Flow Charting 4 for Windows Ships

Morgan Hill CA.--Flow Charting 4 (version 1.02) for Windows by Patton &
Patton Software Corporation has started shipping. The flowcharting program
is expected to be another best-seller for the company; Patton & Patton's
current DOS flowcharting program, Flow Charting 3, is now in its fourth
year on U.S. distributors' best selling lists. According to Patton &
Patton general manager, Bill Patton Jr., the next-generation flowcharting
program takes full advantage of the benefits provided by Windows while
concentrating on flowcharting power and ease-of-use. Flow Charting 4
carries a suggested retail price of $315 (U.S.) for a single user version.
Five user LAN packs are $950.

User Driven Development

More than 15,000 users and industry representatives were surveyed or
interviewed to determine general guidelines and specific features of Flow
Charting 4. As a result, Patton & Patton programmers adopted a philosophy
dubbed "sensible technology" and focused efforts on making the fundamental
characteristics of flowcharting software easier and more flexible for
daily use. 'We examined shapes, lines and text, the basics of
flowcharting, and took them a step further," says Mr. Patton. "For
example, our SensibleLines make it very easy to experiment with the look
of your charts. You can switch between right angled, free-form and curved
lines without first deleting and then redrawing. You can also add multiple
line handles to make it easier to design very complex charts." In
addition, users were given more control over default options than is
common with flowcharting software.

Flow Charting 4 Features

Attributes for Flow Charting 4's three primary modes of operation--shapes,
lines and text--are changed via task-specific button bars. An unusual
memorization feature called "Snapshot" records object (shape, line and
text) attributes and lets the user transfer those traits to new ones.

SensibleLines let the user determine how lines should react when shapes are
moved. Lines may attach to shapes, or stay totally independent depending
on personal editing preferences. Lines are completely editable and can be
switched between free-form angles, squared angles, or curves. In addition,
a special "hammer" command allows the user to automatically reshape a
line. The program allows several line thicknesses as well as a large
collection of line end caps attachable at either end.

SensibleShapes provide users with the means to keep charts looking
professional and consistent by automatically maintaining shape form. A
shape's important characteristics will not distort when re-sized, a
frequent problem with scalable sizing. Existing chart shapes may be
replaced without retyping text.

SensibleText "ghosts" through shapes that are too small for the amount of
text--making it easy to adjust a shape to the correct size. Traditional
word processing features such as justification and wordwrap are included;
bold, italicized and underlined text can be added quickly. The user may
specify any point size from 4 to 127 points. TrueType and other popular
font packages are supported.

Twelve specialized shape templates are included for a variety of general
job classifications including: auditing, programming, quality control,
human resource management and network management. Users may group
predefined shapes into their own custom templates. Custom symbols can be
used via the Windows clipboard and saved to files.

Other Flow Charting 4 features include: user control over default
preferences for word-wrap, line behavior and ruler settings; import/export
of ASCII, Bitmap, and Metafile formats via the Windows clipboard; object
alignment; chart and shape linking; color printer support; and a
conversion utility for charts created in any prior version of Flow
Charting.

System Requirements

Flow Charting 4 runs under Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later. It requires a
mouse, at least four megabytes of RAM. and 2.3 megabytes (single user) to
3.0 megabytes (networked) of hard disk space. A graphics card and monitor
(VGA resolution or better) are necessary.

Patton & Patton: A Flowcharting Resource

Patton & Patton was the first software company to design a
flowcharting-specific program. It continues to specialize in the category.
The company provides registered users with free technical support,
flowcharting resource services via a free newsletter (The Flow Charter)
and free electronic bulletin board service. Users can obtain custom shape
libraries, resource lists, case studies, flowcharting tips and hints, and
answers to technical support questions. A 90 day money-back satisfaction
guarantee applies to all products. Patton & Patton is the only
flowcharting software publisher to provide this level of post-buy support
to its customers.

Patton & Patton Software Corp
485 Cochrane Circle
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
800-525-0082,  408-778-6557,  fax 408-778-9972

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