³ The Silicon Frog ³ ³ The SHOW2 Program ³ ³ FirstLook's Show Viewer ³ ³ Version 2.0 ³ ³ Copyright (c) 1991, The Silicon Frog, Inc. All Rights Reserved Introduction...............................................3 Quick Start............................................3 Starting SHOW2 in Manual Mode..........................3 The Show File Menu.................................5 The Credit Screen..................................5 Running SHOW2 - Manual Mode............................5 F2 - Screen Menu...................................6 F3 - Special Effects Toggle........................6 First and Last Screens.............................7 AutoMode Operation.....................................7 No-Show Files......................................7 Starting and Running SHOW2 in AutoMode.................7 AutoMode/Manual Mode Toggle........................8 AutoMode Batch Operation...........................8 Continuous Unattended Operation....................9 Video Adapter Support..................................9 Incompatible Video Adapters.......................10 Compatibility with earlier versions...................10 SHOW & SHOW2 - Version History........................11 Version 2.0.......................................11 Version 1.7.......................................11 Version 1.6.......................................11 Version 1.5.......................................11 Versions 1.0 through 1.4..........................11 SHOW2 3 Introduction The SHOW2 program displays Show Files (.SH2) created with the FirstLook system. SHOW2 requires approximately 90K to operate, and PC- or MS-DOS release 2.1 or greater. A color display is highly recommended, but not mandatory. SHOW2 also takes advantage of a Microsoft or compatible mouse if one is available. Quick Start For experienced folks and all who hate to read .DOCs, here's the quickest way to view shows with the SHOW2 program: 1. Copy SHOW2.EXE and all .SH2 show files to the same diskette or hard disk directory, 2. At the DOS prompt, type SHOW2 and press 3. Follow the program's instructions. When viewing the show, press F1 to toggle the help line ON/OFF. Starting SHOW2 in Manual Mode SHOW2's manual mode is intended for personal show viewing (the program's automated mode is used for unattended show displays). To start SHOW2 in manual mode, use the following command: SHOW2 [SHOWDIR] [/BWx] [/NOFX] [/NH] [SHOWDIR] is an optional parameter which points to the directory where the desired Show Files (.SH2) are stored. SHOWDIR must be a valid DOS drive:\directory\ name containing a trailing backslash. If the [SHOWDIR] parameter is omitted, SHOW2 will look for .SH2 files in the current directory. If the SHOW2 program is in directory in your DOS PATH, start the SHOW2 program from the .SH2 file directory and omit the [SHOWDIR] parameter. The [/BWx] optional parameter forces monochrome display and color translation modes (new in SHOW 1.6) in cases where SHOW2 is unable to automatically detect a monochrome monitor, or whenever the default color translation does not yield acceptable results on your monochrome monitor. See the section titled "Video Adapter Support" later on this document for additional information on supported displays. The [/NH] parameter is intended specifically for display adapters which are not fully compatible with the IBM SHOW2 4 standards. These include monochrome adapters (MDA, Hercules or compatibles) and color/graphics adapters (CGA, EGA, VGA and MCGA). If your monitor exhibits erratic behavior, displays garbage, or if your computer locks up for no apparent reason, use the /NH parameter on the SHOW2 command line. Read the paragraph titled "Video Adapter Support" later in this document for additional details. Following are sample commands: 1. Show Files are in C:\DATA\SHOWS, SHOW2 is in C:\SHOW C:>CD SHOW C:>SHOW2 C:\DATA\SHOWS\ 2. The SHOW2 program is in the DOS PATH and Show Files are in the C:\DATA\SHOW directory: C:>CD DATA\SHOW C:>SHOW2 3. SHOW2.EXE and Show files are in the current directory and monochrome output with default color translation is desired: C:>SHOW2 /BW1 The /NOFX parameter, if specified, disables special screen transition effects, if any. Screen effects and screen display timing for AutoMode are defined by the show's author. If the show contains special effects, they are displayed by default. If /NOFX is specified, it can be overridden during the show (in manual mode) by pressing the F3 key. Program startup If no Show Files were found in the current directory or in the directory specified on the command line, SHOW2 will terminate with an appropriate error message. The error message may also be displayed if an incorrect command-line parameter was used. If .SH2 files were found, SHOW2 will display its logo/copyright screen. The logo screen will scroll away, and will be replaced by an informational screen about SHOW2's Help Line. Since most screens contain 25 lines' worth of information, the Help Line is not displayed by default. To proceed with the Show File Menu Screen, press any key or click any mouse button. SHOW2 5 The Show File Menu The Show File Menu Screen displays a variable-size, scrollable window containing the titles of all shows found in the show directory. To select a show, use the cursor key(s) or roll the mouse until the desired show name is highlighted, then press or click the left mouse button. Pressing or clicking the right mouse button exits SHOW2 and returns to DOS. The Credit Screen Once you have selected a Show, a credit screen will be shown for a few short seconds, acknowledging the show's author. You will then be prompted to press any key or click either mouse button to start the Show. In AutoMode, the credit screen display may be disabled with the /NOA command- line parameter. Running SHOW2 - Manual Mode When SHOW2 starts, it immediately displays the first screen in the .SH2 file. Pressing the F1 keys cycles help information on the screen's 25th line. The default Help Line displays keyboard help; the second help line displays mouse help. Pressing F1 a third time erases the help line so that all screen data is visible. Since many screens contain 25 lines' worth of information, keeping the help line off will allow you to view the entire screen. Once you become familiar with SHOW2's simple commands, you will want to keep the help line OFF permanently. SHOW2 controls are simple and intuitive: F1 - Cycle Help Line (kb/mouse/OFF) F2 - Show Screen Menu F3 - Special Effects Toggle PgDn/Click Left - Display Next Screen PgUp/Click Right - Display Previous Screen Home - Display First Screen End - Display Last Screen F2/Click Both - Screen Menu Esc - Exit Show/Return to Show File Menu SHOW2 6 In addition to the PgUp and PgDn keys, SHOW2 also responds to the following keys to move from screen to screen: Next Screen - Space Bar, Plus or Equal keys, , Tab (-->|), Down Arrow and Insert key. Previous Screen - Minus keys, Backspace key, Up Arrow, Shift-Tab, and Delete key. When you exit the Show, the Show File Menu Screen will be re-displayed. F2 - Screen Menu Pressing F2 (or clicking both mouse buttons) at any time during the show displays the Show's Screen Menu. The top line of the menu screen contains the Show's title. Below the title, a scrollable window displays the show's screen descriptions and allows selection of the next screen to be viewed. While in the screen selection window, the following keys and key combinations are active: Dn/Mouse Down - Down one screen Up/Mouse Up - Up one screen PgDn - Down 18 screens PgUp - Up 18 screens Home - Top of Window End - Bottom of Window ^Home - First Screen ^End - Last Screen Enter/Click Left - Select screen and exit Esc/Click Right - Exit without screen change Pressing or clicking the left mouse button selects the highlighted screen and resumes the show at the new starting location. Pressing or clicking the right mouse button returns to the show where you left off. F3 - Special Effects Toggle Shows may or may not contain special screen transition effects. Most shows created for marketing / display-only purposes are likely to contain screen effects. While viewing the show in manual mode, pressing the F3 key toggles special effects ON and OFF. When special effects are SHOW2 7 active, the "FX" indicator will be displayed at the left of the help line (if the help line is displayed). When effects have been disabled, the "NoFX" indicator is displayed instead. First and Last Screens SHOW2 will chirp if you attempt to move back from the first screen, or forward from the last screen -- to let you know that you were at the beginning or end of the show --. The current screen will remain displayed. AutoMode Operation In AutoMode, SHOW2 continuously displays the Shows found in the default or specified show directory (with the exception of No-Show files, described below). Prior to starting the display, the file names are sorted in ascending alphabetic order. This allows user-specified ordering of the shows, merely by renaming the files. For example, the files TEST1.SH2, ZIGGIE.SH2, and NEW1.SH2 would be displayed in the following order: NEW1, TUTOR, and ZIGGIE. To change the show order to TUTOR, ZIGGIE, and NEW1, the files should be renamed so that the new names are sorted in the desired order: C:>ren TUTOR.SH2 SH2W1.SH2 C:>ren ZIGGIE.SH2 SHOW2.SH2 C:>ren NEW1.SH2 SHOW3.SH2 Any file names may be used (however, if the .SH2 file is to be later disassembled with the FirstLook Show Director program, the file name should not exceed five characters). No-Show Files Files will be excluded from the AutoMode show if their name starts with the "@" character. Rather than deleting files from the show directory, they can be easily renamed to a filename starting with the "@" character. (Note: if there is only one file in the show directory it may not have the "@" prefix). Starting and Running SHOW2 in AutoMode To invoke AutoMode operation, the /AUTO parameter must be used in the DOS command line used to start the SHOW2 SHOW2 8 program. In addition, the /NOA (no acknowledgment) parameter may also be used in conjunction with the /AUTO parameter to disable the default 4-second show credit screen display. The /NOFX parameter may also be specified to disable special effects. When /NOFX is used, screens are displayed instantaneously and remain displayed for the duration specified in the .SH2 file. As mentioned earlier, effects and display timing are defined when the show is created and cannot be altered by the viewer. To start SHOW2 in AutoMode without the credit screen display, use the following command line: C:>SHOW2 [other parameters] /AUTO /NOA No user prompts are displayed while in AutoMode. At the beginning of each show, SHOW2 displays the credit screen for 4 seconds (unless /NOA is used), then starts displaying show screens automatically, using the special effects (unless /NOFX is used) and screen timing values defined in the .SH2 file. AutoMode/Manual Mode Toggle At any time during the show, pressing will toggle between automatic and manual modes. When F10 is pressed, an information screen will be displayed, stating the program's new mode of operation. Pressing a key will resume operation under the new mode. When in AutoMode, is the only accepted keyboard input. The key will not be recognized if the program was started in manual mode. AutoMode Batch Operation AutoMode batch operation allows SHOW2 to start and end automatically. In this mode, the program may be included as part of a batch file. To specify Batch Mode, use the /AUTn parameter rather than the /AUTO parameter. The "n" suffix is a single digit from 0 to 9 which defines the number of shows to be displayed before the program terminates and returns to DOS. All other AutoMode rules apply, but the program will not produce a display upon startup. The /NOA and /NOFX parameters may also be specified. SHOW2 9 In Batch Mode, SHOW2 will automatically cycle through all eligible .SH2 files until the number of shows displayed equals the "n" suffix in the /AUTn parameter. If the show directory only contains one file, then that show will be displayed n times. If the show directory contains two files and n=3, SHOW2 will display the first show, the second show, the first show again, and will terminate. Continuous Unattended Operation If the /AUTX parameter is used, SHOW2 will start without displaying its AutoMode startup prompt, and will run indefinitely until the program is switched to manual mode via the F10 key. /AUTX allows SHOW2 to be included in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file on a bootable diskette, for example. As with batch mode, /NOA and /NOFX may also be specified. Video Adapter Support Shows are developed with color displays in mind, but they can be viewed on any display. Since FirstLook allows vibrant, high-intensity background colors, a color display is strongly recommended. SHOW2 automatically detects the following display types: - Color monitors attached to CGA, EGA, VGA , and MCGA adapters. - Monochrome monitors attached to MDA, Hercules, EGA, VGA, and MCGA adapters. When a monochrome monitor is detected, SHOW2 will translate all screen colors to provide a readable display. SHOW2 also recognizes the current video mode, which may be used to override the installed hardware operation. When SHOW2 detects a monochrome display, it will use a default color translation method to make the show as "visible" as possible on the monitor. Certain special purpose monochrome monitors may not be recognized by SHOW2. In addition, the default color translation method may not yield acceptable results. If this is the case, you should use the /BWx command-line parameter when starting SHOW2. The "x" in "/BWx" in a digit from 1 to 5, which selects one of five color translation schemes. Rather than explaining each color translation method in detail, you should experiment with parameters /BW1 through /BW5 to determine which yields the best results on your monitor/adapter combination. SHOW2 10 For monochrome composite video monitors attached to Color Graphic Adapters (CGA), the DOS MODE BW80 command should be used prior to starting SHOW2 to insure proper operation. Incidentally, this is NOT a peculiar requirement of the SHOW2 program. The MODE BW80 command tells DOS to disable the CGA's color burst, which makes displays far more visible on composite monochrome monitors. If your system is so equipped, this command should be included in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Incompatible Video Adapters All recent major brand video adapters are fully compatible with the IBM adapters they are intended to replace. Certain older "Brand X" adapters may not be fully compatible with the IBM standards, however. Specifically, some CGA or MDA adapters may not support the high-intensity background feature used to SHOW2's advantage (this hardware feature is fully documented in the IBM PC Technical Reference manual). Lack of compatibility may show as garbage on the screen or, in extreme cases, outright system lockup. Should you experience such problems, use the /NH (no high-intensity background) parameter in the SHOW2 command line. Unfortunately, this lack of compatibility cannot be detected. The SHOW2 program is not responsible for the problem; it merely points out your adapter's lack of IBM compatibility. To get the problem solved (rather than circumvented), you should contact your video adapter's vendor or manufacturer and get a fully-compatible replacement. Compatibility with earlier versions Although very similar to earlier versions of SHOW.EXE (distributed with Qmodem 4.x and the John Hancock Tag Line Manager program), version 2.0 of the program cannot process version 1.x show files (.SHO), and vice-versa. You may safely store .SHO and .SH2 files in the same directory, however; SHOW.EXE and SHOW2.EXE will only recognize files which they can process. DO NOT rename .SH2 file to .SHO or vice-versa; this will guarantee a serious failure of the SHOW or SHOW2 program which will translate into screen garbage (at best) or complete system lockup (at worst). SHOW2 11 SHOW & SHOW2 - Version History Version 2.0 SHOW 2.0 implements a major change in the pointer structure of the show files which makes them incompatible with previous releases of the SHOW program. As a result, a pre- 2.0 version of SHOW.EXE is required to view pre-2.0 shows, and version 2.0 will not display pre-2.0 (.SHO) files in its show selection window. The change in file extension to .SH2 prevents any problems which would result when the SHOW program attempts to process incompatible show files. Version 2.0 also implements six new special effects (HBars1, VZipDown/Left/Right/Up). Version 1.7 SHOW 1.7 is a minor upgrade release with one new special effect (RollAway). Although SHOW 1.7 will display show files made with pre-1.7 releases of the FirstLook system, the addition of this new special effect may cause pre-1.7 shows special effects not to be displayed accurately (i.e., the screen will be displayed with the wrong effect). This should only cause minor inconveniences. Version 1.7 of the program was never released to the public. Version 1.6 New in SHOW 1.6 is a choice of color translation methods when viewing a color show on a monochrome monitor. This feature is implemented via a change in the /BW command-line parameter. Version 1.5 SHOW release 1.5 can operate in automatic or manual mode, and implements user-controlled special effects and display timing. In Automatic Display mode (AutoMode), the program cycles through all eligible shows automatically, and each screen is displayed for a user-specified duration. Automatic Batch mode can also be used to control the number of automatic show iterations. In batch mode, SHOW will terminate and return to DOS once the "Show is Over". For additional details, refer to the section titled "AutoMode Operation" found earlier in this document. Versions 1.0 through 1.4 SHOW releases 1.0 through 1.4 were working versions of the program and were never released.