OVERVIEW:

StageHand is a companion program to StageManager that lets you perform
StageManager commands interactively (rather than as a script).  This
is useful when you want to test out actions before putting them into
your movie (you don't have to keep rerunning the complete movie to see
how a particular command will look).  It also lets you issue Geomview
commands directly, so it can also serve as a replacement for the
Geomview commands panel (it provides better command history and
editing features, and allows multi-line commands).


STARTING STAGEHAND:

Once geomview is running, select StageHand from the modules panel.
This will load StageHand.  (StageHand actually starts a second module,
called StageDoor and then exits, so you will see the StageHand module
appear, then disappear, and then the StageHand window will appear;
this is normal.)


THE STAGEHAND PANEL:

StageHand provides a large input area and several buttons.  The input
area is where you type commands (either StageManager-style commands,
or Geomview commands).  The three buttons perform the following
functions:

	CLEAR		Clears the input area and issues a new prompt

	CONTROLS	Brings up the execution control panel that
			lets you pause execution, kill BackStage, etc.
			Normally you will not need to use this panel,
			but, for example, you may want to step through
			a Sequence command, or use the Print command
			to obtain some output in this window.

	QUIT		Closes the StageHand window and exits the
			program.


KEYBINDINGS:

The editing keys are modeled after EMACS, but you can also use mouse
dragging and X-window style cut/paste.  The up and down arrow keys can
be used to move through the command history, and CTRL-R or ESCAPE-P
can be used to recall previous commands that match what you have typed
so far.  If you press the RETURN key, the command you have typed will
be performed if it is complete; otherwise, you will be able to
continue the command on a new line.  Once the command is complete,
To execute a multi-line command, press RETURN at the end of the
command, or ENTER anywhere within the command.


GEOMVIEW VS. STAGEMANAGER COMMANDS:

StageHand allows you to issue commands either to Geomview or to
BackStage (the program that StageManager uses to actually execute
scripts).  Since Geomview commands are always enclosed in parentheses,
StageHand can tell which type of command you are giving by whether it
begins with a parenthesis.  If so, StageHand ships the command to
Geomview, otherwise it sends it to BackStage.  For example, the
command "(load cube)" will go directly to Geomview, whereas "Load
cube" will be sent to BackStage for execution.


KNOWN BUGS:

None


BUG REPORTS AND COMMENTS:

Please send bug reports and comments to <mailto:dpvc@union.edu>.

