The PipeDream Window

When PipeDream is running in the computer, you will see the blue PipeDream icon (a large white 4 on a dark blue background, with a column of coloured dots) installed on the icon bar.

If you do not have the PipeDream icon on the icon bar, find the !PipeDream icon on your disc or network server and double-click Select on it.

To open a PipeDream document window, click Select on the PipeDream icon on the icon bar.

Your screen will look something like this:

PipeDream window

What you see is an empty PipeDream document window. It is divided into rows and columns referred to by A,B,C, etc. from left to right. When you first open a PipeDream window, only row 1 is displayed.

The part of a document lying in one row and one column is called a slot and can be referred to by its column and row coordinates, for example B1.

Columns

A PipeDream document is made up of slots of two types: text slots and number slots. Text in a text slot is allowed to overlap any blank slots to its right up to the right margin position. However, number slots are not allowed to overlap other columns. It is this very simple distinction between text and numbers which is at the heart of PipeDream.

It can be helpful to think of each column as being a transparent sheet of paper overlaying the columns to its left.

Moving the pointer into a slot and clicking Select positions the caret in the slot, unless there is anything in a text slot to the left which could overlap the slot containing the pointer. Remember that number slots cannot overlap slots to the right of them.

Consider the following case:

A B C D  ↓
1                         
2 This text in column A overlaps slot B2.
3 Text just in column A.
4 Text in column B.
5 123.45
6 97.30

If you move the pointer into slot C1 and click Select, the caret will be positioned in slot C1. There is nothing to the left of slot C1 which could overlap it.

If you move the pointer into slot C2 and click Select, the caret will be positioned in slot A2 as slot A2 contains text and could overlap slot C2.

If you move the pointer into slot C3 and click Select, the caret will be positioned in slot A3 as slot A3 contains text and could overlap slot C3.

If you move the pointer into slot C4 and click Select, the caret will be positioned in slot B4 as slot B4 contains text and could overlap slot C4

If you position the pointer in slot C5 and click Select, the caret will be positioned in slot C5. Because slot B5 is a number slot, it cannot overlap slot C5.

If you position the pointer in slot C6 and click Select, the caret will be positioned in slot C6. Although slot A6 has contents, it is a number slot and so cannot overlap slot C6.

Clicking Ctrl-Select always positions the caret in the slot containing the pointer. So, in all the above cases, clicking Ctrl-Select would position the caret in the relevant slot in column C.

Interactive Help

You can ask for interactive help at any point during your use of PipeDream by double-clicking Select on the !Help icon in your RISC OS Apps directory. A window appears which provides information about the part of the RISC OS desktop or PipeDream window at which you are pointing. For further details about the RISC OS interactive help system, see your RISC OS User Guide.