0.0;HELP_WINDOWS, revision 0.0, 83/08/03
WINDOWS
INTRODUCTION
Windows are areas on the screen in which you can read or edit text or execute
programs. Each window is a separate computing environment. You can have many
different windows on the screen at one time. You can move windows on your
screen, change a window's size and shape, stack, shuffle, and overlap windows.
PADS
A pad holds the information displayed through a window. You can move a pad
beneath a window. To move a pad up, down, right, or left, use the predefined
boxed-arrow keys. To move the cursor to the top of the current pad, press
CTRL/T. Press CTRL/B to position the cursor at the bottom of the pad.
CREATING WINDOWS AND PADS
Press <EDIT> or <READ> to open a window to a file. Use <READ> to view an
existing file, and use <EDIT> to create a new file or to change the contents
of an existing one. The full pathname of the file you are viewing appears in
the window legend at the top border of the window.
Pressing the <EDIT> key causes the cursor to move to the Display Manager input
window, next to the Command prompt. Type the name of the file you wish to
create and press <RETURN>. The DM creates an empty edit pad and window in
which you can work. To edit an old file, type the name of the file and press
<RETURN>. The DM displays a copy of the file. To close an edit pad and its
window, and save the new text, press CTRL/Y. To discard changes made to a
file, press CTRL/N. When you press CTRL/N, the following message appears:
File modified. OK to quit?
Type Y to quit. Type N to resume editing.
Pressing the <READ> key causes the cursor to move to the Display Manager input
window, next to the Command prompt. Type the pathname of the file you wish to
read and press <RETURN>. The specified file must exist. If it does not, the
system responds: "File not found". When a file is found, the DM copies the
file into a READ-ONLY pad for viewing. You cannot edit text displayed in a
READ pad. To change a READ pad to an EDIT pad, press CTRL/M. Type CTRL/N to
close a READ pad and its window.
(You can create a new Shell process, along with a pad and window, by pressing
the <SHELL> key. The cursor appears in the new window beside the "$" prompt.
Use the appropriate Shell commands to execute the programs you need. Type
CTRL/Z to close the pad. Type CTRL/N to erase the pad and window.)
CHANGING WINDOW SIZE
To change the size of a window use the <GROW> and <MARK> keys (on the
Low-profile keyboard) or CTRL/G and <MARK> (on the 880 Keyboard). First,
position the cursor at one corner of the window and press <GROW> (CTRL/G).
After you press <GROW>, an outline of the window (or "rubberband") appears,
and shows you the new size and shape of the window. Move the cursor until the
rubberband shows the window size you want, then press <MARK>. The windows
takes the shape of the rubberband.
MOVING A WINDOW
To move a window use the <MOVE> and <MARK> keys (on the Low-profile keyboard),
or CTRL/M and <MARK> (on the 880 Keyboard). First, position the cursor in one
corner of the window and press <MOVE> (CTRL/M). After you press <MOVE>, an
outline of the window (or "rubberband") appears, and shows you new the
position of the window. Move the cursor until the window is in the new
position, then press <MARK>. The window moves to the position shown by the
rubberband
PUSHING OR POPPING A WINDOW
You can display windows that are partially or completely hidden by other
windows on your screen. Place the cursor in the specified partially hidden
window. Press <POP> or CTRL/P. The window appears on the top of the pile.
To display a completely hidden window, press <POP> or CTRL/P until the window
appears in view. Pressing <POP> or CTRL/P when the cursor rests in a
completely visible window pushes that window to the bottom of the stack.
DEFINING POINTS AND REGIONS
Some DM commands require that you point with the cursor or define a region on
the screen. To point, simply move the cursor to the desired place. For
example, to point to a window, place the cursor anywhere inside the window.
To declare a region (the area between two points), point the cursor to the
start of the region and press <MARK>. Then, point to the end of the region
(the region is highlighted in reverse video) and issue the DM command.
GROUPING WINDOWS
You use window groups to make a list of window names so that you can refer to
the list with a single group name. Groups can contain individual windows and
other groups. You can make these windows or groups invisible; and you can use
icons to represent windows or groups of windows on your display. Refer to the
DM commands WGRA, WGRR, WI and ICON in the system help files or in the "DOMAIN
System Command Reference Manual" for more information.
USING WINDOW ICONS
Icons are a pictorial representation of a window. By using icons, you can
have easy access to many windows without keeping each window in full display
on your screen. Refer to the DM command ICON, in the system help files or in
the "DOMAIN System Command Reference Manual", for more information.
DEFINING WINDOW BOUNDARIES
When a window's size or position on the screen is changed in any way, the
Display Manager determines the new boundaries of the window using calculations
based on a pair of points on the screen. Normally, the points are chosen
based on predetermined defaults. You may, however, specify the new location
for a window using the procedure described in "Defining Points and Regions"
immediately prior to creating the window. You may also provide absolute point
coordinates as arguments to the window creation commands instead of using the
<MARK> and point procedure. See the window creation command HELP files and
the "DOMAIN System Command Reference Manual" for more information.