help Index

dAgent Help Index

This is the index page of HELP for dAgent.

Use the cursor keys or the scroll bar to see the rest of it.

Press F1 for help on using Help.

 Wherever instructions apply only if you are using a Mouse, this icon will be displayed.

 Similarly this icon indicates that instructions apply only if you are using the keyboard.

Commands

Introduction

File Menu

Agents Menu

Keyboard

Windows Keys

Glossary

Defined Terms

Screen Regions

Screen Regions


dAgent Introduction

Introduction

dAgent is intended for use by programmers and people of a somewhat technical bent who

use Windows v3.0.  It attempts to describe your Windows setup.

dAgent is a medium model C program written using the Windows SDK and Microsoft C

compiler v5.1.  Four named code segments are used in order to keep memory requirements

down.

dAgent has been tested on a Compaq 386/20e and a Compaq 386/s as well as a number of

clones.  The print out has been tried on a large number of printers and seems robust.


File Menu

The File menu includes commands that enable you to print a report of your system configuration and to exit the application.

For more information, select the File menu command name.

Print

Exit


Agents Menu

This menu holds the tools that make dAgent useful.

In order to invoke one of the 9 functions available and listed below listed below use one of the following methods :

i)	Select the appropriate option from the Tools Menu.

ii)	Press the appropriate button.

iii)	Press Alt+<underlined letter of option required>.

The Agents menu includes tools that enable you to determine a number of useful things about your system as well as to monitor and manipulate it.

Mouser	Precisely determines the characteristics of any Window on the screen.

Atoms	Permits manipulation of Global Atoms.

General	Displays miscellaneous system information.

Stock Objects	Displays a sample of each of the Stock Fonts and Stock Fills.

ClipBoard	Describes the contents of the Clipboard and allows you to clear it.

SystemMetrics	Displays system item sizing information (known as System Metrics) eg Menu Bar height, Mouse cursor height and width etc.

Keyboard	Displays information concerning your keyboard and mouse, lets you set cursor blink rate, mouse speed. Also lets you 'test' the system beep.

DevCaps	Displays complete device capabilities for your screen AND every installed device driver in your Win.ini.

Alerts	Displays a sample of each of the Stock Fonts and Stock Fills.


Glossary

Clipboard


Agents Mouser Tool

Similar to the Spy program supplied with the Windows SDK, it 'informs' on any visible window

if you place the mouse cursor over it.  It doesn't however allow you to see all the messages

received by that window but it does give complete window style information as well as a

number of other useful items such as RGB values for client area points, module name and

handle, window name and handle, parent window name and handle etc

N.B. Because the window required for this tool is so large, the main dAgent screen is

minimised for the duration of Mouser and maximised afterwards.  If you wish to move the

mouser information screen in order to view what is underneath, click once on it, move it and

click on it again.  In order to return to the dAgent screen proper, click the right hand mouse

button or use the system menu.

Mouser will not operate if you have not got a mouse.


Agents Atoms Tool

Windows makes extensive use of a sort of semaphore which it calls Atoms. Each has a

name, a number and a use count.  Atoms may either be Global (available to all) or local

(available to your program only).  Atoms may be Added, Deleted (reduce their use count),

'Found' by name or 'Got' by number.  dAgent lets you do all this.  Beware however; a flaw (I

think) in the SDK causes the program to crash if you attempt to 'Get' an atom which does not

exist.


Agents General Information

Displays version, mode, directory and other general information including available memory

and timers.  Note that the Program Manager takes the minimum of the two percentage

figures given for available heap space in the GDI and USER modules when it gives available

memory in 386 Enhanced mode.


Agents Stock Objects Display

Displays a sample of each of the default fonts and brushes available on your system. Useful if you want to see what they look like on your display.


Agents Clipboard Tool

Describes the current contents of the ClipBoard and allows you to clear it.


Agents System Metrics Information

Single screen showing System Metrics, ie things like default Menu bar height and so on.


Agents Keyboard Information

Describes the keyboard, allows you to set the Mouse double click rate and the

Caret blink rate or swap the mouse buttons. Also lets you test the system Beep (!).

N.B. For some reason I haven't fathomed, the System Metric information concerning the

swapping of mouse buttons is only updated when Windows is restarted; in order to keep

things consistent I update win.ini when you swap the buttons.  This is unsatisfactory but

consistent with the Control Panel, so at least Microsoft had the same problem.


Agents Device Capabilities Information

Allows you to investigate the Device Capabilities of the all printers installed on your system

as well as the screen.


Agents Alerts Tool

Allows you to monitor the operation of your system. You can set minima and maxima for

each of the items listed below and a period between tests. If any of the limits are broken, a

message box is displayed or a beep sounded to warn you.

The items which can be monitored are as follows :

Disk Space

Memory

GDI Heap space

USER Heap space

Timers available

Number of running Tasks

Note that the shareware version will not monitor available Disk Space on Network drives.


File Exit Command

Ends your dAgent session.


File Print Command

Prints a report of all items made available by the General, Clipboard, System Metrics and Device Capabilities tools.


Screen Regions

dAgent displays a window like the one below when you start it up.

This window is divided into 7 regions :

System Menu

Title Bar

Maximize Icon

Minimize Icon

Menu Bar

Tools Area

Sizing Border


Tools Area

The Tools Area in dAgent is the large area in the middle where a button is placed for each tool available. Pressing on any of the buttons with your left hand mouse button will invoke the related tool.


Maximize Icon

The Maximize icon is a little box above and to the right of the Tools Area which has an upward pointing triangle in it. Selecting this has the same effect as selecting Maximize from the System Menu - it will cause dAgent to occupy the entire screen. If dAgent is already occupying the entire screen the triangle will be replaced by two smaller triangles, one pointing up and one down; selecting the maximize icon now will cause dAgent to be Restored to its former screen size and position.


Minimize Icon

The Minimize icon is a little box above and to the right of the Tools Area which has a downward pointing triangle in it. Selecting this has the same effect as selecting Minimize from the system menu - it will cause dAgent to be reduced to an icon at the bottom of the screen.


Menu Bar

The Menu Bar is situated under the Title Bar and holds the menu commands available within the program. dAgent's Menu Bar contains (in order) the File, Agents and Help menus.


Sizing Border

The Sizing border is the thin band running round the outside of dAgent window. Clicking and dragging the Sizing border resizes dAgent window.


System Menu

The System Menu is represented by a little box to the left of the Title Bar which has a hyphen in it. Selecting it causes the System menu to be displayed.

The System Menu has items on it allowing you to maximize, minimize, size, move or exit (close) dAgent.


Title Bar

The Title Bar is the strip at the top of the dAgent Window which shows the name of the program and the name of the document being edited.

You can move the dAgent window if you

1.	Click on the Title Bar.

2.	Hold down the mouse button and drag the window. An outline will be displayed until you let go of the button, when the entire screen will be repositioned.

1.	Press Alt+Spacebar.

2.	Select Move.

3.	Use the cursor keys to move the Window outline around the screen.


Windows Keys

 Choose from the following list to review the keys used in Windows:

Cursor Movement Keys

Dialog Box Keys

Editing Keys

Help Keys

Menu Keys

System Keys

Text Selection Keys

Window Keys


Cursor Movement Keys

Key(s)	Function

DIRECTION key	Moves the cursor left, right, up, or down in a field.

End or Ctrl+Right Arrow	Moves to the end of a field.

Home or CTRL+Left Arrow	Moves to the beginning of a field.

PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN	Moves up or down in a field, one screen at a time.


Dialog Box Keys

Key(s)	Function

TAB	Moves from field to field (left to right and top to bottom).

SHIFT+TAB	Moves from field to field in reverse order.

ALT+letter	Moves to the option or group whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

DIRECTION key	Moves from option to option within a group of options.

ENTER	Executes a command button.

Or, chooses the selected item in a list box and executes the command.

ESC	Closes a dialog box without completing the command. (Same as Cancel)

ALT+DOWN ARROW	Opens a drop-down list box.

ALT+UP or DOWN ARROW	Selects item in a drop-down list box.

SPACEBAR	Cancels a selection in a list box.

Selects or clears a check box.

CTRL+SLASH	Selects all the items in a list box.

CTRL+BACKSLASH	Cancels all selections except the current selection.

SHIFT+ DIRECTION key	Extends selection in a text box.

SHIFT+ HOME	Extends selection to first character in a text box.

SHIFT+ END	Extends selection to last character in a text box


Editing Keys

Key(s)	Function

Backspace	Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.

Or, deletes selected text.

Delete	Deletes the character to the right of the cursor.

Or, deletes selected text.


Help Keys

Key(s)	Function

F1	Gets Help and displays the Help Index for the application. If the Help window is already open, pressing F1 displays the "Using Windows Help" topics.

Pressing F1 when a menu item is highlighted will give context-specific help for that item.


Menu Keys

Key(s)	Function

Alt	Selects the first menu on the menu bar.

Letter key	Chooses the menu, or menu item, whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

Alt+letter key	Pulls down the menu whose underlined letter matches the one you type.

LEFT or RIGHT ARROW	Moves among menus.

UP or DOWN ARROW	Moves among menu items.

Enter	Chooses the selected menu item.


System Keys

The following keys can be used from any window, regardless of the application you are using.

Key(s)	Function

Ctrl+Esc	Switches to the Task List.

Alt+Esc	Switches to the next application window or minimized icon, including full-screen programs.

Alt+TAB	Switches to the next application window, restoring applications that are running as icons.

Alt+PrtSc	Copies the entire screen to Clipboard.

Ctrl+F4	Closes the active window.

F1	Gets Help and displays the Help Index for the application. (See Help Keys)


Text Selection Keys

Key(s)	Function

SHIFT+LEFT or RIGHT ARROW	Selects text one character at a time to the left or right.

SHIFT+DOWN or UP	Selects one line of text up or down.

SHIFT+END	Selects text to the end of the line.

SHIFT+HOME	Selects text to the beginning of the line.

SHIFT+PAGE DOWN	Selects text down one window.

Or, cancels the selection if the next window is already selected.

SHIFT+PAGE UP	Selects text up one window.

Or, cancels the selection if the previous window is already selected.

CTRL+SHIFT+LEFT or RIGHT ARROW	Selects text to the next or previous word.

CTRL+SHIFT+UP or DOWN ARROW	Selects text to the beginning (UP ARROW) or end (DOWN ARROW) of the paragraph.

CTRL+SHIFT+END	Selects text to the end of the document.

CTRL+SHIFT+HOME	Selects text to the beginning of the document.


Window Keys

Key(s)	Function

ALT+SPACEBAR	Opens the Control menu for an application window.

ALT+Hyphen	Opens the Control menu for a document window.

Alt+F4	Closes a window.

Alt+Esc	Switches to the next application window or minimized icon, including full-screen programs.

Alt+TAB	Switches to the next application window, restoring applications that are running as icons.

Alt+ENTER	Switches a non-Windows application between running in a window and running full screen.

DIRECTION key	Moves a window when you have chosen Move from the Control menu.

Or, changes the size of a window when you have chosen Size from the Control menu.


Clipboard

The Windows clipboard is the 'place' that cut and copied text is placed, and where pasted text comes from.

The clipboard can be used to cut and paste between different applications as well as within a single message or different messages as the clipboard remembers the last cut or copy instruction regardless of what else has happened since.


Current Message

The message currently being edited on the screen, it's name is displayed in the blue bar at the top of the application window.


Telex

If you don't know what a Telex is, you probably shouldn't be using this program.


Novell Netware

The most popular network operating system in the world, with around 65% market share.