GUEmap Help

About GUEmap

Features

License

Registering GUEmap

Installing or removing GUEmap

What’s New

How To ...

Work with maps

Commands

File menu

Edit menu

View menu

Window menu

Help menu


About GUEmap

GUEmap is a program for mapping interactive fiction games.  It creates box-and-line style maps.

GUEmap is shareware.  You are free to try it out, but if you decide to keep it, you must register.  Registration is only $10, and includes all 1.x releases of GUEmap, plus the use of development releases while GUEmap 2.0 is being worked on.

Bug reports, comments, and suggestions should also be sent to me at chris_madsen@geocities.com.  Please include "GUEmap" in the subject line.

Visit the GUEmap Home Page for the latest information:

http://members.tripod.com/~c_madsen/GUEmap/

Christopher J. Madsen

chris_madsen@geocities.com

madsen@kagi.com

Yea, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.  The light is dark in his tent, and his lamp above him is put out.  His strong steps are shortened and his own schemes throw him down.  For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks on a pitfall.  A trap seizes him by the heel, a snare lays hold of him.  A rope is hid for him in the ground, a trap for him in the path.  Terrors frighten him on every side, and chase him at his heels.  His strength is hunger-bitten, and calamity is ready for his stumbling.

— Job 18:5–12


Features

No other mapping program comes close to GUEmap’s features.  Here are some of the better ones.

•	You can create a new room and a connection to it with just one keypress.

•	You can easily make up, down, in, out, and one-way connections between rooms, or mark rooms with unexplored or blocked exits.

•	You can make connections that turn corners when a straight line from one room to another doesn't look right.

•	You can drag rooms around the map without breaking their connections.

•	In navigation mode, GUEmap will display directions for getting from one room to another, and copy them to the clipboard so you can paste them into your game.

•	You can enter comments about each room, to record the room description, items you found there, puzzles yet to be solved, or whatever you want to remember.  You can search these comments.

•	You can double-click GUEmap files to open them in Explorer, or drag them to the GUEmap window or a printer icon.


License

GUEmap is copyright 1996–1999 by Christopher J. Madsen

NO WARRANTY

GUEmap is provided "as is," without any warranty, including any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.  In no event shall I be liable for any incidental, consequential, or punitive damages whatsoever arising out of use of GUEmap.  Some states do not allow exclusion or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages, therefore the above limitation may not apply to you.

Now that the legalese is out of the way, if you have any problems with GUEmap, please let me know about them and I'll try to help.

GUEmap is shareware; you must register in order to enable all its features. Until you register, you won’t be able to save or print maps with more than ten rooms.


Registration
Registering GUEmap

You must register GUEmap if you decide to keep it.  Registration for GUEmap version 1 is $10.  This covers all 1.x releases, and also entitles you to use development versions of GUEmap 2.  Once GUEmap 2.0 is released, you’ll have to either upgrade to it or go back to version 1.

Or, you can order a lifetime license for just $30.  This gives you free upgrades to all versions of GUEmap, forever.  You'll never have to pay anything more.

If you don’t have an email address, there is an additional $1 charge to have your password sent by postal mail.  If you send me neither an email address nor $1, I will just keep your money and you won’t get your password.  If you have an email address, please use it.  Neither I nor Kagi will give out your address to spammers or anyone else.  I will use it just to send you announcements when new versions of GUEmap are released.  (If you don’t want to receive these messages, just let me know and I’ll take you off the list.)

There are three ways to register:

1.	If you want to mail a US check, US money order, or US cash, you can send it directly to me.  Just fill out the form in OrderFrm.txt and drop it in the mail with your payment.

If you live in Texas, you can’t use method 1.  I’d have to collect sales tax, and that would involve a lot of paperwork and much more hassle than it’s worth.  Please use method 2 or 3.  (You can still pay by check or money order, but you must mail it to Kagi.)

2.	If you’re using a credit card, you can order online through the Web.  See
  http://members.tripod.com/~c_madsen/GUEmap/register.html
for details.  There is a $1.50 surcharge for using this service.

3.	Finally, you can run the Register.exe program included with GUEmap and use the Kagi registration service.  They accept credit cards, foreign cash, foreign checks in US dollars, and First Virtual payments.  There is a $1.50 surcharge for using Kagi (because that’s how much of the payment they take).

Remember that you must include either your email address or $1 to cover postage, or you won’t get your password.

You should receive your password by email within a day or two.  Then, select About GUEmap from the Help menu and click the Register button.  Enter your name and password exactly as you received them.  You may want to copy and paste them directly from the email message.


Installing or Removing GUEmap

To install GUEmap, simply create a subdirectory and copy all GUEmap’s files into it.  If you like, you can then create a shortcut for GUEmap on your Start menu.  If you already have an older version of GUEmap installed, simply replace the old files with the new ones.

To remove GUEmap, delete all the files in the GUEmap subdirectory.  You should also delete C:\Windows\GUEmap.INI.


What's New in GUEmap
What’s New in GUEmap

GUEmap 2 (now in development) already supports much larger maps, has better scrolling, and has other new features.  Your GUEmap 1 password will work in these development versions, which you can get from

http://members.tripod.com/~c_madsen/GUEmap/develop.html

GUEmap 1.02	March 10, 1999

Minor bug fixes

My old email address (ac608) no longer exists.  Use chris_madsen@geocities.com instead.

GUEmap 1.01	May 1, 1998

Always uses a white background for maps.

Fixes positioning bug when rooms are dragged off the right edge.

GUEmap 1.0	April 11, 1998

First release of version 1.

I’d like to thank all my beta testers, especially Mikey Alexander, Jonathan Blask, Phoebe Fuentes, Dave Gatewood, Robin Lionheart, Ole Lund, Steven Marsh, Dylan O'Donnell, Ryan Scherle, and Gunther Schmidl.


File menu commands

The File menu offers the following commands:

New	Creates a new map.
Open	Opens an existing map.
Close	Closes an opened map.
Save	Saves an opened map using the same file name.
Save As	Saves an opened map to a specified file name.
Export comments	Exports comments to a specified file name.
Print	Prints a map.
Print Preview	Displays the map on the screen as it would appear printed.
Print Setup	Selects a printer and printer connection.
Send Mail	Sends the current map to another user via electronic mail
1, 2, 3, 4	Opens a previously opened map
Exit	Exits GUEmap.


Edit menu commands

The Edit menu offers the following commands:

Undo	Reverses the previous editing operation.

Cut	Deletes data from the document and moves it to the clipboard.

Copy	Copies data from the document to the clipboard.

Paste	Pastes data from the clipboard into the document.

Delete	Deletes the selected rooms.

Select	Select specified rooms in the map.

All rooms	Selects all the rooms in the map.

Connected rooms	Selects all rooms connected to the currently selected rooms.

Find	Searches for text in map or room comments.

Move Map	Moves the entire map to the center or an edge of the page.

Navigation mode	Toggles navigation mode.

Properties	Opens the property dialog for the selected object.


View menu commands

The View menu offers the following commands:

Toolbar	Shows or hides the toolbar.
Navigation Bar	Shows or hides the navigation bar.
Comments	Shows or hides the floating Comments dialog.
Status Bar	Shows or hides the status bar.
Options	Displays the GUEmap Options dialog box.


Window menu commands

The Window menu offers the following commands, which enable you to arrange multiple views of multiple documents in the application window:

New Window	Creates a new window that views the same document.
Cascade	Arranges windows in an overlapped fashion.
Tile	Arranges windows in non-overlapped tiles.
Arrange Icons	Arranges icons of closed windows.
Refresh	Redraws the contents of the current window.
Window 1, 2, ...	Goes to specified window.


Help menu commands

The Help menu offers the following commands, which provide you assistance with this application:

Contents	Displays the main GUEmap help topic.
Topics	Offers you an index to topics on which you can get help.
How to Register	Displays information about registering GUEmap.
About GUEmap	Displays GUEmap’s version number and registration.


File New command
New command (File menu)

Use this command to create a new map.

You can open an existing map with the Open command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+N


File Open command
Open command (File menu)

Use this command to open an existing map in a new window.  You can open multiple maps at once.  Use the Window menu to switch among the multiple open documents.  See Window 1, 2, ... command.

You can create new documents with the New command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+O


File Open dialog box

The following options allow you to specify which file to open:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to open.  This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.

List Files of Type

GUEmap can only open its own files (*.GMP).

Drives

Select the drive in which GUEmap stores the file that you want to open.

Directories

Select the directory in which GUEmap stores the file that you want to open.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Close command
Close command (File menu)

Use this command to close all windows containing the active document.  GUEmap suggests that you save changes to your document before you close it.  If you close a document without saving, you lose all changes made since the last time you saved it.  Before closing an untitled document, GUEmap displays the Save As dialog box and suggests that you name and save the document.

You can also close a document by using the Close icon on the document's window, as shown below:


File Save command
Save command (File menu)

Use this command to save the active document to its current name and directory.  When you save a document for the first time, GUEmap displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.  If you want to change the name and directory of an existing document before you save it, choose the Save As command.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+S


File Save As command
Save As command (File menu)

Use this command to save and name the active document.  GUEmap displays the Save As dialog box so you can name your document.

To save a document with its existing name and directory, use the Save command.


File Save As dialog box

The following options allow you to specify the name and location of the file you're about to save:

File Name

Type a new filename to save a document with a different name.  A filename can contain up to eight characters and an extension of up to three characters.  GUEmap adds the extension you specify in the Save File As Type box.

Drives

Select the drive in which you want to store the document.

Directories

Select the directory in which you want to store the document.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Export comments command
Export comments command (File menu)

Use this command to export comments to a text file.


File Print command
Print command (File menu)

Use this command to print a document.   This command presents a Print dialog box, where you may specify the range of pages to be printed, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other printer setup options.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+P


Print dialog box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This is the active printer and printer connection.  Choose the Setup option to change the printer and printer connection.

Setup

Displays a Print Setup dialog box, so  you can select a printer and printer connection.

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

All	Prints the entire document.
Selection	Prints the currently selected text.
Pages	Prints the range of pages you specify in the From and To boxes.
Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print for the above page range.

Collate Copies

Prints copies in page number order, instead of separated multiple copies of each page.

Print Quality

Select the quality of the printing.  Generally, lower quality printing takes less time to produce.


Print Progress Dialog

The Printing dialog box is shown during the time that GUEmap is sending output to the printer.  The page number indicates the progress of the printing.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


File Print Preview command
Print Preview command (File menu)

Use this command to display the active document as it would appear when printed.  When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which one or two pages will be displayed in their printed format.  The print preview toolbar offers you options to view either one or two pages at a time; move back and forth through the document; zoom in and out of pages; and initiate a print job.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Print Preview toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the print dialog box, to start a print job.

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


#K$Print Setup command (File menu)
Print Setup command (File menu)

Use this command to select a printer and a printer connection.  This command presents a Print Setup dialog box, where you specify the printer and its connection.


Print Setup dialog box

The following options allow you to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.  Choose the Default Printer; or choose the Specific Printer option and select one of the current installed printers shown in the box.  You install printers and configure ports using the Windows Control Panel.

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

Select the size of paper that the document is to be printed on.

Paper Source

Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources.  Specify the tray here.

Options

Displays a dialog box where you can make additional choices about printing, specific to the type of printer you have selected.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


File Send Mail command
Send Mail command (File menu)

Use this command to send the current map via electronic mail to another GUEmap user.  The Send Mail command is only available if you have installed MAPI support on your computer.


File 1, 2, 3, 4 command
1, 2, 3, 4 command (File menu)

Use the numbers and filenames listed at the bottom of the File menu to open the last four documents you closed.  Choose the number that corresponds with the document you want to open.


File Exit command
Exit command (File menu)

Use this command to end your GUEmap session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.  GUEmap prompts you to save documents with unsaved changes.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Undo/Can't Undo command (Edit menu)

Use this command to reverse the last editing action, if possible.   The name of the command changes, depending on what the last action was.  The Undo command changes to Can't Undo on the menu if you cannot reverse your last action.  (This should only happen in very unusual circumstances, or when you haven’t made any changes yet.)

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+Z or

ALT+BACKSPACE


Cut command
Cut command (Edit menu)

Use this command to remove the currently selected rooms from the document and put them on the clipboard.  This command is unavailable if no rooms are currently selected.

Cutting replaces the previous clipboard contents.

This will preserve connections among the rooms you cut, but any connections to rooms outside the selection will be broken.  To move rooms without breaking such connections, you must drag them.

GUEmap does not yet use the standard Windows clipboard (except for copying text).  This means that you cannot copy rooms into other programs.  Also, if you have two copies of GUEmap running at the same time, you can’t copy from one and paste into the other; you must have both maps open in the same copy of GUEmap.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Copy command
Copy command (Edit menu)

Use this command to copy the currently selected rooms onto the clipboard.  This command is unavailable if no rooms are currently selected.

Copying replaces the previous clipboard contents.

GUEmap does not yet use the standard Windows clipboard (except for copying text).  This means that you cannot copy rooms into other programs.  Also, if you have two copies of GUEmap running at the same time, you can’t copy from one and paste into the other; you must have both maps open in the same copy of GUEmap.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+C


Paste command
Paste command (Edit menu)

Use this command to copy the rooms on the clipboard into the current map.  This command is unavailable if the clipboard is empty.

The rooms appear in the location they were copied from.  This means that if you select some rooms, copy them, and paste them into the same document, the duplicate rooms will be on top of the rooms you copied.  You can hold down Control and drag the rooms to a new location.

GUEmap does not yet use the standard Windows clipboard (except for copying text).  This means that you cannot copy rooms into other programs.  Also, if you have two copies of GUEmap running at the same time, you can’t copy from one and paste into the other; you must have both maps open in the same copy of GUEmap.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Delete command (Edit menu)

Use this command to delete the current selection.

If the current selection consists of a single corner, then this command acts as the reverse of the Add Corner command.  It removes the selected corner without removing the connection it is a part of.

If a corner is just part of the selection, this command removes the entire connection.  If you want to remove more than one corner from a connection, you must delete each corner separately.

Shortcuts

Keys:	Delete


Select All rooms command (Edit menu)

Use this command to select all the rooms in the current map.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+A


Select Connected rooms command (Edit menu)

Use this command to select all the rooms connected to the currently selected room or rooms.

Two rooms are connected if there is a path from one to the other.  The path may be direct or may pass through one or more other rooms first.  This command is useful if you have two or more separate maps in the same document.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


Find command (Edit menu)

Use this command to bring up the Find dialog, which lets you search for text in map or room comments.

Shortcuts

Keys:	CTRL+F


Find dialog box

See also

The Find dialog lets you search for text in the comments of the active map.

If a comment contains several matches, only the first one will be found.  If you continue the search, GUEmap will start with the next comment.

Find what	Enter the text to look for.

Match case	When checked, the case must match exactly.  Otherwise, searches are case insensitive.

Edit Comments	Switch to the Comments dialog to edit the comment.

Find Next	Find the next occurrence of the text.


See Also

Find command


Move Map menu (Edit menu)

to Top	to Left	to Center
to Bottom	to Right

Use these commands to move the entire map around the page.  Only rooms that are connected to something will be moved.  If you use a lone room to store the map title or other information, it will not be moved (although another room may get moved on top of it).


Navigation Mode
Navigation Mode command (Edit menu)

Use this command to toggle navigation mode on or off.

In Navigation Mode, you can’t make any changes to the map (except to room names and comments).  Also, there is always exactly one room selected, called the current room.  This means that keyboard navigation will always work.

If you click on the map outside a room, nothing happens.  This is convenient for switching between GUEmap and a game by clicking on their windows.

If you click on a room, that room becomes the current room, and GUEmap will display directions in the status bar for getting there.  If you have set the appropriate navigation options, GUEmap will copy those directions to the clipboard, so you can paste them into your game.

GUEmap’s navigation system has some limitations.  First of all, it doesn’t understand anything other than the 12 standard directions.  It can’t open doors.  It can’t issue special commands like “pull lever” or “push button” to operate a transporter.  It doesn’t understand rooms like Zork II’s Carousel Room, where you can’t predict which direction you’ll go.  It can’t turn your lamp on if you move into a dark room.  Still, it’s quite useful if you understand these limitations.

Shortcuts

Keys	5 (on the numeric keypad)

Toolbar:


Properties command (Edit menu)

Use this command to edit the properties of the current map and/or the selected room.

Depending on the current selection, the following tabs may be available:

Map	Controls the general properties of the map.

Room	Lists the name of the current room.

Shortcuts

Keys:	ALT+ENTER

Mouse:	Double click a room on the map


Map Properties

See also

Some of the map properties can also be changed using the associated toolbar buttons.

These properties apply to the map:

Title & Comments

Record any information you want to about the map

Navigation Mode

When checked, GUEmap changes from edit mode to navigation mode.  In navigation mode, you cannot make any changes to the map.  This option does not apply to changes made through the Properties dialog or the Comments dialog, so you can still alter room names and comments.

These properties apply only to the current window:

Display Grid

When checked, this displays the grid that controls room alignment.  The grid is never printed, regardless of the status of this box.

Show Corners

When checked, this displays small boxes at all connection corners.  This makes them easier to spot.


See Also

Room Properties

Edit Properties command


Room Properties

See also

Name

This is the name of the current room. You may use up to three lines of text.  To use multiple lines, you may press CTRL+ENTER to insert line breaks.  If you do not insert line breaks manually, GUEmap will insert them for you when needed.  (But if you do use CTRL+ENTER, no automatic breaks will be added.)

Comments

You can enter any information you would like to remember about this room. Rooms with comments are indicated on the map by a red star (*) in the upper right corner.

(Note:  ENTER will generate a paragraph break in this field; when you are done entering comments, press TAB to move to the OK button.)

You can use the Export comments command to save all room comments to a text file, which you can then print or view with any word processor.

Border

When checked, the room will have a border around it.  This may be useful for rooms that aren’t really rooms.

(Note:  TAB will not move to this field.  You must use the mouse or press ALT+B.)


See Also

Map Properties

Edit Properties command

File Export comments command

Adding rooms

Room comments


Add corner
Add Corner command (popup menu)

Use this command to add a corner to a connection between rooms.

To use it, first make a connection between two rooms.  Then right-click on the connection’s hot-spot inside one of the rooms and select Add Corner.  While a connection can have several corners, you can only add corners at the rooms.


View Toolbar command
Toolbar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the toolbar, which includes buttons for some of the most common commands in GUEmap, such as File Open.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the toolbar is displayed.

See Toolbar for help on using the toolbar.


Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The toolbar provides quick mouse access to many tools used in GUEmap,

To hide or display the toolbar, choose Toolbar from the View menu (ALT, V, T).

Click	To

Create a new map.

Open an existing map.  GUEmap displays the Open dialog box, in which you can locate and open the desired file.

Save the active map with its current name.  If you have not named the map, GUEmap displays the Save As dialog box.

Display the room alignment grid.

Enter Navigation Mode, which prevents changes to the map.

Show or hide the floating Comments dialog.

Reverse the last editing action.  Note:  You cannot undo some actions.

Remove selected data from the document and stores it on the clipboard.

Copy the selection to the clipboard.

Insert the contents of the clipboard at the insertion point.

Select all rooms connected to the selected room(s).

Print the active document.

Print Preview the active document.

Display the Help Topics dialog.

Activate context sensitive help.


Navigation Bar command (View menu)

See also

Use this command to display and hide the Navigation Bar, which lets you navigate by typing directions.


Navigation Bar

See also

The navigation bar is displayed next to the toolbar, below the menu bar.  To hide or display the navigation bar, choose Navigation Bar from the View menu (ALT, V, N).

If there is a current room, you can navigate by typing the standard interactive-fiction directions:  north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, up, down, in, and out.  You can also use the standard abbreviations n, s, e, w, ne, nw, se, sw, u, d, i, and o (okay, so those last two aren’t standard abbreviations).  Then press ENTER or click the Go button.

You do not have to click on the navigation bar before using it.  Just start typing, and the cursor will automatically jump to the navigation bar.

If you attempt to move in a direction where there is an adjacent room but no connection, GUEmap will automatically add a connection.  If there is no adjacent room in that direction, GUEmap will create both a new room and a connection to it.  (Note:  You cannot add new rooms or connections while in navigation mode.)  You can use the % and > modifiers to create obstructed and/or one-way connections.  % should precede the direction, and > should follow it.  See Making connections for more information.

You can’t add up/down or in/out connections simply by typing in the navigation bar, because GUEmap doesn’t know where to put the connection.  Instead, type the direction (up, down, in, or out) in the navigation bar and then create the connection by dragging the mouse or by keyboard navigation.

You can indicate that there are unexplored exits by making stub connections.  Just select the room, type ? and the direction of the exit, and press ENTER.

You can also indicate that there is no exit in a given direction. Just select the room, type ! and the direction that you can’t go, and press ENTER.


See Also

Making connections

Keyboard navigation


Room Comments command (View menu)
Comments command (View menu)

Use this command to display or hide the Comments dialog, where you can view or edit the current room’s comment, or the map’s comment if there is no current room.

You can also press TAB to switch to the Comments dialog, whether it is visible or not.

Shortcut

Toolbar:


Room Comments dialog box
Comments dialog box

This dialog displays the name of the current room, and allows you to view and edit its comment.  If there is no current room, it displays the map’s comment.  This dialog can be turned on and off by the Comments command in the View menu.  You can also switch to it by pressing TAB.

If you make changes, the room’s comment is updated as soon as you switch to a different window (either back to the map window, or to some other application).  If you don’t want to keep the changes, press ESC to revert the comment before switching windows.

Key	Function

ENTER	Insert a paragraph break.

TAB	Switch back to the map, saving any changes to the comment.

ESC	Cancel any changes you just made to the comment but haven’t  yet saved.

Ctrl+F	Switch to the Find dialog box.


View Status Bar Command
Status Bar command (View menu)

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which describes the action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button, and keyboard latch state. A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.

See Status Bar for help on using the status bar.


Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the GUEmap window.  To display or hide the status bar, use the Status Bar command in the View menu.

The left area of the status bar describes actions of menu items as you use the arrow keys to navigate through menus.  This area similarly shows messages that describe the actions of toolbar buttons as you depress them, before releasing them.  If after viewing the description of the toolbar button command you wish not to execute the command, then release the mouse button while the pointer is off the toolbar button.

The right areas of the status bar indicate which of the following keys are latched down:

Indicator	Description

CAP	The Caps Lock key is latched down.

NUM	The Num Lock key is latched down.

SCRL	The Scroll Lock key is latched down.


View Options Command
Options command (View menu)

Use this command to display the GUEmap Options dialog box.

The Options dialog contains the following tabs:

Navigation	Customizes navigation mode and keyboard navigation.

User	Contains the registration information.


Navigation tab (GUEmap Options)
Navigation tab (GUEmap Options dialog box)

See also

This page customizes keyboard navigation and Navigation Mode.

Automatically edit properties after adding a room

When checked, GUEmap will bring up the Room Properties dialog after you add a room through keyboard navigation.  If you prefer to create rooms quickly and enter their names later, you can clear this. By default, this option is checked.

Modifier keys for creating stubs with numeric keypad

When you hold down CTRL or CTRL+ALT and press a direction key on the numeric keypad, GUEmap creates a stub connection.  By default, CTRL creates an unexplored stub while CTRL+ALT creates a No Exit marker.  This option lets you reverse that behavior.

Automatically copy directions to clipboard

When checked, GUEmap will copy the directions it displays in the status bar to the clipboard.  It only does this when there is more than one move.  (That is, “n” will not be copied, but “n.u” will be.)  By default, this option is checked.

Append carriage return to directions

When checked, GUEmap will append a carriage return to the directions it places on the clipboard.  This means you won’t have to press Enter after pasting them into your game.  On the other hand, you won’t be able to edit them after pasting.  By default, this option is not checked.

WinFrotz 2 (up through release 4.5, anyway) only uses the first line of pasted text, so this option will have no effect on it.  The console-mode version (WinFrotz 1) works fine.


See Also

User Options

View Options command


User tab (GUEmap Options)
User tab (GUEmap Options dialog box)

See also

Enter the name and password you received when you registered GUEmap.

You must enter both exactly as they were listed in the registration message.


See Also

Navigation Options

View Options command

How to register GUEmap


New Window command (Window menu)

Use this command to open a new window with the same contents as the active window.  You can open multiple document windows to display different parts or views of a document at the same time.  If you change the contents in one window, all other windows containing the same document reflect those changes.  When you open a new window, it becomes the active window and is displayed on top of all other open windows.


Cascade command (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows in an overlapped fashion.


Tile command (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange multiple opened windows in a non-overlapped fashion.


Arrange Icons command (Window menu)

Use this command to arrange the icons for minimized windows at the bottom of the main window.  If there is an open document window at the bottom of the main window, then some or all of the icons may not be visible because they will be underneath this document window.


Window Refresh command
Refresh command (Window menu)

Use this command to redraw the contents of the current window.  Occasionally, the display may not be drawn correctly.  Refreshing the window should fix this.


1, 2, ... command (Window menu)

GUEmap displays a list of currently open document windows at the bottom of the Window menu.  A check mark appears in front of the document name of the active window.  Choose a document from this list to make its window active.


Contents command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the opening screen of Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using GUEmap and various types of reference information.


Help Topics command
Topics command (Help menu)

Use this command to display the Help Topics dialog for GUEmap.

The Contents tab displays the main GUEmap topics.

The Index tab lets you look up topics in the index.

The Find tab lets you do a full-text search of the help file.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:


About command (Help menu)

Use this command to display GUEmap’s copyright notice and version number.  It also indicates whether you have registered your copy.  You can click the Register button to enter your password.


Help Using Help Command
Context Help command

Use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of GUEmap.  When you choose the Toolbar's Context Help button, the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark.  Then click somewhere in the GUEmap window, such as another Toolbar button.  The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+F1


Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  It contains the name of the application and document.

To move the window, drag the title bar.  Note: You can also move dialog boxes by dragging their title bars.

A title bar may contain the following elements:

Application Control-menu button

Document Control-menu button

Maximize button

Minimize button

Name of the application

Name of the document

Restore button


Scroll bars

Displayed at the right and bottom edges of the document window.  The scroll boxes inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the document.  You can use the mouse to scroll to other parts of the document.


Size command (System menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press ENTER when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


Move command (Control menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow so you can move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F7


System Minimize Command
Minimize command (application Control menu)

Use this command to reduce the GUEmap window to an icon.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the minimize icon [image] on the title bar.

Keys:	ALT+F9


Maximize command (System menu)

Use this command to enlarge the active window to fill the available space.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Click the maximize icon [image] on the title bar; or double-click the title bar.

Keys:	CTRL+F10 enlarges a document window.


Next Window command (document Control menu)

Use this command to switch to the next open document window.  GUEmap determines which window is next according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+F6


Previous Window command (document Control menu)

Use this command to switch to the previous open document window.  GUEmap determines which window is previous according to the order in which you opened the windows.

Shortcut

Keys:	SHIFT+CTRL+F6


Close command (Control menus)

Use this command to close the active window or dialog box.

Double-clicking a Control-menu box is the same as choosing the Close command.

Note:  If you have multiple windows open for a single document, the Close command on the document Control menu closes only one window at a time.  You can close all windows at once with the Close command on the File menu.

Shortcuts

Keys: 	CTRL+F4 closes a document window

ALT+F4 closes GUEmap


Restore command (Control menu)

Use this command to return the active window to its size and position before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Manipulating maps

GUEmap Help Contents

Adding rooms

Making connections

Making connections turn corners

Selecting rooms

Room comments

Moving rooms

Keyboard navigation

Navigation bar


See Also

Adding rooms

Making connections

Making connections turn corners

Selecting rooms

Room comments

Moving rooms

Keyboard navigation

Navigation bar


Adding rooms

See also

To add a new room, double-click in an open area of the map.  However, keyboard navigation provides an easier way to create a map.  If you move in a direction where there is no room, GUEmap will automatically add one.

The Room Properties dialog will be displayed so you can enter information about the new room.


Making connections

See also

To connect two rooms

Drag from the inside edge of one room to the inside edge of the other.

The rubber band will snap to the edge of the room when you have correctly positioned it.

To remove a connection

Drag from the inside edge of one room into an empty area of the map.

To make a connection with a dashed line

Type % into the navigation bar.  Then make the connection as described above.  This may be useful for obstructed or other special connections.  (Why %?  Think of the path squeezing between two boulders.)

To make an up-down or in-out connection

Type up, down, in, or out into the navigation bar.  (Actually, you only need to type the first letter.)  Then make the connection normally.

To make a one-way connection

Type > into the navigation bar.  Then make the connection normally.

To make a stub (unexplored) connection

Select the room, type a question mark and the direction into the navigation bar, then press ENTER.  For example, type ?n to indicate an unexplored north exit from the selected room.  Currently, you cannot indicate unexplored in, out, up, or down exits.  (You can also create stubs using keyboard navigation.)

To make a stub (no exit) marker

Select the room, type an exclamation point and the direction into the navigation bar, then press ENTER.  For example, type !n to indicate that you cannot go north from the selected room.  Currently, you cannot indicate that there is no in, out, up, or down exit.  (You can also create stubs using keyboard navigation.)

To make other types of connections

You can type two directions separated by a dash to specify each end of the connection, and precede the whole thing with % to use a dashed line.  Use > instead of a dash to make a one-way connection.  Some examples:

	U	Means the same as u-d
	d-o	Down into a hole; type out to get back
	%u-	Dashed line going up; normal direction coming back
	d>	Down into a hole you can’t climb back out of
	%>	One-way dashed line
	%i>	Going in through a turnstile
	?se	Unexplored exit to the southeast

The corner hot-spots (the areas where you make and remove connections) are clustered around the border of the room.  The small areas next to the corners are NNW (north-northwest), NNE, SSW, and SSE (south-southeast).  While these directions are seldom used in interactive fiction, they are useful for adding up, down, in, and out connections, because each spot can have only one connection.  Without them, a room with exits in the eight cardinal directions couldn’t have an up or down exit.

You can also connect rooms using keyboard navigation.  If you move in a direction where there is an adjacent room but no connection, GUEmap will automatically add one.  If there is no adjacent room in that direction, GUEmap will create both a new room and a connection to it.  If there is text in the navigation bar, the new connection will be labeled as described above.

It is not necessary to use No Exit markers.  Some people find them useful for mapping areas that don’t make it clear which directions you can go and which are blocked.


Making connections turn corners

See also

Sometimes you don’t want a connection to go in a straight line from one room to the next.

To make a connection turn a corner, first make a connection between two rooms.  Then right-click on the connection’s hot-spot inside one of the rooms and select Add Corner from the popup menu.  You can then drag the corner into place.  (If the Add Corner command is disabled, it means you didn’t click in the right spot.)

While a connection can have several corners, you can only add corners at the rooms.

Corners can be selected and moved around just like rooms, but you don’t need to hold down Control.

It is possible to remove a corner without erasing the connection.  See the Delete command for details.


Selecting rooms

See also

You can select a single room by clicking on it with the mouse.  If you hold down Control when you click, the room will be added to the current selection, or removed from it if it was already selected.

You can select all the rooms in a rectangular region by clicking outside a room and dragging a selection box around the desired rooms.  Any previously selected rooms will be deselected.


Room comments

See also

Each room can have a comment, where you can record anything you want to remember about it.  For example, you might record its description (to tell rooms with the same name apart) or any useful items you found there.  Rooms with comments are indicated on the map by a red star (*) in the upper right corner.

You can enter and view comments through either the Room Properties dialog or the Comments dialog.  (Pressing TAB will switch to the Comments dialog.)

There is also a comment for the map, which you can enter in the Map Properties dialog (or the Comments dialog when there is no current room).

You can use the Export comments command to save the comments to a text file, which you can print out or view with any text editor.


Moving rooms

See also

To move only the selected rooms, hold down Control and drag the rooms to their new location.

If you hold down Shift and drag a room, GUEmap will automatically select that room and all rooms in the direction of the drag.  For example, if you shift-drag a room up, all rooms above or at the same level as the dragged room will follow it.  This is easier to do than to describe, and it is a very handy way to open up space in the map when you discover that you need room to add a closet.  Please try it and you’ll see what I mean.

Once you have begun the drag (and the selected rooms are represented as empty boxes), you can release the Control or Shift key.

You can also move rooms by using cut and paste.  However, this will disconnect the rooms you move from the rooms you didn’t move.  In order to move rooms without breaking external connections, you must drag them as described above.


Keyboard navigation

See also

In order to use keyboard navigation, you must first select exactly one room (by clicking on it).  Then, you can use the numeric keypad to move around (8 is north, 1 is southwest, etc.).  NumLock must be turned on for this to work.  (You can also use 0 for SSW, . for SSE, / for NNW, and * for NNE, but these directions are used mainly for up/down or in/out connections in rooms with a bunch of other exits.  Finally, you can use 5 to toggle navigation mode on or off.)

Keyboard navigation also provides the easiest way to create a map.  If you attempt to move in a direction where there is an adjacent room but no connection, GUEmap will automatically add a connection.  If there is no adjacent room in that direction, GUEmap will create both a new room and a connection to it.  (In navigation mode, you cannot add new rooms or connections until you leave navigation mode.)  Also, you can’t create rooms or connections with the NNE, NNW, SSE, or SSW keys, although you can follow existing connections.

If you create a new connection with keyboard navigation, and the navigation bar contains text, the new connection will be labeled as described under Making connections.

If you hold down CTRL or CTRL+ALT while creating a new connection, GUEmap will create a stub connection.  If a stub already exists in that direction, it will be deleted instead.  Normally, CTRL creates an unexplored stub, and CTRL+ALT creates a no exit marker, but you can reverse that on the Navigation tab of the GUEmap Options dialog box.

When you create a new room, the Room Properties dialog is displayed so that you can enter the room’s name.  You can disable this on the Navigation tab of the GUEmap Options dialog box.


No Help Available

No help is available for this area of the window.


No Help Available

No help is available for this message box.


When you have exactly one room selected, it’s called the current room.  If you have no room selected, or more than one room selected, there is no current room.  In navigation mode, there is always a current room (that’s one of the things navigation mode does).


The corner hot-spots are the areas where you make and remove connections.  There are 12 of them clustered around the inside border of each room.  The small areas on either side of the north & south spots may be useful for up/down/in/out connections.


There are two kinds of stub connections.  Unexplored stubs are short lines, and indicate an exit that you have not explored.  No Exit markers look like a very skinny T, and indicate that there is no exit in that direction.  Stubs can be created through the Navigation Bar or keyboard navigation.  (Note:  It is not necessary to use No Exit markers.  Some people find them useful when mapping mazes.)