Copyright: Salad ® 1994 By: Paul T. Dawson
Citation: Salad Scribble Help ® 1994 By: Paul T. Dawson, P.O. Box 682, Chincoteague, VA 23336-0682 U.S.A.


Contents

Click for introduction!      Click for hints!

This picture is the table of contents. Just click anywhere on it for specific information...

To see all of the help topics, just keep clicking on the right [image] arrows!


Introduction

Salad Scribble is a very simple and fun drawing program. All of the controls are always visible on the screen!

You will be able to draw lines and shapes, use random colors, mix custom colors, type and drag text, all from one screen!

You can load and save any Windows BMP file, and lots more!

Note: Although this program does less than Paintbrush, it does do a few things that Paintbrush can not do! You can draw wide lines and shapes, use special effects (like invert), drag text around, and more - so it's very easy to quickly create your own artistic masterpieces!


Hints

1. Try the [image] button to turn on random colors!

2. Drag the mouse over the width [image] box to select a really large drawing width.

3. Click on the little sad [image] face button every now and then, to save your drawing to memory.

4. Click the [image] text tool, select a width of 128, turn on random [image] colors, and drag the mouse over the drawing area - wow!

5. Experiment and have fun!


Title Bar

The title bar will normally say "Untitled", unless you load a BMP file, or save your drawing to a file.

Note: There are not any reminders to save your file before exiting, so you'll have to remember to do that!


Control Box

This is just the regular old Windows control box. You can double click this for a quick exit!


Minimize and Maximize

Before you click the Minimize or Maximize buttons, please remember to click the little sad [image] face to save your drawing to memory.

If the face is happy [image] then everything's alright!


Exit Button

The Exit button pops up a dialog box that gives you one chance to back up and not exit.

Just click Yes to really exit!


Load Button

The Load button pops up the standard Windows "File Open" dialog box. You can choose any standard BMP file, up to whatever size will fit in memory.

As a rough guideline, if you can edit a particular size BMP in Paintbrush, it will probably fit into Salad Scribble.


Save Button

The Save button pops up the standard Windows "File Save" dialog box. Select an existing BMP file, or type in a new name.


Clear Button

The Clear button pops up a different window, where you can choose the size of a new drawing.

Use the scroll bars to change the width and height, and then click OK, or click Cancel to go back to your old drawing.

The size is adjustable up to 1280 by 1280, but you have to be careful to choose a size that will fit into your available memory!

As a rough guideline, if you can edit a BMP of a particular size in Paintbrush,  it will probably fit into Salad Scribble.

You can also click the About button for an update on your available memory.


Undo Button

This is slightly complicated!

Your drawing exists in two places - on the screen, and in hidden memory. Everything that you draw is not immediately transfered to hidden memory. This gives you the ability to undo a portion of your work.

When you click Undo, the hidden memory is copied back to the screen!

Example #1: Choose the circle tool, and draw a bunch of circles. They are on the screen, but not in memory. Click Undo, and they're gone!

Example #2: Draw a bunch of circles, then click the triangle tool. Draw some triangles, then click Undo. Only the triangles vanish, because the circles were saved to memory when you changed tools!

Note: To save your work, and prevent an Undo, just click on any tool in the toolbox, or on the sad [image] face button. That will copy the screen image to hidden memory.


About Button

This button just pops up a very plain About Box.

You can use this to check your available memory and resources!


Toolbox

 The toolbox has twelve different tools! It's easier for you to just try them all, than for me to attempt to describe them!

Note: Remember to select a big drawing width to see big results quickly!


Picture Area

The big center area is the picture drawing area.

If your picture is too large, there will be one or two scroll bars on the edges - just use these to scroll around!

Very Important: Salad Scribble lets you hold down the mouse button, and draw past the edges of the drawing! For an example, select triangles, and a width of 128. Then drag past the edges - see how the triangles keep going, even when just a little bit is showing!?!  You can even drag off one edge, and then (keep the button down) travel around and come back in from another edge - excellent!


Color Mixer

 The color mixer lets you create almost any color that you want! Just drag the mouse over the Red/Green/Blue bars, and you'll see the custom color instantly! Click on the custom color (with the left or right button) to use it.

Note: Depending on your Windows setup, you might see "dithered" colors instead of a solid color. Also, you might see "closest solid color" when you use a dithered color with some of the tools. These are limitations of your Windows screen driver!


Tool Name Display

This little display just tells you the name of your current drawing tool.


Drawing Width

You can adjust the drawing width from 1 pixel to 128 pixels!

Push the mouse button down, and drag back and forth to change the width.

This display also shows your two drawing colors - that you selected with the left and right mouse buttons. The top color is the "main" color, and the bottom color is used for borders around shapes.


Mouse Cursor Selector

This button lets you change the mouse cursor that appears in the main drawing area.

Just keep clicking to select from: the regular arrow, an "up arrow", and a cross.


Random Color Switch

This little button is the key to the entire program!

When the R is blue, random colors are turned off. Just click it to switch it to red - that means random colors are on.

Random colors are great with any of the tools, but they are really fun when you are dragging text around. Try clicking the Font button and selecting the Wingdings font, then switch the width to 128, and drag all those characters around - wow!


Help Button

The little help button should always pop up this file!


Happy or Sad Display

This button switches back and forth between the [image] and [image] faces, and the explanation is slightly complicated!

Your drawing exists in two places - on the screen, and in hidden memory. Everything that you draw is not immediately transfered to hidden memory. This gives you the ability to undo a portion of your work.

When the face is [image] , it means that your picture has not been saved to hidden memory! If you minimize the program, or pop something else up over it, you will lose whatever you just drew.

To save your work, just click on any tool in the toolbox, or on the [image] button. That will copy the screen image to hidden memory.

Remember, you can click Undo to undo what you just drew. That only works if the face is sad!

In other words, [image] means that memory and the screen are different!


Logical Mode Selector

Click this button four times to switch between the logical drawing modes, Plain, Merge, Xor, and Invert.

These different modes are impossible to explain - just try them all to see what happens!


Color Buttons

There are always 27 color buttons, and you can click these with the right or left mouse buttons. As soon as you click, the new color will be shown in the width display.

Depending on your Windows setup, you might see "dithered" colors instead of a perfect color. Also, you might see "closest solid color" when you use a dithered color with some of the tools.

Sometimes the "closest solid color" that Windows uses is white, which is (obviously) invisible against a white background. So, if you are trying to draw in a light color, and nothing happens, it's because of limitations in Windows!

Programming note: There aren't really 27 individual buttons. Everything is just drawn onto one picture box!


Font Selector Button

This button starts out with "Arial..." on it, since that is the default font. Just click it to pop up the standard Font dialog box, where you can choose any TrueType font.

Just choose a font name from the dialog box - don't worry about the size! That's because Salad Scribble uses the drawing width box to set the font size.

If your drawing width is less than 8, the font will be drawn as size 8.


Character Buttons

The character selector lets you choose which letter you would like to drag around the screen. Just click on any letter, or click on the left and right arrows to see other letters.

When the Text tool is selected, you can also try this:

1. Click once in the drawing area.

2. Use the keyboard to type some letters.

Remember, text will never show up exactly where you expect it, because this is a scribble program, not a precision drawing program!

Programming note: There aren't really 16 individual character buttons. Everything is just drawn onto one picture box! The selected button is "pushed in" by the API InvertRect function.


Shareware Registration Information
Shareware Registration Information - Part 1

Salad Scribble is 99% free - individuals may copy and use it with no charge or obligation. That covers your personal use only - any commercial use of this program requires written permission from the author.

If you really like the program, or if you have questions or suggestions, please send a postcard or letter: "My kids like Salad Scribble", or "This got me into the MOMA", or "This is the best program since VisiCalc", or whatever you can think of!

Anyway, since you have been kind enough to read this far, there are a few other programs (from the author) that you might be interested in.

These are all educational programs, and most are for elementary level math. You may have already seen some of these programs - "Googol Math Games" is sort of a shareware classic, and even "Lugnut City" is rapidly becoming world famous!

There's more!


Shareware Registration Information - Part 2

If you have children at home, then send in an order, and you'll get lots of programs that will help your kids have fun while they're reinforcing their basic math skills.

Also, please check with your local schools - if they have PCs, then the $35 Super Registration is a fantastic deal. That pays for seven complete DOS programs - for all of their students and all of their computers! If they have Windows, then the Windows programs are included free!!!

Click the >> button, or the [image] arrow, or even this to see the latest program list!

Please remember, most of these programs require EGA graphics, so they will not run on older computers with CGA monitors. Since you're reading this in Windows, there is a 99.9999% chance that you have an EGA, VGA, or better monitor!


Program Descriptions

Click these for descriptions...

Googol Math Games

Googol Bonus Disk

Googol Review

Paul's Classroom Math

Flashcards

Lugnut City

Wolfie's Music Games

Googolpede for Windows 3.1

Cheezi for Windows 3.1

Remember, Super Registration for everything is only $35,  for one family or one school building.

Look on the disk for the SALAD.FRM order form!


 Googol Math Games

Three fun math games for all ages! This program has been around for several years (with many new versions), and now there are kids playing Googol in all 50 states in the U.S.A., and in over 20 other countries, on every continent except Antarctica! The age range for this program is very wide - from about 5 years old up to high school. Everyone needs some math practice, and parents enjoy playing Googol too!

Googol Math Games requires CGA graphics and 512K memory.


 Googol Bonus Disk

This is a collection of six games, all of them non-shareware and available only from the author.  There are four math games (Defender, Gulper, Lander, and Multiplication Table Frenzy),  and two non-math puzzles (Clash and Fifteen Tiles) just for fun.

Googol Bonus Disk requires CGA graphics and 512K memory.


 Googol Review

This program has standard number problems with many different levels (+-x/). There are also math word problems, with millions of different combinations, and all of the options that you have seen in "Googol Math Games".

Googol Review requires CGA graphics and 640K memory.


 Paul's Classroom Math

This is a text mode math drill program, intended for classrooms. There is complete recordkeeping for up to 60 students. There are no graphics, no noises, and no frills!

This program will run on a 256K monochrome PC (or better!).


 Flashcards

This is a simple EGA math practice program, with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,  and no high scores to worry about.

Flashcards requires EGA graphics and 512K memory.


 Lugnut City

How about a run-jump-and-shoot maze game, with just the right amount of math? Lugnut City has ten mazes to explore, and you can even design your own mazes! This is an excellent game for children ages 7 to 17 (more or less!).

Lugnut City requires EGA graphics and 512K memory.


 Wolfie's Music Games

There are ten different games in this program, and they all teach music notes and piano keys. There are many skill levels, so everyone can compete for high scores! Many of the games do NOT require any knowledge of music - you might lose some points for wrong answers, but the games keep right on going!

Wolfie's Music Games requires EGA graphics and 640K memory.


 Googolpede for Windows 3.1

This is a little version of the classic math game, just for Windows users, and it's completely resizable, even in the middle of a game. Lots of extra Windows style features, too!

Googolpede for Windows requires Windows 3.1,

and about 1 megabyte free memory.


 Cheezi for Windows 3.1

An incredible version of the classic Pachisi board game!

Cheezi for Windows requires Windows 3.1, and about 1 megabyte free memory.


Antarctica - where there are no kids!


An Incredible Bargain!


An Incredible Bargain!!!


 You expected a photo?!?

        Paul T. Dawson

        P.O. Box 682

        Chincoteague, Virginia 23336-0682

        U.S.A.


There is a CGA graphics driver for Win3.1,

but I can't imagine anyone actually using it!