GIG reference manual

the GIG browser

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Section contents

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Introduction

Welcome to the GIG Browser and the GIG Online Manuals. The Browser allows GIG users to search and read the Online Manuals for help, tutorials, tips and tricks. Specific subjects can be quickly located and a hotlist of frequently viewed files can be created.

If your computer is connected to the Internet you can use the GIG Browser to connect to the GIG Online server, or anywhere else on the World Wide Web. Besides newly updated help, tips and tricks, GIG Online offers a wide variety of services and information, news of upcoming events such as seminars and training courses, plus numerous edutainment features. The URL address is:
http://www.gig.nl/

The GIG Browser also enables users to communicate directly with ELECTROGIG Support. With the bug report and support query forms built into the Browser, questions and remarks can be sent to people in the Support Department who are there to help you. 

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Manual Structure

The structure of the manuals exactly follows that of the GIG software. The Reference Manual is divided into sections that correspond to the software's menus, such as general, lights, camera, etc. If a menu has a submenu, such as the grids submenu in the transform menu, reference material is nested as a subsection within the transform section. Likewise, as GIG Particles is accessed via the tools menu, so reference material for Particles is located within the tools section. The Table of Contents illustrates this hierarchy.

Each document in the manual carries three buttons at the end of the page. These link to the Manual Contents, the Local Contents for the section you are presently reading, and the Manual Index. In subsections, such as this document, there is also a button which links to the parent section, in this case the tools menu. 

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Navigation

Interactive links and buttons

image maps
The GIG Online Manuals are extensively illustrated with pictures of the GIG interface. These screen shots are image maps, active links to manual pages. As in the software, clicking a menu button brings you to that section, and clicking a button or databox immediately loads the page describing that item. Using the image maps for browsing is the most efficient and liquid means of navigation.

hypertext links
The documents also carry hypertext links. Names of system functions ( a command, button, or databox) are in bold face and are always a link to the nearest description of that item. Likewise, references to sections of the manual are also hyperlinks. The text links change color from blue to violet depending on whether you have opened the document before. Thus it is easy to tell which parts of a section you have not yet read.

home
Use this function to return to the opening screen of the Reference Manual.

back
Use this function to back up to the previous link. Pressing the 'b' keyboard key is a shortcut (your cursor must be over the page window, not the Online interface).

forward
This function returns you to the link that was viewed before using back. Pressing the 'f' keyboard key has the same result.

search
Specific words or phrases in the current document can be located. Type a search string into the inputbox above caseless. Upon pressing search, the Browser scrolls to the first match in the document.

See also:
backward, caseless

caseless
When this toggle button is activated, the case of the characters to be searched for is ignored.

backward
If this toggle button is active, the current file is searched backwards.

open URL
If your computer is connected to the Internet, you can enter an URL address on the World Wide Web and connect to that site. The address for ELECTROGIG is already installed in the hotlist.

reloading
Pressing the 'r' keyboard key (your cursor must be over the page window, not the Online interface) causes the current document to reload both its text and pictures, useful when encountering transmission problems on the World Wide Web. 

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Saving and loading

open local
Use this function to open and view a document residing locally on your hard drive.

save document
Saves the current file. After having selected save document, a requester appears with the following options for saving the current file:

plain text:
to save the file as a plain ascii text file
formatted text:
to save the file as ascii with the layout
postscript text:
to save the file in postscript format
html format:
to save the text in the format which is used for this Browser. Saving as HTML preserves the hyperlinks in the file.
print current document
Use this function to print the current file loaded to the default output printer.
The output is sent in postscript format. If you want to output the file to a dot-matrix printer, save the file to disk with save document and then copy it to the printer. 

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Customizing

history
This function pops up a requester containing a list of files viewed during the present session.
Select one of the files either by doubleclicking with the left mouse button or by clicking once and selecting go to. The Browser jumps to the selected file.
It is not necessary to close the history requester to work with the GIG Browser.

hotlist
Use this function to view a hotlist of pages. After pressing bookmarks a requester appears with a list of files. Select one of the files either by doubleclicking with the left mouse button or by clicking once and selecting go to. The Browser then jumps to the selected file. With remove a selected item is removed from the hotlist.

See also:
add to hotlist

add to hotlist
Add the present document to the hotlist by clicking this button.

options
This function enables you to turn the link underline option of the GIG Browser on and off.

exit
Exit GIG Online.

refreshing the link history
The hypertext links change color from blue to violet after the linked document has been loaded. Users can refresh the links by removing the file which holds the record. It is located in:
gig/lib/html/
Delete the file:
.mosaic-global-history
and the hyperlinks will be refreshed.

using desktops to run GIG and the GIG Browser simultaneously
The usual procedure for the online manual pages is to enter them via the tools menu or use the 'h' key shortcut. After perusing the pages pressing exit quits the GIG Browser and returns you to the main program. In some cases, one might prefer to run GIG and the Browser simultaneously. Especially when going through a tutorial it is easier to have GIG and the Browser on at the same time. The most obvious way to achieve this is to start GIG from one UNIX window, and to start the GIG Browser in another UNIX window by typing:
startOnline

However, this will still force you to use many lower-window and raise-window operations to get the right screen on top. A better solution, if your operating system allows it, is to use multiple desktops. In this case, simply create a desk to run GIG in, and another in which you start the GIG Browser. Then use the desktop tool to flip between the two screens. For example, the IRIX 5.2 operating system on SGI workstations has a 'Desks Overview' tool in the 'Desktop' pull-down menu. 

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Mailing ELECTROGIG

Introduction
For using the Support Query and Bug Report forms, you need a computer connected to the Internet and a basic understanding of e-mail procedures, plus an e-mail address. When you e-mail a message to ELECTROGIG, we will answer by e-mail.

support query
The ELECTROGIG Support Department e-mail address is:

support@gig.nl
Use the Support Query Form that appears in the Browser to send questions, comments, etc. to the above address. Also, you can obtain a list of the help pages available on the ELECTROGIG Mail Server by typing "index" on the first line of the message body.

bug report
To e-mail a Bug Report, use the following address:

bugreport@gig.nl
If you encounter a problem which you feel is a bug in a program, use the Bug Report Form to send information directly to our development department at the above address.
Comment:
For us to help you, be sure to provide us with your e-mail address.