ThinkTank Manual

Press RETURN to select DOWN, the highlighted option. As it did in Chapter 3, ThinkTank opens up space for a new headline below CHRISTMAS LETTER and waits for you to enter one.

Instead of typing a new headline at this point, press the ESC key to cancel this command.

The deliberate way to select a ThinkTank command is to (1) select a menu, (2) move the menu cursor to the desired command, and (3) press RETURN to select the highlighted option.

With this method, you can see a full range of information about the command, including its command key, its brief ex- planation, and any command prefix you enter.

This is the best method to use while you are still learning about commands (or whenever you want to examine your options for any reason). You can also use it to study Think— Tank’s command structure. You can always use the escape valve (the ESC key) to interrupt or cancel a command, right up to the last moment.

The Fast Path

Now let’s repeat this process as efficiently as pos- sible. First move the bar cursor back to PERSONNEL RECORDS

and then type “N3D” (N for NEW, 3 for the command prefix, and

Dfor DOWN). Voila! ThinkTank is waiting for your new head- line. Use ESC again to cancel the command.

The “fast path” to a ThinkTank command is to

bypass the menus and use its command keys.

Here is some general advice about selecting commands:

*Command keys always work “inside” menus. For exam- ple, if the Main Command Menu is displayed, you can always press N to select NEW and display the NEW Com- mand Menu. The menu cursor doesn’t have to be on

NEW.

—48—