Help - Basics - Assorted initial remarks

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Here are some assorted initial remarks that are good to know as soon as you start with Squeak.

Cmd-keys and Do It - Print It - Inspect It and others

What is the Cmd (Command) key on Apple is the Alt key on Windows and Linux. Here are a few basic ones - and all do their stuff on highlighted parts of text, nearly anywhere inside Squeak. If you highlight the magenta parts in the following and do the indicated command-key you see a number of the most important command-keys in Squeak in action:

Cmd-d = Do It = process the text. Browser openBrowser
Cmd-p = Print It = Do It and print the result behind it. 5+4+3+2+1
Cmd-b = Browse It = start a browser on the object with the highlighted name. Project
Cmd-i = Inspect It = Do It and start an inspector on the result. #('One' 'Two' 'Three' 'Go') asSet.
Cmd-m = Make a collection of implementors of the term. collect:
Cmd-n = Make a collection of senders of the term. do:

Cmd-k = Start a new workspace (when the cursor is in the Project window, not on some morph inside it)
Cmd-t = Start a transcript (when the cursor is in the Project window, not on some morph inside it)

Cmd-. = Stop it = Cmd key followed by a dot ends whatever activity Squeak is busy with and returns to the state that was before that activity started. (Use this when you think something is wrong or takes too long.)

There are many more command-keys, notably in a Workspace.

Here are some links to the Glossary for some issues about Squeak's appearance and elementary use:

- Font issues

- Keyboard issues

- Mouse issues

Basic Morph

Here is an example of a very simple morph: A blue square. Do Cmd-d on the following

Morph new openInWorld

In the upper left corner will appear a blue square. You can pick it up with the mouse and move it about and put it somewhere more convenient. Do so, and Middle-Click on it. There will appear around it a series of small buttons called halos. This can be done for every morph and allows one to do all manner of things with it. For example

- the lower right button expands and shrinks it when clicked and dragged
- the lower left button turns it when clicked and dragged
- the upper right button duplicates it when clicked
- the button above the lower right changes the color
- the upper left button removes the morph
- the button below the upper left collapses the morph

and more. When you have tried these out for the first time you know a little bit better what makes Squeak special.

In fact, you can thus manipulate anything on the screen - and you have the full code accessible

- the button below the upper right opens a menu to learn about the code of the morph.

More Morphs

If you do Cmd-o ("o" for objects) or Windowsmenu - objects, you get a catalogue of objects you can get a running instance of on screen. Here there is a lot for you to explore and enjoy! Remember: Squeak contains the full code for everything that runs inside it, so you can come to understand how the objects do whatever they do and look however they look - and when you understand it (in part) you can change it or add to the capacities of the objects.

Painting

Squeak contains a simple but nice Painting tool. You can open one by openining the Navigator flap and pressing the brush. (If you want an empty screen you might do Worldmenu - Windows - collapse all windows.) It is easy to use and quickly learned. See Painting for a little more.

Pictures

There are many ways to work with pictures in Squeak. Suppose you have a directory full of images - gif, jpg, bmp  files - and you want to enliven Squeak with them. Do Cmd-d on the following

FileList2 morphicView openInWorld

This opens a FileList with more facilities than the old standard one. You can use it as expected from Windows Explorer or whatever you are used to. Well, use it to go to the directory with images. The option open will open such an image in your Project, while the option background will make it the background of your present Project. 

If you like FileList2 and want to use it without problems try out FileList2 button.
If you need to know more before trying FileList2 button  check out Workspaces.

Further with Basics.

Basics - Next