RISC OS 5 User Guide

About this Guide
The RISC OS operating system
Conventions used in this manual
Important tips
Getting help
Additional documentation
Part 1 - Beginner’s concepts
1 The RISC OS desktop
What is the RISC OS desktop?
Windows
Icons
Menus
The pointer
2 Using the mouse
What is a mouse?
Holding the mouse
The mouse buttons
Basic mouse techniques
Clicking
Double-clicking
Dragging
3 Using the keyboard
A quick tour of the keyboard
When to use the keyboard
The computer control keys
Moving around a document
Typing special characters
4 Windows
Features of windows
Practising manipulating windows
Changing a window’s size
Moving a window
Toggling window size
Bringing windows to the front
Closing windows
Scrolling
Practising scrolling
Scrolling step by step
Moving through a file
5 Menus and dialogue boxes
Menu basics
Displaying a menu
Choosing from a menu
Keeping a menu on the screen
Choosing from a submenu
Choosing menu options - conventions in this Guide
What is a dialogue box?
6 Using applications
What are applications?
Starting an application
Using applications
Using more than one application window
Quitting applications
The Boot application
7 Files and directories
What are files and directories?
Opening directory displays
Double-clicking on an application
Building a file structure
Creating a new directory
Saving a file
Loading a file
Copying a file to another directory
Moving a file
Deleting files and directories
Pinboard
8 Switching off the computer
Normal shut down procedure
Part 2 - Managing the desktop
9 The desktop
Manipulating windows
Directory displays
The Filer
Advanced Filer operations
Desktop colours and resolution
The pinboard
10 Managing the desktop
Introducing the Task Manager
Controlling tasks and memory
Launching Configure
Saving a Desktop settings file
Shutting the computer down
11 Changing the computer’s configuration
Introduction
Changing configuration settings with Configure
Merging updates using Configure
Boot setup plug-in
Discs setup plug-in
Filer setup plug-in
Fonts setup plug-in
Help setup plug-in
Keyboard setup plug-in
Lock setup plug-in
Mouse setup plug-in
Pinboard setup plug-in
Screen setup plug-in
Sound setup plug-in
System setup plug-in
Theme setup plug-in
Time and date setup plug-in
Windows setup plug-in
12 The Boot application
Introduction
Getting out of a mess
Inside the Boot application
PreDesktop boot
Desktop boot
Desktop settings file
Other names for the Boot application
13 Using discs
Fixed and removable discs
Mounting and dismounting discs
Naming discs
Formatting discs
Backing up discs
Checking for disc defects (verifying)
Checking the amount of free space on a disc
Using several removable discs at once
What to do if something goes wrong
14 Other storage devices and filing systems
Types of filing systems
Using DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs
Using DOS and Windows discs
Using spare RAM as a disc
Using read-only resources
Using USB connected drives and SCSI discs
Using removable memory cards
Part 3 - Networking
15 Local networks
Types of network
Configuring networking
Disc sharing on an Access network
Printing over an Access network
File sharing on an Econet network
Printing over an Econet network
File sharing using other protocols
16 Setting up networking
Introduction
Configuring connection to an Econet network
Configuring connection to an Access network
Configuring connection to the Internet
Saving your Network Configuration
17 OmniClient
Selecting OmniClient’s protocols
Starting OmniClient
Using OmniClient
Icon bar menu
Printing through an OmniClient protocol
Quitting OmniClient
Advanced OmniClient configuration
Part 4 - Printing
18 Setting up printers
Setting up the printer
Loading the Printer Manager
Configuring the printer
Configuring the printer connection
Activating the printer
Editing paper sizes
Saving your choices
Creating your own Printer definition file
19 Printing your files
Starting Printer Manager
Printing a file
Things you can’t print
Using more than one printer
Print queue control
Text printing and graphics printing
Using PostScript printers
Hints and tips
20 PrintEdit
Starting PrintEdit
The PrintEdit window
Graphics mode
Text modes
Saving and quitting
21 FontPrint
Starting FontPrint
Mapping
Downloading
Advanced information
Part 5 - RISC OS applications
22 RISC OS applications
Where to look for applications
Starting applications
Loading any file into Edit
Transferring data between applications
Setting application options in Boot files
Adding more applications to a hard disc
23 Using colour in applications
Colour models
Using colour in Draw
Colour and the desktop
24 Using fonts in applications
RISC OS fonts
Choosing and using fonts in applications
How the Font Manager works
Matching font performance to your needs
Printing with fonts
Changing the desktop font
Troubleshooting
25 Edit
Starting Edit
Typing in text
Editing text
Formatting text
Changing the display font
Saving text files
Printing text files
Other features of Edit
Writing and editing BASIC programs
Quitting Edit
Saving Edit application preferences
Keystroke equivalents
26 Draw
Starting Draw
Basic ideas
Undoing and redoing operations
Using the Grid to place objects accurately
Zooming in and out of your drawing
Displaying two views of the same file
Creating objects (Enter mode)
Manipulating objects (Select mode)
Creating special effects in Draw (interpolation and grading)
Defining a path object’s style
Defining text style
Editing Draw objects (Path edit mode)
Importing (loading) files into Draw
Exporting (saving) files from Draw
Printing Draw files
Text areas
DXF files
JPEGs (photo-quality images)
Working with multiple Draw files
Saving Draw application preferences
Keyboard shortcuts
27 Paint
Starting Paint
Basic ideas
Painting with a sprite
Painting with the mask of a sprite
Creating a new sprite
Handling sprite files
Manipulating sprites within a sprite file
Handling JPEG images
Choosing and using colours
Zooming in and out (scaling a sprite window)
Using a grid
Using Paint’s tools
Changing a sprite’s size, shape and orientation
Taking screen snapshots
Printing a sprite
Saving Paint application preferences
Types of sprite that can be created by Paint
Keyboard shortcuts
28 Alarm
Starting Alarm
Setting the time and date
Setting an alarm
Saving alarms
When an alarm goes off
Browsing through your alarms
Configuring the Alarm choices
Alarm files
Quitting Alarm
Time and date display formats
29 Help
Starting Help
Seeing what help is available
Controlling Help
30 Chars
Starting Chars
Inserting a character
Using fonts
Keyboard entry
Icon bar menu
Choices
31 CloseUp
Starting CloseUp
CloseUp options
32 Maestro
Starting Maestro
Playing a tune
Editing the score
The Maestro menu
Setting up your own score
Some tips
Maestro’s use of memory
33 SciCalc
Starting SciCalc
Entering numbers
Arithmetic functions
Memory functions
Advanced functions
Changing the number base and angle unit
Keyboard shortcuts
Icon bar menu
Choices
Technical notes
34 Squash
Starting Squash
Compressing a file
Decompressing a file
Compressing a directory or application
Decompressing a directory or application
Icon bar menu
Checking your archive
Exceptions
Part 6 - RISC OS diversions
35 Blocks
Starting Blocks
Keys
Blocks menus
36 Flasher
Starting Flasher
Icon bar menu
37 Hopper
Starting Hopper
Keys
Icon bar menu
Choices
38 Madness
Starting Madness
Quitting Madness
39 MemNow
Starting MemNow
Compact display
40 Meteors
Starting Meteors
Keys
41 MineHunt
Starting MineHunt
Playing MineHunt
Choices
Icon bar menu
42 Patience
Starting Patience
The rules
Playing Patience
Choices
43 Puzzle
Starting Puzzle
Puzzle menu
Part 7 - RISC OS utilities
44 T1ToFont
Converting a font
Using Macintosh and MS-DOS type 1 fonts
45 HForm
Formatting your existing hard disc
46 ChangeFSI
Starting ChangeFSI
Using ChangeFSI
Icon bar menu options
Image menu options
Image file conversion
47 Usage
Starting Usage
Detailed display
48 Patch
Starting Patch
Applying or removing patches
49 SparkFS
Archives
Read-only edition
Starting SparkFS
Icon bar menu
Archive handling
Converting archives
Choices
Appendices
Appendix A: The command line
Accessing the command line
Using the task window
Getting Help
Using the command line
Command line syntax
System devices
!Run and !Boot files within applications
System variables
Command and application options and other variables
Command scripts
Using GS formats in scripts
Appendix B: BBC BASIC
BBC BASIC V and VI
Entering BASIC
Leaving BASIC
Writing and editing BASIC files
Command line syntax for BASIC
Appendix C: RISC OS file types
Generic file types
Commercial software file types
Public domain software file types
Appendix D: Old-type screen modes
Display Manager
Numbered screen modes
Appendix E: Removing a disc defect
What is a defect?
Removing a defect
Technical details
Appendix F: Character sets
Loading an alphabet
How alphabets are initially set up
Keyboard shortcuts
Typing special characters
Latin1 alphabet (ISO 8859-1)
Latin2 alphabet (ISO 8859-2)
Latin3 alphabet (ISO 8859-3)
Latin4 alphabet (ISO 8859-4)
Cyrillic alphabet (ISO 8859-5)
Welsh alphabet (ISO IR-182)
Greek alphabet (ISO 8859-7)
Hebrew alphabet (ISO 8859-8)
Latin5 alphabet (ISO 8859-9)
Latin6 alphabet (ISO 8859-10)
Latin7 alphabet (ISO 8859-13)
Latin8 alphabet (ISO 8859-14)
Latin9 alphabet (ISO 8859-15)
Latin10 alphabet (ISO 8859-16)
Appendix G: Error messages
Error messages
Symbols
Numerics
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Z