ShowF+A - An Information System about the Amiga

The executable program is ShowF+A2.run (Basic, compiled with AC/Basic).
The source text is ShowF+A2. All these files should be kept together
in one subdirectory.

Starting the program:
If running from the Startup-Sequence, make sure that the right keymap
  is activated, it's needed!
CD to the subdirectory of the program (to be able to find the image file)
Copy the files "allgf+a" and "locaf+a" to RAM: (if they carry different
  names due to translation, rename them during copying:
  copy allgq+a RAM:allgf+a
  copy locaq+a RAM:locaq+a )
ShowF+A2.run

Running and using the program:
A background image is loaded in ACBM format. It is a Commodore logo.
If an NTSC Amiga is recognized, it gets vertically centred.
Information text are displayed pagewise. You can move to other pages
by mouse clicks, cursor keys, or other keys. At the bottom of the screen
you find a one-line short reference. You can e.g. click there on the
field to page back, or instead get the same effect with the minus key
or cursor up.
With the O key or click on the respective field, you get displayed an
overview of the themes. You can click on one of the squares or highlight
one with the cursor keys and select it with the Return key.

When the user doesn't do anything, the program runs into a timeout and
proceeds to another page. In this mode, only a selection of the more
interesting pages is shown. Also for the overview page there is a
timeout; after this and when no user intervention happened, the program
jumps back to display normal pages.

The program is intentionally designed in a way that you can't get out!
This was done with use in shops or on display booths in mind.
Who wants it differently can change the source. Afterwards, you also
can run it from the Interpreter, as there are no big demands on
processing speed. The Interpreter is not part of this archive for
Copyright reasons, though.

Localization and adaption:
What you get displayed on screen is the file RAM:allgf+a. This text can
be translated into every possible language, without changing the program
itself. Just follow the rules, how the file has to be structured:
You have to cut the text into small paragraphs of 18 (NTSC) or 24 (PAL)
lines maximum.
The last line of such a paragraph is interpreted as a headline and is
displayed in the font Topaz 9, but the rest of the text in Topaz 8.
So the headline must not be longer than 65 characters. After a headline
there should normally follow an empty line.
The end of every paragraph has to be indicated by a backslash character (\)
in the first column.
You can put two more characters into this control line:
If this paragraph also shall show up during an automatic run without user
intervention, you must put a plus sign in the last column of the line.
If the headline also shall show up in the overview, then there has to
be a hash sign (#) in the second column. Note: Also the number of
possible overview lines is limited by the screen height, which is
smaller for NTSC than for PAL, and by the font size of Topaz 9.
After the control line of the very last paragraph, there must not come
any further text or empty line.
For translations, a second file named RAM:locaf+a is read. It has to
contain exactly three lines:
The first line is the short reference that's always displayed at the
bottom of the screen.
The second line is the headline for the overview screen.
The third line contains only one character, the one to use to get to
the overview screen from the keyboard.
All further features should be easily deduced from the provided examples
in English (#?q+a) and German (#?f+a).

If you take the file allgq+a and replace all lines starting with "\"
by empty lines, you get an information text about Amiga and CD³² that
is generally useable. This text is thought to be distributed as widely
as possible. The software is Public Domain, use it to any good use of
the Amiga.

Dr. Peter Kittel, Commodore Frankfurt, 3.3.94