Windows Information

Everyone has unique knowledge and experience with PC technology. This brief information page is provided to make your use of this tool a more user friendly experience, if you need it.

As with any PC, there are several ways to achieve the same goal. Sometimes, what's frustrating to new users is that documentation is not always in exact agreement with what's on the screen. Very often people at Microsoft have made many things configurable by the user, or even other previously installed software, which means documentation must be more generalized.

Each topic below should give you a little more insight to thw Windows command interface.

File Types You'll Be Using

File names have different extensions or suffixes (.zip, .bat, .txt, .exe, .html, etc.). The extension gives users and programs important clues about their use. Let's briefly discuss the ones we will use.

.zip

A file with this extension, is referred to as a zip file or zip archive. A zip does two main things for us. First, it bundles together a number of files into an easy to handle container, much like putting your groceries into a box, bag, or sack to carry, instead of juggling or loosing an item. Similarly, the zip has its own traits: name, size, extension, etc. Unlike our groceries, the zip has features that can tell the contents of the container, how to unbundle it and many things beyond our needs.

The second, purpose of the zip, is that it compresses the size of the files it holds, so that the its easier and faster to send over the internet, or to other devices.

The file you will download shorty, is zip file mcpt.zip. You will use Windows, to unbundle (extract) five files.

.bat

A file with this extension is referred to as a bat or batch file. Just as a zip bundled files, a batch bundles commands or tasks. If you have Windows run a batch file, (you will do this in a moment by clicking on it, but it can also be typed on a command line), it's a simple way to get many actions with one command. Like saying "start the car", instead of "take your key out, sit in the drivers' seat, put the key in the ignition, etc. etc.".

We will use a feature of Windows to have our batch file just do one task. Clicking the batch file will open a new window known as a command or terminal window. This new window will be your gateway to using mcpt. From this point on you will use the mouse for scroll bars (if the output is long, I recommend using a full size screen, use the square icon on the top right of the window, just left of the X), and for copy-and-paste (see Windows below).

You will get one batch file from the zip, mcpt.bat.

Note windows does NOT require you to type the extension \".bat\" or \".exe\".

Experienced users can use alternate methods to get a command window and not use the batch file. However, do run: mcpt -help=tour to get an introduction to mcpt.

.exe

A file with this extension is referred to as an exe file or executable file. Executable, means the file will run and do something. Unlike a batch file, it is NOT a list of commands, but a program (you cannot look inside an executable to see its contents). There are other executables extensions, but we are not concerned with them. If a batch file is like the recipe to bake a cake, where we can see the steps and even alter them, the executable is the cake itself. We get what we're given, and we are limited to using it as intended (in our case, as the user guide explains).

Note that windows does NOT require you to type the extension \".bat\" or \".exe\".

You will get one exe file from the zip, mcpt.exe.

.html

A file with this extension is referred to as an HTML file or less accurately web page. This file is however a major building block of web pages. The file contents can be from very simple (text and some formatting) to very complex (images, animations, sound, etc.). In our case, the HTML file is used in lieu of a paper document for a user guide. You can click on its name from Windows File Explorer to read it, you can use Windows right mouse button when its open on your screen to print it, or knowledgeable users can save it to another name and edit it for their own needs.

You will get two HTML files from the zip, UserGuide.html (no spaces in the name, upper and lower case as shown). and tour.html (an alternative, but limited overview of mcpt).

.txt

A file with this extension is referred to as an txt file (pronounced text), it may also be called a plain file, or ASCII (pronounced as-key, geeky but the most accurate). Basically, this file contains the symbols you can type on a keyboard, without any special formatting of the text. There are no changes in character sizes, or look (fonts), no imbedded instructions, etc. Fundamentally, a text file is what you can type on a manual typewriter.

The simplicity of the text file is what makes it so useful. There are many ways to create and edit them, and no learning curve for special typing instructions.

You can open, create, or edit txt files with Windows "notepad", you may be able to use word processor products, like Microsoft Word if you just use text and save as a .txt file, there are many other products from the Linux world that have come to Windows (vi, vim, emacs, etc.) that can be used if you save as a .txt file.

When you run the tour (you'll be reminded when you run the batch file during install) or run: "mcpt -help=files" we'll discuss several files that you will likely use.

You will get one txt file from the zip, words.txt. This is a large list of English words which can be used to generate word practice. Anywhere this file name is given, you can use any txt file of your choosing. For example, if you the enjoy the vocabulary of a particular author, you can download a book in .txt format, from Project Gutenberg, or seach the internet for "common words in English", whatever gives you content that you are interested in, and that will give you a wide variety of letters, and word lengths.

Windows & Command Line Tutorial

Since you've come this far you know a lot about traversing the Windows interface (gui, graphical user interface), but once you have had the batch file open a command window, you have stepped out of the graphical world and into the command world. As previously mentioned, the main input will be the keyboard not the mouse. Instead of clcking on buttons, and links to make things happen there will be some typing. But don't panic, I don't like to type either, so a number of things were done to reduce typing and still hopefully be easy to learn and clear in meaning. For example, a number of options that control how mcpt will run, have been abbreviated (min, rather minimum), limited use of capital letters when possible (codeGroups, rather than CodeGroups), many things have a preset or default value which you may not need to change (at least initially), and repetitive things can be put in a simple txt file and reused.

Typing at the command prompt, which should look something like this C:\users\owner\mcpt followed by a cursor (white square or underline, maybe blinking) has some rules to adhere to. For the most part, if I give you a command in the tour, in the user guide, or in the helps, you should enter it exactly the same way (copy-and-paste even better). 

Do NOT change the case of letters, from upper to lower, or lower to upper.
Do NOT delete any space where shown.

For things shown in quotes, use the quotes (double) there are cases where it works without them, but there are definely some pointed out in the user guide that do not.

If you type something and realize you have a typo you can fix it: If you use the backspace key, you can back up to the error and retype it, but you will loose anything you went over. Somethimes, you want this, like to change the last option on the line. But if you wanted to just get back to the letter you forgot, or duplicated - use the cursor (or arrow) left key.

If you cursored back to an extra or wrong character, use the delete key. If you cursored back to one character after the place where you forgot a letter, you can just begin to type what you missed.

After you have fixed the command, you can hit the enter key, you do not have to move the cursor to the end of the line,

You can use the cursor up/down keys to find a command you previously ran. You can then reuse it, or edit it.

Copy-and-paste, can be a time saver and mistake avoidance feature. (It's from Microsoft, it's a little clumsy at first, you should have little need for this.)

Try the following when you are in the window opened by the batch file or you can: hold the windows key (four white squares) and press the "r" key, when the dialoge box appears hit the "OK" button. You are now in a command window (the same as what clicking the batch file would have done).

Let's try copy-and-paste, if it doesn't work we'll check the settings and re-try. In the following you will simultaneous hold two or more keys, instead of using all those words, the standard is to us a plus sign - so: ctrl+V means while holds the ctrl down, depress the v, then release. (Also note the letters we will use C,M,V are by standard shown as upper case but only use SHIFT if its listed.)

At the command prompt: type the word time and hit enter. When the time is displayed, and you are prompted to enter a new time, just hit enter again. Now to rerun the time command, we could of course retype it, or we discussed you could use the cursor up until you see it, but we are going to copy-and- paste, just as you will do to try commands in the tour.

So do this:

  1. press Ctrl+M this tells windows to Mark the spot
  2. place your mouse pointer on the stating letter of the command you want to copy
  3. click it to highlight it
  4. Ctrl+Shift+C while still holding them use the cursor right until the entire item is highlighted, then
    5. release or you could drag the mouse drag-right to highlight instead of the cursor.
  5. now the item has been copied
  6. Ctrl+Shift+V pastes it (think V - makes it visible)
  7. Hit Enter or edit first as previously discussed.

    8. If the above failed we'll check the setup.

  8. Right click on the top border of the terminal window.
  9. Select Properties
  10. On the Options Tab, Under Edit Options, put a check in the box labeled "Use Ctrl+Shift+C/V for Copy/Paste"
  11. Try the process again

Using Multiple Windows (optional)

Many users find it useful to have two windows open to the same folder. Having two windows, lets you view files in one window, and run commands in the other. Here are two easy ways to do that (there are many).

After you do the install steps, you will use Windows Explorer to fine the installed mcpt.bat file. Clicking this fine will open a window for you. You can then do the same thing again, note however the second window will completely cover the first. Right mouse click on the top border and hold it while you drag it slightly to a different position. You may want to resize them. This method puts both windows working in the same folder (good!).

A second way, has nothing to do with your new batch file. press the "Windows Key" (lower left with 4 whites squares) and simultaneously the "r" key (WK+R in described notation). A small window will appear with the word "cmd" prepopulated, click the "OK" button. Do this again, move one as in step 1.

Note: Your windows do NOT have you in the folder with the installed files. The prompt most like is some thing like C:\users\owner, you need to get to the folder you chose in the install. If you followed the install that will be as below. To change to that folder (also called a directory) run the following command: cd c:\users\owner\mcpt then the prompt should change (cd means change directory). You can verify by running: dir which will list the installed files a few will start with the letters "mcpt".

Repeat this in the other window too.

Use the BACK button, or use the X to close the window and go back.