Help Index
Cross-Stitch Designer Help Index

The following is an index of all available help topics.  To get more information on one of the topics, either click the mouse on a topic or press tab to hilite an item and return to select it.

Help Index

General

Commands

Mouse Commands

Procedures

Screen Regions

Registration

For information on how to use Help, press F1 or choose Help Using Help.


General Information

Cross-Stitch Designer allows you to create and edit cross-stitch patterns.  The goal of this program is to display your pattern design using the computer so that you can see how the stitched pattern will appear before any stitching is done.

Cross-Stitch Designer supports full, half, quarter, and back stitches.   Many of the standard thread colors  are provided in a list from which you chose when creating a pattern.  Complete printing capability is provided.  You can print a pattern using symbols for representing thread types and colors on a standard single-color printer, or print a pattern using stitches and actual colors on a color printer.

All pattern editing is done using the mouse.  You use the mouse to select the type of  stitch, the thread color, and the location of each stitch.  The mouse can also be used to select a region of a pattern.  Regions can be moved to another location on the pattern, copied to the clipboard, cut from the pattern, cleared, or flipped.

Cross-Stitch Designer also supports the conversion of bitmaps into a pattern region.  This very powerful feature allows you to create patterns using existing graphics files.   These bitmaps can be created using graphics programs such as the Windows Paintbrush program or any program that can create Windows bitmaps.

Cross-Stitch Designer supports the 256 color VGA mode, as well as the standard VGA mode.  This capability allows patterns to be displayed in a more true-to-life manner since a wider range of thread colors can be represented.


Command Menu
Command Menus

Edit	Used to edit a selected region.

File	Used to select pattern files and information about the current pattern.

Fabric	Used to select the type of fabric displayed for the current pattern.

Help	Used to access the Help topics and information about this version of Cross-Stitch Designer.

Threads	Used to modify the thread palette of the current pattern.

Tools	Used to select the current tool.

View	Used to select the display mode of the current pattern.


Edit Menu
Edit Menu Commands

Clear	Clears the selected pattern region.

Copy	Copies the selected pattern region onto the Clipboard.

Cut	Removes the selected pattern region from the pattern and puts it on the Clipboard.

Flip Horizontally	Flips the selected region horizontally.

Flip Vertically	Flips the selected region vertically.

Paste	Inserts a copy of the Clipboard contents within the current pattern.

Paste Bitmap	Converts the current Clipboard bitmap  into a pattern and inserts it into the specified region.


Edit Clear Command

This command clears the selected pattern region.  If no region is selected, then the entire pattern is cleared.  See Selecting a Region.


Edit Copy Command

This command copies the selected pattern region onto the Clipboard.  This command is unavailable if no region is selected.   See Selecting a Region.

This command is useful in copying all or part of one pattern into another pattern.   See Reusing Pattern Designs.


Edit Cut Command

This command removes the selected pattern region from the pattern and puts it on the Clipboard.  This command is unavailable if nothing is selected.  See Selecting a Region.


Edit Cut Command

This command removes the selected pattern region from the pattern and puts it on the Clipboard.  This command is unavailable if nothing is selected.  See Selecting a Region.


Edit Flip Horizontally Command

This command causes the currently selected pattern region (if any) to be horizontally flipped. Note that you can use this command to do mirroring, as well.  To mirror a region, first copy the region to the clipboard using the Edit Copy command.  Next, paste the region back into the pattern using the Edit Pastecommand.  Finally, select the Edit Flip Horizontally command.


Edit Flip Vertically Command

This command causes the currently selected pattern region (if any) to be vertically flipped. Note that you can use this command to do mirroring, as well.  To mirror a region, first copy the region to the clipboard using the Edit Copy command.  Next, paste the region back into the pattern using the Edit Pastecommand.  Finally, select the Edit Flip Vertically command.


Edit Paste Command

This command inserts a copy of the Clipboard contents within the current pattern.  When selected, a dotted box will appear in the upper left corner of the pattern.  This box marks the region that will be filled with the pattern from the clipboard.  To position this region to the location where you want it displayed, simply place the mouse within the box, press and hold the left mouse button, and then move the mouse.  The box will then follow the mouse.   When the mouse button is released, the pattern from the clipboard will be inserted.

This command is useful in copying all or part of one pattern into another pattern.   See Reusing Pattern Designs.


Edit Paste Bitmap Command

This command converts and then inserts the bitmap currently on the Clipboard into the pattern region currently specified.     (See Selecting a Region.)  The bitmap on the clipboard is stretched or shrunk as necessary to fit exactly within the selected region.   For this conversion, only full stitches are used.  The conversion attempts to match the colors of the bitmap as closely as possible to the first 256 colors of the DMC thread list and the currently selected thread palette.  For example, if the thread that best matches a particular color in the bitmap is not included in the current thread palette, and there is room in the palette for more threads, then that thread is automatically added to the palette.  If no room is available in the current palette, then the thread in the current palette which best matches the particular bitmap color is used.  To get the best results, it is highly recommended that you clear the thread palette by deleting threads or by opening the 'empty.pal' palette file before actually importing the bitmap.

Please note that the conversion process may take several seconds depending upon the size of bitmap being converted and the type of computer you are using.  After conversion, you may reposition the converted region in the same manner as for the Edit Paste  Command.


File Menu
File Menu Commands

Change Size	Allows the size of a pattern to be changed.

Exit 	Quits Cross Stitch Designer.

Information	Displays information about the current pattern.

New	Creates a new pattern.

Open	Opens an existing pattern file.

Print	Prints the current pattern.

Printer Setup	Allows a printer to be selected and setup.

Save	Saves the current pattern using the current file name.

Save As	Saves the current pattern with a new file name.


File Change Size Command

This command allows you to change the size of the currrent pattern.  When this menu item is selected, a dialog box is opened.  This dialog box gives you three options.  First, you can specify a particular horizontal and vertical size by entering the desired counts.  Second, you can specify that the pattern size be changed so that only the used portion of the existing size be used. The used portion is defined to be the smallest rectangular area of the pattern that contains all stitches of the pattern.  This option also allows you to specify a margin around the used portion.  Third, you can specify the new size of the pattern to be the  currently selected region (if any) of the pattern.


File Exit Command

This command quits Cross-Stitch Designer.


File Information Command

This command displays information about the current pattern.  This includes the name of the pattern, name of the designer, size of the pattern, color of the fabric, and notes.  This information is editted using a  dialog box.


File New Command

This command is used to create a new pattern.  When this command is selected, a dialog box is displayed.  This dialog box allows you to specify the horizontal and vertical size of the pattern.  The pattern size is specified in stitch counts.


File Open Command

This command opens an existing pattern file.  When this command is selected, the standard Windows file-open dialog box is displayed.


File Print Command

This command is used to print the current pattern.  When this menu item is selected, the standard Windows print dialog box is opened.  This dialog box allows you to specify what portion of the pattern is printed, as well as, change the printer setup.   In specifying what to print, you can choose to have all of the pattern printed, only the selected region (if any), or only certain page numbers.

When a pattern is printed, the name of the pattern is printed at the top of each page.  Page numbers are printed in the upper left corner of each page when it takes more than one page to represent a pattern.   To help in pasting together print-outs that take multiple pages, each corner of a page shows in parenthesis the page number of the adjacent page.

The format of the print-out depends upon the current view mode as selected by the View Menu .  If View Stitches is selected, then a print-out showing cross-stitches will be produced.  If View Symbols is selected, then a print-out using alphabetic and numeric symbols in place of the stitches will be produced.  In the symbolic mode, a symbol legend and the pattern Information	 is also printed.   The symbol legend lists the threads used in the pattern and the symbols used to represent the stitches.  The pattern information includes the following information:

- Name of the pattern

- Name of the designer

- Size of the pattern in counts and inches

- Fabric used

- Notes

Most of this information may be editted using the File Information command.

Be sure to check the printer settings to make sure the current printer is setup appropriately (landscape/portrait, etc.).  The printer settings can be examined by pressing the 'Setup' button of the Print dialog box.


File Printer Setup Command

This command causes the standard Windows printer setup dialog box to be opened.  You can use this dialog box to select another printer or change the settings of the current printer.


File Save Command

This command saves the current pattern using the current file name.  This command cannot be used until the pattern is first saved using the File Save As command.


File Save As Command

This command saves the current pattern using the file name you specify.  This command opens the standard Windows save-as dialog box.


Fabric Menu
Fabric Menu Commands

Aida 11	Selects Aida 11 fabric.

Aida 14	Selects Aida 14 fabric.

Aida 18	Selects Aida 18 fabric.

Ivory	Selects ivory fabric.

Previous	Selects previous fabric size or zoom setting.

White	Selects white fabric.

Zoom In	Displays a close-up view of the selected pattern region.

Zoom Out	Displays as much as possible of the pattern on one screen.


Fabric Aida 11 Command

This command selects Aida 11 fabric type.  This fabric consists of 11 stitch counts per inch.   A check mark appears by the command when it is selected.


Fabric Aida 14 Command

This command selects Aida 14 fabric type.  This fabric consists of 14 stitch counts per inch.   A check mark appears by the command when it is selected.


Fabric Aida 18 Command

This command selects Aida 18 fabric type.  This fabric consists of 18 stitch counts per inch.   A check mark appears by the command when it is selected.


Fabric Ivory Command

This command selects ivory colored fabric.  A check mark appears by the command when it is selected.


Fabric Previous Command

This command selects the previous fabric size or zoom setting.  This command is useful for alternating between two different zoom settings.


Fabric White Command

This command selects white fabric.  A check mark appears by the command when it is selected.


Fabric Zoom In Command

This command selects a close-up view of the currently selected pattern region.  This allows you to zoom-in at almost any magnification factor since you can specify the region.  See Selecting a Region.


Fabric Zoom Out Command

This command shrinks the pattern so that all or most of the pattern can be seen on the screen at once.   The pattern can be zoomed-out to the point where one stitch square equals one pixel on the display.  In most cases the complete pattern is visible when zoomed-out.


Help Menu
Help Menu Commands

About	Displays the Cross-Stitch Designer version number and copyright notice.

Index	Displays the categories of Help topics.

Using Help	Displays the introductory topic about how to access and use Help.


Help About Command

This command displays the Cross-Stitch Designer version number and copyright notice.


Threads Menu
Threads Menu Commands

Delete Thread	Deletes a thread from the pattern.

Next Thread	Selects the next thread in the thread palette.

Open Palette	Opens a thread palette for the current pattern.

Previous Thread	Selects the previous thread in the thread palette.

Save Palette As	Save the current thread palette in a specified file.

Select/Edit Thread	Displays the thread list.

Select Symbol	Allows a symbol to be selected for a thread.

Symbol Font	Allows a font to be chosen for the current thread palette.


Threads Delete Command

This command is used to delete all threads of the selected color from the pattern.  When this command is selected, a dialog box will be opened.  This dialog box allows you to choose whether the selected thread is deleted just where used in the pattern or also from the thread palette.


Threads Delete Command
Threads Next Command

This command selects the next thread in the thread palette.


Threads Open Palette Command

This command is used to open a previously created thread palette into the current pattern.  This command displays a standard Windows file open dialog box that is used for specifying the palette file.  When a palette is selected, the pattern is re-drawn using the new palette.

This command allows multiple sets of threads to be defined for the same pattern.  In this way, you can compare several color schemes before selecting the palette to be saved with the pattern.


Threads Previous Command

This command selects the previous thread in the thread palette.


Threads Save Palette As Command

This command saves the current thread palette in the specified file.  This command displays a standard Windows file save as dialog box.


Threads Select/Edit Thread Command
Threads Select/Edit Command

This command is used to display the list of threads.  From this list, a thread can be selected for the currently selected thread palette box.   This command displays a dialog box that shows the name, number, and color  of the current thread, and a list of all other threads of the same thread type.  Several buttons are also included that can be used to:

- Edit the color of the current thread

- Create a new thread

- Delete the thread from the list

- Choose the selected thread into the thread palette of the current pattern

- Select another thread type (DMC, ANC, or custom)


Threads Select Symbol Command
Threads Select Symbol

This command allows a symbol to be selected for the currently selected thread of the palette.  This command opens a dialog box that displays all of the available symbols for the current font as selected by the Symbol Font command.  Those symbols which have already been assigned to a thread are grayed-out.  Any of the remaining symbols may be selected for the current thread.


Threads Fonts Command
Threads Symbol Font

This command allows a font to be chosen for the symbolic display mode.  This command displays a standard WIndows font selection dialog box that lists all of the available fonts which are compatible with the currently selected printer.

Note that only one font may be selected for a palette.


Tools Menu
Tools Menu Commands

Full Stitch	Selects the full stitch tool of the Tool Bar.

Half Stitch	Selects the half stitch tool of the Tool Bar.

Quarter Stitch	Selects the quarter stitch tool of the Tool Bar.

Outline Stitch	Selects the outline stitch tool of the Tool Bar.

Select	Selects the select tool of the Tool Bar.


View Menu
View Menu Commands

Grid	Controls the display of pattern grid lines.

Solid	Selects the display of solid squares.

Stitches	Selects the display of stitches.

Symbols	Selects the display of symbols.


View Grid Command

This command displays the pattern  grid if it is not currently displayed or removes the pattern grid if is currently displayed.  A check mark is displayed next to the command if the grid is enabled.


View Solid Command

This command selects the display of full, half, and quarter stitches as solid squares.  Back stitches are shown as stitches.


View Stitches Command

This command selects the display of cross stitches instead of symbols.  In this mode, full, half, and quarter stitches are represented by stitch lines of the selected color.


View Symbol Command
View Symbols Command

This command selects the display of symbols instead of cross stitches.  In this mode, alphabetic and numeric symbols are used to represent the threads of the pattern.  This mode should be used when printing a pattern using a monochrome printer.  The font that is used for this mode is selected via the Symbol Font command.


Mouse Commands

The mouse is used for drawing all stitches and for selecting a region of the pattern.  See the following topics for more information:

Drawing/Deleting Stitches

Drawing/Deleting Outlines

Selecting A Region


Procedures

Changing the Pattern Size	How to change the size of a pattern.

Drawing/Deleting Stitches	How to draw and delete stitches.

Drawing/Deleting Outlines	How to draw and delete outline stitches.

Merging Threads	How to merge two thread colors.

Moving A Region	How to move a selected region to another location.

Reusing Pattern Designs	How to copy existing patterns into another pattern.

Selecting A Region	How to select a region for copying, cutting, clearing, or moving.

Importing a Bitmap	How to convert and paste a bitmap into a region of the current pattern.


Changing the Size
Changing the Pattern Size

To change the size of a pattern, select the Change Size command of the File  Menu.  You then have three options:

1. You can select a new width and height for the pattern by entering the new sizes.

or

2. You can change the size of the pattern so that it is just large enough to hold what is currently drawn.  Using this option, you can also specify a margin to be used around the used area. To use a margin, enter a number in the edit box.

or

3. If a region is currently selected, you can change the size to be equal to the selected region.


Drawing Stitches
Drawing/Deleting Stitches

To draw a full, half, or quarter stitch, follow these steps:

1. Select  a stitch type by clicking the mouse on one of the stitch icons in the Tool Bar.

2. Select the thread color to be used by clicking it with the mouse.

3. Put the mouse pointer on a pattern square where a stitch should be placed.

4. Press the left mouse button to add the stitch.

5. Release the left mouse button to stop drawing or move the mouse with the button depressed to draw continuously.

When drawing stitches, only one stitch type may be drawn in a given pattern square.   If a square already has a stitch, then it is replaced if a stitch of another type or color is drawn in the square.   Note that two quarter stitches of the same color may be drawn in the same square.   These stitches must be in opposite corners of the square, however.

To delete a full, half, or quarter stitch.  Follow the same instructions above except use the right mouse button instead of the left mouse button.


Drawing Outlines
Drawing/Deleting Outlines

To draw an outline stitch, follow these steps:

1. Select  the outline stitch type by clicking the mouse on the outline stitch icon of the Tool Bar.

2. Select the thread color to be used by clicking it with the mouse.

3. Enable grid lines if they are not already enabled by selecting the View Grid command.

4. Put the mouse pointer at the crossing of two grid lines where you wish the outline to begin.

5. Press and hold the left mouse button.

6. Move the mouse pointer to the location where the outline stitch should end.

7. Release the mouse button.

Outline stitches can only be drawn in the vertical, horizontal, or diagonal direction.   When drawing an outline stitch, a dotted line will appear.  This dotted line shows where the outline stitch will be drawn when the mouse button is released.

A  cross-stitch square can have several outline stitches passing through it.  However, the color of the outline stitches passing through a given square must be the same.

To delete an outline stitch.  Follow the same instructions above except use the right mouse button instead of the left mouse button.


Moving A Region

To move a portion of a pattern to another location within the same pattern, follow these steps:

1.  Select the region to be moved.

2.  Move the mouse into the select box.

3.  Press and hold the left mouse button.

4.  Move the mouse, and consequently the selected region, to the desired location.

5.  Release the mouse button to drop the region.


Selection A Region
Selecting a Region

A region is selected by moving the mouse to one corner of the desired region, pressing and holding the left mouse button, dragging the mouse to the opposite corner of the region, and then releasing the mouse button.  When a region is selected, a dotted box is displayed around the region and the size of the region is displayed in the Status Bar.


Reusing Pattern Designs

To copy all or part of one pattern into another pattern, follow these steps:

1.  Open the pattern that is to be copied.

2.  Select the region of the pattern to be copied.

3.  Select Edit Copy.

4.  Open the pattern to receive the copied pattern.

5.  Select Edit Paste.

6.  Position the copied region to the desired location.

Note that the thread colors used for the copied pattern are also used in the second pattern if possible.  That is, if the same thread colors are already selected in the second pattern or if  there is room in the thread list for the new  thread colors, then exact colors are maintained in the copied region.  However, if for a given copied thread the color does not already exist in the palette and there is not room in the thread list for a new thread, then the closest thread color of the palette is used.


Merging Threads

Two threads of the Thread Menu can be merged.   This is useful when it is desired to replace a given thread color with a thread color already in the Thread Menu.  To merge two threads, follow these steps:

1.  Place the mouse over the thread box to be replaced.

2.  Press and hold the left mouse button.

3.  Move the mouse, and consequently the thread box, until the box is on top of the other thread.

4.  Either accept or reject the operation when the confirmation dialog box appears.  This confirmation box shows the color to be replaced and the color that will replace it.


Importing a Bitmap

A Windows bitmap can be converted into a pattern and pasted into a region of the current pattern.  This feature is very useful for 'roughing-in' a pattern design.  To convert and paste a bitmap into a pattern region, follow these steps:

1.  Copy a bitmap onto the Clipboard from another program, such as Windows Paintbrush.

2.  Select the pattern region that is to receive the converted bitmap.  See Selecting a Region.

3.  Select the Edit Paste Bitmap  command.

4.  Wait for the conversion to complete.

5.  Reposition the region as desired.

The quality of the bitmap conversion depends upon several factors.  First, the more stitch squares used for the bitmap the better the result.  Also, the more available stitch positions in the current palette prior to conversion, the more accurate the color conversion.  Sometimes it may be necessary to  repeat the procedure several times to get the most desirable results.

In general, this feature is meant to allow you to get at least a rough translation of an existing bitmap so that you don't have to start drawing the pattern from scratch.


Screen Regions

The screen is divided into the following parts:

Application Control Menu Box

Command Menu Bar

Maximize Box

Minimize Box

Pattern Area

Restore Box

Status Bar

Thread Palette

Title Bar

Tool Bar


Application Control Menu Box

The Application Control Menu Box is located in the upper left of the window.  When this box is selected, the Application Control Menu is displayed.  To select this menu, either click the box using the mouse, or press Alt-space bar.


Command Menu Bar

The Command Menu Bar lists all of the command menus of the program.  To activate a menu, either click on the name of the menu with the mouse, or press Alt and the underlined letter of the menu name.  For more information on the available commands, see Command Menu.


Maximum Box
Maximize Box

The Maximize Box is located in the upper right of the window.  When the Maximize box is clicked via the mouse, the window is enlarged to fill the entire screen.


Minimize Box

The Minimize Box is located to the left of the Maximize Box.  When the Minimize box is clicked via the mouse, the window is reduced to an icon.


Pattern Area

The Pattern Area is used to display the current pattern.  This region is divided into cross-stitch squares having a size corresponding to the selected fabric type.  When the size of the current pattern is larger than the available pattern area of the screen, only a portion of the pattern is visible.  To view other parts of the pattern, horizontal and/or vertical scroll bars are provided to shift the viewing window.

The pattern area may be displayed with a grid.  This grid shows the boundary of each cross-stitch square.  The View Grid Command controls the display of the grid.


Restore Box

The Restore Box is located in the upper right of the window when a window is maximized.  When the Restore box is clicked via the mouse, the window is size is set to its previous size.


Status Bar

The Status Bar is located at the bottom of the window. The status bar displays the following:

- The mouse coordinates

- The selected region size (if any)

- The currently selected color; color number and description

- The color used in the square pointed-to by the cursor

Please note that the used-color information in the status bar only corresponds to the currently selected type of tool.  For example, if the full-stitch tool is selected, then the used color information will only be displayed for those squares which contain a full stitch.


Thread Palette

The Thread Palette is located at the bottom of the screen.  The thread palette consist of 30 boxes. These boxes represent the current thread palette chosen for the current pattern.  When a thread is selected into the pattern/palette, its color is displayed in one of the thread boxes.  To chose one of the threads, click the mouse on one of the boxes.   The selected thread will then be used for all subsequent stitches drawn in the pattern area.

A maximum of 30 thread colors may be used for a pattern.    When no thread color is assigned to a thread box, its color is gray.   This box cannot be selected for  use in a pattern until an actual  thread color is assigned to it.  To assign a thread color, double-click on the thread box.  This will display a dialog box allowing you to chose an existing thread or create a new thread.  See the Select/Edit Palette Command for more information.

After a thread box has been assigned a color, it can be moved to another location in the thread menu.  To move a box, place the mouse pointer on the box, press and hold the left mouse button, move the box to the new location, and release the left mouse button.  A box may be moved to either a used or unused thread box.  If a thread box is moved to an unused box, then the unused box becomes used and the previous box becomes unused.  If a thread box is moved to a used box, then the two boxes are merged.  See Merging Threads for more information.

When the symbol mode is selected, the symbol selected for each color is displayed in the thread palette in addition to the color.


Title Bar

The Title Bar is located at the top of the window in the center.  This area is used to display the name of the program and the name of the current pattern.


Tool Menu
Tool Bar

The Tool Bar is located below the Command Menu Bar.The tool bar consists of several icons which form a graphical menu that is used to select the current stitch type  or enable the 'select mode'.   An icon is selected by clicking it with the mouse.  When selected, an icon is displayed as if depressed.  The icons of this bar are show below.

Select this icon to draw full stitches.

Select this icon, or the other orientation, to draw half stitches.

Select this icon, or the other orientations, to draw quarter stitches.

Select this icon to draw outline stitches.

Select this icon to enable the select mode.  In this mode a region of the current pattern may be selected for moving, copying, or cutting.


Registration

This program is distributed using the shareware concept.  This allows you to evaluate the program before paying for it.  If you find the program useful, please support the shareware system by registering your copy.  The suggested trial period is 30 days.  To register your copy of Cross-Stitch Designer, please send the registration form (click on 'registration form' to display the form) and $30 to the address below:

HobbyWare

9686 Spruce Lane

Fishers, IN 46038

When you register your copy of Cross-Stitch Designer, you will be sent a copy of the latest version (if any) of Cross-Stitch Designer.  Thereafter,  you will be informed whenever new versions of Cross-Stitch Designer are available.  Registered users also receive telephone support from the author.

Problem reports and suggestions are accepted from all users, although registered users get priority  attention.  Please send problem reports and suggestions to the address listed above.


Registration Form

Cross-Stitch Designer 2.1c Registration form.

To print this form, select:   File Print Topic.

Please send this form and $30 to:

HobbyWare

9686 Spruce Lane

Fishers, IN 46038

Date:	___/___/___

Name:	_____________________________

Address:	______________________________

City, State, Zip:	______________________________

Disk Format:	_____ 5.25"     or 	_____ 3.5"

How did you obtain this copy of Cross-Stitch Designer?

Do you have suggestions, comments, or problems to report?

Thank you for registering Cross-Stitch Designer.