Refer to the Arrange-Sort entry for details.
Description
Keystrokes Function
Alt-S (or F10, Style), Lists, Description
Creates a two-column format with headings on the left and descriptive paragraphs on the right.
How To
Description This format prints a list of items or titles into two columns: a subject column on the left, and a paragraph of descriptive text on the right. Each subject (item) prints in boldface type against the left margin, and the text describing the subject prints in a block of plain text on the right. You use a
Tab
to separate the subject text and its descriptive paragraph.The menu encyclopedia entries in this chapter are examples of a Description command at work.
You will find this command defined in the Sprint file STANDARD.FMT.
Choose Description from the Style/Lists menu. Enter each subject and its description as a single paragraph;
press
Tab
to separate the subject from the descriptive text. You must leave a blank line betWeen the end of each description and the next subject. If you want to continue describing the same item in a new paragraph, begin the paragraph with aTab
character.For example:
BEGIN DESCRIPTION
Apple
TabA
red fruit that is very useful in making apple pies. Apples have a light crunchy texture.Orange
TabA
round orange fruit that is used for making juice, punch, and fruit cocktail. The best varieties for eating are Navel and Valencia.TabBy
the way, "orange" is said to be the only English word that cannot be rhymed.END DESCRIPTION Prints like this:
Description
Tips
See Also
Apple
Orange
A red fruit that is very useful in making apple pies. Apples have a light crunchy texture.
A round orange fruit that is used for making juice, punch, and fruit cocktail.
The best varieties for eating are Navel and Valencia.
By the way, "orange" is said to be the only English word that cannot be rhymed.
You must insert a blank line between paragraphs, so the formatter knows where one paragraph ends and the next begins. If you don't want this blank line to print, you can modify the Description format by adding the parameter Spread
o.
Likewise, if you want to change the amount of whitespace between the two columns, you can modify the format by giving it a new Indent parameter.
Note: Do not insert a ruler inside a Description format.
Lists, Modifying Formats
Destination
Refer to the Print Menu entry for details.
Dimensions
Function Specifies distance in formatting commands.
Dimensions are a required part of many formatting parameters. For example, if you include the LeftIndent parameter in a format command, you must also include a dimension (such as characters, picas, or inches) to specify where you want the formatter to set the left indent. Similarily, several menu commands require that you enter a dimension. For instance, when you choose Layout/Columns/Snaking Columns, Sprint prompts you for the space between columns. You can enter any
Dimensions horizontal dimension Table 1.2 in this entry (like 2 picas, 30 characters, 10.35 em, and so on).
Unlike commands that affect ruler lines, commands that accept dimensions let you specify distance in measures other than column number.
Note: If you don't specify a dimension as part of a parameter, Sprint will automatically use characters for horizontal measures and lines for vertical measures. For example, spacing 2 tells Sprint to use the default lines and double-space the text.
Parameters are generally used to modify a defined for-mat. For example, if you want to double-space text in the Display format, you could modify the Display for-mat by adding the parameter spacing 2. (For a complete list of format parameters, refer to the Modifying Formats entry.)
You often use dimensions when you modify commands.
(See the Modifying Formats entry for details.)
Table 1.2 lists all valid dimensions (and their legal spellings) and briefly explains each one.
Dimensions
Table 1.2: Formatting Dimensions
The width of a ~pical character (normally the same as an I en" space). Since fonts can be different sizes, this measurement varies from font to font. Also, this measurement can only be used to indicate horizontal distances.
Centimeters.
Horizontally, the printer unit that is equal to the width of a lowercase m (the widest character in a proportionally spaced font).
The "em" space varies from font to font.
Vertically, an "em" is the same distance as a line.
The width of a 0 (zero) in the current font.
Inches.
Vertically, this is the height of a single-spaced lme (usually equal to the point size of the current font). Horizontally, thls is the distance between the left and right margin.
Also, for the Spacing and Spread-parameters, entering the dimension in lines indicates that it is relative to the surroundin~ text's point size (rather than an absolute dImension).
Millimeters.
The height of the paper, which is usuallr 11 inches. This dimension specifies vertica distance only.
Equal to 12 points, or approximately 1/6 of one inch.
Equivalent to 1/72 of an inch.
Derived from the printer definition, u's represent the units that measure the minimal horizontal and vertical movement of the print head on the printer. This is useful for special effects, but is a printer-dependent dimension. Horizontal and vertical u's can be different sizes.
Blank Space, Formats, Indenting, Line Spacing, Margins, Tabs
Direction
Direction
See the Searching entry for details.
DisplayWrite 4 (DCA RFT)
Refer to the Translate entry for details.