guideWorks, LLCApple Guide FAQ




Guide Composer
(published by StepUp Software)

How do I. . .

How do I compare Guide Composer to Apple Guide Starter Kit?


The June, 1996, issue of MacTech Magazine has a review of Guide Maker, Guide Starter, and Guide Composer.

How do I add styled text to my Guide Composer files?


Guide Composer does not support styled text (as of version 1.2). However, you can output a Guide script text file, modify it and compile it with Guide Maker or Guide Maker Lite.

1. Use Guide Composer to generate a text file
2. Edit text file in Word and save as a Word 5.1 file
3. Compile using Guide Maker


Note that Guide Composer's definitions of the standard formats include an override that forces styled text back to plain. To workaround this, edit the 'Standard Defines' file which shipped with Guide Composer.

Change the definitions for the "Body" and "Full" formats. The definitions we use look like this:

<Define Format> "Full", column(6, 15, 330), , , , , left, true
<Define Format> "Body", column(6, 65, 330), , , , , left, true

How do I add multiple panels to a Huh sequence?


At the moment, the editing environment for Huh? buttons in Guide Composer only gives you a single panel to work with. If you need to display multiple panels for Huh?, enter the Guide script directly in the Huh? text, e.g.:

This is the first panel of my huh sequence.
<end panel>
<define panel> "huh - panel 2"
This is the second panel of my huh sequence.
<end panel>
<define panel> "huh - panel 3"
This is the third panel of my huh sequence.

Notice that the very first <define panel> and the very last <end panel> are missing. These are supplied by Guide Composer.

How do I insert a sequence based on the active window?


Add this line to your 'Standard Defines' file:

<DCC>     "ActiveWindow", 'WIND', , LONG:0, LONG:0, LONG:10, LPSTRING

At the end of the panel text for the panel in question put:

<end panel>
<if> NOT ActiveWindow('KMap',"Student Information")
   <Insert Sequence> "Go Student Info"
<end if>
<define panel> "anyUniqueName"
 The real text for the next panel. 
 

© 1997, guideWorks, LLC -- Last updated: 970326 GPB