Copyright: Copyright ® 1995 Ember Software.


T_Main
Wanvas Help.

   This program behaves as a shared computer whiteboard.  This allows several user to draw, with a variety of tools, on the same picture from different computers.  These changes are immediately broadcast over a computer network to all other users so everyone is looking at, and can change, the same picture.

 Quick start

 Menus

 Tips

 About

Click on the item below that you would like information about.

Version 1.10	Sept 24, 1995


Line
Click and hold the mouse button.  A shadow line will be drawn showing where the line will be drawn.  Release the button to draw the line using the current pen width and color.


Arrow
Click to select object for moving, resizing, or deleting.  After selected, click object again and move mouse to move object, or click handles at sides and corners to resize. Click and drag box to select multiple objects for deletion.  Press the delete key to delete any selected object(s)

Tip!: holding down either shift or control keys allow drawing a box without selecting an object that is where the mouse is clicked.

Tip!:  after selecting an object, double clicking on it with the right mouse button changes it’s color to the currently selected colors.


Hand
Clicking and holding mouse draws a colored hand that follows as the mouse is moved.  The colored hand is shown on all computers connected to the Wanvas.


Pencil
Click and hold mouse button, move mouse to draw.


Hollow Objects
Click and drag the mouse to draw the selected type of object:  Rectangles, Rounded Rectangles, or Circles.  The outline will be drawn with the selected main color and the selected width.


Filled Objects
Click and drag the mouse to draw the selected type of object:  Rectangles, Rounded Rectangles, or Circles.  The interior will be filled with the selected main color, and the outline will be drawn with the selected alternate color and the selected width.


Polygon
Click with mouse to start drawing polygon.  Click for each corner of the polygon.  Double-click at the last point to finish drawing.  The outline will be drawn with the selected main color and the selected width.

Note:  depending on your video drivers, drawing polygons with more than just a few sides can take a long time.  In addition, some video drivers do not draw polygons that are larger than some size.  If large polygon objects are not drawing, try resizing them smaller.


Filled Polygon
Click with mouse to start drawing polygon.  Click for each corner of the polygon.  Double-click at the last point to finish drawing.  The interior will be filled with the selected main color, and the outline will be drawn with the selected alternate color and the selected width.

Note:  depending on your video drivers, drawing polygons with more than just a few sides can take a long time.  In addition, some video drivers do not draw polygons that are larger than some size.  If large polygon objects are not drawing, try resizing them smaller.


Icon
Color and line width palettes change to a selection of icons.  Select the desired icon you wish to draw on the screen; it will be indicated next to your current color selections.  Your mouse cursor will change to a shadow of the icon that will be drawn by clicking the left button.  You may select which file read icons from by selecting them from the dropdown list at the bottom of the toolpalette.  You may add more icon files by editing the WANVAS.INI file.

After selecting this, the dropdown list will appear on the tool palette to allow you to change icon files.

Tip!:  by clicking the right mouse button in the icon selection area, the background color can be changed.


Text
Select a point on the Wanvas to draw text, and you will be prompted to enter text to be displayed.  You may change the current Font by selecting Fonts... under the Options menu.

Tip!:  with the arrow tool, double-clicking on text that is on the Wanvas page allows you to change the text.


Text Pin
Select a point on the Wanvas where a text point should be located.  You will be prompted to enter text to be at this point (and select a color for the point).  Double-clicking on a point with the arrow tool will allow anyone to read the text.


Current Stuff
This box shows your current selections.  The top color is used as the main color.  This is the color that outline shapes will be drawn (hollow circles, line, pencil, etc.) and will be used as the internal color for the solid objects.  The alternate color is used as the outline color for the solid objects.

To the right of the colors is where your currently selected icon appears.


Colors
Colors.  Pick the main color with the left mouse button.  Pick the alternate color with the right mouse button.


Quick Start
Quick start instructions.

You should have a working WINSOCK.DLL running on all computers you wish to connect in a Wanvas group.

If you don't have a WINSOCK.DLL for your network, contact your network administrator.

If you don't have a network, the functionality of this software may still be used, but it won't magically communicate between computers without the benefit of a network (maybe next version.)

•	Start Wanvas on several computers.

•	Use Help->This Address... menu option to determine the IP addresses and computer name of the computers if they are not known.

•	Use Wanvas->Connect... menu option on one computer to connect to one other.  Type in the IP address or computer name of the one other computer in the Wanvas group in the lower box.  The address entered will be remembered and you may select it from a list next time.  Additional computers may connect to any computer currently in the Wanvas group.

•	Select tools and draw.

(Note that a change to the connection method means that Wanvas 1.0 and Wanvas 1.1 will not connect with each other.  Users must all use the same version of Wanvas.)


Tips
Tips.  (Tribal knowledge passed on to you.)

These are some helpful hints that you might not have found by yourself.

•	With the arrow tool, holding down either the shift or control keys allow drawing a box without selecting an object that is where the mouse is clicked.

•	With the arrow tool, after selecting an object, double clicking on it with the right mouse button changes it’s color to the currently selected colors.

•	By clicking the right mouse button in the icon selection area, the background color can be changed.

•	With the arrow tool, double-clicking on text that is on the Wanvas page allows you to change the text.

•	Use the Help->This Address... menu option to quickly determine the IP address or name of a computer.

•	Under the control box in the upper left corner of the main window is a "Capture Area" menu item to select an area of the screen to be pasted into the Wanvas.  (It is located there so it will still be accessable while Wanvas is minimized.)

•	Depending on your video drivers, drawing polygons with more than just a few sides can take a long time.  In addition, some video drivers do not draw polygons that are larger than some size.  If large polygon objects are not drawing, try resizing them smaller.

•	When using WindowsNT(tm) or Windows95(tm), capturing the screen can still be accomplished:  Click and hold the Right mouse button while the cursor is over Wanvas and shows the "Wanvas Select Area" cursor.  You may then move the mouse off of Wanvas and click and drag with the left button to select an area to capture.  You may then release the right mouse button.


About
    Wanvas - Network Whiteboard Software

by Michael Burford

Copyright © 1995 Ember Software.  All rights reserved.

 	Ember Software

PO Box 514

Richland, WA  99352  (USA)

e-mail:	ember@oneworld.owt.com

web:	http://www.owt.com/ember/

History of Wanvas


Widths
Click with the left mouse button to select the width for drawing with the pencil, line, and the outline for hollow and filled shapes.


Chat Window
Click the Wanvas Chat button to activate the chat window.  This allows all users of the current Wanvas to type messages to each other.


Icon List
Select which file to use for the icons shown when using the Icon tool.  More files may be added to this list by editing the WANVAS.INI file.  This will only be visible if the icon tool is selected.


Menus
File  Edit  Options  Wanvas  Help


File Menu
File menu...

Insert Image:

•	Read bitmap file and paste into Wanvas as an object.

Save Image:

•	Save the current Wanvas page as a bitmap file.

Record:

•	Start recording the Wanvas session.

Stop Recording:

•	Stop recording a Wanvas session.

Replay:

•	Open and replay a Wanvas recording.  Use VCR style controls to rewind, stop, step forward, play and fast forward.

 Print:

•	Print the current Wanvas page to the default printer.

Page Setup:

•	Select and setup the default printer.

Exit:

•	Leave Wanvas.


Edit menu
Edit menu...

Cut:

•	Delete the currently selected object.

Copy:

•	Copy the currently selected object.

Paste:

 •	Insert another copy of the most recently Cut or Copied object.

Paste from Clipboard:

•	Insert a bitmap image copied to the clipboard by another program (such as Paintbrush.)

Move to Front:

•	Move the selected object to be on top of all other objects

Move to Back:

•	Move the selected object to be behind all other objects


Options menu
Options menu...

Font:

•	Select the font to use when drawing with the text tool.

Setup:

•	Setup the current user's name and registration code.

Thumbnail Window:

•	Turns on/off the thumbnail preview window.  This gives an overview of the current Wanvas page.  Clicking the thumbnail window scrolls the view.

Chat Window:

•	This allows all users of the current Wanvas to type messages to each other.

Fast Sockets:

•	This might speed up network communications.

Debug:

•	Gives additional messages for transfers for debugging purposes.


Wanvas menu
Wanvas menu...

New:

•	Delete all objects from the current Wanvas page.  All users will still be connected.

Connect:

•	Start a Wanvas connection to another computer.  (Use Help->This Address to determine IP address or name.)  Enter the IP address or name (123.123.123.123 or mjb.ember.net) to another computer running Wanvas to connect.

Exit:

•	Leave the current Wanvas group.


Help menu
Help menu...

Contents:

•	To this help file.

Search:

•	Search this help file

About:

•	About Wanvas.

This Address:

•	To determine the IP address and computer name for the current computer.


Replay controls
Click any of the Replay controls for information.


Rewind
Rewind.  Remove all objects from Wanvas display and move to the beginning of the recording.


Stop
Stop.  Stop playing or fast forwarding Wanvas recording.


Step
Single Step.  Move one step forward in the Wanvas recording.  Usually one object being drawn or moved.


Play
Play.  Plays the Wanvas recording forward at about one step every second.


Fast Forward
Fast Forward.  Plays the Wanvas recording at several steps per second.


History

Sept 24, 1995.	1.10 Release.  Changes:

•	Change connection method to work with some Winsock stacks that did not  work with the 1.00 method.  Note that this change to the connection method means that Wanvas 1.0 and Wanvas 1.1 will not connect with each other.  Users must all use the same version of Wanvas.

•	Attempt to recover if Wanvas crashed and left the listening socket open.  Not guaranteed to work for all Winsock stacks, and could cause problems if another program is now using the socket.

•	Dialog box to indicate status when connecting, and allow canceling during the connection.

•	Thumbnail window to see a tiny view of the drawing space.  Allows scrolling the main view.

•	Increase the size of drawing space.

•	Outlines offset incorrectly when moving multiple objects and viewed area is scrolled so it is not the upper left corner.

•	Recieving chat text cleared what was typed at the local machine.

•	Thermometer bar added to bottom of toolbar to indicate the status of lengthy functions.

•	Added a default font so that drawing text doesn't require you to select a font before you can enter text.

•	Added a few more Hourglass cursor spots for things that could take some time.  (Mostly bitmap functions.)

•	Added Ctrl-Click to allow better selection of multiple objects.

•	Added some better text for some Winsock errors based on problems I've heard about.

June 29, 1995.	1.00 Release initial version of Wanvas.


Thermometer
This is a thermometer bar that indicates the status of lengthy functions.