> Remember, I'm New ! > > Soak testing my now working Gold Card last night. > > Using SMSQ/E and whilst running two copies of Xchange last night, I > thought Id run WEST ( talent adventure ) as well, just to see if i > could > crash my QL. I was shocked and slightly suprised that by running > WEST > (which runs In MODE 4, low res i believe), when CTRL C'ing between > sessions, my exchange jobs were reduced from 80 column to a hybrid > low > res mode with flashing streaks across my monitor. Whilst nothing > crashed > I just wondered if this was a known 'feature' and has / has no > solution > apart from the obvious ( don't run MODE 4 applications whilst MODE 8 > applications are running) Flashing is usually because the computer is trying to display mode 4 graphics while the screen is in mode 8. In mode 8, the QL expects every 2nd bit in the colour words to be a bit controlling flashing, but in mode 4 pictures this bit indicates green pixels, so the QL gets confused. Not an easy thing to explain, but see the Concepts part of the QL manual in the section called "memory map" for an explanation.
> Also, what is the purpose of SHIFT F4 ( shows two connected squares > icon) and SHIFT F5 (shows a Padlock icon) within Xchange ( not sure > if > this happens outside of SMSQ/E as my QL was running it ) > > Ok, newby questions over. :-) SHIFT F4 (or F9 on keyboards with that key) toggles between INSERT and OVERWRITE modes in Quill for example. SHIFT F5 (or F10 on keyboards with that key) tries to redraw the display. CTRL F4 brings up the double interlocked squares, which is a MOVE feature - on large displays you can move the Xchange display around the screen to your preferred location. Move the double squares around with the mouse (if you have one) or cursor keys and press space or enter to "drop" the icon and the Xchange display at that location. On a QL display you'll see the effect, but I don't think there's much room to move the physical Xchange picture around on the 512x256 pixel QL display. CTRL F5 "freezes" the display, e.g. when you COPY or COPY_N a text file to the screen and it scrolls too fast to read, you can use CTRL F5 to freeze the display and CTRL F5 again (in fact, any key will work) to release it to scroll again. CTRL F3 on some programs (though not Xchange) will bring up a double square (small square within large square) icon which lets you reduce or enlarge the program's display, i.e. how much of the screen it uses. If you use QPAC2 for example, you can use CTRL F3 to make the files list smaller or larger. CTRL F2 causes some programs to redraw their own display, e.g. if an overlapping program destroys the display. CTRL F1 will put some programs to sleep in what is called the QPAC2 button frame, which is very vaguely like a Windows taskbar where minimised programs lie. The 'padlock' feature usually implies that an attempt is made to move the pointer when the QL is in fact awaiting keyboard input for example. There are other such icons, for example an '8' symbol means that you are in mode 4 (4 colour mode) and the part of the screen on which your pointer is resting needs mode 8. A 'square' symbol usually means your pointer has wandered outside the window limits, i.e. no program has its windows under the pointer's current position (a unused part of screen). A 'no entry' red circle with white line across it implies you are within the program's outline on the screen, but you may have gone outside the active window. Usually happens when a program overlaps a new window which is smaller than the main window and the pointer arrow has strayed outside the smaller window, but is still within the border of the larger main window, just that as that window is partially buried, pointer input isn't possible, hence being locked out with the 'no entry' symbol. It sounds like you are starting to find your way around pointer environment. You might find Norman Dunbar's Pointer Environment Idiot's Guide helpful, as it is a gentle introduction to the very basics. It certainly helped me in my early days with it. You can get it from one of my websites at: http://dilwynjones.topcities.com/qldocs/qldocs.html Scroll down to the Pointer Environment section and you 'll see it there along with the hotkeys guides etc. Sorry, this email got a big longer than I'd intended, but I hope it helps to explain a few things. -- Dilwyn Jones -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.4/448 - Release Date: 14/09/2006 _______________________________________________ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
