the Editor

The Editor Window
The windows that hold program listings appear immediately below the row of Edit icons.

At the top of each window is an Information Line, that displays the title of the current "project" and provides a status report. It also displays three Edit Window Icons, as follows:

At the left-hand side of the Information Line, there is a small [CLOSE] icon. This closes the current window and erases its contents.

Since this is a drastic action, you will be asked to confirm your intentions before the window is closed. Select [Cancel] to abort the closing operation, and leave the current program intact. Please note that when the last window is closed in this way, the program will be erased and the window will be left clean, ready for your next editing action.

You may wish to open a new window now, before experimenting any further. Please hold down the right mouse button and with the button held down, drag the mouse pointer to the [Project] menu heading and highlight the [Open New] option. Now release the right mouse button, and a new window will be opened at once. You can open more windows if you wish, to prove how simple this is, and then close them again with the [CLOSE] button.

You are allowed as many active windows as you wish, providing that there is enough screen space. Once a window has been opened, it may be re-positioned by dragging its Information Line using the left mouse button, and its size can be changed by dragging its lower border in the same way.

Only one window can be active at a time, and this is used for all current editing operations, and menu selections. If there is more than one window open, an individual window is selected by simply clicking on its contents with the mouse. A flashing cursor will be positioned over the relevant programming line. The Information Lines of any inactive windows are reduced to a dull display, leaving the current active window's display in its original bright condition.

There are two other icons at the right-hand end of the Information Line.

The [HIDE] icon is used to hide a normal program from the display. Hidden "accessory" programs are available directly from the [AMOS] main menu. Accessories are discussed at the beginning of Chapter 13.1.

This icon is the [COMPRESSOR] button, and it is used to compress a window to a single title line, revealing and windows underneath. To expand a window to its original state, simply click on this icon again.

The Information Line
Between the window icons, the Information Line offers the following status reports, from left to right.