WorkBook(C) Version 2.1
(C) Copyright 1989-1999 Bill Buckels
All Rights Reserved.

Introduction
------------

WorkBook is a "Typing Game" for children 4 and over. As children get
older, WorkBook is also a reading game. Music and Pretty Nice
Graphics make WorkBook relatively interesting even if your child can't
read, and even more fun if they can. (The reading will come soon
enough.)

WorkBook is a pretty hefty size to download (over 1 meg). This is due to
the several images that are shipped with the "lesson plan" as part of
the package.

WorkBook also lets you use your own Custom Lesson plans. If you are a
Microsoft Windows User, you can create Custom Lesson Plans in Microsoft
Access 97 (See Appendix A). WorkBook also uses Windows .BMP Graphics
Files (See Appendix B), so you can easily add Custom Graphics created in
Windows Paint. And DOS Users can create Custom Lesson plans and graphics
using WorkBook's own utilities (See "Can WorkBook Be Customized").

What's New ?
------------

- Windows .BMP Support Added
- Microsoft Access 97 can Be Used to Make Custom Lesson Plans
- On-Screen Timer and Timer Changes
- Workbook Utilities are Now Freely Available

See Appendix B below for More Information.

Installing WorkBook
-------------------

Install WORKBOOK by "UNZIPPING" WORKBOOK.ZIP complete with pathnames to
the drive of your choice. If you decide to install WORKBOOK to Drive C:,
WORKBOOK will be installed into the directory C:\WORKBOOK.

To run WORKBOOK in DOS, type WORKBOOK.EXE and press [Enter]. To Run
WORKBOOK in Windows, click-on WORKBOOK.EXE.

Summary
-------

Words are presented on a background of an out of focus image. If the
words are correctly overtyped within the time limit, the picture is
presented again in focus, and a musical reward is played.

If the time limit is not met, a rude noise is made and the next word and
image combination is presented for another timed round of play.

Timed Play
----------

WorkBook uses timed play to enhance your child's fun, not as a
punishment. Since the game is never over, there is no real penalty even
if a screen or two times-out.

TIME LIMITS suddenly become imminent when our children start school, and
deadlines can be as important to learn as the other more cerebral
academic pursuits. Often a well completed assignment is not so well
received when received late.

When I wrote WorkBook, I hoped that the timed play might help reinforce
the concept of deadlines. My children played with WorkBook when they
were young, but I really can't honestly say if they received this type
of benefit. I can only suggest that "every little bit helps".

History
-------

WorkBook was originally written for the 4-Color CGA Display. I wrote
WorkBook for my own children, and then distributed WorkBook as
ShareWare in 1990. I am disappointed that although I know it was widely
distributed, I never received a single registration for WorkBook.

In August 1991, I rewrote WorkBook for the VGA, but was further
disappointed that I couldn't get it distributed even as shareware, due,
I think, to the large number of images, and the larger than normal disk
space requirements. Large programs were not well accepted at that time.

So WorkVga Version 1.0 (as it was then called) sat on my computer room
shelf, as time passed and my own children outgrew the need for "Early
Years" computer programs.

This spring (March 1999) I found several early versions of my programs
circulating on the Internet, including my original WorkBook 4-Color CGA
version from 10 years ago.

So I decided to "dust-off" WorkVga, and rewrote it as WorkBook Version
2.0 (This Package). WorkBook Version 2.1 is now available for DownLoad,
and if you are reading this, you are either considering it, or have done
so already.

I am distributing WorkBook with complete source code for this release.
Read the licencing section in each of the sources if you are inclined to
use such things.

Running WorkBook In Windows 98
------------------------------

This is really a superior package to the other WorkBook versions that I
wrote, but WorkBook remains a DOS-Based package, although I programmed
under Windows 98, and tested WorkBook extensively in Windows 98, where
it works wonderfully well. I also added a mouse to the program, and made
the menus and features easier to navigate and to use.

I currently have no plans to rewrite WorkBook as a Windows Application,
but I am interested to see where this version of WorkBook may go, so I
can't rule the possibility of a Windows version out just yet. Time will
tell.

I strongly suggest that you run WorkBook in "Full Screen" mode under
Windows 98 rather than in a Window.

Two reasons for this are that since WorkBook displays in so many
colors, sometimes Windows will "steal" the colors if running in a
Window, and Windows may also "steal" the mouse if running in a Window.

Perhaps a better reason is that your child will probably have more fun
if they can fill-up the entire Monitor with WorkBook, rather than
sharing the screen with other applications.

Program Details
---------------

The Interface of WorkBook 2.1 is modeled after my more recent design for
children's programs, and centers around a Main Menu. Earlier versions of
WorkBook were not as well organized.

Getting Started
---------------

It is not necessary for your child to read in order to use WorkBook. The
Main Menu is very straight forward and uncluttered. Your child can
"Click-On" the command of their choice. After using WorkBook once or
twice, remembering commands won't be a problem.

WorkBook is much better still if your child can read, and may even
be one step along the path of their learning to read.

Commands and Navigation
-----------------------

The mouse, the arrow keys and other cursor keys like [PAGEUP], and
[PAGEDN], and the functions keys [F1]-[F6] are used to navigate through
WorkBook. Other keys used are the [ENTER] and [ESC] keys.

LEFT_MOUSE_CLICK - Clicking the Left Mouse Button means "Go Further". It
is the equivalent of pressing the [ENTER] Key. The [ENTER] key or a
LEFT_MOUSE_CLICK is always used to "INITIALIZE" an "Action".

RIGHT_MOUSE_CLICK - Clicking the Right Mouse Button means "Don't Go
Further". It is the equivalent of pressing the [ESC] Key.

[UPARROW] - Go Up One.
[DOWNARROW] - Go Down One.
[LEFTARROW] - Go Left One.
[RIGHTARROW] - Go Right One.
[PAGEUP] - Clears the blurry image at "game" level.
[PAGEDN] - Skips the current image at "game" level.

Of course, the keyboard is used at "game" level to "overtype" the text
at the bottom of the image. This is the basis for game-play in WorkBook.

The child needs to type ALPHANUMERIC keys only. Punctuation
"Auto-Completes" so there is no struggling with the keyboard. Caps Lock
can be on or off. It doesn't matter. WorkBook is case insensitive.

The Opening Screens and Closing Screens
---------------------------------------

The opening screen is a short animation sequence which can be advanced
by keyboard or by mouse. This may prove fun to watch, and perhaps your
child will be happy to simply watch it each time.

The opening screen is repeated when the program ends.

The Main Menu
-------------

The Main Menu is ALWAYS available during the game by pressing the [ESC]
Key.

The Main Menu has 6-Commands. These commands can be "Clicked-On",
"Arrowed-To", or "F-Keyed" using keys [F1]-[F6].

[F1] - Continue/Play Game
[F2] - View/Clear Score
[F3] - Help
[F4] - Alternate Workbook Selection
[F5] - Sound Toggle (Not As Much Fun When Off, but Quieter)
[F6] - Exit

[ENTER] - Initializes the Selected Command.
[ESC] - Switches between the Main Menu and the Current Game.

So don't forget, you can press [ESC] or use your RIGHT_MOUSE_CLICK to
flip between the Main Menu and your child's game.

[F1] - Continue/Play Game

Selecting play game as previously discussed presents a blurry image
which must be overtyped with a time limit.

You can "peek" at the image by pressing your left mouse or [PAGEUP].

You can skip the image by pressing [PAGEDN], but the score will suffer.

When you are finished, a song will play (if music is on.) You can skip
the song by pressing [ESC] or clicking your mouse if you don't want to
hear it. The next image will appear, and you can carry-on.

Remember too that the keys [F1]-[F10] are like a tiny piano.

Press [ESC] to return to the main menu to load another "lesson plan" if
you wish, or to view the score, or even to quit.

[F2] View/Clear Score

This command is very straight forward. View or clear the current score
from the Main Menu.

[F3] Help

A Brief Help Screen from the Main Menu.

[F4] Alternate WorkBook Selection

THis Main Menu command is very straight forward. You can either proceed or
back-out. If you decide to proceed, the new WorkBook will be available
after you finish with the current image that you are working with.

[F5] Sound Toggle

The musical note at the right side of the Main Menu indicates that the
sound is on. If it is not visible, sound is off.

[F6] Exit

Exit WorkBook.

What does the WorkBook Package Contain?
---------------------------------------

We gathered together several Tunes and pictures in MCGA 256 color 320 x
200 picture format to get an introductory library of MUSIC and VGA
compatible IMAGES together, but the intent of this program is that the
word and sentence selection is revised to match a lesson plan on an
ongoing basis.

Can WorkBook Be Customized?
---------------------------

The SAMPLES that we have put together need not be changed if you are not
adventurous. The index WORKMAKE.DBF is an XBASE III format database and
can be revised with our utility WORKMAKE.EXE to present selected
BACKGROUNDS, MUSIC, and VOCABULARY in a customized manner and degree of
difficulty, and even the time limit for each sentence or word can be
varied by making the appropriate adjustments to WORKMAKE.DBF.

If you have Microsoft Access 97 installed, you may be able to use MS
Access to create and modify WorkBook lesson plans without using the
utility WORKMAKE.EXE. See Appendix A for more information about using MS
Access to create custom lesson plans for WorkBook.

How Many Different "Lesson Plans" can be used in WorkBook?
----------------------------------------------------------

WorkBook will accept any number of alternate databases in this XBASE III
format using the database name as a "Command Line Argument". CUSTOM
USAGE is "WorkBook <yourfile>.DBF". So by simply creating and renaming
unique lesson plans an infinite assortment of themes is possible.

Up to 5 Alternate Databases can also be selected from within WorkBook,
from the Main Menu. If you don't plan on extensively using alternate
"lesson plans", this will probably be sufficient.

What is the "Layout" of the XBASE III "Lesson Plan"?
----------------------------------------------------

The record structure of WORKMAKE.DBF (XBASE III format) is:

DESCRIPTION            TYPE        LENGTH

1. IMAGE NAME          Character   12
2. CAPTION             Character   40
3. TIME LIMIT          Character   2
4. SOUND FILE NAME     Character   12

Warning: WorkBook requires the .DBF FILE "WORKMAKE.DBF" to be
present at all times. This is the original "Lesson Plan" provided with
WorkBook and is used as the default on start-up.

Note: Again, the program WORKMAKE.EXE available in the WorkBook
Utilities package is the editor (DATABASE MANAGER) provided for
maintaining WorkBook's "Lesson Plans".

What Kind Of Image Files are Supported by WorkBook?
---------------------------------------------------

WorkBook supports 3-standard file formats:

Windows .BMP - Widely Used and Well Known.
ZSoft .PCX - Still used, but not as popular anymore.
BASIC .MCG - Obsolete. Left-in for backward compatibility.

The preferred image format for WorkBook used to be the Z-Soft .PCX
format because it combines the space-saving features of an encoded
(compressed) file format with a fairly quick "unpacking" method and it
was pretty much the standard for the 256-color MCGA Paint Format on the
IBM-PC Circa 1991.

However, since the PCX format does not always end-up smaller than the
MCGA screen size of 64000 bytes, before windows .BMP files were popular,
it was necessary to offer support for an MCGA RAW IMAGE format in the
interests of space efficiency.

The RAW format was a BASIC BLOADable Image Format that we developed and
it consisted of 2-files:

A.- ".MCG" - The Image DATA file
B.- ".RGB" - The Palette (Color Register) DATA file

In this day and age, the Windows .BMP format is the preferred format of
most folks, despite its inefficency, so it just makes good sense to
provide support for it to make custom images easier to add to WorkBook.

The Windows BMP variations that are supported by workbook are as
follows (Sorry, no support for .BMP's with more than 256 colors):

320 x 200 x 256 Colors
320 x 200 x 16 Colors
320 x 200 x 2 Colors

How Were WorkBook's Images Created?
-----------------------------------

When we were creating the image files that are distributed with WorkBook
we created each file as an MCGA file. We did this by capturing images
from Various Sources using our now obsolete FRAME GRABBER program
"MCGADUMP.EXE". This (now obsolete) frame grabber saved the MCGA frame
buffer into the MCG and RGB formats noted above.

We then encoded each file as a PCX file and if the result was too LARGE
(over 65000 bytes) then we did not use the PCX file and simply
distributed the IMAGE in its raw form as an MCG and RGB file combo.

For this release of WorkBook, we have converted all .MCG images to .BMP
images and have basically retired the MCG file format. There is no point
in using the .MCG format any more (See Appendix B - What's New?).

Are the Utilities to create more WorkBook Images Available?
-----------------------------------------------------------

The modern equivalents of the same UTILITIES that we used to create
WorkBook are in the WorkBook Utilities package. This package,
(originally available only to registered users), is freely available for
download from our WebSite.

In an effort to make the utilities easier to use, the focus is on using
the .BMP file format for WorkBook. The utilities have been rewritten
to maximize the use of the .BMP format rather than the .PCX and .MCG
formats that WorkBook orginally used (and still supports).

See What's New in Appendix B for additional details.

What About Support for Ancient Images?
--------------------------------------

Our Freeware utility CGA2BMP.EXE that is available from our website is
part of the WorkBook Utilities (although it is distributed separately).

It will convert any old CGA COLOR SCREENS in PCX or BASIC BSAVED FORMAT
that you may have lurking in the shadows into a 320 x 200 x 16 Color
Windows .BMP file suitable for use with WorkBook. You may then tweak
your picture further to suit your artistic fancy in any paint program
that accepts the Windows .BMP format (including Windows Paint or if you
are a DOS user, the latest version of NeoPaint(tm) for DOS).

Problem with old CGA screens is that no programs have been around to
deal with these for a number of years, so CGA2BMP solves this problem by
allowing you to convert these into a modern format.

What Kind of Music Does WorkBook Play?
--------------------------------------

WorkBook plays music through the PC Speaker. I did not add soundcard
support for the Version 2.1 rewrite.

The .SND Music Files are the SAME Binary Format as Those
Distributed on our other SHAREWARE distribution packages and those may
be used to augment WorkBook to suit your scholar's musical preference.

A Review of the WorkBook Source Code might answer any further questions
about this format. It is a frequency, duration format that I developed,
measuring duration in 18.2 ticks per second.

Secret Feature
--------------

Note: The function keys [F1] - [F10] in WorkBook can be used like a
"tiny piano" to play music during the playing of the game. This is a
"secret feature" that I included just to provide some extra interest for
your child. [F1] Maps to A, [F2] to B, [F3] to C, etc. (White keys
only.) Give it a try when you are typing-in the answer in WorkBook at
the "Typing Screen".

Hardware Requirements
---------------------

Nothing Special. IBM PC or compatible, with VGA or MCGA display or
equal.

Copyright and Conditions of Use
-------------------------------

WorkBook and its associated files are Copyrighted by their author, Bill
Buckels. Workbook is not a derivative work of any other author and is
the exclusive property of its author, Bill Buckels.

The images and sound files used in WorkBook were produced by Bill
Buckels (the author) and as such are the author's own expression, and a
fair use of content that is believed to be in the public domain. You may
use these in any way you find useful, provided you do not compete with
Bill Buckels or his agents, and that you agree that Bill Buckels has no
warranty obligations or liability whatsoever resulting from any
associated loss or damage.

If you redistribute the WorkBook program, please distribute it its
entirety. If you are missing files, you can download a complete version
from the internet at:

http://www.escape.ca/~bbuckels/kidstuff

Licence Agreement
-----------------

WorkBook(C) Version 2.1 is distributed as ShareWare. You are expected to
register with the Author if you use WorkBook beyond a 30-day evaluation
period. Suggested registration for WorkBook is $10.00 per family for use
at home or $10.00 per computer for commercial use (daycares, schools,
etc.) Send registration in the form of cheque, or money order to:

Bill Buckels
589 Oxford Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3M 3J2

Email: bbuckels@escape.ca
WebSite: http://www.escape.ca/~bbuckels

NOTE: THIS PROGRAM IS NOT FREEWARE.

IF YOU DO NOT REGISTER WITH THE AUTHOR
AFTER THE 30-DAY EVALUATION PERIOD
YOU MUST REMOVE THIS PROGRAM FROM YOUR COMPUTER.

Bill Buckels
March 1999 - Version 2.0
August 1999 - Version 2.1

Appendix A
----------

Using Microsoft Access to Create and Maintain WorkBook Lesson Plans
-------------------------------------------------------------------

By Bill Buckels
Sept 5, 1999

Purpose
-------

The following notes apply to using Microsoft Access 97
to create and maintain lesson plans for the
WorkBook program from
Teacher's Choice Productions (Bill Buckels).

Disclaimer and Conditions of Use
--------------------------------

The information in this section of the document is an "unsupported
procedure" and is provided "as-is", as a suggestion only, with no
guarantee or warranty for fitness of use.

Although the information in this document section is believed true,
accurate and quite safe, Bill Buckels has no warranty obligations or
liability resulting from the use of said information in any way
whatsoever.

If you don't agree, don't read further.

Microsoft Access Versions
-------------------------

The information in this document section is a result of tests using the
version of Microsoft Access that came with the full blown edition of
Office 97 Professional. Other versions of MS Access may or may not work
the same way.

Intended Audience
-----------------

You don't need to be an expert in MS Access to follow these guidelines.
But we expect you to be passingly familiar with its use, and this
document section is not intended as an MS Access tutorial.

Getting Started
---------------

The nice thing about using Microsoft Access to make lesson plans for use
with WorkBook is that most folks who use MS Office have a copy already
installed, and some folks are already quite comfortable using MS
Acccess.

Importing and Exporting Dbase III Files
---------------------------------------

The easiest way to make a WorkBook lesson plan using MS Access:

1. Import an existing lesson plan in .dbf file format.
2. Change it.
3. Export it to a new .dbf file or overwrite an existing .dbf.

Since WorkBook uses the Dbase III format (.dbf files), you must have the
Dbase III import option available in your version of MS Acccess. Follow
the instructions below and you will know soon enough if you have this
option in your MS Access version.

Tip: Keep Your Disk Clean
-------------------------

Since you will only be using the MS Access DataBase (.mdb) as a "Scratch
Pad", it technically doesn't really matter which .mdb you use, but it is
a little "neater" and better organized if you re-use the same "Scratch
Pad" .mdb for this temporary purpose each "editting session". (i.e. It
is epecially neater if you don't litter-up your disk with several
temporary leftover .mdb's.)

Tip: Keep Your Database Clean
-----------------------------

After you are done, and have resaved your work as a .dbf file, you can
delete the imported table in your MS Access .mdb, just to keep things
neat and well organized within your "Scratch Pad" .mdb.

Detailed Intructions
--------------------

1. Start MS Access and Open an Access DataBase (.mdb file)
----------------------------------------------------------

Start Access normally, and select new or existing database. You may wish
to use the WorkMake.mdb MS Access database file that we provide with the
latest WorkBook Version as a starting point.

2. Select File Menu\Get External Data\Import.
---------------------------------------------

- Select File Menu\Get External Data\Import.
- The dialog will appear.
- Select Files of Type dBase III (*.dbf).

- Look In \WORKBOOK.
- Double-Click the .dbf of your choice. (i.e.WorkMake.dbf).
- Close the Dialog.

3. Open the .dbf and Make Your Changes.
---------------------------------------

Open The .dbf (double click on it) in the Tables Dialog.

Make Your Changes. You can delete or change anything you wish. You can
even delete everything and just use the imported file as a template, and
type-in your lesson plan right "from scratch".

4. Select File Menu\Save As/Export\To An External File or DataBase.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

- Select File Menu\Save As/Export...
- Select To An External File or DataBase.
- The dialog will appear.
- Select Save As Type dBase III (*.dbf).

- Save In \WORKBOOK

At this point you have two options:
-----------------------------------

4.1 - Overwrite an existing .dbf.

- Double click on the .dbf that you wish to overwrite.
- MS Access will ask you if you want to overwrite. Say yes if so.

4.2 - Create a new .dbf.

- Type in a New FileName.
- Press [Enter] (or click-on Export).

Tip: Don't Overwrite WorkMake.dbf
---------------------------------

Of course, which option you pick is up to you. But we recommend that you
DON'T OVERWRITE WORKMAKE.DBF, because that is your original WorkBook
lesson plan, and you may wish to retain your original in case an error
occurs in your new copy.

5. Quit MS Access normally.
---------------------------

When you are done, just quit MS Access normally. Test your work in the
WorkBook program. When you are satisfied that everything is working
fine, go back into the MS Access .mdb and delete the table that you were
working with in the .mdb. This was just a copy, and cleaning-up is a
good way to stay organized.  The WorkBook program references only the
.dbf in the WorkBook directory and not the copy in your .mdb so you
don't need the copy in the .mdb.

End of Procedure

Appendix B
----------

What's New in WorkBook Version 2.1?
-----------------------------------

WorkBook 2.1 is not a major release, and if you already had version 2.0
you might even be quite happy, but there are several improvements
worth noting that make upgrading to version 2.1 worthwhile.

Of course, if you have version 1.0, which was the old CGA Version, you
would probably be very unhappy and would upgrade in a moment, but that
is another story.

Since WorkBook is a pretty large download, after reading What's New, if
you are still happy with version 2.0, just wait until the next release,
and skip Version 2.1.

But especially if you are a Microsoft Windows user and you might like to
make your own lesson plans for WorkBook, read further.

1. Windows .BMP Support Added

WorkBook now supports 3-standard file formats:

Windows .BMP - Widely Used and Well Known.
ZSoft .PCX - Still used, but not as popular anymore.
BASIC .MCG - Obsolete. Left-in for backward compatibility.

Windows .BMP support is a BIG Plus for folks who want to make new
pictures for WorkBook in Windows Paint and Build Their own lesson plans.

WorkBook now supports the following Windows BMP variations (Sorry, no
support for .BMP's with more than 256 colors):

320 x 200 x 256 Colors
320 x 200 x 16 Colors
320 x 200 x 2 Colors

As part of this support, we have converted all the .MCG files in the
WorkBook program to .BMP files. As a result, there is actually a disk
space saving since we are replacing 2 files (.MCG and .RGB file pairs)
with 1 file (.BMP files).

However, the biggest advantage is that Windows Paint and other standard
paint programs can now be used to edit and copy all the graphics used in
WorkBook, making them available to all users.

Tip: Clean-up and Save Some Disk Space

In the interest of saving disk space, we recommend that you remove the
obsolete old .MCG and .RGB files from WorkBook version 2.0 before installing
WorkBook version 2.1. But if you have custom lessons that use .MCG files, you
need to change your custom lessons to reference .BMP files before doing
so.

If you don't have custom lessons, you can go ahead and remove the old
folder completely before installing version 2.1. You really don't need
to bother if you are not worried about disk space, but we recommend it.

2. Microsoft Access 97 can Be Used to Make Custom Lesson Plans

This is not a new feature of WorkBook, but probably one that most folks
haven't tried yet.

If you are a Microsoft Windows User, you can create Custom Lesson Plans
in Microsoft Access 97 by following the procedure that has been added to
WorkBook's ReadMe File (See Appendix A in the ReadMe).

A sample .mdb (MS Access DataBase) called WorkMake.mdb is also now
included with WorkBook, and meant to be used in conjunction with the MS
Access notes in the ReadMe.

The nice thing about using Microsoft Access to make lesson plans for use
with WorkBook is that most folks who use MS Office have a copy already
installed, and some folks are already quite comfortable using MS
Acccess.

3. On-Screen Timer

By user request, WorkBook now has an on-screen timer. It is located in
the "frame area" on the computer screen of "the little computer guy" on
the bottom right, when you are displaying a blurry picture.

We may make this optional in later versions, since some children may not
like an onscreen "countdown" and may feel pressured, but for now we
think it adds to the fun.

4. Timer Changes - Bug Fix

In Earlier Workbook Versions, the timer would reset back to a full
"timeout" even if the wrong key was pressed. This meant that if the
child was not serious about trying to play the game properly, the
picture would never time-out as long as they kept "banging" on the
keyboard.

This wasn't very fair to the kids who were trying. We decided to
"tighten-up" the timer rules a little, because we consider this a
program bug. (No point in rewarding a "wrong answer".)

However, we still reset the timer if the child wants to "play the
piano", "escape" to the options menu, or "unblurr" the image.
Effectively, the timer is stopped while the child plays, or looks at the
pictures, or the score.

We also still reset the timer when a correct letter is pressed, because
our goal is positive reinforcement, not pressure.

5. Workbook Utilities are Now Freely Available

This is a not a change in the WorkBook program, but you must have
Version 2.1 of WorkBook to use some of the best features of the WorkBook
Utilities.

WorkBook Utilities are targetted primarily at DOS users who want to make
Custom Lesson Plans for WorkBook, although Windows users who are serious
about making Custom Lesson Plans will also find these helpful.

Windows users who use Microsoft Access to create lesson plans may still
like to use SHOWPIX and PLAYSND (discussed below) to sample images and
songs.

The modern equivalents of the same UTILITIES that we used to create
WorkBook are in the WorkBook Utilities package. This package,
(originally available only to registered users), is freely available for
download from our WebSite.

http://www.escape.ca/~bbuckels/kidstuff

The Utilities Include:

MCG2BMP - Convert 320 x 200 x 256 Color .PCX and .MCG Picture Files into
.BMP files that can be loaded and customized in Paint Programs that
accept .BMP files (like Windows Paint). (You can convert all the .PCX
files that are currently used by WorkBook into .BMP files by using
MCG2BMP.)

CGA2BMP - Convert any old CGA COLOR SCREENS in PCX or BASIC BSAVED
FORMAT into 320 x 200 x 16 Color Windows .BMP file suitable for use with
WorkBook. Problem with old CGA screens is that no programs have been
around to deal with these for a number of years, so CGA2BMP solves this
problem by allowing you to convert these into a modern format.

MCGBDUMP - A DOS ScreenCapture Program (memory resident (TSR) program)
that lets you capture screens from programs that use the 320 x 200 x 256
color screen mode. This program saves to Windows .BMP format, making it
easy to edit these in a paint program later.

WORKMAKE.EXE - WORKMAKE.EXE is the original editor (DATABASE MANAGER)
provided for maintaining WorkBook's "Lesson Plans". WorkBook's indexes
including WORKMAKE.DBF are an XBASE III format database and can be
revised to present selected BACKGROUNDS, MUSIC, and VOCABULARY in a
customized manner and degree of difficulty, and even the time limit for
each sentence or word can be varied by making the appropriate
adjustments to WORKMAKE.DBF.

WORKMAKE.EXE is an older DOS (Clipper) program, and if you can use MS
Access, we recommend that for ease of use, you use MS Access instead and
follow the procedure in Appendix A of the WorkBook ReadMe.

SHOWPIX - Menu Driven Picture Viewer for DOS. Displays .BMP, .PCX, and
.MCG files suitable for use in WorkBook Custom Lessons.

PLAYSND - Menu Driven Sound File Player for DOS. Plays .SND files
suitable for use in WorkBook Custom Lessons.

AUTOMENU - A Dos Menu System which makes navigating the WORKMAKE,
SHOWPIX, and PLAYSND utilities noted above easier.

Windows users have the advantage of opening multiple Windows at once and
may find it useful to run multiple copies of Automenu to launch and run
WORKMAKE, SHOWPIX, and PLAYSND each in a seperate window, and easily
flip between windows to create custom lesson plans.

These Utilities could have been included in WorkBook. But WorkBook is
already a large download, so we decided to keep these separate. Also not
everyone wants to make custom lesson plans.

End of What's New

End of ReadMe
