Introduction to creating hyperfiles =================================== You can learn a lot from using the supplied hyperfiles. It is important to read the HS hyperfile (Introduction on the HOME menu) first, to see what HyperShell is and how you use it HyperShell is a very complex program and handles very complex hyperfiles. This does NOT mean that you have to know everything about it before you start. The more powerful features can be learnt as and when you need them. To show how simple a file can be, try giving the name of any normal text file to HyperShell (such as the READ.ME file):- HS READ.ME This gets treated as a single 'frame' hyperfile which you can page through, and use F10 to exit from. If you have a favourite editor or word processor, you can use that to produce your hyperfiles. If you do not know how to use an editor, you can use the small one supplied on the disk. This is usually used for creating small note files for HyperShell, but can be used for hyperfiles up to a certain size as well. The next stage is to break a file into 'frames', and give each frame a name. This can be done by using a text editor to add a line at the start and at various points in the file with the following format:- .FRAME name Note that the .FRAME must be at the VERY START of the line. The name you give each frame should be a short name of one or two words which gives an indication of what the piece of text afterwards is about, and you should not use the same name twice. Now when you run HyperShell it only displays the first frame, and displays the name for you. To move to another frame, press function key 2 to display a contents list and select another frame. You have now got a simple hyperfile, but you need some cross references to make it into a hypertext file. Using the editor again, add some text into each frame which includes the name of one of the other frames. Now add reference flags to the name in the text by putting a ~F immediately before it and a ~E immediately after it. These will form the 'references' which can be selected to move around in the hyperfile. Try running HyperShell again, and you should find that the references are highlighted. You should be able to select a reference and move the referenced frame. If it claims the frame is not available, you have probably not got the name exactly correct (it does not have to be in exactly the same 'case' i.e. the frame name can start with capital letters and the reference can start with small letters), or you may have put an extra space in between words in the name (this is easy if you use a word processor which pads out lines to the same length), or you may have split the name over two lines (also easy with a word processor). What you can do next is to add 'titles' for your frames. this is easily accomplished by adding an extra line after each .FRAME line of the form:- .TITLE title of frame Again the .TITLE must be at the very start of the line. If you add a title to each frame, you can then run HyperShell again and see the title displayed on the frame display and in the contents list. You can now add a special 'header' to your file, which will replace the normal header. To do this, add a line at the start of the hyperfile with .HEADER on it. After this line, and before the first .FRAME line, you can put whatever text you want in your header. If this includes the string '$1', this will be replaced by the name of the frame when it is displayed. $2 will be replaced by the title of the frame. These strings are known as 'system variables' and you can look in the reference guide to see what other variables are available. Run your hyperfile again now, and it should show the header at the top of each frame displayed, with the frame name and title in the locations you specified. You should have a file of roughly the following form, the dashes representing any text:- .HEADER - - - - $1 - - - - $2 - - - .FRAME name1 .TITLE title for name1 - - ~Fname2~E - - - - .FRAME name2 .TITLE title for name2 - - - - - ~Fname1~E - .FRAME name3 .TITLE title for name3 - - ~Fname2~E - - ~Fname1~E - - What next? ---------- You are now in a position to experiment and start adding other features to your hyperfiles. You should look at the following stages in turn, using the reference guide for information, and the supplied hyperfiles as examples, and trying out the features in your own hyperfiles:- Novice ------ Hyperfile structure Footer References flags for frames, notes, menus Notes - global and local Menus - global and local HOME.HYP MSDOS.HYP Intermediate ------------ Formatting flags Colour schemes Setup script Actions Dynamic menus Options Reserved characters HS.HYP DATABASE.HYP Advanced -------- Scripts Variables Conditions Action modifiers Functions Autoreferencing HSREF.HYP Expert ------ Browse through the reference guide to find what you don't know about. And if you have reached this stage, how about registering? A phased tutorial with a worked example is provided when you register, along with other documents and authoring tools to make your job easier.