MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer

Users Guide for

Version 1.04

31 August 1988

Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton























Michael Burton
15540 Boot Hill Rd.
Hayden Lake, Idaho 83835
(208) 772-9347 (after 6 p.m. Pacific Time)













MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88






TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Program Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MCD as ShareWare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Association of Shareware Professionals . . . . . . . . . 4
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Running MCD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Screen Mask Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The Cursor Mask Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Screen/Cursor Mask Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Building a Cursor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
See-through Cursors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Overlay Cursors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Animated Cursors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Creating Source Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Appendix A - MCD Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Appendix B - Software Discrepancy Report Form . . . . . . . . 13
Appendix C - MCD Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14



























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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

Introduction

Overview

MCD, the Mouse Cursor Designer, is specifically tailored to help
graphics programmers design mouse cursors for applications that
use a Microsoft compatible mouse driver. MCD uses a computer's
graphics capabilities and its mouse to modify the two mouse
cursor masks. The user may save cursor designs and reload them.
MCD can produce source code in Pascal, Basic, C and assembly
language for the currently displayed cursor.

MCD was written in Borland International Turbo C, version 1.5. It
requires a graphics display adapter and a Microsoft compatible
mouse.

Purpose

The purpose of this users guide is to provide help with running
MCD, as well as helping you to get the most out of the program.
It will explain how to run MCD, how to use the Main Menu options,
how to use the screen mask and cursor mask options, how to create
mouse cursors and how to create computer language source code
from a mouse cursor.

Program Specifications

Program date: 08-31-88
Program version: 1.04
Program size: 62078
Disk Drives required: One for file storage/retrieval
Display required: A graphics adapter (CGA, EGA, VGA,
EEGA, Hercules, etc.).
Special hardware required: Any pointing device with a
Microsoft compatible mouse driver
(Microsoft, MSC, Logitech, Key
Tronic, Kraft, Mitsubishi,
MicroSpeed, etc.).

MCD as ShareWare

The MCD program and this manual are both Copyright (C) 1988 by
Michael Burton. They are being distributed under the 'ShareWare'
concept. This means that if after trying out MCD, you decide to
use it on a regular basis, you are expected to register the
program by sending $15 to

Michael Burton
15540 Boot Hill Rd.
Hayden Lake, ID 83835

In return for your registration, you will immediately receive via
first class mail the latest version of MCD and a printed version
of this guide.

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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

You are encouraged to copy and distribute MCD to anyone with the
following restrictions:

1. The MCD program, the example cursor files and the file for
this manual must be distributed as a set. It is important
that the manual be included.

2. No changes may be made to either the program or this
manual. MCD and this manual are both copyrighted and
should remain unchanged.

3. You may not charge for MCD's distribution or copying. The
exception to this is User Groups, who may make a small
charge for the cost of disks and copying, not to exceed
$8.

4. Commercial use of MCD in any manner is prohibited without
the express written consent of the author. Commercial
users of MCD MUST register the number of copies that they
will be using.

The MCD program and this accompanying users guide are provided
'as is' without warranty of any kind. The correctness, accuracy,
reliability and currentness of MCD and this users guide is not
warranted. The entire risk as to results and performance of MCD
is assumed by the user.

Association of Shareware Professionals

The author of this program is a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP) and has agreed to comply with its
standards:


Programming Standards -

1. The program meets ASP's definition of Shareware.

2. The program has been thoroughly tested by the author and
should not be harmful to other files or hardware if used
properly (although ASP cannot warrant this; therefore, the
user should take normal precautions in trying new
software).

Documentation Standards -

1. Sufficient documentation is provided to allow the average
user to try all major functions of the program.

2. The program author has explained the Shareware concept in
a professional and positive manner.




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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

Support Standards -

1. The program author will respond as described in the
documentation to people who send registration payments. At
a minimum, the author will send an acknowledgment of
payment.

2. The author will respond to written bug reports from
registered users when the user provides a self-addressed,
stamped envelope (some authors will respond by phone, but
this is not an ASP requirement).

3. Incompatibilities with other software or hardware, major
or unusual program limitations, or known problems are
noted in the documentation that comes with the Shareware
version of the program.

General -

1. The author keeps his/her membership in ASP current.

2. The author recognizes that any user may appeal to ASP for
any unresolved dispute that arises.

If you feel that the author has not complied with these standards
in some manner or if you register the program with the author and
subsequently have any disputes with the author which cannot be
resolved, please contact the ASP on CompuServe in the IBMJR
forum.

While ASP cannot warrant programs nor the actions of members, ASP
will do what it can to assure that all authors who claim
membership comply with ASP standards. These standards are the
assurance of quality and support that you will get when you
register Shareware produced by ASP members.


Getting Started

Running MCD

Running MCD is very simple. The only file required is MCD.EXE.
It may be anywhere on your disk, as long as it is accessible via
the PATH variable. The only things you need before running MCD
is a graphics display adapter and your mouse driver loaded. To
invoke the program, simply type

MCD

No command line options are available. MCD will display a screen
of text explaining what MCD does and explaining that MCD is a
ShareWare program. You may hit any key to continue to the MCD
main display.


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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

The Main Menu

The Main Menu contains general MCD functions. These include
loading a saved cursor image, saving a cursor image, generating a
source code fragment from a cursor image, changing the working
directory, setting a hotspot for a cursor, swapping between the
normal MCD cursor and the one being worked on and exiting to DOS.

A previously saved cursor image may be reloaded by clicking on
'Load Cursor Image'. MCD will show you what files exist in the
current directory and will request a filename. The filename
extension (.MCD) is not required. MCD will load the selected
file and return to the MCD main display, where you will see the
new cursor image.

The currently displayed cursor image may be saved for later
retrieval by selecting the 'Save Cursor Image' function. MCD
will show you what files already exist in the current directory
and will request a filename. The filename extension (.MCD) is
not required. MCD will create a file containing the cursor
image. MCD will write over any file already present without
asking permission, so be careful.

Source code may be generated from the cursor image for one of four
languages by clicking on the 'Generate Source' function. The main
MCD screen will be cleared and a menu of the four language
choices will be displayed. Select one of the languages by
pressing its letter, or return to the MCD main display by
pressing Esc. If you select a language, MCD will show you what
files already exist in the current directory and will request a
filename. The filename extension (.C, .PAS, .BAS or .ASM) is not
required. MCD will create a file containing the current cursor
image and its hotspot values, written in the appropriate
language. MCD will write over any file already present without
asking permission, so be careful.

You may change the current working directory by clicking on
'Change Directory'. MCD will display the current drive/path and
let you enter a new one. The files contained in the current
directory are also displayed by this function.

You may select a hotspot for the cursor you are working on by
clicking on the 'Set Hotspot' function. The hotspot is the place
within the graphics cursor that is referred to by all the mouse
functions, i.e., it is the 'center' of mouse activity. Interrupt
33h function 9 requires that you give it the coordinates of the
hotspot when you select a new graphics cursor. The variables hsx
and hsy in each source code file that MCD generates contain the
hotspot coordinates. Hsx and hsy are also displayed on the main
MCD screen, and are indicated on the cursor mask by an 'X'.

You may do an actual 'test drive' with the cursor you are building
by clicking on 'Swap Cursors'. This function selects the cursor
being worked on as the cursor for your pointing device, and also

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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

uses that cursor's hotspot. Be Careful - you could actually lose
track of where the cursor is if you select this function with the
screen and cursor mask defaults. You should also be careful
about the hotspot - if you are test driving a cursor, the hotspot
is probably in a different spot than on our default pointing
finger cursor, so you could end up clicking on something you
didn't mean to.

You may exit MCD to DOS by clicking on 'Exit to DOS' in the Main
Menu, or by pressing the Escape key on the keyboard. When you
exit, all current work will be lost, so be sure to save it first
(if necessary) before exiting.

The Screen Mask Menu

The Screen Mask Menu allows you to perform mass pixel operations
on the screen mask. Each operation is explained below.

Clear - Set all the pixels in the screen mask to off. This is
the opposite of the default condition.

Invert - Set all the pixels in the screen mask that are on to
off. Set all the pixels that are off to on. This
function can be used after a Clear to reset the screen
mask to its default condition. It can also be used to
make a reverse image of the cursor mask after
Transferring the cursor mask.

Transfer - Copy the cursor mask into the screen mask. This is
usually done after the cursor mask has been finished,
in order to make an outlined cursor.

Mirror - Create a mirror image of the original screen mask by
flipping pixels left to right.

Up - Move each row of pixels in the screen mask up by one
row. The top row of pixels is lost.

Down - Move each row of pixels in the screen mask down by one
row. The bottom row of pixels is lost.

Left - Move each column of pixels in the screen mask left by
one column. The left column of pixels is lost.

Right - Move each column of pixels in the screen mask right by
one column. The right column of pixels is lost.

The Cursor Mask Menu

The Cursor Mask Menu allows you to perform the same mass pixel
operations on the cursor mask as can be performed on the screen
mask. Each operation is explained below.

Clear - Set all the pixels in the cursor mask to off. This is
the default cursor mask condition.

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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

Invert - Set all the pixels in the cursor mask that are on to
off. Set all the pixels that are off to on.

Transfer - Copy the screen mask into the cursor mask.

Mirror - Create a mirror image of the original cursor mask by
flipping pixels left to right.

Up - Move each row of pixels in the cursor mask up by one
row. The top row of pixels is lost.

Down - Move each row of pixels in the cursor mask down by one
row. The bottom row of pixels is lost.

Left - Move each column of pixels in the cursor mask left by
one column. The left column of pixels is lost.

Right - Move each column of pixels in the cursor mask right by
one column. The right column of pixels is lost.

Screen/Cursor Mask Operations

Building A Cursor

Creating a graphics mouse cursor can be kind of a confusing
process if you haven't done it before. You must keep the
following in mind while constructing your cursor:

1. The screen mask is logically ANDed with the display area
that it is to overlay. This means that all the places in
the screen mask that contain ones will remain unchanged,
while all the places that contain zeroes will be blanked
out.

2. The cursor mask is logically XORed (exclusively ORed) with
the results of the screen mask ANDing. This means that
all the places in the cursor mask that contain zeroes will
remain unchanged, while all the places that contain ones
will have their bits flipped (ones for zeroes and zeros
for ones).

3. As you build a cursor with MCD, the results of what you
are building can be viewed immediately to the right of the
cursor mask. This display gives you a true picture of what
the cursor will really look like, on both a black
background and a white one.

The recommended procedure to use MCD to build a mouse cursor is
listed below.

1. Make sure that you start with the screen mask filled with
pixels and the cursor mask empty.



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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

2. Build your cursor in the cursor mask area using the
pointing finger. To toggle a single pixel on or off, just
point at the pixel and click a mouse button. To toggle
many pixels on or off, press and hold the mouse button,
then drag the pointing finger around.

3. When you finish with the cursor design, you must decide
whether the cursor is to be a see-through cursor, overlay
cursor or an animated cursor. Overlay and animated
cursors require changes to the screen mask.

4. Be sure to save your work when you have finished designing
the cursor. Save a cursor image as well as generating a
source code fragment.

See-through Cursors

A see-through cursor allows you to see most of the object that the
cursor is overlaying. A see-through cursor is simply one where
the screen mask pixels are all set. This means that the only
places that get changed are the places in the cursor mask that
are ones. The HAIRS cursor included with this program is a good
example of a see-through cursor.

Overlay Cursors

An overlay cursor is drawn on the display so that it completely
overlays whatever is underneath it. Most overlay cursors have
their hotspots at one edge of the cursor, so the user may see
what the cursor is actually pointing at. Examples of overlay
cursors are PENCIL, FINGER and ARROW.

To create an overlay cursor, the following must be done.

1. After you have drawn your cursor in the cursor mask, go
over to the screen mask menu and click on 'Transfer'.
This moves the cursor mask image into the screen mask.

2. Click on 'Invert' in the screen mask menu to make a
negative image of the screen mask.

3. Go into the cursor image on the screen mask and clear all
the pixels within the image.

4. If you want the cursor to be outlined (if there is enough
room to do that), go around the outside of the cursor
image on the screen mask and clear out one more layer of
pixels.

5. Save your work.





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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

Animated Cursors

Mouse graphics cursors can allow limited animation because of the
way they are constructed. The animation occurs when the cursor
is moved from a dark area to a light area on the display (and
vice versa). Examples of animated cursors are FACEIT, SPERM and
PACMAN.

To create an animated cursor, the following must be done.

1. After you have drawn your cursor in the cursor mask, you
must decide what pieces of it should disappear when the
cursor moves from a dark area to a light area. Go over to
the screen mask and turn the corresponding pixels off in
that mask. For example, in FACEIT, the corners of the
mouth and the frown are erased.

2. Decide what new pieces of the cursor must be on when the
cursor is in a light area. Turn those pixels off on the
screen mask. Make sure that those areas do not coincide
with areas in the cursor mask that are turned on. For
example, in FACEIT, the mouth is turned into a smile by
erasing two small areas on the screen mask.

3. Save your work.

Creating Source Code

Once you have your cursor designed the way that you want it, MCD
can create a file with a source code fragment in it that
describes your cursor. You can pick C, Pascal, Basic or assembly
language as the language that MCD will use to create the code
fragment. The fragment will consist of an array named 'cursor'
that contains the 32 words of screen mask and cursor mask, and
two variables named 'hsx' and 'hsy' that contain the horizontal
and vertical coordinates of the hotspot. Naturally, each
language selection generates a different file. Typical files for
each language is shown below.


Pascal Example

Const
cursor: Array [0..31] Of Word = (
$ffff,$ffff,$ffff,$fc1f,$f88f,$f087,$e083,$ef7b,
$e083,$f087,$f88f,$fc1f,$ffff,$ffff,$ffff,$ffff,
$0,$0,$0,$0,$3e0,$7f0,$ff8,$0,
$ff8,$7f0,$3e0,$0,$0,$0,$0,$0);
hsx : Word = 8;
hsy : Word = 7;





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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88

Basic Example

10 DATA &Hffff,&Hffff,&Hffff,&Hfc1f,&Hf88f,&Hf087,&He083,&Hef7b
20 DATA &He083,&Hf087,&Hf88f,&Hfc1f,&Hffff,&Hffff,&Hffff,&Hffff
30 DATA &H0,&H0,&H0,&H0,&H3e0,&H7f0,&Hff8,&H0
40 DATA &Hff8,&H7f0,&H3e0,&H0,&H0,&H0,&H0,&H0
50 HSX = 8 : HSY = 7


C Example

unsigned cursor[32] = {
0xffff,0xffff,0xffff,0xfc1f,0xf88f,0xf087,0xe083,0xef7b,
0xe083,0xf087,0xf88f,0xfc1f,0xffff,0xffff,0xffff,0xffff,
0x0,0x0,0x0,0x0,0x3e0,0x7f0,0xff8,0x0,
0xff8,0x7f0,0x3e0,0x0,0x0,0x0,0x0,0x0};
unsigned hsx = 8;
unsigned hsy = 7;


Assembly language example

cursor: DW 0ffffh,0ffffh,0ffffh,0fc1fh
DW 0f88fh,0f087h,0e083h,0ef7bh
DW 0e083h,0f087h,0f88fh,0fc1fh
DW 0ffffh,0ffffh,0ffffh,0ffffh
DW 00h,00h,00h,00h
DW 03e0h,07f0h,0ff8h,00h
DW 0ff8h,07f0h,03e0h,00h
DW 00h,00h,00h,00h
hsx: DW 8
hsy: DW 7























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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88


Appendix A - MCD Error Messages

MCD only has four error messages. They are listed and explained
below.

Can't open the file

MCD attempted to read or write the file that you specified, but
was not able to. Make sure you have a legal file name.

Can't find the directory

MCD attempted to change to the directory that you specified, but
was not able to. Make sure you have specified a legal directory,
as well as one that really exists.

MCD will not run with this display adapter

MCD will only run on a graphics display adapter such as a CGA,
EGA, VGA, Hercules, etc. It will not run on a monochrome display
adapter, and possibly not on IBM 8514, AT&T or 3270 displays.

Mouse driver not found

Since MCD uses a mouse, a Microsoft compatible mouse driver must
be loaded before MCD is invoked. Load the mouse driver, then run
MCD again.



























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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88


Appendix B - Software Discrepancy Report Form

Software Discrepancy Report

If you detect any errors in MCD, please fill out this form and
send it to:

Michael Burton
15540 Boot Hill Rd.
Hayden Lake, ID 83835

Name: __________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________
City: _____________________________ State: ____ Zip: _________
Computer (PC, XT, AT, PS/2, etc.): _____________________________
Display adapter: _________________ Monitor Type: ______________
RAM size: _______ Operating System: __________ Version: _____
RAM-resident software loaded (in order loaded): ________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Describe any unusual hardware in your system: __________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Please describe the problem you encountered in detail: _________
________________________________________________________________
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MCD - Mouse Cursor Designer Version 1.04
Copyright (C) 1988 by Michael Burton 31 Aug 88


Appendix C - MCD Revision History


Version Description

1.04 Initial program release. Released with 42 example
cursor files.

1.03 Beta Test version. Added multiple directory support.
Cleaned up files interface.

1.02 Beta Test version. Created multiple .MCD examples. Changed
default cursor from arrow to pointing finger. Cleaned
up code generation.

1.01 Beta Test version. Added ASM support, hotspot support,
cursor swapping.

1.00 Alpha Test version to verify design concepts. Support C,
PAS and BAS code generation.


































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