
			Visual HTMLboard 1.0
		  Adaptive Computer Systems, Inc.


Visual HTMLboard is an accessable HTML editor designed to allow people
with mobility impairments to create web pages.  It was designed to be
easy for everyone to use.

Below are some of the unique features resulting from this design approach:

*	The HTML tags can be entered in any Windows application.  This
	allows you to use your favorite text editor or word processor to
	create web pages (and spell-check).

*	A helpbar appears at the bottom of the keyboard to explain
	the function of all of the tags.  This helps users learn
	as well as use HTML.

*	All of the HTML tags are displayed on the screen in a straight-
	forward manner.  This eliminates a learning curve associated
	with looking through menus, etc. to find the tag you need.

*	Organizes your files while you work.  No need to hunt for files
	when you get ready to publish your document on the web.  Using
	the 'Filename' feature to insert files in your document
	automatically copies files into a working directory.

*	Add or modify HTML tags in seconds.  All of the button captions
	and tags are read from a text file (select Modify Tags under
	the Preferences menu to see this).  If you are designing
	pages for a specific browser or want to take advantage of
	HTML extensions you can customize Visual HTMLboard easily.

*	Accessability.  This interface is easier for people with
	disabilities to use.  Using Visual Surfboard from Adaptive
	Computer Systems, HTML editing can be done in 'dwell mode'
	in which no clicking is required.

Please contact Adaptive Computer Systems if you have any questions or
comments about this product.

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Getting Started

There are basically two ways to create a web page.  One is to start from 
scratch and create the content as you go.  The other is to start with a
text document (resume, quarterly report, etc.) and mark-up the document
using HTML for presentation on the Internet.

When you create a new document in Visual HTMLboard (either from the File
menu or the button on the keyboard), required tags are automatically
inserted.  Your main work will be inside the body of the document where
you will enter your text and mark it up using the HTML tags on the
keyboard.  If you are working with an existing document, you can copy
and paste the required tags from a new document into your existing
document.

Marking-up Documents

Highlight a few words in your document and click on the 'center' button.
You will notice that the center tags <center></center> appear on either
side of the words you highlighted.  This is the process of marking up
text.  Visual HTMLboard occupies the lower portion of the monitor and your
text editor/word processor occupies the upper portion.


The helpbar at the bottom of the keyboard provides an explaination of each
tag as you move your cursor over the corresponding key.  The arrow keys
on the right side of the keyboard are useful for access without using a
computer keyboard.  These arrow keys can be removed to create more area
for displaying HTML tags by clicking the 'Hide Arrows' button.

File Management

HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language.  The idea behind hypertext is
that you can jump from one document to the next in a non-sequential
fashion.  The 'Anchor' button allows you to create a link in your
web page to another page.  A label will appear in color and underlined
in the browser to indicate you can click on this hypertext to jump
to another file.  To add a hyperlink, select the word you want to appear
highlighted, then click the 'Anchor' button.  Notice that the name
'filename.htm' appears in the tag.  The next step is to highlight the word
'filename.htm' and use the 'Filename' button to replace it with your file.
When you select a file, the filename will appear in your document, and
a copy of the file will be placed in the Visual HTMLboard directory (vhb)
so you will be able to keep your files organized for transfer to your
web server.  Placing image files in your web document follows the same
principle.

Viewing Your Web Page

You can view your web page using a browser such as Netscape Navigator or 
Microsoft Internet Explorer.  Under the File menu in the browser, go to
open file.  Select your .htm file and open it.  As you work on your
HTML file and save it, simply pushing the reload button on the browser
will bring all of the changes up-to-date.

Further Documentation

More detailed documentation and help files are being prepared for 
Visual HTMLboard and will be distributed from our web server 
(http://adaptive-computer.com) when available.  A collection of web 
graphics including icons, bars, bullets, and background textures is 
also available on our web site.

Visual HTMLboard (retail price $24.95) is being distrubuted free
from Adaptive Computer Systems' web site until May 10, 1996.  See our
site for details on Visual HTMLboard Pro which includes WYSIWYG editing
tools for tables and forms.
