Welcome to the world of mdraw V2.3 This document is aimed toward the VT330 owner, but a VT240 owner may still learn something. Most commands are available from the keyboard as well as the on screen menu (to get this, press F20) so if you don't have a mouse, that is okay. When the instructions say to select the menu item for a command (e.g. `4' to draw a rectangle) that menu item is just a character, so you may alternately press that key on the keyboard for the same effect. See the `start' file for information on setting up the program and logicals. 0. Command line parameters You may pass mdraw the name of a file to load. This will skip displaying the title screen. You may also pass mdraw the option `-pc' or `/pc' as the last parameter. This will swap the left and middle mouse buttons. This is handy when you are using a two button mouse. Normally, with the three button mouse, the left button moves the selected object, the middle button selects objects , and the right button will redo the last menu command. If you use the '-pc' or '/pc' option, the left button will select objects and the right button will move objects. 1. Introduction The world of mdraw consists of three things. These are the workspace, objects and actions. You can manipulate the workspace with actions, such as changing global values like linestyle, gridsize and textsize or deleting all objects in the workspace. You can manipulate objects with actions, such as creating objects, moving, joining, cutting, and changing linestyles. The actions act upon objects or the workspace. If an action is meant for objects, you must have an object selected. If it is meant to alter the workspace it does not matter if an object is selected. But if the command can alter both (like the linestyle command), it will alter the object selected, unless no object is selected, then it will alter the workspace. You may also create links between objects and other files. These other files may be more mdraw objects, or may be a straight text file. Moving through a linked object to another mdraw file will clear the screen and display the new objects in the workspace. Moving from a linked object to a text file will invoke the standard editor `ed' using the text file assigned to that object. 2. Creating Objects Mdraw can draw several objects. Lines, circles, boxes, splines, text. To tell mdraw which object you wish to draw, you will press the key that represents the object. If you have the menu displayed on the screen (F20), then the keys that represent commonly used objects are shown in the menu. You may press the key on the keyboard or use the mouse to press the key drawn in the menu. The menu items for each object are listed in a following section. If you select a command from the keyboard, the current mouse position will be the location of the new object. If you select a command from the menu, the menu item you selected will light up. This tells you that mdraw needs to know where to put the object. Move the mouse to the destination and press a button. If the object needs more info, such as the opposite corner for a box, the menu item will stay lit, and the mouse cursor will be a rubber band box or line, depending on the object. Keep moving the mouse and entering new points of information until you are done with the object. The menu item will return to normal, and the completed object will be placed on the workspace. This object will be automatically selected for any further action by a dotted box being drawn around it. (if the object is a box the selection box will be drawn exactly on top of the object box, obscuring it until deselection). 3. Selecting objects To select an object from the workspace, move the mouse cursor so that it is on top of the object you want and press the middle button. To deselect an object, move to a place where there is no object and press the middle button. When an object is selected, a dotted box will be drawn around the object. Several objects may occupy the same place on the workspace. Imagine these objects to be stacked on top of each other. To select an object below another object, press the button (or key) several times, until the correct object is selected. If there are no more objects below, then no object is selected, effectively deselecting the last object. You may use the keyboard and press the `' key or the `' key selects the next object down in the stack. 4. Actions Once an object is selected from the workspace, mdraw allows a several actions which change the object in relation to the workspace. They are: move, join, cut, and paste. Mdraw allows some actions which alter the objects characteristics, such as its linestyle, its associated mdraw file, and its attached note file. You may also show characteristics of an object by pressing `W' when one is selected. All these actions must have a selected object to work on. So select an object before you try them out. To move an object, select it with the middle button, move the mouse to the destination, press the left button (or press `m'). To join objects, a rectangle will be drawn which surrounds the objects to be joined. First move the cursor to one corner of the intended rectangle, press `j', move to the opposite corner of the joining rectangle and press a key. Objects `under' this rectangle will bejoined and a single object will be formed, this object will be selected and the bounding box drawn around it. The way mdraw determines `under' is if a corner of the joining rectangle is inside the objects bounding box, or the objects corner is inside the joining rectangle. If it doesn't look right you can unjoin it and try again. To unjoin and object, select an object with the middle button, press `J'. The component objects will be unjoined and placed in the workspace, and no object will be selected. If the joined object had a associated file, or attached note, these will be lost. So remember that. You may duplicate an object many times by first selecting one, then moving the mouse to the destination of the duplicate, and press 'd'. If you use the menu, press 'd' then move to the destination and press a button. To flip an object horizontally or vertically, start by selecting an object, and then press 'h' to flip horizontally or 'v' to flip vertically. To cut an object, select it with the middle button, press `c' or press the `' key. To paste an object, it must have been cut first. Select `p' from the menu, move to the destination and press a button. Or you may move to the destination then press the `p' key or the `' key. To change linestyle, select the object, press `_' (underline). A prompt will tell you the present line style and you may type in the new style number. The object will be redrawn immediately in the new style. Note: if the object is a box, the dotted selection box will cover up the new linestyle, and you should deselect the object to see the change. 4.1 Links between files You may create a link between an object and another mdraw file. The other mdraw file is called the assoctiated file. This will let you see several files of drawings in a logical, heirarchichal manner. You can blow up an object into a new file by selecting the object you want linked, and press 'b'. This will save the current file. If there is a link already there, you will be taken to the new file. If there is no link, you will be prompted for a new file name, which will then be created, and the new file will automatically have a link back up to the previous file. To zoom back up a link, press 'z' at any time. This will NOT save your file, so try to do that before zooming up. To change the associated file, select an object, and press `A'. A prompt will tell you the present file, and you may enter the new name, including the file extension. It is important to include the file extension. If you just press return, the associated file link will be deleted from that object. 4.2 Notes attached to objects To attach a note to an object, select the object and press 'N'. You will be prompted for the name of the note file and then the workspace will be saved. If you press just return, the object will be unattached from the note. If you type a name, you will be placed in the editor. Exiting the editor will bring you back to mdraw. To edit the attached note of an object, press 'n'. If there is a note attached, you will be placed in the editor with the note loaded. If there is no note attached, you will not be placed in the editor. (Sometimes mdraw thinks there is an attached note whose name is a bunch of blanks. So you may be placed in the editor even there is no real note file to edit.) Exiting the editor will bring you back to mdraw. 5. Workspace The workspace is the place where objects are placed when created or pasted and where the menu is displayed. When an object is placed there, it may be constrained to some workspace attributes. These are: Grid, linestyle, and fill. Grid constrains all cursor input to the intersections of a grid. This may be toggled on and off by pressing the `g' key. This grid size may be changed. Press `G' key and a prompt will tell you the current size and you may enter the new size. You may display the grid lines by pressing 'l'. Linestyle determines the linestyle for all new (not pasted) objects, and may also be changed. Press the `_' key when NO objects are selected, and a prompt will show the current style and you must enter the new style number. The menu will be immediately redrawn in the new style for visual confirmation. Fill determines if boxes and circles are drawn filled in. This may be toggled on and off by pressing the `F' key. Information about the status of the workspace may be shown by pressing the `W' key. The menu may be toggled by pressing the `F20' key. (upper right of keyboard). 6. Objects Circle: Press `0', move mouse to center, press button, move mouse to edge, press button. You may create a filled circle by turning on fill (press `F') before creating circle. Line: Press `1', move mouse to start point, press button, move mouse to end point, press button. Box: Press `4', move mouse, press button, move mouse, press button. You may create a filled box by turning fill on (press `F') before creating box. Spline: Press `s', move mouse to first point, press button, move mouse, to finish spline press left mouse button (or spacebar), any other button will enter next point. You may have arrowheads on splines by turning on arrows (press `k'). Text: Press `t', move mouse to destination, press button, type in text, hit return. You may change text size by pressing `T' and answering prompt. 7. Miscellaneous C: Use current mouse position as new center of screen and move all objects to reflect this X: Delete all objects from the workspace, but not cut buffer. Automatically sets the zoom file to previously loaded or saved filename. r: Redraw screen R: Redraw grid lines (if displayed with 'l' command) : 'H' : Draw help screen (press any key to exit help screen) z: Zoom up to a parent file (Note this will lose any changes not saved) b: blow up the selected object. This will save the current file. This will take the place of manually associating files, saving, exploding, and setting the zoom file. A: Associate object with a file. (Note: the object must be a primitive object, i.e. not a joined object.) x: eXplode an object to get to the associated mdraw file Z: Set the zoom file for the present file. You should then save the file to keep this change. N: Attach a note to an object. If no object is selected, attaches a note to the workspace. n: Edit the note file (either the object or the workspace). u: Delete last item placed on the workspace I: Toggle mouse cursor shape Q: Quit