ACCESSORIES IN WINDOWS
The Accessories, the Clock, Calculator, Calendar, Notepad and Write are more often called personal information tools. These program items are generally available in the Accessories program group which is created on the installation of Windows. Though many a time, the programs in the Accessories group are taken for just another set of entertaining software, their unity cannot be undermined.
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CLOCK
It is the simplest utility in Windows. It has but one job; to tell you the time either in analog or digital form. The analog form displays the dial with two arms while the digital is the familiar hours, minutes and seconds display.
It has only one menu option - settings. This allows you to select the analog or digital mode, and set different fonts for display. You can also remove the title bar display, making the most of the display space on screen.
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This clock program can be minimized and placed at the bottom of the screen, too be accessed whenever required.
CALENDAR
If you claim to be missing appointments all the time or envisage the possibility, the Windows Calendar services is boon bestowed. Let's get to know it.
To load the calendar program, double-click on the calendar icon in the accessories group. The calendar program helps you to record your appointment. You can place reminders which can be flashed to you with an alarm, no matter what you are working on.
The calendar be viewed to display either the "Daily View" or the "Monthly View".
The Day View Option
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The Day View display a list of timings for the current date. This makes up your appointment dairy. The two arrow buttons available can be used to get the next date or the previous date. Alternatively, you can use the Show option on the Menu Bar.
You can adjust the time interval using the Day Setting command from the Options menu, to either 15 minutes, or 30 minutes, or 60 minutes.
Likewise, you can ask for special time settings with the Special Time choice of the Options menu, for time slots available in the daily calendar.
You can create an appointment schedule in the Daily view mode. The hours are displayed along which you can position your insertion point and key in appointment information upto 80 characters.
When you want to save your appointment schedule, use the Save options of the File menu. The default extension used is .CAL.
The Month View Option
The month view displays the monthly calendar. The scratch at the bottom may be used to make a note for the entire month. The arrow buttons allow you to move forward and backward a month at a time.
You can also use the Show options - Previous and Next commands to display the previous and next months. The Show menu's Today returns you the current date.
In the Monthly View mode, you can set special date markers on your calendar using the Mark choice in the Options menu. This provides your with a set of symbols with which you can mark special days.
The Calendar Alarm
You can turn the alarm on in the Daily View.
To turn the Calendar alarm on:
- Position the cursor in the correct time slot.
- Select the Set option in the Alarm menu.
Window displays a check mark against the option in response, and a bell appears alongside your appointment.
When you need to print or save your version of the Calendar, use the File Print and File Save options respectively.
THE CALCULATOR
The Windows Calculator functions like the hand-held calculator. It operators in two - Standard and Scientific.
To load your Calculator, you type CALC at the File-Run command of your Program Manager or double-click on the Calculator icon, generally available in the Accessories program group.
The calculator that comes up on your screen is generally in the Standard mode. Should you like to change the mode, choose the Scientific option from the View menu.
Your versatile Calculator does arithmetic, logarithmic, trigonometric and statistical work for you. If you never considered yourself a math-brain, and never have a calculator on your person, then here is your companion. Run it minimised at all times and click on it when required.
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Note :- The memory control buttons - MC, MR, MS and M+
- MC :- sets the memory to zero.
- MR :- recalls the number displayed in the memory.
- MS :- places a number in the memory.
- M+ :- adds the number displayed to the number in the memory.
MC is the one you have to identify immediately. It is the "memory clear" button. It is a good practice to use it before any operation.
How do you do your calculation ?
- After MC, click C or press Esc to clear the Calculator's display.
- Enter the numbers and the operation to be performed using the keyboard or click the numbers and the operation using the mouse.
- Click on the " = " button and the result will be displayed.
Remember clearing the display with C does not clear the memory.
The calculator prompt M on the display screen when it has a number stored in memory.
To edit the numbers entered, your may either use the backspace key, or use CE to clear the last entry. If you want to clear the entire expression completely, use C.
You may just strike Enter to repeat the last operation. For instance, consider the expression : (10*3). This returns you 30 on clicking the =. When you strike Enter again, the operation *3 is repeated again to return 90. Another Enter will return 270, and so on.
Statistics Box
This is available when you use your calculator in the Scientific mode. It has some terrific features. You will want to use some of these when working with a long set of numbers.
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Click the Stat button to use the Statistical box. This box may be positioned anywhere with a drag of the mouse. Press Enter or click the Ret button to start.
The buttons the Stat box do the following :-
- RET :- switches to the Calculator from the Stat box.
- LOAD :- inserts a number on the Calculator display to the Stat box.
- CD :- deletes highlighted number.
- CAD :- deletes all numbers.
To transfer a number to the Stat box, press the Ins key or click on the Dat button available on the calculator.
When you're done with the number input, use the Stat function available below the Stat key.
- AVE :- computes the average of the number list.
- SUM :- calculate the sum of the numbers.
- s :- computes the standard deviation.
The results of these calculations can be captured via the Clipboard, to be used in other programs.
THE WORD PROCESSORS - NOTEPAD AND WRITE
You can type in documents and/or letters using a word processor program. The documents you type are stored in the computer's storage device, generally the hard disk as files. These documents files can be loaded later from the hard disk to be corrected or printed.
Microsoft Windows has two inbuilt word-processing packages - Notepad and Write. Although these programs can be classified as elementary editing programs (considering the features offered by the full-fledged Windows word processor programs like MS-Word or Ami Pro), some basic editing techniques used in Write and Notepad remain the same across all Windows-based word processors.
The Notepad's utility is purely that of a jot-pad. This package produces text files which can thereafter be read into any other word-processor. It is the most convenient editor for programmers.
Write is a graphical word-processor. You can use pictures created in other programs like Paintbrush in the midst of your text. Text can also be made to appear in different fonts, and can also be assigned attributes like underline, boldface, italics, etc.
When a software program prints out the graphics and fonts exactly as it appears on screen, the software is said to support WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). Write supports WYSIWYG. This feature is not available in Notepad.
EDITING TECHNIQUES
As you load Write or Notepad, you are presented with a "I" cursor and the mouse pointer appears as an "I". The "I" is called the insertion point, and the "I" cursor is called the I-beam-pointer. As you move the mouse within the edit screen, the I-beam-pointer moves along too. A mouse click at a particular location transfer the insertion point to that location. Thereafter, the insertion point is your keyboard cursor. Use the arrow keys to move across the document. The Del key or the backspace key may be used to delete characters. If you have to delete a contiguous set of characters (a "block" or text), the best method would be to select the text and the press the Del key.
The block the text in a document, move the I-beam-pointer to the required location in the text. Begin with a click and drag the mouse to the end of the required text. Release the mouse button. The text is highlighted.
In fact, whenever a job has to be performed on a set of characters, select the text and then perform the required function. For instance, to change the font (typeface) of a set of characters in Write, first select the set of characters, then use the menu options Character - Font to select the font to be applied to these characters.
To undo an option wrongly executed, use the Undo option in the Edit menu in both the programs.
The Edit menu also offers some regular features like Cut, Copy and Paste.
MOVING BLOCK
Many a times, a paragraph or a set of statements needs to be repositioned in your document. This will amount to "cutting" that block from its original position and "pasting" it to a new location.
Cutting a Block : After you have highlighted your block, choose the Cut option on the Edit menu. This block is cut and put away in the computer's memory - in a specially allotted area called the Clipboard.
Pasting a Block : To paste a block from the Clipboard, position your insertion point at the right location in the document. Now issue the Paste command from the Edit menu, and Windows put back your piece of text at the insertion point.
COPYING A BLOCK
When a certain piece of text has to often repeated, the Copy-Paste technique is to be used. Block the text required, and use the Copy option from the Edit menu. With that, a copy of the selected text is recorded on the Clipboard. You can thereafter use the Paste command of the Edit menu, and paste the copy of text where required.
You can paste the same text from the Clipboard as many times as you want in your document.
Furthermore, most windows programs - Accessories and Applications - use the followinf standard keyboard combinations :
- Ctrl X - to Cut
- Ctrl C - to Copy
- Ctrl V - to Paste a block of highlighted data.
Note :- The Cut - Paste and Copy - Paste techniques work across documents as well applications.
PAINTBRUSH
Paintbrush is the drawing software provided by Windows, The name itself suggests its utility.
Let's explore its features.
You open up paintbrush with a double-click on its icon, or Run it from your File menu with the name of PBRUSH.
Your Paintbrush Window looks like an artist's work-shop. Your tools are stacked on the left, the menu bar runs along the top and your color palette is placed at the bottom with the ' brush stroke' sizes placed on the left bottom corner.
Since Paintbrush is so versatile, for any service you avail of here, there are a set of general guidelines to help you get the most out of it.
- Use drawing tools to create an image.
- Use editing tools (in the edit menu and tool bar) to rearrange your image.
- Save the picture whenever your create something worthwhile.
SELECTING A TOOL
To use a drawing tool, you click the tool icon and then, move the mouse pointer onto the drawing area. The mouse pointer changes shapes depending on the tool selected.
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Airbrush
This creates a smudge or a spray effect in the chosen color. To change color you move to the color palette and click at the color required.
Paint Roller
Think of the roller as a bucket of paint you pour over your work. All you have to do is pick the tool, choose again. The enclosed area if filled with the specified color.
Paint Brush
This is the tool for free-hand drawing. The brush can take six shapes. The shape required can be selected from the Options Menu with the Brush Shapes command.
Straight Line
Using the straight line tool is very easy. Click the tool and the color, move to the drawing. and click where the lines should begin. Drag to desired end point and release.
Curved Line
To construct a curved line, begin by drawing a straight line. Thereafter, Paintbrush uses two clicks to confirm the curvature of the line drawn.
Square And Rounded Boxes
- Click any of the four and you get a box.
- Click the tool.
- click the color required
- click where the box should begin (a corner) and drag diagonally.
- Release when done.
Circles and Ellipses
Use these tools to create circles or ellipses. Begin with a click and drag in the direction required.
The Polygons
This is a more flexible tool than the Circle and the Box. You may create any Polygon you want. Just drag and click from one point to another until you reach the starting point again. You can also double-click at any time to joint the last point drawn to the starting starting point.
The ABC Tool
This is a Text tool. With a click on the tool you get a familiar insertion pointer to type in Text. While typing in the text, you may change fonts and attributes using the Text menu.
Eraser
These are Erasing tools. One is a regular eraser, while the other leaves the background intact. Use them when you have damaged a good looking drawing.
Pick & Cut Tools
These are also called the Scissors Tools. They are used to mark a portion of the screen. Click and drag until the picture is surrounded by a dot-lined enclosure. Once this is done, the section of screen which has been marked can be Copied, Cut and Pasted through the clipboard.
FLIPPING PICTURES HORIZONTALLY AND VERTICALLY
You can pick a drawing and then Flip the drawing Vertically or Horizontally. Use the Scissors Tool to pick the drawing. Choose the Flip Horizontal from the Pick menu. You get a mirror image of your picture on the screen.
Similarly, the picture can be Flipped vertically with Pick and Flip Vertical options.
SHRINK AND GROW PICTURES
A picture once drawn can be sized - increased or decreased. Mark the picture with a Scissors tool, then select the Pick option and click on the Shrink and Grow. Construct an outline box to indicate the new size. Your picture is either Shrunk or Grown depending on your outline box.
ZOOM IN AND ZOOM OUT
To edit minute parts of a picture, you can blow up that part of the screen and then take the remedial measures. To do this, select Zoom in from the View menu. The cursor takes the shape of a box. Move the box to the area you want to edit and click. An enlarged view of the area will appear. Choose the tool requires to edit it.
SAVING AND PRINTING
You can save and print a drawing with the Save as and Print options from the File menu.
THE CLIPBOARD
Windows reserves a portion of memory called the clipboard, which can be accessed from any program. You can copy a piece of screen data to the clipboard from the Paintbrush program, and recall the data from the clipboard into Write. This facility of data transfer within Windows makes it a powerful software.
When you execute the commands Edit-Copy or Edit-Cut, after highlighting a part of the picture or data, you send a copy of the same to the clipboard. This piece of information in the clipboard may be recalled either in the same program, or in another program, with the commands Edit-Paste.
The Clipboard can store one block at a time. Should you like to see what is stored in our clipboard at any point, use the Clipboard Viewer program icon, generally available in the Main group.
