What is the Apple DocViewer?
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Apple DocViewer is an on-line documentation application. It provides a standard way for Apple to distribute documentation to developers in an electronic form. Apple DocViewer provides a quick on-screen reference for browsing through multiple documents. It supports full Macintosh mixed-text and graphics, printing, interactive table of contents/catalog, book indexes, text search & retrieval, the ability to copy text and/or pictures for use in other applications, and provides the ability to set bookmarks to commonly used pages in documentation. With our new Collections feature, users can create their own "virtual books" from whole or parts of other books.
Version 1.1.1 Release Notes
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Since the release of version 1.1, we received quite a bit of feedback from our users. The following list outlines the minor changes in Version 1.1.1:
* "The Preference is Yours" - We have restored the application preferences to allow you to specify a default view style and scaling when you open DocViewer documents.
* DocViewer Lookup Apple event support - Support has been added so that DocViewer can now be messaged via Apple events. Please see the DocViewer Tech Note "Apple Event Support in DocViewer 1.1.1" included with this version on the Developer CD series.
Enhancements and Minor Bug fixes (From version 1.1)
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* Running UniFinder on System 6.0.5 on a Macintosh SE, the Apple DocViewer crashes when the Control Panel is accessed.
- This problem has been resolved. If the memory situation is bad, you will not be able to access the Control Panel desk accessory.
* There is now support for 8-bit languages and character sets. Previous versions had trouble searching for high-ASCII characters.
* Garbage characters in the Query dialog with "Show Context" selected in low memory situations.
- This problem has been resolved.
* Many annoying dialogs in low-memory situations.
- This problem has been resolved.
* Problems clicking on the "Splash Screen" during launch caused a crash on some Macs.
- This problem has been resolved.
* Problems with the use of the "Shift" key while selecting "Next Occurrence" have been resolved.
* Printing from the Finder is now supported! (Yeah!)
* Many other minor bugs were addressed and fixed.
* Preferences information - Previously, the DocViewer stored user preferences that determined user view, and zooming. This information is now stored in the document when possible.
There are some minor bugs and enhancements which are not addressed in Version 1.1. These and user tips are documented in later pages of this Read Me file. If you have comments or suggestions we would like to hear from you via AppleLink to DEV.CD. We will not be answering individual questions about this software, but this information will be forwarded to the engineering group.
Installation
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Apple DocViewer runs on all models of the Macintosh computer from the Macintosh Plus onward. It runs under versions 6.0.5 and later of the Macintosh system software, including version 7.0, Release 7.1. Apple DocViewer requires at least 1024 Kb memory partition.
Apple DocViewer also requires both bitmap and TrueType fonts. In particular, many Apple DocViewer documents use Palatino, Helvetica, Courier, and Zapf Dingbats. We are providing these fonts in the Apple DocViewer Fonts folder.
The Apple DocViewer application can be run directly off a CD, or from a server, but we strongly recommend that you copy the application to your local hard drive.
Limitations
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Apple DocViewer is NOT a word processor�?it was designed to support quick conversion of existing technical documents to electronic form. Apple DocViewer focuses on being both a printing and display tool. Printing is limited by Apple DocViewer's display capabilities and displaying is limited by Apple DocViewer's print capabilities. In particular:
* Display spacing may appear uneven on some documents because the text is kerned for printing, not display.
* Output on non-postscript printers may be less satisfactory.
* Color/Gray Scale must be selected for printing color/shaded figures.
* Documents may be more difficult to read on systems which do not have a complete set of screen fonts or do not have TrueType installed.
This version of Apple DocViewer has a number of features that are incomplete, notably:
*╩The "Text Only" view is only partially implemented. Text still needs to continuously flow between page boundaries for true dynamic text reformatting capabilities.
Recommendations, Tips, and Techniques
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* It is not required, but use both bitmap and TrueType fonts for the best display quality . If you are running under System 6, please use the TrueType INIT in the TrueType Fonts & Software folder.
* To improve display legibility on monitors larger than 13'' (that typically have a resolution greater then 72 dpi) set SCALING to 112% in the document window. We've found this to be a good compromise between window size and font size.
* Apple DocViewer has been optimized for displaying documents off of a CD-ROM. However, copying the document file you use most (and its associated index file) to your local hard disk can significantly improve performance.
* The "Query" command uses an efficient indexing technique with Apple DocViewer documents, however, it does not index every word. Words such as (and, but, or, because, etc.) and words less than 4 characters in length are not indexed. The "Find" command uses a search method that is much slower, but will find every word in a document. The "Table of Contents" window's "Filter" narrows the list of table of contents entries. The "Open Book Index" displays an index created by the authors of the document. Explore the difference between these four features and use the one most appropriate for your task.
* Apple DocViewer is optimized for printing on Postscript printers, such as the Apple LaserWriter. New Inside Macintosh documents take advantage of the "Larger Print Area" option available from the LaserWriter's Page Setup/Options dialogue. Printing with other printers will work, but there may be clipped pages, or reduced print quality.
* Users in countries which use A4 paper may print Apple DocViewer documents by using the "Reduce or Enlarge" setting of the "Page Setup" dialog.
* Use Apple DocViewer's "Copy" command to get code samples and paste them into your source. This code can them be compiled or incorporated into your software. Remember, there is no copyright limitation on use of source code from Apple documentation.
* Technical writers developing in-house documentation can use Apple DocViewer's "Copy" capability to grab figures or text from Apple documentation for internal documentation or in-house training. Unlike source code, however, documentation or courses developed for sale to your customers MAY NOT incorporate figures or text from Apple documentation.
* We have tried to optimize the usability of Apple DocViewer on small screens. If you have a small screen, we recommend you use the "Text Only" view of Apple DocViewer, and adjust the window size to your liking. Then use the page up/down arrow icons to navigate individual pages in the document.
Known Problems
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* Problem: When printing New Inside Macintosh documents, the top and bottom edges of the page can be cut off.
Solution: Set the "Larger Print Area" option available from the LaserWriter's "Page Setup/Options" dialogue.
* Problem: When running the application from a server, if that server disconnects while DocViewer is running, the application will begin beeping incessantly.
Solution: Do not run Apple DocViewer off of a server.
* Problem: The "From" and "To" fields in the "Print" dialog box do not accept the "Chapter-Page" form of page numbers (e.g., From 1-3 to 3-3).
Solution: Use the physical page numbers displayed inside the parentheses in the "Page Indicator" area of the document window. Lower portion of the Print Dialog will display the actual page numbers displayed on the document.
* Problem: "Query 'Within n words of╔'" does not count the number of words correctly, given an integer value for n.
Solution: Add 2 to 3 for the value n.
* Problem: When you use "Query", Apple DocViewer displays the message "The index file for <<docname>> cannot be found."
Solution: Be sure the Apple DocViewer document and its associated ".idx" file are in the same folder
* Problem: Some "Query" searches do not find text that includes punctuation or hyphens in either the search string or the text being searched.
Solution: There is a bug in the "Query" command such that punctuation characters are not passed to the search engine. For example, the search string "get file" will not find the text "get, file"
The fix (for now) is to search for "get x file". The "x" serves as a noise word that is ignored, but broadens the search. Searching "get x file" will find "get file", "get, file", "get on file", "get the file", etc.