A brief description of the menu-options available is given here :


The File Menu

New
Clears all objects from the canvas - pictures and objects.

Load_Image

Brings up a browser.
Search for the file - *.rppm, *.xbm, *.gif - and select it.
Load_Map

Brings up a browser.
Search for the mapfile - *.map - and select it.
Save
This does two things, the second being optional depending on the current Mode selection.
  1. If the current mapfile has previously been given a name, then the current state of the canvas is saved under that name.
    If this button is pressed with no filename to save to, then the Save_Map_As procedure is followed.
    If there are currently any unset values required for the mapfile, they wil be asked for.
    Finally, an extra is that if there is currently an image-file specified, the filename will be saved in the mapfile. Then if the mapfile is reloaded the option will be offered to reload the image-file also.

  2. If the Mode-option is set to save a modified version of the image being marked up, then this also will be saved.
Save_Map_As

Brings up a browser.
Move to the directory you wish to save the mapfile under, and insert the filename into the "Filename" entrybox and press OK.
If there is currently no default_html file for the image map, the option of naming one will be offered.
A word of warning - The imagemap mechanism may fail if no default_html file is specified.
Quit
Exits from MapMarker. Just in case this is accidentally invoked, a small window will appear asking if this is what you really do wish to quit. Just press Yes or No.
Make sure you have saved your file(s) before quitting.

Mode Options

There are currently two modes in which MapMarker can be used.

Modify Mapfile
This mode is set as the default.
When used in this mode a mapfile will be created containing information relevant to this.

Map -> Image
This is a new feature.
When working in this mode, you can save a modified version of your original image. The modified version will contain shapes according to the position of the objects you create for the mapfile.
When this option is selected, or the "Save_Image_As" button is invoked, one of two things happens :
This proves useful for letting people know which bits of your image is marked up, and you don't have to mark up the image seperately. Unfortunately this only works on rppm files at present.

General Options

Default Edit Mode.
This button returns the canvas bindings to the Default settings.

Single_Edit_Mode.
Checkbuttons can be in one of two states, on or off.
If this button is in the on-state, then only one create/edit command will be executed at a time. On completion of a create/edit command, the canvas bindings will be returned to their default state.

If you wish to execute a particular command repeatedly, switching this checkbutton to its off-state holds the canvas bindings of the create/edit function that is currently selected.
For example, if you wish to make multiple copies of an object, switch this checkbutton off, go to the Edit menu and invoke the Copy_Selected radiobutton. Go through the process of making as many copies as you require, and when you are finished invoke the "Default Edit Mode" button to reset the default edit bindings.
Remember to reset this checkbutton to its off-state if it is no longer required.

Set Default_HTML.

Brings up a new window containing an entry-box.
It will already contain the pathname of the absolute url, pointing to the specified directory. Append the name of the default_html file you would like the background of the image to point to and press OK.

Without a default html file to point to, the imagemap mechanism may fail.

Set Absolute_URL path.

Brings up a new window containing an entry-box.
Ideally, all the files concerning a mapfile will be stored in one directory. If the address of this directory is inserted into the entry box, in the form :-
http://server.net.address/dir_name/
The directory_name should include all directories in the path leading up to and including the directory containing the files you wish to point to. This should also include the last "/".
This string will now automatically be inserted into the URL of each new object. This leaves just the filename to be appended on by the user - Keeping finger-wear to a minimum.

This feature is useful when the documents pointed to from an image all live in the same directory. If this is not the case, switch off the Ask_for_Absolute_URL_path checkbutton before starting to make a mapfile, or every time a new object is created, you will be asked for an Absolute_URL_path.

Ask_for_Absolute_URL_path
With this checkbutton in the on-state, whenever a new object is created in a new mapfile, a window will appear as described in the section above - Set Absolute_URL path - prior to any annotation taking place.
This will happen until a string is inserted into the entrybox, or the checkbutton is switched off.
It is intended for cases where all the documents concerning a mapfile live in the same directory. If this is not the case, switch it off. If it is the case, it is recommended that you insert the "Absolute_URL path" prior to annotating objects, since the path will be inserted into the URL entrybox of all object annotations.
This was added to make life a little easier on your fingers :-).

Annotate_Selected.

If this button is pressed and there is currently a selected object on the canvas, a window will be created containing two entry-boxes. If the object has previously been annotated to any degree, this information will be contained in the relevant entry-box. If not then the entry-boxes will be empty. This can now be edited to hold the required information.
When you have finished annotating, press OK to save it, or CANCEL to kill the window without saving it.

Select First Unannotated.
If this button is pressed, all objects on the canvas will be checked to see if it holds a valid value for a URL. The first item in the canvas' display-list without a valid URL-value will automatically be selected, and a message-box will come up to confirm this.
Press OK.

Then the "Annotation" window will be created allowing annotation to be carried out as described above.

Force_Annotation
If this checkbutton is in its on-state, each time a new item is created the "Annotation" window will be called. This means that no object can escape being annotated.
It is switched to the "ON" state by default.
It is recommended that it be left in this state, and each object is annotated as it is created, since a mapfile cannot be saved until each object has been annotated with at least a URL value.

Auto_Raise.
If this checkbutton is switched on, each time a new item is selected it will automatically be raised to the top of the canvas' display list. In the off position, all objects will hold relative positions in the display list.
It is switched to the "ON" state by default.
There is currently no way of checking if certain objects have been obscured by others. It is left to the user to do this.
The easiest way in which this can be done is by switching this to the on-state, and step through all overlapping objects. The last object that is selected is moved on top of any previously selected objects.

Grid_Over_Picture.
This is a cascade menu giving 3 options.
  1. No Grid
  2. Grid 25
  3. Grid 50
This is intended only as a guide to aid in the marking up of diagrams.

Create Options

Create Circle

There are two methods to create a circle :
Circle_rad - Creating a circle by radius size
< Press Mouse Button-1 >
In the canvas identifies the point for the centre of the circle.
< Drag Mouse With Button-1 Pressed >
Creates a visual aid for the user in the form of a square which shares its centre with the circle to be created. This is controlled by movement in the x-plane.
< Release Mouse Button-1 >
Identifies the outer edge of the circle, and creates the shape.
Circle_bb - Creating a circle in a bounding-box
< Press Mouse Button-1 >
In the canvas identifies the point for the top-left or bottom-right of a bounding-box.
< Drag Mouse With Button-1 Pressed >
Creates a visual aid for the user in the form of a square into which the circle will fit.This is controlled by movement in the x-plane.
< Release Mouse Button-1 >
Identifies the opposite corner of the box and creates the shape.

Create Rectangle

< Press Mouse Button-1 >
In the canvas identifies the point for the top-left or bottom-right of a bounding-box.

< Drag Mouse With Button-1 Pressed >
Creates a visual aid for the user in the form of a square into which the rectangle will fit.This is controlled by movements in the x- and y- planes.

< Release Mouse Button-1 >
Identifies the opposite corner of the box and creates the shape.

Create Polygon

< Press Mouse Button-1 >
In the canvas identifies a point for the polygon. At present you are allowed up to a maximum of 50 points, the server ignores any points after this.

< Press Mouse Button-2 >
This identifies the final point for the polygon. It closes the shape and draws it on the canvas.
NB// There is no need to explicitly close a polygon object. Pressing Mouse-button-2 does this for you.
Keep in mind that the maximum number of points that is allowed by imagemap is 50. Any more than this causes the mechanism to break down.

Edit Options

Copy Selected
This is very similar to the default-edit-function "Move Selected".
< Press Mouse Button-1 >
In the selected object displays an outline of the shape.
< Drag Mouse With Button-1 Pressed >
Allows the outline to be dragged across the canvas in the same way as the Default - Move object option
< Release Mouse Button-1 >
If the outline has been dragged, then a copy is created at the new position.

Flip About-x
Click here

Flip About-y
Click here

Move Point
Click here

Add Point
Click here

Delete Point
As with the other point-adjustment functions, when this button is pressed, if the selected object is a polygon, the bounding-box and its attributes will be removed, and a series of coordinate points will appear. Pressing Mouse-Button-1 in any of these points will delete that point from the polygon.

Once again, there is no Undo button at present, so take care. If you do make a mistake, you can use the Add Point button to amend it.

Raise Selected
If there is currently a selected object on the canvas when this button is invoked, the selected object will be raised above all other objects in the canvas' display list.
If the "Auto_Raise" checkbutton is on, the selected object will automatically be raised to the top of the canvas' display list when it is selected.

Lower Selected
If there is currently a selected object on the canvas when this button is invoked, the selected object will be lowered below all but the lowest object in the canvas' display list.

Delete Selected
Pressing this button when there is a selected object on the canvas will remove that object.

There is no Undo button at present, so take care.


Attribute Options

You can Test_URL An extra feature of MapMarker.

This button is displayed in one of two ways :

Enabled State - displayed with writing in black
The button is displayed in this way if there is currently a selected object on the canvas, and it has been annotated to the degree of containing a string in its associated "url".
It is not a requirement for the specified file to exist.
Disabled State - displayed with writing greyed-out
The button is displayed in this way if :
  1. There is currently no selected object on the canvas.
    or
  2. The selected object has not been annotated with a string in its associated "url".
Pressing this button will call on your selected browser, passing it the url as an argument.
Please note that this is only a way of checking that each of the objects points to the correct file and that if you wish to check in full, you will have to set up the directory and files you wish to point to prior to marking up ( or at least testing ) an image.
If the files do not exist, your browser will appear with an appropriate error message.

For "Mosaic", each object can have its url tested in turn. This is done by selecting objects one at a time, and pressing the test button.
For other browsers, a window will appear along with the browser. When you wish to kill the browser press the "OK" button in the accompanying window. While this window is displayed, all menu functions in MapMarker are disabled.

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Gudge.