWFILES  - NEWFILES dir(configurable)
            ³    ÃÄ MAIL                  HUDSON MAIL dir(configurable)
            ³    ÃÄ ENGLISH             - Default Language Root Dir
            ³    ³    ÀÄÄÄÄÂÄ GRAPHICS  - Menus and Bulletin pictures for
            ³    ³         ³              language
            ³    ³         ÃÄ MENUS     - Menu Control Files
            ³    ³         ÃÄ RESOURCE  - Bbs Interface resources for language
            ³    ³         ÀÄ TEMPLATE  - Input Templates for language
            ³    ÃÄ FRENCH              - FRENCH LANGUAGE Root Dir
            ³    ³    ÀÄÄÄÄÂÄ GRAPHICS  - Menus and Bulletin pictures for
            ³    ³         ³              FRENCH Language
            ³    ³         ÃÄ MENUS     - Menu Control Files
            ³    ³         ÃÄ RESOURCE  - Bbs Interface resources for language
            ³    ³         À TEMPLATE   - Input Templates for language
            ³    ÃÄ FXDRAW              - FXDRAW operating directory
            ³    ³    ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄ ICONS     - FXDRAW ICONS directory.
            ³    ÀÄ TEMP                - Temp dir(configurable)
            ³
       
        

