3 Word processing with VIEW


This introduction to VIEW is designed to be read in two ways.

Ideally you should place it beside your computer, with your View Guide alongside, and work with both of them so that you really get to know how word processing is done on a BBC Microcomputer - and get to know the Guide too, so that it becomes your constant reference for word processing methods.

If you do not always have ready access to a computer, you may prefer to read this introduction separately, trying out methods it suggests whenever you get the chance.

However you study the system remember that the objective of word processing is to process words - with keyboard, screen and printer. So for the rest of this book we shall assume that you are sitting at your computer trying everything out as you go. The more often this is the case the quicker you will learn.

3.1 Switching on


Whenever you switch on you may be in VIEW immediately, or you may have to ask the computer for it.

VIEW is encoded on a ROM - a 'Read Only Memory' - which is plugged into one of four sockets in your computer. What you see when you switch the computer on depends on where VIEW is plugged in and what other ROMs are plugged in with it. If you see the command mode display (see below) you can go ahead immediately with word processing. If not, type

*WORD RETURN

to get into VIEW.

Feel free to experiment with any keys - you cannot do the computer any harm by pressing them.

3.2 The command mode display

The top line of the display shows the version of VIEW you are using. The words No text mean just that: when you enter text into VIEW or load a file from disc or tape, the words No text will change to the amount of memory available. Editing No File will also change when you load a text file, to show the name of the file. Screen Mode 7 is the BBC Microcomputer's Teletext mode, giving 24 lines of 34 characters each on the screen. Printer default refers to the printer driver. Briefly this is a program which manages printing, and the word 'default' implies that VIEW's built-in printer driver program is active. Other drivers can be loaded for particular printers. The sign => shows where commands are typed in.

3.3 Text mode


If you wish to write text, you need to open up text mode. This is done by typing

NEW RETURN

Once you have done this, you can switch at will between command mode (the mode in which you issue general commands to the system) and text mode (the mode in which you write text). To switch between these modes press ESCAPE .

Notice that the words No text have have changed to Bytes Free ... . As a rough guide, one byte corresponds to one character, ie one letter, number, sign or space.

Switch to text mode by pressing ESCAPE and try some typing. You will soon discover that you are typing in capitals all the time. This is because at start-up the 'caps lock' is on. To switch it off press the CAPS LOCK key.

3.4 The text mode display


FJ .......*.......*.......*.......*.<

_
*************************************

The top line is the ruler, and this controls the width of the column of text under it. The asterisks in the ruler are TAB stops. The letter F means format and J means justify; these are explained in detail later in this chapter. The horizontal bar is the cursor, and shows where any new text will be typed. The row of asterisks marks the bottom of the column of text.

3.5 Screen and page


The four arrow keys move the cursor about the screen, but if you use them at this stage it is important to realise what they are doing. VIEW's text area is not limited to the screen itself. The best way to regard the text area is a very large 'page', only a little of which is visible to you through the screen. The screen in fact is rather like a window which you can move (using the arrow keys) to any part of the page you wish.

3.6 Typing text


When you are in text mode, you can use the commands on the red function keys. Look at the function key card, which you should keep inserted under the clear plastic strip at the top of the keyboard. The most frequently needed commands are on the bottom row, and these are used without pressing either SHIFT or CTRL. Type in anything you like and try them out.

Now let us try out some of the features of VIEW word processing. Type in the paragraph below, without ever pressing RETURN , since the system will move you on to another line automatically, as soon as you type a word beyond the right margin.

When typing in text on the VIEW
word processor, there is no need
to press RETURN unless you wish to
go on to another line without
having reached the margin on the
current one. Text is automatically
formatted as you type it in. If
you are using Mode 7 it is
formatted on to a 34-character
line.

Notice how each line you type is justified, ie the right-hand margin is even.

If this is not happening you have switched off the justification by mistake. At this stage the best thing to do is to return to the start-up position as follows.

-   Press BREAK to reset the system.
-   Press CAPS LOCK to switch that off.
-   Type NEW and press RETURN .
-   Press ESCAPE to get back into text mode.

. . . and start again.

Having typed in your text, correct any mistakes. If you made none just rewrite a bit instead. (Do not worry at this stage if any characters go beyond the right margin.)

To replace characters, use the arrow keys to place the cursor under the character you want replaced. Then simply type over the character and the new character will replace the old one.

To delete a character, place the cursor under the character you want to delete and press DELETE CHARACTER - which is function key f9 .

To insert a character, place the cursor in the character space to the right of where you want the new character to be, like this:

WORD PROCESSING

Then press INSERT CHARACTER (function key f8 ). The text will open up like this:

WORD PRO_ESSING

and you can insert the new character.

You can also try inserting and deleting lines. The INSERT LINE command (function key f6 ) inserts a blank line above the line which the cursor is on, and the DELETE LINE command (function key f7 ) deletes the line which the cursor is on.

TOP OF TEXT and BOTTOM OF TEXT are easily demonstrated too, as are BEGINNING OF LINE and END OF LINE. At first you will probably find yourself using the arrow keys most of the time to move the cursor about, but as you become more proficient you will find these more powerful commands save a lot of time. All these commands are described in the GUIDE in more detail.

When you have finished making all your changes, you will probably find that your text no longer has that neat, justified right edge you started with. Probably it looks rather like our version below.

When typing in a paragraph on the VIEW
word processor, there is
no need to press RETURN unless you
wish to go on to another line
without having reached the margin
on the current one. Text is
automatically formatted as you
type it in. If you are using Mode 7 it is
formatted on to a 34-character
line.

You can tidy up a column of text like this by reformatting it. Place the cursor anywhere on the top line and press function key f0 , immediately below the words FORMAT BLOCK on the function key card. Make sure you do not have 'shift lock' on or you will get a bleep and no action.

The whole paragraph is then changed into something like this:

When typing in a paragraph on the
VIEW word processor, there is no
need to press RETURN unless you
wish to go on to another line
without having reached the margin
on the current one. Text is
automatically formatted as you
type it in. If you are using Mode
7 it is formatted on to a
34-character line.

Of course not everyone likes justified text, and for some purposes it looks too formal. To switch off justification, hold down CTRL and press function key f3 (labelled JUSTIFY MODE on the function key card). The small letter J at top left on the screen disappears, although the F remains - we are still formatting.

To rearrange the text in unjustified lines, all you have to do is to carry out the same procedure as before: place the cursor on the top line and press the function key for FORMAT BLOCK. The result should be something like this:

When typing in a paragraph on the
VIEW word processor, there is no
need to press RETURN unless you
wish to go on to another line
without having reached the margin
on the current one. Text is
automatically formatted as you
type it in. If you are using Mode
7 it is formatted on to a
34-character line.