FBHFæ¿+º'D Date and Calendar Demonstrator ▄
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GWelcome to Date and Calendar Demonstrator. Date and Calendar Demonstrator was written by David L. Kutzler, Major, USAF, 2804 Sioux, Glendale, AZ 85307. Date and Calendar Demonstrator was written in Turbo Pascal Version 7.0 (tm) using the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) facilities of Borland's Turbo Vision (tm) environment. &
Date and Calendar Demonstrator is a simple demonstration that demonstrates the date and calendar routines in the DATES.PAS and CALENDAR.PAS units. To fully understand these units, first read the Date and Calendar Theory help topic and then refer to the DATES.PAS and CALENDAR.PAS help topics. ΘPΩè	δÿ'
8 Date and Calendar Theory ▄
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╪Understanding the date and calendar routines found in the DATES.PAS Unit and CALENDAR.PAS Unit requires a basic understanding of date and calendar theory. Early calendars were based on easily observed astronomical cycles:  the earth day, the solar year, the lunar cycle. The problem is that these cycles are not congruent. That is, the solar year is not an EXACT INTEGER number of days long. A 365 day year is too short. Like a slow watch, a 365 day year will slowly move out of phase with the solar year. Every four years, the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring, will appear to fall one day later in the year. Similarly, a 366 day year will cause the Vernal Equinox to appear as if it is occurring THREE days earlier in the year every four years. A lunar calendar, of twelve lunar cycles, will cover about 355 days, i.e., 10.25 days shorter than the solar year. Any integer number of days that you select will have to be corrected from time to time by adding or subtracting days to the calendar to bring it back into alignment with the solar year so that the Vernal Equinox falls on same date each year. Adjusting the calendar from time to time by adding or subtracting days to realign it with the solar year is called INTERCALATION. Γ
Our modern calendar is based on the Roman calendar, a lunar calendar. The Roman calendar quickly went out of phase with the solar year. The Roman calendar was periodicly intercalated by adding an intercalary month. Unfortunately, intercalation was left up to the whim of Roman politicians. Julius Caesar reformed the lunar based Roman calendar because it was completely out of phase with the seasons. He ignored lunar cycles and made the twelve months either thirty or thirty-one days long. On the advice of Egyptian astronomers, he set the year to 365.25 days. The new calendar was intercalated by accumulating the quarter day for four years and adding it to the end of February on years evenly divisible by four, i.e. on "leap" years. τ
Julius Caesar named the seventh month "Julius" after himself. We know this month as July. His successor, Augustus Caesar, renamed the eighth month "Augustus" after himself and borrowed a day from February to make it thirty one days long so that he would be honored no less than Julius Caesar. We know this month as August. The so called "Julian" calendar was used throughout Europe until well into the Renaissance. The Julian calendar's system of intercalation contains an error. The length of a solar year is closer to 365.24 days than 365.25. The difference is less than 0.01 day per year, but the Julian calendar gains three days every four centuries. By 1582, the Vernal Equinox was falling on March tenth rather than March twenty first. v
Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar in 1582 because religous holy days were not being celebrated on the correct days. To realign the calendar to the solar year, he dropped ten days from October, 1582. The day after October 4, 1582 was October 15, 1582. To keep the calendar in alignment with the solar year, he reformed the rules for intercalation. Leap years were still evenly divisible by four, but century years are treated differently. Years that are evenly divisible by 100, i.e., century years, are only leap years if they are also evenly divisible by 400. Thus, 1900 was NOT a leap year, but 2000 will be a leap year. ╖
The Catholic countries of Europe adopted the Gregorian calendar reform immediately. England and all of its colonies did not adopt the reform. Queen Elizabeth I of England was in the middle of a long-running spat with the Pope that started when her father, Henry VIII split from the Church over its refusal to allow him to divorce his wife to marry his mistress. England and its colonies (including the future American colonies) did not accept the Gregorian calendar reform for another 170 years. By then the Julian calendar was eleven days out of phase with the solar year. The eleven days were dropped from the month of September, 1752. The day after September 2, 1752 was September 14, 1752. ╢
Historical dates before the adoption of the reform are recorded as Julian calendar dates while historical dates after the reform are recorded as Gregorian calendar dates. The 170 year delay before England adopted the reform creates some odd problems for historians and geneologists. The Pilgrim's landing at Plymouth Rock occurred on December 21, 1620 in England, but occurred on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1620 in the rest of Europe. ô
Performing mathematics on dates is awkward, because dates are based on such a bizzare numbering system. The problem is similar to the difficulty encountered when trying to perform mathematics on Roman numbers. To better appreciate this, try to multiply MCMLI by MCMXXXIV. It is actually easier to convert the Roman numbers to decimal integers, do the math and convert the result back to Roman numbers. |
Joseph Scaliger, a sixteenth century mathematician and astronomer invented a system for dates that allows us to convert dates into simple integers that are much easier to manipulate mathematically. Scaliger named his system "Julian" dates after his father (not after Julius Caesar as is often presumed). A Julian date is the integer number of days that have elapsed since January 1, 4713 B.C. Scaliger picked this date because several important astonomical cycles converge on that date. For example, 2415021 days elapsed from January 1, 4713 B.C. and January 1, 1900 A.D. Therefore, 2415021 is the Julian date for January 1, 1900 A.D. ²
Julian dates are ideal for computers because they can be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided, just like any other integer. To find how many days there are between two dates, convert them both to Julian dates and subtract. To find what date is an exact number of days in the future, convert the date to a Julian date, add the desired number of days and convert the result back to a date. To find on what day of the week a date falls, convert the date to a Julian date and divide it by seven. A remainder of zero means that it's a Monday, one is Tuesday, two is Wednesday, etc. Although Julian dates are great for computers, they are very awkward for people. The Julian date 2369916 is meaningless until it is converted to the more familiar date July 4, 1776. Ωsδå'&, The DATES.PAS Unit ▄
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ÑRead the Date and Calendar Theory help topic before continuing. The DATES.PAS unit defines a set of types, variables, constants and routines for manipulating dates. T
The DATES.PAS Unit first defines scalar types for the days of the week and months: æ
 Days   = (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun);
 Months = (error, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun,
                  Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec);
u
The "Date" type is the most important type in the DATES.PAS unit. All dates must be declared as being of this type: r
 PDate = ^Date;
 Date  = Record
          day,
          year:   integer;
          month:  Months
         end;
├
Read the Date and Calendar Theory help topic to understand Julian dates. The DATES.PAS Unit defines a type for Julian dates. I called the type Scaliger in honor of the inventor of Julian dates: /
 PScaliger = ^Scaliger;
 Scaliger  = LongInt;
;
Date_Strings is a type for representing dates as strings: >
 PDate_Strings = ^Date_Strings;
 Date_Strings  = string[30];
Ü
Null_Date is a structured, typed constant that is used as a neutral value for initializing dates. This is the same as using zero to initialize integers. f
 Null_Date:  Date = (day:    0;
                     year:   0;
                     month:  error);
┬
Day_string is a structured, typed constant array of strings that can be used to supply string equivalents for the days of the week. The array is indexed on the user defined scalar type "Days." 
 day_string:  Array[Days] of string[10] = ('Monday',    'Tuesday',
                                           'Wednesday', 'Thursday',
                                           'Friday',    'Saturday',
                                           'Sunday');
~
A typical use would be to use the Day_Of_Week function (described below) to print the day of the week on which a date falls: 1
 WriteLn(day_string[Day_Of_Week(Todays_Date)]);
╝
Month_string is a structured, typed constant array of strings that can be used to supply string equivalents for the months. The array is indexed on the user defined scalar type "Months." α
 month_string:  Array[Months] of string[10] = ('ERROR',
                                               'January',   'February',
                                               'March',     'April',
                                               'May',       'June',
                                               'July',      'August',
                                               'September', 'October',
                                               'November',  'December');
;
DATES.PAS defines the following procedures and functions: ,
 Function  Leap(year:  integer):  Boolean;
[
LEAP returns TRUE if the year passed to it is a leap year. This function applies Julian calendar rules for intercalation on dates before the Gregorian calendar reform and Gregorian rules for intercalation for dates after the reform. LEAP assumes the English adoption of the reform in 1752 rather than the European adoption of the reform in 1582. a
 Function  Days_per_Month(month:  Months;
                           year:  integer):  integer;
¿
DAYS_PER_MONTH returns the number of days in the month passed to it. The year must also be passed to accomodate the variable number of days in February on leap years. 3
 Function  Valid_Date(the_date:  Date):  Boolean;
╡
VALID_DATE returns TRUE if the date passed to it is a valid date. Valid_Date will return FALSE if it is passed the date April 31, 1994 because there are only thirty days in April. 0
 Function  Julian(the_date:  Date):  Scaliger;
ö
JULIAN returns the Julian date for the standard date passed to it. Julian returns the Julian date 2369916 when it is passed the date July 4, 1776. X
 Procedure Standard( Julian_date:  Scaliger;
                    Var the_date:  Date);
Æ
STANDARD accepts a Julian date via the argument Julian_date and returns the equivalent Standard date via the "called-by-name" argument the_date. 1
 Function  Day_of_Week(the_date:  Date):  Days;
o
DAY_OF_WEEK accepts a date via the argument the_date and returns the day of the week on which the_date falls. +
 Procedure Get_Date(Var the_date:  Date);
b
GET_DATE reads the computer's system date and assigns it to the_date, a called-by-name argument. '
 Procedure Set_Date(the_date:  Date);
7
SET_DATE sets the computer's system date to the_date. ▓
 Function  String_Date(   the_date:  Date;
                          military,
                       abbreviated,
                             short:  Boolean):  date_strings;
¡
STRING_DATE returns the_date as a formatted string. If the Boolean argument "military" is TRUE, the date will be in the military format, i.e., in the order day, month, year. Otherwise, the returned date will be in the usual order of month, day, year. If the argument "abbreviated" is TRUE, then the month name will be abbreviated to three letters. Otherwise, the month name will be spelled in full. If the argument "short" is TRUE, then the year will be shortened to the last two digits. Otherwise the year will include all digits. The table below shows the date string that would be returned by all possible combinations of the Boolean arguments applied to the date January 4, 1951: ò
 ╔══════════╦═════════════╦═══════╦══════════════════╗
 ║ Military ║ Abbreviated ║ Short ║ Result           ║
 ╠══════════╬═════════════╬═══════╬══════════════════╣
 ║ TRUE     ║ TRUE        ║ TRUE  ║ 04 Jan 51        ║
 ║ TRUE     ║ TRUE        ║ FALSE ║ 04 Jan 1951      ║
 ║ TRUE     ║ FALSE       ║ TRUE  ║ 04 January 51    ║
 ║ TRUE     ║ FALSE       ║ FALSE ║ 04 January 1951  ║
 ║ FALSE    ║ TRUE        ║ TRUE  ║ Jan 04, 51       ║
 ║ FALSE    ║ TRUE        ║ FALSE ║ Jan 04, 1951     ║
 ║ FALSE    ║ FALSE       ║ TRUE  ║ January 04, 51   ║
 ║ FALSE    ║ FALSE       ║ FALSE ║ January 04, 1951 ║
 ╚══════════╩═════════════╩═══════╩══════════════════╝
Θ6Θ¿'"2 The CALENDAR.PAS Unit ▄
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▐Read the Date and Calendar Theory help topic before continuing. It may be useful to read the DATES.PAS Unit help topic before continuing. The CALENDAR.PAS unit defines the Turbo Vision objects for date and calendar views: µ
 PGenericDateView  = ^TGenericDateView;
 TGenericDateView  = Object(TView)
                      The_Date:     Date;
                      Date_String:  DateInputString;
                      Date_Buffer:  TDrawBuffer;
                      Attribute:    MagicColor;
                      Right:        Boolean;
                      Constructor Init(Bounds: TRect);
                      Function    DataSize:  Word;                   Virtual;
                      Procedure   SetData(Var  Rec);                 Virtual;
                      Procedure   SetState(AState:  Word;
                                           Enable:  Boolean);        Virtual;
                      Procedure   GetData(Var  Rec);                 Virtual;
                      Function    GetPalette:  PPalette;             Virtual;
                      Procedure   Draw;                              Virtual;
                      Procedure   Update(ADate:  Date);              Virtual;
                     end;

This Turbo Vision view simply displays a date. The view should be initialized with a minimum bounds of eighteen characters wide by one line high. The TGenericDateView will display "Unknown" unless you use the "Update" procedure to pass a date to the view. You may update the view to display any date by using the Update procedure. TGenericDateView is the ancestor view for all date views. The date in a TGenericDateView is right-justified and its color scheme is the same as that for TStaticText. A TGenericDateView is not selectable. ├
TDateView is a descendent of the TGenericDateView. The date displayed by TDateView is Left Justified and its color scheme is the same as that for the TInputLine.  A TDateView is not selectable. Σ
 PDateView         = ^TDateView;
 TDateView         = Object(TGenericDateView)
                      Constructor Init(ARect:  TRect);
                      Function    GetPalette:  PPalette;  Virtual;
                     end;
ë
TMonthYearView is a specialized TDateView. It doesn't display the entire date, just the month and year. TMonthYearView is useful where you only need the month and year, such as a maintenace schedule where you just need to know which month that the next scheduled maintenance is due. Pressing a digit key causes TMonthYearView to update the display. For example, if it is currently displaying "June 1995," pressing "6" on the keyboard will cause it to update the display to "December 1995," i.e., six months from the currently displayed month and year. The Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys will update the display to the previous month or following month respectively. Clicking the view with the right or left mouse button will update the display to the previous month or following month respectively. For a more detailed description of how to operate TMonthYearView, read the Month and Year View help topic. æ
 PMonthYearView    = ^TMonthYearView;
 TMonthYearView    = Object(TDateView)
                      Constructor Init(ARect:  TRect);
                      Procedure   Toggle;
                      Procedure   UnToggle;
                      Procedure   Draw;                              Virtual;
                      Procedure   HandleEvent(Var  Event:  TEvent);  Virtual;
                     end;
j
The Toggle and UnToggle methods update the the display to the following and previous month respectively. w
Two objects named TScrollCalendar and TCalendarIcons are defined. These are abstract objects are pieces of TCalendar: 
 PCalendar         = ^TCalendar;
 TCalendar         = Object(TDialog)
                      Calendar:   PScrollCalendar;
                      Icons:      PCalendarIcons;
                      Constructor Init(ARect:       TRect;
                                       ADate:       Date;
                                       AView_Only:  Boolean);
                      Procedure   HandleEvent(Var  Event:  TEvent);  Virtual;
                      Destructor  Done;                              Virtual;
                     end;
$
TCalendar is a specialized dialog box. If you pass a valid date to TCalendar in its Init method, TCalendar will display the calendar for the month in which the date lies. TCalendar has two personalities:  A simple scrolling desk calendar that will display any month in any year and a scrolling desk calendar that can be used to select a date by pointing and clicking and return the selected date to the calling routine. You select the personality by setting the Boolean argument "AView_Only" in TCalendar's Init method. Setting AView_Only to TRUE causes TCalendar to produce a simple desk calendar. Setting AView_Only to TRUE causes TCalendar to produce a calendar that allows you to select and return a date. The argument ARect must be assigned a TRect of the following dimensions:  Assign(0,0,26,10). }
You direct TCalendar to display different calendars by key presses or by mouse clicking TCalendar's scroll bars and icons. For a more detailed description of how to operate TCalendar as a simple desk calendar, read the Desk Calendar help topic. For a more detailed description of how to operate TCalendar as a date selection calendar, read the Date Selection Calendar help topic. ç
A relatively painless way to invoke a scrolling desk calendar is to use the stand-alone procedure View_Calendar, declared as follows: 9
 Procedure View_Calendar(ARect:  TRect;  ADate:  Date);
I
A similar stand-alone procedure exists for the date selection calendar: 9
 Procedure Pick_Date(ARect:  TRect;  Var ADate:  Date);
H
The selected date is returned via the called-by-name variable "ADate." F
The most useful view in the CALENDAR.PAS Unit is the TDateInputView: -
 PDateInputView    = ^TDateInputView;
 TDateInputView    = Object(TGroup)
                      The_Date:  Date;
                      DateView:  PDateView;
                      Icon:      PDateViewIcon;
                      Constructor Init(ARect:  TRect);
                      Function    DataSize:  Word;                   Virtual;
                      Procedure   SetData(Var  Rec);                 Virtual;
                      Procedure   SetState(AState:  Word;
                                           Enable:  Boolean);        Virtual;
                      Procedure   GetData(Var  Rec);                 Virtual;
                      Procedure   Draw;                              Virtual;
                      Procedure   HandleEvent(Var  Event:  TEvent);  Virtual;
                     end;
K
TDateInputView displays a date and a down-arrow icon something like this: 
   █September 18, 1994▌▐

Clicking the icon invokes the Date Selection Calendar. After selecting a date, the date selection calendar closes and the date displayed in the TDateInputView updates itself to the selected date. The TDateInputView reduces inputing dates to a simple point-and-click operation. Æ
TJulianDays compares two dates and displays the number of days between these dates. This, by itself, can be quite useful. TJulian days is also a useful ancestor view for any view that must display a value derived from two dates. The two dates are called the Reference date and the Target date. A typical example might be where you have a perishable product that must be used before a certain number of days. Set the Reference date as the date of manufacture and set the Target date as today's date. TJulianDays will automatically compare these dates and display the number of days that the product has been in inventory. TJulianDays is declared as follows: %
 PJulianDays    = ^TJulianDays;
 TJulianDays    = Object(TStaticText)
                   Target_Date,
                   Reference_Date:  PDate;
                   Constructor Init(Var ABox:  TRect);
                   Procedure   Point_To_Target(ATarget:  PDate);
                   Procedure   Point_To_Reference(AReference:  PDate);
                   Procedure   Update;
                   Procedure   Draw;                              Virtual;
                   Procedure   HandleEvent(Var  Event:  TEvent);  Virtual;
                  end;
τ
Note that Reference_Date and Target_Date are not dates per se. They are simply pointers to dates. Use the Point_To_Reference and Point_To_Target procedures to point to the dates. If the Reference and Target date are the dates in TDateInputViews, the value displayed in TJulianDays will be automatically updated to reflect a new value any time that the date in either TDateInputView is changed. This is because the TDateInputView broadcasts a message any time that it is changed and the TJulianDays HandleEvent method interprets such a broadcast as an instruction to examine the Reference and Target dates, recalculate and display the new value. For an example of the TJulianDays view, it is used in the Date Difference Calculator Dialog Box. /
Several other views descend from TJulianDays: Ö
 PAgeDisplay       = ^TAgeDisplay;
 TAgeDisplay       = Object(TJulianDays)
                      Procedure   Draw;  Virtual;
                     end;
í
If you point Reference_Date to a TDateInputView that is set to a person's date of birth and point Target_Date to today's date, then TAgeDisplay will automatically display the person's current age. If you point Target_Date to a date other than today's date, it will display the person's age on the current value of the Target_Date. For an example of the TAgeDisplay view, it is used in the Age Calculator Dialog Box. p
TEDCDisplay is a variation of TJulianDays that calculates and displays a pregnant woman's EDC (Estimated Date of Confinement or "due date"). The average length of a human pregnancy is 280 days or forty weeks from the first day of her last menstrual period until delivery. The EDC is calculated by simply adding 280 days to the first day of the last menstrual period. ╙
 PEDCDisplay       = ^TEDCDisplay;
 TEDCDisplay       = Object(TJulianDays)
                      Constructor Init(Var ABox:  TRect);
                      Procedure   Draw;  Virtual;
                     end;
I
The TEDCDisplay only needs a Reference date. The Target date is not used. Point the reference date to a date that contains the first day of the last menstrual period. Changing the Reference date causes TEDCDisplay to update the displayed EDC. For an example of the TEDCDisplay view, it is used in the EDC Calculator Dialog Box. ÿ
TGestDisplay is a variation of TJulianDays that displays the gestation of a pregnancy. The gestation of a pregnancy is the number of weeks and days that have elapsed from the first day of the last menstrual period. The gestation can be calculated forwards, i.e., from the last menstrual period or backwards from the EDC or "due date." TGestDisplay assumes that you are calculating from the last menstrual period. If you set the "Use_EDC" Boolean variable to TRUE from its default of FALSE, TGestDisplay will calculate the gestation backwards from the EDC. If Use_EDC is FALSE then Reference_Date should point to a date that represents the patient's last menstrual period.  If Use_EDC is TRUE then Reference_Date should point to a date that represents the patient's EDC. The Target_Date in either case should point to the date for which you which to know the gestation. This would typically be today's date, which would give you the current gestation. If you want PGestDisplay to display the gestation on a given date other than today's date, then point the Target_Date to that date. For an example of the TGestDisplay view, it is used in the Gestation Calculator Dialog Box. H

 PGestDisplay      = ^TGestDisplay;
 TGestDisplay      = Object(TJulianDays)
                      Use_EDC:         Boolean;
                      Constructor Init(Var ABox:  TRect);
                      Procedure   Set_Use_EDC(ABoolean:  Boolean);
                      Procedure   Draw;  Virtual;
                     end;
Θ<ΩÉ¼¡╞
«C«Θ⌠W#%⌠╠%°X)·Ω-'& The Help System ▄
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╤Welcome to the Help System. The rectangular box that you are reading is called the "Help Window." The best way to start understanding how to operate a this program is to understand how to use the Help System. π
Look for a group of keys on the top or left side of the keyboard that are marked "F1," "F2," "F3," etc. Press the key marked "F5." You've just discovered the "Zoom" key. If you press it again it will "Unzoom" the Help Window. H
Find a key marked with an Up Arrow and another marked with a Down Arrow. They're usually located on the right side of the keyboard. Press the Down Arrow key a couple times and the Up Arrow key a couple times to see how these keys scroll the text in the Help Window up and down one line at a time so that you can see more text. ▄
Find two keys marked "Page Up" and "Page Down." Pressing these keys will scroll the text in the Help Window a page at a time rather than one line at a time. These keys may be marked "PG UP" or PG DN" on some keyboards. \
If you have a "mouse" or similar pointing-device and it has a compatible mouse driver, you may operate the Help Window with the mouse. Look in the upper right corner of the Help Window. There is a single or double headed arrow icon. This is the Zoom Icon. "Point" to the Zoom Icon with your mouse and "click" it to Zoom or Unzoom the Help Window. █
On the right side of the Help Window is the "Vertical Scroll Bar." The Vertical Scroll Bar is actually a collection of different icons that mimic the actions of keyboard counterparts when mouse clicked as shown below: ╝
  <-- Up Arrow Icon   = Up Arrow Key.
 ▒ <-- Page Up Icon    = Page Up Key.
 ■ <-- File Position Marker.
 ▒ <-- Page Down Icon  = Page Down Key.
  <-- Down Arrow Icon = Down Arrow Key.
£
Now that you know how to navigate the Help Window, let's continue our lesson on the Help System. The text that is in the Help Window is stored in a file called the Help File. The Help File is divided into "help topics." Each help topic is a thumbnail discussion of an aspect of a the program. The help topic that you are now viewing is called "How to Use the Help System." There are many available help topics. ≈
You may invoke the Help Window at any point as the program runs by pressing the function key marked "F1." The F1 function key is called the Help key. Which of the many help topics that the Help Window brings into view depends on what you are doing when you press the Help key. If you are using the Menu System and desire more information about a menu choice, simply shift the focus to that menu choice and press the Help key. The Help Window will appear with a help topic that explains that menu choice. If an error or warning message appears, press the Help key for an explanation. At any point in the program, Help is only as far away as the Help key. The only time that the Help key will not work is when you are already in the Help System (such as now). p
Certain words or phrases in the Help Window are "highlighted," i.e., they are a different color than the rest of the text. The highlighted words and phrases are "related help topics." That means that there is another help topic available that discusses the highlighted topic in more detail. There are two related help topics in this paragraph. Both are a different color than the rest of the text (indicating that they are related help topics) and both are a different color from each other. The two highlighted phrases are not the same color because one has the Help Window Focus and the other does not. Press the "Tab" key one time and see what happens. The Tab key shifted the help window focus to the next Related Help Topic. Now, press the Shift key, hold it down and press the Tab key again. This time the Help Window focus shifted BACK to the previous related help topic. ε
The purpose of the Help Window focus is to allow you to view the related help topic in the Help Window. To view a related help topic, shift the Help Window focus to the desired related help topic and press the Enter key. This invokes the Help Window to display the related help topic. Mouse users may shift the Help Window focus directly to a related help topic by pointing to it and clicking it. Mouse users may invoke the Help Window to display a related help topic by "double-clicking" it. 
A special help "topic" is the Table of Contents. The Table of Contents lists every help topic alphabetically. Each listed help topic is highlighted, therefore, you may invoke any help topic by finding it in the Table of Contents, shifting the Help Window focus to it and invoking it. To invoke the Table of Contents, rather than the context specific Help Window, press the Shift key, hold it down and press the "F1" function key. When you press the Shift key and the F1 (Help) key, it is called the "Shift+Help" key. µ
You may "close" the Help Window by pressing the key marked "Esc" or "Escape." Mouse users may Close the Help Window by clicking the Close Window Icon. The Close Window Icon is located in the upper left corner of the Help Window. °
This is the end of this help topic, but if you want to learn more basic information about the program and its operation, shift the Help Window focus to the Menu System or Date and Calendar Documenation related help topics and press the Enter key. ε╣
φL∩lΦ{'. Related Help Topics ▄
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╤The text that is in the Help System Help Window is stored in a file called the Help File. The Help File is divided into "help topics." Each help topic is a thumbnail discussion of some aspect of a Turbo Vision program. The Help Window displays one topic at a time. Certain words and phrases in the Help Window may be highlighted, i.e., a different color than the rest of the text. The highlighted words and phrases are "related help topics." That means that there is another help topic available that discusses the highlighted topic in more detail. You may cause the Help Window to display the text for one of the related help topics by shifting the Help Window Focus to the highlighted topic and pressing the Enter Key. ∞Gε╣'2 The Help Window Focus ▄
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The text that is in the Help System Help Window is stored in a file called the Help File. The Help File is divided into "help topics." Each help topic is a thumbnail discussion of some aspect of this program. The Help Window displays one topic at a time. Certain words and phrases in the Help Window may be highlighted, i.e., a different color than the rest of the text. The highlighted words and phrases are "related help topics." That means that there is another help topic available that discusses the highlighted topic in more detail.  
One of the related help topics will be a different color from all the other related help topics. This is the "Focused" related help topic. If you press the Tab key, the focus will jump to the next related help topic in the current Help Window. If you press the Shift key, hold it down and then press the Tab key (Shift+Tab), the focus will jump to the previous related help topic. Mouse users may shift the Help Window focus to any related help topic by pointing to it with the mouse cursor and "clicking" it. ╤
If you press the Enter key, the Help Window will display the Help Window text for the focused related help topic. Mouse users may "double-click" any related help topic to invoke the Help Window for the related help topic. Therefore, you may explore the Help System for a specific topic and any related help topics by shifting the Help Window focus to any related help topics in the current Help Window and invoking them with the Enter key or a mouse double-click. ∞K'& The Menu System ▄
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WA computer program, is a set of instructions that tell a computer how to perform a task or group of tasks. A typical computer program can perform many different tasks. As you operate the program, you must be able to direct the program to perform a specific task. The Menu System allows you to select and "invoke" (i.e., perform) a given task. «
There are two levels to the Menu System. The Menu Bar is the first level. The Menu Bar organizes the program's many tasks into logical groups. Each group of tasks becomes a Drop-Down Menu. The Drop-Down Menus are the second level of the Menu System. To invoke a specific program task via the Menu System, use the Menu Bar to invoke the Drop-Down Menu where the task is located and then use the Drop-Down Menu to invoke the task. ≡¼±,'  The Menu Bar ▄
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|The Menu Bar is part of the Menu System. The Menu Bar is located along the top of the program's screen. It looks like this: "
 Date Calculator  Calendar  Help
╡
The Menu Bar is the first level of the Menu System. Each word in the Menu Bar is a Menu Bar "choice." The Menu Bar organizes the program's many tasks into logical groups. Each group of tasks becomes a Drop-Down Menu, i.e., the second level of the Menu System. To invoke a given program task via the Menu System, use the Menu Bar to invoke the Drop-Down Menu where the task is located and then use the Drop-Down Menu to invoke the task. 
The Menu Bar will ignore you unless you get its attention. You get the Menu Bar's attention by shifting the program's Focus to the Menu Bar. One way to shift the program's focus to the menu bar is to press the "F10" Function Key. The F10 function key is called the "Menu" key. α
The bottom line of the program's screen is called the Status Line. The Status Line does various things, but one of its functions is to remind you of the most commonly used keys. The F10 Menu key is listed in the Status Line. The Status Line will change its appearance as you operate the program. There will be times when the Menu Bar will not operate, for example, when a Dialog Box is on the screen. The Menu key disappears from the Status Line when the Menu Bar is inoperable. (
When you press the Menu key, the program passes the program focus to the Menu Bar. The Menu Bar, in turn, passes the focus to to one of its Menu Bar choices. The Menu Bar choice shows that it has the focus by highlighting itself, i.e., turning a different color than the other Menu Bar choices. φ
The Menu Bar usually passes the focus to the first Menu Bar choice. In the case of this program, that would be "Date Calculators." If you press the Right Arrow key or the Left Arrow key, the focus will shift to another Menu Bar choice. ╘
The purpose of shifting the focus to a particular Menu Bar choice is to invoke that choice. Invoking a Menu Bar choice causes the Menu Bar to invoke the Drop-Down Menu associated with that Menu Bar choice. You may invoke the focused Menu Bar choice by pressing the Enter key or the Down Arrow key. For example, if the focus is on the "Date Calculator" Menu Bar choice, pressing the Enter key or the Down Arrow key will invoke the Date Calculator Menu Drop-Down Menu. ∙
Another way to invoke a particular Drop-Down Menu is to press the key for the Highlighted Letter of a Menu Bar choice. A Menu Bar choice consists of a word. One letter in each Menu Bar choice is a different color than the others. This different colored letter is the "highlighted" letter for that Menu Bar choice. When the Menu Bar has the focus, pressing the key that corresponds to the highlighted letter of a Menu Bar choice will shift the focus to that Menu Bar choice and invoke its Drop-Down Menu. u
Another way to invoke a Menu Bar choice is to use the Alt Key Combination for a Menu Bar choice. The Alt key combination will invoke the Drop-Down Menu for a Menu Bar choice even if the menu bar does not have the focus. To use the Alt key combination for a Menu Bar choice, press the Alt key, hold it down and press the highlighted letter for the desired Menu Bar choice. 0
If you have a Mouse and your "mouse driver" is compatible with the program, you may invoke the Drop-Down Menu for a Menu Bar choice by pointing to a Menu Bar choice with the mouse cursor and clicking it. A mouse click will shift the focus to the Menu Bar and invoke the Menu Bar choice all in one step. ╚
The Menu Bar works with the Help System. If you want the Help System to explain a Menu Bar choice, shift the focus to the desired Menu Bar choice and press the Help key, i.e., the "F1" Function Key. 
If you wish to shift the program focus away from the Menu Bar, press the "Esc" or "Escape" key. This will be necessary if you want to exit the program as the "Alt+X" Exit command is only available when neither the Menu Bar nor a Drop-Down Menu has the focus. ∩=≥ƒⁿ░ ║±ëδ	M┴ 
≥.	ó	
â╨∞	½'
& Drop-Down Menus ▄
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!Drop-Down Menus are part of the Menu System. A Drop-Down Menu will only be on the screen if it has been "invoked." A Drop-Down Menu is invoked via the Menu Bar. Invoking the "Date Calculator" Menu Bar choice will cause the Menu Bar to invoke the Date Calculator Menu that looks like this: 
 ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
 │ Age Calculator...               │
 │ Date Difference...              │
 │ EDC Calculator...               │
 │ Gestation Calculator...         │
 │ Exit Program              Alt+X │
 └─────────────────────────────────┘
X
A Drop-Down Menu, such as the example above, consists of one or more lines. Each line has a word or phrase that describes some task that Dysplasia Tracker can perform. Each such task is called a Drop-Down Menu choice. For example, "Age Calculator..." is the program task that allows you calculate a person's current age from their birth date. H
One Drop-Down Menu choice will be "highlighted," i.e., a different color than the other choices. The differently colored choice is the Focused choice. When the Menu Bar invokes a Drop-Down Menu, the Menu Bar passes the focus to the Drop-Down Menu. The Drop-Down Menu then passes the focus to one of its Drop-Down Menu choices. 
A Drop-Down Menu usually passes the focus to the first Drop-Down Menu choice. In the case of the Date Calculator Menu, that would be "Age Calculator..." If you press the Down Arrow key or the Up Arrow key, the focus will shift to another Drop-Down Menu choice. τ
The purpose of shifting the focus to a particular Drop-Down Menu choice is to invoke that choice. Invoking a Drop-Down Menu choice causes the Drop-Down Menu to invoke the task associated with that Menu Bar choice. You may invoke the focused Drop-Down Menu choice by pressing the Enter key. For example, if you need to calculate an age, you may invoke the Date Calculator Menu from the Menu Bar, shift the focus to the "Age Calculator..." choice and invoke it by pressing the Enter key. ╝
Note that after the "Exit Program" choice there is the odd notation "Alt+X." This notation means that the "Exit Program" Drop-Down Menu choice has a Hot Key. A hot key allows you to directly invoke a Drop-Down Menu choice by pressing one key or key combination. The hot key allows you to bypass the Menu System entirely. Not all Drop-Down Menu choices have a hot key. Hot keys are reserved for the most frequently used Drop-Down Menu choices. ╦
Mouse users may invoke a Drop-Down Menu choice by clicking it. A mouse user would typically invoke a Drop-Down Menu by clicking a Menu Bar choice and then invoke a Drop-Down Menu choice by clicking it. ª
Note that some of the Drop-Down Menu choices are followed by ellipses, i.e., "...". Ellipses indicate that invoking this Drop-Down Menu choice will invoke a Dialog Box. The dialog box will allow you to further refine the program task that you desire or to input some sort of data. The absence of ellipses indicates that the task is "stand-alone," i.e., the program requires no further operator input to perform the task. ∩G≡╛,oû	■

': The Date Calculators Menu ▄
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DThe Date Calculators Menu is a Drop-Down Menu that looks like this: 
 ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
 │ Age Calculator...               │
 │ Date Difference...              │
 │ EDC Calculator...               │
 │ Gestation Calculator...         │
 │ Exit Program              Alt+X │
 └─────────────────────────────────┘
╒
You may invoke the Date Calculators Menu by using the Menu Bar commands. With the Date Calculator Menu on the screen, you may invoke any of the Date Calculators Menu choices by using the Drop-Down Menu commands. ±Z≤¿⌡═≈≥∙√<≡║'* Age Calculator... ▄
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¡This Date Calculators Menu choice is used to calculate a person's current age from their date of birth. Invoking this menu choice will invoke the Age Calculator Dialog Box. ≥0⌠╜': Age Calculator Dialog Box ▄
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The Age Calculator Dialog Box is used to calculate a person's current age from the person's birthdate and today's date. It is intended to demonstrate the operation of the Date Input View and some simple date mathematics. The Current Age view automatically calculates and displays the age which demonstrates how a non-selectable display view can be linked to a Date Input View in such a way that a change in the date causes the display view to update itself. The Age Calculator Dialog Box looks approximately like this: σ
 ╔═[■]════════ Age Calculator ════════════╗
 ║                                        ║
 ║    Birthdate:  █Unknown███████████▌▐  ║
 ║  Current Age:  Unknown                 ║
 ║                                        ║
 ║        Click the down arrow icon       ║
 ║         to enter the birthdate.        ║
 ║                                        ║
 ║       Ok   ▄     Help  ▄    Cancel ▄   ║
 ║     ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀   ║
 ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
%
Birthdate is a Date Input View. Click the Down Arrow Icon or press the down arrow key to enter a birthdate. This will invoke the Date Selection Calendar. Use the Date Selection Calendar to select the birthdate. After you select a birthdate in the Date Selection Calendar, press the Enter key or click the "=" icon to close the Date Selection Calendar. This will update the Birthdate view to reflect the date that you selected and will cause the Current Age view to update itself to reflect the current age based on the birthdate that you selected. »µ«⌐', Date Difference... ▄
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┼This Date Calculators Menu choice is used to calculate the difference, i.e., the number of days, between two dates. Invoking this menu choice will invoke the Date Difference Calculator Dialog Box. ≥2÷╦%'R Date Difference Calculator Dialog Box ▄
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─The Date Difference Calculator Dialog Box allows you to calculate the difference, i.e., the number of days between two dates that you enter. It is intended to demonstrate the operation of the Date Input View and how a non-selectable display view can be linked to two different Date Input Views in such a way that a change in either date causes the display view to update itself. The Date DIfference Calculator Dialog Box looks approximately like this: 
 ╔═[■]══ Date Difference Calculator ══════╗
 ║                                        ║
 ║   First Date:  █Unknown███████████▌▐  ║
 ║  Second Date:  █Unknown███████████▌▐  ║
 ║   Difference:  Unknown                 ║
 ║                                        ║
 ║        Click a down arrow icon         ║
 ║            to enter a date.            ║
 ║                                        ║
 ║       Ok   ▄     Help  ▄    Cancel ▄   ║
 ║     ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀   ║
 ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
E
Shift the focus to either the First Date or Second Date. Press the Down arrow key or mouse click the Down Arrow Icon in either Date Input View. This will invoke the Date Selection Calendar. Use the Date Selection Calendar to select the date. After you select a date in the Date Selection Calendar, press the Enter key or click the "=" icon to close the Date Selection Calendar. Both the First Date and the Second Date must be set to some value other than "Unknown" before a value other than "Unknown" will appear in the Difference display view. The Difference display view will automatically calculate the number of days between the First Date and the Second Date. If the First Date preceeds the Second Date, the Difference will be a positive number. If the First Date follows the Second Date, the Difference will be a negative number. »3«╬'* EDC Calculator... ▄
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╟This Date Calculators Menu choice is used to calculate a woman's EDC, or "due date," from her first day of last menstrual period. Invoking this menu choice will invoke the EDC Calculator Dialog Box. ≥0°╫': EDC Calculator Dialog Box ▄
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The EDC Calculator Dialog Box allows you to calculate the EDC, or "due date," of a pregnant woman from the first day of her last menstrual period.  It is intended to demonstrate the operation of the Date Input View and some simple date mathematics. The EDC view automatically calculates and displays the EDC which demonstrates how a non-selectable display view can be linked to a Date Input View in such a way that a change in the date causes the display view to update itself. The EDC Calculator Dialog Box looks approximately like this: σ
 ╔═[■]════════ EDC Calculator ════════════╗
 ║                                        ║
 ║  Last Period:  █Unknown███████████▌▐  ║
 ║          EDC:  Unknown                 ║
 ║                                        ║
 ║        Click the down arrow icon       ║
 ║        to enter the last period.       ║
 ║                                        ║
 ║       Ok   ▄     Help  ▄    Cancel ▄   ║
 ║     ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀   ║
 ╚════════════════════════════════════════╝
&
Last Period is a Date Input View. Click the Down Arrow Icon or press the down arrow key to enter the date of the last menstrual period. This will invoke the Date Selection Calendar. Use the Date Selection Calendar to select the last menstrual period. After you select a last menstrual period in the Date Selection Calendar, press the Enter key or click the "=" icon to close the Date Selection Calendar. This will update the Last Period view to reflect the date that you selected and will cause the EDC view to calculate and display the "due date." «
The average length of a human pregnancy, from the first day of her last menstrual period until delivery is 280 days. To calculate the "due date" is as easy as converting the date of the last menstrual period (LMP) to a Julian date, adding 280 days and converting the resulting Julian date back to a standard date. The "due date" is called the EDC or Estimated Date of Confinement. The term "confinement" is a quaint bit of arcane Americana. There was a time when most American women had their babies at home. It was the custom for the new mother to be "confined" to bed for several days after birth while neighbor women tended her other children and took care of her household duties. »«┘'6 Gestation Calculator... ▄
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ΩThis Date Calculators Menu choice is used to calculate the current gestation of a pregnant woman from either the last menstrual period or from her "due" date. Invoking this menu choice will invoke the Gestation Calculator Dialog Box. ≥<·'	F Gestation Calculator Dialog Box ▄
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0The Gestation Calculator Dialog Box allows you to calculate the gestation of a pregnancy, i.e., "how far along" is the pregnancy on a given date. It is intended to demonstrate the operation of the Date Input View and some slightly more complex date mathematics. The LMP Gestation view and EDC Gestation view automatically calculate and display the gestation, or "how far along" is the pregnancy, as calculated from the LMP Date Input View or EDC Date Input View respectively. These views demonstrate how a non-selectable display view can be linked to a Date Input View in such a way that a change in the date causes the display view to update itself. The Target Date is linked to both the LMP Gestation view and the EDC Gestation view. The Target Date is used as the date for which the gestation is calculated. This Date Input View is also used to demonstrate how a date may be passed to a Date Input View. The SetDate routine is used to pass the value of Todays_Date to the Target Date. The Gestation Calculator Dialog Box would look about like this on December 5, 1994: │
 ╔═[■]══════ Gestation Calculator ══════════╗
 ║                                          ║
 ║            LMP:  █Unknown███████████▌▐  ║
 ║            EDC:  █Unknown███████████▌▐  ║
 ║    Target Date:  █December 5, 1994██▌▐  ║
 ║  LMP Gestation:  Unknown                 ║
 ║  EDC Gestation:  Unknown                 ║
 ║     Difference:  Unknown                 ║
 ║                                          ║
 ║         Click a down arrow icon          ║
 ║             to enter a date.             ║
 ║                                          ║
 ║        Ok   ▄     Help  ▄    Cancel ▄    ║
 ║      ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ║
 ╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
0
The date displayed in Target Date will depend on the current value of the system date of your system. Shift the focus to any of the Date Input Views and press the Down Arrow key or click the Down Arrow Icon in one of the Date Input Views. This will invoke the Date Selection Calendar. Use the Date Selection Calendar to select the focused date. After you select a date in the Date Selection Calendar, press the Enter key or click the "=" icon to close the Date Selection Calendar. This will update the focused date view to reflect the date that you selected. 
The average length of a pregnancy from the first day of the last menstrual period until delivery is 280 days or forty weeks. The LMP Gestation view calculates and displays the number of weeks and days that have elapsed between the LMP and the Target Date. An accurate first day of last menstrual period is the most reliable method for estimating gestation. If the woman cannot accurately recall her LMP or has irregular periods, the LMP may have to be disregarded in favor of a "due date" or EDC based on an ultrasound examination. h
The EDC Gestation calculates the gestation on the Target Date "backwards" from the EDC. An ultrasound EDC is derived by applying regression analysis to measurements of the fetal crown-rump length, head, abdomen and femur. The accuracy of the ultrasound EDC varies with the gestation when the ultrasound was performed. The Standard Error of the Mean (SEM) for an ultrasound done at ten weeks is ± 0.5 weeks. The SEM for an ultrasound done at eighteen weeks is ± 1.1 weeks. By thirty six weeks, the SEM is greater than ± 3.0 weeks. You would be more inclined to accept an ultrasound EDC over an EDC based on a last menstrual period if the discrepancy between the dates is greater than the SEM. This brings us to the purpose of the Difference view. This view calculates and displays the difference in weeks and days between the LMP based EDC and the ultrasound derived EDC. ÷
Assume, for example, that a woman's LMP is October 11, 1994. On December 30, 1994 she has an ultrasound which gives an EDC of July 31, 1995. Entering these dates in the Gestation Calculator Dialog Box will make the dialog box appear as follows: │
 ╔═[■]══════ Gestation Calculator ══════════╗
 ║                                          ║
 ║            LMP:  █October 11, 1994██▌▐  ║
 ║            EDC:  █July 31, 1995█████▌▐  ║
 ║    Target Date:  █December 31, 1994█▌▐  ║
 ║  LMP Gestation:  11 Weeks 3 Days         ║
 ║  EDC Gestation:  09 Weeks 4 Days         ║
 ║     Difference:  01 Weeks 6 Days         ║
 ║                                          ║
 ║         Click a down arrow icon          ║
 ║             to enter a date.             ║
 ║                                          ║
 ║        Ok   ▄     Help  ▄    Cancel ▄    ║
 ║      ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀    ║
 ╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝
│
This display shows that the ultrasound EDC should be accepted over the LMP based EDC because the Difference between the two dates is clearly greater than the SEM of ± 0.5 weeks. »¢«/'  Exit Program ▄
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åThis Date Calculators Menu choice is used to halt the program and return to DOS or Windows. The Hot Key to exit the program is Alt+X. ≥&ü'* The Calendar Menu ▄
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<The Calendar Menu is a Drop-Down Menu that looks like this: ü
 ┌────────────────────────────┐
 │ Look at the Calendar... F4 │
 │ Set the Program Date...    │
 └────────────────────────────┘
╛
You may invoke the Calendar Menu by using the Menu Bar commands. With the Calendar Menu on the screen, you may invoke any of the Calendar Menu choices by using the Drop-Down Menu commands. ±B²ï■½≡'6 Look at the Calendar... ▄
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îThis Calendar Menu choice is used to invoke the Desk Calendar. The Desk Calendar allows you to view the calendar for any month in any year. ⁿ<
¡g
'6 Set the Program Date... ▄
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¬This Calendar Menu choice invokes the Date Selection Calendar to set the program date. The program date should be set to today's date. The program reads your computer's system date when it starts and assigns the system date to the program date. If the program date (displayed next to the time in the upper right corner of the screen) is not today's date, then use the Set the Program Date menu choice to set the program date. ⁿ<
«]'" The Help Menu ▄
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8The Help Menu is a Drop-Down Menu that looks like this: !
 ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ How to Use The Help System...              │
 │ Table of Contents...             Shift+F1  │
 │ Date and Calendar Documentation            │
 │ About...                                   │
 └────────────────────────────────────────────┘
▓
You may invoke the Help Menu by using the Menu Bar commands. With the Help Menu on the screen, you may invoke any of the Help Menu choices by using the Drop-Down Menu commands. ±6Å┐∩≡º'B How to Use The Help System... ▄
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üThis Help Menu choice is used to invoke the Help System Help Window with a help topic that describes how to use the Help System.  H	∞o'0 Table of Contents... ▄
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ùThis Help Menu choice is used to invoke the Help System Help Window with the Table of Contents. The Table of Contents is a special Help System "topic" that consists of an alphabetical list of Help System topics. Each Help System topic listed in the Table of Contents is in the form of a Related Help Topic. Therefore, you may use the Table of Contents to look up and view any help topic in the Help System. .
The Hot Key is the Shift+F1 Key Combination.  6	∞]~φP═
σ'F Date and Calendar Documentation ▄
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¼This Help Menu choice is used to invoke the Help System Help Window with a help topic that documents the date and calendar objects in the DATES.PAS and CALENDAR.PAS units.  L	∞s' About... ▄
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EThis Help Menu choice is used to invoke the Author Notice Dilog Box.  	' Input Lines ▄
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An input line is a View that is used to input text of some sort. Dysplasia Tracker uses input lines in several places. The patient's last and first name, the patient's address, the names of the providers, the clinic address and other data are all input via the input line. M
An input line must have the program Focus before you can enter data. Data is entered into the input line by simply typing it. The input line has some Editing Facilties that make it easier to correct any errors. The input line appears on the screen as a large block that is labeled to identify what needs to be entered. For example: &
 First Name:  ██████████████████████
q
When an input line has the program Focus, the cursor (the blinking underline or blinking rectangle on the screen) will be visible in the block. The cursor marks the location where the next character that you type will appear in the input line. Simply type the information that is requested and press the Tab key to shift the program focus to the next data input view. ¼
If there is already text in the input line when it is focused, the existing text will be Selected. If you want to delete the existing text and type something else, just start typing and the selected text will be deleted. If you wish to modify the existing text, you must first deselect it. To deselect the text, press the Right Arrow key one time and proceed to modify the existing text using the Input Line Editing Facilties. V
Input lines have a limit to the number of characters that you can type. When you hit the limit, the input line will ignore any further characters that you type. Usually, that limit is less than or equal to the number of characters that will fit into the block that represents the input line on the screen. In some cases, the limit on the number of characters that you can type will be greater than the size of the block. This means that you can type text that is longer than the block. The input line, however, can only display as much text as will fit in the block (actually two less than that). i
When you type more text than the input line can display, the input line will display as much as it has room to display and will "hide" the rest. When the input line is hiding text, it places "arrowhead" markers at the ends of the block. You may inspect the hidden part of the text by pressing the Left and Right Arrow keys or by Mouse Clicking the arrowheads. 
2U╟╟nó`	'. Editing Input Lines ▄
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¿The Input Line has editing facilities that make it easier to correct errors or modify an existing entry. The cursor is the blinking underline or blinking rectangle on the screen. The cursor is where the next character will appear as you type. Use the Cursor Movement Commands to move the cursor to the place where you want to make corrections. Errors may be corrected by a combination of overwriting, inserting or deleting. ▄
1.  Overwriting. When the cursor is in the shape of a rectangle, the input line is in overwrite mode. In overwrite mode, the characters that you type take the place of the existing text. If you had typed "overwryte," you could correct it by moving the cursor to the "y," switching the input line mode to overwrite and pressing the "i" key. The "i" replaces the "y" to make "overwrite." The input line is switched between insert and overwrite mode by pressing the Insert key. í
2.  Inserting. When the cursor is in the shape of an underline, the input line is in insert mode. If you typed "insrt" and ment to type "insert," you could move the cursor to the letter "r" and press the "e" key. The "e" would be inserted between the "s" and the "r" to make "insert." The input line is usually in insert mode. The input line is switched between insert and overwrite mode by pressing the Insert key. ╛
3.  Deleting. The Backspace key erases the character behind (to the left) of the cursor. The Delete key erases the character on which the cursor is sitting. A block of Selected text may be deleted. Text may be selected by Shift+Left Arrow, Shift+Right Arrow or Mouse Dragging. Once a block of text has been selected, you may deselect it by pressing the Left or Right Arrow key. Pressing any other key will cause the selected text to be deleted. 3
*²Z'6 Text Selection Commands ▄
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~Text in an Input Line may be "selected." Text is selected to delete it. Text shows that it has been selected by being highlighted, i.e., by being a different color than other text. To select text, first use the Cursor Movement Commands to place the cursor at the beginning of the text that you want to select. Once the cursor is positioned, there are different ways to select text. ╫
1.  Shift+Left Arrow & Shift+Right Arrow:  The cursor will move just like it would for a Cursor Movement Command except that the text that the cursor moves over will be highlighted to indicate that it is selected. ;
2.  Mouse Dragging:  Point the mouse cursor at the first character that you want to select. Press the left mouse button, hold it down, move the mouse cursor to the last character that you want to select and release the mouse button. Every character between the first and last selected characters will be selected. 
Once text has been selected, you must either do something with the selected text or deselect it. You may "deselect" the selected text by pressing a cursor movement key or by mouse clicking the text. If you press any key except a cursor movement key, the selected text will be deleted. B

æ'$ Mouse Dragging ▄
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JDragging is a Mouse operation. Mouse dragging is used for three purposes: 
1.  To Select Text. G
2.  To move a window or dialog box to another location on the screen. 
3.  To resize a window. ½
Select a block of text in an Input Line by pointing the mouse cursor to the start of the text that you want to select, pressing the left mouse button, holding it down, moving the mouse pointer to the end of the text that you want to select and releasing the mouse button. The selected text will be highlighted, i.e., it will be a different color than the rest of the text. Delete the selected text by pressing the Delete key. i
Drag a window or dialog box to another location by moving the mouse pointer to the top line of the window or Dialog Box (avoiding any Icons), pressing the left mouse button, holding it down, moving the window or dialog box to the desired location and releasing the mouse button. The window or dialog box frame will change appearance while it is being dragged. π
Resize a window by dragging its Window Resizing Icon, i.e., position the mouse pointer on the Window Resizing Icon, press the left mouse button, resize the window by moving its lower right corner and release the mouse button. 3w
²
' Hot Keys ▄
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≈Hot Keys are specially designated keys or Key Combinations that bypass the Menu System to directly invoke a program task or shift the Focus to a Label's associated View when pressed. Many Drop-Down Menu choices have hot keys associated with them. ¼
Hot keys are often Function Keys or Key Combinations. An Alt key combination with a Highlighted letter is used as a hot key by the Menu Bar and by Labels in Dialog Boxes. 
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5eñ«'	" Function Keys ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
^The function keys are a group of keys located on the top of the keyboard that look like this: ║
 ┌────┬────┬────┬────┐    ┌────┬────┬────┬────┐    ┌────┬───
 │ F1 │ F2 │ F3 │ F4 │    │ F5 │ F6 │ F7 │ F8 │    │ F9 │ etc.
 └────┴────┴────┴────┘    └────┴────┴────┴────┘    └────┴───
▀
The function keys may be grouped on the left side of the keyboard on some older models. Older keyboards will have ten function keys. Newer keyboards have twelve function keys. The Function keys are often used as Hot Keys. N
A function key may be used by itself or may be used as part of a Key Combination with another key. Using a function key as a key combination is a way of getting more "milage" out of the function keys. If you press the "Shift" key, hold it down and press the F1 function key, the program will treat this as an entirely different key. ╦
The key combination of the Shift key and the F1 function key is referred to as the "Shift+F1" key. The F1 key by itself is referred to as the "Help" key, because it is the hot key for the Help System. The Help key invokes the help system to appear with a context-specific help topic in the Help Window. Shift+F1 is called the "Shift+Help" key. The Shift+Help key invokes the help system to appear with the Help System's Table of Contents in the Help Window. π
Two other keys may be used with the function keys to make new keys:  The "Alt" key and the "Ctrl" key. Therefore, each function key may be pressed in four different ways that the program will interpret as four different keys:  
 F1
 Shift+F1
 Alt+F1
 Ctrl+F1
ì
Even if your keyboard has only ten function keys, the Shift, Alt and Ctrl keys allow the program to act as if you have forty function keys. 
\∞%
'
( Key Combinations ▄
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╚Key combinations are keyboard operations where you press the Shift, Alt or Ctrl key, hold it down, press some other key and then release both keys. Anyone familiar with a typewriter is familar with the Shift key. The Shift key does nothing by itself, but it changes the way that other keys operate. If you press the Shift key, hold it down, and press a letter key, it will cause the letter key to type an upper case letter rather than a lower case letter. π
There are two similar keys on the keyboard, the "Alt" (i.e., "alternate") key and the "Ctrl" (i.e., "control") key. Like the Shift key, neither the Alt key nor the Ctrl key do anything when pressed alone. However, the Alt key and Ctrl key change the operation of other keys. An Alt key combination is keyed by pressing the Alt key, holding it down, and pressing some other key. A Ctrl key combination is keyed by pressing the Ctrl key, holding it down, and pressing some other key. >
The following notation is used to describe key combinations: ¼
1.  "Shift+[key]" is used to describe shifted keys, for example, "Shift+F1" means to press the Shift key, hold it down, press the "F1" Function Key and release both keys. Ö
2.  "Alt+[Key]" is used to describe "Alt" keys, for example, "Alt+X" means to press the Alt key, hold it down, press the "X" key and release both keys. ₧
3.  "Ctrl+[Key]" is used to describe control keys, for example, "Ctrl+C" means to press the Ctrl key, hold it down, press the "C" key and release both keys. σ
4.  "Ctrl+[Key][Key]" is a variation of the control keys described in number three above. For example, "Ctrl+QY" means to press the Ctrl key, hold it down, press the "Q" key, release it, press the "Y" key and release both keys. û
Various key combinations, along with the Function Keys are used as Hot Keys for Drop-Down Menu choices and as hot keys for Cursor Movement Commands. Ö
"Alt+[Key]" combinations with Highlighted Letters are often used to invoke Menu Bar choices or to shift the Focus to a particular View in a Dialog Box. 
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'	8 Cursor Movement Commands ▄
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The cursor is the blinking underline or blinking rectangle on the screen that shows where the next character will typed in the Input Line. You may move the cursor to a different location on the screen without erasing or adding characters by using the cursor movement commands. t
Press the Zoom key ("F5") to zoom this Help Window to full size so that you can read all of the information below: K
1.  Left Arrow & Right Arrow:  These keys move the cursor left and right. >
2.  Ctrl+S & Ctrl+D:  Alternate keys for Left & Right Arrow. A
3.  Ctrl+Left Arrow & Ctrl+Right Arrow:  These Key Combinations [    move the cursor to the extreme left and extreme right end of the input
    line entry.
H
4.  Ctrl+A & Ctrl+F:  Alternate keys for Ctrl+Left & Ctrl+Right Arrow. E
5.Mouse Click:  Moves the cursor to the character that was clicked. ╕

{2'. Highlighted Letters ▄
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Certain letters (or even digits) in the words that make up the Menu System, Dialog boxes, Buttons and Labels are a different color than the other letters. These are called highlighted letters. The highlighted letters are used to invoke Menu Bar choices, Drop-Down Menu choices, to push buttons or to shift the program's Focus to a particular View via the view's label. You can invoke a menu choice, push a button or shift the program's focus to a particular view by pressing the Alt Key Combination for the highlighted letter. ╥
In some circumstances, you can invoke the action associated with a highlighted letter by simply pressing the key for the highlighted letter without using its Alt key combination. Certain Views are used for entering data such as names, addresses, etc. If the program's Focus is on such a view, then that view will assume that any letters or digits that you type are intended for itself. Therefore, letters and digits will be intercepted by the focused view before they ever get to a Button or a Label. However, all views except the Menu System, buttons and labels will ignore Alt key combinations for letters and digits. In summary, if the focus is on a view that expects you to type letters or digits, the focused view will grab them before they have a chance to go to any other view, so you must use the Alt key combination of the highlighted letter. If the focus is on a view that will not grab any letters that you type, you can use the highlighted key without the Alt key. 
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·K!-' Views ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀
∩Everything that appears on the program's screen is a "view." The Menu Bar, Drop-Down Menus, Dialog Boxes, Buttons, etc. are all views. In order for you to enter data in a view, such as an input line, you must shift the Focus to that view. µ
You will understand views and focus better if you understand something about the programming methods used in this program. This program was written using "Object Oriented Programming" (OOP) techniques. From a programming standpoint, a view is an "object." An object is a packet of data that is tightly bound to a set of computer instructions called "methods." Because its methods give it "intelligence," objects are capable of acting independently if the program passes control to it. ,
OOP Programmers tend to anthropomorphize their objects, i.e., they tend to think of them in almost human terms. A good analogy to an object oriented program is a stage production involving many different actors. It is not necessary for the director (i.e., the program), or even the other actors (i.e., other objects) to know another actor's lines (i.e., another object's methods). It's only necessary for the director or the other actors to know when to cue (i.e., pass control to) an actor who will then say his or her lines (i.e., do the object's job). ì
A view, such as an input line, is an object that may function independently and on cue like the stage actor in the above illustration. The input line knows how to read characters from the keyboard and has methods that allow the program operator to "edit" the entry. Input lines are used for a variety of data entry tasks by a program, for example reading a person's name. The program does not need to know the nitty-gritty details of how to read and edit a person's name. It simply creates an input line object and instructs it to draw itself on the screen as a view. The program then passes control to the input line when it is time to read the name. r
Some views are actually a collection of several different views. Referring again to the analogy of a stage production, more than one actor can be on-stage at the same time. A dialog box is such a view. A typical dialog box consists of several views: A Frame, Icons, Input Lines, Buttons, etc. The program passes control (i.e., focus) to the dialog box. The dialog box then passes the focus to one of its views. The focused view will generally show that it has the focus by highlighting itself in some way. You may shift the focus from one view to another by pressing the Tab key or by pressing the Shift+Tab Key Combination. ╥
Some views are incapable of accepting the focus. For example, static text is a view, but its only purpose is to serve as explanatory text. It would not be useful to pass the focus to a view that does nothing. 	≡T±^o}εÑ¼╣

'" Program Focus ▄
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ƒThe simplest way to think of program focus is that it is program control. You may interact with many of the Views that are on the screen. For example, you may enter data into a type of view called an Input Line. Before you can enter data into an input line, the input line must have the focus, i.e., the program must pass program control to the input line. A view shows that it has the focus by highlighting itself in some way and/or by the appearance of the cursor in the view (the cursor is the blinking underline or blinking rectangle on the screen). To shift the focus to a given view, press the Tab key until the desired view is highlighted and/or gains the cursor. i
The Tab key tells a view to relinquish the focus and pass it to the next view. When there is more than one view on the screen, the views have an order to them. This order is called the "Z-order." When a view relinquishes the focus and passes it to the next view, it passes it to the next view in Z-order. The Shift+Tab key (i.e., press the Shift key, hold it down and press the Tab key) also tells the focused view to relinquish the focus, but passes it to the preceeding view in Z-order. Therefore, you may shift the focus to a given view by pressing Tab or Shift+Tab until the focus is passed to the desired view. ╜
There are other ways to shift the focus to a given view. Mouse clicking a view will shift the focus to that view. Many views have a special type of view associated with it. This view is called a Label. When you mouse click a label, the focus is shifted to the label's associated view, rather than to the label itself. Pressing the Alt Key Combination for the label's Highlighted Letter will also shift the focus to the label's associated view. 
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∩
{¢'  Dialog Boxes ▄
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├A dialog box is a View that looks like a rectangle on the screen. Most of the "action" in the program takes place in dialog boxes. The function of dialog boxes can be reduced to four operations: Z
1.  To input data. All data that you enter into the program is entered via dialog boxes. H
2.  To advise you of something, such as a warning or an error message. ;
3.  To ask you a question such as "Is the printer ready?" 
4.  To further refine a task. ,
A typical dialog box might look like this: ¢
 ╔═[■]════════ Enter the Name ═════════╗
 ║                                     ║
 ║   Enter the patient's name below:   ║
 ║                                     ║
 ║ Last  Name:  ██████████████████████ ║
 ║ First Name:  ██████████████████████ ║
 ║                                     ║
 ║           Ok  ▄      Cancel ▄       ║
 ║        ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀      ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀       ║
 ╚═════════════════════════════════════╝
v
This hypothetical example is used to enter a person's last and first name. This dialog box has nine different views: ñ
 1.  The rectangular frame that surrounds the dialog box.
 2.  The Close Icon in the upper left corner, i.e., "[■]".
 3.  Static Text, i.e., "Enter the patient's name below:."
 4.  A Label for the last name.
 5.  An Input Line for the last name (the block after the label).
 6.  A label for the first name.
 7.  An input line for the first name (the block after the label).
 8.  An "Ok" Button.
 9.  A "Cancel" Button.
.
You CANNOT shift the focus to the frame, the Close Icon, the static text, the last name label or the first name label. You CAN shift the focus to the two input lines and the two buttons. To enter the last name, shift the Focus to the input line for the last name by pressing the Tab key and type the last name. To enter the first name, shift the focus to the input line for the last name by pressing the Tab key and type the name. Close the dialog box by pushing the "Ok" Button. If you decide to cancel this data entry operation, push the "Cancel" button. ┌
Dialog boxes may contain almost any combination of views, but still operate about the same. That is, to enter data in a given view, shift the focus to that view and then close the dialog box by pushing the Ok button. 
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íƒÜ' Static Text ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
²Static text is a View that is designed to draw itself on the screen in a Dialog Box in order to explain something about the dialog box. Static text is similar to a Label, except that a label has a Highlighted Letter and is associated with another view. 
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├Σ' Icons ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀
ìIcons are symbols on the screen that carry out certain functions when they are Mouse clicked. Icons are usually found in the frame of windows or Dialog Boxes and are usually enclosed in square brackets. Icons can sometimes appear in association with other Views, for example there is an icon associated with the Date Input View. Commonly encountered icons and their functions are described below: 4
1. The Close Icon is located in the upper left corner of the Help Window, and all Dialog Boxes. The Close Icon looks like a small square enclosed in square brackets. The Close Icon causes the Help Window. The Close Icon causes a dialog box to close, but it closes as if you had pressed the "Cancel" Button. >
2.  The Zoom Icon is found in the upper right corner of the Help Window. Dialog boxes do not have a Zoom Icon. The Zoom Icon looks like an upwards pointing arrow enclosed in square brackets when its window is not expanded to its maximum dimensions and like a double-headed up and down arrow when its window is expanded to its maximum dimensions. The Zoom Icon causes the Help Window to expand to their maximum dimensions. If the Help Window are already expanded to their maximum dimensions, mouse clicking the Zoom Icon will cause them to assume their previous dimensions. L
3.  The Window Resizing Icon is located at the lower right corner of the Help Window. Dialog boxes do not have a Window Resizing Icon. The Window Resizing Icon is the lower right corner itself and it is not enclosed in square brackets like most other icons. The Window Sizing Icon must be Mouse Dragged, rather than mouse clicked. a
4.  The Scroll Bars are sets of icons found in the Help Window and the Date Selection Calendar. *
5.  The Date Selection Calendar Icon is found in Date Input Views. It is located on the right end of the date input view and looks like a down arrow between two lines. Mouse clicking the Date Selection Calendar Icon shifts the focus to the Date Input View and invokes the Date Selection Calendar. ;
6.  The Date Selection Calendar has its own set of icons. bñ
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g»±«≥' Scroll Bars ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
*Scroll Bars are found in the Help Window and the Date Selection Calendar. The Scroll Bar consists of a set of Icons that are used to scroll the Help Window and the Date Selection Calendar. The scroll bars operate somewhat differently in the Date Selection Calendar than they do in the Help Window. ó
The Vertical Scroll Bar is located on the right side of the Help Window It scrolls text up and down. The Vertical Scroll Bar icons look approximately like this: Ω
  <-- Up Arrow Icon   = Scroll text up one line.
 ▒ <-- Page Up Icon    = Scroll text up one page.
 ■ <-- File Position Marker.
 ▒ <-- Page Down Icon  = Scroll text down one page.
  <-- Down Arrow Icon = Scroll text down one line.
┐
Mouse clicking the various icons causes the Help Window text to scroll as indicated. Mouse Dragging the File Position Marker up or down will cause the Help Window text to scroll up or down. !
The Horizontal Scroll Bar is almost identical to the Vertical Scroll Bar except that it is found on the bottom line of the Help Window. The Horizontal Scroll Bar scrolls text left and right rather than up and down when its icons are clicked and its File Position Marker is mouse dragged. |
Refer to the Date Selection Calendar help topic for details on how the scroll bars operate in the Date Selection Calendar. ì+«├' Labels ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
hA label is a View in a Dialog Box that is associated with another view. The associated view is generally located immediately below or to the right of the label. The label is similar to Static Text in that it explains something about its associated view. However, static text is not associated with any other view. Labels have a Highlighted Letter. When the label's highlighted letter is used as an Alt Key Combination, or when the label is Mouse clicked, the Focus is shifted to the label's associated view. A label itself cannot be focused. However, it highlights itself whenever its associated view has the focus. 
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╬]
º═α' Buttons ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
6A button is a View that is found exclusively in Dialog Boxes. A button is a small, colored rectangle that has a mark along the bottom and right side that gives it a three dimensional look. Buttons have a word on them that identifies their purpose. A button carries out some sort of action when it is "pushed." R
There are several ways to push a button. The Enter key is used to push buttons. The button that is pushed by the Enter key depends on where the Focus is located and which button is the "default" button. If the focus is on a button, the Enter key will push the focused button. A button shows that it has the focus by highlighting itself. `
If the focus is not on any button, the Enter key will push the default button. One button is always the "default" button. The default button is usually the leftmost or top button in a group of buttons. If the focus is on any other view that is not a button, an Input Line for example, the default button will show itself by being faintly highlighted. ¥
Buttons have a word label that describes its function in some way. One letter in the label is Highlighted, i.e., a different color than the other letters. Another way to push a button is to press the key for its highlighted letter. This may not always work. If the focus is on a view that is expecting you to type letters or numbers, such as an input line, then that view will assume that any letters that you type are intended for itself. That is, they will be intercepted before they can even be seen by a button. If, however, the currently focused view could care less about letters that you type, then pressing a button's highlighted letter will push that button. ╜
If the focus is on a view that will "eat" letters, you can still push a button by pressing its highlighted letter, but, only if you press the highlighted letter as an Alt Key Combination. 8
Finally, you may push any button by Mouse clicking it. o
Some buttons serve a unique function, but there are several buttons that you will see throughout the program: v
1.  The "Ok" Button:  Pushing the Ok button is how you tell a dialog box that you are finished with it. Therefore, pushing the Ok button will close the dialog box. Closing a dialog box with the Ok button will often cause something to occur. For example, when you use the Ok button to close the dialog box that allows you to enter or update a patient's data, the patient's data file record is updated to reflect the changes that you made in the dialog box. Most dialog boxes will have an Ok button. When it is present, the Ok button is almost always the default button. The letter "O" is the highlighted letter for the Ok button. 
2.  The "Cancel" Button:  Pushing the Cancel button is similar to pushing the Ok button in that it will close a dialog box. However, the Cancel button will cancel the action that would have been carried out if the dialog box had been closed with the Ok button. For example, if you use the Cancel button to close the dialog box that allows you to enter or update a patient's data, any changes that you made will be discarded. If you end up in a dialog box by mistake, push the Cancel button. The Cancel button does not have a highlighted letter, because it has a special key that is reserved for it. The Escape key will push the Cancel button, even if it does not have the focus. The Escape key will cancel a dialog box even if there is no Cancel button in the dialog box. ¬
3.  The "Yes" Button & the "No" Button:  The Yes and No buttons usually appear together with a Cancel button. A typical place to see these buttons is in a dialog box that asks a simple Yes/No question. For example:  "Is the printer ready?" You deal with this dialog box by pushing the Yes or No button. This type of dialog box will not contain an Ok button because "Ok" does not make sense as an answer to a Yes/No question. ╣
"Yes" is usually the default button, because the program usually expects you to answer Yes to such a question. If the program expects you to answer "No," then No will be the default button. With the expected answer as the default button, you can get past most such dialog boxes by simply pressing the Enter key which pushes the default button. "Y" is the highlighted key for the Yes button and "N" is the highlighted key for the No button. 
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^
H~'" Radio Buttons ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
╨Radio buttons are a specialized View. Radio buttons only appear in Dialog Boxes. Radio buttons allow you to select one and only one item from a list. A hypothetical set of radio buttons might look like this: ┘
  Civil Status:
 ┌────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ ( ) Unknown.        (*) Separated. │
 │ ( ) Never Married.  ( ) Divorced.  │
 │ ( ) Married.        ( ) Widowed.   │
 └────────────────────────────────────┘
╙
The list of items will appear in a block-like space in a dialog box. Each item consists of a descriptive word or phrase and is preceeded by a pair of parentheses. One item in the list will always be "selected." The selected item will be marked with a marker between the item's parentheses. In the example above, "Separated" is the selected item. When radio buttons have the Focus, the selected item will be highlighted, i.e., a different color than the other items. ≥
You may select any item in the list by shifting the focus to the radio buttons and pressing the Up, Down, Left and Right Arrow keys. The Arrow keys will shift the highlighting and the selection marker to another item. One letter in the word or phrase that describes each item will be highlighted, i.e., will be a different color than the other letters. When the focus is on a set of radio buttons, you may directly select an item in the list by pressing the key for the item's Highlighted Letter. î
If the focus is not on the radio buttons, it still may be possible to select an item by pressing the key for its highlighted letter. It depends on what type of view has the focus. If the focus is on a view that is expecting you to type letters or numbers, such as an input line, then that view will assume that any letters that you type are intended for itself. That is, they will be intercepted before they can even be seen by the radio buttons. If, however, the currently focused view could care less about letters that you type, then pressing a radio button item's highlighted letter will shift the focus to the radio buttons and select that item. ╩
If the focus is on a view that will "eat" letters, you can still select a radio button item by pressing its highlighted letter, but, only if you press the highlighted letter as an Alt Key Combination. E
Finally, you may select any radio button item by Mouse clicking it. 
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╓	' Check Boxes ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
╡Check boxes are a specialized View. Check boxes only appear in Dialog Boxes. Like Radio Buttons, check boxes present you with a list of items from which to choose. With radio buttons, one and only one item can and must be chosen from the list. Unlike radio buttons, check boxes allow you not select any of the items, or to select one item or to select several items from the list. A hypothetical set of check boxes might look like this: ∩
  Extra Toppings:
 ┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ [ ] Pepperoni       [X] Green Peppers  │
 │ [X] Italian Sausage [ ] Canadian Bacon │
 │ [X] Mushrooms       [ ] Anchovies      │
 └────────────────────────────────────────┘
┘
The list of items will appear in a block-like space in a dialog box. Each item consists of a descriptive word or phrase and is preceeded by a pair of square brackets. Any number of the items may be "selected." The selected item(s) will be marked with an "X" marker between the item's square brackets. In the example above, "Italian Sausage," "Mushrooms" and "Green Peppers" have been selected. When check boxes have the Focus, one of the items will be highlighted, i.e., a different color than the other items. You may select or deselect the focused item by pressing the Space Bar. The Space Bar "toggles" a check box item from selected to deselected or from deselected to selected depending on it's current state. When you deselect a check box item, the "X" in the item's square brackets will disappear. You may shift the focus to a different item in the check boxes by pressing the Up, Down, Left or Right Arrow keys and then select or deselect that item by pressing the Space Bar.  
One letter in the word or phrase that describes each check box item will be highlighted, i.e., will be a different color than the other letters. When the focus is on a set of check boxes, you may directly select or deselect an item by pressing the key for the item's Highlighted Letter. ƒ
If the focus is not on the check boxes, it still may be possible to select or deselect an item by pressing the key for its highlighted letter. It depends on what type of view has the focus. If the focus is on a view that is expecting you to type letters or numbers, such as an input line, then that view will assume that any letters that you type are intended for itself. That is, they will be intercepted before they can even be seen by the check boxes. If, however, the currently focused view could care less about letters that you type, then pressing a check box item's highlighted letter will shift the focus to that check box item and select or deselect that item. ╙
If the focus is on a view that will "eat" letters, you can still select or deselect a check box item by pressing its highlighted letter, but, only if you press the highlighted letter as an Alt Key Combination. N
Finally, you may select or deselect any check box item by Mouse clicking it. 
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i'& The Status Line ▄
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ÿThe Status Line is the bar-like structure at the bottom of the program's screen. The Status Line looks much like the Menu Bar at the top of the screen. (
The Status Line serves three purposes: 4
1.  To advise you of where you are in the program. G
2.  To provide short-cuts to the most commonly used program commands. .
3.  To help you to navigate the Help System. *
As you operate the program, you will notice that the Status Line changes. This is how the Status Line informs you of where you are and what you are doing in the program. The Status Line contains a list of the most commonly used program commands, along with their Hot Keys. You may invoke these commands by either using their hot keys or by simply Mouse Clicking the command on the Status Line. Often times, the Status Line will only offer one command, the Help command and its hot key, the "F1" function key. This is to remind you that you may obtain help from the Help System for the current program command or dialog box by simply pressing the Help key. The rest of the text in the Status Line describes what is going on or what Help System Topic will appear in the Help Window when you press the Help key. ÿ∞'@ Instructions for Mouse Users ▄
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?The program has program "bindings" that allow you to use a mouse to operate the program. Before you can use the mouse, your computer must have a mouse, and a special program called a "mouse driver" must be running in the background. The mouse and mouse driver must be able to operate with MS-DOS programs in text mode. n
If your mouse doesn't seem to work, look in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to see if it contains the following line: 
 MOUSE
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If not, then look in your CONFIG.SYS file to see if it contains a line that looks something like this: 
 DEVICE=C:\DOS\MOUSE.SYS
∩
Try putting one or the other of these lines in the appropriate files, save them and restart the computer. If this doesn't work or if you feel skittish about playing with the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files, call your systems consultant. é
A mouse can make it much easier to use the program. When your mouse is working correctly, a small rectangle will appear on the screen and it will move when you slide your mouse around. The rectangle is called the "mouse pointer" or the "mouse cursor." You operate the program by pointing the mouse pointer at various Views on the screen and "clicking" them. To click a view, move the mouse until the mouse pointer is on the view and then press the left button on the mouse. Another way to use the mouse in the program is to "mouse drag." Mouse dragging is used to Select text in Input Lines. Point the mouse pointer at the beginning of the text that you want to select. Press the left mouse button, hold it down, point the mouse pointer to the end of the text that you want to select and release the mouse button. The selected text will be a different color than the rest of the text in the view. 
Ñ£½'╜ The Table of Contents ▄
  ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀
 About...
 Age Calculator...
 Age Calculator Dialog Box
 Buttons
 Calendar Menu
 CALENDAR.PAS Unit
 Check Boxes
 Date and Calendar Demonstrator
 Date and Calendar Theory
 Date Calculators Menu
 Date Difference...
 Date Difference Calculator Dialog Box
 Date Input View
 Date Selection Calendar
 DATES.PAS Unit
 Desk Calendar
 Dialog Boxes
 Drop-Down Menus
 Editing Input Lines
 EDC Calculator...
 EDC Calculator Dialog Box
 Exit Program
 Focus
 Function Keys
 Gestation Calculator...
 Gestation Calculator Dialog Box
 Help Menu
 Help System
 Help Window Focus
 Highlighted Letters
 Hot Keys
 How to Use The Help System...
 Icons
 Input Lines
 Key Combinations
 Labels
 Look at the Calendar...
 Menu Bar
 Menu System
 Month and Year View
 Mouse Users Instructions
 Mouse Dragging
 Radio Buttons
 Related Help Topic
 Scroll Bars
 Set the Program Date...
 Static Text
 Status Line
 Table of Contents...
 Views
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 This is a dummy help topic that only serves the purpose of creating a help
 context constant named "hcHelpWindow" that is used to provide a help
 context for a status line for the help window.
'6 The Month and Year View ▄
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The month and year View allows you to enter a month and year. If you attempt to simply type the month and year, you will be ignored. To set the month and year view to a particular month and year, shift the Focus to the view and press the Down or Up Arrow keys until the desired month and year appear. You may also change the month and year view by pressing a digit key. For example, if the month is set to January and you press the "4" key, the month and year view will change to May, i.e., the month that is four months from January. f
You may also change the month in the month and year view by Mouse clicking it. If the focus is not on the month and year view, the first mouse click will shift the focus to the view without changing it. With the focus on the view, the left mouse button changes the month to the next month and the right mouse button changes the month to the previous month. 
Jï'* The Desk Calendar ▄
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#The Desk Calendar is a Dialog Box that displays the calendar. By pressing various keys or Mouse clicking various Icons, you can shift the calendar to any month in any year. Close the Desk Calendar by clicking the Close Calendar Icon, by pressing the Enter key or by pressing the Escape key. ª
The Desk Calendar cannot be EXACTLY reproduced in the Help Window for technical reasons. However, a close approximation is drawn below with the major parts labeled: ╢
                                       ┌───────Subtract Century Icon
                                       │┌──────Subtract Decade Icon
                                       ││┌─────Select today's Date Icon
                                       │││┌────Add Decade Icon
 Close Calendar Icon───┐               ││││┌───Add Century Icon
                    ╔═[■]═══ Calendar [-<*>+]╗
                    ║        July 1993       ║
                    ║  Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa  
                    ║               1  2  3  ▒┐
                    ║   4  5  6  7  8  9 10  ▒┴Subtract Month Icon
                    ║  11 12 13 14 15 16 17  ■
                    ║  18 19 20 21 22 23 24  ▒┬Add Month Icon
                    ║  25 26 27 28 29 30 31  ▒│
                    ║                        ▒┘
                    ╚<▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒■▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒>═
                      └────┬───┘ └───┬────┘
  Subtract Year Icon───────┘         └─────────Add Year Icon
5
If the month that you desire is not displayed by the Desk Calendar, you can shift the Desk Calendar to a different month by mouse clicking the Add Month Icon or Subtract Month Icon. Pressing the Page Down and the Page Up key is equivalent to clicking the Add Month Icon and Subtract Month Icon respectively. ╛
The Ctrl+Page Up Key Combination will shift the month to January. The Ctrl+Page Down key combination will shift the month to December. There are no equivalent icons for these two commands. j
If the calendar that you desire is not in the year displayed by the Desk Calendar, you can shift the Desk Calendar to a different year by mouse clicking the Add Year Icon or Subtract Year Icon. Pressing the Ctrl+Right Arrow key combination and the Ctrl+Left Arrow key combination is equivalent to clicking the Add Year Icon and Subtract Year Icon respectively. Ñ
If the year that you desire is more than five years away, mouse click the Add Decade Icon or Subtract Decade Icon until the year is close to the desired year then click the Add Year Icon or Subtract Year Icon until the desired year appears. Pressing the ">" (i.e., "greater than symbol") key and the "<" (i.e., "less than symbol") key is equivalent to clicking the Add Decade Icon and Subtract Decade Icon respectively. 
If the year that you desire is more than fifty years away, mouse click the Add Century Icon or Subtract Century Icon until the year is close to the desired year then click the Add Decade Icon or Subtract Decade Icon until the year is closer to the desired year and then click the Add Year Icon or Subtract Year Icon until the desired year appears. Pressing the "+" (i.e., "plus sign") key and the "-" (i.e., "minus sign") key is equivalent to clicking the Add Century Icon and Subtract Century Icon respectively. ▒
The Select Today's Date Icon causes the Desk Calendar to display the calendar for the month and year of the program date. The program date should be today's date, but may be some other date if you used the Set the Program Date... option from the Calendar Menu to change the program date or if the system date on your computer is not set to today's date. Pressing the Home key is equivalent to clicking the Select Today's Date Icon. ╟
The best tactic for displaying a calendar that is remote from the currently displayed date is to shift the Desk Calendar to the desired the year first, then shift the calendar to the desired month. u
Look at the calendar for September, 1752 for practice and amusement. This calendar appears abnormal because days three (3) through thirteen (13) are missing. These days are missing because they were "dropped" in order to realign the calendar with the solar year when the Gregorian Calendar Reform was adopted by England and its colonies (including its American colonies). B
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'> The Date Selection Calendar ▄
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╥The Date Selection Calendar is a calendar inside a Dialog Box that is used for setting dates. One date in the Date Selection Calendar is highlighted, i.e., a different color than the other dates. By pressing various keys or Mouse clicking various Icons, you can shift the highlighted date to any date in any month in any year. To set the date with the Date Selection Calendar, simply highlight the desired date and press the Enter key or click the Select Date Icon. ░
The Date Selection Calendar cannot be reproduced EXACTLY in the Help Window for technical reasons. However, a close approximation is drawn below with the major parts labeled: Z
                                        ┌───────Subtract Century Icon
                                        │┌──────Subtract Decade Icon
                                        ││┌─────Select Today's Date Icon
    Select Date Icon───────┐            │││┌────Add Decade Icon
 Close Calendar Icon────┐  │            ││││┌───Add Century Icon
                     ╔═[■][=] Set Date [-<*>+]╗
                     ║        July 1993       ║
                     ║  Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa  ─Subtract Week Icon
                     ║               1  2  3  ▒┐
    Highlighted Date─╫───4  5  6  7  8  9 10  ▒┴Subtract Month Icon
                     ║  11 12 13 14 15 16 17  ■─Vertical Date Indicator
                     ║  18 19 20 21 22 23 24  ▒┬Add Month Icon
                     ║  25 26 27 28 29 30 31  ▒│
                     ║                        ▒┘
                     ╚<▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒■▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒>═─Add Week Icon
   Subtract Day Icon──┘└────┬───┘│└───┬────┘└───Add Day Icon
  Subtract Year Icon────────┘    │    └─────────Add Year Icon
                                 └──────────────Horizontal Date Indicator
5
The highlighted date may be shifted to any date in the calendar by pointing to the desired date with the mouse cursor and clicking it. The Up, Down, Left and Right Arrow keys will also shift the highlighted date to the date above, below, to the left and to the right (respectively) of the currently highlighted date. Mouse clicking the Subtract Week Icon and Add Week Icon is equivalent to pressing the Up and Down Arrow keys respectively. Mouse clicking the Subtract Day Icon and Add Day Icon is equivalent to pressing the Left and Right Arrow keys respectively. _
If the date that you desire to select is not in the month displayed by the Date Selection Calendar, you can shift the Date Selection Calendar to a different month by mouse clicking the Add Month Icon or Subtract Month Icon. Pressing the Page Down and the Page Up key is equivalent to clicking the Add Month Icon and Subtract Month Icon respectively. ║
The Ctrl+Page Up Key Combination will shift the month to January. The Ctrl+Page Down key combination will shift the month to December. There are no equivalent icons for these commands. ä
If the date that you desire to select is not in the year displayed by the Date Selection Calendar, you can shift the Date Selection Calendar to a different year by mouse clicking the Add Year Icon or Subtract Year Icon. Pressing the Ctrl+Right Arrow key combination and the Ctrl+Left Arrow key combination is equivalent to clicking the Add Year Icon and Subtract Year Icon respectively. Ñ
If the year that you desire is more than five years away, mouse click the Add Decade Icon or Subtract Decade Icon until the year is close to the desired year then click the Add Year Icon or Subtract Year Icon until the desired year appears. Pressing the ">" (i.e., "greater than symbol") key and the "<" (i.e., "less than symbol") key is equivalent to clicking the Add Decade Icon and Subtract Decade Icon respectively. 
If the year that you desire is more than fifty years away, mouse click the Add Century Icon or Subtract Century Icon until the year is close to the desired year then click the Add Decade Icon or Subtract Decade Icon until the year is closer to the desired year and then click the Add Year Icon or Subtract Year Icon until the desired year appears. Pressing the "+" (i.e., "plus sign") key and the "-" (i.e., "minus sign") key is equivalent to clicking the Add Century Icon and Subtract Century Icon respectively. è
The Select Today's Date Icon sets the Date Selection Calendar to the program date. The program date should be today's date, but may be some other date if you used the Set the Program Date... option from the Calendar Menu to change the program date or if the system date on your computer is not set to today's date. Pressing the Home key is equivalent to clicking the Select Today's Date Icon. ⌠
The best tactic for selecting a date in the Date Selection Calendar is to set the year first, then the month and finally the day. When the desired date has been highlighted, mouse click the Select Date Icon or press the Enter key to select the highlighted date. If you ended up in the Date Selection Calendar by mistake, click the Close Calendar Icon or press the Escape key. The Date Selection Calendar will close without selecting any date, just as if you had never invoked it in the first place. r
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'. The Date Input View ▄
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║This view is used to input dates. A Date input view looks like an Input Line except it contains a date and there is a down arrow Icon on the right end. It looks approximately like this: 
   █September 18, 1994▌▐
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The Date Input View will ignore you if you simply try to type the date. To set a date, shift the Focus to the Date Input View and press the Down Arrow key. This will invoke the Date Selection Calendar. Mouse clicking the down arrow Icon at the right end of the Date Input View will also invoke the Date Selection Calendar. The Date Input View is set to a given date by the Date Selection Calendar. Z
When a Date Input View has not yet been set to a valid date, it displays "Unknown" as the date. If the date is truely not known, then leave it as Unknown. If you have accidently set the Date Input View to a date, but now need to "cancel" that date, shift the focus to the Date Input View and press the Delete key to reset the date to "Unknown." q
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