Apple ThinkTank II Plus, ThinkTank II, ThinkTank IIe User Manual

Tutorial

There are six commands on the reference card indented one

level under NEW: UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, PARAGRAPH, and MODE. They correspond to six of the options on ThinkTank’s NEW Com— mand menu and they allow you to specify what kind of new material to add and where. Press N (the command key for NEW) to display this menu, which is shown in Figure 3—5.

There is a seventh option on the NEW Command Menu ——

ESCAPE —— that’s not listed under NEW on your reference card. That’s because ThinkTank’s escape valve, which stops whatever you’re doing, is always an option. It’s listed separately on the reference card under “Notes.”

You can reach these NEW options only by selecting the NEW

command first. In ThinkTank terminology, these options are beneath or under NEW; they are one level deeper or subordinate to NEW in ThinkTank’s command structure. On the reference card, and in ThinkTank in general, this relationship is expressed by levels of indentation from left to right.

The reference card is a map of ThinkTank in which one level of indentation corresponds to

one level deeper in the command structure.

Now press N to select the NODE option from the NEW Com-

mand Menu. MODE disappears from the menu but a new option, EDIT, replaces it as shown in Figure 4—1. The explanation line reads TEXT EDITOR FOR HEADLINES. On the reference card, EDIT is indented one level under NODE (which is indented one level under NEW). In other words, to reach the “headline editor” from the NEW Command Menu, you must go through NODE first.

Notice that EDIT appears twice under “Adding Information” on the reference card, once under MODE and once under PARAGRAPH. As you can see from the two entries, each EDIT has a different meaning; EDIT under PARAGRAPH gets you to the TEXT EDITOR FOR PARAGRAPHS. Some other commands (such as DELETE and COPY) also have more than one meaning in ThinkTank, depending on the context in which they appear. In all cases, the appropriate meaning will be clear from the screen, the reference card, and the reference guide.

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Living Videotext, Inc.

ThinkTank Manual

Program by: David Winer with assistance from: Jonathan Liewellyn

Manual by: John Unger Zussman with assistance from: David Greene

Software:

Living Videotext. Inc.

Apple Computer, Inc.

Parts of this software are copyrighted by

The Regents of the University of California, 1979

Manual:

Living Videotext, Inc.

Living Videotext, Inc.; Apple Computer, Inc.; and the Regents of the University of California make no warranties, either express or implied, regarding the enclosed computer software package, its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose. The exclusion or implied warranties is not permitted by some states. The above exclusion may not apply to you. This warranty provides you with specific legal rights. There may be other rights that you have which vary from state to state.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I: LEARNING ABOUT THINKTANK 1

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION TO THINKTANK 1

Box 1—1: Sample Uses of ThinkTank 2 The Outline Approach 3 Overview of the ThinkTank Manual 5 Support 6 Copy Protection and Software Piracy 7

Chapter 2: THINKTANK ON APPLE PERSONAL COMPUTERS 9

System Requirements 9 Tour of the Apple Keyboards 11 Starting Up ThinkTank 14 Don’t Write—Protect Your Working Disks 25 Exiting From ThinkTank 25

Special Considerations 26

Summary 28

Chapter 3: A BRIEF TOUR OF THINKTANK 29

Getting Synchronized 29 The ThinkTank Screen 30 The Text Area 31 Expanding a Headline 31 The Command Area 33

Command Menus 33

Adding a New Headline 36 Deleting a Headline 38 Correcting Mistakes 38 Leave Disks in Place 39 Backing Up 40 Summary 41

Chapter 4: USING THINKTANK: A TUTORIAL 43

Learning More About ThinkTank 43 The ThinkTank Reference Guide 44 The ThinkTank Reference Card 44 ThinkTank’ s Command System 47

Putting It All Together 51 A Comprehensive Example 53 Getting Around 54 Adding and Editing 57

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ThinkTank Manual

Reorganizing an Outline 63 Printing an Outline 66 Creating a New Outline 66 Concluding Note 68 Box 4-1: Printing with 'Uppercase Computers 69

Chapter 5: USING THINKTANK: NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS 71

General Advice 71 Getting Started 72 Getting Around 73 Adding Information 74 Reorganizing 76 Printing and Porting 77 Editing Text 80 Special Features 82 Summary 86

Appendix A: GLOSSARY 87

Appendix B: INTRODUCTION TO THE PASCAL OPERATING SYSTEM 93

What is an Operating System? 93 Files 93 Disks and Devices 94 PASCAL Commands and Programs 95

Appendix C: DISK MANAGEMENT 97

Disk Management Tasks 97 Apple II Series: Floppy Disk Systems 98 Apple II Series: Hard Disk Systems 104 Apple III Systems 104

Appendix D: TECHNICAL INFORMATION 107

Installing ThinkTank on a Hard Disk 107 ASCII Conversion Table 109 ThinkTank Technical Notes 110

PART II: REFERENCE GUIDE 113

THINKTANK COMMANDS 113

ERROR MESSAGES 197

INDEX 217

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Table of Contents

LIST OF FIGUKES AND TABLES

Figure 1—1: Product Plan Outline 4 Figure 1—2: ThinkTank Product Plan Outline 6 Figure 2—1: Apple II Keyboard Figure 2—2: 11 Figure 2—2: Apple IIe Keyboard 12 Figure 2—3: Apple III Keyboard 13 Figure 2—4: ThinkTank Date Display 16 Figure 2—5: Setting the Date 17 Figure 2—6: ThinkTank Sample Outline 19 Figure 2—7: FILES Command Menu 20 Figure 2—8: EXISTING FILE Menu 21 Figure 2—9: Exit Screen 26 Figure 3—1: ThinkTank Screen 30 Figure 3—2: Expanding a Headline 32 Figure 3—3: Main Command Menu 34 Figure 3—4: Secondary Command Menu 35 Figure 3—5: NEW Command Menu 36 Figure 3—6: Mding a New Headline 37 Figure 4—1: NEW Command Menu Mter Selecting MODE 46 Figure 4—2: Reviewing the Port Format Settings 52

Figure Figure 4—4: Searching for a Keyword 56 Figure 4—5: Entering a New Paragraph 57 Figure 4—6: Top Level of the Paragraph Editor 58 Figure 4—7: EDIT Command Menu 59 Figure 4—8: Editing a Paragraph 61 Figure 4—9: Defining a Selection 61 Figure 4—10: Moving a Selection 62 Figure 4—11: New Headlines 63 Figure 4—12: Reorganizing an Outline 64 Figure 4—13: Merged Paragraphs 65 Figure 4—14: Creating a New Outline 67 Figure 5—1: Translating Your Commands 84 Figure C—i: SPECIAlIST Command Menu 99 Figure 0—2: DISK MANAGER Command Menu 100 Figure 0—3: Listing a Disk Directory 103 Figure R—1: ThinkTank Screen 113 Table R—1: Minimal Port Format Settings 169

4-3: Expanding and Collapsing 55

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PART I

LEARNING ABOUT THINKTANK

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO THINKTANK

ThinkTank (tm) is a visual tool for working with ideas

and information on your personal computer. The ThinkTank program uses the familiar format of an outline to help you generate, organize, store, and retrieve ideas with remarkable ease and efficiency. It is the first idea processor.

ThinkTank is flexible; you can apply it in many ways. It

can serve as your:

* notebook * address book * appointment calendar * card file * file folder * file cabinet * secretary * administrative assistant * bulletin board

Because ThinkTank is electronic, you can examine, add, alter, reorganize, print, or delete your information in seconds.

ThinkTank’s flexibility means that you can adapt it to

your needs and applications. You can choose what kind of in— formation to store in ThinkTank and how to organize it. You can use it to write a memo, store a customer list, look up a telephone number, organize a report, record a family tree, or catalogue a stamp-collection. Box 1—1, which lists representative uses of ThinkTank, contains just a fraction of its many applications. ThinkTank is like having an administrative genie at your beck and call.

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ThinkTank Manual

------------------------------------------------------------------

Box 1—1

Sample Uses of ThinkTank

The applications of ThinkTank are as unlimited as your

imagination. Here are a few of its many uses:

Business and Professional Scientific and Technical * Action lists * Bibliographies * Appointment calendars * Computer programs * Business plans * Curriculum vitae * Catalogues * Grant proposals * Checklists * Journal articles * Client records * Monographs * Corporate reports * Research notes * Correspondence * Research presentations * Customer lists * Research reports * Instruction manuals * Specifications * Inventory lists * Legal briefs Educational * Marketing plans * Bulletins * Medical records * Class notes * Memos * Course catalogues * Minutes * Course outlines * Notices * Courseware * Product analyses * Lesson plans * Product plans * Heading lists * Project plans * Student records * Proposals * Test item files * Personnel records * Presentations Home

* Reports * Address books * Resumes * Catalogues of collections * Schedules * Appointment calendars * Telephone directories * Correspondence * To do lists * Genealogies * Training manuals * Household records * Word processing * Shopping lists

------------------------------------------------------------------

—2—

Introduction

THE OUTLINE APPROACH

The key to the power and flexibility of ThinkTank is its

outline approach to organizing information. The outline approach mirrors our natural way of processing information. Suppose this morning when you came to work you learned that:

There is snow on the ground Your car needs gas The price of gas is up again The stack market is down It is cold The consumer price index is up Your boss is absent

When you think about this information, you don’t think of it as seven separate, independent items. Instead, you group

related items together in organized categories:

Weather

Snow Cold

Economy

Stock market down Inflation

Consumer price index up Price of gas up

Work

Boss absent

In other words, you organize the items very much like an

outline.

Let’s take a more practical example. Suppose you are a

corporate product manager developing a proposal for a new

product line. You might start by writing down your thoughts as they occur to you, in random fashion:

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ThinkTank Manual

Product type: alcoholic beverage Primary market: young adults Taste: sweet and fruity Position: high Status and sophisticated

But random thoughts do not make a product plan; they must be arranged into a coherent, persuasive document. So you might organize your thoughts into an outline as shown in Figure 1—1. With an outline it is easy to find information. For example, if you want to examine your ideas on product positioning, you can go straight to the section on marketing instead of searching through an unorganized list. You can see at a glance how your ideas fit together, which sections are solid and which need further thought. In addition, since the outline is organized just like the product plan will be, it makes the document much easier to write.

But it is difficult to work with an outline on paper. Some sections always seem to end up cluttered and hard to read, others sparse and empty. If you want to move an idea from one section of the outline to another, or eliminate it altogether. you have to do a lot of erasing, crossing out, or cutting and pasting. If you want to share the outline with a

Figure 1—1: Product Plan Outline

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Introduction

colleague, you may have to decipher your handwriting or (worse) have it typed. Outlines on paper can be major hassles.

Figure 1—2 shows the same outline as ThinkTank might display it on your computer screen. (This is actually an excerpt from a larger outline included with the ThinkTank program and used as an example in this manual.) Unlike a paper outline, a ThinkTank outline is easy to work with because it is freeform, flexible, and controllable. You can readily:

* examine any part of it

* change any part of it

* add as many headings as you wish

* add as many levels of subheadings as you wish

* add paragraphs as well as headings

* copy any part of it

* delete any part of it

* move part of it from one section to another

* reorganize it

* search for specific information

* replace specific information

* print any part of the outline

* edit it with a word processor

* send it to other ThinkTank users

In other words, you have complete control over your outline. You can personalize it to your own needs. And you can perform all of these.operations with commands that are easy to learn and easy to use.

As you can see, ThinkTank is an organizing tool that can help you be more productive and efficient. There seems to be no limit to its usefulness; the more you use it, the more uses you’ll find.

OVERVIEW OF THE TRINKTANK MANUAL

The ThinkTank manual is divided into two parts, the first devoted to helping you learn ThinkTank, the second to helping you use it.

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ThinkTank Manual

Figure 1—2: ThinkTank Product Plan Outline

The first part is called Learning About ThinkTank. Following this introduction, Chapter 2 describes how to start up and begin to operate ThinkTank on your computer. Chapter 3 gives you a brief tour of ThinkTank and contains essential information about using it. Chapter 4 is a tutorial which shows you how to learn about ThinkTank and introduces you to its most important commands. Once you have learned the basics, Chapter 5 contains notes and suggestions to help you get the most out of ThinkTank. At the end of Part I is a set of appendices including a glossary, an introduction to the PASCAL operating system, instructions for disk management, and technical information.

The second part of the manual is the Reference Guide,

which contains a comprehensive alphabetical summary of all ThinkTank commands. The manual concludes with an index.

SUPPORT

The ThinkTank program and manual have been extensively

tested and refined to minimize problems. If a problem occurs, ThinkTank generally displays an error message to help you diagnose it. There is a list of error messages and suggested solutions in the reference guide.

—6—

Introduction

If you have questions or problems that the manual does not resolve, check with your dealer. ThinkTank dealers are trained to configure the program to your computer system, provide guidance and information, solve problems, and help you get the most out of ThinkTank.

Living Videotext, Inc., is committed to supporting Think— Tank. If you have a question that your dealer can’t resolve, or if you purchased your copy of ThinkTank directly from Living Videotext, please feel free to call us for help. We also welcome your comments and suggestions for improving subsequent versions of ThinkTank.

In this package you will find the ThinkTank license agreement. Read it carefully, sign the attached card, and fill in all requested information including your ThinkTank serial number, which is displayed on your screen when you start up the program or change outlines. Mail the card back to Living Videotext (it is postage—free within the United States). It registers you as a ThinkTank user and entitles you to receive support and information about ThinkTank updates, applications, and new products.

Living Videotext maintains a library of ThinkTank technical notes which contain technical information not ordinarily required to operate the program. They are meant for specialized uses and include such topics as custom installation on a hard disk system and how to use ThinkTank with compatible word processing programs. You can order these notes from Living Videotext for a nominal cost of $5.00. Appendix D of this manual contains a list of technical notes currently available; others may be offered periodically.

COPY PROTECTION AND SOFTWARE PIRACY

The ThinkTank license agreement entitles you to use the program personally or in your business. You may not give or sell this program, or copies of it, to anyone else. Violation of this agreement is sometimes called software piracy and it is illegal.

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ThinkTank Manual

Some software companies have chosen to combat piracy by making their programs impossible to copy. We decided against such copy protection because it could prevent you from getting the full benefit of ThinkTank. There are legitimate reasons for you to make copies.of ThinkTank —— to back up your program disk in case it becomes damaged, for example. Copy protection also increases the cost of a program.

We believe strongly in this open policy, but it’s risky. We will reevaluate it when we release future versions of Think— tank and other products. If experience shows that our trust was unwarranted, we will have to implement copy protection and other defensive measures to protect our software.

We ask that you help us keep ThinkTank flexible, open, and easy to use. Don't pirate our software!

-8—

Apple Versions

Chapter 2

THINKTANK ON APPLE PERSONAL COMPUTERS

ThinkTank comes in three different versions for Apple computers: one for the Apple II and II Plus; one for the Apple IIe; and one for the Apple III. This chapter contains information and instructions for each version. It covers:

* system requirements

* the Apple keyboards

* starting up ThinkTank

* exiting from ThinkTank

* special considerations for Apple computers

Make sure you have the right version of ThinkTank for your computer, and read the instructions below that apply to it.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Your equipment should be set up according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Your dealer can provide any assistance you need.

App1e II and App1e II Plus

To use the Apple II version of ThinkTank, you will need:

* an Apple II or Apple II Plus computer

* 48K bytes or more of internal (random access) memory

(RAM)

* a 16K Apple language or memory card

* two or more floppy disk drives; or one hard disk

drive with the PASCAL operating system

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ThinkTank Manual

* a video monitor (preferable) or television set (and

adapter)

* a printer (recommended but not required)

On the Apple II, ThinkTank uses the simple 40—column, uppercase—only display. If you have an 80—column card, Think— Tank will automatically switch it off or ask you to do so.

The Apple II version of ThinkTank will also run on an Apple IIe computer -in 40—column, uppercase mode. However, if you have an Apple 80—Column Text Card in your Apple IIe, you should obtain the version of ThinkTank specifically designed for the Apple IIe.

Apple IIe

To use the Apple IIe version of ThinkTank, you will need:

* an Apple IIe computer

* an Apple 80—Column Text Card or Extended 80—Column

Text Card

* two or more floppy disk drives; or one hard disk

drive with the PASCAL operating system

* a video monitor (preferable) or television set (and

adapter)

* a printer (recommended but not required)

Apple III

To use the Apple III version of ThinkTank, you will need:

* an Apple III computer, which includes one floppy

disk drive

* one additional floppy disk drive, or a hard disk

drive

— 10—

Apple Versions

* the video monitor supplied with the Apple III

* the System Utilities Disk supplied with the Apple

III

* a printer (recommended but not required)

TOUR OF THE APPLE KEYBOARDS

The keyboards of the Apple II, Apple IIe, and Apple III computers are illustrated in Figures 2—1, 2—2, and 2—3. They are very much like a typewriter

—— with some important excep-

tions. Apple computers have several keys. that are not found on a standard typewriter, and ThinkTank uses some standard keys in nonstandard ways. These special keys are highlighted in the figures. Moving roughly counter—clockwise from the upper left, they include:

* ESCAPE OR ESC: The ESCAPE key, as its name implies,

is an all—purpose escape valve which is used to cancel, terminate, or conclude a ThinkTank command or operation.

* CONTROL or CTRL: The CONTROL key has no effect by

“Reproduced by permission of Apple Computer, Inc. 1983”

Figure 2—1: Apple II Keyboard

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ThinkTank Manual

“Reproduced by permission of Apple Computer, Inc. 1983”

Figure 2—2: Apple IIe keyboard

itself, but it is often used with other keys to give ThinkTank commands. For example, you give the command CTRL—D, which is used to delete text in Think— Tank’s text editor, by holding down the CTRL key and pressing D. You must press the CTRL key first and must not release it before pressing D. The CTRL key is sometimes abbreviated by the caret ("^“) symbol, as in ^D.

* SHIFT: As on a typewriter, some Apple keys have two

characters printed on them, like “," (comma) and "<" (less than) at the bottom right. You can enter the lower character (",”) simply by pressing the key, or the upper character (‘<“) by pressing it while holding down either SHIFT key.

On the Apple IIe and Apple III, you can hold down the SHIFT key to capitalize letters that would otherwise be entered in lowercase. The Apple II SHIFT key has no effect on letters. All letters are entered and displayed in uppercase regardless of whether you press SHIFT.

—12—

Apple Versions

“Reproduced by permission of Apple Computer, Inc. 1983”

Figure 2—3: Apple III Keyboard

* CAPS LOCK or ALPHA LOCK: [Apple IIe and III only]

A shift lock key. Once you press it, all letters are capitalized until you press it again.

* OPEN—APPLE: [Apple IIe and III only] Not used in

ThinkTank.

* SOLID—APPLE: [Apple IIe and III only] On the Apple

III, accelerates the repeating effect of holding down a key. Not used in ThinkTank on the Apple IIe.

* SPACE BAR: The space bar is used to enter spaces in-

to your outline, to change lines in ThinkTank menus, and to enter the SPACE conmmand.

* ARROW KEYS: The left, right, up, and down arrow

keys are used to move a pointer, or cursor, to dif— ferent headlines, characters, or commands. The left arrow key is also used as a backspace. Since the Apple II has no up and down arrow keys, we have configured CTRL—O and CTRL—K to substitute for them.

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ThinkTank Manual

* REPT: [Apple II only] The REPEAT key, when held

down simultaneously with another key, causes the other key to repeat. On the Apple IIe and III, you can repeat a key by simply holding it down.

* RETURN: The RETURN key enters a headline into Think—

Tank or selects a command. You use it to indicate that you are satisfied with your current entry or command and want the computer to accept it. Although it is sometimes called a carriage return, you will generally not use it to move from the end of one line to the beginning of the next, since Think— Tank does this automatically.

* DELETE: [Apple IIe only] In ThinkTank’s text

editor, the DELETE key is used to erase characters or selected blocks of text.

* RESET: The RESET key terminates whatever program is

running and causes your computer to act like it had just been turned on. (Since this can be a rather drastic measure, some computers require you to press CTRL—RESET to minimize the chance of accidentally resetting your computer.) You may use RESET to start up ThinkTank (see below). However, DO NOT PRESS THE RESET KEY while running ThinkTank except in the rare case that your computer “hangs” and will not respond to your commands. Pressing RESET causes a premature exit from the program and you will lose any information that hasn’t yet been recorded on your data disk.

In addition to these special keys, the Apple III has a numeric keypad on the right side of the keyboard. You can use all of its keys in ThinkTank. The ENTER key is equivalent to the RETURN key described above.

STARTING UP THINKTANK

This section is divided into two parts. If you have a hard disk drive on your computer system, skip to the section on “Hard Disk Systems” later in this chapter.

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Apple Versions

Floppy Disk Systems

If you are operating ThinkTank on a floppy disk system, you will need at least two disk drives. Drive 1 is considered your main disk drive and is used to load and hold the THINK— TANK PROGRAM DISK. Drive 2 and other drives contain ThinkTank data disks. Your drives and their controller should be installed in standard fashion (Slot 6, Drives 1 and 2 on the Apple II and IIe). Your dealer will normally take care of this for you.

Step 1: INSERT PROGRAM AND DATA DISKS

Depending on your computer, the ThinkTank package may contain two or three disks. One is labelled THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK and it contains the instructions your computer uses to run ThinkTank. The second is labelled THINKTANK DATA DISK and it contains the sample outlines discussed in this manual. Once you learn how to use ThinkTank, you will create your own data disks to store your own outlines. If you have an Apple III, you have a third disk called the THINKTANK BOOT DISK; it contains the instructions your computer uses to start up Think— Tank.

(a) Apple II and IIe. Place the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK in Drive 1 of your machine and your ThinkTank data disk in another drive. If this is your first time using ThinkTank, use the THINKTANK( DATA DISK supplied with the program and insert it in Drive 2.

(b) Apple III. Place the THINKTANK BOOT DISK in the Apple III’s. built—in drive (Drive 1) and your ThinkTank data disk in another drive. If this is your first time ~using Think— Tank, use the THINKTANK DATA DISK supplied with ‘the program and insert it in Drive 2.

Step 2: POWER UP OR RESET

(a)If power is off, turn it on. ThinkTank is designed

to start up automatically when you turn on your computer. First turn on your monitor or television set if it has a separate switch. Now simply turn on the power switch, which is located on the back of your computer near the left—hand corner.

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ThinkTank Manual

Your disk drives will whir and their lights will turn on as your computer reads information from the disks. On the Apple II or IIe, you will soon see the ThinkTank date display shown in Figure 2—4, which means that the program has loaded successfully. Skip to Step 3.

Apple III. Before it loads the program, your com-

puter will display the message:

PUT PASCAL SYSTEM DISK IN BUILT—IN DRIVE. PRESS RETURN.

Remove the THINKTANK BOOT DISK from your built—in

disk drive (Drive 1) and replace it with the THINK—

TANK PROGRAM DISK. Then press RETURN. In a few sec-

onds you will see the date display; skip to Step 3.

(b)If power is on, reset your computer. Make sure you

have completed whatever program you were previously using. Now simply press the BESET key (on some computers you may have to press CTRL-~RESET). The program will start as described in Step 2(a) above.

Figure 2—4: ThinkTank Date Display

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Apple Versions

Step 3: SET THE DATE

ThinkTank keeps a record of the current date, which it “stamps" on the outlines you create and print. Each time you start up the program, ThinkTank displays the last date entered and asks you if you want to change it, as shown in Figure 2—4.

Suppose the date shown is incorrect-. Press Y (for YES) to tell ThinkTank that you want to change it. The program now displays the current date and your options as shown in Figure 2—5.

Look~at the message:

<— MOVES BACK IN TIME, —> FORWARD

<— and —> represent the left and right arrow keys respectively. Press these keys and watch what happens to the date. The right arrow key advances it, while the left arrow key sets it back. Use the arrow keys to set the correct date.

Now look at the message:

PRESS "/” TO CHANGE MONTH

Figure 2—5: Setting the Date

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ThinkTank Manual

Press the slash ("/“) key and notice that the month begins to flash. You can now use the arrow keys to set the correct month. When you’re finished, press the slash key again and set the year. If you make a mistake, press the slash key several times to cycle back to the incorrect component.

The message:

PRESS (RETURN) TO EXIT

tells you what to do when the date is correct: press the RETURN key. The program registers the new date and displays the ThinkTank title screen as it prepares to load in an outline.

The process of setting the date is representative of ThinkTank in general. The program always guides you through the steps and lets you know what your major options are.

If the date shown in Figure 2—4 is correct, or if you’d like to skip the date and go right into ThinkTank, just press N (for NO) or the ESC key —— ThinkTank’s all—purpose escape valve. ThinkTank will assume that the original date was correct and go directly to the title screen. No damage will be done if the date is incorrect.

Step 4: LOAD YOUR THINKTANK OUTLINE

(a) Automatic Loading. If you are using ThinkTank for the first time, it is set to load the sample outline from the THINKTANK DATA DISK. As you continue to use ThinkTank, it keeps a record of the last outline you worked on. If you insert the same disk in the same drive next time, ThinkTank will automatically load it along with the program.

Thus, if you see the title of your outline at the top of your screen, you have successfully started up ThinkTank. (The title of the sample outline is THINKTANK( DEMONSTRATION, as shown in Figure 2—6.) Skip the next section on “Operator Loading” (as well as the following one on “Hard Disk Systems”) and continue with “Don’t Write—Protect Your Working Disks.”

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Apple Versions

Figure 2—6: ThinkTank Sample Outline

(b)Operator Loading. If you are not loading the sample

outline or the same one you used last time, you will see the FILES Command Menu at the bottom of your screen as shown in Figure 2—7. Press E to tell ThinkTank that you want to open an existing outline, as indicated at the bottom of the screen.

ThinkTank’s response depends on how it has been configured to your disk drives. (For more information on configuring ThinkTank, see the DISK command in the reference guide.)

1. If ThinkTank displays the message:

PRESS (SPACEBAR)

AFTER INSERTING DISKETTE IN DRIVE 2

then it is configured for two floppy disk drives. Simply place your data disk in Drive 2 and press the space bar. You will see the title of the outline appear at the top of your screen.

2. If ThinkTank displays an EXISTING FILE Menu like the one shown in Figure 2—8, it is configured for more than two floppy

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ThinkTank Manual

Figure 2—7: FILES Command Menu

drives or a hard disk drive. Press ~ and ThinkTank will give you a chance to browse through your outlines. It begins to display the names or titles of the outlines it finds on your disks. You can press RETURN to select an outline or the right arrow key to display the next name. If you want to load the sample outline, its title is THINKTANK DEMONSTRATION and the file is called THINKTANK.DB.

When you press RETURN to select the outline you want, ThinkTank will read it from your data disk and display its title at the top of your screen. Skip the following section on “Hard Disk Systems” and continue with "Don’t Write—Protect Your Working Disks."

If your computer is set up correctly and you follow these steps, you should have no trouble starting up ThinkTank. In the rare case that a problem arises, ThinkTank will help to diagnose it by displaying an error message at the bottom of the screen. These messages are listed in the reference guide along with their most likely causes and recommended courses of action. If problems persist, consult your dealer or Living Videotext.

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Figure 2—8: EXISTING FILE Menu

Apple Versions

Hard Disk Systems

If you have a hard disk drive, its increased capacity and rapid access will make ThinkTank especially powerful and convenient. To use a hard disk with an Apple II or IIe, you will need access to the PASCAL operating system (p—System) under which ThinkTank runs, and you must format at least part of your hard disk for this system. (For an introduction to the PASCAL operating system, see Appendix B).

You will also need to install ThinkTank on your hard disk. Your dealer can take care of this, or y~u can follow the instructions in Appendix D. The instructions in this section assume that you have already installed ThinkTank on your hard disk.

If you have floppy disk drives as well as a hard disk, you may load the ThinkTank program and outlines from either type of disk.

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ThinkTank Manual

Step 1: ENTER THE PASCAL OPERATING SYSTEM

There are several ways to do this, depending on your system. You may simply have to turn on your computer or press the RESET key (CTRL—RESET on some machines). If you are running a PASCAL program, simply exit from it. If you are using another operating system, you may have to execute a program which loads PASCAL. Your dealer can help you determine which method to use.

When you enter the PASCAL system you will see the system command prompt~

Command: E(dit, R(un, F(ile, C(omp,

L(ink, X(ecute, A(ssem, D(ebug, ?

(If you see only half of this prompt line, press CTRL—A to switch from one half to the other.)

Step 2: SET SWAPPING’ OPTION (APPLE II and IIe ONLY)

Once the command prompt is displayed, turn on PASCAL’s "swapping” option if you have an Apple II or IIe. Type S and PASCAL will tell you whether swapping is on or off and ask you whether you want to “toggle” (change) it. Assuming it’s cur-

rently off, type Y (for YES) PASCAL will activate swapping mode and display the command prompt again. (If swapping is currently on —— as it would be if you had already run Think— Tank in the current PASCAL session —— type N for NO instead of

Y.)

Step 3: EXECUTE THINKTANK

When PASCAL displays the command prompt again, press X

(for execute). The computer will respond:

EXECUTE WHAT FILE?

Enter the program name TANK, preceded by its volume or device number. Suppose you have installed the program on Drive I (PASCAL device #4) in a volume called TANK:. Then you could enter either of the following:

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Apple Versions

#4: TANK TANK: TANK

and press RETURN. In a moment you will see the ThinkTank date display (Figure 2—4 above), which indicates that you have successfully loaded ThinkTank. If you have any trouble, check the installation information in Appendix D.

Step 4: SET THE DATE

Setting the date on a hard disk system is identical to doing ‘so on a floppy disk system. Follow the instructions for Step 3 under “Floppy Disk Systems” above. Then return here for Step 5.

Step 5: LOAD YOUR THINKTANK OUTLINE

(a) Automatic Loading. If you are using ThinkTank for the first time, it is set to load the sample outline from Drive 2 (PASCAL device #5). As you continue to use ThinkTank, it keeps a record of the last outline you worked on. If it’s available in the same drive next time, ThinkTank will automatically load it along with the program.

Thus, if you see the title of your outline at the top of your screen, you have successfully started up ThinkTank. (The title of the sample outline is THINKTANK DEMONSTRATION, as shown in Figure 2—6 above.) Skip the next section on “Operator Loading.”

(b) Operator Loading. If you are not loading the sample outline or the same one you used last time, you will see the PILES Command Menu at the bottom of your screen as shown in Figure 2—7 above. Press E to tell ThinkTank that you want to open an existing outline, as indicated at the bottom of the screen.

ThinkTank’s response depends on how it has been configured to your disk drives. (For more information on configuring ThinkTank, see the DISK command in the reference guide.)

1. If ThinkTank displays an EXISTING FILE Menu like the one

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ThinkTank Manual

shown in Figure 2—8 above, it is correctly configured for a

hard disk drive (or possibly for more than two floppy drives). Press B and ThinkTank will give you a chance to

browse through your outlines. It begins to display the names or titles of the outlines it finds on your disks. You can press RETURN to select an outline or the right arrow key to display the next name. If you want to load the sample outline, its title is THINKTANK DEMONSTRATION and the file is called THINKTANK.DB.

When you press RETURN to select the outline you want,

ThinkTank will read it from your data disk and display its title at the top of your screen.

2. If ThinkTank displays the message:

PRESS (SPACEBAR)

AFTER INSERTING DISKETTE IN DRIVE 2

then it is configured for two floppy disk drives. If Drive 2 (PASCAL device #5) on your system is a floppy disk drive, simply place your data disk in Drive 2 and press the space bar. If not, you (or your dealer) will have to reconfigure ThinkTank as a hard disk system as described in Appendix D under “Installing ThinkTank on a Hard Disk.”

If your computer is set up correctly and you follow these steps, you should have no trouble starting up ThinkTank. In the rare case that a problem arises, ThinkTank will help to diagnose it by displaying an error message at the bottom of the screen. These messages are listed in the reference guide along with their most likely causes and recommended courses of action. -You should also recheck the instructions for installing ThinkTank on a-hard disk in Appendix D. If problems persist, consult your dealer or Living Videotext.

You may want to configure your hard disk system to start up ThinkTank automatically when you turn on your computer, or at least to set the swapping option when you enter PASCAL or execute ThinkTank. Your dealer can help you do this or you can do it yourself. Detailed technical information on this topic is available from Living Videotext in a ThinkTank technical note described in-Appendix D of this manual.

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Apple Versions

DON’T WRITE—PROTECT YOUR. WORKING DISKS

Most disks have a small notch on one edge called a

write—enable or write—protect notch. Only if your computer senses that this notch is present will it record new information on the disk. Many programs.suggest that you protect them from inadvertent erasure by covering this notch with a small “write—protect tab.” DON’T do this with your ThinkTank working disks! ThinkTank is designed so that information must often be stored on both the THINKTANK PROGRAM.DISK and your data disks. They must not be write—protected.

For extra security, you may Want to write—protect your backup copies of these disks -- the ones you don’t use from day to day. You may cover the notch with one of the tabs supplied with most disks or with a piece of adhesive tape. Remember to remove it if you ever have to use one of your backup disks in your computer.

EXITING FROM THINKTANK

Once you’ve loaded an outline, the ThinkTank screen looks like Figure 2—6. Notice the message:

(ESC) TO EXIT THINKTANK

at the bottom of the screen. To exit from the program, you simply press the ESC (ESCAPE) key -- ThinkTank’s all—purpose escape valve.

Try it. ThinkTank asks you to confirm your intention as

shown in Figure 2—9. If you respond Y (for YES), ThinkTank will close your files and return you to the PASCAL operating system. (If you respond N for NO, ThinkTank will return you to your outline.) When you see the PASCAL command prompt:

Command: E(dit, R(un, F(ile, C(omp,

L(ink, X(ecute, A(ssem, D(ebug, ?

(or at least part of it), you can run another program or turn off your computer.

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ThinkTank Manual

Figure 2—9: Exit Screen

Always use this procedure to exit from the ThinkTank

program. DO NOT simply shut off or reset your computer; al-

though doing so will terminate the program without damage, you always risk losing information that h~s not yet been recorded on your data disk. The ESC procedure is the only method of making sure your files are closed and all your information is saved.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Except for this chapter, the ThinkTank manual is designed

to be used with many different computers. Because of this, the screen illustrations may not look quite like your computer screen when you operate ThinkTank.

Here are several points to keep in mind about Apple computers as you read the rest of this manual:

Apple II and Apple II Plus

* A few keys found on many computers are missing on

the Apple II. ThinkTank allows you to substitute other keystrokes for them as follows:

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Apple Versions

Character Description Keystroke

-----------------------------------------------

Up arrow CTRL—O

Down arrow CTRL—K \ Backslash CTRL—Y _ Underscore CTRL—Z [ Left square bracket CTRL—J ] Right square bracket SHIFT—M

For example, if you want to insert a backslash into your outline, press CTRL—T instead.

* The Apple II can only display 40 characters on a

line and all letters are shown in uppercase. The Apple II version of ThinkTank does not support special cards designed to circumvent these limits and will turn them off (or ask you to do so) when you start up the program. The limits are significant because ThinkTank headlines and patterns must fit on one line.

Apple

* The Apple IIe version of ThinkTank requires an Apple

* In the upper—right corner of the keyboard, the Apple

Apple III

* You will need the System Utilities Disk supplied

IIe

80—Column Text Card or Extended 80—Column Text Card. If you don’t have one, use the Apple II version instead.

IIe has a special key called DELETE. You can use it in ThinkTank’s text editor to erase characters or selected blocks of text. See the EDIT listing in the reference guide f or further information.

with the Apple III to format, copy, and list Think— Tank disks.

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ThinkTank Manual

SUMMARY

This chapter has discussed the use of ThinkTank on Apple

computers. After reading it, you should know:

* what equipment is needed to run ThinkTank on the Ap-

ple II, Apple IIe, and Apple III

* how the Apple’s special keys are used

* how to start up the ThinkTank program

* how to exit from ThinkTank

* what features of your computer to keep in mind as

you read this manual

In Chapter 3 we will complete our discussion of the fundamentals of ThinkTank by taking you on a brief tour of its features.

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Brief Tour

Chapter .3

A BRIEF TOUR OF THINKTANK

This chapter Contains a brief tour of the ThinkTank program. Like a ten—day, seven—country European tour, it hits only a few of the highlights. But it also introduces you to the way ThinkTank works and presents essential information about operating it. After reading it, you can readily master the program by experimentation, guided by the ThinkTank tut- orial in Chapter 4.

This chapter includes material on:

* the ThinkTank screen

* examining an outline

* using menus

* command keys

* adding and deleting headlines

* correcting mistakes

* inserting and removing disks

* backing up

GETTING SYNCHRONIZED

Start up the ThinkTank program, set the date, and load in the sample outline from the THINKTANK DATA DISK, as described in Chapter 2 of this manual. Your screen should look approximately like Figure 3—1; it may look slightly different depending on your computer system. If you have any trouble, review the startup instructions in Chapter 2.

If you’ve loaded in the sample outline but your screen doesn’t look like Figure 3—1, someone may already have examined it. To restore it to its original condition, follow these three instructions:

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ThinkTank Manual

1. Type the number 1000 and press the left arrow key.

2. Type “." (period).

3. Press the RETURN key. When ThinkTank finishes expanding, press it again.

Take note of this procedure; you’ll need it again later. By the end of the tutorial you’ll know why it works.

There are actually four sample outlines on the THINKTANK DATA DISK. You can see their titles —— PRODUCT PLAN, PERSONNEL RECORDS, LESSON PLANS, and CHRISTMAS LETTER in the top part of your screen. Each represents a typical application of ThinkTank. For example, the PRODUCT PLAN’~ outline is a hypothetical product plan for a fictional distiller of alcoholic beverages called Stoned Soul, Inc.

THE THINKTANK SCREEN

While you operate the ThinkTank program, your computer ‘screen is divided into two parts. The upper part, which occupies most of the screen, is the Text Area. The lower four lines comprise the Command Area. These areas are labelled in Figure 3—1.

Figure 3—1: ThinkTank Screen

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Brief Tour

TEE TEXT AREA

The Text Area is where ThinkTank displays the outline you’re working on, or as much of it as fits on the screen. The entries you see are headlines and they are arranged in outline form, with some indented under others. These headlines may represent the “surface” of a larger outline, with more information hidden “beneath” them, at lower levels of the outline. You can tell whether a headline contains additional information by its leader or leading character. A “+“ leader means that there is more material beneath the headline, a "-" leader means there is none.

One line in the Text Area, PRODUCT PLAN, is highlighted. The highlight is called the bar cursor, and the highlighted headline is called the bar cursor headline. A cursor is a pointer; you can move the bar cursor around your outline to point to different headlines. Notice the message ARROW KEYS MOVE BAR CURSOR near the bottom of the screen. Experiment with the up and down (or left and right) arrow keys to see how to move the bar cursor from one headline to another. When you’ve finished experimenting, move the bar cursor to PRODUCT CONCEPT, just below PRODUCT PLAN.

Moving the bar cursor is important because of a key Think— Tank operating principle:

THE POSITION OF THE BAR CURSOR DETERMINES WHERE YOUR COHMANDS WILL TAKE EFFECT.

Get in the habit of moving it before selecting commands.

EXPANDING A HEADLINE

You can see the information under a headline by expanding it. If you press “<“ (or, without shifting, “,“), ThinkTank displays the next lower level of the outline under the headline you expanded, as shown in Figure 3—2. You can see a new paragraph and four new headlines under PRODUCT CONCEPT.

A paragraph is simply a block of text under a headline.

It need not literally be a paragraph; it may consist of several phrases, sentences, or paragraphs up to a maximum of 2048 characters.

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ThinkTank Manual

Figure 3—2: Expanding a Headline

We’ve chosen the “<“ key to expand a headline because it

represents the command visually, going from small to large.

In addition to pressing "<" or “,“, you can also expand a headline by pressing RETURN. Do so several times. Each time, ThinkTank expands the next headline. We call RETURN a “reading” key because you can use it to “read through” an outline.

On most computers, expanding these headlines makes the visible outline too big to fit on the screen, so ThinkTank pushes part of it off. Don’t worry about that; it’s still there, just not visible. You can think of the screen as a window on your outline, displaying as much of it as fits. For information about adjusting this window, see the SPACE and WINDOW commands in the ThinkTank reference guide.

The outline is now fairly cluttered and it’s hard to see exactly where you are. Press the left arrow key several times to move the bar cursor back to PRODUCT CONCEPT. Now type “>“ (or, without shifting, “.“). ThinkTank collapses (hides) the material that you expanded, and the outline is very nearly as it was when you began.

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Brief Tour

THE COMMAND AREA

The Command Area occupies the bottom four lines of the screen, the first and last of which are highlighted. This area contains information about ThinkTank commands and about the status of the program. When you first load an outline into ThinkTank, the top line of the Command Area contains the name and version number of the program. The remaining lines suggest actions you can take at this point. As shown in Figure 3—1, they say that you can use the arrow keys to move the bar cursor, you can press the slash (“/”) key to display the “Command Menu”; and you can press ESC to exit from the program. This represents the Top Level of the program, where ThinkTank is simply waiting for you to tell it what to do.

COMMAND MENUS

The Main Command Menu

Press the slash (“/”) key. The initial instructions in the Command Area are replaced by the Main Command Menu shown in Figure 3—3. This display is called a menu because, like a menu in a restaurant, it contains a list of choices: EXPAND, COLLAPSE, NEW, and so on. The menu itself is displayed in the middle two lines of the Command Area, and one item (in this case, EXPAND) is highlighted by a pointer —— the menu cursor. The top line of the Command Area identifies the menu, while the bottom line (the explanation line) contains a brief explanation of the highlighted option. In this case, it says that the EXPAND option will REVEAL HIDDEN TEXT under the bar cursor headline.

When a command menu is displayed, the right and left arrow keys no longer move the bar cursor; they move the menu cursor. As you try this, notice how the explanation line changes to describe each new command. You can use this feature of ThinkTank to teach yourself about almost all of its commands. (These brief explanations are also included on the ThinkTank reference card.) The space bar moves the menu cursor from one line of the menu to the other. Once you have moved the cursor to the command you want, you can press its command key to execute it.

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ThinkTank Manual

Figure 3—3: Main Command Menu

Command Keys

Notice that there is a single character displayed at either end of the explanation line. This character is the command key for the highlighted option. For example, the command key for EXPAND (as shown in Figure 3—3) is “<“. That’s why you could give the EXPAND command earlier by pressing “C’. You don’t have to display the Main Command Menu to select the commands on it; you can press their command keys at Top Level.

Command keys allow you to speed through commands once you know them. Since ThinkTank’s command keys may be changed, remember that:

TEE CORRECT COMMAND KEY FOR AN OPTION IS ALWAYS DISPLAYED ON THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE COMMAND AREA WHEN THE OPTION IS HIGHLIGHTED.

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Brief Tour

The Secondary Command Menu

Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the last selec-

tion on the Main Command Menu, EXTRA. The explanation line reads MORE THINKTANK COMMANDS. Press the slash key, its command key, and the Secondary Command Menu appears as shown in Figure 3—4. The options include COPY, ALPHA, REVERSE, and so on. These “secondary’ commands are used less often than those on the Main Command Menu.

The last option on the Secondary Command Menu reads ESCAPE. Its explanation line reads CANCEL THIS COMMAND and its command key is ESC. When you press ESC, the menu disappears and ThinkTank returns to the Top Level.

It’s important to understand how menus work because most ThinkTank commands appear on them. Many commands have options which you can select from submenus. ThinkTank doesn’t actually execute these commands until you’ve progressed down a “command tree” of options, telling it exactly what you want it to do. The ThinkTank reference card shows the top levels of these command trees, and the reference guide contains a complete list of ThinkTank commands in alphabetical order.

Figure 3—4: Secondary Command Menu

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ThinkTank Manual

ADDING A NEW HEADLINE

To see how this menu system works, let’s enter a new headline. You can’t just move the bar cursor where you want a new headline and start typing. That’s because:

UNLESS YOU TELL IT OTHERWISE, THINKTANK INTERPRETS YOUR KEYSTROKES AS COMMANDS, NOT TEXT.

You tell it otherwise by giving the NEW command.

First move the bar cursor to PRODUCT PLAN and then press N to select NEW. ThinkTank now displays a submenu called the NEW Command Menu shown in Figure 3—5. From it you can choose what kind of material to add and where. This menu is described fully in the reference guide; for now simply move the menu cursor to RIGHT. The explanation line reads MAKE NEW HEADLINE AT DEEPER LEVEL.

Press R (its command key) to select this option. Think— Tank opens up a space for the new headline just below PRODUCT PLAN and to the right, as shown in Figure 3—6. It displays a “?“ in the leader position indicating that it is ready for your new headline. In addition, ThinkTank displays a new

Figure 3—5: NEW Command Menu

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Brief Tour

pointer called the flashing cursor at the place where the new headline will start. In the Command Area it tells you to:

TYPE NEW HEADLINE, THEN (RETURN) (LEFT ARROW) ERASES LAST CHARACTER

Type the words:

This is a new headline

and watch them appear on the empty line. If you make a mistake,..use the left arrow key to backspace over it. Press RETURN to tell ThinkTank that you’re finished. ThinkTank changes the leader to and returns to the Top Level where no menu is displayed. The bar cursor points to your new headline.

What you’ve just done —— adding a new headline —— is typical of the way you do most things with ThinkTank. In general, using ThinkTank is a matter of selecting options from menus until you specify exactly what you want to do. Think— Tank always guides you through its menus with prompts and explanations.

Figure 3—6: Adding a New Headline

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ThinkTank Manual

DELETING A HEADLINE

You’ve just added a headline that doesn’t belong in this outline; let’s delete it. First make sure the bar cursor points to (is highlighting) the headline you want to delete. Then press “ID” to select the DELETE command from the Main Command Menu. (Note that D, the DELETE command key, works only within the Main Command Menu, not from Top Level.)

ThinkTank responds by displaying the DELETE Command Menu. The option you want is OUTLINE and its command key is

0. When you press “0”, ThinkTank removes the new headline from your screen and returns again to Top Level.

CORRECTING MISTAKES

Errors in Commands: ThinkTank’s Escape Valve

Earlier in this chapter you used the ESC (ESCAPE) key to exit from the Secondary Command Menu and return to Top Level. This illustrates an important ThinkTank operating principle:

WHENEVER YOU WANT TO STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING,

USE THINKTANK’S “ESCAPE VALVE.”

For all practical purposes, you can always use the ESC (ESCAPE) key to stop your current operation, even when this op-

tion isn’t specifically listed in the Command Area.

As you saw in the last chapter, ThinkTank’s escape valve also functions to leave the program when you’re finished using it. To exit from the Top Level of ThinkTank, simply press ESC. If you are deeper within the program, you may need to press ESC more than once. For example, from the Main Command Menu, press ESC once to return to Top Level and once more to exit from the program.

Errors in Text

There are two basic ways of correcting or revising the text that makes up the headlines and paragraphs of an outline. First, you can use the left arrow key to backspace to your mistake, and then retype. This is probably the best way to correct errors made as you’re typing in new material.

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Brief Tour

ThinkTank also has two powerful text editors built into it, which you can reach through the EDIT option on the Main Command Menu. These editors, which are described fully in the reference guide, enable you to insert, append, or delete sections of text; copy them or move them around; and search for or replace key phrases. They are the best way to revise the text of an outline once it’s been entered.

LEAVE DISKS IN PLACE

Most personal computers don’t have enough memory to hold both the ThinkTank program and a typical outline. So Think— Tank uses your program and data disks as ongoing storage units. Besides increasing the size of the outlines you can create, this minimizes data loss in the event of a power failure or other error.

However, if one of the disks isn’t where the program expects it to be, an error will result. The error will not damage your computer or your disks, but you may have to reload the program and reenter some of your outline. Therefore, as a general rule,

LEAVE BOTH YOUR PROGRAM DISK AND YOUR DATA DISK IN THEIR DRIVES WHILE USING THINKTANK,

UNLESS THE PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY ALLOWS YOU TO REMOVE THEM.

There are two times when you may need to take a disk out of its drive. First, when you’re switching from one outline to another or creating a new one, you nay need to change data disks. You can’t just replace one data disk with another. Instead you should use the FILES command to “close” the current outline and “open” the next. ThinkTank will tell you when it’s OK to switch data disks. Be careful not to remove the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK at this time.

The second instance in which you may need to remove a disk is when you’re porting (transferring) outline material into or out of a text file. To do this you may temporarily have to replace the THINKTANK( PROGRAM DISK with a disk to contain the ported material.. Again, ThinkTank will tell you when to remove the program disk and when to replace it.

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ThinkTank Manual

BACKING UP

Since computer disks are fragile, you should always have more than one copy of them. The basic rule of thumb for backing up your disks is:

NEVER GET CAUGHT WITHOUT A BACKUP COPY OF ANY

INFORMATION YOU COULD NOT, OR WOULD NOT WANT

TO, RE—ENTER IF IT WERE LOST.

Backing Up Your ThinkTank Disks

You should make backup copies of your THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK and THINKTANK DATA DISK as soon as you receive them. If you haven’t done so already, back them up now. The simple procedure is described in Appendix C under “Copying Disks.” Depending on your computer, you may be able to back up your disks without exiting from ThinkTank; or you may have to exit and use your system disks.

Since backup procedures themselves occasionally fail, we recommend that you use your copies of the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK and THINKTANK DATA DISK from day to day, storing the originals in a secure place. That way, if you ever discover an error in your working disk, you’ll be sure of having an intact copy available.

Both the original and backup copies of the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK are restricted to your own personal or business use. According to the license agreement that you signed when you purchased ThinkTank, you may not give copies of the program to anyone else, and you may not resell the program to anyone else.

Backing Up Your Outlines

Once you create your own outlines, you should back them up whenever you make a substantial change to the material on a disk. This may mean each day an outline is used, or even more often if it contains critical information. You may also want to write—protect your backup disks for extra protection.

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Brief Tour

One way to back up a ThinkTank outline is to copy the entire disk, just as you backed up your ThinkTank disks. A better way is to use ThinkTank’s PORT command to transfer your outline to a text file. The process is described in the reference guide under PORT. Backing up your program and data disks is a brief and convenient process, but you must do it conscientiously. A few minutes spent today can save hours tomorrow.

SUMMARY

You’ve just finished your brief tour of ThinkTank. It covered the ThinkTank screen; moving the bar cursor; expanding, adding, and deleting a headline; command menus and command keys; correcting mistakes; and backing up. If you wish, you can exit from ThinkTank now by pressing ESC at Top Level. Or you may leave the program running and go on to the Think— Tank tutorial in Chapter 4.

This chapter has emphasized several ThinkTank operating

rules, including:

1. The position of the bar cursor determines where your commands will take effect.

2. The correct command key is always displayed on the bottom line of the Command Area.

3. Unless you are entering text, ThinkTank interprets your keystrokes as commands.

4. Whenever you want to stop what you’re doing, use

ThinkTank’s escape valve (the ESC key).

5. Leave both your program disk and your data disk in their drives while using ThinkTank, unless the program specifically allows you to remove them.

6. Never get caught without a backup copy of any information you could not, or would not want to, re—enter if it were lost.

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ThinkTank Manual

With the material in this chapter, you should be ready to experiment with ThinkTank. The next chapter, the tutorial, describes your primary resources for learning about ThinkTank and introduces you to each of the major things you can do with it.

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Tutorial

Chapter 4

USING THINKTANK: A TUTORIAL

ThinkTank’s extensive prompts, menus, and explanations on the screen make it virtually self—teaching. This tutorial will help you begin mastering the program.

We assume you have already spent some time browsing through command menus, reading explanations of the options, and selecting options with their command keys. If not, please look over “Starting Up ThinkTank” and “Exiting from ThinkTank” in Chapter 2, and the “Brief Tour of ThinkTank” in Chapter 3, before plunging into this chapter.

This tutorial is meant to be read while sitting at your computer, trying out the examples. If you are not already operating ThinkTank, start it up and load in the sample outline according to the instructions in Chapter 2. Then restore it to its original condition as shown in Figure 3—1 and described under “Getting Synchronized” in Chapter 3.

At the end of this tutorial you will create a new outline. You will need a formatted disk to store it; prepare one now if you don’t have one. Instructions for formatting disks are contained in Appendix C.

LEARNING MORE ABOUT THINKTANK

There are three important tools for learning about Think— Tank. First, the reference guide provides a full description of each command, arranged alphabetically. Second, the reference card provides a concise summary of the entire Think— Tank command structure, organized functionally. Third, Think— Tank’s system of screen prompts, menus, explanations, cursors, highlights, and keystrokes —— The command system —— allows you to explore ThinkTank’s command structure directly. Let’s take a closer look at each of these resources.

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ThinkTank Manual

THE THINKTANK REFERENCE GUIDE

Part II of this manual, the reference guide, contains a full description of each ThinkTank command, including how it works, where to find it, its command key(s), whether it takes a command prefix, and cross—references to related entries.

Keep the reference guide handy as you begin to use Think— Tank. When you want more information about an option than the brief explanation on the screen provides, the reference guide is the place to turn. The entries of this “dictionary” are arranged alphabetically.

The reference guide is the only place you will find information about five Top—Level commands that don’t appear on command menus (and whose functions, therefore, are never explained on the screen). These commands are PERCENT, RE—ENTER, BACKGROUND, SPACE, and READ.

At the end of the reference guide is a list of error messages that ThinkTank displays to help you when something goes wrong.

THE THINKTANK REFERENCE CARD

The reference card provides a concise summary of Think—

Tank’s entire command structure, organized by function into

seven broad categories. The brief explanation for each command on the reference card is the same one you see on the screen when the command is highlighted by the menu cursor.

If the reference guide is like a dictionary of ThinkTank commands, the reference card is like a map of them. To see this, press the slash (“/”) key from the Top Level of Think— Tank to display the Main Command Menu, which is shown in Figure 3—3. Now look at the reference card and compare the two.

The NEW command under “Adding Information” on the reference card corresponds to the NEW command on the Main Command Menu. Note that NEW appears at the leftmost edge of its panel on the reference card. So do all commands on the Main Command Menu.

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ThinkTank Manual

Figure 4—1: NEW Command Menu After Selecting MODE

As a general rule, there is only one “path” to each Think— Tank command. The EDIT commands, however, are exceptions. If you look under “Editing Text” on the reference card, you’ll see that you can also get to either text editor by selecting EDIT from the Main Command Menu. Then you can choose HEADLINE or PARAGRAPH depending on which editor you want. Thus, each editor is accessible in two different contexts: you may select EDIT directly from the Main Command Menu or as an option under NEW.

On the back, the reference card includes a “Keystroke Con— figuration Chart.” Many ThinkTank command keys are configurable (changeable); this chart shows you how they are configured in your version of ThinkTank. (See KEYS in the reference guide for information on reconfiguring command keys.) This panel also reminds you of several commands you might otherwise overlook because they do not appear on Think— Tank menus; they can all be found in the reference guide.

Like most maps, the reference card does not aim to be exhaustive. It is designed to orient you and head you in the right direction. The reference guide is the place to look for all the commands.

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Tutorial

THINKTANK’ S COMMAND SYSTEM

ThinkTank’s command system gives you “the best of both worlds”; you can always choose to be prompted and guided or to take a “fast path” to action. Let’s review the two different ways to select a command, using NEW (again) for illustration. We will contrast the most deliberate and the quickest way to create a new headline.

The position of the bar cursor always determines where

the selected command will take effect. Press the ESC key to

return to Top Level (if necessary) and use the arrow keys to move the bar cursor to PERSONNEL RECORDS.

The Deliberate Method

From Top Level, press “/” to display the Main Command Menu and use the right arrow key to move the menu cursor to NEW. On the bottom line of the Command Area you can see:

* the command key for NEW, N, on either end; and

* its brief explanation, ADD A HEADLINE OR PARAGRAPH,

in the middle

While a menu is displayed, pressing RETURN selects the highlighted option, in this case NEW. Do so; ThinkTank displays the NEW Command Menu.

Suppose we want to create a new headline below the existing ones. Move the menu cursor to DOWN. Now, since we want the new headline to be three lines down (rather than immediately below the bar cursor headline), type the command prefix “3” before selecting the DOWN option. A “3” appears on the right side of the top line of the Command Area. The command prefix tells ThinkTank how far away it should create the new headline. (You must enter it just before selecting DOWN; if you enter it before selecting NEW or moving the menu cursor, ThinkTank will “forget” it before creating the new headline.)

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Press RETURN to select DOWN, the highlighted option. As

it did in Chapter 3, ThinkTank opens up space for a new headline below CHRISTMAS LETTER and waits for you to enter one. Instead of typing a new headline at this point, press the ESC key to cancel this command.

The deliberate way to select a ThinkTank command is to (1) select a menu, (2) move the menu cursor to the desired command, and (3) press RETURN to select the highlighted option.

With this method, you can see a full range of information about the command, including its command key, its brief explanation, and any command prefix you enter.

This is the best method to use while you are still learning about commands (or whenever you want to examine your options for any reason). You can also use it to study Think— Tank’s command structure. You can always use the escape valve (the ESC key) to interrupt or cancel a command, right up to the last moment.

The Fast Path

Now let’s repeat this process as efficiently as possible. First move the bar cursor back to PERSONNEL RECORDS and then type “N3D” (N for NEW, 3 for the command prefix, and D for DOWN). Voila! ThinkTank is waiting for your new headline. Use ESC again to cancel the command.

The “fast path” to a ThinkTank command is to bypass the menus and use its command keys.

Here is some general advice about selecting commands:

* Command keys always work “inside” menus. For exam-

ple, if the Main Command Menu is displayed, you can always press N to select NEW and display the NEW Command Menu. The menu cursor doesn’t have to be on

NEW.

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* If a command is on the Main Command Menu, its com-

mand key will also work “outside” the menu —— from

the Top Level of ThinkTank. (Exceptions are DELETE

and EXTRA.) For commands on other menus, you must

display the .menu before you use their command keys.

However, you can use command keys to get to the

menu.

For example, from Top Level, the “fast path” to the

COPY command is “//C”. The first slash displays the

Main Command Menu, the second slash displays the

Secondary Command Menu (EXTRA command), and C is the

command key for COPY. You can press the keys as

quickly as you wish; you don’t have to wait for each

menu to appear before pressing the next command key.

* Command prefixes are helpful but never necessary.

If you don’t enter one, ThinkTank assumes its most

likely value (usually one). For example, if you

don’t precede a NEW option with a command prefix,

ThinkTank will create the new headline one position

away.

* The RETURN key works differently “inside” and “outside”

command menus. While a menu is displayed, the RETURN key

selects the highlighted option. From Top Level, you can use

it as a “reading” key (see READ in the reference guide).

At other times, you may be prompted to use the RETURN key

to tell ThinkTank that an entry is satisfactory.

* Executing EXPAND or COLLAPSE from Top Level bypasses

the command menu which is displayed when you select

either of these commands from the Main Command

Menu. The menu lets you choose whether to expand or

collapse headlines, paragraphs, or both. If you

don’t want both, which is what you get from Top

Level, you must go through the menu.

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The Escape Valve

ThinkTank’s command keys let you speed down a “command tree”; the escape valve lets you speed back up. To illustrate, look at KEYWORD/SEARCH under “Getting Around” on the reference card. You can use this command to search f or a word, phrase, or pattern of characters. Suppose you want to find the word “salary” in the PERSONNEL RECORDS outline. First move the bar cursor to PERSONNEL RECORDS and then type KS for KEYWORD/SEARCH (or proceed deliberately if you prefer). ThinkTank asks for a:

PATTERN’~ TO SEARCH FOR?

Respond by typing:

salary

but then press ESC. (If you press RETURN before ESC, Think— Tank will execute the SEARCH command.) This example illustrates two general rules:

* you can ESCAPE any time before the final keystroke;

and

* when you cancel a command, ThinkTank normally

returns you to Top Level.

ThinkTank departs from the second rule, however, when you might reasonably prefer to back up less than all the way to Top Level. For example, type KX (for KEYWORD/XCHANGE) from Top Level. This command allows you to replace one word or phrase with another. Respond to the prompt for a search pattern with:

salary

and press RETURN. Now ThinkTank asks:

PATTERN TO REPLACE WITH?

but press ESC rather than entering a replacement pattern. Instead of returning to Top Level, ThinkTank returns to the

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first prompt; presumably you’ve changed your mind about the pattern you wanted to SEARCH for. If that’s not the case, it takes only one more ESC to get back to Top Level.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Let’s see how ThinkTank’s reference tools can help you explore its most complex command, PORT. PORT is a facility for transferring information into and out of a ThinkTank outline. Like a shipping port, the PORT command is a way station; like a telephone, it is a communication device. You can use PORT to print an outline, or to transfer it to a PASCAL text file where you can edit it with a word processor, send it to another user, store it as a backup, or incorporate it into another outline. Since you can’t transfer information directly from one outline into another, ThinkTank uses text files as intermediaries.

To PORT an outline, you choose a series of options that specify where, how, and what you want to transfer. You can see the major options under “Printing & Porting” on your reference card. Porting does not disturb the original outline; ThinkTank always ports a copy of the outline.

The material ported depends on the position of the bar cursor when you select PORT. Suppose we want to port the LESSON PLANS outline to a text file. Move the bar cursor to LESSON PLANS and press P for PORT from Top Level. ThinkTank displays the PORT DEVICE Menu which asks you to select a device.

Press T (for TEXTFILE) and ThinkTank displays the PORT DIRECTION Menu. You can either SEND a ThinkTank outline to a text file or RECEIVE a text file into an outline.

Press S (for SEND) and ThinkTank displays the PORT STYLE Menu. You can choose among three standard styles, each suitable for different purposes. The reference guide describes these styles —— and all the PORT options —— in detail, while Chapter 5 contains suggestions for porting as well as capsule instructions for porting with two floppy disk drives.

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Press F (for FORMATTED) and then Y (for YES) to take a

look at ThinkTank’s formatting options. Although ThinkTank is not a word processor, it allows you substantial control over the appearance of your ported outlines. The instructions on the screen, which are shown in Figure 4—2, tell you how to move around the 16 format settings and change them if you wish. You can control your document’s spacing, margins, page titles —— even tell ThinkTank to construct a table of contents. The format settings are described in detail under FORMATTED in the reference guide.

Feel free to play around. Even if you press the RETURN

key to indicate that you want to change a setting, you can always leave it as it is, or change it back later.

When you finish exploring, press ESC to stop. If you

made any changes, ThinkTank displays the EXIT SETTINGS Command Menu. You can now choose whether to SAVE your changes for the future, use them this time only, or go back and review them again. Press N (for NOSAVE) this time.

Now ThinkTank asks you to name your text file. The reference guide tells you how to enter a name, and Appendix B contains detailed information about PASCAL file names. For

Figure 4—2:Reviewing the Port Format Settings

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now, the time has come to ESCAPE out of this exploration.

Pressing ESC when prompted for a text file name returns

you to Top Level. Had you pressed ESC earlier in the PORT process, however, ThinkTank would have returned you to the previous menu, not Top Level. To see this, type “PTSF” from Top Level (the fast path to the format settings). When Think— Tank asks LOOK AT THE FORMAT SETTINGS? pressing ESC returns you to the DIRECTION Menu. (So does ESC in response to the STYLE Menu.) Pressing ESC in response to the DIRECTION Menu returns you to the DEVICE Menu. And pressing ESC in response to the DEVICE Menu returns you to Top Level.

You should now be able to explore the rest of ThinkTank’s command structure on your own. The remainder of this tutorial is a comprehensive example which touches upon each of the major things you can do with ThinkTank.

A COMPREHENSIVE EXAMPLE

So far we’ve explored a great deal of ThinkTank’s command structure -- but we’ve always ESCAPEd back to Top Level before actually doing anything. In this section, we’ll follow through and add to, delete from, edit, reorganize, print, and create a ThinkTank outline.

This part of the tutorial will illustrate how the major pieces of ThinkTank fit together. It follows the command groupings on the ThinkTank reference card. Not all the commands are covered, however.

You will find details about all the commands in the reference guide. We suggest keeping it handy as you follow this example. In addition, we have collected notes and suggestions about using ThinkTank in Chapter 5, to be digested after you become familiar with the basic commands.

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GETTING AROUND

Arrow Keys and Direction Commands

Begin at Top Level with the THINKTANK DEMONSTRATION outline restored to its initial condition (Figure 3—1). Use the arrow keys, as discussed in Chapter 3, to move the bar cursor up and down the outline. If your keyboard has all four arrow keys, note that the up and left arrows are identical and the down and right arrows are identical. ThinkTank “squawks” when you attempt to move the bar cursor past the last headline.

Now try the four direction commands. The command keys are U for UP, D for DOWN, L for LEFT, and R for RIGHT. Unlike the arrow keys, the direction commands follow the structure of the outline. The “squawks” will help you learn how these commands operate.

Both the arrow keys and the direction commands accept command prefixes as discussed in the reference guide. Also, both the arrow keys and the direction commands ignore headlines that are “hidden” (not expanded at the time). If you want to move the bar cursor to a headline that is hidden, you must expand it first.

Now move the bar cursor to PRODUCT CONCEPT and press “,“ (comma) to EXPAND it as described in Chapter 3. Try the arrow keys and direction commands again. Note how they skip over the paragraph; the bar cursor points only to headlines, not to paragraphs. Move the bar cursor back to PRODUCT CONCEPT and press “.“ (period) to COLLAPSE it again.

What is an Outline?

EXPAND the following series of headlines: INTENDED MARKETS, DEMOGRAPHIC SEGMENTS, PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTS, and DRINKING HABITS. The screen should look like Figure 4—3 Now follow this sequence of COLLAPSEs and EXPANDs to see how the position of the bar cursor affects the “scope” of a command:

1. COLLAPSE DRINKING HABITS and EXPAND it again;

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Figure 4—3: Expanding and Collapsing

2. COLLAPSE PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTS and EXPAND it again;

Tutorial

3. COLLAPSE DEMOGRAPHIC SEGMENTS and EXPAND it again;

and

4. COLLAPSE INTENDED MARKETS and EXPAND it again.

Notice how COLLAPSE hides everything under the bar cursor headline, while EXPAND reveals only the first level under it. You can set a command prefix to make EXPAND reveal more levels.

This exercise also shows that each ThinkTank headline~ represents an outline in its own right. The entire THINKTANK DEMONSTRATION is an outline; each of its first subheadings is the title of an outline; indeed DRINKING HABITS is an outline of its own. Each outline (except the summit, THINKTANK DEMONSTRATTON) is a part of a larger whole.

The bar cursor headline and the outline it represents is called the bar cursor outline. Since the commands you select generally affect either the bar cursor headline or the bar cursor outline, you should develop the habit of moving the bar cursor to where you want your action to take effect before giving a command.

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Searching for a Keyword

Suppose you want to find information on salaries in the PERSONNEL RECORDS outline. Collapse PRODUCT PLAN, move the bar cursor to PERSONNEL RECORDS, and type “KS” for KEYWORD/SEARCH. When ThinkTank prompts you for a search pattern, type:

salary

and press RETURN. Watch the screen (Figure 4—4) as ThinkTank finds the pattern, expands the outline to show you its location, highlights it, and asks whether you want to continue the search. Press Y (for YES) and ThinkTank repeats the process. When you finally answer N (for NO) to discontinue, ThinkTank returns you to Top Level with the bar cursor on the headline where the last match was found. Details on keyword searches are covered in the reference guide, and Chapter 5 includes notes and suggestions to make best use of them.

Figure 4—4: Searching for a Keyword

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Figure 4—5: Entering a New Paragraph

ADDING AND EDITING

Tutorial

Adding New Material

Restore the sample outline to its original condition (Figure 3—1) again. Suppose you want to add some new material below what’s already there. Move the bar cursor to the last headline on the screen and type ND for NEW/DOWN. When Think— Tank opens up a space for a new headline, type:

Adding and Editing

If you make a mistake, use the left arrow key to backspace to it. When you’re finished, press RETURN.

Now type NP for NEW/PARAGRAPH. Note the instructions on the screen as ThinkTank opens up space. Type the following sentences without typing RETURN when you reach the end of a line. Watch how ThinkTank 2’wraps” your text to the next line automatically:

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Adding new material to a ThinkTank outline is easy. You never have to type a carriage return.

The screen should look like Figure 4—5. (If your computer can display only capital letters, Box 4—I at the end of this chapter explains how to use special symbols to tell ThinkTank to print your paragraphs correctly in both upper— and lowercase letters.)

Continue with the following two sentences:

The built—in editor is a joy to use. You hardly have to think about it.

Then press ESC to end the paragraph. ThinkTank asks if you want to edit it. Type Y (for YES) and ThinkTank places you at the “Top Level” of the paragraph editor (Figure 4—6). This is the EDIT option under NEW/PARAGRAPH on your reference card; you can also reach the paragraph editor by selecting EDIT from the Main Command Menu.

Figure 4—6: Top Level of the Paragraph Editor

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Editing a Paragraph

The Top Level of the paragraph editor strongly resembles the Top Level of ThinkTank. As the Command Area suggests, you can press the arrow keys to move the flashing cursor, type "/" to see the EDIT Command Menu, or press ESC to exit. All of the editing command keys work from the Top Level of the editor as well as from their own menus. As a result, once you learn the editing commands, you can use the “fast path” method to edit your paragraphs. The editing commands are described in detail in the reference guide.

Type “/” to see the EDIT Command Menu (Figure 4—7) and browse through the brief explanations and command keys. All the editor command keys are preceded by a CTRL character, like CTRL—D (abbreviated ^D) for DELETE. (You give this command by holding down the CTRL key and pressing D.) You can refer to the “Editing Text” section of the reference card for the brief explanations and the “Keystroke Configuration Chart” for the command keys. This allows you to edit without looking at the EDIT Command Menu.

ESCAPE from the EDIT Command Menu and try out the arrow keys to move the flashing cursor. (If your keyboard has no up

Figure 4—7: EDIT Command Menu

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and down arrow keys, use CTRL—O, and CTRL—K instead.) The position of the flashing cursor, like that of the bar cursor, determines where your commands will take effect. You can hold the keys down (or hold down your REPT key if you have one) to move the flashing cursor more quickly.

Now let’s use some editing commands. First let’s change the structure of the first sentence. Type CTRL—G and press the left arrow key to GOTO the beginning of your paragraph. With the cursor on the first “A”, begin typing:

It is easy to

and press the space bar. This illustrates that you are always

ready to insert text unless you are specifically executing another editor command.

Now move the flashing cursor forward to the “i” in “adding” and press CTRL—D three times (to DELETE the “ing”). Move to the space after the word “outline” and press CTRL—D eight times. Deleting the phrase “is easy” completes your revision of the first sentence. Press the right arrow key once and watch ThinkTank adjust your text for you (Figure 4—8). (If your computer displays both upper— and lowercase characters, you may want to delete the “A” in “Adding” and insert an "a" in its place.)

Suppose you want to move “The built—in editor is a joy to use” to the end of the paragraph. You could DELETE it and retype it, but it’s easier to use the SELECT command, which allows you to work with a whole block of text at a time. First you have to identify- the block by selecting it. Move the flashing cursor to the “T” at the beginning of this sentence. Then type CTRL—S to START the selection. In the Command Area, ThinkTank announces that you’re in SELECT mode.

Once you’ve started a selection, you move the flashing cursor to define it. Press the right arrow key to move it forward and watch how ThinkTank highlights your selection. Stop when the cursor is flashing on the space before the “Y” in “You hardly”, the first character you do not want to select (Figure 4—9). Now press CTRL—S to FINISH the selection. It will no longer follow the flashing cursor.

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Figure 4—8: Editing a Paragraph

Next press CTRL—G and the right arrow key to GOTO the end of the paragraph. Press the right arrow key twice more to insert two spaces, then press CTRL—C and watch ThinkTank COPY the selection at the cursor position. Finally, before typing

Figure 4—9: Defining a Selection

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anything else, type CTRL—D to DELETE the original selection. ThinkTank gives you a chance to reconsider; type Y for YES. As Figure 4—10 shows, you’ve just seen how to move a block of text quickly: select it, copy it, and delete the selection.

A ThinkTank “paragraph” is any block of text up to 2048 characters; you can arrange it into as many literal paragraphs as you like. For a complete picture of ThinkTank’s powerful text editors, start with EDIT in the reference guide. Consult the notes and suggestions in Chapter 5 for further infor— mation.

For mow, press ESC to exit from the paragraph editor and press S to SAVE your paragraph. We will use it in the next part of the tutorial. When ThinkTank asks if you’re finished editing this paragraph, press Y. ThinkTank returns to Top Level with the bar cursor on the headline from which you created the paragraph. The paragraph is subordinate to this headline.

Figure 4—10: Moving a Selection

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REORGANIZING AN OUTLINE

Copying

Suppose the boss wants you to reorganize the PRODUCT PLAN. Let’s make a copy of it first, in case we decide later that we don’t like it. Collapse your new outline, type “4U” to move the bar cursor UP to PRODUCT PLAN, and then collapse it. Now type “//C”, the fast path to COPY, to make a copy of the PRODUCT PLAN outline. After ThinkTank has copied all 110 headlines, the copy will appear immediately DOWN from the original. Now type “M4D” and watch as ThinkTank MOVEs the copy four positions DOWN, below the outline you created.

New Headlines

Let’s start reorganizing by entering some new headlines. Type NR for NEW/RIGHT and enter the headline, “One Step Ahead”. Remember to press RETURN when you’re finished. Now type ND (NEW/DOWN) and enter “Marketing Department”. Type ND again and enter “Making a Killing”. The screen will look like Figure 4—11.

Figure 4—11: New Headlines

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Moving

Now let’s move the parts of the PRODUCT PLAN under the new headlines:

* Move the bar cursor to PRODUCT CONCEPT and type M2U

(MOVE/2 UP) and MR (MOVE/RIGHT) to move it under ONE STEP AHEAD.

* Move the bar cursor to COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS and type

M3U (MOVE/3 UP) and MR (MOVE/RIGHT) to move it there

also.

* Use the same kinds of keystrokes to move INTENDED

MARKETS and MARKETING PLAN under MARKETING DEPARTMENT.

* Finally, move PRODUCTION PLAN and FINANCIAL PROJEC-

TIONS under MAKING A KILLING.

Your screen should look like Figure 4—12. You’ve used MOVE to completely reorganize your outline.

Figure 4—12: Reorganizing an Outline

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Deleting

Suppose the boss doesn’t like the reorganized PRODUCT PLAN. Move the bar cursor up to the copy of PRODUCT PLAN and type “/DO” (slash for the Main Command Menu, D for DELETE, and O for OUTLINE). The reorganized outline disappears. If the boss changes his mind again, you can restore it with the DELETE/RESTORE command —— at least until you delete another outline.

Merging

Let’s try out one more feature —— merging paragraphs. You can combine the paragraphs under two distinct headlines if the second is adjacent to the first and at the same level (directly DOWN). First move the bar cursor to ADDING AND EDITING and type “//C” to make a copy of it. Now move the bar cursor back to the first copy and then type “//M", the fast path to the MERGE command. On the MERGE Command Menu, press D to DELETE the copy after merging it, and watch as ThinkTank merges the second paragraph into the first. The leader of the second headline changes from “-I-” to “—“ as the paragraph under it is deleted, as shown in Figure 4—13.

Figure 4—13: Merged Paragraphs

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PRINTING AN OUTLINE

Next let’s try printing an outline. As you recall, printing is one of the functions of ThinkTank’s PORT command. Before you start the process, there are two preliminaries:

1. The position of the bar cursor determines what part of an outline will be ported. To print the whole outline, move the bar cursor to the summit. In this case, move it to PRODUCT CONCEPT in the PRODUCT PLAN.

2. Your printer must be ready —— connected and turned on —— when ThinkTank sends the outline to it. There’s no way for ThinkTank to warn you or continue if it’s not ready.

Now you are ready to print your outline. Press “PPFN”

for PORT/PRINTER/FORMATTED (don’t review the format settings this time). Then press the space bar to begin printing. You will see your outline “scroll” through a window on the screen as ThinkTank prints it. If you have any trouble, you can ESCAPE at any time during printing. You may wish to look at the formatting options, which are listed under FORMATTED in the reference guide, to see how they are reflected in the printed outline. ThinkTank will signal you when the job is done.

CREATING A NEW OUTLINE

The last task of this tutorial is to create a new outline on a new disk. Before doing so, restore this one to its original condition (Figure 3—1) again. First, with the bar cursor on the (now empty) copy of ADDING AND EDITING, type “/DO” to DELETE it; it will take quite a while. Then DELETE the original ADDING AND EDITING. Finish the process of restoring the outline as described in Chapter 3.

You will need a formatted disk to store your new outline (see Appendix C for instructions).

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You can’t just replace the THINKTANK DATA DISK with your new one; you have to use the FILES command. It allows you to close your current outline (the THINKTANK DEMONSTRATION) before switching outlines or creating a new one. Examine the FILES command options under “Getting Started” on the reference card. The options differ depending on your disk configura— tion.

Press FC to select FILES/CLOSE. ThinkTank closes the sample outline and displays the FILES Command Menu which lets you choose whether to open an existing outline or create a new one. Press N to create a NEW outline. If your system is configured for two floppy disk drives, ThinkTank tells you to insert your formatted disk in drive 2 and press the space bar. (For other configurations, consult NEW in the reference guide for details.)

In a few seconds your new outline appears on the screen as shown in Figure 4—14. It consists of a single “generic” headline, SUMMIT. If you wish, you can start your first “real” outline now. Your first step is to replace this headline with your own. To do so, press the “;“ (semicolon) key to give the RE—ENTER command. Enter whatever you wish; if you press ESC during BE—ENTER, SUMMIT will reappear. You can now

Figure 4—14: Creating a New Outline

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use the NEW command to begin adding headlines and paragraphs to your outline.

CONCLUDING NOTE

Now that you ye completed the tutorial, you are well on your way to mastering ThinkTank. We encourage you to make good use of the reference guide and reference card and, when you are familiar with the basic commands, to take a look at our notes and suggestions in Chapter 5.

ThinkTank is above all a flexible, adaptable program. Its powerful. commands allow you to customize your outlines and work easily with your ideas. If our experience is any indication, you will develop your own style of using it, and continue to discover and invent new ways to use it as you get to know it better. We hope you will enjoy using ThinkTank as well, and experience the satisfaction of working with a fine tool.

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Notes and Suggestions

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Box 4—1

Printing with ‘Uppercase Computers’

ThinkTank prints outlines pretty much as they appear on your screen. However, if your computer (like the Apple II) can only display uppercase (capital) letters, ThinkTank will automatically enhance your paragraphs by printing them in both upper— and lowercase characters. It follows these rules:

1. The first alphabetic character of a paragraph is printed uppercase.

2. If a period, question mark, or exclamation mark is followed by two spaces, the next character is printed uppercase.

3. If a period, question mark, or exclamation mark is followed by a carriage return, the next character is printed uppercase.

4. All other characters are printed lowercase.

These rules normally assure that the first letter of each sentence is capitalized.

You may want other letters to be capitalized as well. When entering or editing a paragraph, you can tell ThinkTank to capitalize a letter by preceding it with a backslash (“\“). If your computer has no backslash key, you can enter one by pressing CTRL—Y.

If you have an “uppercase computer,” take a look at the LESSON PLANS outline on the THINKTANK DATA DISK. Notice how we have used backslashes to capitalize the names Alpha Cen— tauri, Homer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Blurf, and the Tonight Show.

If you have a series of letters to capitalize, like the acronym UNICEF, it can be tedious to precede each letter with a backslash (\U\N\I\C\E\F). You can use the caret (“^“) symbol as a shift—lock mechanism to capitalize a series of

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letters. Enter a “^“ just before and after the word or phrase to be capitalized, as in ^UNICEF^. (On the Apple II, you enter a caret by pressing SHIFT—N.) Neither caret is printed; the first is a signal to begin capitalizing and the second is a signal to end capitalizing. The “^" symbol is called an alternating (or toggle) command because it works in two directions: it turns capitalization on if it’s off and off if it’s

on.

If you want ThinkTank to print a backslash, without recognizing it as a “shift” symbol, enter two (“\\“). Unfor— tunately there is no way you can get ThinkTank to print a caret on a computer that can’t display lowercase letters.

These special symbols are applicable only to “uppercase computers.” If your computer can display both upper— and lowercase letters, they have no special significance and Think— Tank will print them like any other character.

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Notes and Suggestions

Chapter 5

USING THINKTANK: NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS

We (Living Videotext, Inc.) didn’t just create ThinkTank; we use it . . . a lot. This chapter contains notes and suggestions we’ve accumulated through extensive experience with the program. They will streamline your use of ThinkTank and help you get the most out of the program.

This chapter doesn’t explain any of ThinkTank’s basic commands; it assumes you are already familiar with them. Instead it suggests how to best apply them to your own ideas and information. The suggestions will be most valuable to you if you’ve gained some experience with ThinkTank. Following a brief section on general advice, the topics are organized along the same functional lines as the ThinkTank reference

card.

GENERAL ADVICE

Command Prefixes

You can precede many ThinkTank commands with a command prefix to specify how many times the command will be executed or how many levels of the outline it applies to. The commands that accept prefixes are noted in the reference guide.

There is a special command prefix, the number or pound sign (#), that tells ThinkTank to execute a command as many tines as it can or to apply it to all levels of the outline. When you press this key before a command, ThinkTank displays the word INFINITY on the first line of the Command Area, signifying that it will perform the next command repeatedly. For example, pressing I and the right arrow key tells ThinkTank to move down as far as it can —— to the last visible headline of your outline.

A command prefix only affects the command that follows it immediately. For example, if you want to MOVIE an outline three positions UP, type 3 before selecting UP: “M3U.” If you type 3 (“3MU”) or move the menu cursor before selecting

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MOVE, ThinkTank will forget about it by the time it actually moves the outline.

GETTING STARTED

Configuring ThinkTank to Your Computer System

You use ThinkTank’s FILES command to create a new outline or examine an existing one. The procedures, which are

described under FILES, NEW, and EXISTS in the reference guide, depend on the number and type of disk drives you have. If ThinkTank is incorrectly configured to your computer system, you can reconfigure it with the UTILITIES/DISK command.

But you aren’t required to be configured correctly. You may choose a different configuration so long as you don’t tell ThinkTank to do something impossible —— like open an outline on a nonexistent disk drive. For example, suppose you are configured for three floppy disk drives but have to take one in for service. There’s no need to reconfigure, so long as you avoid selecting the missing drive.

Choosing the Size of Your Floppy—Disk Outlines

You can also use a fictitious configuration to choose the size of your floppy disk outlines.

If you have a floppy disk computer system, you know that you can only store one outline on a floppy disk. ThinkTank won’t let you store a second outline on a disk without erasing the first. But what if you have two (or more) small outlines that you’d like to put on a single disk? You know they’d fit —— if only ThinkTank would let you do it!

Actually, it will. ThinkTank allows users with hard disk systems to choose the size of their outline files; it doesn’t limit the number of outlines they can store on a disk. If you “fool” ThinkTank into thinking you have a hard disk, you can choose where to store each outline and how big the file should be.

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Notes and Suggestions

To do this, simply use the UTILITIES/DISK command to tell

ThinkTank that you have a hard disk system. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a hard disk —— ThinkTank can’t tell the difference. Now, when you create a new outline, you are free to set the size of the file and store it wherever you have enough space.

Of course, there’s a cost to this added power. You will

have to use the more complex hard disk version of the FILES command, as described in the reference guide.

GETTING AROUND

The Bar Cursor Express

Command prefixes are especially helpful in moving quickly

around an outline. Suppose you’re deep within an outline and want to move to the summit. If you prefix the up (or left) arrow key with some large number, like 1000, ThinkTank will try to move the bar cursor 1000 lines up. Of course it can’t, but it will move as far as it can —— to the summit. Similarly, typing 1000 and the down (or right) arrow key will move the bar cursor to the last headline of your outline. You can also use the infinity prefix (#) to move the bar cursor as far as it can go.

The direction commands (UP, D(MN, LEFT, and RIGHT) are also ideal for moving quickly since they follow the structure of your outline. For example, no matter how many headlines intervene, the DOWN command will get you to the next headline at the sane level of •the outline. Similarly, the LEFT command, which moves the bar cursor to a higher level of the outline, makes it easy to get to the summit.

Searching and Replacing

You can use KEYWORD/SEARCH to search for key words, phrases, and patterns of characters in an outline, and KEYWORD/XCHANGE to replace one pattern with another. Here are some tips on keyword searches and exchanges:

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1. ThinkTank will only search material beneath

(subordinate to) the bar cursor headline. Before you begin a

search, make sure the bar cursor is at the top of the outline you wish to search.

2. Be as specific as possible when entering a keyword.

The more specific your keyword, the fewer matches it will take to find the one you want.

3. It’s important to specify the spelling and usage of

your keyword correctly. Remember that KEYWORD/SEARCH disregards the case of the letters in your search pattern, but KEYWORD/XCHANGE requires an exact match by character and case. If you’re not sure of the spelling or usage of your keyword, use a general pattern that will match all of the possibilities.

4. ThinkTank will match a keyword even if it’s embedded inside another word. Suppose that for some reason you want to change every instance of the word “and” in an outline to the word “or.” If you enter “and” as your search pattern and “or” as your replacement pattern, ThinkTank will make the change —— but it will also change the word England to Englor because it, too, contains the search pattern. In such cases it is best to use “ and “ and “ or “ as your search and replacement patterns. The extra spaces ensure that patterns embedded in larger words will not he changed.

Even experienced users can make mistakes like this. At one stage in the development of ThinkTank, the program’s working title was “FYI” (For Your Information). When we changed the name to ThinkTank, we used KEYWORD/XCHANGE to substitute “ThinkTank” for “FYI” in the outline of the manual. It did so, all right —— but it also changed the word “signifying” to “signiThinkTankng!” And you thought computers were smart?

ADDING INFORMATION

Use NEW Mode

Whenever you select the NEW command, ThinkTank takes a brief moment to read instructions from the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK. Then, when you’ve finished adding, it takes another

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Notes and Suggestions

moment as it returns to Top Level. If you’re adding a Lot of new material, the disk access mounts up and becomes tedious.

You can streamline this process by consistently using the NODE option on the NEW Command Menu. In NEW mode, you return to the NEW Command Menu, not Top Level, when each command is completed. If you are executing a series of NEW commands, you’ll save the time and effort of reading from the disk and selecting NEW each time. NEW mode is especially helpful when you have just created a new outline and want to add a lot of new headlines and paragraphs. We suggest selecting the MODE option routinely whenever you give the NEW command, even when you don’t plan to execute it more than once. It takes little extra time and comes in handy when you decide to add more than one entry.

Use EDIT

You can use ThinkTank’s text editors for more than just editing. In fact, the more you use ThinkTank, the more we suspect you’ll rely on the editors for other tasks.

Suppose you’re in NEW mode, adding numerous headlines to an outline, and the next headline you want to add is not directly up, down, left, or right from the bar cursor. There’s no need to exit from NEW mode and move the bar cursor closer to the new headline. Instead, select the EDIT option which appears on the NEW Command Menu when you’re in NEW mode. Don’t use it to edit the headline; just use the up and down arrow keys (or CTRL—O and CTRL—K) to move the bar cursor to the new headline position. Then press ESC to exit from the editor and return to the NEW Command Menu, where you’re ready to select the location of your new headline.

In addition to using the headline editor when entering new headlines, we suggest that you use the paragraph editor when entering new paragraphs. From Top Level, give the command “EP” (EDIT/PARAGRAPH) instead of “NP” (NEW/PARAGRAPH). Them you’ll be able to use all the editing commands when you first enter the new text.

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ThinkTank Manual

Constraints on Headlines

There are two constraints on ThinkTank headlines. First,

they can’t be blank. To create the effect of a blank headline, select a NEW option and type a space before you press

RETURN.

Second, a headline can’t exceed the width of your

screen. If you want to add a longer headline, put the informa— tion in a paragraph instead. Or create a series of new head— lines, each continuing to the next, and treat them as a unit.

Constraints on Paragraphs

There are three constraints on ThinkTank paragraphs.

First, like headlines, they can’t be blank. Type a space to creat,e the effect of a blank paragraph.

Second, each paragraph is limited to 2048 characters. If you want to create a longer one, split it into two or more paragraphs and place them under adjacent headlines. When you print the outline, suppress the headlines so that the paragraphs appear to be consecutive, or enter a “blank” headline as described above.

Third, ThinkTank won’t let you enter more than one “paragraph” for any headline. You can place several literal paragraphs in a single ThinkTank paragraph by ending each with a carriage return. Your text will appear as several separate paragraphs, although ThinkTank will treat them as a single entity.

REORGANIZING

Speeding Up MOVEs

If you are moving material around an outline, there are three ways to speed up the process:

* Use a command prefix to move several positions at

once.

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Notes and Suggestions

* Use the MOVE/MODE option, which allows you to con-

nect a series of MOVE commands without returning to Top Level each time. In MOVE mode, ThinkTank displays the MOVE Command Menu after each MOVE, ready for another MOVE command. If you are executing a series of MOVEs, you’ll save the time and effort of reading from the disk and selecting MOVE each time.

* Delete the material with the DELETE/OUTLINE com-

mand. Then move the bar cursor just above where you want to move the material and restore it with the

DELETE/RESTORE command.

Moving Paragraphs

You can MERGE one paragraph into another even if the receiving paragraph is”empty” (nonexistent). This allows you to move a paragraph around an outline without disturbing its headline structure.

Alphabetizing Subheadings

ThinkTank’s ALPHA command sorts the subheadings of the bar cursor headline in alphabetical order. Sorting is a complicated process to a computer. It may take several moments, depending on the number of subheadings to be sorted.

ALPHA will sort numbers as well as letters, but ThinkTank may not order them correctly unless each number contains the same number of digits. For example, it will place the headline OPTION 14 before the headline OPTION 7. You can assure a correct sort by prefixing your numbers with “leading zeros” so that all have the same number of digits. ThinkTank will correctly place OPTION 07 before OPTION 14.

PRINTING AND PORTING

Use PORT to Back Up Your Outlines

Chapter 3 discussed the importance of backing up your outlines. One method is to make copies of your outline disks as described in Appendix C. ThinkTank’s PORT command provides

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an easier, more efficient way —— backing up your outlines in

text files.

You will need one or more disks, formatted for the PASCAL

operating system, to store the backup files. The files should be arranged in STRUCTURED style, which is more compact than ThinkTank’s regular file format. You will be able to back up more than one outline on each backup disk, generally between two and six depending on the size of your outlines.

Remember the rule discussed in Chapter 3:

Never get caught without a backup copy of any information you could not, or would not want to, re—enter if it were lost.

You should back up an outline whenever you make substantial changes to it. Before you close the file, move the bar cursor to the top of the outline and press “PTSS” to select PORT/TEXTFILE/SEND/STRUCTURED. When ThinkTank asks you for the name of your text file, enter the device number or volume name of your backup disk and a name describing the outline.

The next time you back up the outline, you can port it to the same backup disk if you wish. If you use the same file name, ThinkTank will replace the old copy with the new one. However, since backups themselves sometimes fail, we recommend that you keep copies of each outline on two different backup disks, alternating between them. Don’t take a chance on destroying an old backup copy until you have successfully created a new one.

If you conscientiously follow this procedure, you will be sure of having a recent backup copy if your outline disk becomes damaged. If you ever need the backup copy, use

PORT/TEXTFILE/RECEIVE to port the file back into ThinkTank.

Use RECALL When Porting Between Outlines

When ThinkTank prompts you for a pattern or file name, it remembers the last one you entered. You can use the RECALL ommand to redisplay it. If you’ve just ported an outline to a text file and want to port it back into another outline,

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Notes and Suggestions

RECALL can help you enter the correct file name. When Think— Tank asks, NAME OF PASCAL TEXTILE?, press CTRL.—E to RECALL the last entry.

Text File Ports with Two Floppy Drives

Here are concise instructions for porting between an outline and a text file for a computer system with two floppy disk drives. See PORT in the reference guide for other configurations.

(a)Porting from an outline to a text file. You will

need a disk formatted for the PASCAL operating system to store the file (see Appendix C).

1. Move the bar cursor to the top of the outline you wish to port.

2. From Top Level, press “PTSS” to select PORT/TEXTILE/SEND/STRUCTURED.

3. When ThinkTank asks:

NAME OF PASCAL TEXTILE?

type #4: followed by a file name of up to 10 charac— ters.

4. When ThinkTank asks:

REMOVING THE THINKTANK DISK?

first replace the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK in Drive 1 with your formatted disk; then press Y.

5. ThinkTank will port your outline to the text file. When it’s finished, it will tell you to:

REPLACE THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK, THEN

PRESS (SPACEBAR)

Remove the disk that now contains the text file from Drive 1 and replace it with the THINKTANK PROGRAM

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DISK. Then press the space bar to return to Top Level.

(b) Porting from a text file to an outline.

1. Move the bar cursor to the headline below which you want the text to appear.

2. From Top Level, press “PTR” to select PORT/TEXTILE/RECEIVE.

3. When ThinkTank asks:

NAME OF PASCAL TEXTILE?

type #4: followed by the file name.

4. When ThinkTank asks:

REMOVING THE THINKTANK DISK?

first replace the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK in Drive 1 with the disk containing your text file; then press

5. ThinkTank will port the text file into your

outline. When it’s finished, it will tell you to:

REPLACE THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK, THEN

PRESS (SPACEBAR)

Remove the disk containing the text file from Drive 1 and replace it with the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK. Then press the space bar to return to Top Level.

EDITING TEXT

Carriage Returns

ThinkTank automatically adjusts your paragraphs to fit within the margins of your screen. You never need to type a carriage return to move to the next line.

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Notes and Suggestions

You should type a carriage return, however, if you want

to end a line before the right margin. Suppose you want to indent a block of text (like the return address and date in a letter) 20 spaces. At the beginning of each line, type 20 spaces for the indentation. Then type the line and press RETURN at the end to prevent ThinkTank from readjusting it when it displays or prints the paragraph. (Note that when ThinkTank prints a paragraph, it disregards your screen margins and readjusts the text to fit within your printing margins.)

BACKSPACE and DELETE

There are two deletion commands in the paragraph editor.

When should you use BACKSPACE and when should you use DELETE? BACKSPACE erases the character directly in front of the flashing cursor, while DELETE erases the character that the flashing cursor points to. Use BACKSPACE to correct typing errors that you notice immediately. If you recognize an error within a few characters of typing it, it is most convenient to backspace over it, correct the error, and retype any correct characters that you erased in the process. On the other hand, if the error is more than a few characters back, move the flashing cursor directly to the error and erase it with

DELETE.

Selecting Text

An analogy may help you visualize the process of select-

ing text in the paragraph editor. When you START a selection, you set an anchor point at the flashing cursor. As ~you move the cursor away from the anchor, the selection expands. As long as you remain in SELECT mode, the selection is always defined as the area between the anchor point and the flashing cursor.

If you move the flashing cursor back toward the anchor point, the selection contracts. If you continue to move in that direction, the selection eventually contracts to contain a single character, then expands again as you move the cursor away in the other direction.

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Imagine the selection as an extremely flexible rubber band. When you start the selection, you tack down one end of the band at the anchor point. The other end is attached to the flashing cursor. When you move the cursor, the band stretches or relaxes depending on your direction of movement.

Save Paragraphs Frequently

The changes you make with the paragraph editor are not saved on your data disk until you say so. If you are making extensive changes to a paragraph, save them frequently while editing. To do this, press the ESC key from the Top Level of the paragraph editor and select SAVE from the EDIT EXIT Menu.

When it has finished saving, ThinkTank asks if you are finished editing the paragraph. If you respond N (NO), Think— Tank returns to the Top Level of the text editor where you can continue to edit the paragraph. In other words, you can save your changes without leaving the paragraph editor. This makes it easy to save your changes often. Periodic saving will minimize your losses in case of a power failure or computer breakdown.

Editing Headlines

In addition to EDIT/HEADLINE, you can also use the RE—ENTER (“;“) command to retype a headline. In some cases

this is even easier than using the headline editor.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Monitoring Memory and Disk Space

Your computer has two places to store your outlines: in its own internal memory and on your data disk. These two storage areas have the capacity to record large amounts of in— formation, but they are finite. You may eventually run out of room.

If you run out of internal memory, ThinkTank will display the message MEMORY FULL! Use the COLLAPSE command to compress part of your outline so that it consumes less internal memory.

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Notes and Suggestions

If you run out of disk space, ThinkTank will display the

message DISK FULL! See the error messages section for suggested courses of action.

You can avoid these conditions by using the PERCENT com-

mand to monitor your use of internal memory and disk space. You give this command by pressing the percent C”%”) key at the Top Level of ThinkTank. ThinkTank responds by displaying the percentages of memory and disk space still available. If you are running short, you can take corrective action before it’s absolutely necessary.

changing ThinkTank’s Command Keys

When you press a key to give a ThinkTank command, it seems to trigger the command directly. Actually this is an oversimplification; there’s a great deal of translation going on, as illustrated in Figure 5—1. For example, suppose you press CTRL—D to invoke the paragraph editor’s DELETE command. First your computer translates your keystroke into an electronic code, in this case 004, which is defined by the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII, pronounced ask—key). When ThinkTank receives this code, it translates it again into the DELETE command that performs the function you want.

There is nothing magical about either of these translations. Many of the keystroke—to—ASCII conversions are standardized, but some are not. For example, pressing the left arrow key might generate ASCII code 008 on one computer and 164 on another. Similarly, there is substantial flexibility in the way ThinkTank translates ASCII codes into commands.

You can’t ordinarily do much about the’ way your computer translates keystrokes into ASCII codes. But ThinkTank gives you quite a bit of control over its ASCII—to—command translations, which allows you to customize ThinkTank’s command keys to your needs, preferences, and computer system. Although we have preconfigured ThinkTank’s command keys to fit most people’s requirements, there are several reasons why you might want to modify them. For example, you may be using an alternate keyboard that contains special keys you want to assign to ThinkTank commands. There nay be special characters

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Signifies a translation

Figure 5-1: Translating Your Commands

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Notes and Suggestions

you want to generate for which your keyboard has no keys. Or you may want ThinkTank’s text editing commands to be consis— tent with a word processor you’re accustomed to.

You can reconfigure ThinkTank’s command keys with the

UTILITIES/KEYS command. The procedure is described in the reference guide.

However, we recommend caution in reconfiguring Think—

Tank’s command keys. When we preconfigured ThinkTank to your

computer, we carefully considered its special features and characteristics. If you reconfigure them, use the same care.

For example, suppose you have an Apple II computer, which has no up and down arrow keys. We have configured CTRL—O and CTRL—K to invoke these commands. You may think: “That doesn’t make sense; why don’t I reconfigure them to CTRL—U (for up) and CTRL—D (for down)?” There are problems with this solution. First, on the Apple II, pressing the right arrow key also generates the code CTRL—U; thus you would have two command keys generating the same ASCII code for two different commands! Second, CTRL-.D is already in use for the editor’s DELETE command. If you use it for down arrow, you will have to find some other keystroke for DELETE.

This example illustrates that reconfiguring keystrokes is more complicated than it may seem. Consider the special features of your computer as well as the other uses of each keystroke. In particular, never reconfigure CARRIAGE RETURN or ESCAPE to a keystroke you can’t generate on your keyboard. (If you do, you won’t be able to load an outline, exit from ThinkTank, or restore the original configuration.)

To avoid potential problems, we recommend reconfiguring only your copy of the THINKTANK PROGRAM DISK. Leave the original, with its preconfigured command keys, intact so that you’ll always be certain of having a working copy.

Reconfiguring SHOW—MENU in the Paragraph Editor

In the paragraph editor, pressing the slash (“/”) key displays the EDIT Command Menu. If you want to insert-a slash in your text, you must enter INSERT mode first. This can be

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cumbersome, and if you type slashes frequently, ye recommend that you change the command key that displays the command menu. Use the UTILITIES/KEYS/EDITOR command to reconfigure SHOW—MENU to CTRL—W or some other unused, uncommon keystroke. Then you can enter a slash without entering INSERT mode first.

Adding Options to the SPECIALIST Command Menu

Suppose you ye connected a telephone to your computer and you’ve got a PASCAL program called DIAL that will dial a telephone number for you. Also, suppose you’ve stored your personal address book in a ThinkTank outline. Wouldn’t it be great if you could execute the DIAL program from within Think— Tank and have it dial the numbers in your address book automatically?

Well, you can. The process involves extending your DIAL program to read telephone numbers from ThinkTank and adding it to the SPECIALIST Command Menu. Once you’ve done this, you can make a phone call by simply moving ThinkTank/s bar cursor to the number and selecting DIAL from the SPECIALIST Command Menu.

Adding a command to the SPECIALIST Command Menu is fairly easy; you use the UTILITIES/MENU command as described in the reference guide. Extending a program to “hook into” ThinkTank may be more complex; details are provided in a ThinkTank technical note described in Appendix D. The program must run under the PASCAL operating system, and you must have a hard disk drive or at least three floppy drives. We recommend that

you add SPECIALIST commands only if you’re an advanced user, with technical knowledge about PASCAL and your computer.

SUMMARY

This chapter has presented notes and suggestions for experienced ThinkTank users. As you gain experience with Think— Tank, you will undoubtedly develop your own techniques and strategies for getting the most out of it. We welcome your comments and suggestions.

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Glossary

Appendix A

GLOSSARY

ASCII: The American Standard Code for Information Inter-

change; a standard method for translating keystrokes into an electronic code.

Backup: A copy you can use in case the original fails.

Bar cursor; Bar cursor Headline; Bar Cursor Outline: The bar

cursor is a pointer that highlights one headline, the bar cursor headline, on the screen, and indicates where your

next command will take effect. The bar cursor outline encompasses the bar cursor headline and all information (subheadings and paragraphs) organized beneath it.

Beneath: Subordinate to; at a lower or deeper level in the

outline structure; to the right of.

Close a File: The process of assuring that all your outline

material is properly stored on your disk before you change to another outline or exit from ThinkTank.

Collapse: To hide the information beneath a headline from

view.

Command; Command Area: A command is an instruction you give

to ThinkTank by selecting it from a menu or pressing its command key. The Command Area is the lower portion of your computer screen, where ThinkTank normally displays prompts, messages, and menus.

Command Key: A key you can press to give a command without

selecting it directly from a menu. The correct command key for a command on a menu is always displayed on the explanation line when the command is highlighted.

Command Prefix: A number entered before a command specifying

how many times the command should be executed or how many levels of the outline it should apply to.

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Configure: To adapt ThinkTank to your computer system, needs,

and preferences. You can configure ThinkTank’s disk setup, command keys, and SPECIALIST commands.

Data Disk: A disk which holds a ThinkTank outline. The THINK—

TANK DATA DISK is the sample data disk supplied with the ThinkTank program.

Deeper Level:Same as beneath.

Depth: Number of outline (indentation) levels.

Default:Value of an option that is assumed, by default, un-

less you enter another.

Device: In the PASCAL operating system, an all—purpose term

that refers to your computer console (screen and keyboard), disk drives, printers, and other “peripherals.”

Directly Subordinate: Immediately (one level) beneath.

Down: Below, but at the same level in the outline structure.

Error Message: Displayed to tell you that something happened

unexpectedly.

Escape Valve: Pressing the ESCAPE key. A consistent way to

stop whatever you’re doing and return to where you started.

Exit: To leave, conclude, or terminate a process; to exit

from ThinkTank is to return control of your computer to its operating system.

Expand: To reveal the information hidden beneath a headline.

Explanation Line: When a menu is displayed, the bottom line

of the Command Area contains an explanation of the highlighted option.

File: Programs, outlines, and text are stored on your disk in

files. Each file is identified by a unique name.

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Glossary

Flashing Cursor: When entering or editing a headline or

paragraph, a pointer that indicates where your next action will take effect.

Format: To draw a nap on a disk so that your computer can ac-

curately record and retrieve each piece of information.

Format Setting: The way in which a printed or ported outline

is arranged.

Reading:Same as headline.

Headline:Main point or subpoint of an outline, expressed in

a single line. Headlines may have subheadings, other headlines which contain more detailed information, arranged beneath them.

Higher Level:Closer to the top (summit) of the outline;

logically superordinate; to the left of.

Immediately Subordinate:Same as directly subordinate.

Keyword: A word, phrase, or series or characters that you

want ThinkTank to search for or replace.

Leader: The leading character of a headline, which tells you

whether there is more outline material beneath it (+) or not (—)

Level: Relative position in an outline. Indentation is used

to indicate the level of a headline or paragraph in an outline; lower levels are indented to the right of higher levels.

Main Command Menu:The menu, displayed by pressing the slash

(“/”) key from Top Level, that contains ThinkTank’s most important commands.

Menu; Menu Cursor:A menu is a list of commands or options

from which you can select. The menu cursor is a pointer that highlights one option on a menu.

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Mode: A temporary state devoted to a certain class of

operations. For example, “NEW mode” is designed f or adding a series of entries to an outline.

Operating System: A program that performs the functions of an

“executive director” for your computer. It receives your commands, communicates between your computer and your program, and manages your files. See PASCAL.

Option: A choice that appears on a menu.

Outline:A headline with related information underneath it.

Paragraph: In ThinkTank, a block of text under a headline. A

ThinkTank “paragraph” may contain any number of literal paragraphs up to a maximum of 2048 characters.

PASCAL: The programming language in which ThinkTank is writ-

ten, and the operating system (also called the p—code or p—System) under which it runs.

Port: A place to transfer information into and out of Think—

Tank; also, to transfer such information.

Program Disk: The disk that holds the ThinkTank program.

Promote: To move a headline or outline to a higher level.

Prompt: An instruction or message on the screen designed to

catch your attention or draw your response.

replacement Pattern: A word, phrase, or series of characters

that you want substituted for a search pattern.

Reset: A key, set of keys, or button found on many computers

which terminates a program and starts again from the beginning. Do not reset your computer while operating ThinkTank except in the rare case that your computer “hangs” and will not respond to your commands.

Search Pattern: A word, phrase, or series of characters that

you want ThinkTank to find or replace.

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Glossary

Secondary Command Menu: The menu, displayed by selecting

EXTRA from the Main Command Menu, that contains additional

ThinkTank commands.

Selection: A block of text in a paragraph that you want to

copy, delete, or move.

Serial Number: Each copy of ThinkTank bears a unique number

designed to identify its registered owner. It appears on the screen each time your start up ThinkTank or change outlines.

Specialist Command Menu:The menu, displayed by selecting

SPECIAL from the Main Command Menu, that connects ThinkTank to other programs and commands.

Subheading: A headline which is subordinate to another.

Subordinate:At a lower level; to the right; deeper; beneath.

Summit: The title of an outline; its highest—level headline.

Superordinate: At a higher level; to the left.

Text Area: The upper portion of your computer screen, where

ThinkTank normally displays the text of your outline.

Text File: Outline material in a standard format which can be

ported into or out of ThinkTank, or created or processed by other programs.

Top Level: The state of ThinkTank when no menu is displayed

and no command is being executed, as when you first start up the program and load in an outline. ThinkTank’s paragraph

editor also has a Top Level.

Under: Subordinate to; same as beneath.

Underneath: Same as under.

Up: Above, but at the same level in the outline structure.

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Volume: In the PASCAL operating system, the name by which a

floppy disk or section of a hard disk is identified.

Window: A metaphor for the way an outline is displayed on

your screen. Unless an outline is very short, you will not be able to see all of it at once; you can think of your screen as a “window” through which you can view part of it.

Write—protect: To protect a floppy disk from inadvertent

erasure by placing a tab over its notch. Since ThinkTank frequently records information on both your program and data

disks, don’t write—protect your working ThinkTank disks. However, you may want to write—protect your backup copies.

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PASCAL

Appendix B

INTRODUCTION TO TILE PASCAL OPERATING SYSTEM

The ThinkTank program is written in a language called PASCAL and runs under the PASCAL (or p-code) operating system (p-System). We have tried to eliminate the need for

specialized technical knowledge about the PASCAL system, but in using ThinkTank you will sometimes encounter it. This appendix tells you what to expect.

WHAT IS AN OPERATING SYSTEM?

Think of an operating system as the executive director of your computer. It receives your commands, communicates between your computer and your program, and manages the files in which your information is stored. When ThinkTank stores an outline on a disk, it is actually the operating system that does the work; ThinkTank merely tells it what to do.

FILES

When you want to store information in your office or home for a long period of time, you probably put it in a file and put the file in a file cabinet. The same is true of a computer, only the files are magnetically encoded and the cabinet is called a disk. Like a file cabinet, the capacity of a disk is large but not unlimited. ThinkTank only alloys you to store one ThinkTank outline file on a floppy disk. That way the outline can expand to fill the whole disk if necessary, much as a paper file might expand to fill an entire cabinet. On a hard disk you can store as many outline files as will fit.

Every PASCAL file has a name by which you can refer to it. If you have a floppy—disk system, you will find that you don’t have to bother with the names of your outline files; ThinkTank takes care of them for you. However, you will have to provide names for your text files (see below). Hard disk users will be concerned with the names of both outline and text files.

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ThinkTank Manual

PASCAL file names can be up to 15 characters (letters, numbers, or other symbols) in length. Since PASCAL systems differ in allowing special characters (like punctuation marks) in. file names, it is usually best to use only letters, num— bers, and periods. Select names that describe the contents of your files so you can tell what they are at a glance. A name like TASKPLAN is more expressive than FILEI4.

Most PASCAL file names have a suffix that describes their type. As a ThinkTank user you will be concerned with two types of files. ThinkTank outlines are generally stored in outline files which have the suffix .DB (for data base), as in TASKPLAN.DB. However, outline files cannot be read by most other programs or incorporated directly in another ThinkTank outline. For these purposes you can store outline material in a text file which has the suffix .TEXT, as in TASKPLAN.TEXT.

ThinkTank generally knows what type of file you’re referring to, so you rarely need to enter the suffix. But since the suffix is part of a file name, your file names are effectively limited to fewer than 15 characters. To leave room for the suffix, limit your outline file manes to 12 characters,

text file names to 10.

Depending on your computer system, files may be arranged on your disk in directories which have a separate name. If so, you may have to precede the name of the file by the name of its directory when you refer to it.

DISKS AND DEVICES

Files are stored on disks which may be floppy (flexible plastic disks encased in paper covers) or hard (rigid rings contained inside your computer or enclosed in a separate case). PASCAL distinguishes disks by their volume manes, like PROJECT:, which always end in a colon (“:“). When you refer to a particular file on a particular disk, you precede the file name with the volume name, as in PROJECT:TASKPLAN.

Before you use a disk with ThinkTank you must format it

for the PASCAL operating system. Essentially, this means drawing a map on the disk so that it can accurately record and find each piece of information. You will find instructions

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Apple ThinkTank II Plus, ThinkTank II, ThinkTank IIe User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual