
Documentation for DataPlot, 7th January 1990

IN USE:
=======

I shall presume a working knowledge of RISC_OS desktop, if you don't have a
good working knowledge of the desktop, it's about time you did!

I trust that the use of the package is intuitive!

This is a graph drawing package to compliment the rest of the data-handling
suite.  DataPlot handles two fields, one alphanumeric and one numeric.  The
Alphanumeric field will hold a maximum of 15 characters, the numeric field
will accept any numeric value, with no more than 11 characters, this may
change to only accepting Integers with a value between 0 and 999.

There are five types of graph available to you:

Pie Chart, Bar Graph, Bar-Line and a Line Graph, x:y under development.

These are plotted to a Sprite, which can be saved as such.
(Version 1.05 onwards has the Palette saves with the Sprite).

The choice of graph is selected through a pop-up menu as usual, the graph is
'updated' when selected.  The graph may also be updated by clicking on the
OK icon, or pressing Return, assuming that the window has the 'input focus',
ie. the title bar is yellow rather than grey.  This will be the case if the
caret is positioned in one of the fields.  To move the caret to another
field, use the cursor up & down keys, this is a RISC_OS desktop standard
which is being kept.  To write in the Title, Name: or Number: fields, use
the mouse to point to them, the cursor keys work in a cycle around the data
fields only.

The data can be saved and loaded as well, using the usual desktop filer,
(sprite files cannot be loaded, I see no reason to do this!).  I have used a
file_type for this, (&023), when the software is released, I shall ask Acorn
to reserve me a commercial number rather than just a User type.  Remember
that files created NOW may not get loaded when the software is officially
released.

LOADING and SAVING
==================

All standard RISC_OS transfers but with the additional 'FILING' feature.  By
clicking on this icon a directory called Data is opened, which will be
created in the parent directory to !DataPlot, probably in the root.  This is
for both convenience and, I have been told 'helpful', for those unfamiliar
with the desktop.

The sprites can be loaded straight into the paint package, rather than going
through the disc.  (Actually it does go through the disc!, see later).

PRINTING
========

To obtain a print out simply click on the PRINT icon.  You must have already
installed a printer driver, I think there are bugs in the printer driver,
although not too noticeable.  If you try to escape while printing, all goes
well, except possibly the escape condition is still enabled.  Other packages
from Acorn suffer this fate as well, so I presume that it is not my fault.
I could cancel the escape condition myself, but have chosen not to do so.
If you get this problem, type <f12> to get the OS * prompt and then press
RETURN to go back to the desktop, this cures everything.

It is no good trying to drop a data_file onto the printer driver, as this
will, if you wish, printout the data as text, but not the graph.  As the
data_file knows nothing about the current graph being plotted.  I have
therefore decided that it is meaningless to try to print this type of file.
It was also easier to program!

The structure of the data_file is now compatible with Minerva's Graph Box.

BUGS:
=====

Mostly ironed out, I hope! I know about most of them, maybe you can comment
on any that you find!  I hope it doesn't crash on you to often.  Most of the
features have now been implemented. (?)

The data transfer to other packages uses <Wimp$Scrap>, I know it's rather
clumsy, but what do you expect for the price (?)  I may use the
RAM_Transfer in future releases.

The program includes an error handler for times when: the disc is full, bad
path names etc., ie. errors outside the control of the programmer.  When
these occur the error is reported, and by clicking on the OK icon, control
should be passed back to the user without any major hic-ups.  I hope that
you do not get into a recursive problem when the error box will not cancel.
It should also be pointed out that; in pre-release versions, 'untrapped'
errors contain error numbers and line numbers of where they occurred.  This
is so that beta-testers can report back to me, PRECISELY what the error was,
where it occurred plus how and when it occurred.  Such verbosity will be
removed in official releases.

FEATURES ?
==========

There is at last graph labelling.  The data is printed out separately,
labelled ABC... there simply isn't enough room in the sprite.

Update! - I shall NOT be writing anything called DataPlot+, but instead I
shall extend the current version to cope with a Line Graph plotting x
against y.  This will be able to import DataPlot files from DataCalc.

This is almost finished, but I would be grateful of any feedback so that
SMALL changes can be implemented.



Yours, Gary Atkinson.

Kudlian Soft

Version no. 1.01 out to Warwickshire Trial Schools 11/09/89
Version no. 1.02 out to MESU 25/09/89
Version no. 1.03 out to Warwickshire Trial Schools 11/09/89
Version no. 1.04 ?
Version no. 1.05 - BETT demo? given to R. Brodie at BETT training day
Version no. 1.06 - Improved scaling
