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                                  Appendix 2: Questions and Answers   367
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    APPENDIX 2:  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    This appendix contains the questions most commonly asked by HyperPAD
    users. As the appendix goes on, the questions become more complex.

    -----------------------------------
    How much RAM do I need to run HyperPAD?

    HyperPAD needs at least 448K of available memory to run.

    -----------------------------------
    Why isn't my mouse working?

    HyperPAD does not install your mouse driver, the interface between your
    PC and the mouse. This option comes with your mouse and must be
    installed prior to running HyperPAD. Please refer to the driver's
    instructions for installation.

    -----------------------------------
    My pad is in an infinite loop! How do I stop it?

    Type CTRL+BREAK, then change the script which caused the problem.

    -----------------------------------
    My HyperPAD menus are not visible. How do I get them back?

    Press ALT+SPACE to toggle the Menu Bar on and off.

    -----------------------------------
    Why can't I change some of the original HyperPAD scripts?

    Some of the pads are protected to read-only mode. To switch this, select
    PROTECT from the File menu and toggle the Read-only switch. You should
    now be able to modify any scripts in that pad. If you don't see the
    Protect command on the File menu, hold down SHIFT while pressing ALT+F.

    -----------------------------------
    When I start up HyperPAD, everything is blinking. What's
    wrong?

    The pads that come with HyperPAD use the high intensity colors from the
    color selection box. On an EGA or VGA graphics card, these colors will
    appear bright. On certain other color systems with non-standard graphics
    cards (such as those incompatible with the IBM CGA, EGA, or VGA), they
    may appear blinking.

    To change the colors to non-blinking, simply use the mark block tool to
    select the blinking area of the screen and paint it with another color.



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    -----------------------------------
    When my Selector Tool is active, why am I unable to select certain
    objects?

    The objects you cannot select are probably on the background. Go to the
    background by choosing the Background command from the Edit menu
    (ALT+E,B), then the button or field.

    -----------------------------------
    After I create a button on the background, it disappears when I move to
    the page level.

    It is likely that paint on the page is covering this button or field.
    While editing the page, select the Mark Block tool from the Tools Menu
    (ALT+T,M). Mark the area that appears to have been painted, and select
    Erase Block from the block menu.

    -----------------------------------
    What input devices does HyperPAD support?

    HyperPAD supports the Microsoft Mouse standard and all compatible input
    devices, including the Logitech TrackMan, Mouse Systems three button
    White Mouse, Touch Screen (if Microsoft compatible), CalComp's WIZ
    Mouse, and Intelligent Pad Version 1.1.

    -----------------------------------
    How can I print from the PADtalk language and still take advantage of
    the menu options' formatting capabilities?

    Use the print at command to locate the print head on the paper. Use the
    printing commands and properties printDevice, printer, print, and
    printerTranslation to send a file to the printer line by line.

    -----------------------------------
    When I load HyperPAD on my laptop, which has a monochrome VGA display,
    the screen looks shrunk by about an inch on top and bottom. Why?

    HyperPAD uses 350 scan lines in text mode in order to enhance the way
    extended ASCII character appear on the screen. A side effect of using
    this mode, especially on some monochrome laptops, is a shrinking
    display. In order to correct your display, use the command line switch
    "/NO350" when you start HyperPAD.



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                                  Appendix 2: Questions and Answers   369
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    -----------------------------------
    How will HyperPAD recognize running on an international keyboard?

    DOS versions 3.3 or greater are required to set up an international code
    page. In the config.sys and autoexec.bat files, put the following
    (example for Germany):

    The CONFIG.SYS file needs the following lines:

    country=049,,c:\dos\country.sys
    device=c:\dos\display.sys con=(ega,437,1)


    The AUTOEXEC.BAT files needs the following lines:

    nlsfunc
    mode con cp prepare=((850)c:\dos\ega.cpi)
    keyb gr,,c:\dos\keyboard.sys
    chcp 437

    -----------------------------------
    How does HyperPAD make use of EMS memory?

    HyperPAD saves indexing information of the pages in a pad in EMS memory.
    Normally, a small portion of the index is contained in main memory. With
    EMS memory available, the entire index may be loaded into EMS memory.

    This makes access to the pages in your pad faster.

    -----------------------------------
    Is it possible to incorporate graphics in a HyperPAD pad for a graphics
    database retrieval system?

    HyperPAD's fxshow command displays graphics and animation created with
    Brightbill-Roberts' Show Partner F/X program. The fxshow command
    temporarily leaves HyperPAD to display the image(s). Buttons can
    activate pictures or animation, but may not be placed OVER the graphics.
    Also, a language extension called GX2.EXE displays GX2 pictures without
    leaving HyperPAD (See Appendix on Extensions).

    -----------------------------------
    How are end of line and carriage returns within a field recognized by
    HyperPAD?

    Scrolling fields use word wrap, also known as soft carriage returns. The
    only hard returns in a field are manually placed there when you press
    ENTER.



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                                  Appendix 2: Questions and Answers   370
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    -----------------------------------
    How can a checkbox style button be used as a logical field in a
    database?

    A checkbox styled background button will have the same value in all
    foreground pages. You can save the status of a checkbox button in a
    hidden field. As you click on the button, you can have a script save the
    value into the hidden field. The following script belongs in a the check
    box button:

    handler select;
    begin
      put not the check of me
        into field "Check status";
      pass;
    end;

    Then, place the following in the script of the background:

    handler openPage;
    begin
      set the check of button "New Button" to
        field "check status" is true;
    end;

    -----------------------------------
    How can I execute a "find next" from the PADtalk language?

    The following script implements a find next command using PADtalk:



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                                  Appendix 2: Questions and Answers   371
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    function findNext(searchCriteria);
    begin
      set the lockScreen to true;
      show the message box;
      put "Working..." into msg;
      put -1 into thePage;
      put currentPage() into savedPage;
      put empty into results;
      repeat
        put thePage into lastPage;
        find searchCriteria;
        put the currentPage into thePage;
        if thePage  lastPage then
          begin
            put thePage after the last line of results;
            go to next page;
          end;
      until thePage <= lastPage;
      go to page savedPage;
      set the lockScreen to false;
      put "Finished!" into msg;
      return(results);
    end;