Figure 2.1 Navigator Palette
When applicable, author credits are available by clicking the Information icon.
If author credits are available, a card appears with the source to be credited
for the information. To return to your original location, click the Go Back
icon, described below.
Help is not implemented in Perseus 1.0. When you click the Help icon, a dialog
box informs you that help is not yet available. Click Sorry to continue.
The Path icon allows you to navigate a path. This icon is a square maze with an
arrow at either side, suggesting a meander through Perseus. The meander has
three active components: the left arrow, the meander center, and the right
arrow.
The left and right arrows are Path Previous and Path Next, respectively. Click
them to go to the previous and next locations of the path you are following.
The meander center allows you to add a location to the path you are creating.
See chapter 9, "Utilities," for more information on paths.
The Gateway icon places you at the main access point of Perseus, the Perseus
Gateway. From the Gateway, you can select all major resources of Perseus.
The Go Back icon returns you to the card from which you entered, whatever
resource of Perseus you were using. If you click this icon several times in
succession, you will retrace your past steps backward. This is not the same as
the Go Previous icon, described below.
The left arrow on the Navigator takes you to the previous card in a stack,
moving you backward in a linear progression. For example, if you are on a
building card for the swimming pool in Olympia, the left arrow will take you to
the previous building card for buildings in Olympia.
The right arrow on the Navigator takes you to the next card in a stack, moving
you forward in a linear progression. For example, if you are examining a
catalog entry in the Encyclopedia, the right arrow will take you to the next
catalog entry in the Encyclopedia.
Figure 2.2 Types of buttons
Some buttons are toggles: clicking one turns a feature on or off, and the name
on the button or the highlighted active area changes correspondingly. For
example, clicking a button called "Show Links" reveals link areas in a text
field. The name of the button then changes to "Hide Links," which is the user's
cue to click that button again to hide the link areas in the text field.
The active choice in a pop-up menu is registered in one of three possible ways.
One is a check mark placed next to the choice in the pop-up menu. The second is
that the choice now appears as the name of the pop-up menu. The third is an
action that occurs as soon as you release the mouse button. A pop-up menu from
a button is depicted below (figure 2.3). This menu allows you to set the type
of videodisc player.
Figure 2.3 A pop-up menu
Figure 2.4 Perseus Menu
Specialized menus accompany some Perseus resources and appear on the right end
of the menu bar when you open the resource. These menus provide tools,
functions, and links designed to expand the power and flexibility of the
Perseus resource. For example, an Atlas Menu appears when you go to the Atlas
and a Plan Menu is displayed when you select a site plan.
Detailed explanations of the Links and Perseus menus are offered at the end of
this chapter. Descriptions of specialized menus are included in later chapters.
Figure 2.5 Perseus Gateway
In addition to the resource icons named on the Perseus Gateway, four other
icons are buttons that open Settings, Home, Quit, and Information, respectively
(figure 2.6).
Figure 2.6 Settings, Home, Quit, and Information icons
The Settings function allows you to customize Perseus to your environment. You
can specify whether you are using a videodisc player and what type of player if
so, you can select a primary text display format, and you can identify the
location of your Perseus folders on your hard drive.
If you are using Perseus for the first time on your hard drive, check the
settings by clicking on the Settings icon and reviewing or changing the
information on the Perseus Settings card.
See chapter 9, "Utilities," for more information on Settings.
You may wish to go directly to the Home card if you use HyperCard in another
application. You can also go to the Home card to review and adjust your path
and directory specifications for Perseus.
An index of information lists entries for the Perseus Project and
Annenberg/CPB, support information for using Perseus, and projects related to
Perseus.
An option in Settings allows you to choose to go either to cards in a new
window, thus leaving the old window in the background on the screen, or to
cards in the same window, thus replacing the current screen display. The
advantage of opening cards in new windows is that you can view several things
at once.
NOTE: You may specify in the Perseus Settings if you wish to go to cards in a
new window or in the same window by default. Depressing the Shift key during
any action will reverse the choice specified on the Settings card.
Only one window is active at any time. The active window is shown on top of
other windows and has a striped title bar. Inactive windows have plain white
title bars. Although you can open several windows, available RAM restricts the
number of windows that can be open at any time. If you open too many windows,
the application will spontaneously quit.
Only windows from different stacks can be seen at the same time; you cannot
have two windows from the same stack open simultaneously.
Open windows can accumulate on and clutter the desktop. Close any windows you
are not using. When only one Perseus window is open, its title bar will not
have a close box.
Figure 2.7 Scroll windows with Pointer Hand and with Black Rectangle
If you use the Navigator while an illustration window is open, you will be
unable to see the effects on the Perseus HyperCard resources. This is
particularly true if you have opened a large illustration window that hides
much of the screen behind it.
Figure 2.8 Links Menu
A small floating window appears with a cursor.
When you use the Destination window to go directly to a primary text reference,
you must use specific abbreviations and formats. The standard abbreviations for
primary text references are listed in appendix C.
When you use the Destination window to go directly to a catalog for
architecture, coins, sculpture, sites, or vases, you must use the exact title
of the catalog entry.
When you use the Destination window to go directly to the Atlas or
Encyclopedia, you must type the exact site or article name. Be aware that
spellings of proper nouns are not always consistent. For example, Gnossus,
Knossos, and Knossus all refer to the same site. Although efforts have been
made to standardize references as much as possible, you may need to try
alternate spellings if a link fails.
The information appears in a new window.
Figure 2.9 Perseus Menu
Read chapter 9, "Utilities," to find out more about using the Current
Assignment feature.
You first must set up a path for the Notebook by using the Settings feature
from the Gateway. Chapter 9, "Utilities," describes the use of the Notebook.
A dialog box appears listing all paths (if any) in your version of Perseus.
A small window with controls for the videodisc player appears (figure 2.10).
Use the window to test connections to the player, if one is being used.
Figure 2.10 Video Controller
All Perseus images have an archive number. A booklet that comes with your
videodisc lists all Perseus archive numbers.
NOTE: Perseus archive numbers are not the same as the frame numbers of images
on the videodisc. Perseus archive numbers are permanent, but videodisc frame
numbers are subject to change.
Use this menu feature especially if you are using Perseus on a system that has
a small monitor. Note that this feature takes you to the first card in a stack
rather than the last card you were on when you left it.
Get author credits
Get help
Navigate a path
Go to Perseus Gateway
Go back to last location
Go to previous card
Go to next card
BUTTONS
Perseus contains screen areas called "buttons." When clicked, buttons instigate
a program action. Clicking a button called "Index," for example, returns the
user to the appropriate index for that Perseus resource. In Perseus, buttons
are often shown as rectangular boxes enclosing text to indicate their function.
In certain cases, an icon is used instead of a box with text. Three types of
buttons are depicted below (figure 2.2).
POP-UP MENUS
Pop-up menus provide multiple choices from a button. Buttons that contain
pop-up menus are shown as rectangles with shadows. To see the choices in a
pop-up menu, click and hold the mouse button down. While you hold the mouse
button down, a list of choices pops up. Move the cursor over your choice and
release the mouse. If you decide not to make a choice, move the cursor
outside the boundary of the pop-up menu and release the mouse.
PULL-DOWN MENUS
Pull-down menus provide choices from the menu bar. In addition to the menus
regularly available through HyperCard, two menus are consistently available as
you move through the Perseus resources. These two menus are Links and Perseus.
The Links Menu remains the same throughout Perseus. The Perseus Menu changes
depending on your location and path within Perseus. The Perseus Menu is
depicted below (figure 2.4).
2.2 GATEWAY
The Gateway (figure 2.5) is the point of entry into Perseus. The Gateway
contains buttons that link you to Perseus resources and utilities, as well as
to two HyperCard functions (Home and Quit). The Gateway also provides
information about the Perseus Project and the Annenberg/CPB Project, which
provides the major funding for Perseus.
PERSEUS RESOURCE ICONS
SETTINGS
HOME (HYPERCARD FUNCTION)
QUIT (HYPERCARD FUNCTION)
PERSEUS INFORMATION AND CREDITS
2.3 WINDOWS
Perseus uses the HyperCard features of multiple and scroll windows.
MULTIPLE WINDOWS
Perseus can display multiple windows, which means that you can have more than
one Perseus stack open on the desktop at any time.
Open another window
Make a window active
Close windows
SCROLL WINDOW
Scroll windows (figure 2.7) allow you to resize windows and to move around
windows that are bigger than the desktop (for example, the Regional Maps in the
Atlas and the Large Composite Site Plans). On nine-inch screens, other windows
may also have a scroll window. The black rectangle in the middle of the scroll
window outlines the region of the window currently displayed.
Move around the window
Resize the window
PHOTOGRAPH AND ILLUSTRATION WINDOWS
Many illustrations and digitized photographs are not stored in HyperCard and
should therefore be treated differently from other Perseus elements. In
particular, you must click the close box to remove an illustration. The window
must be active for the close box to appear (the active window has a striped
title bar). To make a window active, click in the title bar area. The close box
should now appear.
2.4 AUTHOR/DRAWING CREDITS
When a Perseus screen has been created specially by an artist, author, or
photographer, a credit box automatically appears with the screen. The credit
box can be dragged across the desktop to any location and can be closed by
clicking in the upper left-hand corner of the box.
2.5 LINKS MENU
Perseus resources have latent links. Links are implemented through buttons,
text, and the Links Menu (figure 2.8). Using the Links Menu, you can move
among the Perseus resources without returning to the Gateway.
ENTER DESTINATION
When you have become familiar with specific references in Perseus, you may wish
to go directly to those references, bypassing the Gateway and indexes. The
Destination feature offers a shortcut directly to primary text references,
archaeological catalog entries, maps, and articles.
GO TO A NEW PERSEUS RESOURCE
OPEN A LINKS MENU ITEM IN A NEW WINDOW
2.6 PERSEUS MENU
The Perseus Menu (figure 2.9) is always available from the menu bar in Perseus.
The Perseus Menu allows you to control Perseus tools and facilitates navigation
and Paths.
NAVIGATOR
CURRENT ASSIGNMENT
NOTEBOOK
PATH MENU ITEMS
An overview of how to add a location to a path, see the current path card, see
a path index, and change a path follows. For more information about using paths
in Perseus, see chapter 9, "Utilities." You first must set up a path by using
the Settings feature from the Gateway for the following items to apply.
Add to Path
Current Path Card
Path Index
Change Path
VIDEO CONTROLLER
Archive number
Show information for current image
Caption and credits
The caption and credits (if applicable) are shown for the current image on the
videodisc.
Player control buttons
The videodisc player can be controlled remotely from the computer by using
these buttons. In order from left to right, their functions are Step Reverse,
Scan Reverse, Stop, Play, Scan Forward, and Step Forward.
STACKS CURRENTLY OPEN
At the bottom of the Perseus Menu is a list of all open Perseus stacks, if any
stacks other than the Gateway are open. (Figure 2.9 does not reflect any other
open Perseus stacks.) Selecting a stack from this list brings you to the first
card in that stack.