COMPANY : Information Appliance Inc. (IAI) AREA : Tutorial TITLE : CANON CAT ON-LINE TUTORIAL DATE : 1986? AUTHOR : ? SYSTEM : Cat @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ JEF RASKIN COPYRIGHT NOTICE -- APRIL 1997 @ This work includes material copyrighted by, trademarks of, and patents held @ by Jef Raskin (jefraskin@aol.com / 8 Gypsy Hill / Pacifica CA 94044 USA). @ Right to copy, use, modify, and distribute for personal, research, and @ educational purposes is granted to anyone who affixes this notice to all @ copies. Commercial rights reserved. If you make money or plan to make money @ by using any of this or work derived from it, contact me to arrange for @ commercial licensing. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ JEF RASKIN COPYRIGHT NOTICE -- APRIL 1997 (Consists of 62 lesson screens) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE FIRST DOCUMENT CHARACTER You found it. This is the only document character that appears at the top of the screen when you leap to it. In this case you leaped forward from the bottom of the text to the top. You can do this because the text is formed in a loop: the top meets the bottom. You can always leap to this part of your text by holding the <-LEAP key and pressing PAGE a few times. As soon as you type more consecutive page characters than can be found anywhere in your text, the cursor will leap to the beginning of the text. Before erasing the entire text, take out your tutorial disk (push the eject button) and put a blank disk in the drive. After you've erased everything, you can begin your own text. When you've typed a few paragraphs, use the DISK command to record it. Use the DISK command frequently while you work so your recorded text will always be up-to-date. Do the following: Press both LEAP keys to highlight the entire text, then press the ERASE key. Bye! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WELCOME TO THE CAT You don't have to know anything about a computer to use the Cat. A little typing skill is all you need to type, print and record your letters, stories, inventories, journals -- whatever you desire -- electronically. You can also do calculations, communicate two-way with other Cats or computers over phone lines, and more. The Cat gives you the power of a computer, yet it's as simple and easy to operate as a typewriter. |==1| (<-this means "lesson one") First, we'll introduce leaping -- absolutely the fastest way ever to move a cursor. The cursor is the blinking object: It marks your place on the screen. Special keys below the SPACE BAR are used for leaping. Find the rose-colored key shown below. | SPACE BAR | | ||LEAP->| <--this key Now do this: Hold down the LEAP-> key and, while you hold it down, press the letter "a" key twice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEAPING, TEXT & CHARACTERS Very good! You have just completed a leap. (Let go of the LEAP-> key now.) Notice where the blinking cursor is. While you held the LEAP key, you pressed the "a" key twice, and the cursor instantly found exactly what you "typed" -- two consecutive a's (this will all become clearer as we go on). Leaping is your main technique for moving through text. Text is what you are looking at right now: words, paragraphs, and pages. |==2| "aardvark" The building blocks of text are characters. Characters are the individual letters, symbols, punctuation marks that make up the words, paragraphs, pages. The cursor searches for what you type while you hold down the LEAP key. For example, if you held down the right LEAP key, which we call LEAP FORWARD or LEAP->, and "typed" the letters "a, b, c," the cursor would try to find it. Do the following: Hold the right LEAP key, LEAP FORWARD, and, while you hold it, "type" the letters a, b, c (just the letters, no punctuation or spaces). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STARTING OVER Let go of LEAP-> (you must let go of the LEAP keys between leaps). Notice that the cursor found the a, b, c that you were searching for. We don't think you'll have any trouble with the tutorial, but just in case you get stuck and want to start over, here's how. |==3| Starting over is as simple as "abc": Flip the power switch OFF, take a breath, then flip it ON again. The tutorial will come back like new. You cannot hurt the Cat by pressing any key or combination of keys. The text of the tutorial is recorded on the tutorial disk, and nothing you type or do on the screen can change it. So, while it is a good idea to read the instructions carefully, don't be afraid to make a mistake. Do the following to go on: Hold LEAP-> and, while you hold it, press the equal sign key (=) twice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WHAT'S AHEAD This tutorial will show you how to use the Cat with examples you can do right here on the screen. By the time you finish you will know the Cat very well. At the end of the last lesson you "typed" two equals while holding the LEAP-> key, and the Cat found two consecutive ='s with great speed and accuracy. (Let go of the LEAP-> key if you haven't yet. You have to let go between leaps.) |==4| You can always leap to the next lesson by... 1. Holding down LEAP-> with your right thumb, and 2. while you hold it, pressing the equal sign key twice. OK, try it again! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - EXPLAINING THE EQUAL SIGNS There is nothing special about the = signs next to the lesson numbers. They serve the same purpose as "aa" or "abc" did earlier. They simply make it easy to leap to a certain part of the text. Notice that you have two LEAP keys: LEAP FORWARD on the right, and LEAP BACKWARD on the left. Backward means earlier in the text, to the left of the cursor or above it. Forward means later, to the right of the cursor or below. |==5| If you want to go back to a previous lesson, you can hold LEAP BACKWARD, the left LEAP key, and, while holding it, press the equal sign key twice. Notice the lesson number next to the equal signs. There is nothing special about this number either. You can leap to it as easily as you leap to the equal signs, or, for that matter, anything else in the text. Let's use a letter combination to leap to the next lesson. Do the following: Hold the LEAP FORWARD key, and while holding it, press the letter "x" key twice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TYPING Well done. You found the double-x. Now let's learn how to type. The keyboard of your Cat is like a standard typewriter keyboard, but easier to use because carriage returns are automatic. Do the following: Press the ERASE key twice to erase the two x's, then type a couple of sentences. When you reach the right margin, the cursor and the word you are working on will automatically move down to the next line. |==6| xx This is called automatic word wrap. When can you type on your Cat? As soon as you turn it on. If the screen is dark and the words Canon Cat are bouncing around, press any key to wake the Cat up, and you're on your way. Do the following: Leap to the next lesson by holding LEAP-> and pressing twice on the equal sign key. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TYPING (cont.) -- PARAGRAPHING WITH THE RETURN KEY This example shows how to use RETURN to create paragraph breaks. Find the RETURN key on the right side of the keyboard, then do the following: 1. Hold the LEAP-> key and, while you hold it, press RETURN. This leaps the cursor to the end of the line after the lesson number... 2. Let go of LEAP->, press the SPACE BAR twice (typing a couple of spaces), then type a couple of lines of text. |==7| 3. Press the RETURN key twice. This creates a paragraph break. 4. Type another line. You've begun a new paragraph. To go on, hold LEAP-> and tap the equal sign key twice (from now on let's call this step LEAP-> to equal-equal for short). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TYPING (cont.) -- AUTOMATIC PAGE BREAKS Page endings, like line endings, are taken care of automatically. A printed page has 55 lines. When you've typed 55 lines of text, the Cat puts in an automatic page break, which is a dotted line like the one below. The number "1" in the center of the page break is the number of the page above the line. This is the bottom of page "1", and |==8| this is the top of page "2". When needed, you can begin a new page any place you want. To find out how, hold down LEAP->, and, while you hold it, press the numeral "nine" key (in the top row of keys) once. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TYPING (cont.) -- MARKING PAGE ENDINGS You can mark the end of a page by pressing the PAGE key (PAGE is in the same row as the SPACE BAR, all the way to the right). Pressing PAGE creates a page character, like the shaded line just below: This is the first line of page 2. Page characters mark page boundaries, ensuring that whatever you type next will be at the top of the page. Page characters are erasable, as the following example shows. This is the fifth line of page 2. |==9| Do the following: 1. Press the PAGE key three times. Notice that page 2 is only 5 lines long. Pages "3" and "4" would be blank (when there is no text between the page characters, they make your printer roll off a blank page). 2. Press the ERASE key three times. The page characters disappear. 3. To go on, hold down LEAP-> and type the word c-a-t (without hyphens -- we're using hyphens so the cursor can skip past this word). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A WORD ON LEAPING TO WORDS The next page has some interesting new information about typing, but to get there, we're going to try something a little different -- leaping to a word. As you found in leaping here, you can leap to a word as easily as leaping to "aa" or "xx": Just hold down the LEAP key and type some or all of the word you want to leap to. Two or three letters is usually enough. |==10| cat Do the following: Hold the LEAP-> key and, while holding it, press the s key, then the k key. Remember -- press s then k. The leap will be almost instantaneous. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TYPING (cont.) -- TEXT IS ALWAYS INSERTED Bravo! If your cursor found the "s" in "s-k-y" below (the hyphens are used so that the cursor will bypass this word), your leap was right on target. Now let's learn an important lesson about typing. Whenever you type in the middle of existing text, the new text you type will be added like books between bookends. The old text moves ahead to make room for the new; line endings adjust automatically. |==11| The sky Do the following: Type the word blue, then press the SPACE BAR. This changes "The sky" to "The blue sky." You've just learned how to add new text: Leap to the character that will come just after the text you want to add, then begin typing. Here you leaped to the "s" in "sky," then typed "blue ". To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TYPING IN A NUTSHELL To type, just type. That's a brief, but accurate description. Line endings and page endings are automatic. New text is always inserted. To add text in the middle of something, leap to the first character that will come after the new text, then begin typing. Line endings and page endings adjust automatically. |==12| To start a new paragraph, press the RETURN key twice. To mark a page ending, press the PAGE key. This creates a page character. Page characters are erasable, just like other characters. Now for some new things about leaping. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEAPING To leap anywhere in your text, hold a LEAP key and "retype" the part you want to find. It doesn't matter if it's on the same page or many pages distant. You can leap to letters, numerals, punctuation, spaces, page characters -- anything, as long as it's there. Here are some examples for you to try: Punctuation: Hold the LEFT LEAP key, LEAP BACKWARD, and press the comma key, as if typing a comma. You leap to a comma. |==13| Letter combinations: (Let go of the LEAP key.) Hold the RIGHT LEAP key, LEAP FORWARD, and, while holding it, press the letters t then u. This leaps the cursor to the middle of the word "intuition." Spaces: (Let go of the LEAP key.) Hold the RIGHT LEAP, LEAP FORWARD, press the SPACE BAR, then the k key. You will leap to a space before the letter "k". (Let go of the LEAP key.) To go on, hold the LEAP FORWARD key, LEAP->, and press the numeral "four" key (in the top row of keys). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GETTING LOST WHEN YOU LEAP Leaping is very fast. This time you leaped forward about 30 lines, but distance is really meaningless -- you can leap anywhere in your text, even if it is a hundred pages away, in a fraction of a second. Since leaping can zap you many pages away in a flash, you might wonder what to do when you get lost. Fortunately it is easy to UNDO a leap. |==14| To find out how, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - UNDO The UNDO key is in the upper right corner of the keyboard (just above the ERASE key). Don't press the key yet, just find it. |==15| An example of UNDO is coming right up. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - UNDOING A LEAP Do the following: 1. Let go of the LEAP key if you are holding one. Next, hold either LEAP key, and, while holding it, tap the comma key as if typing a comma. The cursor leaps to the nearest comma. 2. Let go of the LEAP key. 3. Now to UNDO the leap: Press the UNDO key. |==16| This causes the cursor to leap back where it started from. 4. Use the UNDO command a second time. You will leap back to the comma. UNDO can undo itself, so using it twice is the same as not using it at all. Now you know how to use the UNDO command: Press the UNDO key. Use it again if you decide you don't want to undo the change after all. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - USE UNDO FREELY UNDO will not only cancel a leap, but most other things as well. So don't hesitate to use it if anything occurs which you did not intend. Be sure to use UNDO immediately, because it only undoes the very last thing you did. If you erase after leaping, for example, UNDO will bring back what you erased, but it will not undo the leap. |==17| Do the following: Press and release the UNDO key twice. The first press undoes your last leap and takes you back to lesson 16. The second brings you back here to lesson 17. Repeated pressing takes you back and forth. Remember, UNDO is your life preserver and parachute. Use it! You are about half way to the midpoint of the tutorial. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEAP TECHNIQUE Thumbs make the best LEAP key holders. This frees your other fingers to type. Try using your thumbs to hold the LEAP keys in the upcoming examples. Next up, LEAP AGAIN -- the command that lets you leap from one thing to another without letting go and starting over. |==18| To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEAP AGAIN LEAP AGAIN lets you leap from letter to letter, word to word, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, page to page, and so forth without having to let go of the LEAP key between leaps. Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP-> and press the "e" key once. |==19| 2. Continue holding the LEAP-> key (or hold it again if you've let go), and, while you hold it, press a USE FRONT key a few times. Each time you press USE FRONT you move to the next example of "e" in the text. 3. To change directions, let go of LEAP->, hold <-LEAP, then press the USE FRONT key repeatedly while holding <-LEAP. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. (If you remain on this lesson, simply LEAP AGAIN: While continuing to hold LEAP->, press USE FRONT once.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEAPING AGAIN TO WORDS The following example shows that you can leap again to words (phrases, too) as easily as you can leap again to individual letters. Do the following two steps: |==20| 1. Hold LEAP->, and, while holding it, type the word: press 2. Continue to hold LEAP-> (or hold it again if you've let go) and, while you hold it, press the USE FRONT key three times. On the third tap, you'll leap to another "press" in the following lesson. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - USING LEAP AGAIN TO FIND INFORMATION Congratulations! You used LEAP AGAIN to get to the next lesson. LEAP AGAIN allows you to find all instances of a word or phrase. For example, you used a key word to find this lesson. |==21| Next, highlighting. To get there, do the following: 1. Let go of LEAP->. 2. Leap to equal-equal: Hold LEAP-> and press the equal sign key twice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOW TO HIGHLIGHT Highlighting is how you show the Cat some text you'd like to do something with, such as erase, print or move. You've probably noticed the solid rectangle that accompanies the blinking cursor. This is the highlight. Highlighting means extending the highlight so that it covers two or more characters. |==22| If you wanted to show someone some text for printing, erasing or moving, you might point to the first and last character and say, "All the text between here and here." That's how you point out the text to the Cat, but by leaping: To highlight some text, leap from one end of it to the other without letting go of the LEAP key (you can use LEAP AGAIN), and then press both LEAP keys. An example follows. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HIGHLIGHTING A PARAGRAPH AND ERASING IT Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, press the RETURN key. The cursor leaps to the end of the paragraph. (It's all right if you let go here, but you don't have to.) 2. Press both LEAP keys. The paragraph highlights (turns white-on-black). 3. Let go of the LEAP keys, then press the ERASE key. The highlighted text disappears. |==23| "The next thing most like living one's life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing." -- Ben Franklin, Autobiography 4. Use the UNDO command to bring it back. 5. VERY IMPORTANT: Press and release either LEAP key to make the highlight go back to its normal size! If you don't, the highlighted text will move with the cursor the next time you leap. To go on, hold LEAP->, and press the letters f and i (as in f-i-r-s-t). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WHEN HIGHLIGHTING, COVER THE TEXT IN ONE LEAP Holding down the LEAP key anchors one end of the highlight. Letting go of the LEAP key sets the other end. So, use only one leap to cover the text you wish to highlight. You can use LEAP AGAIN to help the cursor make it in one leap. Here's how to use LEAP AGAIN to highlight and erase three paragraphs: 1. Hold LEAP->, press RETURN twice, and, continuing to hold LEAP->, press USE FRONT twice. You leap to the end of the third paragraph. 2. Press both LEAP keys. |==24| First paragraph: The cursor lands at the end of this line in step 1. Second paragraph: Leaping again gets the cursor past this paragraph. Third paragraph: The cursor lands at the end of this paragraph after you use LEAP AGAIN the second time. Press both LEAP keys now. 3. All three paragraphs should be highlighted. Release the LEAP keys, then press the ERASE key. 4. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONGRATULATIONS! You now know how to leap and highlight. This will make it easy to use commands. Typing, leaping, highlighting and commands -- that's all there is to the Cat. |==25| To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOW TO USE COMMANDS Most commands work like this: You highlight the text you wish to affect, then hold USE FRONT, and press and release the command key. Only the highlighted text will change. "USE FRONT" is short for "USE the command on the FRONT of the key." The command names, like "LEAP AGAIN," are written on the fronts of their keys. |==26| Now let's try it. The COPY command is good for starters. Notice "COPY" written on the front of the A key. To get to the example we need to do the following: 1. Hold down LEAP->, and, while holding it, type: si 2. Continue holding LEAP-> (or hold it again if you've let go), and press the USE FRONT key once. This will make you leap again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE COPY COMMAND The cursor should be on the "S" in "S-i-l-e-n-c-e". (Unless you leap specifically to a capital letter, leaping will take you to both capital and lowercase letters.) Here's how to highlight and copy a sentence. Do the following: 1. Let go of all keys, then hold LEAP->, press the period key (.) The cursor leaps to the period at the end of the sentence. 2. Press both LEAP keys at the same time. The sentence highlights. Let go of the LEAP keys. |==27| Silence is golden. 3. Use the COPY command: Hold USE FRONT, press COPY (the A key). A copy of the sentence appears. 4. Use the UNDO command. The copied text disappears. 5. IMPORTANT: Press and release either LEAP key to return the highlight to normal size. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COMMANDS IN A NUTSHELL The preceding example showed you just about all you need to know. Again, the two steps to using most commands are 1. Highlight some text, 2. use the command. You can UNDO most commands, just as you did with COPY. |==28| You are about half way through the tutorial. Moving text is coming up. To go on, we'll leap to a word, then use LEAP AGAIN. Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, type: blue 2. Continue holding LEAP->, and press USE FRONT once to leap again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MOVING TEXT To move text, highlight it and leap to the new location. The cursor should now be on the word "b-l-u-e" (hyphens used to make the cursor skip by here). We'll highlight this word, then leap backward to the word "sky". When you let go of the LEAP key, the highlighted word will leap to the position of the cursor. Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, tap the SPACE BAR once, then press both LEAP keys. The word highlights. Let go. (Go on to step 2 below.) |==29| The sky was clear and cloudless. He looked earnestly into her blue eyes and said, "Please, you are standing on my foot." 2. Hold <-LEAP (the left LEAP key), type: sk The cursor leaps backward to the word "sky". 3. Let go. The word "blue" leaps in front of "sky", forming "blue sky". 4. IMPORTANT: Press and release either LEAP key to unhighlight. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MOVING TEXT (cont.) The word blue leapt in front of sky the instant you let go of the LEAP key. The move was very fast! Notice the similarity to the earlier blue sky example: Again you placed the cursor on the "s" in "sky" before inserting the new text. Inserting text by typing and inserting it by moving are exactly the same: Place the cursor on the character that should come immediately to the right of the text you are moving or inserting, such as the "s" in "sky". |==30| Sometimes you'll leap off-target and the highlighted text you're moving will land in the wrong place. Don't worry. Let go of the LEAP key, allowing your text to move into the wrong spot, then leap to a better place. When the highlighted text moves again, the text around it snaps back into shape. The next example shows how you might move a sentence. To leap there, we'll leap to the key word shown below, then LEAP AGAIN. Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, type: jack 2. Continue holding LEAP->, and press USE FRONT once to leap again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MOVING A SENTENCE Do the following: 1. Let go of LEAP->, then hold LEAP-> again and press the period key (.) The cursor leaps to the end of the first sentence. 2. Press both LEAP keys to highlight the sentence, then let go. 3. Hold LEAP->, press RETURN. The cursor leaps to the end of the paragraph. 4. Let go. The highlighted sentence leaps to the end of the paragraph. |==31|Jack was sure his car could make it. The road was steep, but he had four-wheel drive and a powerful engine. Now to tidy up a bit: 1. Press and release the left LEAP key (<-LEAP). The cursor lands on the "J" in "Jack". 2. Press the SPACE BAR twice to add two spaces between sentences. Next, erasing. To go on, do the following: LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE BUILT-IN CLEVERNESS OF ERASE When you're typing, pressing the ERASE key makes the cursor backspace, erasing as it goes. Usually this is just what you want it to do. After leaping, ERASE erases to the right of the cursor. This is good because you often want to erase the characters to the right of the cursor after a leap. |==32| Corrections are easy: Just leap to the trouble spot, press the ERASE key to erase it, then retype, as the following example shows. Do the following: Hold LEAP->, press the z (as in "zebra") key twice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CORRECTING A MISSPELLED WORD Both the cursor and the highlight are now on the first "z" below. When you do the correction, notice that the character in the highlight (the "z"), is the one that disappears when you press the ERASE key. Do the following: 1. Press ERASE two times to erase both z's. 2. Type: ss |==33| You've leaped to a badly mizzpelled word. The correction is complete. You've also learned something very important about the cursor. To find out what, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE FUNDAMENTAL CURSOR RULE The Cat's cursor has two parts: the blinking cursor and the solid highlight. Each has a special purpose, like a pencil and an eraser. The cursor shows where the next thing you type will appear. The highlight shows which character or characters will disappear if you press the ERASE key. |==34| This is always true, so we call it the "Fundamental Cursor Rule." The Cat's two-part cursor helps you type and erase with confidence and accuracy. After a leap, the cursor and the highlight both land on the same character. The Fundamental Rule still holds: You can either type or erase at this location. You saw this work with "mizzpelling" earlier. Another example will make it even clearer. Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, type the word: jill 2. LEAP AGAIN: Continue to hold LEAP->, and press USE FRONT once. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ERASING AND RETYPING A WORD Do the following: 1. Press the ERASE key four times to erase the name you leaped to. This is the first step in making a correction: Leap to it and ERASE it. 2. Now type a new name, Mary. Notice that the highlight rests on the last letter you typed. |==35| The coach said Jill ran faster than anyone. Do the following: Press the ERASE key a few times and notice that the character in the highlight is the one that disappears. Whether you're erasing forward or backward, you can rely on the Fundamental Cursor Rule. You've seen how the cursor leaps. You may also have noticed the cursor "creeping" when you press a LEAP key. We'll explain that next: 1. Hold LEAP-> and, while you hold it, type the word: slow 2. LEAP AGAIN: Continue to hold LEAP->, and press the USE FRONT key once. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CREEPING To creep, simply tap a LEAP key repeatedly. The cursor moves one character each time you press and release the LEAP key. Do the following: 1. Tap repeatedly on the LEAP-> key. The cursor creeps forward one character for each tap. 2. Release LEAP-> and tap repeatedly on the left LEAP key, <-LEAP. The cursor creeps one character backward with each tap. |==36| Creeping is like conventional cursor movement -- slow. Creeping is good for moving the cursor a short distance, a few characters at most. To go on, do the following: Hold LEAP->, press the x key twice. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ERASE WORKS FORWARD AFTER CREEPING Creeping is convenient for short moves and for switching ERASE directions. The following example will give you a very useful skill. Do the following: 1. Type your name. The nonsense letters stay in front of the cursor -- how to get rid of them? 2. Press and release the LEAP-> key. The cursor creeps to the first "x". 3. Press the ERASE key four times. This erases the nonsense letters. |==37| xxjk So, if you have a problem right next to the cursor, creep to it, then erase it. Since creeping is like conventional cursor movement, there's a chance you'll use it as a crutch. Don't let this happen! Leaping is far faster and will soon become automatic. But you must practice it faithfully at first. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CREEPING TO CHANGE THE SIZE OF THE HIGHLIGHT There is one other way to use creeping: to change the amount of text you highlight when you press both LEAP keys. Do the following: 1. LEAP-> to the letter "s". 2. Press both LEAP keys. This extends the highlight. 3. Tap seven times on the LEAP-> key -- the highlight collapses and the cursor creeps forward to the letter "v"... (cont. below) |==38| a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 5. Press both LEAP keys. The highlight now extends farther, to the letter "v". 6. Very important: Press and release either LEAP key to collapse the highlight. You can also creep backward to shrink the highlighted area. To go on, leap to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NARROW AND WIDE CURSOR The cursor and highlight rest on the same character after you leap or creep. We call this a narrow cursor, since it is only one character wide (the cursor is narrow right now). A narrow cursor erases forward. After you begin typing, the cursor and highlight separate, covering two characters. This is a wide cursor. A wide cursor erases backward. |==39| Thus a glance at the cursor tells you which way it is going to erase. To go on, do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, type: say 2. Continue to hold LEAP->, and press USE FRONT once to leap again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SWITCHING ERASE DIRECTIONS TO MAKE A CORRECTION If the cursor is erasing forward and you want it to erase backward, type a space (or any character), then press ERASE. Typing a space changes the cursor from narrow to wide, and changes erasing from forward to backward. In the example below, the idea is to erase the "es" to the left of the cursor so that the sentence reads, "The true writer has nothing to s-a-y." (Again, hyphens were used to make the cursor skip this line.) |==40| "The true writer has nothing to essay. What counts is the way he says it." -- Alain Robbe-Grillet Do the following: 1. Press the SPACE BAR. The cursor switches from narrow to wide. 2. Press the ERASE key three times to erase "es " To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LEAPING TO PAGE CHARACTERS You'll be putting together the things you've learned more and more as we go on. The next example uses leaping, leaping again, highlighting, and erasing. Page characters are big and impressive looking, but they are only a single character like any other single character. You can type them, erase them, or leap to them with one stroke. |==41| The first step in the next example -- which shows you how to erase a lot of text all at once -- is to leap to a page character, so let's take a shortcut and do that now. Do the following: Hold LEAP->, and, while holding it, press and release the PAGE key. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ERASING A LOT OF TEXT ALL AT ONCE You already learned this trick when you learned how to extend the highlight (remember highlighting several paragraphs and erasing them?). That's how to erase a lot of text at one stroke: Highlight it, then press the ERASE key. Let's erase a bigger chunk of text this time -- a whole page. |==42| The cursor should now be on the page character below ("page 1"). The following two steps will leap you to the bottom of the page (off the screen below): 1. Hold LEAP->. 2. While holding it, press USE FRONT once in order to leap again. (Be sure you see the right lesson number (43) when you get there! If you don't, use UNDO.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WELL DONE! You leaped to the bottom of the page. Now do the following: 1. Press both LEAP keys. The page highlights (cont. below) |==43| 2. Press the ERASE key. The page disappears. 3. Press UNDO to bring it back. 4. VERY IMPORTANT: Press and release LEAP-> to unhighlight the text (if you don't, the highlighted page will follow the cursor the next time you leap. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal as usual. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ERASING IN A NUTSHELL To erase a lot of text: Leap from one end to the other (use LEAP AGAIN if you need to), extend the highlight (press both LEAP keys and let go), and press ERASE. You can erase two or more characters this way, up to and including the entire text. To adjust the highlighted area a little: Collapse the highlight and creep forward or backward, then highlight again. |==44| To erase a typing error: Press the ERASE key to backspace and erase it. To erase an error found in the text: Leap or creep to it, then press the ERASE key to forward erase it. To switch from backward erase to forward erase: Leap or creep, then ERASE. To switch from forward erase to backward erase: SPACE BAR, then ERASE. To get back erased material: Use UNDO. You are about 3/4 of the way through the tutorial. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BROWSING THROUGH YOUR TEXT Browsing means moving through the text as if it were a roll of player-piano paper. It's a great way to review or search your text. To browse, we leap to a paragraph break and use LEAP AGAIN to leap rapidly from paragraph to paragraph. Each paragraph has two returns at the end, so you can leap from paragraph to paragraph by leaping to two returns and then leaping again. A return is the character you get when you press the RETURN key. |==45| Returns are invisible except when highlighted (then they appear as a hooked arrow). Returns are real characters, the same as letters, punctuation, numerals, and spaces. That's why you can leap to them. Do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, and press the RETURN key twice (as if you were typing a paragraph break). You will leap to the end of the paragraph above. 2. Now to leap beyond the bottom edge of the screen. Hold LEAP->, then tap the USE FRONT key four times. Make the cursor go beyond this point. Very good. You will be at the end of this line after four taps on USE FRONT. Notice that part of the text you were reading before is still visible, but now it is above. Follow the instructions below to browse forward until you get beyond the bottom of the screen again. 3. Do the following: Hold LEAP-> and, while you hold it, press the USE FRONT key five times. Make the cursor go beyond this point. Very good. You will be on this line after leaping again five times. You can speed up browsing by holding down the USE FRONT key while you hold the LEAP key. 4. Do the following: Press and hold LEAP->, then press and hold USE FRONT at the same time and count to five. You move forward at great speed. Stop when you come to the STOP! sign below. Keep going. You can go farther... Just press and hold USE FRONT and the LEAP key together. Keep going. Very good. Push beyond the end of the screen... Keep going. You've browsed an entire page, but there's more to go. Hold LEAP->, press and hold USE FRONT. The cursor speeds from paragraph to paragraph. We're going forward quite a few more lines. Keep going. Press and hold LEAP-> and USE FRONT together. Don't be timid -- let the cursor speed. Keep going. Hold LEAP->, press and hold USE FRONT. You are learning what it feels like to scan your text. It is exhilarating. It is fast. Keep going. Very good. Keep going. Hold LEAP->, press and hold USE FRONT. You are learning what it feels like to scan your text. It is exhilarating. It is fast. The end is approaching. STOP! STOP! How to go to the next lesson: Let go, then LEAP-> to equal-equal. STOP! STOP! How to go to the next lesson: Let go, then LEAP-> to equal-equal. STOP! |End of 45| This is the end of the lesson on browsing. How to go to the next lesson: Let go, then LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE CIRCULAR TEXT Inside the Cat, the text forms a circle, like a racetrack. The bottom joins the top, forming a continuous loop. As you leap from paragraph to paragraph, you go around the loop. If you keep going, you'll eventually arrive back at your starting place. Similarly, you can leap in the wrong direction and still end up at the right place in your text. The cursor will search the entire text, if necessary. |==46| While you can leap directly to a specific word or subject by holding a LEAP key and "typing" it, browsing allows you to review unknown text. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SCROLLING Sometimes the text is positioned a little too high or low on the screen. Scrolling is a way to move it up or down a few lines so you can see it better. To scroll, hold down either SHIFT key and, while holding it, press either LEAP key. The text moves one line with each press on the LEAP key. |==47| Do the following: 1. Hold down either SHIFT key, and, while you hold it, tap the <-LEAP key a few times. Note: If you hold a LEAP key and press SHIFT nothing will happen. Keep holding the SHIFT key and try tapping on the other LEAP key. The text will move up or down one line for each tap. 2. Here's how you speed up scrolling: Let go of the SHIFT key, press and hold LEAP->, and, while you hold it, press and hold USE FRONT. You will begin to scroll rapidly forward. Let go when you come to the STOP sign. Continue to scroll forward. You are using LEAP AGAIN to scroll forward. Keep holding both keys until you come to the STOP sign. Keep going... Keep going... Keep going... Keep going... Keep going... Keep going... Keep going... OK, STOP! So, if you want to scroll more than just a few lines, scroll one line in either direction using SHIFT-LEAP, then let go of the SHIFT key and use LEAP AGAIN (USE FRONT-LEAP). Scrolling, like creeping, should not be used in place of leaping. It is just a way to reposition the text on the screen. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BEGINNING A DOCUMENT A document is any piece of typing you think of as standing alone in your text. A memo, a letter, a story, even a shopping list could all qualify as documents. To begin a new document, type a document character, the uppercase character on the PAGE key. Do the following: Step 1. Hold down SHIFT, and press DOCUMENT (the PAGE key) once. A document character numbered "10" appears. ==48 This ends the "document" above at page 10, and begins a new document below. Step 2. Let go of SHIFT, then press PAGE four times, typing four page characters. Notice that the pages are numbered 1 (no number), 2, 3, 4. This shows that the pages after a document character start over at "1" again. (Page 1 is unnumbered because its number does not appear in the printout.) Step 3. Erase the page characters and the document character (press ERASE five times, or until they are gone.) To go on, hold LEAP-> and, while you hold it, type em Then LEAP AGAIN once: Continue to hold LEAP->, and press USE FRONT once. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE FIRST DOCUMENT IN YOUR TEXT If you simply turn your Cat on with either a blank (brand new) disk or no disk in the drive, two horizontal lines like these appear across the top of the screen: |==49| This is an empty text. An empty text means nothing has been typed yet. The first two document characters are called the initial document characters. They cannot be erased. All other document characters can be erased, just like page characters. These two remain the first and last characters in your text, no matter how big the text gets. Think of them as bookends or scroll ends. All the text you type (or get from a disk) is stretched out between them. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FINDING ROOM FOR A NEW DOCUMENT It's easy to start a document in an empty text: just start typing. But what about when there is already text on your screen? You can start one anywhere simply by typing a document character. A better way is to leap to a document character, then type a document character. This creates a new pair of "bookends" for the document. |==50| We'll try that now. Do the following to leap directly to a document character: Hold LEAP-> and SHIFT, and, while holding them, press DOCUMENT. _________ __________________ _________ ________ |USE FRONT|| SPACE BAR ||USE FRONT||DOCUMENT| <-this key - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BEGINNING A NEW DOCUMENT (cont.) The cursor should now be on the document character below. Do the following: 1. Type a document character (hold SHIFT, press DOCUMENT). 2. Type a couple of lines of text. (Note: The page number "1" refers to the text above the document character.) |==51| Your typing should be sandwiched between two document characters. To print your new document, you'd simply leap from one document character to the other, highlight, and use the PRINT command. We'll take up printing next. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TO PRINT A DOCUMENT First, highlight the text you want to print. Then use the PRINT command. When you highlight a document you need to leap from document character to document character in order to highlight all the pages in the document at once. If your printer is hooked up to your Cat now, you can print the document that follows (a memo we cooked up). If not, you can still go through the steps. |==52| Do the following: Hold LEAP->, and, while you hold it, press the PAGE key. This will leap you to the next document character, which is in the next lesson. (The PAGE key can be used leap to document characters, page characters, and automatic page breaks.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - YOUR FIRST PRINTOUT A printout means printing on paper. Let go of LEAP->, then do the following: 1. Hold LEAP->, and, while you hold it, press USE FRONT once. You leap to the document character at the end of the memo. 2. Press both LEAP keys to highlight the memo (then let go). 3. Use the PRINT command: Hold USE FRONT, press the PRINT key (j). |==53| Pat: Pack your bags and report to the airport. Please prepare for a long flight. Possible Pulitzer for you in Patagonian caper. --The Publisher A PRINT sign appears briefly below the ruler, and, if you have a printer, printing begins immediately. When the highlight returns to normal you can begin typing, leaping, or using other commands. You're almost done with the tutorial. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WHY YOU NEED TO RECORD YOUR TEXT The text on your screen depends on an uninterrupted supply of electric current to exist. Because of this, your text would be gone forever if the power went out. A disk, however, provides more or less permanent storage for text. You can record your text on a disk much the same way you record music on tape. Then your text is preserved no matter what happens to the electric current. |==54| The DISK command is in charge of recording your text. To find out how it works, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOW TO RECORD TEXT The first time you record your text, you need a blank (fresh out of the box) disk. To record your text you simply insert the blank disk in the drive (the slot on the right side of the screen) and then use the DISK command. The disk drive is like a tape recorder. You can leave the disk in the drive as long as you want. Use the DISK command frequently while you work. This ensures that the disk has an up-to-date recording of your text at all times. |==55| When you use the DISK command, a DISK sign appears below the ruler and a small "in-use" light comes on in the disk drive. In a few seconds, your text is recorded and the light goes out. Never remove a disk from the drive or turn off the power while the DISK command is working, or you will lose your text. If you walk off and leave the Cat alone, it will automatically record your text after a few minutes. Afterward, the screen goes dark. Pressing any key will wake the screen up again with everything exactly as it was. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TO PLAY BACK TEXT After you've recorded your text, you can change disks and play back another text. Play back means bringing back the text that has been recorded on a disk, and putting it on the screen where you can work on it again. When you started this tutorial you played back the tutorial disk. The Cat will not let you play back another text unless you've recorded the current text first. This prevents accidentally throwing out the valuable changes you've made. ______ ______ |==56| |tuto- | | | |rial | --- playback --> |screen| |disk | | | Playback has no effect on the information stored on a disk, any more than reading a book has an effect on the book. Only by recording can you change what's on a disk. Recording copies what is on the screen back onto the disk. Recording and playing back are both done with the DISK command. The DISK command is "smart." It knows whether it should record or play back. To turn the page, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET A BEEP When the Cat cannot record or play back safely, it beeps to let you know. The usual reason is that you are trying to play back a new text without recording the old one first. A beep might also mean the disk in the drive is write-protected. Write-protection means the disk is protected against recording. How do you know why you got a beep? Ask the Cat. Do the following: |==57| 1. Use the DISK command (hold USE FRONT, press DISK). The Cat will try to record on the tutorial disk. But the tutorial is write-protected, so you get a beep. 2. Use the EXPLAIN command (hold USE FRONT, press EXPLAIN) -- keep holding USE FRONT. You get a message explaining that the disk is write-protected (ignore what it says about removing write-protection). To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONGRATULATIONS! You have learned how to o Type something. o Make changes in it (inserting, erasing, moving text). o Print it. o Record it. |==58| Most of what you do on the Cat falls into this pattern. A quick review will put everything in perspective. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE CAT Four things make the Cat go: Typing, leaping, highlighting and commands. To type, you simply type. The cursor and highlight show where typing and erasing will occur on the screen. To leap, hold down a LEAP key and type what you want to find. The cursor will leap to it (providing it exists). Release the LEAP key after you leap. |==59| To highlight text, leap from one end to the other and then press both LEAP keys. This enables you to erase a chunk of text or use a command on it. To use a command, highlight the text you want to affect, then hold USE FRONT and press the command key. Don't forget the UNDO command, which allows you to cancel most things you do immediately after they've been done. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOW THE CAT FITS TOGETHER The four skills you have learned fit together in a simple, compact whole: o Typing is just typing. o Leaping is the flip side of typing ("type" what you want to leap to). o If you can leap, you can highlight any part of the text you want. o Commands tell the Cat what to do with highlighted text. |==60| Thus leaping is the key to the Cat. To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WHERE TO GO FROM HERE Now that you know your Cat, you might want to try typing and printing something of your own. The next lesson will show you how to start. Use your How-to Guide for help with specific problems. Keep the Quick Reference Card on hand. |==61| To go on, LEAP-> to equal-equal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOW TO START YOUR OWN TEXT You need a blank disk and an empty text to get started. The instructions at the bottom of this screen will help you get an empty text. We leave the blank disk up to you. If you'd like to review the tutorial, you can turn off the Cat, wait a few seconds and then turn it on. Or, simply LEAP AGAIN: Hold LEAP->, tap USE FRONT. You'll leap forward, past the end of the text, to the beginning. |==62| To get an empty text you need to erase the entire text. Erasing the text will have no effect on your tutorial disk. Remember, what you see here is a playback of the tutorial disk. Only recording would change the disk, and that's impossible because the tutorial disk is write-protected. To get started, hold LEAP->, and, while holding it, press the PAGE key about FIVE times. The cursor will leap to the end of the text and stop. There'll be more instructions there. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE FINAL DOCUMENT CHARACTER Well done. This is the only document character that appears at the bottom of your screen when you leap to it. You can always find this part of your text by holding the LEAP-> key and pressing PAGE a few times. As soon as you type more consecutive page characters than can be found anywhere in your text, the cursor will leap to the end of the text (five is not a magic number -- two may do). The next step in erasing the entire text is to leap to the first document character. To do this, hold LEAP->, and LEAP AGAIN (press USE FRONT). Cat Tutorial copyright (c) 1987 by Information Appliance Inc. [ FINIS ]