Albimagic QUICK HELP

Learning about Albimagic

This document also appears in its own window (we will call it the HELP window) when you click on the HELP button in the Albimagic Toolbar.

The first time Albimagic is started it comes in a LEARNING mode. Clicking on the toolbar buttons produces an explanation of the functionality of the button and nothing else. You can turn off the LEARNING mode and start work by clicking at the amber button at the bottom of the HELP window. When you leave the LEARNING mode the button turns green giving you the go ahead to use the program. You can always switch back to the LEARNING mode through the Quick Help and the Learning button. Albimagic remembers whether the LEARNING mode is on between sessions.

Getting Started

Click the OPEN (directory) button or select Open from the the Directory menu. Either action will give a directory tree. After you select a directory there, Albimagic will load all the JPEG and PNG pictures in that directoty and display them as thumbnail sketches. When you move the mouse over the thumbnail sketches, the file name, size, caption (if any) and date of the file are shown at the bottom of the window.

Manipulating the Pictures

If you do NOT want to add captions or correct the dates or manupulate the pictures in any way, click the WEB PAGE button on the toolbar and Albimagic will create the web page for you. (See the Wrapping Up Section below.) Otherwise, click with the mouse on a thumbnail sketch you want to modify. This action SELECTS the picture. You can use the toolbar buttons to operate on the selected picture but there are also other ways that can be used even when you are in the Learning mode. If you click with the right button a dialog box pops up and you can enter a caption and/or date. If you double click with the left mouse button a full size version of the picture pops up. (Clicking only once with the left button simply selects.). If you wish you can use the mouse to drag a rectangle on the full size version to specify an area to be used for the thumb sketch (instead of the full picture). After you finish with the rectangle, type T on the keybord to affect the change.

Dragging andf Dropping Thumb sketches

You can drag a Thumb sketch by holding the left mouse button down and drop it in another part of the screen by releasing the button. During the operation the icon of the cursor changes to one with the letters PIX and a frame to remind you that are dragging a picture. If you do the drop action over another Thumb sketch (the target), the dragged Thumb sketch is placed after the drop target. If you drop on an empty space marks the corresponding picture is marked for omission when the web page is constructed. You can cancel the omission by selecting that picture again.

Wrapping Up

If you have manipulated the pictures click the SAVE RECRD button on the toolbar. This saves captions, dates, and cropping rectangles. If you are ready, click, the WEB PAGE button on the toolbar. To publish on the web, upload the "pix_index.htm" file and the two directories "Thumbs" and "Large."

For more information see the Detailed Help File.