Chapter D 1 : Getting Started

This chapter covers the basics of the Advanced Revelation environment so you can start using the system. The “Using System Features” chapter that follows provides more detailed information about Advanced Revelation’s menu system and status lines and ex- plains how to use windows as you create your application.

Advanced Revelation starts when you enter AREV at the operating system prompt. Use menus to move through the system. To leave Advanced Revelation, you can either inter- rupt your work temporarily (returning later to the same place) or exit completely.

To start Advanced Revelation, go to the directory that contains your Advanced Revelation files and enter AREV, like this:

C: \AREV>AREV

The Advanced Revelation copyright notice appears, followed by the Advanced Revelation Main menu:

 Revelation Hain Menu  =  
ae Access SQL Tools Managenent Exit 

    “Design or modify data entry windows. reports, and menus.“

When you want to:	Choose:
Design or modify data entry windows, reports, menus, popups, or macros	Design
Use existing windows and reports	Access
Build and execute Advanced Revelation SQL statements	SQL
Use tools to maintain the database	Tools
Maintain accounts and system environment parameters	Management
Quit, go to operating system, or go to The Command Level (TCL)	Exit

The Advanced Revelation menu system is composed of action bar menus and pulldown menus. The action bar menu is the top level menu. It is oriented horizon- tally and uses a sliding bar to highlight selections. Pulldown menus are always called from an action bar menu, and appear directly beneath the action bar selec- tion.

Most keystrokes are the same in both action bar and pulldown menus. To choose a menu option, highlight it and press [Enter] or [F9] (Save). Use any of these methods to move the highlight:

To go directly to any option, type the first letter of that option
To move through the options, use the arrow key that points in the direction you want to move
To go to the first option, press [Home]
To go to the last option, press [End]

If you are in an action bar menu, you can also use these keystrokes:

To go to the next option in a list, press [Spacebar]
If the action bar contains more than one line, use [T] and [1] to move the cursor between lines. If the cursor is on the top or bottom line, an arrow key in the direction of the boundary displays the pulldown menu for that option.

If you are in a pulldown menu, you can also use these keystrokes:

If you are in a pulldown menu immediately below an action bar menu and the cursor is at a boundary, you can “browse” the pulldowns by pressing the arrow key in the direction of the boundary. If the pulldown has been called from another pulldown, a left or right arrow key returns you to the previous (calling) pulldown.
If pulldown numbering is active in the environment, pulldowns with fewer than ten selections display with numbers to the left of each selection. You may move the cursor to any item by pressing the corresponding number key.

Selection numbering is not active in pulldowns with ten or more items.

A brief message across the bottom of the menu explains the purpose of the high- lighted option.

You can also use a mouse to move the cursor in data entry windows, the Editor, and Paint, and to move the highlight in menus and popups. For more information, see the chapter “Configuring for the Workstation: Mouse, Display, and Printers” later in this section.

For more information on menus, see the chapter “Using System Features” later in this section.

Two status lines at the bottom of the screen provide detailed information about where you are in Advanced Revelation and what kind of work you are currently performing. For more information about the status lines in a particular environ- ment, see the “Using System Features” chapter.

Advanced Revelation provides two ways to leave. If you are through working, you can quit Advanced Revelation altogether. You may also exit Advanced Revelation temporarily if you simply need to run one or more operating system commands. You can leave Advanced Revelation either through the Exit menu or by entering the OFF command directly at The Command Level (TCL).

To leave through the Exit menu, choose Exit from the Main menu.
To enter a command at TCL, press [F5] (TCL) from anywhere in Advanced Revelation and enter the command on the command line. For information on TCL commands, see the TCL section.

When you are finished with Advanced Revelation and want to go on to other work, use the Logoff option on the Exit menu or the OFF command at TCL. Logoff or OFF turns Advanced Revelation off.

Advanced Revelation provides two options for you to go to the operating system temporarily, use other programs, and then return to the same place in Advanced Revelation.

PC	allows you to use MS-DOS commands and programs that require only a small amount of memory. The full Advanced Revelation system is retained in memory.
Suspend	Suspend saves most of Advanced Revelation to a temporary disk file. Using Suspend, you can temporarily leave Advanced Revelation and use almost any command or program at MS-DOS.

With either option, enter EXIT at the operating system prompt to return to Advanced Revelation.

Help keys display information about your current task, options, and other Advanced Revelation functions.

Advanced Revelation provides six types of online help messages to assist you at any step while working in the system.

You can get specific help for your current task or you can go directly to a help message for any window, command, or function in Advanced Revelation. If you are not sure what to enter at a prompt, you can see all your options and choose what you want from a popup. In any context, you can see a list of active keys and an explanation of how to use them to make your job easier.

When you want to:	Press this key
Read help text about the current prompt or popup	[F1] Context
Read help text about the concept behind the current window or process	[Ctrl-F2] Concept
Choose help for a window, command, or function from a menu	[Ctrl-F1] General
View a list of all keys that are active currently	[Ctrl-F9] Keys
Choose options for the current prompt or context from a popup	[F2] Options
Choose Softkey functions for the current window from a popup	[F6] Softkeys

For more information about online help, see the “Using System Features” chapter in this section.

In addition to the Help keys, the most frequently used keys in Advanced Revelation are [Esc], [F5] (TCL), [F9] (Save), and [F10] (Menu). Use these keys to accomplish tasks and move quickly to any part of the system.

When you want to:	Press this key:
Return to the previous window or menu	[Esc]
Save the information on the current window or choose the highlighted menu option	[F9]
Go to The Command Level (TCL)	[F5]
Go to the Main menu	[F10]

Advanced Revelation is designed for multilevel activity: you can interrupt one task, pick up another, then return to your original place with a few quick keystrokes.

In fact, you can layer a great many tasks in Advanced Revelation, directly accessing any part of the system from any other part. You are only limited by available computer memory.

To suspend the current activity and pursue another task, press [F5] to go to The Command Level (TCL) and then press [F10] (Menu) to enter the menu system. As you finish a task, press [Esc] to exit the current process. This will return you to the previous level, where you can either resume a suspended task or press [Esc] again to exit to the next level.