Orpheus v1.64


       NOTE:  As of version 1.60 Orpheus uses a new and simpler interface
       for hypertext navigation, especially in the Orpheus Reader.  See
       below under "Changes to the Interface".  Books compiled with earlier
       versions may not be fully compatible with the Reader, especially if
       they use script commands.  Recompile them to use with this version.
       Additional compatibility notes (for versions prior to 1.50) follow
       the description of version 1.61.

Version 1.64 (September 7, 1993)

   FIXES:
     - In the Reader, if the user followed an Action link to load something
       from a library file, and subsequently followed another Action link to
       load an external text file, a message would pop up saying "Not found
       in library".  Fixed.
     - In OH.EXE, a hotspot() command with data carried onto another line was
       misinterpreted as being incomplete.  Fixed.
     - In OH.EXE, if the statusbar was set to the bottom of the screen and
       you inserted a character at column 0 of line 0 (with existing text
       on that line) the screen would scroll from left to right.  Fixed.
     - On some Hercules displays the mouse cursor wouldn't appear.  Fixed?
     - In the Reader's directory dialog, trying to switch to a non-existent
       drive would cause the program to abort.  Fixed.
     - In OH.EXE, unless the Homecard had a very short name, the copy of it
       stored in the project directory could eventually cause errors in
       linkmaking.  This was due to a behavior of DOS that my code hadn't
       accounted for; a long-standing but very subtle bug.  Fixed.

   CHANGES:
     - Now the Reader has a more obvious way of telling you whether a graphic
       has hotspots:  if hotspots are present, the mouse pointer is a question
       mark except when directly over a hotspot, whereupon it changes shape.
       If hotspots are not present, the pointer is the conventional shape.

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Version 1.63 (August 23, 1993)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - Improved error correction:  if a card has faulty uplink data (the
       link binding it to its parent card), Orpheus detects and repairs it
       automatically in the authoring program.

   FIXES:
     - French-Canadian users were unable to type the e-acute (ascii 130)
       in the manner to which they are accustomed.  Fixed in OH.EXE and in
       the Reader's Notepad and Formfill dialogs, which now accept all of the
       accented characters.
     - In the Index dialog in OH.EXE, if you attempted to delete the last
       entry the change wouldn't be saved.  Also, in certain circumstances
       edited index entries weren't correctly saved.  Both fixed.
     - Corrected several errors in the string-edit function, which affected
       various dialogs including the Index.
     - In the Reader, a script with alternate jump() commands would ignore
       all but the last, unless each was followed by a goto to the end of
       the script.  This is no longer necessary:  a jump() immediately
       breaks out of the script and jumps where directed.
     - In the Reader, if a card had multiple linkwords (such as crosslinks)
       pointing to the same card, and if you returned to the first card from
       the second, the selection bar would be drawn on all the related
       linkwords instead of just the first.  Fixed.
     - In the Reader's Formfill dialog, if a form had sections with no entry
       fields onscreen, scrolling up and down could cause a crash.  A crash
       could also occur if the form was in a large libary file.  Finally, if
       you filled an entry field and pressed End, the cursor would go beyond
       the end of the field and you could type more data (corrupting memory).
       All fixed.
     - Formfill reserves ALL bracket characters [], {}, and <> for its own
       use in defining fields, but the [] characters were slipping by.  If you
       want to display ANY bracket character or control code you must do so by
       preceding it with a backslash, like so:  "\[".
     - Fixed the ghosting problem when the mouse pointer in the Reader goes
       around hotspots in ansi screens.
     - In OH.EXE, Repair Card would think a Crosslink to the Homecard was
       a bad link.  Fixed.
     - Fixed errors in the Fileview window's hypertext functions (in both
       programs).

   OTHER CHANGES:
     - Changed the Reader's menus a little, taking a few things from the
       (overcrowded) File Menu and creating a Read Menu.
     - Internal revisions to make the Reader multilingual:  a French version
       of the Reader will soon be available, followed by other languages as
       the translations come in.

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Version 1.62 (July 7, 1993)

   FIXES:
     - Finally found the problem that was preventing Orpheus from running
       on machines with non-extended keyboards.  Fixed.

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Version 1.61 (July 5, 1993)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - Yes, we have an Index!  Available on OH.EXE's Tools Menu, the Index
       Dialog makes it easy to build an alphabetically-sorted index of topics
       and subtopics, with each one linked to the card you specify.  Not only
       can you use the index for your own convenience while authoring, you
       can provide it in compiled form (as an .IDX file) for the use of your
       readers.  When the Orpheus Reader detects a valid index file it
       displays an "Index" button on the Reader's Titlebar.  Indexing is
       thoroughly discussed in OH.EXE's online help:  open the Tools Menu,
       place the selection bar on "Index", and press F1.
     - The Reader's DOS shell is now like OH.EXE's, swapping to extended or
       expanded memory if available, or else to disk.  The same routines are
       used with run() and runbat() commands, allowing your scripts to call
       programs that require a lot of memory.
     - OH.EXE is now "pathable", meaning you can store your main Orpheus files
       in any location referenced by the DOS PATH command, and work anywhere
       else on your system.  You can also specify the path on the command
       line.  Files that must be in the same location as OH.EXE include
       OH.HLP (the Help file) and (if you are a registered user) REGIT.EXE.
       Orpheus also looks for and stores OH.CFG (the configuration file) in
       the same location.
     - Forms can now use the reserved bracket characters (such as [ ]) if
       each is preceded by a \ backslash character.  See Chapter 2 of
       MANUAL2.DOC, under the Load() command.

   FIXES:
     - In Boxdraw mode, Backspace and Delete didn't work correctly.  Fixed.
     - In some circumstances blink was left on when OH.EXE returned from
       a DOS shell.  In some circumstances the Reader left relics of the
       mouse pointer.  Both fixed.
     - Retrace works better now in OH.EXE (same as in the Reader).
     - The Reader's Notepad editor wasn't saving text that had scrolled
       above the window.  Fixed.
     - In OH.EXE, clicking on the More flag was interpreted according to the
       old interface rather than the new one.  Fixed.
     - Rewrote the directory picklist (used especially with FileView) to
       post a sorted directory.  Along with reducing code and fixing a glitch
       or two, I removed the limit on how many files it could handle.
     - Rewrote the Recover Orphan dialog (it was buggy), streamlining the
       code and making it easier to use.
     - If a Graphic card included a trymode() test and jumped to end on
       failure, Orpheus would behave as if it were indeed in a graphic.
       Now if the video mode hasn't been changed to a graphic mode, and if
       there is not an ansi screen displayed, we return to the parent card.
     - In the Reader, if you placed the mouse pointer over an ansi hotspot
       and then used a keyboard hotkey or did a mouseclick, the mouse pointer
       would retain its hotspot shape.  Fixed.
     - The script command "set(blink=off)", for high-intensity backgrounds in
       ansi screens, wasn't working in OH.EXE, and was being ignored in
       the Reader.  Fixed.
     - In version 1.60 of OH.EXE the routine to get numeric input was
       revised to be more robust, but a crucial line of code was left out,
       disabling functions like Copy To on the Window Menu.  Fixed.
     - Under certain circumstances an Edit window would be left empty after
       using Change Linktype.  Fixed.
     - When a block of text with embedded links was moved to another card, if
       even one of the links was a Crosslink the results were disastrous.
       This was a long-standing bug because the effects were never noticed
       right away, nor was the Crosslink connection until the bug bit ME.
       Once found, fixed in a jiffy.

   OTHER CHANGES:
     - In the Reader, for users looking for hotspots in graphics and ansi
       screens WITHOUT A MOUSE, the new navigational interface now has a more
       logical implementation.  In 1.60 you had to hold down Shift while using
       the arrow keys to move the pointer, a fact that was only documented in
       this file. (!)  Now the pointer ONLY appears if there is at least one
       hotspot, and arrow keys behave as if the hotspots were linkwords:
       up/down arrow moves the pointer directly from hotspot to hotspot, right
       arrow jumps through a hotspot, and left arrow retraces your path.
       (Remember, these remarks ONLY apply to using the Reader without a
       mouse.)  Unlike the mouse pointer, the keyboard pointer is perforce
       on a hotspot if it appears at all, so there is no need for it to change
       shape.  In graphics, the keyboard pointer is now a square box; in
       ansi screens it is a bright white (normally blinking) right arrow.
       The keyboard pointer always goes to the upper left corner of the
       hotspot; this may look peculiar in graphics, but in ansi screens it
       can be useful if you draw your hotspots right.  See Hotspot() in
       Chapter 2 of MANUAL2.DOC for further discussion.
     - For consistency I've changed the Edit Init accelerator to Ctl-I,
       in order to use Alt-I for the Index.
     - Dropped Two-Way Crosslinks, since the new navigational interface
       makes them unnecessary.  To make a Crosslink, place the cursor on
       the intended linkword before opening the Link Menu.
     - Crosslinks are now permitted in Graphic cards.
     - The Help window in both programs now has a scrollbar for the
       convenience of mouse users, as do various other dialogs.
     - If a quit() command is encountered in a script, the Reader now saves
       the bookmark and notepad files before exiting.
     - In the Reader, you no longer have to click on an unselected linkword
       to select it, then click again to jump through it.  One click suffices.

   CHANGES TO THE INTERFACE:
     - Navigating in the Reader is now simpler and more convenient, with the
       old trio of cryptic symbols on the titlebar replaced by the single word
       "Home".  The normal method of returning is simply to retrace your path,
       and readers no longer have to think about whether they've jumped
       through a Crosslink or some other kind of links.  Here is a full
       description of the interface, with new elements shown by an asterisk.
       (Notes on a related change in OH.EXE come next.)
       WITH THE MOUSE:
             - as before, to select a linkword or the More cue, click on it
               with the left button; to jump through it, click again.
           * - to jump Home, click on the "Home" command on the titlebar, or
               in the upper right corner if the titlebar is hidden.
           * - to retrace your path one step backwards, click the RIGHT
               mouse button.
           * - to force a jump to the parent of the current card, hold down
               the Control key and click the RIGHT button.  (Most users will
               never need this move.)
        WITH THE KEYBOARD:
             - as before, the Home key jumps Home.
             - as before, the Up and Down arrow keys select linkwords
               including the More cue.
           * - RIGHT arrow key jumps through the currently selected
               linkword or hotspot.
           * - If a card has a More link, PgDn jumps through it even if the
               More cue isn't selected.  (PgUp does nothing.)
           * - LEFT arrow key retraces your path one step backwards.
           * - to force a jump to the parent of the current card, hold down
               the Control key and press the LEFT arrow.  (Most users will
               never need this move.)
           * - in a graphic or ansi screen where the square pointer appears,
               move the pointer around (to look for hotspots) by holding down
               the SHIFT key while using the arrow keys.  (To jump through a
               hotspot, release the Shift key and press the right arrow key.)
     - In OH.EXE I've switched the assignments of two keys to reflect the
       changes above:  the RIGHT arrow key now jumps through the linkword at
       the cursor (instead of PgDn), and PGDN now jumps through the More link
       if any (instead of the right arrow).  Left arrow already did Retrace.
       We're keeping PgUp to go to the parent card, because authors are more
       likely to be working with related cards than merely browsing their
       own hypertext.  The mouse interface hasn't changed.  Note:  if you are
       new to Orpheus, read MANUAL1.DOC, or OH.EXE's online help on
       "Navigating Hypertext".
     - The Retrace buffer in both programs only records "forward" jumps, i.e.
       those through linkwords, More links, etc.  Formerly it recorded jumps
       in all directions.
     - To be consistent, I've also updated the Help interface so that pressing
       the Right arrow jumps through a linkword, while pressing the Left arrow
       duplicates the "Back" command.  This change applies to =both= programs.
     - Also in both programs, when the FileView window has hypertext links
       the right and left arrow keys perform the same navigational functions
       as everywhere else:  right arrow goes through a link, left arrow
       returns.  The original keystrokes (Enter and Backspace) also work.
     - Updated the Welcome screen to reflect the new interface; if the Reader
       detects a new user or one who has a CFG from an earlier version, the
       Welcome screen comes up automatically.

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   COMPATIBILITY NOTES: (versions prior to 1.50)

       Those who have used programming commands should note that message()
       is now the much more powerful text() command.  There are also slight
       changes to play(), jump(), and jumplist(), and hotspots will have to
       be redrawn (again) to conform to the new standard.  See below and the
       entries for these commands in MANUAL2.DOC.

       Versions prior to 1.30:
       As of version 1.30, compiled books created with earlier versions of
       Orpheus are no longer compatible with the Orpheus Reader.  Uncompiled
       books are however compatible with OH.EXE, and can simply be recompiled.

       If you have created Graphic, Init, or Action links, you will need
       to update them to use the Orpheus Command Language, as detailed in
       Part II of the User's Guide, MANUAL2.DOC.  See especially Chapter 3,
       "Converting Old Commands".

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Version 1.60 (May 27, 1993)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - The Reader now has a Formfill window in which your users can fill out
       forms or questionnaires onscreen, then print them to disk or to the
       printer.  Use the load() command with the "form" keyword as explained
       in MANUAL2.DOC.
     - Protect your work and reduce file-clutter with library files!  Library
       files can contain forms, graphics, and ansi screens; combining many
       such files into a library eliminates the average 1000 bytes per file
       of wasted disk space.  For distribution, library files compress more
       efficiently; at runtime, Orpheus reads from them directly with no loss
       in speed.  FGILIB.EXE (the library manager) is free to registered
       users.  See Chapter 7 or MANUAL1.DOC.
     - Now when starting up the Reader you can specify a card number on the
       command line.  This is mainly for the use of authors who wish to use
       Orpheus as context-sensitive help for another program.  To find out
       what numbers to use, turn on "List Compiled Numbers" on the Project
       Menu before compiling.  For each card that you wish to load by number,
       navigate to it in OH.EXE and note its "uncompiled" number on the File
       Menu.  After compiling, look in the .DOC file made for that project
       and find the equivalent compiled number.  This feature is safe:  if
       the specified number is for an Init or Action card, or for a card that
       does not exist, the Reader loads the designated Home card instead.
       Authors can also use it with the load(new...) command, setting up an
       Action link that takes the user not only to a new book, but to a
       specific card in that book.

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Version 1.54 (May 6, 1993)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - The FileView window now has essential hypertext capabilities.  Using
       simple text codes, you can link as many text files as you want and
       have quick access to them through Orpheus.
     - The load() command now lets you link to external, uncompiled text
       files.  Using the "text" keyword, as in load(text, filename.ext) you
       can give your readers access to often-updated text files which they
       can edit themselves.  Files are viewed in a version of the FileView
       window adapted to the Orpheus Reader.  As in OH.EXE the window has
       hypertext capabilities (explained in online help) which users can
       extend to make links to their own text files.  See MANUAL2.DOC for
       details.

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Version 1.50 (March 12, 1993)

   NEW FEATURES:
       As promised, I've got plenty of goodies for those who enjoy working
       with programmable cards.  (New users please note, you don't *have*
       to program in Orpheus.  However, the Orpheus Command Language makes it
       easy to achieve special effects with both text and graphics.  These
       features are explained and illustrated in MANUAL2.DOC.
     - The text() command replaces message(), letting you display up to 23
       lines of text with a maximum length of 74 characters in a temporary
       window.  Parameters give you control over the location and appearance
       of the window, even how long it remains onscreen.  This is ideal for
       those small notes that you don't want to place on a separate card, or
       for things you want to display side-by-side with other text.
     - The lookfor() command lets you check to make sure the user has a
       required file.  Sets a flag to "okay" or "failed" accordingly, which
       you can test and respond to the same as with trymode().
     - The gbox() command lets you draw a filled rectangle in any graphics
       mode, in the color of your choice.  Coordinates can be given in pixels
       or character cells (like text mode).  Gbox() is ideal for setting up a
       window in which to display graphics text; it can also be used to draw
       boxes around small images.
     - The gtext() command lets you display text in any graphics mode.
       Currently only the hardware (ROM) characters are available -- the same
       as you see in text mode -- but in a few weeks we'll have a choice of
       bit-mapped fonts as well.
     - Multiple graphics can be displayed simultaneously by using the set()
       command to turn off fadein and fadeout.  You can even set the video
       mode, draw a graphics box with gbox(), then call graphic() to display
       an image inside the box.
     - The load() command lets you load a whole new book!  For example, you
       could have a trilogy of electronic novels, and in each one include
       a little menu with Action links through which the user can go directly
       to one of the others.
     - The jump() command now accepts a number representing the card from
       which you can "pretend" to have jumped, useful if repeatedly returning
       to a Contents or Menu card where you would like the last-used linkword
       to be hilited on return.
     - Now ansi screens can have hotspots!  The rules are the same as for
       putting hotspots in real graphics; see MANUAL2.DOC for details.
     - The FileView window now offers a super-fast way to import text from
       long external files.  Selecting "AutoMark" instantly marks a full
       23-line block.  The prompt then turns to "AutoMORE", and if you select
       it again, Orpheus automatically appends a More link to the card in
       the current Edit window, jumps to it in the background, and copies in
       the block from FileView.  In other words, pressing <A> twice grabs a
       23-line chunk and adds it to your work in a brand new card.  (You could
       do the same thing with a macro, but this is faster.)  AutoMark even
       lets you grab only as much as you want by resizing the block with the
       Up/Down and PgUp/PgDn keys.

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Version 1.41 (February 3, 1993)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - The Reader now has a Tour mode (accessed through the File Menu).  Gives
       a self-running tour of your complete book.  Options include time delay
       between moves (1-99 seconds), random/sequential order, advance after
       delay or after keypress or either one.  Once started, Tour mode only
       stops if you press Alt-T.  (Self-running tours are great for lobbies,
       store windows, and other public displays.)  Tour Mode does not access
       Init and Action cards, since they could contain commands that would
       interrupt the tour.
     - Reader options now include ability to ignore the Auto-Bookmark when
       you re-open a book.

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Version 1.32 (January 21, 1992)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - The Orpheus Command Language lets you write command scripts (similar to
       batch files) in any Init, Action, or Graphic card.  Scripts can test
       conditions (such as the user's hardware) and take alternate branches.
       The language is designed to be easy to use yet swift in performance,
       and easily extended:  new commands will come in forthcoming releases.
       A complete guide to OCL is given in Part II of the User's Guide, in
       the file MANUAL2.DOC.
     - Orpheus now looks for graphic files first in the current directory,
       then in a directory specified with the ORPHEUS environment variable
       and a /g switch.  The following DOS command (given either at the DOS
       prompt or in a batch file) would tell Orpheus to look in the c:\art
       directory:   "SET ORPHEUS=/GC:\ART".  Both the environment variable
       and the switch may be in uppercase or lowercase.  (This feature applies
       to both OH.EXE and the Orpheus Reader.
     - Now you can display ANSI files from Orpheus, and the user's system
       does not have to have ansi.sys installed.  Files are located using
       the same method as for graphics described above.
     - Now you can load a file into the FileView window from the command line,
       using the "/v" switch.  For example:  "OH TEST /VMANUAL.DOC" would
       load both the "Test" project in the Edit windows and MANUAL.DOC in
       the FileView window.  The command "OH /VMANUAL.DOC" would do just
       the latter, leaving the Edit windows empty.
     - Added Alt-S as a hotkey to the Search Dialog in the FileView window.
       (In Edit windows, this pulls down the Search Menu.)
     - If you close a book and then re-open it later, the Reader now returns
       automatically to the last location you were in (or rather gives you
       the option to do so after first displaying the Homecard).
     - Added Nordic characters to the support for foreign languages.  See
       online help, Using The Keyboard -> Inserting Accents.
     - Added "Edit Init" to the Link Menu, which is rearranged to group the
       programmable card types.
     - Added two debugging tools available through the Tools Menu, which now
       has submenus under "Repair" and "Jumplist".
     - Additional color options, including ability to compile a book with your
       colors built-in.  The end-user can still set his own colors, but he
       sees yours first.  To make this more manageable the menu system in
       the Orpheus Reader now has 2 pulldowns, "File" and "Options".  You
       can choose the default colors, your own, or the author's.  (The "Paint"
       colors are intended for use with a script command, to be added later.)
     - Reader options now allow you to turn off sound.  This will become
       more important as the Command Language grows.

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Version 1.24 (November 22, 1992)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - Opening the menu system with the mouse, or with Esc, now pulls down
       whichever menu was used last.  To open the menus with the mouse you
       now click the left button on "Esc:Menu" (not the right button).
     - Now you can mark all text in a card in one stroke with Ctrl-F5; good
       for all block operations except reformat.
     - At last!  Complete mouse support for all block operations!  The right
       button marks in your choice of stream, line, or column modes; clicking
       the right button clears an existing mark.  Clicking the left button
       performs your choice of pasting, moving, or framing a block; if framing
       is selected and you mouse-mark in column mode, the Frame dialog pops
       up automatically.  To select mode and action, slip the mouse pointer
       to the message area on the statusbar, to the left of the title.

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Version 1.23 (November 9, 1992)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - New on the Print Options submenu of OH.EXE:  you can enter a printer
       setup string for Orpheus to send to the printer before a global print
       or every one-card print.  This is also on the Print submenu of
       the Orpheus Reader.  Additionally, both programs let you choose between
       removing and not removing control codes (see below) from the print
       stream.
     - New characters!  Instead of reserving all 31 control codes (characters
       with an ascii value of 1-31), Orpheus now lets you use 18 of them in
       your text.  Characters include:  the card suits, musical notes, male/
       female symbols, true arrows, etc.  The complete list is shown in the
       Ascii Table (Alt-A).
     - Music!  Play() command lets you play music from an Init or Action card.
       For music to play automatically when the reader enters a card, place
       the Play() command in an Init; for music to play only when the user
       selects an Action link, place the command in the Action card.

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Version 1.22 (October 30, 1992)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - The Orpheus Reader is now network-friendly:  a user can be on one
       drive-directory, the Reader and its help file on another, and the
       book to read on yet another.  The user's personal configuration,
       bookmark, and notepad files are saved in his own directory.
     - Also in the Reader, the directory dialog now lets you look for HTX
       files anywhere on your system.

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Version 1.21 (October 9, 1992)

   NEW FEATURES:
     - Now you can launch a program or batch file from within OH.EXE (not just
       from the Reader).  See Action Links on the Link Menu, and read Help
       on Programming Hypertext.
     - Special support for users working in languages other than English.
       Read online Help on "Using the Keyboard"->"Inserting Accents", or
       open the Options Menu and select "Keyboard".
     - Added Delete Word Left (Ctrl-Backspace) to OH.EXE's internal word
       processor.
     - Added an Ascii Table displaying all characters with their ascii values,
       from 32 (space) up to 255.  (Values below 32 are control codes
       reserved for use by Orpheus.)  Any character on the table can be
       inserted by clicking on it, or by selecting it with the arrow keys and
       pressing Enter.

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Version 1.20 (October 2, 1992)

   NEW FEATURES:
      - Instant macros with keyboard recording.  Record up to 500 keystrokes
        in up to 10 keystroke macros and assign to the keys of your choice.
        See "Macro" on the Tools Menu.
      - All cards in a book can now be displayed within a "frame" (box), using
        the style of your choice.  See "Frame" on the Project Menu.
      - The Edit Menu now includes Column Marking, and all block ops can now
        be performed on column blocks, including deleting, pasting, moving,
        and moving a block with embedded links to another card.
      - Instant boxes!  Mark a column block and then press Ctrl-F9:  the
        Frame Dialog pops up with a choice of 6 styles.  Want to change the
        the style of an existing box?  -- Easy: column-mark it and hit
        Ctrl-F9, then just pick a different style or select "None" to remove
        the box entirely.  See "Frame Block" on the Tools Menu.